She's My Little Sister
Our eyes met.
Blue eyes that glittered like gemstones. Where have I seen this color before?
"...Uh, hi?"
The words I finally managed to dredge up were a greeting.
Instead of answering, the child clutched the blanket tight. She stared at me for a long moment, and then that cute little mouth opened.
"Woong."
"...Huh?"
"Woong. Wooong."
Not words. Just sound. Almost exactly like the hum I used to make when I was a sword—
"Ah."
She didn't know how to talk yet. This was the only sound she had.
"...Yeah. Nice to meet you too."
She wriggled in place, both arms stretched out, still going woong-woong. When I scooted a little closer, she reached out and grabbed a fistful of my hair.
She didn't pull. She just held it, like she was checking something. Then she grabbed a handful of her own hair, lined the two up side by side, and compared them.
Blue. White.
"Awoong."
She tilted her head.
"...They're different, huh? I just noticed that too."
"Woong?"
Her hair was a color I knew well. That was exactly what my blade used to look like when I polished it up nice.
Come to think of it, that was weird. So why was my hair blue? The only thing that came to mind was Rina's sword aura—that blue lightning of hers...
"Nngh."
No idea. Not like it mattered right now anyway.
"Wooong... woong."
This time she grabbed my hand and pressed it against her own palm. She didn't seem happy that our fingers were different lengths, lining them up over and over.
No point lining them up again. Hers were bigger anyw—
"...Huh?"
Wait. What.
"Y-you...! Your hand...! Give me your hand again!"
"Woong?"
She offered up that soft little hand, and smack—palm to palm.
The impossible result sent my pupils into a full-blown earthquake.
"I'm... smaller...?"
"Woong."
"No, wait... huh? Why?"
Just a little. Not even a centimeter of difference, but more than enough to send me into a spiral. Would it change if I grew a bit more? Yeah, except I hadn't grown so much as a speck since I got this body.
"No no no. You, stand up. Let's compare height t—"
That was when I noticed. The only thing she was wearing was the oversized towel Nayeon had left behind.
"...Aigoo."
The feeling of going completely naked every time you transform—yeah, I knew that one better than anyone...
I pulled out a set of clothes. A dress Nayeon had begged me into buying, one I'd been keeping at arm's length because it still felt weird. I-it wasn't like I was using this as an excuse to pawn the dress off or anything...
"Here, put this on. Ah... you don't know how to get dressed, do you?"
I guided her head up through the bottom, and after a long moment—pop!—her neck appeared. Her hands weren't coming out of the sleeves, so I gave them a shake, and her fingers finally shot through with a whoosh. The hem fell to her knees.
...I was pretty sure it had hung a little lower than that on me.
"Woong."
Was she happy with it, in her own way? She spun this way and that, watching the skirt flutter, and it was like looking at myself the day we'd gone to buy this dress.
Anyway...
"Where am I supposed to put her to sleep?"
Explaining this to Nayeon and Jihyeon could wait until morning, one way or another. But the problem staring me in the face right now was a headache all on its own. The sofa was plenty big, but there was only one blanket...
Ah, whatever.
"Here. You take it."
I'd be the bigger person. Obviously.
I lay down on the sofa and held out the blanket. She stared at me with those big, bright eyes, and then—
"Mhehehe!"
She didn't so much as glance at the blanket. She just launched herself straight at me.
"Hwek! No, that's not—"
"Wooong...!"
"I said cover yourself with the blanket. Not me."
She just grinned and nuzzled her cheek against me like she hadn't heard a word.
"Aigooo..."
We weren't getting anywhere. Which, yeah, made sense, since she couldn't talk...
"That happy to find the rest of yourself, huh?"
"Woong."
The same culprit who'd thrown a tantrum and nearly flipped a whole mountain was now rumbling like a puppy.
It wasn't like I didn't understand. A kid who couldn't even speak. Left alone inside a sealed rift, waiting endlessly for her other half—how lonely must she have been? Why she'd searched so hard for me. Why she'd been so desperate to take me with her. Of course I knew. The feeling of being stuck, unable to move, waiting all alone... I knew that better than anyone.
"Ah, do whatever you want."
