"No need to trouble yourself. Seele can sit right here."
To Bronya's utter shock, Seele straddled Elias' lap without hesitation.
"S-Seele, you!"
"What's wrong, Bronya-sis~?"
"U-uh... um... well..."
Utterly stunned, Bronya stared at her usually shy and obedient little sister doing something she herself could never manage. She even dropped the motherboard she was holding.
Her mind was already spinning. Could yesterday's incident have shocked Seele so badly that her personality changed and she became bold?
"Father... Papa Elias, do you not want me here?"
Though her tone and voice didn't sound too different from usual, Elias definitely picked up on something suspicious.
Combined with her completely out-of-character behavior, he immediately realized—this was Dark Seele, no doubt!
"Why would I? Seele rarely comes to snuggle. I'm more than happy, hehe~"
Elias reached up and patted Dark Seele's head, wearing the same calm expression as always.
After all, to him, whether it was Dark Seele or White Seele—they were both Seele.
He had expected this outcome anyway, so rather than being shocked, he felt more curious.
(Hmm... so her appearance really doesn't change. The black hair and red eyes from the game were just symbolic traits within the mental space, and to help differentiate her for the Captain. In reality, her hair, clothes, and eye color are all the same.)
A little disappointing, but overall more refreshing.
Watching his obedient girl act completely different than usual, Elias even had the urge to pull out his phone and record it.
Meanwhile, Bronya had completely abandoned her computer upgrade project and was secretly watching them, wide-eyed.
"Haa~ So boring. What's fun about reading, anyway."
Barely half a minute later, Dark Seele, still sitting on Elias' lap, yawned.
Unlike White Seele, she had no interest in books—just glancing at a few pages made her sleepy.
Her eyes drifted toward the snack tray nearby, and she reached out for a piece of cake topped with the most strawberries.
"So sweet... isn't there anything with a little kick to it?"
"Hm? What flavor does Seele want?"
"Spicy, of course. These sugary things are no good. Hmph~"
The strawberry cake that White Seele would've happily devoured—Dark Seele only ate the strawberries before pushing it aside.
Elias also noticed that she seemed fidgety and unable to sit still, constantly shifting on his lap.
"Alright then, since Seele wants spicy food, I'll whip something up. No one at home usually eats spicy, so I never had a chance."
"Really? Yay~ That's why you're the best, Father. I'll look forward to it!"
Dark Seele's eyes lit up, and she immediately hopped off Elias' lap.
Her preferences were the complete opposite of White Seele's.
White Seele liked books, sweet desserts, and was timid.
Dark Seele liked combat, spicy food, and was bold.
But even though one was light and the other dark, at their core, they were still the same person—so the things they cherished remained the same.
Half an hour later, Elias returned with a plate of deliciously fragrant spicy potato cakes.
Though it was a simple snack he made often, this batch was specially made for Dark Seele, with just the right amount of chili powder. Despite being made from potatoes, it had a meat-like texture.
Dark Seele instinctively licked her lips. The rich, spicy aroma made her mouth water, and without hesitation, she picked up a piece of the potato cake and popped it into her mouth, showing a satisfied expression.
"Mmm~ That's the flavor. So good."
"As long as Seele likes it. But maybe don't eat too much—we'll be having lunch soon. How about we add mapo tofu to the menu today?"
"Really? I'll definitely be looking forward to that, Father~" Dark Seele raised an eyebrow and gave herself a mental thumbs-up for deciding to take over White Seele's body last night and get some fresh air.
Although she could share memories with White Seele—
It was still only shared memory.
The emotional experiences couldn't be fully synchronized between two such different personalities. This was her first time feeling Papa Elias' doting firsthand—and now she finally understood why her "daytime self" was such a massive father-con.
"Hm? What are you eating over there, give me one too!"
At that moment, Sin Mal walked through the living room and caught a whiff of the spicy aroma. Curious, she came over—only to see Dark Seele happily munching on the potato cakes.
The two of them never got along. Because of White Seele's timid personality, Sin Mal typically bullied her one-sidedly. Elias had tried to mediate more than once—but to little effect.
Though he had a good idea of the root cause.
