Even You (2)
“...How long have you been there?” I asked, startled.
Kirsi’s face was twisted in a way I had never seen before. Her eyes were squeezed tight as if tears might spill any second, and her mouth remained firmly shut.
“...And what do you mean, what did she do? Judy, what happened?” I looked at Judy as I spoke. I had noticed her hand behind me, but it didn’t seem like anything that would anger Kirsi this much. I asked again, wondering if there was more to it.
“......‘Judy’...?” Kirsi’s lips parted suddenly as she echoed my words.
“...I-I didn’t do anything.” Judy shook her head, flustered. Kirsi offered no reply. She simply glared at her.
After staring in silence for a long moment, Kirsi finally turned her head toward me.
“.....But, brother. Why is she speaking to you so casually? Aren’t you older than her? And why is she calling you by name like that, so familiarly…?” The ferocity she had shown earlier vanished, replaced by her usual cautious demeanor as she whispered the question.
“.......Kirsi, when you meet someone, you should greet them first,” I gently scolded.
She glanced sideways at Judy.
“........I’m Kirsi Freister.” She tossed the words out bluntly, then looked back at me. It was so unlike her that I briefly wondered if she was joking, but there wasn’t the slightest hint of a smile on her face.
The longer I stayed quiet to gauge the atmosphere, the heavier the silence grew, pressing down on all of us.
Finally, I answered seriously.
“....I told her to speak that way. We decided to be friends.”
“Friends......? Brother… but… but you promised you’d tell me whenever you made a new friend…” Kirsi’s voice was plaintive, almost tearful.
“I was planning to tell you today.”
“.......”
“....So what exactly were you doing? Why did you suddenly grab her wrist like that?”
“That… that’s because…” After fumbling for words, her hand slowly extended, pointing at Judy. It looked exactly like a child trying to shift blame after being scolded.
“.....That woman was wiggling her hands strangely behind your back, brother.”
“..N-No I wasn’t?” Judy denied it immediately. She was so startled she even raised her voice.
At that, Kirsi let out a sharp “Hah!” Her gaze locked onto Judy. Her eyes were wide, radiating a dark, threatening aura—cold and savage. In a voice every bit as menacing as her expression, Kirsi said, “So you’re claiming I lied to my brother?”
“....Th-that’s not—”
“You did. You said ‘strangely.’ Like you were about to touch him.”
Overwhelmed by the intensity, Judy couldn’t even respond. She stumbled backward. Though she was much larger than Kirsi, the momentum of the confrontation belonged entirely to my sister.
“And why do you keep speaking so casually? Do you not know who I am?”
Kirsi’s assault showed no sign of stopping. She even subtly wielded her family name like a threat. I was too stunned to react. This was the first time I had ever seen her like this. The scene unfolding before me left me speechless. It was utterly shocking.
I had thought I raised her kindly, yet this version of her was no different from the villainesses in the books. Once again, I felt the painful snap of another illusion breaking. The first had been believing Asena truly saw me as family. The second was thinking I had reformed Kirsi’s personality.
Kirsi’s eyes slowly traveled over Judy.
“....Huh?” A single syllable of doubt escaped her.
“.....The Ice family…?” Then she turned to me. “Brother. That woman is from the Ice family.”
“...What?”
“The Ice family! Have you forgotten? Grandmother told us to be extremely careful around them!”
The moment her words shifted toward me, Kirsi’s voice softened again. It brought me back to my senses. I had no idea where this side of her had come from, but I couldn’t simply stand by and watch.
“Grandmother told us to be careful. She never said we should be rude, did she?”
“....Eep…!” The single sharp rebuke hit her like a bursting soap bubble. Every trace of venom vanished from her face. Even she seemed unable to believe what she had done; her cheeks flushed crimson. She clutched the front of her dress with both hands, behaving like a frightened child. Her expression was utterly miserable.
The situation calmed as quickly as it had escalated, leaving only awkwardness behind. Seeing Kirsi immediately submit after my single comment, Judy glanced at me cautiously. I gave her a look that said I’m sorry and you should go ahead.
“.......Caiden. This doesn’t seem like the right time, so I’ll take my leave.”
“...Yeah. See you later.”