She was stuck to me like a cicada. I snorted a little laugh and turned the blanket sideways so we could share it. My legs could deal with being a little cold. But you leave your stomach uncovered, you're asking for a stomachache.
...Though being Ego Swords, that probably wasn't a real concern.
In the end, Miss Byeori Jr. spent that night glued to my side and refused to let go. I'd peel her off, and she'd go woong and stick right back. Peel her off again, and she'd go woooong... and stick right back.
Give me a break. It's not like she's a kid. Then again, counting in sword-years, maybe she is?
Warmth seeped over from where she was pressed against me. Just a little while ago she'd been a cold, hard scrap of metal. Now she was warm and soft.
The night I first came to this guild. I must have been... this same temperature.
Morning arrived with a scream.
"Hweeeeeek!!"
"N-Nayeon? What's goi— KYAAAH?!"
Nayeon came shuffling out mid-yawn and dropped right onto her rear. Jihyeon poked her head out at the commotion, took one look at us, and scrambled backward.
"W-w-w-what's going on here?! Why are there two Byeoris?!"
"I'm the real one, Master!"
"Ah, n-no... Blue Byeori and white Byeori... what even... hwaah."
Nayeon pointed back and forth between me and the kid. All that racket stirred the one who'd been sleeping soundly. She sat up, all rumpled.
"Woong.... Awu..."
"Cute... a-ah, no! That's not the issue here...!"
"Hrm."
Jihyeon, who'd been watching us from behind the doorframe, adjusted her glasses.
"...So the guild just gained a member."
"Jihyeon, is that all you have to say?! You're not even shocked?!"
"I am shocked, it's just... w-we should hear Byeori out first."
Then she headed to the kitchen. She pulled out three cups, paused, then grabbed one more. Four in total. She filled them about halfway and set them on the table with a clack.
"Alright. Talk. We're ready to listen."
"Umm."
I sat down at the table and groaned. Where did I even start...?
"Uh... so, you know that fragment from yesterday. My other half."
"Yeah."
"It... turned into her."
"...Come again?"
"So she's... umm."
I glanced over, and the kid slapped herself against my side like she'd been waiting for the cue.
"Mhehehe!"
"...I guess you could call her my other half?"
Other half. Saying it out loud sent a ripple through my chest. I'd become a person, eaten meals, hung around with good people and talked up a storm. And the whole time, this kid had been left alone in that freezing rift.
Why hadn't I known? Had I really not known? That a piece of me was rolling around somewhere out there—was it that I just hadn't wanted to think about it?
"Byeori?"
"...It's nothing."
I rubbed at the corner of my eye for no reason, and the kid grabbed my sleeve.
"Awooong...."
Give me a break. A brand-new little brat, and she's the one worrying about me.
"...I was just yawning."
Breakfast was total chaos.
The kid, unsurprisingly, couldn't hold a spoon. She watched me hold mine, then copied it. I ate some egg roll, and so did she. I drank some water, and so did she.
...Chopsticks, though—those were a complete wash. Fair enough. Even adults struggle with chopsticks.
After three failed attempts, she finally scooped up the egg roll with her spoon.
"Mhehehe."
That smile meant it must have tasted good. Then again, when I'd first become a person and eaten a boiled egg, my vision had flashed white and my whole body had tingled.
...But that laugh. Why was she copying mine?
"Mhehehe!"
"Hey, quit copying me. It's confusing."
"Mhehehe!"
"Heheh. What a copycat."
Nayeon, giggling around her chopsticks, asked,
"Hey, Byeori."
"Yes?"
"So... this might be a weird question, but. If you break again, do you... multiply...?"
Jihyeon looked up from her rice bowl and gave her a long, flat stare. Nayeon shrank into her shoulders.
"Nayeon, seriously..."
"Nooo! I'm just genuinely curious! The broken piece turned into this, so!"
"Mhehehe. If I said I multiplied every time I broke, would you snap me in half?"
"Hweek?! T-that's not what I meant!"
Honestly, I was curious too. A liiittle grotesque as far as mental images go, but still. If you snapped me into pieces while I was a sword and mass-produced people out of them, could you build an Ego Sword army?
