Chapter 19/1 – The "I Did It Myself" Day
An official day where each child tries to do something useful on their own to surprise the nuns.
Historical results:
- Rina tried to make pancakes → kitchen covered in batter up to the ceiling. Graciela cursed in dwarvish, but laughed and helped clean up, telling a story about the time she burned down her entire clan's kitchen.
- Astrid tried to do laundry → all the clothes turned shock-pink (Harley's dye was to blame). Mirella pretended to scold her, but ended up wearing the pink clothes for archery practice, saying "unexpected war colors are good for confusing enemies."
- Joker tried to fix Graciela's broken chair → the chair now plays circus music whenever someone sits on it. Graciela sat down and laughed so hard she fell off.
- Harley tried to sew a dress for Lysithea → it ended up looking like a clown costume, but Lysithea wore it anyway for evening worship and said it was the most beautiful dress of her life, with Mirella taking a magical photo to keep.
Chapter 19/2 – The Inverted Fairy Tale Night
Once a month, the children tell the bedtime story.
Best story ever told (narrated in duet by Joker and Harley, age 6):
"Once upon a time there was a very kind queen who lived in an orphanage.
She had eight children: one very handsome boy and seven very cute girls.
One day evil dragons came to take the girls away.
But the handsome boy and the naughtiest girl in the world grabbed toy swords, called all their sisters, and…
…turned the dragons into our pets!
And everyone lived happily ever after with mandatory daily hugs.
The end."
Lysithea cried so much she needed two handkerchiefs.
Chapter 19/3 – The Hug Treasure Map
Joker and Harley created a treasure map that ends with the greatest prize:
"A 10-minute nonstop group hug."
Clues scattered all over the orphanage:
- "Where the frog lives" (inside Graciela's boot)
- "Where the moon hides during the day" (inside the telescope)
- "Where steam turns into clouds" (Marina's room)
When they found the chest (a decorated shoebox), inside there was only a note:
"Congratulations! You've won the tightest hug in the universe!"
Result: the largest human tangle ever recorded in orphanage history. Lysithea in the center, eight children hanging on her like koalas.
Chapter 19/4 – The Day of the Drawing Rain
On a day of heavy rain, the children decided to draw "the future we want."
Drawings hung on the clothesline with pegs:
- Sylvara → everyone holding hands in a field of giant flowers
- Rina → a castle with fox flags
- Marina → a lake full of baby dragons
- Astrid → her carrying everyone on her back
- Lirien → a sky full of stars with the children's little faces
- Kuroe → a giant circus on fire… but with everyone laughing inside
- Joker & Harley → a huge stage with all nine of them (including Lysithea) wearing crowns, and written in giant letters:
"We're going to be the happiest and loudest family in the whole world."
Lysithea kept all the drawings in a magical chest that never ages.
Chapter 19/5 – The Last Night Before Turning 8
The eve of the collective eighth birthday.
Lysithea enters the dormitory and finds the eight children sitting in a circle, holding magical candles that never go out.
Joker speaks for everyone:
— Sister Lys… we've decided something very important.
Harley continues:
— When we grow up and become king and queen of the circus…
— …you'll be the official queen-mother.
— And no one will ever be alone in the world again.
— Pinky promise.
Eight little pinkies go up. Lysithea puts hers in the middle.
Nine pinkies intertwined.
— Pinky promise is universal law — says Lysithea with a trembling voice.
They blow out the candles together.
The flames turn into light butterflies that dance around the room before disappearing.
Lysithea hugs everyone until she nearly suffocates from love.
Outside, the moon is full and red…
…but that's a story for the next volume.
Chapter 19/6 – The First River Bath (summer at age 6)
The hottest day of the century.
Lysithea took everyone by cart to the hidden river in the forest.
Official children's rules:
1. Whoever dives in first becomes "King/Queen of the River" for the day.
2. Whoever saves someone becomes "Guardian of the Waters."
Joker and Harley dove in together, tied, and declared "Dual Kingdom."
Marina (dragonewt) literally turned into a living boat carrying the little ones on her back.
Astrid invented "water fighting" and ended up creating waves that completely soaked Lysithea.
Result: all-out water war.
Lysithea ended up in the middle of the river, dress soaked, laughing so hard she almost sank.
Magical photo of the day: Lysithea sitting on a rock with eight children hanging on her like bunches of grapes, all making fish faces.
Chapter 19/7 – The "Crazy Hair" Day
Harley decided that "neat hair is for boring people."
She spent the whole day braiding, mohawking, and putting horns in everyone's hair.
Final looks:
- Joker → shock-purple mohawk
- Harley → two high neon-pink pigtails
- Rina → fox braids with orange ribbons
- Astrid → hair full of giant flowers (looked like a Christmas tree)
- Lysithea → let the children do whatever they wanted → ended up with 37 tiny braids and colorful ribbons
Mirella took a photo and hung it on the wall with the caption: "The day I lost my hair dignity and gained a full heart."