#048. My Little Brother is Too Kind (3)

#048. My Little Brother is Too Kind (3)

Coffee was the devil’s beverage.

A cunning trap aimed at the player, appearing even in the original game.

An event that catches you off guard in a world where common sense fails, tempting you to invest in the coffee business, dreaming of profit based on your real-world knowledge, only to lose a lot of money.

Investing in or supporting the coffee business turns Sodom Village into a distribution or production center for the devil’s beverage.

Naturally, it’s a direct way to attract the attention of the Order.

The possibility of the brainwasher being caught by the Order also increases because of some hapless devil’s beverage producer.

‘I was careless because the person I dealt with changed every playthrough.’

The devil’s beverage event occurs somewhat late in the original game.

Around the time the fallen Sodom Guild begins to rise again, a period when external investment is desperately needed.

There’s an option to sign an investment and exclusive contract with a particular merchant group, providing adventurers suitable for everything from production site security to transporting goods, creating a mutually beneficial situation.

Choosing the right item yields great profit, but choosing wrong means ruin.

Coffee is a complete failure among failures.

There are players who, desperate for money, knowingly accept it, but that’s never been my way.

‘I didn’t think it would be easy to bring back Shoa, whom I had brainwashed and driven away…’

Contrary to my great resolve, the persuasion was easier than expected.

Shoa’s heart softens and she’s easily brainwashed when it comes to her younger brother, but precisely because she’s like that, my words always work easily.

My words are as good as my younger brother’s words.

While I felt relief at that fact, I also felt sadness.

It meant that Shoa’s heart was so precarious that it could easily change like a reed in the wind.

‘We need to cultivate Shoah’s mental fortitude.’

There are two ways to nurture mental strength.

Bolstering self-esteem through positive experiences.

Eliminating negative experiences and overcoming trauma.

‘I can’t undo Shua’s death. Playing the part of a younger brother, even to make up for Shua, will offer some comfort, but it’s not enough.’

I need to be more proactive in making Shoah happy. Only then will her mental strength truly grow.

“As an apology for everything that happened, I want to grant Shoah any wish she has.”

“You don’t have to go that far. Just being by my side is more than enough.”

“I offered to be your younger brother, but I feel like I haven’t done much at all. It makes me uneasy.”

Shoah looked down at me, her gaze unwavering.

“You really aren’t afraid of me, are you? Even I’m afraid of myself.”

An uncontrollable left arm.

Strength that surges forth, unwanted, at times.

Being near her meant risking a seizure, a serious injury, or even death.

But why was it?

Even in the body of this small boy, my body felt no fear.

I could guess the reason.

“Because I grew up with a mother who wasn’t like other mothers.”

“Indeed… Teresa’s child, and you endured childhood abuse, I heard.”

Compared to Teresa’s monstrous strength, enough to tear monsters in half, Shoah’s seizures were almost cute.

Of course, Mom never went full power on her children, but still, it was an environment that couldn’t help but forge a stubborn, unyielding spirit—what some might call ‘grit.’

It wasn’t a particularly pleasant topic for either of us, so we quickly changed the subject.

“I do have one wish.”

“Tell me.”

“I want to go on a date.”

Did Shoah want a younger man instead of a younger brother?

It was a slightly perplexing request.

* * *

He isn’t refusing.

Not even this unreasonable request.

Shoah nearly lost her composure and embraced Ian like a beast at the sight of his bashful face and the unspoken question in his eyes: “Are you sure I’m good enough?”

Of course, she didn’t give in to her impulse.

If she did, the unintentional force she exerted would surely injure him.

“What kind of date?”

“Just… I’ve always wondered about a normal date. I’ve never had the opportunity to meet a man.”

It wasn’t a lie to reassure Ian.

She’d never had a chance to know a man.

Violence. Intimidation. Murder.

The life of an assassin was often like that.

Living a life of bloodstained deeds, she never felt worthy of a man’s affection.

She only wished her younger brother, Shua, would know happiness enough to fill her own share.

Now that he was gone, Ian had Maria, a formal engagement candidate endorsed even by his mother, Theresa.

An Inquisitor of the Order.

Born in the alleyways of Sodom Village.

A woman with beautiful golden hair, reminiscent of Theresa.

If she considered her brother, Ian was becoming happy enough to make up for Shua’s share as well.

So she should be content.

Demand nothing more.