Sin Mal liked Bronya. But Bronya liked Seele. So jealousy led to bullying.
Of course, all three of them liked Elias the most.
"Hmph! And what do you think you're doing? Touch my snack again and I'll break your fingers. Get lost."
"...Huh?!"
Sin Mal winced in pain. Dark Seele had slapped her hand away as she reached for the spicy potato cake. Sin Mal's eyes widened in shock.
Had that timid crybaby... just hit her?
Usually, Seele would just cry and hide behind Bronya or Papa Elias.
But now... she actually struck back.
"You idiot, Seele! You hit my hand?!"
"Hmph~ So what? Want me to hit your face next?"
"You little—!"
"Perfect time to settle old scores, crybaby."
Seeing the two about to go at it,
Elias quickly grabbed both girls by the scruff of their necks like disobedient kittens. How dare they try to fight in front of their father? Where was his parental authority?
After a proper scolding, the two exchanged glares, snorted, and turned away—clearly marking each other as enemies. Their eyes screamed, "Just wait till Papa's not around."
Elias sighed and gave Bronya a look, silently asking her to keep an eye on them.
"Bronya will keep watch over those two... But Papa Elias, today's Seele really is strange. Her personality is completely different."
"Yeah, it is."
They both glanced outside where Dark Seele was now playing in the snow with the other girls, laughing heartily.
The other girls at the House of the Hearth were stunned. The girl they thought was the quietest and most obedient had suddenly turned into an energetic snowball-fighting powerhouse—and was winning, too.
"Such quick reflexes and movement... She's definitely not the usual Seele. And she's even using Honkai energy? Papa Elias, what exactly happened to her?"
"...It's a little hard to explain, but don't worry. It's actually beneficial for Seele's future. Think of it as something like a dual personality. But don't worry, Bronya—no matter what kind of Seele she is, she's still Seele. We don't need to change anything."
"Alright. Bronya understands."
Bronya nodded calmly. If Papa Elias said it was fine, then it was definitely fine.
And besides, a Seele with a totally different personality was... oddly refreshing.
As for dual personalities—wasn't that basically double the Seele? Double the joy? Definitely a win!
So while Dark Seele's appearance gave the House of the Hearth a bit of a shock, perhaps thanks to the goodwill White Seele had built up, no one distanced themselves from her.
Except for Sin Mal, of course. Everyone else was simply curious, gathering around to ask her all kinds of questions. This left Dark Seele, who always saw herself as the "villain," completely flustered.
She thought her acting was flawless. Hadn't they noticed at all?
...Later that night, during bedtime—
"Y-you've had your fun, right? Can you give me back my body now, Other Me?"
"What's the rush? I only used your body to play around for a day. Don't forget—I am you, and you are me. There's no real difference between us."
Inside the girl's mental world—
A space that stretched into infinity, the floor covered in black and white squares like a chessboard.
Two girls with similar appearances but entirely different personalities sat across from each other in blue and red chairs.
White Seele sat on the blue chair—
And Dark Seele sat on the red one.
"T-that's not true! I would never act that way around Papa Elias!"
"Ha! That's exactly why you never get anywhere. You're way too timid. How's Father supposed to know how you feel about him when you're such a coward? Crybaby Seele, always dreaming about marrying Papa Elias~~"
"No, stop it, I—I didn't—"
"Hmph~ Look at you. Pathetic. If you let me take the lead, I'd have Father wrapped around our finger in no time. Hehe~ Then would everyone in the house have to start calling you Mommy Seele?"
"Waaah! Don't say things like that!"
White Seele curled up on her chair, hugging her head. She couldn't even imagine what would happen if things turned out like her other self said. The whole House of the Hearth would collapse into chaos!
No, no, no! Sure, she admitted she had fantasies like that... but just imagining them was enough. She was happy as long as things stayed the way they were now.
"Let me borrow the body again tomorrow. I haven't had enough fun yet. That snowball fight was amazing. Though... it'd be even better if we could do some real fighting~ The mapo tofu at lunch was good too. Let's ask Father to make it again tomorrow."
Dark Seele lounged back with one leg crossed over the other, chin propped on her hand. She'd had an amazing day. What had started as a one-day break was now tempting her to extend her stay.
