Chapter 100 - Information Leak
Angelica answered while sniffing her nose.
"Th-the High Priest... he's started calling me 'Mama'..."
"...That's perverted."
"Then he said he wanted Mama's breasts, and so..."
"I basically get what happened. You don't have to say any more."
I stroked Angelica's head to comfort her, thinking how scary that must have been.
If he had approached her with Philia's physical abilities, she probably wouldn't have been able to shake him off at first.
I speculated whether Ayako-chan had applied a debuff to pin him down.
"I can't get married anymore..."
Angelica slumped against me, weeping uncontrollably.
When I looked at Ayako-chan with my eyes, asking if something that egregious had actually happened, she gave a dry explanation: "It was an attempt. She's exaggerating the extent of the damage just because she wants to act spoiled toward Nakamoto-san."
"I see. You're surprisingly resilient, aren't you?"
There's a suspicion that she's actually incredibly mentally strong, just as a result of having undergone proper religious training.
...No.
If we're talking about that, Philia also underwent rigorous training as a priest.
And yet, since she ended up having a breakdown like this, perhaps in the end, it's just a matter of individual differences.
I stared at the sobbing Philia, thinking that she might have just been a fragile woman who was naturally high-strung.
Just as I was forced into being a Hero when I wasn't suited for it, perhaps this woman's true aptitude wasn't for the priesthood either.
Perhaps she was better suited to pairing up with a younger man of her liking somewhere, being cherished while giving birth to and raising children.
I can only think that she went mad because a person with heavy feelings of love forced herself into the life of a stoic nun.
She had been a bit strange since our first meeting; there's even a possibility she was already broken before she met me.
But even if I say such things now, it's too little, too late.
"...Anyway, thank you both. Sorry, this should really be my job."
"We help each other in times of need,"
Angelica said, burying her face in my chest.
"Then, about taking care of Philia at home from now on... do you think you can do it?"
"..."
"That silence is scary."
Well, if it seems impossible, that's fine, I said.
"In that case, I'll continue to look after her."
Maybe I'll rent an apartment somewhere and try to have Philia live there.
At worst, I could threaten Gondo into providing a house, or threaten Kana into providing a house...
The fact that anti-social options are coming to mind so naturally makes me realize I'm quite a dangerous guy myself.
Even if they are people with criminal tendencies, I shouldn't just go around intimidating them lightly; renting an apartment is probably the safest bet.
...That said, it's impossible to provide care for Philia alone while working.
I might have to secretly create clones again and take turns looking after her.
"Father, aren't you trying to increase your own numbers again to handle the High Priest matter all by yourself?"
"Eh? ...No, no. There's no way I'd do something like that."
"Incoherent. You're caught red-handed."
"...You're sharp."
"No more multiplying yourself. That is straying from the path of humanity. If you're going to do something like that, I'll help you. Okay?"
"...Is that alright?"
"That's what would make you happy, isn't it, Father?"
"Geez," Angelica said, looking up at me with puffed-out cheeks.
I could only feel ashamed of the reality that I was troubling such a well-behaved daughter.
"Ayako, you're okay too, right? If the two of us cooperate, looking after the High Priest shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"You've suddenly become a beautiful Angelica-san..."
"I'm always beautiful," Angelica huffed.
"I..."
"I...?"
"I am opposed to taking Philia-san in."
Angelica could not hide her agitation at Ayako-chan's blunt declaration.
I, too, felt like I was at a loss.
"Why is that?"
"I became certain after seeing her behavior just now. ...If Philia-san were to go on a rampage with her strength, it would be a disaster. She's like a wild beast."
"But if Ayako applies a debuff, she'll be weakened for several hours, won't she?"
"It's not guaranteed that I can always be by Philia-san's side, and besides..."
"Besides?"
Ayako-chan glanced at me for a moment before taking a deep breath.
It looked as if she were implicitly announcing that she was about to make a major revelation.
"Besides, there is a possibility that Philia-san falls within Nakamoto-san's strike zone."
"Hey."
"What are you talking about?" I couldn't help but voice my confusion.
In contrast to my sudden loss of strength, Angelica's expression grew more serious.
"...I'd like to hear exactly what basis you have for saying such a thing."
"I tried illegally tampering with Nakamoto-san's laptop and restoring the search history and folders that he likely deleted."
Wait a minute, why do you have that kind of skill?
And what happened to my privacy?
Leaving me stunned in her wake, Ayako-chan continued.
"A computer... is a tool used to find those message boards where Father's badmouthing is written and send things called viruses to them, right?"
"Yes. You remembered well, Angelica-san."
Are you doing things like that on the internet while I'm not around? Hey, what are you doing?
The questions I squeezed out were not heard at all.
"...It seems Nakamoto-san has been watching lewd videos involving Married Women... He also seems to like widows. His preference is for women in their late twenties with a bit of a dark aura."
"...So the High Priest's appearance is exactly in the center of your preferences?"
"It seems that if they have long hair and a slender build, they get even more points."
"...Elsa-san was like that too, wasn't she..."
Angelica cast a suspicious glance toward Philia.
While her reputation was plummeting, she seemed to be contemplating what to do with her.
"I think it would be bad to bring Philia-san back to your home. From Nakamoto-san's perspective, he would be living with a woman of his preference."
"...True... If I were in Father's position, I'd make my move the very day I brought her home..."
"I'll do the same. I'll get her pregnant immediately."
I pointed out that they shouldn't apply their dangerous ideologies to me, but as expected, they didn't seem to be listening at all.
"B-but, if Father chooses the path of continuing to look after the High Priest alone like this, isn't that dangerous in its own way? ...He'll be living a life of fumbling with the lower bodies of women who are his type in places we can't see. Don't you think we won't know when a mistake might occur?"
"...You have a point."
"Then what should we do?" I asked.
Ayako-chan's response was:
"Is there no way to cure Philia-san?"