033. Trial (2)
033. Trial (2)
It was definitely a dream.
A calm sea.
Even though waves were rising, the sea was calm.
Because ripples just... disappeared as if nothing had happened.
It was truly fascinating.
So, Alisa was staring blankly at the sea.
Deep sea fog.
Or rather... until the sea fog rolled in.
"It's fascinating."
She had only seen sea fog in books.
The same went for the sea itself.
Seeing things she had never seen in reality unfold before her eyes was quite surprising.
Did her subconscious want this kind of scenery?
Then.
Aria Witri.
She popped out from the fog.
Dragging her feet.
With a body in tatters.
She was heading somewhere urgently and steadily.
'Aria...'
She started to worry.
Where on earth was she going so urgently in that state?
'I have to help her.'
Alisa tried to approach Aria.
She tried to shout with all her might to turn Aria's gaze toward her.
'Ah...'
No voice came out.
'Is it because it's a dream?'
It didn't matter.
She was faster than Aria.
If she ran with all her might, she could catch up.
'Huh...'
Aria's desperate expression caught her eye.
Hidden by the sea fog.
She was desperately, desperately chasing someone's shadow, of which only a faint shape remained.
Then.
Thump, she fell.
Even so.
Aria got up again.
Following the shadow of someone who was no longer visible.
After repeating falling and getting up several times.
Splash.
She slowly dipped her feet into the sea.
"No!!!"
Poor child.
'I'll definitely protect you...'
Alisa thought that and grabbed Aria's hand.
Grab.
"I'll... protect... you...."
While muttering that in her sleep.
"Wh-where... are you touching?"
Aria couldn't bring herself to say that.
She was afraid she might wake up the people sleeping around her...
She was squeezed in between them in an incredibly uncomfortable position, just sweating profusely.
Hing-hing.
She was being crushed in a super cramped space.
The feeling of skin... just... touching... ugh.
'It must be unpleasant.'
She wasn't used to this kind of physical contact.
In the first place, Aria Witri was always alone.
Even light skinship required a lot of resolve.
For example...
Yuna really hated it, but, like, like... grabbing her hand... forcibly.
After grabbing it like that, she couldn't wash her hand for a whole day.
Because she liked Yuna so much.
So.
This situation was very troublesome.
Clara's bare leg, with her pajamas half-off, had gently climbed onto Aria's thigh.
"Ugh...."
There was no space to avoid it, and if she moved the leg, it felt like Clara would wake up.
But she didn't want that.
'She must have suffered a lot because of me.'
She must be exhausted.
Thinking that, Aria decided to accept it in the end.
"Eek!"
Until Alisa's hand headed to a strange place.
"I'll... protect... you...."
Wh-what kind of dream was she having to say such heroic words?
She was curious, but.
Since it was the first time someone had touched her wrist, which was, like, like... very precious to her, Aria's face started to turn red.
She had knowledge of that kind of thing, but experiencing it with her body was a completely different dimension.
She didn't really have a preference for being squeezed between two people and having, like, like... very important parts like her wrists touched.
"Ugh...."
Aria felt like she was going to cry.
She had sworn never to cry again.
Hing-hing-hing.
At that moment.
"...Ah."
Clara woke up.
And rubbing her body, she clung closer to Aria.
Close enough to feel her breathing.
That close.
Twitch-twitch.
Aria was a little nervous.
She didn't know how Clara, a lady of the Witri Family, would treat her.
'...L-like, why are you helping me?'
It was super hing-hing-hing.
Because she didn't know the reason.
She would definitely consider her an eyesore.
That's all she thought.
But.
Clara's hand slowly, very slowly, headed to Aria's forehead.
Aria squeezed her eyes shut.
Honestly, she was a little scared.
L-like... just like what happened at the main house.
She was afraid she would do something... super painful and terrible.
Subconsciously, she squeezed her eyes shut, which she couldn't see well anyway.
It was engraved in her memory.
But.
'...You're afraid of me.'
Clara also understood Aria's feelings.
Her state of mind well.
She thought she was afraid of her.
'You're from the Witri Family.'
Unnie, Aria had definitely said that.
"...Ha."
She couldn't bear it because Aria was pitiful.
She was truly.
A blood relative, sharing the same blood.
A sister.
A relationship that could develop into one where they cherished each other more than anyone else in the world.
Aria Witri.
Unnie.
Clara started to gently stroke Aria's forehead.
Because she mistook her for being afraid of her.
