“Big sister····!”
It was an old dream.
A scene from the past that had pierced her heart countless times.
“Look at this····! It’s a flower! A white flower!”
In a vast garden, a girl was laughing like that.
Erica, at herself.
“Yeah, Er. That’s right.”
She thought she resembled her so much.
The golden long hair danced in harmony with the sculptured flowers around them.
The pure white eyes that seemed to have stolen the brilliance of diamonds were looking at her.
Always.
A bright smile adorned her face.
“Which flower do you like the most among them, big sister?”
“Big sister····.”
Was there a flower she liked? Did she even have the luxury to care about such things in the first place?
Just managing the hunt against demons and work was overwhelming enough. She always felt sorry for not being able to spend time with her younger sister.
She urgently turned her gaze to the surrounding flowers.
“Oh, baby’s breath····?”
It was a white baby’s breath.
“Baby’s breath? Isn’t it pretty! I, I know the language of flowers too!”
“The language of flowers?”
“Yeah! That, um····! Ah, I knew it!”
“You can think slowly.”
“I’m not saying I don’t know! I really do!”
Er furtively grabbed her hair with her delicate hand while glancing at the baby’s breath hidden in the bushes.
“Ugh····! Ah! A pure heart!”
“A pure heart?”
“Yeah! It suits you well! You’re really kind, big sister····!”
It didn’t match at all, she thought.
“Me?”
“Yeah! You buy me a lot of food, and sometimes call me! And, and····.”
There was nothing left to recall. Of course. Erica herself hadn’t spent much time with her sister.
Their parents passed away a long time ago. It was just the two of them trying to carry on with life. In an era where demons swarm and Awakened Ones rampage, a lot was needed to protect what she wanted to protect.
She needed money. She needed strength. Effort was a given.
It was just a little while ago that she entered the Association with the ranker status and had just started to settle in.
She worked day and night and went on demon hunts. She had shed blood many times while capturing the most heinous criminals.
But there was no other way. No matter how hard and exhausting the job was, she wanted to make her younger sister happy.
“Our Er. I didn’t know you thought of me like that.”
“Of course! How much I like you!”
Her laughter was beautiful. Her eyes were beautiful. She was lovely. The surrounding flowers didn’t even enter her sight.
She wanted to protect her. She didn’t want to show her the darker sides of the world.
To do that, she had to be strong. Very strong, immensely strong.
Of course, the more she did so, the more she gradually drifted away from her sister, which was an inevitable future.
“Erica. You’ve been working hard lately. There’s no other talent as remarkable as you.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m sorry to say this, but it’s going to get busier. The number of gates has risen to the render grade. Awakened Ones won’t miss this opportunity. They’ll run rampant and concoct something through the back alleys.”
Erica nodded silently.
Her boss motioned toward his back door. In the office beyond the door, the staff was busily moving about. The commotion intensified, and the sounds of conversations filled the room.
“Well····, I imagine the atmosphere in the office is quite something these days, so I thought you’d understand.”
“Yes.”
There was no choice. It was a natural law. The environment changes, and humans must adapt.
The time she returned home got later and later, and each time, Erica couldn’t help but sigh.
It was late at night. The streetlights were dim, unable to emit light. The crimson street looked gloomy today.
“Sigh.”
With shuffling footsteps, she entered a dark building in the city corner and stood in front of her home’s door.
The inside was bright. Thanks to her younger sister’s consideration. She must have turned on the light in the living room and fallen asleep in her room.
Gently opening the door marked – Er’s Room – and peeking inside, Er was lying on her side, with the blanket slightly crumpled, seemingly having tossed and turned in her sleep.
Her face was not visible.
How long had it been since she faced her like this?
As she slowly closed the door and turned her head, she saw fried rice wrapped in plastic on the table, with a memo pad stuck next to it.
– Big sister! I thought you would come home late again, so I made some snacks. Is work hard? Make sure to take care of your health! If you feel sick, please tell me. I’m always cheering for you!
The handwriting was neat. It perfectly matched Er’s gentle personality.
But Erica simultaneously felt worried. Er was the type to get lonely easily. She probably didn’t have many friends. She knew well the feeling of not having someone to lean on.
She tore open the plastic and picked up the spoon that was placed beside it. She didn’t bother to put it in the microwave. She scooped a handful with the spoon and put it in her mouth. It was cold but warm.
The taste hadn’t changed at all from when she had meals with her previously.
She wanted to do something for her.
Her birthday was coming up soon.
“Did you wake up?”
“Mm····? Big sister····?”
It was early morning. The clock pointed to 7 o’clock.
“Big sister····. Aren’t you late····?”
“A little late is okay.”
Wrapping the blanket around herself, Er rubbed her eyes. Then, when she saw Erica perched on her bed, she jumped up and hugged her.
“I really like you, big sister····.”
“Yeah. I like you too.”
Erica silently stroked her. The shiny hair tickled her hand.
After spending a quiet moment like that, Erica opened her mouth.
“Er.”
“Yeah?”
“What’s your favorite color?”
“Favorite color?”
Er, who had buried her face in her chest, slowly lifted her head and met her eyes.
Round amethyst entered her gaze.
Er thought for a moment.
“White!”
“Um, white?”
“Why?”
“Nothing, just.”
