"Are you sure you want to go out with me? I don't mean anything by it, but if you come to school with me, you'll be surrounded the moment we pass through the gates."
"Better than going out alone later, right? Aren't you afraid someone bad might approach me on the way?"
At the entrance, facing Yuu's slightly worried gaze, Sora casually pulled up her hoodie, letting the shadow cover her small face.
She had finally brought out outerwear that had long slept in her closet.
After all, it was already late winter—wearing that thin dress again might freeze her on the street. Plus, she'd be going to a crowded place; wearing too little felt very concerning.
So, a white gothic-style dress, layered lace paired with a sky-blue vest and thick leggings that didn't expose any skin, her silvery-white hair gracefully flowing over her shoulders, with one braid dangling in front of her slightly curved chest—
Her hair braided by Yuu, relying on his Expert-Level Hair Braiding skill he'd possessed but never used. Meanwhile, the winter outfit Sora wore now was a birthday gift specially chosen by their mother years ago, before the plane accident.
It was incredible it still fit, also proving that from elementary school until now, her sister's figure had barely grown—perhaps also related to their mother intentionally buying larger sizes.
Her style was fashionable yet not childish, clearly aiming to dress her daughter as a little princess, and Sora looked perfectly suited in it.
...Yet, she seemingly didn't want this elegant, cute appearance seen by outsiders, so she added a purple-and-white cat-eared cloak on top, covering herself completely from head to toe.
The long cloak, matching Emilia's, made her petite figure look unremarkable—rather giving an artificially cute impression—so it didn't matter.
"Anyway, as long as I don't see them, I won't know they're looking at me."
Under the hood, Sora sneered in disgust, her voice cold.
Then she changed topics: "Anyway, just remember to protect me. If anyone approaches and asks weird questions, drive them away. If it gets too crowded, take me and run. I don't want to greet your friends or teachers!"
Look, truly a justified statement of social anxiety.
"Yeah, yeah, I know~" Helplessly shrugging, Yuu patted her small head twice, switched shoes, and walked out the door.
"Let's go."
The door closed and locked.
The siblings held hands, leaving the house, walking toward the dry, cold morning streets.
The weather forecast said no rain today or tomorrow, daytime lows would dip below ten degrees, and skin moisturizing was essential—Tokyo's cold wind was physical damage; without proper protection, lips could easily crack.
To prevent this, Sora, who actually cared deeply about her appearance, not only applied strawberry-flavored lip balm but also wore a mask covering half her small face.
Before she could put on sunglasses, Yuu firmly stopped her, so her fully-armed odd appearance wouldn't attract even more attention.
Even so, the farther they walked from home, the clearer the trembling fear beneath the white cloak became.
Holding hands turned into holding arms; nervously, Sora pressed her body tightly against him, as if wanting to slip under his coat, her face under the hood never lifting.
The weekend morning streets were fairly quiet, but after leaving the residential area, along the road to the station, pedestrian and vehicle traffic began appearing, occasionally a loud bicycle bell passing by.
A middle-aged fishmonger gripped the metal door, his muscular arm raised, letting out a loud cry.
An elderly couple strolling in the park greeted each other, watching the curvy woman panting heavily as she ran past with friendly eyes, silently wishing she'd succeed in losing weight this time.
An uncle in pajamas scratched his belly, retrieved the newspaper from the mailbox, then quickly retreated back indoors—the blur of sleepiness swept away by the cold wind, reluctantly waking up.
Shopkeepers, pedestrians, residents...
Cats lazing on fences, sparrows chirping energetically on high-voltage power lines, crows eyeing trash cans...
Street scenes like newly ignited fire—warm, ordinary images for Yuu; but for Sora, who hadn't left home in ages, it felt too cold and alien, as distant as another world.
That's why she unconsciously felt afraid.
Completely different from her check-up visits, she was re-entering this unfamiliar world. Around her wasn't the familiar, quiet room anymore, but a steel metropolis full of pressure, coldness, and noise.
She needed time to adjust.
"Sora, later at school, do you want to wait for the Cultural Festival opening at my class, or rest at our club?"
To distract her, Yuu asked a question.
"Anywhere without people... Didn't you say your Service Club is in a somewhat secluded special building?"
Thinking while pondering, her body slowly relaxed, then she nodded. "Then I'll go to your club. After the opening ceremony, you can come find me."
Though he knew this was the best option and seemed to have no alternatives, Yuu still worried.
