I'm Playing as a Nun.

"Wait, wait─!!"

Just as I softly spoke those words and was trying to head toward the convent building in what I thought was a fairly atmospheric way.

Aizen suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me forcefully toward him.

"...?"

"Don't push yourself. We've told you this many times."

"What? No, what are you..."

"Everyone here knows that Levi hates sunlight. Why are you trying to force yourself?"

"I told you that's fine now. I'm really not affected by sunlight anymore..."

Before I could finish speaking, Ellie cut in and made the situation even more complicated.

"We're fine, so please don't push yourself... You really scared us just now."

"You probably don't know this, Levi, but there are quite a few people who pathologically hate sunlight."

"Aizen is right. I've seen one or two people like that, too."

"You don't need to force yourself because of us. We've been doing fine until now."

Suddenly, I found myself back under the World Tree's shade. Aizen and Ellie surrounded me and started trying to persuade me, each adding their own words.

The children still think I hate sunlight.

Even though I've occasionally shown them that I can go out in the sunlight since becoming the Progenitor, for some reason, they only think I'm forcing myself.

"No... I'm not forcing myself at all. I'm really fine."

"Okay, okay, just don't do that anymore. We even gave you a parasol as a gift. Why don't you use it?"

"Ah, I am using it well. If I had known about such a thing earlier, I would have used it from the start─"

I've received quite a few gifts from the children over time.

Sometimes, they bring packaged food and other times, they bring clothes and various daily necessities.

Among them, the most meaningful and practical gift was none other than the parasol.

Though it doesn't look much different from an umbrella on the outside, they say a parasol is used solely for blocking sunlight.

That's why it's called a parasol, though I had been calling it a sun umbrella until Aizen kept insisting it was a parasol.

"Using it well indeed..."

"Sister, if you keep lying like this, Lady Paelia will be displeased."

"What? I haven't lied. I really am using it well..."

No sooner had I finished speaking than a very familiar parasol emerged quietly from Ellie's embrace.

It was unmistakably the parasol the children had given me as a gift.

"I found this by chance in your room, Sister. It's not good to just keep our gift stored away without using it."

"...You went into my room?"

"Yes. I put all the clothes I bought from the royal capital in your wardrobe."

"..."

For a moment, I was speechless.

To be honest, I did use the parasol frequently until I became a progenitor.

But since then, since sunlight didn't affect me anymore, there was no real reason to use the parasol.

So I tried to occasionally show the children that I could stand in sunlight, wanting to let them know I could now freely move around without the parasol's help.

But it seems from the children's perspective, such behavior only made them worry.

"By any chance, do you all have something to..."

-Pop

Just as I cautiously opened my mouth, wondering, Ellie suddenly opened the parasol wide and stepped out of the World Tree's shade.

Then she gently took my hand and pulled me under the parasol's shade.

"We'll escort you to the convent. Iris and Rune should have finished preparing the meal by now."

"No, rather..."

"Yeah, Levi. Let's go to the dining room first. We can talk about the rest there, right?"

With those words, Aizen and Ellie carefully led me to the convent building as if escorting an elderly parent.

It felt a bit strange.

Apart from the children's somewhat suspicious behavior, I could hardly believe that I was already receiving such devoted protection from them.

"Haha.... This feels odd. It feels like just yesterday when you were all playing in the church garden..."

"Without Levi, we wouldn't have grown up like this."

"Sister suffered the most because of us. Teaching us so many things..."

Looking at Aizen and Ellie standing solidly on either side of me made me think about it even more.

A few years ago, they were much shorter than me, with tiny hands like fern leaves.

Already grown up like this, earning money and even showing filial piety─

"But everyone. I've been feeling something off since earlier, perhaps about me..."

-Thump

When I suddenly came to my senses, I found myself already inside the convent's dining room.

Not only that, I was already seated, and various dishes were laid out splendidly on the table.

"How is it? Amazing, right?"

"Iris and I worked hard to prepare it─"

Iris and Rune had grown while relatively maintaining their previous appearances.

