Even You (3)
“Want to go for a ride, Kirsi?”
“Huh??”
“How about we go on a cozy little date together?”
She flinched as if she had uncovered some secret of the world. Then she shook her head vigorously, refusing.
“Ah, no, Brother. I… I do want to go on a d-date, but… I don’t know how to ride a horse.”
“I know that. I’ll help you.”
“.......You will, Brother?”
At the mention of me helping, her attitude shifted instantly. She began to hesitate. The sight was so adorable that I couldn’t help but stroke her hair. The only difference from usual was that today I caressed her with even more care. I drew closer, running my hand gently from the back of her head all the way down her neck, as if I were stroking a precious treasure.
What had just happened with Asena was one thing, but I also wanted to soothe the shock she had given me, even if only like this.
“Yeah. Let’s go for a walk on horseback together. It’ll be fun.”
Kirsi remained still for a long moment before answering cautiously.
“.......I-I’ll ride.”
“Good choice.”
I closed the basket containing the sandwiches and handed it to Kirsi. From the other basket, I took out two apples—one for Rush and one for Goldie.
I felt a strange gaze and turned around. Kirsi was watching Goldie eat the apple with clear displeasure. She must have remembered Judy’s words from their earlier argument. But she quickly glanced at me and softened her expression. I suppose that much was unavoidable. I decided to overlook her behavior and looked at Rush.
“....Behave yourself this time, Rush. She’s my little sister.”
I whispered the request quietly to Rush. Hoping he would conduct himself properly, I stroked his mane several times before slowly leading him out of the stable. Kirsi stared intently at the entire process.
“What?”
When I asked with a small smile, Kirsi answered, “...Because you look cool, Brother.”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I cleared my throat.
“You’ve seen me leading a horse several times before.”
“Yeah. And every single time, you looked cool.”
As expected, there was no man who disliked compliments. Her words lifted my mood considerably. I led Rush a short distance, then turned back to Kirsi.
“Kirsi, lift the basket up a little higher.”
“Like this?”
She raised the basket to her chest as I instructed. I grabbed her slender waist and lifted her.
“Kyaa!”
Kirsi let out a cute scream and tried to curl up, but with her waist held firmly, she couldn’t move as she wished. I easily seated her on Rush. She sat atop him like a princess, both legs draped over his left side.
Before she could feel anxious, I mounted Rush as well. I stepped into the stirrup and swung my other leg over his back.
“Up we go. Kirsi, stay still for a moment.”
I wedged the saddle between my legs, took the reins in my right hand, and pulled her pelvis close with my left arm so she wouldn’t fall.
“...Ah..!”
She flinched at the touch, but a playful impulse struck me.
“Should I let go? You might fall if I do.”
“Ah..! No… I like it. I was just surprised because your hand touched somewhere it doesn’t usually.”
“Really?”
“Yeah… I’d feel uneasy if you let go too, Brother. You can hold me tighter if you want.”
I gave Rush’s side a light kick and clicked my tongue. He began to walk more gently than ever before. I silently thanked him for not causing any trouble and headed toward the training grounds.
“Whoa..!”
Even with his smooth gait, Kirsi swallowed her fear and looked anxious. The way she clung to my arm, trying not to fall off, made me smile. We slowly left the training grounds and found a place covered in green grass and flowers. It wasn’t as beautiful as the plains of the Priester territory, but it was still quite lovely.
Kirsi gradually relaxed. The pressure of her grip on my arm eased, and she began to enjoy the scenery. After we had gone quite far, she slowly leaned her body against me. Her head rested against my neck. A faint floral scent rose. Rush and I waited until she felt perfectly at ease. As time passed, I could see a smile bloom on her face. It seemed the walk had been a good choice. It felt like reliving the strolls we used to take often back in the Priester territory.
“Kirsi. Don’t just sit there—feed me a sandwich now.”
When we reached a spot filled with the scent of grass, I spoke.
“Oh. Right.”
As if waking from a pleasant dream, Kirsi answered in a dreamy voice. She opened the basket on her lap and took out a sandwich. I naturally opened my mouth, and she naturally fed me.
“Oh? It’s good.”
When I genuinely marveled, Kirsi took a bite of the same sandwich I had bitten into. She wiped the sauce from the corner of her lips and agreed with me.
“...It really is. It’s incredibly delicious.”
