“Older Brother, Older Brother! What are we playing today?” Adaptation proceeded faster than expected. Compared to the fatigue I felt when I first opened my eyes, this dream quickly began to feel like reality as time passed. 'Truly the Magic of the Tower Lord.' Adella had informed me it was incomplete Magic, but, well. 'This is close to a Mystery.' A Supernatural Power difficult to manifest even with Magic. If this is incomplete, what kind of Miracle would occur when it's perfected? It was while I was lost in such contemplation. “Hup!” “...?!” Thud. An object of considerable mass threw itself into my embrace. My body was pushed back slightly by the object that rushed in from the front. The reason I couldn't strike it down despite that, “Ehe, ehehe...” was because of the girl rubbing her cheek against my chest, laughing happily. I let out a deep Sigh. Then I raised my hand and stroked the ebony, silken hair. “Adella. Didn't I tell you not to do that because it's dangerous?” For reference, my age in the dream wasn't that of an Adult. Perhaps mid-teens. It seemed matched to Adella's age in the dream. Therefore, I was inwardly worried my tone might feel somewhat out of place. -Huh? Older Brother, you always talked like that, didn't you?
-Is that so. Does it not seem strange? -Nope! It suits Older Brother Laurent. And it’s cool. ...that's how the Obsidian eyes sparkled, staring intently at me. I shrugged and didn't change my way of speaking. 'I could just use the tone I use when dealing with Lorella.' It wasn't the tone I originally used with Adella, so it felt a little awkward. Anyway. Adella’s reaction to my words was simple. “No! Older Brother doesn’t even listen to me.” At those words, I too gave a Bitter Smile. 'I was too engrossed.' Since it was Magic I'd never seen before, I was fascinated and thought about it a bit. It seemed young Adella didn't like that. It was behavior unbecoming of an Older Brother, so I met Adella's eyes with a feeling of self-reproach. Poooh- Her small cheeks puffed out. Looking at her dainty eyes, I whispered affectionately. “Alright, what do you want to do?” “Catch Ball!” “That again. Don't you want to do something else?” “I’ve never beaten Older Brother even once! I’ll do something else when I win.” Having entered midway, I naturally couldn't know the past History. However, Laurent Von Wellert. No, Laurent Shiagria seemed to play affectionately with his Younger Sister. There was no mistaking it, seeing the Affection in Adella's gaze towards me. When I realized that fact, I felt somewhat awkward. 'Lorella kept her distance from me for a long time.' It was treatment I hadn't received until getting close to my Younger Sister in Reality. Naturally, I was growing quite fond of this lovely Younger Sister named Adella. I gently grasped Adella's waist with both hands. Then I carefully placed her down on the floor. Immediately, Adella went to the desk and brought back a ball. Seeing that, I asked a question. “Will you infuse Mana into it this time too?” “Yeah! That makes it fun.” Normal Catch Ball involves throwing and receiving a ball between two people. So, when Adella first suggested Catch Ball, I understood it that way too, but. That ‘Specially Made’ ball Adella created took it one step further. ‘Throw it infused with Mana.’ If you infuse the ball with Mana and throw it, the opponent catches it, infuses Mana again, and throws it back. Repeating that process depletes Mana, or the ball becomes filled with Mana, making it too heavy to throw. That’s the losing condition. I couldn't help but be surprised by this Catch Ball I'd never seen before. If you knew how to handle Mana, it was definitely a more fun way to play. -Who made this ball? When I asked Adella. My Younger Sister smiled brightly and answered confidently. -Me! 'Was it really like that in reality too?' Did this only happen in the dream? Or did Adella create that ball in reality as well? It was impossible to know. For now, it was time to play Catch Ball. “I’ll go first!” Seeing Adella declare boldly, I also took a suitable stance. The girl holding the ball in her dainty hand. Adella smiled bravely and assumed a pitching stance. “Here I come! One, two, ...!” The ball flew before she even shouted three. If I had only focused on her voice, I might have missed it. “Hmph.” My Dragon Eye reads the opponent's Emotion thoroughly. It was all too easy to know that my Younger Sister was trying to use a trick. My hand extended without obstruction and caught the ball. I wasn't such a pathetic Older Brother who would use my full Sincerity when playing with my Younger Sister. I infused just a little Mana and threw it back. The ball flew smoothly within Adella's arm's length. “Hiyah!” She caught the ball with a little hop. Adella threw it back immediately. That process continued afterwards. “Hiyah!” “Slow. Even your throw.” “Hmph!” “Hyaaat!” “Try to do it a bit faster.” “Stop talking to me!” “Hoo, yat!” “The arm angle was lacking. Narrow the angle a bit more...” “Older Brother, you’re noisy!” Like that. Adella's game of Catch Ball continued for a long time. “Hee, heek...” Adella, whose young body had grown tired from running around and using Mana, let out a groan. Seeing that, I inwardly clicked my tongue. My voice held a trace of pity. “Let’s stop now. This is enough.” “No, noo...” The girl panted so hard she couldn't even speak clearly. However, Adella stubbornly moved her arm, barely able to lift it. “Absolutely, absolutely not stopping... Gak!” But. Naturally, her young body reached its limit. Adella’s hand dropped the ball, and her body collapsed. She would have hit the floor if not careful. That. “What an unstoppable Younger Sister you are.” My arm reached out and lifted the small body. “...” Haa- Haa- I looked at my dream Younger Sister, letting out tired breaths. 