A Real Family
Rai chased after Shalla.
"Hey! Wait a second!"
But Shalla's pace was far too fast.
No—
Strictly speaking, she wasn't even walking.
"...What the hell?"
In an instant, Shalla kicked off the ground and leaped high into the air, then stepped off empty space as if it were an invisible staircase, bounding upward again.
THWAM—!!!
And once more she pushed off the air and soared higher.
"Oh, what the—!!" Rai shouted in disbelief. "Are you using space itself as a foothold?!"
Rai hurried after her, but the distance between them refused to close.
Only after chasing her for quite a while did an enormous building finally come into view before him.
"A hospital?"
It was a large general hospital. Rai caught his breath and looked up at it.
"Is she sick or something?"
He puzzled over it for a moment, then went inside as well.
Meanwhile.
Shalla walked down the hospital corridor and stopped in front of a particular room. Then, carefully, she opened the door.
"Mom."
Inside, a middle-aged woman lay in the hospital bed. Shalla held out the bouquet she'd been carrying.
"I'm here."
"Oh my."
The woman took the bouquet and beamed. "My daughter, buying something nice like this for me?"
"I've got my own sense of style, you know." Shalla crossed her arms.
"Do you, now?"
Her mother chuckled softly. "Like I wouldn't know my own daughter."
"......"
Shalla looked at her for a moment, then smiled faintly and sat down in the chair beside the bed.
"How are you feeling?"
"Better and better. I'm fine." Her mother smiled as if to put her at ease. "So stop worrying about nothing and focus on school."
"Okay."
Shalla hesitated briefly before answering.
She had abandoned school long ago. But she kept lying to her mother, telling her she was still attending.
Every morning she left the house as if heading to class, and she brought up school in an offhand way so her mother wouldn't worry. Yet the life she was actually living was that of an Awakener—all for the sake of her mother's hospital bills.
"And don't worry about money either."
"Money?"
"Yeah. I have a part-time job."
Her mother's expression turned puzzled. "Do part-time jobs really pay that well?"
"........."
"You're not... doing Awakener work, are you?"
"No!"
Shalla jolted and denied it fervently. She kept her Awakener work a secret from her mother too, and for good reason—her mother would no doubt be horrified to learn her daughter was risking her life on dangerous jobs and would beg her to quit on the spot.
So Shalla had never even told her mother that she was an Awakener. She would surely grab onto her, crying if she had to.
And so Shalla lied. She didn't want to worry her mother. She didn't want her mother worrying any more because of her.
That was why the lie about attending school, the lie about living an ordinary life, and the truth that she was working as an Awakener—she carried all of it alone.
"Absolutely not!"
"Then what is it?"
"I just work part-time at a cafe."
"A cafe?" Her mother tilted her head. "You, working at a cafe?"
"Yeah."
Shalla awkwardly avoided her gaze.
"Once my leave permit comes through... let's go together."
"Really?"
Her mother's face broke into a grin. "Then shall we visit the cafe where my daughter works?"
"...Yeah."
Shalla smiled softly too.
A little later, she said her goodbyes and stepped out of the hospital room. The moment she closed the door and started down the corridor—
"...Huh?"
Someone was standing at the end of the hallway.
"You..."
Shalla's face stiffened. It was Rai.
"Why so surprised?" Rai tilted his head. "You left this behind."
He tossed the wallet he'd been holding. Tap.
"Ah!"
Shalla scrambled to catch it. "My wallet...!"
"That's why you should keep better track of it."
"You didn't have to come all the way here just to return it!" Shalla blurted out urgently.
".......?"
Rai blinked. Why is she getting so worked up?
Shalla took a moment to collect herself, then said quietly, "It's just... my mom's hospitalized here. That's all."
"I see." Rai answered as if it were nothing. "Okay."
Shalla tucked the wallet against her chest. Then, after a moment's hesitation, she looked at him.
"Um..."
"Yeah?"
"Can I... keep working at the job?"
Rai tilted his head. "That's something you'd need to ask Sis, not me." Then he added, puzzled, "Why all of a sudden?"
Shalla fell silent for a moment before answering. "Something's come up."
"........?"
"I think I need to work a while longer."
Rai's expression turned slightly serious. "Hmm..."
He thought it over briefly, then simply shrugged. "Knowing Sis, she'll take you back."
"Really?"
"Although..."
Rai sounded a little embarrassed as he went on. "She'll probably keep making you wear the maid uniform."
"That's fine." Shalla answered calmly. "Honestly, it wasn't half bad."
"....."
Rai stared at her. "You're a strange one."
"What?"
