On Saturday, in an attempt to appease Govet-Ghervil—and primarily to persuade her to become a blood bag—Ghervil ventured out to buy roasted corn, lamb skewers, grilled beef, and an assortment of fruits and vegetables for her.
Surprisingly, despite almost becoming barbecue herself the previous night, she devoured the grilled meat with relish the next day.
While readily agreeing to be a blood bag, she unreservedly critiqued whose meat was overcooked, whose vegetables had been nibbled by insects, and whose pomegranates were so bad even the sewer rats wouldn’t touch them.
Ghervil merely smiled, offering no words, though inwardly, she was cursing up a storm.
The twenty Denarii worth of food was devoured in a single sitting by this glutton.
She genuinely wondered if the food had been transported elsewhere, or if her companion possessed an extradimensional stomach.
To think, if Ghervil herself indulged a little, that amount of money could last her three to five days, with meat at every meal.
At this rate of consumption, all the money they possessed would barely last half a year.
Funds for Blood Rose and other medicinal herbs would have to wait until the next lifetime.
To resolve this, the greatest crisis she had ever faced, she decided to lay down three ground rules with her companion.
“First, you are not to speak in front of anyone other than me.”
Govet-Ghervil, her belly comically distended from the meal, lay supine on the table, too lazy to even stir.
She merely wagged her tail to signify her agreement.
“Second, you must contribute to this household.
Sweeping, washing dishes, helping with my laundry—anything at all.
You won’t be living here for free.
You’ll also take a bath every night; I’ll purchase special volcanic ash for you.
After bathing, you are not permitted on my bed for sleep, nor at any other time.”
“Helping with chores is fine, but bathing doesn’t need to be so troublesome.
Hot water will suffice; at my core, I’m still human.
As for sleeping… if I can’t be on your bed, where am I supposed to sleep?”
“The guest room, the sofa, the attic—choose as you please.”
“What if I have nightmares at night, then?”
She lowered her head, observing the girl who was now perched backward on her chair.
“You’d better pray that when I wake up, I don’t find a single one of your hairs on my bed.
Otherwise…”
The girl’s smile sent a shiver down Govet-Ghervil’s spine, prompting her to immediately sit upright and nod furiously.
Autumn was fast approaching, and with it, the chinchilla’s shedding season.
Ghervil didn’t actually object to her being on the bed; her primary concern was the shedding.
Aside from the shedding, she would make a rather excellent, round, plush toy to cuddle with while sleeping.
She had longed for a pet for a very long time, but her physical ailments had always prevented it.
“Third, the total cost for each meal cannot exceed five Denarii, and this applies to both of us.”
“That’s far too little… I’d barely be half-full.”
“Fourth, you may only eat vegetables.”
“Didn’t you say three rules?
How is there a fourth?”
“Fifth, you may only have one meal per day.”
“Alright, alright!
I have no objections! Five Denarii it is!”
“You must understand that this is for your own good.”
Lowering her posture, Ghervil gently squeezed Govet-Ghervil’s chubby cheeks, earnestly trying to persuade her.
“As a member of the abbey, how can one indulge in such a base pleasure as gluttony?
I certainly don’t want my sister to become a little fat pig, struggling even to walk.”
“It’s only because your cooking is indistinguishable from poison…”
“What did you say?”
“N-nothing, nothing at all!
I didn’t say anything!”
“Very well then.
Since you have no objections, let’s begin today’s work.
Wash the pots and pans, then go clear out a room for yourself.”
“I’m going to take a nap to adjust my schedule.
You’re responsible for waking me up this afternoon.
I still have some questions for you regarding the abbey.
A friendly reminder: answering ‘I don’t know’ will incur appropriate consequences.”
Having woken at half past one last night and tossed and turned for half the night, she hadn’t managed to sleep since.
She had to strictly regulate her daily sleep to prevent her condition from worsening.
‘Does she truly consider herself my elder sister…?’