"No way. We agreed—just one day! Besides... I know you're dangerous. When Sin Mal tried to steal the spicy potatoes, you had a very dangerous thought, didn't you?" White Seele protested firmly.
"Oh? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Sharing a body with me means you're bound to notice eventually. You're right, Seele—I'm very dangerous. Extremely dangerous. So... what are you going to do about it?"
"I-I'll tell Papa Elias about you!" Seele said, trying her best to meet the gaze of the other self before her.
Even though Sin Mal often bullied her, they were still family—just sisters who didn't get along. In Seele's heart, everyone at the House of the Hearth was closer than any outsider.
But the other Seele didn't see things that way.
Today, she had truly felt killing intent toward Sin Mal, and that scared Seele enough to decide she could no longer let her other self take control.
Dark Seele raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised.
She knew just how timid and weak the girl before her was. She was a coward who could barely do anything. Yet here she was, standing firm on this one issue.
"Hmph~ So you really dare tell him about me?"
"Other me, what do you mean by that?"
"You said it yourself—I'm your other side. Your pride, your darkness, your strength. I'm a monster. Which means you are too. Because we are one and the same—both Seele."
"!!!"
Like a little devil, Dark Seele tilted White Seele's chin up with a teasing smirk. Her other hand traced a slow circle around the glowing stigmata on her chest.
"Think back to how I awakened. That's right—it was when Father killed all those kidnappers."
"Even if you couldn't see it, you heard it, didn't you? Their cries, their screams, their begging, their sobbing... Now tell me, was fear the only thing you felt?"
"No~ Seele, you were excited. Hahaha~ And that's when I was born—your other self awakened by those emotions."
Dark Seele cupped White Seele's face, forcing her to meet her crimson gaze, guiding her back through every detail of the kidnapping.
Seele trembled all over. She tried to push her other self away, but couldn't. She wanted to deny those words, but had no rebuttal.
Because Dark Seele was right.
She had been born from the negative emotions Seele felt that night—emerging from her stigmata as a manifestation of the true Seele hidden deep within.
"I am you. You are me. If I'm a monster, then so are you. Think about it carefully—if you tell Papa Elias about me... would he start to hate you, Seele?"
"Papa Elias... hate me? No, no... he can't...!"
What a terrifying thought.
Just imagining it made Seele more afraid than she'd ever been.
Not even when she nearly drowned in the sea... not even when she was kidnapped yesterday had she felt this kind of fear.
To Seele Vollerei, Elias was the most important person in her short life.
If he were to ever hate her... she might not want to live anymore.
"Hehe~ So let's keep getting along from now on. Just be careful not to accidentally slip and reveal me. Because if Papa starts to hate you because of that~"
"Wuuu... wuuu..."
"Tch. Crying already? Ugh, what a crybaby. Hey! I said no crying! Geez, you're so troublesome."
The demon had made the angel cry.
Dark Seele frowned at the sobbing White Seele. She hadn't meant to go this far—just wanted to scare the little idiot a bit.
But to her surprise, just a little scare and the tears had started flowing.
Then again, it made sense.
For Seele Vollerei, crying had always been the perfect solution. As long as she shed a few tears, Bronya would come to comfort her, and Papa Elias would arrive to save her.
What a silly girl... Did she really think Papa would hate her?
That could never happen—not in a million years. If anything, he might dislike her, not the real Seele.
Looking at her tear-streaked counterpart, Dark Seele thought how weak and troublesome she was. No wonder she kept getting pushed around. No wonder she always ended up causing problems for Father.
But that was fine now.
From now on, no one else would be allowed to make this crybaby cry.
Because she was here. And anyone who dared threaten or hurt Seele—she would take care of them.
Just then—
There was a sound at the door.
"Hm? So he's here. Hehe... perfect timing. Let's start with you."
Dark Seele decided to leave White Seele alone for now.
She could cry as much as she wanted—
For now, Dark Seele turned her gaze toward the door, a sly crescent smile curling at her lips.
"Weapon... weapon~ Let's use this one. Just like his—the scythe. Hehe~ As expected of Father, such great taste."
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