This side story is an IF scenario where Mika takes Aris to Trinity.
*
The nameless goddess’s princess, [AL-1S].
Originally, she was to be discovered in the ruins by the Game Development Club and a teacher of Millennium, gaining the name Aris, becoming a humanoid robot receiving home education through games.
Her mere existence was a threat in Kivotos, and now, she was looking around in a dazed state at the very top of the Millennium Tower.
“Aris-chan.”
“Aris-chan…? Please confirm the name referring to this body.”
“Huh? No, no, Aris is the name. -chan is a suffix added for familiarity.”
Aris blinked at me in confusion, and I awkwardly scratched my cheek and spoke again.
“Aris. That will be your name from now on.”
“…Affirmative. This body, Aris.”
Seeing Aris like that, Himari’s eyes sparkled. Then, she immediately started to gush.
“I can’t believe… that such a cute girl exists! Mika-chan, when you suddenly asked me to find something called G.Bible, I was a bit skeptical, but… I never expected you to bring back a robot cute girl to become the third member of our Beautiful Girl Alliance. Truly, cuteness is justice!”
Honestly, even as I asked her to find it, I was half in doubt. If my memory serves correctly, the Game Development Club could find Aris thanks to the teacher’s presence.
It would be impossible otherwise, and when I received the coordinates and wandered around, discovering the factory, the voice that echoed saying, “Identifying the target: Misono Mika… Qualification… Error. Error. Qualification… Qualification check. Grants access permissions,” felt profoundly significant in retrospect.
“Robot cute girl… is that a term for a mashup of robot and beautiful girl? Is Aris a robot cute girl?”
“Himari-chan, could you not teach our child weird stuff?!”
I quickly picked Aris up and distanced myself from Himari. No way, no way. I won’t allow our child to develop a princess complex.
“So, the robot you found in the ruins…”
“This body is Aris.”
“…What was the reason for bringing Aris here, Mika?”
“Well, I’m planning to take her to Trinity and take care of her.”
“…Hah. What scheme are you plotting now? You know better than anyone that the chances of me agreeing to send a machine with a Halo, discovered in the ruins, outside of Millennium is nearly zero.”
“By the way, Rion, you’re her mom.”
“…?”
“Identity record of the authorized contact: Mika. Himari. Rion.”
Aris said this while looking back and forth between me and Rion.
“Mom. Definition: a term for a blood relationship that leads to biological childbirth. Meaning not understood.”
“Aha, being a mom doesn’t have to be a blood relationship; it can also be formed through the heart. So, just call Rion-chan ‘mother.’”
“Meaning not understood. However… Rion is Aris’s mother. Affirmative.”
“…Mika, what on earth are you doing?”
“Oh? You should be happy since you just got such a cute daughter, Rion-chan!”
“I can’t make heads or tails of your intentions. Are you suggesting that we play family with a mere machine that only has a Halo? You didn’t even seek consent before starting this.”
“Himari-chan told me that this is how Rion-chan operates. Experiencing it firsthand isn’t all that pleasant, is it?”
“That’s simply a method taken because it’s necessary and efficient.”
“Yeah, I did this because it was necessary? Not sure about the efficiency part, though. But you’ll gradually figure that out, so let’s skip that… I hope Rion-chan learns how to depend on others. We’re just one person in the end, Rion-chan. Thinking you can do everything alone is arrogance. And arrogance is the mother of failure.”
“…Human beings develop by stepping on failures.”
“We haven’t forgotten what we need to do, Rion-chan. Not a single failure can be tolerated.”
While gently persuading the visibly upset Rion, something caught my eye. Himari was holding onto Aris, talking about something.
I was about to stop her, fearing she would do something weird, but at that moment, Aris turned her head toward me.
“Mika is also Aris’s mother? Affirmative. Aris has two mothers.”
“…”
“Oh? Mika-chan, why is your expression like that? Given that you have such a cute beautiful girl as your daughter, shouldn’t you be delighted? If it were me, I would be jumping for joy.”
With a smile, Himari started scratching me gently. Honestly, I thought Rion would chime in with her thoughts at least once.
But looking closely, Rion’s face was unusually stiff, her gaze feeling lost. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why.
…What matters is not this. I should… take revenge, right?
“Aris-chan. Here, Himari-chan is…”
Moments later, the word that would prompt Himari to express her anger had tumbled out of my mouth.
“Aris’s grandmother.”
“Himari is Aris’s grandmother. Affirmative.”
“…?!”
…And more than that, I never anticipated having a daughter. The fact that Aris, by her years, was older than me…?
