Chapter Seventeen: Sora of the Spring Fields

In the dim room, all that met the eye were messy snack wrappers, clothes strewn about, and a computer casting a phosphorescent glow. Heavy curtains shut out the daylight, so the only light came from the faint luminance of the computer screen.

Seated before the computer was a frail young girl. Her long, pale silver hair, soft as cream, was tied into two ponytails. With her large eyes, delicate nose, and lips pale and pink from lack of color, she looked almost ethereal in her comfortable white dress. Her fair skin, illuminated by the shifting colors of the monitor, seemed clean and translucent, as if one could glimpse the fragile veins beneath—a beauty so unearthly it scarcely belonged to this world.

At that moment, she was nestled against a giant teddy bear, her whole figure swallowed by the plush embrace, looking like a tiny, adorable sprite.

Knock, knock, knock.

The knocking at the door broke her concentration on the screen. She removed her headphones with a hint of impatience, but said nothing.

"Um, Sora... Aoki has been at our house for two days now. Could you come out and meet him?" It was her mother’s voice.

Sora Kasugano bit her lip lightly, a frown creasing her brow, but she did not reply.

Was this the outsider her father said looked fierce but was actually a good person? Really… Why did the family have to let a stranger move in?

She hesitated despite herself. Silence had returned outside the door, but she knew her mother was waiting for an answer.

Better just refuse. Those boys... are all so annoying.

She parted her lips, her voice soft and sweet but tinged with discontent: "Can I... refuse?"

Outside, Mr. and Mrs. Kasugano exchanged glances with Tsukasa Aoki. After a moment’s hesitation, Masao Kasugano gestured for the others to wait and knocked on the door himself, stepping inside.

The two left outside stood awkwardly in the hallway, as the faint sound of conversation drifted from within. It wasn’t long before Masao Kasugano opened the door again with a wry smile: "Sora agreed."

In truth, Aoki had already seen the small figure behind him. Sora now stood behind her father, slipping her head just barely into view, her eyes cold and distant as if barring entry: "Hello. My name is Sora Kasugano."

Aoki paused, then broke into a brilliant smile. "Hello, Sora. I’m Tsukasa Aoki. I look forward to getting to know you."

Perhaps it was that, in her frosty expression, Aoki saw something of his own younger brother from the past. His smile was especially gentle, so much so that even his otherwise fierce face, further accentuated by his shaved head, seemed to soften with sunlight.

Maybe the system had a point. When Aoki expressed genuine emotion, his charm attribute seemed to take on a different quality. At the very least, through Sora’s eyes, the bald-headed man’s smile wasn’t as intimidating as he had seemed at first glance—it was even somewhat pleasing to the eye.

And then… nothing more.

Sora fell silent again, hiding behind Masao Kasugano like a little rabbit peeking from behind a tree, ready to dart back into her burrow at the slightest sign of trouble.

"From tomorrow, I’ll be looking after you for a while in place of your uncle and aunt. If there’s anything you want to do, just let me know, and I’ll help you out. I’ll take care of you just like a real brother would. You can think of me as your own brother," Aoki offered, crouching down to meet her gaze.

Though he felt as if he’d recently hit another growth spurt, he was still only about 176 centimeters tall, while Sora barely reached 150—she looked like a middle school girl. Well, if she hadn’t skipped grades, she really would have been in her third year of middle school.

"...Alright." Sora glanced awkwardly at Kasugano An, forcing herself to answer, "I understand."

With that, she retreated behind Masao Kasugano, signaling with a gentle push that she was done speaking.

He sighed and could only give a helpless expression, leaving Sora’s room with a "good night" before softly closing the door.

"I’m really sorry, Aoki, she… didn’t mean to be like that," Masao Kasugano apologized, but Aoki only smiled gently, nodding, and replied with a strangely nostalgic tone, "It’s fine. I haven’t spent much time with Sora yet, but I believe she wishes she had more friends."

"Haha, alright then. As her brother, you’d better take good care of her! My wife and I have to catch the early train back home tomorrow, so breakfast is up to you. If you can’t manage, there’s bread and milk in the fridge," Masao laughed, clapping Aoki on the shoulder. Aoki nodded confidently. Years of caring tirelessly for his younger brother had, if nothing else, given him the skills to interact with people like this—and as long as his troublesome charm attribute didn’t interfere, he’d be fine. As for cooking, that was hardly a problem. He might not be a master of Japanese cuisine, but after living alone for so long, preparing a decent breakfast was well within his abilities.

Back in her room, Sora settled once again in front of the computer, staring at the paused anime on her screen for a long while before slumping back lazily onto the teddy bear. Lost in thought, she finally murmured, "A brother, huh…"

"It didn’t seem like he was lying."

Staring up at the ceiling, she hugged the huge bear tightly in the dark, a faint whisper escaping her lips: "But... he’ll probably be just like the rest of them..."

"It won’t be long before he leaves, too…"

In the dim room, she curled up weakly in the teddy bear’s arms, eyes dull and expression downcast, her fragile body drawn in upon itself.