episode_0143

Where is this? I definitely–

Don’t think about it.

“Oh… … ?”

I blinked at the sudden sound of a voice, and a familiar sight came into view.

“This is… … .”

For a moment I was surprised by the sudden change in scenery, and then I blinked and looked around at the all-too-familiar scenery.

A mansion with a blue-green roof visible in the distance, the scent of grass tickling the tip of your nose, flowers in full bloom, and even warm sunlight.

I lowered my head and looked at my hands, looking at the same scene as the memory of that day.

I could see the smooth, soft hands of a child, without calluses from holding a pen every day or scars on the palms from blocking my father’s kicks.

weird… … ? I, I… … .

“Priscilla.”

At that moment, my sister’s voice came from behind me, and I shivered without realizing it and slowly turned around.

“Sister… … ?”

My older sister was standing there, looking at me with her usual kind smile.

The sight of my sister, wearing a blue dress that exposed her shoulders, perfectly matched the image of her in my memories.

As if I was possessed, I ran towards my sister. My sister hugged me tightly.

“Sister… … ! Sister Genea… … !!”

“Oh my, Priscilla. ―――It’s dangerous to run. What if I fall?”

My sister stroked my head as if admonishing me, and as soon as her warm body and soft touch touched my head, other things seemed to get better.

okay. It was all a dream. It was all a bad dream. I was held in my sister’s arms and enjoyed her body heat. My sister’s sweet body odor and the familiar smell of my sister’s perfume.

Everything filled me. It made me feel that this is what happiness is.

“Sister… … . Sister… … .”

“Yes. Priscilla.”

“I had a really scary dream… … . I had such a scary dream about my sister leaving for a far away place… … .”

“I see.”

While I was in my sister’s arms, I told her about the scary dream that had been bothering me.

As my story progressed, it became closer to complaining, but my sister accepted my complaining with a soft voice and a kind smile without any sign of distaste.

“Sister.”

“Yes, Priscilla.”

I, who was in my sister’s arms, quietly opened my eyes and made eye contact with her.

My sister was looking down at me with a warm smile like the shining sunlight, and only my reflection was reflected in those beautiful eyes.

A sister who only looks at me, a sister who smiles just for me, just for me――

“Sister.”

“Yes.”

Ah, sister. Is it okay for me to be this happy? Is it possible for someone like me to be this happy?

Feelings that I had forgotten about, emotions that I had not been able to feel for a while, I even thought that it would be nice for time to stop like this.

“Sister… … .”

“Yes, Priscilla.”

This is it. It was this feeling. Yes, the emotions that I had mistaken for just longing and envy until now revealed their true colors, and they were stronger than any emotions I had ever felt.

Burning hotter than the despair that brought me to my knees, more intense than the sadness that tormented me, and so vivid that it could not even be compared to the nightmare that strangled me, the end of the emotions that a human can have.

“I like it.”

The feeling that filled my heart and then bursted, the torrent of emotions that filled my head and boiled over, eventually flowed out beyond the human vessel called me.

“No, I love you.”

I want to be a part of my sister. I want everything about me to become a part of you. no… … . That’s not enough.

I want to be everything to my sister. I couldn’t live without my sister, so I hope that happens to her too.

My sister is like me… … . It’s imperfect, I wish it was done… … ?

“Ah?”

In an instant, the world made up of memories was greatly shaken.

Because of the huge shaking, I inadvertently escaped from my sister’s arms and stood in my seat, and my sister just smiled quietly as she looked at me.

“Uh, sister… … .”

“Yes, Priscilla.”

“Did you feel anything just now?”

“Yes.”

no. The ground shook violently just now? It was definitely like that, but why was she smiling like that?

The moment I noticed that small discrepancy, my world began to collapse at a rapid pace.

“Ah, ah… … !! No!!”

forget. Forget it. Please forget it. Don’t worry about the feeling of disparity. This is my reality. This place where I can be with my sister is my world. stop. please!

I racked my brain and tried my best to forget it, but the more I resisted, the more the sense of disconnect grew.

“Sister, sister!!”

“Yes, Priscilla.”

My sister smiled and answered.

It was shaking even more violently than before, and it began to slowly crumble from afar.

The dream is disappearing.

“Please, please answer me! Sister, you love me, right!? please! Please tell me you love me, sister!!”

Even as the world was shaking and everything was falling apart, my sister just looked at me with a kind smile.

“Don’t just smile, try making a different facial expression!!”

“Yes, Priscilla.”

Then my sister’s expression changed.

A face that smiles softly, and a face that looks blankly somewhere.

A face with a bright smile and a kind look.

A face smiling mischievously, a face thinking about something.

A face that looks sad, a face that looks happy.

A tearful face, an angry face.

A face of contempt, a face of irritation.

A face of despair, a distorted face.

A face in pain, a face with dead eyes, a face in pain――

It changed, changed, changed, changed again.

