Have Mercy, ■■■■, on Me 10

A recollection. Within a certain room in the Tomoe manor

Nagisa: ...... (reading a book)

Hiyori: Ah! I’ve finally found you!

Nagisa: ...... (fully absorbed in reading the book)

Hiyori: Hello? It’s not polite to ignore me, you know!

Nagisa: ......Hiyori. Came.

Hiyori: Don’t look at me with that cute face. Haven’t I already told you not to leave your room without permission?

Nagisa: ......Want. Book. Read.

Hiyori: Yes, yes, I know just how much you love reading.

Reading is great! The more you read, the more things you’ll learn.

So by all means, read away!

Nagisa: ......Hiyori. Angry?

Hiyori: Yes, I’m very angry! Do you know why I’m angry?

How many times have I told you to stay quiet and not to leave your room without asking?

Nagisa: ......Hiyori. Slow.

Hiyori: Wow, are you saying it’s my fault?

I see. Then I suppose you won’t mind if you don’t get any rewards for learning a lot today, hm?

And after I went through so much trouble to get your favorite chocolate!

Nagisa: ...! ...Want. Candy.

Hiyori: Then there’s something you need to say to me. Do you know what it is, Nagisa-kun?

Nagisa: ......Sorry.

Hiyori: Good! You did a good job apologizing ♪

Now I want you to be good and stay in your room until it’s okay to come out, okay?

If anything ever happened to you, I’d be very sad. Do you understand?

Nagisa: ......Yes.

Hiyori: (Well, he’ll definitely do it again regardless.)

(Nagisa-kun... maybe he just has a good memory, but he’s picking up words at an incredible speed lately.)

(Just like this. He learns words I’ve never even taught him, and without warning he’s already using them.)

(But at the same time, his curiosity is making him act recklessly...)

(It’s one thing when he’s just sneaking out of his room to read books, like today. But it’s worse when he sneaks out of the manor.)

Goodness. It’s great that you’re so eager to learn, but looking after you all the time is exhausting...

Nagisa: ......Hiyori. Still. Angry?

Hiyori: No, I’m not angry anymore. I was just thinking how hard it is to take care of you.

You’re very smart, so there’s not really that much more I can teach you.

It even looks like you’re teaching yourself right now with that book.

Fufu. At this rate, you might even get smarter than me one day.

Nagisa: ......Hiyori. Read. Together?

Hiyori: Sure, we can learn new words while we read together—hm? What is this?

Now that I’m getting a good look at it, is this an idol magazine?

Nagisa: ......Be. Idol.

Hiyori: Ahaha, you really do love idols, Nagisa-kun.

Honestly, you read the same magazines over and over again so much that it’s a wonder you haven’t worn holes in the pages yet.

Everything you take interest in is so new and surprising to me.

Nagisa: ...Hiyori. Like. Idol?

Hiyori: Umm, I’m not sure I’d go that far.

But with the way your eyes are shining while you look at these idols, it does make me a little more interested.

Nagisa: ...Nagisa. Be. Idol.

...Hiyori. Will. Like. Idol.

Hiyori: Fufu. Of course I’ve like idols if you became one, Nagisa-kun. I’d be your very first fan!

You’re so good at singing and dancing, and you’re very handsome, too. I’m sure you could be the best idol in the whole, wide world!

Sanbi: You’ve gotten pretty close to Nagisa-kun, Hiyori.^[1]

And Nagisa-kun, too. It looks like he’s learned so many new words—he’s nothing at all like when he came to the manor.

Hiyori: Ahem. It’s because you entrusted me with this job, Brother. I whipped him right into shape!

Sanbi: Ohh, it’s all thanks to you, then. Thank you.

Hiyori: Well, I did what I could, but Nagisa-kun’s the one who worked the hardest.

Even when I’m not teaching him, he reads books to study on his own. You should praise him, too.

Sanbi: Of course I will. You did well, Nagisa-kun.

Nagisa: ......Try. More.

Sanbi: Hahaha, you’re quite the ambitious kid, huh?

Yeah, I’m sure he’ll be fine from here on out.

Hiyori: Hm? Brother, what do you mean by that?

Sanbi: ...I thought I should tell you as soon as I could, Hiyori.

We’ve found a family who will adopt Nagisa-kun.

Hiyori: Huh? You found a family?!

Sanbi: Yeah. We’ve arranged a face-to-face meeting in a few days; I’d like you to be there with Nagisa-kun, too.

Hiyori: Of course! They’re the people who will become Nagisa-kun’s new family!

As his big brother, I have to greet them properly!

That’s great, Nagisa-kun. We’ve found people who will welcome you into their home.

Nagisa: ......Have. Family. Already?

Hiyori: Ahaha, it makes me happy that you said that.

But I can’t stay with you forever, you know?

(After all, the Tomoes are only looking after him temporarily.)

(Because this is a family of aristocrats. They won’t adopt him, nor can they.)

(If he were adopted, it would mean involving him in the Tomoes’ conflict of succession.)

(I don’t want Nagisa-kun to be dragged into the bloody rivalries of the nobility.)

(I want Nagisa-kun to live a happy life from now on, free of burden.)

I’m sorry, Nagisa-kun.

But you’ll be okay. As your big brother, I’ll make sure that those people are worthy of becoming your family!

Nagisa: ......