Our eyes met, and we burst into laughter. We continued wandering here and there, enjoying the scenery. Flowers were in full bloom, and butterflies fluttered about. Rush behaved as if he had become a completely different horse, causing not a single problem. The atmosphere softened gently.
It was about time.
“....Kirsi. If you like it, let’s come out like this often from now on.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“I’d love that so much, Brother.”
“Yeah. But you shouldn’t show that side of yourself like you did today.”
I spoke carefully, not wanting to hurt her feelings, remembering the cold expression she had shown earlier that had startled me.
“......Okay.”
She seemed to be reflecting as well. She lowered her head deeply and spoke guiltily. That was a relief. At least she knew she had done wrong. I wondered if she understood how terrified I had felt. She had planted anxiety deep in my heart.
I was confused now. Had I truly reformed them? Before coming to this academy, I had believed the reason they became villains in the novel was simply because they had no one to rely on. …Even though I now knew Asena hadn’t been leaning on me, still. Still, I had believed my presence had twisted the novel’s plot. But Kirsi’s behavior had shaken that belief once again. Was it their fate to become like this? Was that ruthlessness sleeping somewhere in their blood from birth? Had I been meaningless?
I prayed it wasn’t so.
“You absolutely cannot act like that again. You promise, right?”
“...Yes. I promise, Brother. I don’t even know why I did that in the moment…”
“It’s okay. You might have suddenly gotten angry. Let’s be careful next time.”
“I will, Brother. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me.”
“.....”
I pushed aside the gloomy Kirsi’s side hair with my chin and opened my mouth.
“Ah~.”
Without a word, Kirsi fed me the sandwich. The angle was slightly off, and some sauce got on the edge of my lips.
“Ah, it got on me. Kirsi, wipe this off for me.”
My hands were already full, so I couldn’t do it myself. Kirsi nodded and looked up at me. Her hand approached and brushed my lips, but then her body suddenly stiffened. She froze in place. My lips stopped against her fingers.
“....Kirsi?”
When I looked down at her, I thought I saw her swallow.
“Ah, sorry.”
Kirsi licked the sauce off her finger, then put the sandwich in her own mouth and began to chew. We moved around a bit more, enjoying the peace atop the horse.
“Brother?”
After staying quiet for a long while, seemingly lost in thought, Kirsi spoke.
“Yeah?”
“Can I ask you for one favor too?”
I narrowed the gap between my arms, hugging her tighter, and rested my chin on top of her head.
“What is it?”
“.....From now on, can you come find me sometimes, Brother?”
“Hmm?”
“After class, I’m always the one coming to find you. Can’t you come find me too?”
It was such a natural request that I nodded.
“Of course.”
I had no intention of ignoring the effort she always made to come see me. If she came once, it was only right that I went once as well.
“...That… keep doing that. From now on, k-keep…”
“Huh?”
Thinking it might be too much to ask, Kirsi buried her head deeper into my chest. The posture became a little uncomfortable, but it wasn’t a big problem.
“You want me to keep coming to find you from now on?”
“....Yes.”
“Keep doing it?”
“....Yes.”
“I might be late sometimes because I have to take care of Rush?”
“....Take care of me too.”
It had been a while since I last saw her whine like that. As always, today I was especially lenient with her. I wanted to listen to everything she had to say until the end.
“Is there a reason?”
“.......”
“......Kirsi?”
“...W-well, it’s because…”
“.......If there isn’t one, it’ll be a bit hard to do it every single time. You never know what might happen with Rush.”
“...Ah! Th-the boys keep talking to me… and sometimes it gets a little annoying.”
“.....What??”
I doubted my ears and lowered my head, trying to meet her eyes. The more I did, the more Kirsi buried her face in my chest.
“The boys are bothering you?”
“....Y-yeah. Come see for yourself sometime. It’s true.”
“Huh… I see.”
With that, I had no choice but to go. It was an unexpected problem. Because she had become brighter than in the novel, an unforeseen side effect had appeared.
“B-Brother, you’re in the Knight Department. Can’t you protect me like a knight?”
The request to protect her like a knight ignited a fire in my chest. As expected, Kirsi knew exactly how to handle me. Whether it was acting cute or choosing her words… she seemed to instinctively know how to persuade me. Having spent so many years together, she had apparently learned her own methods.
“Alright, Kirsi. I’ll keep coming from now on.”
My decision was quick. I intended to see with my own eyes which bastards were hitting on her.
“Really?” Kirsi asked.
“It’s a promise. I’ll keep coming to you from now on,” I answered.