"Aren't you scared being alone in the classroom? It's okay, right? Or I can put my phone in my chest pocket, camera facing outward, then use Bluetooth earphones for video calls. That way, you can not only see the school scenery but also get immediate updates if anything happens."
"Your mom-like thinking is getting more thorough..."
After grumbling with slight disbelief, Sora patted the small bag on her back, slightly lifted her chin, proudly saying in calmness: "But when it comes to being alone, Yuu is still too young!"
"Console games are enough to play all day, phone fully charged plus power bank—not to mention Monster Hunter, even breeding racehorses in Uma Musume wouldn't be enough for one day at the club."
When her older brother went to school or part-time work, Sora could only rely on electronic devices and cold, silent air.
Back then, there weren't even cats, no one to talk to, no one to confide in—but rather than fear solitude, she preferred avoiding the outside world.
So, she got used to it.
Whether she wanted to or not, she had to adapt, until she reached a point where she felt comfortable with solitude—Sora no longer feared being alone.
"This is one of my few specialties—don't underestimate me!"
Seeing her stubborn, undeniable attitude, Yuu couldn't help laughing.
"That's true—I forgot otaku creatures are the least afraid of being alone..."
The topic ended here; he didn't want to think too much about how his sister turned solitude into a skill.
Pity alone was useless. After all, Yuu had sworn to Sora that he'd never leave her alone for the rest of his life.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Today's path to school was slightly different from usual.
Normally, they'd walk up the hill, meet Yuigahama, then go to the station.
To spare his sister too much walking, today Yuu deliberately took a shortcut, cutting straight through the shopping district to the station, waiting for Yuigahama there to ride the train together.
Only after changing routes did he realize Sora's physical condition had improved significantly from before, and he didn't need to worry excessively.
"Yo! Yuu-kun, out early on a holiday morning."
Stepping onto the clean red-brick sidewalk of the shopping street, the flower shop owner leaned against the door, greeting enthusiastically while smoking.
Yuu nodded politely: "Yeah, today's our school Cultural Festival."
The shopkeeper showed a nostalgic expression: "Cultural Festival? How I miss those days. Back then, our Cultural Festival was used to protest schools and government, fighting for autonomy…"
"Times have changed, Uncle." Without stopping, Yuu passed the flower shop with Sora. "If you have time, you can visit our school and enjoy contemporary youth atmosphere."
"You brat, are you saying I'm outdated?!" Waving his cigarette as if angry, the shopkeeper glanced at the little girl following him, raising an eyebrow.
"This your little sister?"
Yuu smiled: "Spot on. Do we look like siblings?"
The shopkeeper shrugged: "Nothing special—because you don't look like someone who'd date younger girls."
"...I can only say your guess is baseless. I'm off—have a good day."
Yuu's lips twitched twice, and amid the shopkeeper's cheerful laughter saying goodbye, he quickly walked away expressionlessly.
Sora followed his pace, her small hand clutching his arm—not only less nervous than before, she even showed a faintly mocking smile, slightly relaxed.
"Yuu, does the entire shopping district know you like older women?"
"Don't listen to Auntie's nonsense—she doesn't know most girlfriends I've dated were my age." Yuu rolled his eyes, annoyed. "Next time I see her moving goods during her morning run, I won't help her again—truly ungrateful."
"Heeh~ So that's how you two met..." Sora narrowed her eyes.
"Not really. When I worked part-time everywhere, I got to know almost everyone on this shopping street."
While returning greetings from the vegetable vendor auntie beside them, Yuu received two apples, thanked her, shared one with Sora, then continued:
"To save money, back then I worked hard to build good relations with neighbors, becoming the 'good kid' by praising uncles and aunts, selling myself... So, many ingredients you ate before were gifts from them. Actually, this whole shopping district contributed to our family."
But it wasn't some great favor worth shedding tears over gratitude. After all, middle-school Yuu had to restrain himself, setting aside his pride as a transmigrator to act sweet and adorable toward these merchants. Besides occasionally helping with physical labor, he also paid with cheeks pinched red and hair nearly combed out.
So, when they started seeing him grow increasingly handsome and asking if he had a girlfriend, hoping he'd be interested in their daughters, Yuu firmly changed his route, avoiding this shopping street as much as possible.
"I see..."
After hearing his explanation, Sora's expression turned strange, and she stayed silent, not speaking much.
However, when the convenience store owner grandma greeted them, she—for the first time—lifted her head, slightly bit her lip, and gave a slow nod in return.