Erica avoided her gaze. Er looked at her for a moment and couldn’t hide the corners of her mouth that were creeping up.
Erica sensed it instinctively. Ah, she’s caught on.
Well, it made sense. On her birthday, she had been so happy. It was only natural. At that time, she could spend harmonious moments with her big sister.
Today, Er couldn’t possibly not know it was her birthday. And asking about color was deliberate.
“Big sister.”
“It’s late, so I’ll go now.”
“Hehe. Got it.”
Though she was two years younger, it was Erica who was the one receiving it at times like this.
But Erica was happy. It didn’t matter if she could see her smile.
It was red. It was bright red. Crimson liquid poured out over the pure white clothes. Frustration surged, and stress became overwhelming.
Her body had been dirty for a long time. The mind, the clothes, the hair.
Holding a long sword, she knelt and stood up. It felt like a few ribs were broken, and the pounding of her heart indicated serious injuries.
Ah, it would take a long time to heal from this.
Frowning as she thought about the painful ache, she saw her comrades lying around her.
The hunt against demons was a success. The gate was closed, and people were rescued.
With a rush, blood gushed out, and Erica slumped against the wall, taking breaths again.
It hurt; she wanted to see Er soon. It was late. What about her birthday? It’s today, right? No, it was yesterday.
Of course, the demon hunt couldn’t have been quick. The night was late, and it was long past midnight.
Er goes to sleep at 11. No, but would today be different? Believing that she would definitely come back before midnight, she felt like she would be lonely, crying in a corner of her home.
She had to go.
Her comrades were roughly supporting her, and she had requested reinforcements from the Association. Just calling the medical center was enough.
“Erica····, you should be admitted····.”
“I’m fine. Just wrap some bandages around it.”
“Must you go home right now?”
“My only younger sister has her birthday today.”
No, it was yesterday.
She broke a promise that she hadn’t spoken of.
The woman in the white gown nodded and began a brief disinfection.
It hurt.
After a minimal treatment accompanied by emergency care, Erica came out wearing hurriedly wrapped bandages around her abdomen and chest, throwing on an upper garment.
She had bought a birthday cake in advance. It was thoroughly stored in the refrigerator of the Association’s ward.
The cake was white. Er liked fresh cream even on ordinary days. For some reason, she remembered hearing that she liked it because it was white.
Why white?
Carrying the packaged cake, Erica hurriedly moved her feet. She wanted to run, but she didn’t have the strength to do so. Her abdomen hurt, and her chest pained. It seemed her legs were getting weak, and her breath was drying up.
But she couldn’t stop. It had already been days since she had left Er alone at home.
She arrived at the building and climbed the stairs. There was no time to take the elevator. Swallowing harsh breaths, she climbed the stairs. It was only when she reached the floor that her breath had reached her throat.
With hurried steps, she arrived in front of her home and opened the door.
It was dark. Too dark. It was usually bright. She always kept the lights on.
After a few seconds, her eyes got used to the darkness, and as her vision expanded, she could finally see objects.
It was a small desk. It was what she had bought for Er when they moved into this house. And there seemed to be a chocolate pie placed on top, with a candle stuck in it.
The candle was not lit. A wisp of smoke could be seen.
“Ugh····, sniff····.”
“Er! Er!”
Only after seeing the flashlight that had fallen from the phone did she spot a figure. The golden long hair was tousled. The pallid face had reddened around the eyes.
She rushed in and embraced her. She felt her trembling breaths. Sounds of groaning were heard before they quieted down.
“Uh, big sister····?”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Er.”
The floor was slightly damp. The pounding of her heart was loud.
“Ah, no. Ugh. I’m okay, sniff, big sister.”
“Er, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
How many hours? How many hours had she waited for her?
She couldn’t tell. She hadn’t been informed.
Er hurriedly rubbed her eyes with her hands and sniffed her nose. Then she smiled faintly.
“It’s okay, big sister. I understand you’re busy. I can wait for this long. What did you bring?”
Though her tone seemed nonchalant, Erica knew that those words were filled with lies.
Her breathing trembled, and her throat vibrated. It seemed her throat had also been hoarse after crying for a long time.
Alone in this dark place.
“Er····.”
“Yeah? Look. I’m fine, aren’t I? It’s just a cold.”
The way she blinked, as if genuinely fine, only made Erica’s heart ache more.
Erica couldn’t say anything else. She wasn’t sure if she deserved to.
“Cake and····.”
And a scarf as a gift.
“Wow! This is my favorite fresh cream cake! I’m so happy!”
Though she seemed exhausted, her voice was filled with excitement. The corners of her eyes went up, and her pupils widened. Erica forced a smile.
Her expression, appearing fine, felt like it was trampling on her.
What more could she say? She couldn’t open her mouth.
The first words came only after listening to Er’s admiration a bit more.
“The weekend?”
“Yeah, the weekend. How about the weekend? Since the weather is cold lately, we can’t go far. How about exploring the bustling street, shopping, and dining out?”
“Yeah! Sounds good! But isn’t big sister busy?”
“Weekends are okay. Big sister needs to rest too.”
Spending time with Er was like a break.
Literally.
She may have wanted to lessen the guilt she felt towards Er, which perhaps was a selfish decision on her part.
But it didn’t matter. As long as she could make her smile, even just a bit.
Just as she was gently smiling at Er, the call from the Association came in.