"Hmph. I doubt it'd work the way you're thinking, Master."
"R-really? Then how did she happen?"
"That... I don't know either."
I still didn't even fully understand how Nayeon's empty wish had turned me into an Ego Sword.
"...Ah."
Nayeon set down her chopsticks. Regretting the question now that it was out, she fidgeted with her fingers.
"...Sorry."
"It's okay. I'm wondering the same thing you are, Master."
What this kid even was. How she came to be... all of that.
Whether she could tell I was looking or not, the kid—who'd been demolishing her egg roll with a spoon—overheard my conversation with Nayeon, and—
"...Ma!"
"Ma?"
"Ma-... maste... Masterrr!"
Nayeon went silent. She blinked blankly, then quietly lifted her phone toward the kid, who'd thrown both arms up in a victory pose...
"Tsk. Nayeon."
"But! She's cute! I said she's cute! She's too cute! How am I supposed to not take a picture?! Do you not have human emotions?!"
"She is... cute, I'll give you that. But you still can't. Get her permission later and then take the picture."
"Awwwh..."
...What was this feeling. This was definitely a heartwarming moment. It was the first time this kid had said anything resembling actual words. It was, but...
Something. Something something...!
"M-Master!"
For reasons I couldn't explain, I shot to my feet and called out to Nayeon.
"Byeori, what's her name?!"
"Ah, a n-name."
...Why did I even stand up.
I quietly sat back down and looked at the kid, who'd already lost interest in Nayeon and was stabbing away at her egg roll.
"...I'm still thinking about it."
I knew from experience—you don't just slap a name on someone.
"How about Choco?! Or Candy!"
"Master, please sit this naming session out."
"She's right, Nayeon."
"Why?!"
She's not a puppy...
"Nayeon. So you'd register her as Kang Choco or Kang Candy?"
"Ah, okay, maybe that's a bit... wait a second. Kang Jihyeon. Why is it the Kang family name again, like it's the most natural thing in the world?"
"Well, she looks exactly like Byeori. Twins—or at the very least sisters—that's the only story that makes sense."
"That's bias! This time we're going with Na!"
"Ha! Na Choco or Na Candy? Even worse!"
And these people were the adults... sheesh.
"Awoong?"
I covered her eyes, and Miss Byeori Jr. tilted her head. Don't look. This is just sad.
"We'll figure out the family name later. As for a given name... I don't think we can go with whatever Master picks."
"But it's cute...! Just like Byeori's name!"
My hands clenched without thinking.
"Hwek."
The kid whose eyes I was covering flailed her arms, but this was not the time to fuss over her.
...Hearing my name jogged something loose.
'...Tomorrow.'
That person had left those words behind and walked away!
"...Shouldn't we be preparing instead of sitting around like this? We need to get ready f—"
I didn't even finish the sentence.
Knock, knock—
A knock at the door. And then, a voice from the other side.
"Is anyone home? It's Rina."
...Here it comes.
How did she even find this guild. Ah. Searching Saetbyeol Guild would probably just pull up the address.
Anyway! ...Should I run? Don't run? Stand and fight?
Nayeon looked at me. I looked at the kid, who was still gumming at her plate with zero awareness of the situation.
"We hide her, right?!"
"We hide her."
"The blanket! Under the blanket!"
"...You think she'll stay put?"
"Then what do we do?!"
Without a word, Jihyeon scooped the kid up.
"Waaang."
"The storage room. I'll watch her in there."
"Ah, that could wor—"
"No!"
It was the first time I'd raised my voice. Both of them stared at me, startled.
"Not the storage room... please."
"Why? If you're worried about it being too hot—"
"Jihyeon."
Nayeon shook her head at Jihyeon, then looked back at me.
"Let's listen to Byeori. Stay in my room. Lock the door."
"...Okay."
Jihyeon turned, the kid in her arms.
"Wooong...! Waaang!"
She thrashed and reached for me, but this was an emergency. Nothing I could do.
"Go play with Jihyeon unnie for a bit."
"Waaang!"
"It'll be over soon!"
"...Woong."
She went quiet, just like that. Thankfully, she stayed nestled in Jihyeon's arms as the bedroom door closed.