*
After an inspection led by Rion and Himari, I received permission to take Aris to Trinity, precisely 7 hours and 56 minutes later. The exact time was informed by Noa.
“Noa is also Aris’s mother? Aris has three mothers.”
No, I originally planned to say, “Are you abandoning your daughter?” to Rion… but Himari tangled things up. The moment I heard Aris call me ‘mother,’ it didn’t just add Rion and me; it became a total of four.
Well, being surrounded by love at home is a good thing. Of course, that’s a common sense matter.
“Phew. Mika, I think we need a bit of explanation here. Bringing another woman home, especially without asking for my opinion, isn’t exactly your style…”
And if one of them happens to be our beloved Nagisa, it couldn’t be better.
First, let’s clear up any misunderstandings.
“…Is this child truly a daughter? Mika, to hear ‘mother’ from a girl about 5 cm shorter than you is—”
“Shh! Nagisa, that’s something you absolutely shouldn’t say. How dare you mention height… It’s rude.”
“Ah, ah…?! W-Wait a minute. Mika, it tickles…!”
Aris was watching us silently with a question mark floating above her head.
Realizing a moment too late that I needed to be more cautious in front of the child, I released Nagisa from my arms.
I finally understood why Momo… no, Midori? Whichever it was. One of the Saibaa twins was stressing out about how to educate her. This indeed feels daunting.
But, conducting education through games really crossed a line. No, it crossed a major line…
“Hey, Aris? That’s not something you’re supposed to eat…!”
“…?”
In a last-ditch effort to get Nagisa to exercise, seeing Aris chewing on my secret weapon, We Fit, her expression was unnecessarily brightened, and it certainly wasn’t just in my head.
*
“Mika, having us educate this child could be viewed as a sort of pre-experience of our future.”
“Oh, Nagisa-chan. Pre-experience? Aris-chan is our daughter born from the heart.”
“Y-Yes, even so… Someday we will…”
Nagisa shyly glanced at Aris, who was engrossed in reading a book while sitting in a rocking chair in one corner of the living room. Hearing those words made me feel my face heat up as well.
By the time graduation rolls around, I’ll have enough money to live comfortably, so financial stability isn’t really an issue. Therefore, what matters is each other’s intent.
“…Wait a minute. Are we keeping Aris at our home from now on?”
“Yeah, for the time being.”
“I have a problem with that.”
“Huh?”
“It’s troubling to keep Aris here, Mika. Don’t make me say the reasons out loud.”
It didn’t take long to understand Nagisa’s thoughts. It’s something I was already clearly aware of.
“Ahaha… When I decide they’re ready, I’ll have her live in the dormitory, so don’t worry too much.”
“Thank goodness to hear that…”
The fundamental issue here is Nagisa’s education, but honestly, I trust that heavenly lady Nagisa can handle it perfectly.
The question is what kind of people gather around Aris when she starts living in Trinity. Personally, I’ve already thought of someone—Sisterhood.
Sakurako. Sometimes, she acts a bit strange, but that’s not a dealbreaker.
Hinata. In her case, there aren’t really any dealbreakers.
Mari… If Aris can get along with her, the positive synergy would undoubtedly be the greatest, the angel without wings.
No matter how you look at it, this is beneficial for Aris.
It might sound a bit odd to talk about these things right after taking Aris to Trinity, but… it’s silly for me to intervene directly in her process of meeting and growing with others, so I won’t complicate things further than that.
However, there are a few kids I really hope stay away from her. Those are the very children of concern.
It would undoubtedly be detrimental to our child’s education… It’s up to Aris to choose whether to meet them, but still, I can’t help but wish they keep their distance.
“Wow, you’re reading really fast.”
“Haha, right? At this rate, she might finish the scriptures by tonight.”
“For breakfast, umm… Should we prepare enough for our daughter too?”
Nagisa, already calling her our daughter, felt somehow endearing for just a moment.
Eating…? But Aris is a robot…?
“I haven’t really thought about that. But she probably will, right…?”
Nagisa, who had been looking at me shyly, now had a ‘What the heck is this?’ look in her eyes. It was an intensely piercing gaze.
…Honestly, even I felt the response was lacking in solutions.
Getting caught up in idol activities and then suddenly receiving education through games crossed a line that felt a little too far, leading to this impromptu plan.
Was it acceptable for me to interfere like this in a child’s future, who would eventually find her place naturally? I decided to suppress that thought. There are plenty of good connections in Trinity, after all.
Honestly, as long as it’s not Gehenna, it should be fine, right?
I think this is something even Hinata would agree with without hesitation.