"Nothing."
Rai turned away first. "If you've got a job, work hard at it."
"Okay."
And so, the next day, Shalla returned to Ragna's Cafe.
And this time, she wasn't a day laborer.
"Then let's make it official!"
Ragna beamed and handed Shalla an apron. "Welcome aboard~!"
Shalla took the apron. "Looking forward to working with you, boss!"
And just like that, Shalla was hired as a full employee of Ragna's Cafe.
Her only duty was serving customers. The problem was... she turned out to be considerably clumsier at serving than anyone expected.
"Your coffee, sir."
Shalla approached a table, tray in hand. "Here you go."
"Thank you!"
"........."
As she set the cup down, one of them tilted—just slightly.
"Uh oh."
"Whoa!"
The customer flinched, but Shalla steadied the cup in a flash. Clunk—!!!
"Sorry."
"It's fine!"
The customer, far from upset, grinned brightly. "I got served by Shalla herself!"
"........."
Shalla stared at him, utterly dumbfounded.
Even so, the customers kept flooding in. The reason was simple.
A famous A-rank Awakener. Word that Shalla was working at a cafe in a maid uniform spread through the city in no time, and a long line formed in front of the cafe every single day.
"Shalla! Over here, please!"
"Just one photo!"
"Please sign this!"
"Order first."
"Yes, ma'am!"
As she frantically juggled the crowd, something gradually began to change.
At first, most people came just to see Shalla. But the customers who visited again and again eventually started returning for a different reason entirely.
"Isn't the coffee here seriously good?"
"Yeah. I came for Shalla at first, but..."
"Now I come for this coffee."
"The tea's amazing too."
The distinctive taste of the coffee and tea that only Ragna's Cafe could offer began spreading by word of mouth. The customers only multiplied.
Eventually, Ragna decided to expand. Once the construction was done, the entire building had become the cafe, and before anyone knew it, Ragna was the owner of the largest cafe in the city.
"At this point, I'm finally a successful businesswoman, aren't I? MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA—!!!"
Ragna let out an unsettling cackle in the middle of the cafe. Watching her, Rai couldn't help but comment.
"Sis... please don't laugh like some kind of villain..."
Rai said this, having completely forgotten the deranged laughter of his own when he was drunk on power in his Akra armor.
"Shut it. From now on, you call me Boss."
Six months passed like that.
Over that time, Shalla had become a full member of the family. She'd started as nothing more than a part-timer, but now spending her days alongside Rai and La Place felt completely natural.
And then, one weekend morning—
"Rai~! Shalla~! La La~!"
Ragna called the three of them from inside the cafe.
"What?"
Rai answered, annoyed. "I'm busy."
"It'll only take a second!"
Ragna was grinning ear to ear, hiding something behind her back. "We don't have any photos of us together, do we?"
Rai gave her an exasperated look. "Didn't you already take a million pictures of those two on your phone because they were so cute?"
"Those are phone pictures!"
Ragna waggled her finger. "We don't have a real photograph. A real one!"
"........."
Rai stared at her in disbelief. "Why does that matter so much?"
"Because family photos are important!"
Ragna excitedly pulled out a camera. "Alright! Everybody gather round!"
Just then, La Place came down the stairs from the second floor.
"Inquiry. What is happening?"
"La La!"
Ragna's eyes gleamed. "Perfect timing!"
"...Yes?"
Ragna hurriedly grabbed La Place's hand and pulled her over. "Stand here!"
"........"
La Place stood in front of the camera with a look of complete incomprehension. Ragna then dragged Rai over beside her without missing a beat.
"Come on now! All three of you, close together!"
"Hold on, Sis!"
Ragna wrapped her arms around Rai's and La Place's shoulders. "It's a family photo!"
"It's way too early in the morning for this..."
"Smile!"
"........"
La Place remained expressionless as always. "I am smiling."
"That is not smiling!"
Just then, Shalla's voice came from behind them. "What are you guys doing?"
Ragna whipped around. "Shalla! Come here, quick!"
"We're taking a photo?"
Shalla understood the situation instantly. "Hold on."
She slipped in behind Ragna and the other three in a heartbeat.
"Like this?"
Shalla flashed a peace sign with her fingers.
"Perfect! Absolutely perfect!"
Ragna struck a pose with a huge grin. Rai reluctantly turned toward the camera, and La Place still stood there, blank-faced as ever.
"Aaaand~!"
Ragna raised the camera. "One!"
Click.
"Two!"
Click.
"Three!"
Click!
The shutter's sound rang out through the cafe.
And so the four of them left behind their very first family photo.