Even as we exchanged our brief goodbye, Kirsi remained frozen in place. Until Judy had completely disappeared from view, I said nothing to her. The silence itself seemed to terrify Kirsi. She fidgeted anxiously, stealing glances at me.
In truth, I wasn’t that angry. I was simply surprised.
I looked past the rigid Kirsi. Two baskets lay on the ground. One stood upright, but the other had toppled over, its contents scattered. Carrots and apples rolled across the dirt. I immediately understood why she had come looking for me. I had mentioned introducing her to Rush and sharing a meal. The baskets showed she had prepared far more than I expected. The sight of the fallen food carried a pang of sadness.
There are moments when your heart feels as if it has been thrown to the floor. This was one of them. It felt like all of Kirsi’s hard work was rolling in the dirt, and a strange guilt washed over me. It was like watching a child drop their ice cream. Perhaps it was because Asena had hurt me. Although Kirsi had startled me, those baskets offered a strange comfort. I could feel how much effort she had put into looking forward to this meeting. I couldn’t bring myself to stay upset.
“Haa.... Kirsi.”
She flinched at my sigh. Her shoulders trembled, and she began to sniffle.
Yes. This was the Kirsi I knew.
To calm her, I reached out and gently cupped her cheek, lifting her face so our eyes could meet. Tears shimmered on the verge of falling.
“....Don’t cry. Did something bad happen today?”
“........”
“How could you suddenly lash out at your brother’s friend like that?”
“...But… she said I was lying…!”
“She was probably just flustered and made an excuse. There’s no need to feel so wronged.”
“.......Hic…”
“Aigoo… Don’t cry over something so small. Come on, you came to see Rush, didn’t you? Let’s go look at him.”
I wiped away her tears, trying to lift the mood, and led her toward Rush resting in the stable. There was no point discussing it further right now. Better to shift her attention.
In my eyes he wasn’t particularly handsome, but the muscular black horse stood there with a healthy sheen.
Kirsi looked at the black horse with reddened eyes, then at me, then back at Rush. She seemed unable to comprehend how I could let the earlier incident slide so easily.
I hadn’t let it slide. I had simply postponed it.
From behind, I placed my hands on both her shoulders.
“Isn’t he pretty?” I forced her gaze in his direction.
“.........Yeah.” Kirsi wiped her tears and nodded obediently.
Really? I had only asked on a whim, but she thought he was pretty. I didn’t see it. I stroked my chin for a moment while watching Rush, then walked over to the basket behind her. Kirsi’s eyes followed me carefully.
I gathered the spilled carrots and apples, then approached her again and handed her a red apple.
“How did you know I like apples and prepare them?”
“.....Yeah.”
“Feed him. Ah, be gentle. Rush is a little strange.”
I could see her mood gradually improving. The hand holding the apple hesitated, then moved slowly toward Rush’s mouth. I was a bit nervous too—Rush could be quite wild. But contrary to my worries, he accepted the apple like a perfect gentleman. It was behavior befitting a knight’s horse.
Kirsi’s expression softened slightly, a spark of interest appearing in her eyes.
“He ate it, brother…!”
“...Looks like Rush listens to you well.”
Seeing how gentle he was with her, I let my guard down. After Rush finished chewing the apple, I handed him a carrot. He promptly bit my hand.
“Ow! Damn it…” In a surge of irritation, I instinctively clenched my fist and threatened him. Kirsi burst into laughter.
The anger I had felt toward Rush melted away at the sound of her laugh. While she was still giggling, I opened the other basket. Kirsi came closer and peeked inside.
“Wow.... It’s beautiful…” The meal was so artfully prepared that her first reaction was “beautiful” rather than “looks delicious.” Colorful sandwiches filled the basket, each one looking incredibly appetizing.
“Did you make these, Kirsi?”
“...Huh?” Kirsi mumbled for a long time without answering. That was answer enough.
“So you didn’t make them.”
“....No.”
“Why are you getting depressed again? Still, thank you for preparing all this.”
“.....Hehe.”
She smiled brightly, slowly returning to her usual self.
A single thought rose in my mind. Was it because of what Asena had done? My heart ached for Kirsi even more. I wanted to do something extra for her.
“Want to ride Rush, Kirsi?”
“Huh??”
“Shall we go on a nice, quiet date together?”