Watching the girl ascend the stairs step by step, Govet-Ghervil sighed inwardly with a mix of emotions.
****
Time swiftly advanced to four in the afternoon when Ghervil was roused from her sleep by a sense of suffocation.
Opening her eyes, she found a fluffy mass sprawled across her face, emitting soft snores.
Lifting her by the scruff of her neck, Ghervil tossed her aside.
After rolling twice to the wall, head down and backside up, Govet-Ghervil slowly opened her eyes.
“Is it afternoon already…?”
“This is how you chose to wake me?”
‘She knew this creature was unreliable, but not *this* unreliable.’
“Cleaning the room was too tiring; I accidentally fell asleep.”
“I’ve decided,” she yawned, then tumbled to her side, using her tail for leverage to sit upright.
“Decided what?”
Ghervil slipped out of her nightclothes, approached the wardrobe to retrieve a bundle of white socks from a drawer, and then returned to the edge of the bed to put them on.
“I shall instruct you in matters of etiquette, teaching you how to respect your elders.
After all, I am your biological elder sister, sharing the same bloodline.
Your current state is largely my responsibility.”
‘Oh, wonderful.
Before even truly settling into life as the second master of 101, she’s already plotting rebellion.
Soon enough, she’ll probably try to turn the world upside down.’
“So, what exactly do you intend to do?”
“I shall allow you to witness the power of this bloodline.”
The sock, half-donned, paused at her thigh as Ghervil turned to look at her.
She was genuinely curious to see what trick her companion would attempt.
“From this moment forth, you must address me as Elder Sister.”
Govet-Ghervil’s eyes began to glow crimson.
Ghervil stared blankly, then, in those eyes, she seemed to perceive a profound starry sky and a suspended moon.
“Elder Sister…”
“It actually worked!”
She excitedly leaped onto the girl’s shoulder, waving her forelimbs in front of Ghervil’s eyes, which remained unresponsive.
“Every day, you must dote on me, buy me delicious treats, stop making me do chores, and let me sleep on your bed.”
“Are there any other demands?”
“No, that’s all for now.
I’ll tell you if anything else comes to mind.”
“I have an excellent idea.”
“Do tell.”
“How about I make you a rat-fur coat? My dearest Elder Sister…”
Her pupils regained their luster, and the girl smiled sweetly.
“…”
Cold sweat trickled down Govet-Ghervil’s back.
‘How could it possibly have worked?
I must be utterly foolish!’
Her short legs slowly backed away.
“Is it too late to apologize now…?”
Three minutes later, Ghervil had the chubby little furball on her lap, mercilessly kneading and squishing her.
‘A joke, truly.
She could eradicate plagues and resurrect countless dead merely through dreams.
Why would she fear a creature that couldn’t even transform into human form?’
Still, she didn’t go too far.
After all, she finally had a relative, an elder sister.
Deep down, she genuinely welcomed her arrival.
Having someone by her side who knew most of her secrets meant she didn’t have to conceal everything herself.
“Do the other members of the abbey also share the Ghervil surname?”
Having finished her vigorous kneading, she placed her back on the bed.
“I’m not entirely sure,” Govet-Ghervil replied, her tone tinged with dissatisfaction as she smoothed her disheveled fur.
“I can only tell you that we have other relatives, but not all of them.”
“Not entirely sure?”
Ghervil found this hard to believe.
Living within the same abbey, interactions and meetings were inevitable.
How could such a statement as ‘not entirely sure’ even exist?
Even if they had external assignments, it was unlikely she wouldn’t know their names.
The abbess surely kept a roster of all members.
“I haven’t met most of them either.
It’s likely only the abbess has seen everyone.”
This was truly peculiar.
Could it be that members of the abbey merely held a nominal title and weren’t required to reside there daily?
“I have another question: did they truly all perish in that fire?”
“Yes.”
Govet-Ghervil nodded, her tone grave.
“Including myself.
That is why I can only exist in this world in this form.”