...She'll stay put, right?
Anyway. I opened the front door.
Rina was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. The shadows under her eyes were dark. A face that hadn't slept a wink. She bowed her head first thing.
"...May I sit?"
"Uh, yes. Um... please, sit."
Nayeon shook out a floor cushion twice and held it out, but Rina declined and perched lightly on the edge of the sofa. It was the posture of someone ready to stand at any moment. Or perhaps the posture of someone who didn't believe they had the right to stay.
Once seated, Rina was silent for a long time. Her face had the look of someone who'd prepared a lot to say, but the moment she sat down, all of it had tangled together. What finally came out was the shortest question of all.
"...That sword. It was you, wasn't it?"
"The one I used to... that sword."
Yesterday she'd asked if it hurt when I broke... Was she looking for a definitive answer through this question? I searched for a way to talk around it. Nothing came to mind.
I wriggled my fingers for a long while, and then—
"...Yes."
Rina's eyes closed. They stayed closed for a long time. And when they opened again, she bowed her head low.
"I didn't know."
"I really, truly didn't know. Not at all... nnh..."
For a second, a hollow laugh almost slipped out. I didn't know. That was the same thing I'd been thinking this morning, looking at that poor kid hiding in the room with Jihyeon.
"Please lift your head."
"I know how this sounds. Saying I didn't know... it just sounds like a coward's excuse... I, I'm not good with words, ahh..."
"I'm okay. Really."
"There's no way you're okay. You must have been... so sad."
Rina clenched her fists and dropped her head even lower.
"I'm okay. Equipment gets passed around. That's just how it is."
"...I."
Rina started to speak, then stopped.
"I came here to tell you..."
"Yes?"
"...that I'm sorry. That what I did back then... was too much. That's what I came here to say."
"But now that I'm here, it just feels like an excuse for myself. So I can't say anything..."
What was I supposed to say to that? Nayeon started to speak beside me, then stopped. She knew this wasn't a moment to step in.
"...Then."
I picked my words as carefully as I could.
"If I resent you, will that make you feel better?"
Rina's breath caught.
"That's not it, is it. Hearing that I resent you would only make it worse. You'd go home and suffer over it."
"So I'll just say it's okay. I will. Ah, that doesn't mean it was a lie when I said I was okay...!"
I was sweating bullets, stumbling through the rest of it, when—
"Ah... wait... h-hold on—"
A frantic voice from inside the room. And then.
Creeeak—
Pitter-patter-patter—!
Byeori Junior came barreling through the cracked-open door. Behind her, a deathly pale Jihyeon grabbed at empty air.
Ah. She did it. That little menace. I'd said it'd be over soon. Apparently "soon" by a little kid's standards had already come and gone.
The kid threw herself into my arms and nuzzled her cheek against me.
"Awooong... mhehehe."
Rina froze at the sight. Her eyes wouldn't leave Byeori Junior's hair. Well, yeah. The kid looked just like me.
"...Two of you?"
"Sh-she's my little sister."
"Little sister...?"
"As of yesterday... that's how it is."
"Well... um... yeah, anyway... that's the vibe."
I'd already been found out as an Ego Sword, so getting caught with one extra kid didn't seem like it'd make much difference... Either way, Rina didn't press. She just sat there, looking at the brightly smiling little girl's face.
How long did that last? In the end, an expression settled on Rina's face that was neither a smile nor tears.
"...You're both safe."
I nodded instead of answering.
Rina reached toward the kid, then flinched to a stop, and asked in a small voice,
"Does she have a name?"
"Huh?"
"That child. Does she have a name?"
"Still thinking about it. Naming someone is way harder than I thought."
Rina smiled, just a little. More accurately, it was less a smile than a faint tremor at the corner of her mouth.
"Give her a good one."
"It lasts a lifetime, after all."
Yeah. I know. The name you gave me—I'm still using it just fine.
Then Rina straightened in her seat. It was the posture of someone who'd made up their mind.
"...Just one thing. Let me ask."
"Okay."
"Back then. My friend..."
"Just call me Byeori. Like you used to."
Her fingers curled in at that, but Rina nodded.