Then she immediately hid behind him, refusing to come out at all.
The old lady laughed heartily, eyes full of affection: "Shy child. Is she your little sister?"
Yuu patted Sora's head, his face showing relief, answering gently:
"Yes, she's my cutest little sister—and the most important person to me."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
After bidding farewell to the convenience store grandma, Yuu slipped a souvenir—a small box of konpeito—into Sora's hoodie pocket.
Passing through a narrow alley and exiting the shopping district, before them lay the bustling station center. Though office worker crowds drastically reduced on holidays, many students in uniforms could be seen entering through ticket gates.
"Yuu, I suddenly thought of something."
Guided by him, Sora entered the station after years; even the sound of swiping an electronic ticket card felt strangely foreign.
Then she brought up a completely unrelated topic: "Are the girlfriends you've dated, who are now practically broken up, only those two people?"
Clearly, she meant Yukinoshita Haruno and Natsukawa Masuzu.
Yuu turned, confused.
An issue ignored days ago was suddenly raised, making him slightly surprised.
After hesitating briefly, he answered honestly: "...There's a third person, but she lives very far away—we probably won't meet again."
Sora played with her fingers, pondering: "Is that so? I thought it was the flower shop auntie."
Yuu's face twitched, sighing wordlessly.
"My sister, your guesses are truly beyond comprehension."
"The flower shop auntie's fine, as long as it's not the vegetable vendor auntie, I can accept it."
"But I can't accept it!"
Yuu retorted by pinching her palm; the soft, pale skin easily left a red mark. "Don't guess randomly—she's a beautiful, gentle girl, and her combat skills are extremely high. I almost lost to her back then."
Due to the vague wording, these words about Asuna weren't censored by the system.
"So there are monsters like that too..."
Sighing incredulously, Sora looked up, her eyes under the hood quietly gazing at him.
As if wanting to say something, but only wondering in her heart: (So your gloomy expressions, decadent attitude, and loneliness like losing everything after returning from Kyoto... were all caused by these girlfriends?)
Though she didn't know details, her brother seemed to have mentioned—every time Yuu dated, they'd forget him, all past memories and experiences erased.
Though love disappeared, the feeling of being forgotten by someone once loved—surely that must hurt, right?
Sora would never forget the scene of Yuu lying on the sofa, for the first time asking to rest his head on her lap.
Yuu, always strong and confident—why could he become so weak? What truly happened during the trip to Kyoto?—She'd asked, but never got a clear answer.
Only now did she understand—her brother wasn't unwilling to speak, but unable, because someone was watching from above.
Only now did Sora know—those confusing complaints were Yuu's final farewells to his forgotten self.
—The more regretful one feels about beauty soon to vanish, the cruelly beautiful the world becomes.
Only now did Sora know—within these words spoken directly by him, hidden were three regrets, three cruelties, and more than three wounds.
Besides her, no one understood how deeply Yuu was wounded.
(After you've done such things to Yuu, you still dare disturb him...)
Thinking this, inexplicable anger surged in her heart. Unconsciously, Sora clenched her fist, gritting her teeth.
Yuu sensed something wrong, bending down to look at her worriedly: "Sora, what's wrong?"
"...Nothing." Sora loosened her grip, pulling up her hood, speaking calmly. "I was just thinking—will that flat-chested cat-lover also forget you?"
Yuu didn't care: "You mean Yukino? Yeah, unless something unexpected happens."
"Are you ready?"
"It's not my first time."
After a pause, Sora let out a sound from her throat: "Don't you feel... tired?"
"Tired?... Hah, maybe."
Hearing shouts from the ticket gate, Yuu turned, waving at Yuigahama rushing into the station, her hair swaying.
The corner of his lips smiled unconsciously, his eyes gentle, speaking calmly and firmly:
"With all of you supporting me from behind, I'll never fall—no matter how tired I am."
Though he had a system, Yuu couldn't escape the category of human; and the Chinese character for "person" (Ren) needs someone behind to stand upright.
No matter how many times he was forgotten, as long as remaining support didn't disappear, he'd always be able to walk toward the future he wanted to see.
"..."
Reluctantly biting her lip, Sora could only silently nod, once again tightly gripping his palm, conveying her feelings through body temperature.
She was merely a sixteen-year-old ordinary girl, unable to interfere with decisions of entities manipulating worlds and memories.
And as Yuu's only family, there was only one thing Sora could do now.
(Protect Yuu from those people, so he won't be hurt a second time—that's my responsibility...!)