'She's doing this again.' I secretly let out another long Sigh. Adella just said ‘I’ll definitely beat you’, but. How could I not know that it concealed her true feelings? No, even if everyone else didn't know, I alone could know. Dragon Eye. The Dragon's Eye dissects my young Younger Sister's Heart thoroughly. -I want to keep playing with Older Brother. Adella's Heart held only that one thing. Even her Declaration to do something else after beating me. Concealed the Intention to prolong this game by setting a high goal. Realizing that, I reasoned with Adella. “Why are you so desperate?” I raised my hand and brushed her hair back. The sweat-soaked black hair returned a contradictory sensation, hot yet damp. “You could play with other children too.” “...” “Is there, perhaps, a reason you only want to play with me?” Adella said nothing. Slightly avoiding my gaze. The Child, who had been rubbing her face against my chest in silence. “...I don’t want to see them.” She shared a small part of her thoughts. My hand gently stroked Adella’s back. I didn't know why this small body held so many worries, but hoping to offer comfort as an Older Brother, at least in the dream. I spoke with the greatest Warmth I could muster. “Alright. Tell me. What is it you dislike?” “They always say I’m strange.” “Why do they say such things?” “I don’t know. They say I cheated on tests, always show off, and that I’m annoying. ...Sniffle.” I pretended not to hear the tearful sound. Fragmentary words heard. A young Child's mindscape is not yet that of an Adult. Unable to refine her inner thoughts when speaking. But. Understanding and accepting all of that is the magnanimity of an Older Brother. During a brief Silence. My mind rapidly spun, analyzing Adella's words. Cheating. Showing off. Annoying. What exactly the other children might have said, of course, is difficult for me to speculate. But having lived this long. The psychology of children far from becoming Adults is roughly predictable. -Hah... Should’ve just not come back. -Seriously. Acted like she wouldn’t even associate with us after going to the Academy, and now she’s showing her face again?
-Just thinking about seeing that person again is terrible. Terrible. The day I first set foot in the Ebony Magic Tower with Adella. Back then, the unfriendly gazes of the Mages who looked like her peers came to mind. Recalling and combining the evidence, I frowned at the conclusion that soon followed. Envy and Jealousy. Inferiority complex and childishness. The blades of words, heavily smeared with those things, must have torn apart the little girl's Heart. But because I could never reveal that in front of my Younger Sister, I pulled Adella into my embrace and whispered quietly. “It must have been hard.” I said nothing else. It must be unfair since you did nothing wrong, you should fight back in those situations... I put aside all such words. Quietly. I tended to my Younger Sister's Heart. “Those children didn’t understand your Heart.” “...Yeah.” “You just did it because you could. But seeing that, they said you were showing off, that you were cheating.” “...Yeah. I just did it. They said talented bitches are annoying.” “Yes. You truly suffered a lot.” For a while after that, Adella buried her face in my chest and showed no sign of leaving. I too held her wordlessly. Quietly lifting my head, I gazed at the ceiling. 'What should I do?' Come to think of it, I hadn't heard from Adella how to wake up from the dream. What method could possibly allow me to end this Magic? While I was lost in such thoughts. “Sniffle.” Adella lifted her head. Her eyes were reddened. She made sniffling sounds, but how could that tarnish her Beauty? Rather, seeing her appearance shine despite such demerits, one could guess where the real Adella’s Beauty came from. While thinking of the future Sage. My Younger Sister, looking at my face, spoke. “Older Brother.” “What is it?” “Let’s get married.” “...” I somehow managed to stop myself from biting my tongue. Future or past, reality or dream. Did they all make it a Hobby to attack me from unexpected angles? Regardless, the girl rubbed her eyes with small fingers and continued speaking. “Me, I don’t need anyone else. I just need my Family.” “...” “Mom and Older Brother. But Mom is Mom. So I have to marry Older Brother.” Let me say it again, the language emerging from a child's thought process is chaotic. Knowing that, I couldn't easily open my mouth. 'What should I say?' How should I speak so Adella won't be hurt? But Adella just continued chattering away. “Huh?” “...” “Let’s get married. Huh? I’ll make you happy.” Truly, there's nothing a young Child won't say. 'Hoo.' After a short time, yet what felt like a very long time. Having finished contemplating, I opened my mouth. “Let's talk about it again in the future.” “In the future?” “Yes. Once we become Adults, I will think about it.” I said this because both Adella and I first met at Bardiche Academy after becoming Adults. The Adella in the dream, who had no way of knowing that for now, tilted her head. “Then we’re really getting married? When we become Adults?” “...Yes.” Seeing her extract a promise with such an innocent gaze, should I say it reminded me of her future female cat-like self? Having suddenly made a marriage promise with the Sage in the future, all within a dream, I couldn't help but sigh. 'It’s just a dream anyway.' Just as everything vanishes from Memory upon waking from a dream. I just hoped that, for now at least, the Adella in the dream would be happy.

The Alcoholic Sage (18)