Even though that wasn't the case.
She just remembered what happened at the main house.
Clara wasn't particularly scary.
'Ugh...'
Instead, she felt sorry for Clara.
'Clara hates me a lot, but, like, she's probably trying to make it so I don't die by the family's order... like, drag me along...'
But that was super annoying.
Rather than that...
As the focus disappeared from Aria's eyes.
"Unnie."
Clara felt a bit creeped out.
So she called Aria urgently.
Because she had an expression like she was about to leave at any moment.
Hoping that wouldn't happen.
"I will absolutely, absolutely go back to the main house."
"...Yeah."
Go back and definitely.
Drive out the crazy head of the family.
And that position...
To her most precious person.
The only person reflected in Clara's eyes.
To the gentle person who started trembling so much she couldn't control her body.
To the person she admired.
She wanted to offer it.
Clara just harbored that resolve.
'So please.'
Until then, she hoped her Unnie would stay alive.
Just as she was about to hug her Unnie tight.
"Ugh...?"
Alisa pulled Aria with all her might from behind.
And.
"Hehe. I really like it... Now, you won't disappear..."
"Wh-what...?"
Alisa had her eyes closed.
So many things had happened.
Like, her nose had bled and she had been slapped on the cheek.
She was exhausted and was making up for lost sleep, but just in time, a bunch of dolls resembling Aria appeared in her dream.
No matter how many worlds she had repeated countless times, and even if she thought of herself as an adult, there was no event that served as a trigger for growth for Alisa.
She had always only lost things.
An environment where she could achieve mental growth was not given to her.
So.
She needed a friend who wouldn't disappear.
The Aria in Alisa's dream.
It felt like she would never disappear.
After repeating standing up and sitting down several times.
The Aria in the dream, who had eventually lost the shadow.
Walking heavily on the white sand.
Dragging her feet, she headed toward Alisa herself.
And then.
As if she had been waiting, she leaned in weakly.
And started sobbing uncontrollably.
"Now... it's okay."
It seemed the image of Aria crying after being hurt by Yuna remained too strongly in her mind.
She felt sorry.
Alisa couldn't bear it because she felt sorry.
'I couldn't... do anything.'
She was an adult.
An adult who had lived a much, much longer life than Yuna, who was in front of her.
She had to feel helpless.
She had to hesitate.
Yuna Castilla.
Thinking of the wounds Aria must have received because of her, really, really.
She hated her helpless self.
So.
Alisa hugged Aria tightly in her dream.
To the point where her face turned red.
Like, even holding hands was a huge deal, but.
'If I can comfort Aria with this...'
Thinking that sharing warmth might make things better, she just pulled Aria in.
"Hey! What are you doing!!!"
Clara, who misunderstood the situation, started pulling Aria from the side.
She wouldn't let her go.
Once was enough to have gone through such things.
She couldn't take her eyes off Aria anymore.
Because she still admired her.
The only sister with whom she shared blood.
She didn't want to lose her.
"U-ugh..."
Aria was very embarrassed by this situation.
And.
Both people with Aria in between subconsciously realized that fact.
'That bitch is pulling her because she wants to have her all to herself!'
'...Because someone is trying to bully Aria, I will protect her.'
No more.
She wouldn't let someone like Yuna Castilla bully Aria anymore.
She wouldn't let her suffer.
So.
"Let go! Let go! You're awake!!!"
Alisa, who had slightly more strength, was the one.
After pulling Aria, she whispered while rubbing her cheek against her without realizing it.
"Now there's no need to be sad, no need to... suffer... anymore. Because I'll be by your side..."
"Don't make me laugh! Th-that kind of thing, not you, but I..."
Aria was extremely embarrassed.
So she blinked her eyes with a look of disbelief.
Sad and suffering?
'Eh? I was super happy, though?'
It was the day Yuna called her name for the first time.
It was a totally "Uhehe" feeling.
Yuna would definitely be fine.
That bad bitch called Luka or whatever, was, like, like, a very weak... compatibility-wise, against a well-grown Yuna!
Yuna had definitely grown well.
Because she had grown her like that.
'...Uhehe. As long as Yuna didn't fall for some weird trick that bitch brought!'
And, if she just worked hard to help her by her side!
She would be able to easily break through the huge danger of the promotion evaluation.
Aria definitely believed so.
So she felt good.
Like, it was super hot, suffocating, and humid, but.
'...This isn't bad either. Hehe.'
Thinking that, she blinked her eyes.