“It’s not that face. It’s not that face. The face of my sister that I saw at that time was――”

It was confusing. I couldn’t remember my sister’s face. Surely, you definitely recorded everything about your sister? I definitely remember everything without exception.

I remember all the sad faces, happy faces, regretful faces, and pained faces. I remember everything, everything… … .

“What was it? What was it… … .”

What did the girl in love look like?

As I tried to think of a face I didn’t recognize, my sister’s face began to distort.

The eyes are smiling but the mouth is sad, the positions of the eyes and nose are reversed, the ears are where the mouth would be, dozens of eyes appear, and a smiling mouth showing its teeth fills the face.

“Eon… … Ni.”

That thing that stopped being my older sister eventually completely lost its own face.

At the same time, my world completely collapsed along with my heart.

* * *

“Ugh… … !!”

As soon as I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the ceiling of the health room.

It didn’t matter at all why I was here. More important than all that was that my world collapsed.

I closed my eyes to return to that dream, but let alone that world, not even my sister’s face came to mind.

I couldn’t even picture my sister’s smiling face.

“Sister, sister… … .”

If it weren’t for you, if it weren’t for you… … .

No, you’re not bad. My sister was perfect. okay… … . The man… … . Until I met that red-haired man… … .

Grumbling――

“Ah, you’re awake. You don’t know how surprised I was when I suddenly collapsed.”

When I raised my head, the sight of a public health teacher wearing a pure white gown caught my eye.

“I think I’ve been very tired because I’ve been studying a lot. After a little rest――”

“Teacher.”

“Enough… … . Huh?”

“Sister, where are you?”

I was able to find out my sister’s location with the help of the health teacher, and I immediately got out of bed and headed to where my sister was.

“Oh, wait a minute, Miss Priscilla! I need to calm down now… … . Miss Priscilla? Miss Priscilla!”

It’s all, everything, his fault. All of your shortcomings and flaws must be passed on to me. Because I am less inferior than my sister. So, I have to take on that guy and the guy who created a flaw in my perfect sister.

Sister has to be perfect. If my sister isn’t perfect, I can make her that way. I will take on all of your flaws and shortcomings and turn you into a perfect sister.

Otherwise, I will break down first.

I walked forward with long strides. I walked towards the place where my sister was.

That’s how we arrived at the third grade classroom. How long had I been lying down? The dusk was inside the classroom. Sister. And the damn guy was there.

I tried to open the door and go inside, but the moment I saw my sister’s face, I had no choice but to stop all my actions.

“Ah… … .”

The older sister looking at that man was something I had never seen before in my life. His face looked like he was about to die of happiness.

He had a face full of sincerity that I couldn’t picture.

A face I couldn’t make.

“Ugh, uh… … .”

I hated it.

I hated how my sister looked so happy while I was having such a hard time.

I hated my sister so much for leaving me alone and going away alone.

“Ugh… … . Hmm… … .”

It was sad.

I really hated the sister who left me, and I hated the man who took her away.

The sister I love is so beautiful that I can’t even compare it to when she was next to me.

Because my sister looks so happy smiling next to someone other than me.

I was so sad when I realized that there was no room for me to fit in between them.

“Hmph… … . Huh… … .”

I didn’t have the courage to disturb the two people who seemed so happy, nor did I have the courage to bless them, so I ran away.

I walked alone through the empty hallway. I left only my tears where I passed.

Tears are transparent, so your sister won’t be able to see them.

* * *

After reminiscing about the past, which had become disjointed due to the fact that I had tried so hard to erase the painful memories, I placed my forehead against my pounding head and blinked.

“… … .”

The hallway I walked down then. The only thing that has changed is a place where I am the only one who can’t let go of the embers that remain even though I am old and everything has burned down to ashes.

As I looked around the empty hallway, I smiled bitterly at the realization that I had no tears left to shed.

“I guess it’s because I’m tired… … . I’ve become needlessly emotional… … .”

I shook my head and slowly blinked, looking at the red sunset outside the window.

If, if I were given one more chance… … . Will I be able to convey this feeling then?

‘Professor Priscilla.’

At the moment a student’s face appeared in my mind, I quickly shook my head.

You decided to give up. That child is not only that man’s daughter, but also her sister’s daughter.

Just, let’s not think about it. It cannot and should not be connected with that child. I am that child’s aunt and that student’s professor.

“Ha… … .”

After quickly breaking free of the tangled thoughts in my mind, I sighed deeply and accelerated my steps toward the lab.

I’m going to finish work today and rest in a quiet place.

With that in mind, I climbed the stairs and found a student crouching in front of the door of my lab at the end of the hallway on the other side, hugging his knees.

The student’s hair was such a striking color that it was impossible not to recognize him.

“Charlotte, Miss?”

Although she had bright red hair that resembled that man, the child looked so much like her sister that it made my heart ache just looking at her.

“Priscilla… … . professor… … .”

For some reason, I was crying sadly.