Iris still had her seemingly indifferent yet cute face with sparkling eyes.

And Rune was, as always, radiating a soft and cheerful atmosphere.

So much so that it was hard to believe their classes were Sage and Divine Archer.

"What are you bragging about? Everything here is just reheated preserved food."

As soon as Iris and Rune proudly shrugged their shoulders, Aizen immediately furrowed one eyebrow slightly and opened his mouth playfully.

"So what? We don't want to hear that from someone who can't even reheat preserved food."

"I don't want to hear that from Aizen, who only ever goes to the blacksmith."

But contrary to his intention, unexpectedly sharp responses poured out instantly, making Aizen show a bewildered expression.

It seems this dynamic naturally developed since Aizen was the only male in the party.

It's pitiful, but it can't be helped.

"But why is mine so bloody? Didn't you say it was preserved food?"

"Sister, you like things less cooked, don't you? That's why only yours isn't preserved food."

"You didn't need to go to that trouble, you could have just used preserved food for mine too."

"It's a special meal for you~"

Looking at the well-prepared food on the table, the sense of discomfort I'd been feeling since earlier somehow grew stronger.

The children's atmosphere was peaceful as usual, with no particular difference, but somehow only, I felt something was off.

But I couldn't openly express suspicion.

As Iris said, I always ate meat with some blood remaining.

If they say it's food specially made for me, I can't really say anything.

My mind starts getting slightly complicated, thinking that perhaps most of the discomfort I'm feeling now might just be my mood.

"Am I thinking wrong...?"

"Hm? About what?"

"Ah, nothing. Just talking to myself."

Iris made a puzzled expression, hearing the muttering I unconsciously whispered.

Though I hurriedly shook my head and returned the atmosphere to normal, that unsettling feeling inside me still wouldn't leave.

"Anyway, I'll eat well. Thank you for preparing this."

"We'll take care of all the meals and housework today. Sister, please rest well."

"No. Rather than me, it's all of you who should rest well. You don't need to do anything more now, so rest well in your rooms."

Unlike me, who was feeling an inexplicable discomfort and carefully watching the children's reactions.

The children maintained a warm atmosphere, naturally conversing without showing any such signs.

"..."

An utterly ordinary lunch.

Though there were slightly suspicious parts here and there, aside from that, the children were no different from usual.

Thinking I must have been overreacting alone, I was slowly clearing my mind and about to pierce a piece of meat with my fork when,

"Since you get thirsty eating just meat, have this too."

Ellie, who had sat down belatedly, softly spoke while gently placing a cup in front of me.

"Thank you. I feel quite pampered today."

Since her action seemed so natural, I put down my fork without any suspicion and picked up the cup.

However, the cup I had naturally assumed would contain water instead held a deep red liquid that swirled thickly.

The smell gradually emanating from it was also unusual and strangely familiar.

"...What?"

I couldn't help but doubt my eyes.

No matter how I looked at it, the liquid in the cup was clearly blood.

"Ah, just in case you're wondering, that's tomato juice."

"T-tomato juice...?"

"Yes, it's nothing strange, so don't worry."

I slowly closed my mouth and put the cup back on the table.

Just in case, I pulled my cheek hard and hit my head firmly, but all my senses remained in their original state.

Perhaps because of this, the current situation felt even more incomprehensible and confusing.

"...This is really tomato juice?"

Everyone at the table suddenly flinched at my suspicious words and started blinking rapidly.

The atmosphere became awkward in an instant.

However, Ellie wasn't shaken by this awkward atmosphere and calmly spoke as usual.

"Of course. How could I give Sister something strange?"

"That's true, but still, this..."

No matter how sensitive my nerves might be, I'm not so far gone that I can't distinguish between blood and tomato juice.

So I picked up the cup again and carefully swallowed a sip of the liquid inside.

Then─.

"..."

I felt a strong sweetness in my mouth.

But it definitely wasn't tomato juice - it was a strange liquid that mixed animal blood with sweetness.