Aria the Benedizione

Aika S. Granzchesta, the heir and branch manager of the Himeya Company-a guild of female gondoliers known as Undines-shocks everyone by turning down the company's famed gondola and breaking with tradition. Her apprentice, Azusa B. McLaren, struggles to understand Aika's choice and confronts her, but gets no clear answers. Determined to uncover the reason, Azusa and the other Undines secretly plot to arrange a talk with Aika. As winter approaches and Neo-Venezia settles into its quiet, serene beauty, Aika reflects on her time as an Undine and how those experiences shaped her. The memories of her past feel vivid and meaningful, and she believes they will keep lighting her way forward-even into the uncertain but open future ahead.