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After speaking with her daughter and being convinced to take a more active role in her life even as a Pseudo-Divine Spirit, Elayne agreed to walk out with her. However, she worried that her usual clothes and appearance might draw too much attention.
"Do you suggest I wear different clothes?" she wondered. "Ah, right... Because part of is the Myth of Gaia, I think this white dress should be fine enough. You know? She used to wear nothing at all!"
"I-I see..." her daughter sighed. "But that doesn’t an you should do the sa, Mom. Okay, you’re going to get dressed properly, alright? Can you make so clothes yourself or...?"
"I think I can," Elayne smiled. Using her spiritual power, plant fibers, and imagination, she shaped her new attire. "Hmm... Ah! How about this?"
Suddenly, Elayne’s entire outfit changed. She now wore a white blouse, tight white pants, heels, and a black office-style coat. She looked like a beautiful secretary or perhaps a young and charismatic CEO.
"Wow," Elena said, blushing slightly as she looked at her mother. She was very pretty. "Um, about the hair and... you know."
"I don’t think I can completely change that appearance," Elayne sighed. "But I’ve reduced the volu of my hair, and I will tie it into a ponytail like this. Hm? How does it look? Oh! And I will wear glasses as well. That should make look even more different."
Elayne put on a pair of glasses, appearing both beautiful and intelligent at the sa ti. The transformation shocked her daughter.
"Woah, you look so different!" Elena exclaid. "I never thought a pair of glasses and tying your hair would change your look so much! Even forr enemies will find it hard to recognize you now, Mom."
"I hope so!" Elayne nodded. "Well, shall we go have breakfast then? It seems the servants have not arrived yet. Let cook sothing for everyone. Can you go wake up your friends?"
"Sure!" Elena nodded.
Elayne walked to the kitchen while her daughter went to wake her friends. She checked the fridge and found barely anything inside besides a white radish, cold rice from yesterday, and a few mackerel.
"Hmm, not good," she shook her head. "No wonder these girls are not growing properly. This is a terrible diet. This is supposed to be a prestigious clan, yet they cannot even feed their students better! I have also barely seen them provide any elixirs. Are they discriminating against my girls because they are from another country? Unlike the people from the Clock Tower, they are much sneakier about it..."
Shaking her head, Elayne waved her hands and conjured a portal, a door to her own Spiritual Realm. "Hear my call, spirits of nature! Please help feed these children with a nutritious al."
Her divine decree echoed, and from the ground, dozens of vegetables sprouted little legs made of roots and walked into the kitchen. From nearby trees, all sorts of fruits, nuts, and more did the sa. From rivers, fishes leaped out of the ground and landed in a pot alongside crayfish and shrimps.
Colorful birds arrived, perched on her shoulders, and offered her eggs. Large cows and sheep provided delicious creamy milk. Finally, a giant bee the size of a dog arrived carrying a big bucket full of honey.
With all these ingredients and more, Elayne began cooking. She prepared a mountain of pancakes and waffles, scrambled eggs, grilled fish, boiled rice, baked bread, a hearty vegetable stew, and a fresh fruit salad.
When Elena and her friends arrived, they were greeted by the warm scent of delicious homade food, far different from the passionless als the servants usually prepared.
"What is this?!" Anna gasped. "It slls so good!"
"Oh my god, isn’t this a complete al?!" Elisa asked. "It looks amazing..."
"W-What’s going on?" Monica wondered. "W-Who made this?"
"I did," Elayne said as she walked into the dining room, placing more dishes on the large wooden table with proper seats she had brought. "I respect Japanese customs, but there is no need to sit on the floor to eat. Enjoy a good al while sitting properly on wooden chairs, girls."
"A-Auntie! You’re back?!" Elisa asked in disbelief.
"Is it really okay for you to show yourself this much?" Monica asked worriedly. "I-I an, I’m not saying it’s bad, it’s just that..."
"Yeah, I’m worried too. What if they find out?" Anna added.
"Ah well, that doesn’t matter," Elayne said. "I have decided to be by your side as myself from now on. Hiding is simply too inconvenient."
"A-Are you serious?!" Monica gasped.
"Is this okay?" Elisa wondered.
"B-But the Holy War— Elena! Say sothing!" Anna urged.
"I was the one who suggested it..." Elena sighed. "Mom thought it might be different, but... I’m tired of it. If she’s here, I want her to be around as much as possible."
"...Hm," Anna sighed. "I guess so... but how are we even going to explain this?"
As the girls sat down, Elayne felt a pang of sadness, realizing she might be bringing them more trouble than she had anticipated. "I’m sorry... perhaps I shouldn’t have..."
"No, no! Wait, Mom! Don’t listen to them. They’re just being dumb," Elena said.
"Dumb?!" Elisa cried angrily. "I’m not angry or anything. I’m just worried, but... I would be so happy if she could just be around like before."
" too!" Monica nodded quickly. "S-Sorry... I didn’t an to sound rude."
"Yeah... I guess we could explain about my mom first or sothing," Anna said. "She’s still sleeping though. She went out last night sowhere and returned completely exhausted."
"I hope she wasn’t getting into trouble," Elena said.
"Well, she’s an adult. She’ll know what to do with her life," Elayne nodded. "Anyway, please dig in."
As everyone started eating and decided to worry about the details later, the doors opened. Olivia walked into the room casually, greeting the girls with a yawn and sitting down with them.
"Good morning, girls..." she yawned. "Ah, looks like breakfast is ready? Wow, there’s a lot today—and a new table? I like this better than the old one. Can you pass the butter, Anna? Oh, do you have tea?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Olivia raised an eyebrow as she noticed the girls remained awkwardly silent, staring at her. "What? Do I have sothing on my face? What’s wrong with all of you—"
Then she finally realized why they were so quiet. She noticed a silhouette sitting in the fifth seat next to Elena. She had been so lost in her own thoughts that she had completely overlooked her.
"W-Wha... who are you?" Olivia asked curiously. "Elena, is this a new servant for the house? Her presence is..."
"Hello, Olivia. Long ti no see," Elayne said with a warm smile. "I’m so grateful you’ve been taking care of my daughter... even when I was gone. You’ve been one of the best friends I’ve ever had. I am indebted to you."
Olivia stood up abruptly. The chair behind her clattered to the floor as she took a step back, her hands trembling in front of her. "W-Wait...! What...?! E-Ela... Elayne?!"
"Yeah, it’s ," Elayne nodded.
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