No sooner had Brother darted off than Sakurai-san turned to me, a question etched on her face.
"Um, is this really alright?"
"What do you mean?"
My mind, it seemed, was either napping or playing hooky. For some time now, it hadn't been working as it should, leaving me unable to grasp what Sakurai-san was trying to say.
"No matter how skilled Tatsuya-kun is, going to war... and straight into the front lines, isn't that far too dangerous?"
"!"
Sakurai-san's whispered words hit me like a blaring alarm clock right next to my ear.
(That's right! How can I be seeing him off so calmly? Brother is about to plunge into the heart of a war!)
"Miyuki-san!?"
Sakurai-san's voice struck my back as I started to run. Only her voice followed; Sakurai-san was Mother's Guardian, and she couldn't possibly leave Mother unattended.
(I'm so sorry.)
I apologized to her in my heart. Not only was I leaving Mother entirely to her, but I also knew that Sakurai-san, deep down, wished to chase after Brother herself.
Nevertheless, at this moment, I poured all my energy into stopping Brother. Driven by the singular desire to prevent him from going to the heart of the war, I moved my legs.
Fortunately, Brother hadn't gone very far, and I caught up to him without getting lost.
"Brother!"
A fleeting fear crossed my mind—that he might not turn around. But that, surely, was an unfounded worry. Brother uttered a small word to Lieutenant Tanaka, who was ahead, then stopped and turned. The Lieutenant had halted a little further on, likely out of consideration for us.
"Miyuki, what's wrong?"
The casual tone, the natural way he called me "Miyuki," brought a surge of emotion, but this was no time to dwell on it.
"Brother, um..."
"Miyuki?"
Brother looked at me with an inquisitive gaze as I fell silent, my mind caught up in a silly thought. It sounded just like a line a heroine would use to stop her lover in a romance film—and a forbidden sibling love at that.
My cheeks were probably as red as ripe apples.
"…P-please don't go. Please don't do anything so dangerous as fighting an enemy army. I don't think there's any need for you to take such a risk, Brother."
Still, I couldn't not say it, nor could I not try to stop him, so I spoke. A sense of "I did it, it's going to be okay" enveloped me.
I hadn't expected Brother to shake his head—not for a moment did I think he would refuse.
"Indeed, there's no need. I'm not going because I must, Miyuki, but because I want to fight."
So, Brother's answer was a shock. Being rejected was a shock, and his way of speaking, as if he wished to kill, was also a shock.
"As I said earlier, I'm going to retaliate for what was done to you. Not for your sake, but for my own feelings. Because unless I do, I won't be satisfied. For me, the only thing I truly consider precious right now is you, Miyuki. I'm sorry for being such a selfish older brother."
As he enveloped my hands and spoke to me in a gentle, reassuring tone, his eyes still conveyed a sense of "for my sake," and that wasn't just my imagination.
Wearing a look of perplexity, Brother smiled at me. My entire face must have been as red as a perfectly ripe tomato.
But then, I immediately frowned, a sense of unease stirring at Brother's words.
"Truly precious...?"
My unconscious murmur, barely a question, brought a wry smile to Brother's face, as if to say, "You got me." His expression was smiling yet seemed to be crying.
"I am so sorry!"
"No... it's about time you knew. If you could have remained ignorant, I would have preferred for you to stay that way forever... but as long as you are Mother's daughter and Maya Yotsuba's niece, that won't be possible."
"Brother?"
Without the luxury of feeling surprised, I merely echoed his question, and Brother gave me a strong smile.
"Don't worry, Miyuki. You are the only one I truly cherish. That's why I will continue to protect you, and for that, I will return unharmed. It's alright, nothing truly exists that can harm me."
There was no lie in Brother's words. No fleeting comfort. In his resolute gaze, within his face, which had lost its smile and tightened, I believed it was an undeniable truth—that nothing existed anywhere that could harm Brother.
Brother ruffled my hair and, this time, truly headed for the battlefield.
While waiting for Miyuki-san, the Mistress regained consciousness and worried about Miyuki-san's absence. To think that even at a time like this, she paid no mind to Tatsuya-kun, made me realize I was probably a failure as a Guardian.
"I apologize for the wait."
When Miyuki-san returned, I thought Tatsuya-kun had also returned.
"You don't need to apologize, Miyuki-san. So, where is Tatsuya?"
"Um... Brother went straight to the battlefield."
"Brother?"
Perhaps piqued by Miyuki-san's way of referring to Tatsuya-kun, the Mistress exuded an extraordinary pressure. Miyuki-san seemed to notice it too, wearing a slightly chagrined expression.
"To abandon Miyuki-san, his charge, and do something so self-serving... He truly is a defective product."
"!"
The Mistress's muttered words—not of resignation, but of dismissal—sent chills down both Miyuki-san's and my spines. It wasn't a remark pushing him away, but one that had already cast him aside. It was by no means the words a mother would direct at her own son.
"Well, he seemed to have done some work this time, so I suppose I'll allow him that much freedom. Thank you for waiting; please guide me."
The Mistress had already lost interest in Tatsuya-kun, yet it was impossible to describe Tatsuya-kun's efforts this time as "some."
Because, without Tatsuya-kun, all three of us would have died...
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