That was the thought that calmed her, but faced with the opportunity Ian himself offered, her resolve faltered.

‘Yes… I don’t have much time left.’

Tomorrow could be her last, or perhaps even today for this body, a ticking bomb.

Having once held the elixir as a hope, only to have it snatched away, happiness was no longer someone else’s story or an abstract concept.

“Hold my… hold my hand.”

“As much as you like.”

Ian clasped her outstretched hand firmly, without a word.

The two walked down the street aimlessly.

“What else should we do on a date?”

“Eat something delicious and spend time together.”

“I’ve prepared a picnic.”

Surprise flickered in Ian’s eyes first, followed by a rush of sadness.

She sealed away her disobedient left hand and cooked only with her right, which occasionally gave out.

He could only imagine how difficult that must be, without needing to be told.

Bacon browned from the heat, fried eggs, bread hollowed out and filled with sauce before frying.

A dish whose taste she could vouch for as much as the care that went into making it.

But before the bread, Ian reached for Shua’s sleeve.

As Shua consciously stretched out her left hand to cover her own sleeve, the sadness on Ian’s face deepened.

“You’re hurt, aren’t you?”

“…”

“Let me put some medicine on it. Otherwise, I won’t eat your lunch.”

Shua reluctantly rolled up her sleeve.

Unlike her left hand, which acted with a will of its own, her right hand would sometimes simply give out.

Her right forearm was covered in vivid burn marks.

If she lost her grip while frying bread in hot oil, where else would the splattering oil fly?

Her right arm, of course.

The result of pushing herself for the sake of flavour, Shua’s right arm was marred by unsightly burns.

“It’s a dying body anyway. The pain is nothing compared to what I usually feel.”

“It pains *me*.”

“…Sorry.”

By the time they returned to the guild to treat and bandage her arm, the time for eating lunch on a park bench had long passed.

“Is it really okay to come back like this, even though you’re on leave?”

“I’ve come to treat Shoa-nuna’s arm.”

“Oh dear… is she badly injured?”

“I think a burn remedy will be enough for the burns she got yesterday. Luckily, they weren’t too deep.”

“That’s a relief.”

In a world where monstrous fiends frequently appeared and injuries were commonplace, medicinal knowledge for the healing of humankind was bound to develop rapidly.

Even with priests who could cast spells to heal all wounds, there were still many patients, and even more wealthy patients who wanted to be treated first.

By the time they left the guild, the lunch hour had long passed.

Shoa felt a pang of sadness.

“I don’t know anything about dating, but this definitely isn’t a date. I’ve ruined it. If I’d just gone to a restaurant and bought expensive food from the start…”

“That’s not true. A date is time spent together, for each other. Shoa worked hard to cook for me, and I treated Shoa’s burns for her.”

Even though they didn’t eat delicious food in a nice restaurant, even though they wasted time because of an unnecessary injury, Ian showed no disappointment or anger whatsoever.

Shoa thought she was undeserving.

That such a kind young man would take a day off just for her, and spend the entire day.

She felt grateful and apologetic all at once.

This feeling only grew stronger when she saw the adventurers at the guild, disappointed that Ian wasn’t there.

“Tonight, let’s go see the traveling theater troupe that’s visiting the village. I heard they’d definitely be open at this time.”

But in the place where the troupe had been, there was only an empty lot, cleanly vacated.

“The troupe? They left today.”

“Could it be…”

A complete mess, from beginning to end.

But Ian, once again, didn’t mind at all.

He lay down right there on the bare ground.

“If there’s a stage just for us, it must surely be that vast night sky.”

“…!”

Shoa lay down beside him.

The dirty, hard, and cold ground no longer felt uncomfortable.

Because they could dream and share those dreams together.

“People look at the stars and make wishes, but people struggling with hardship look at the ground as they walk. That’s why they wander through the darkness, having lost the starlight.”

“Do you too?”

“I used to, but not anymore. Because I have Mom and Anna, Gorgo and Nina, and everyone else. They’re the starlight that brightens my darkness.”

“That’s a wonderful dream.”

“And so is Shoa.”

“Me too?”

“It’s alright if there aren’t any fancy flowers. As long as we cherish each other, we can each keep a star in our hearts to comfort one another.”

There was a clear strength in Ian’s words.

“Please live your life thinking of yourself as much as I think of Shoa. Just that alone will give me strength.”

Again.

Shoa felt a sense of déjà vu.

The ‘guilt’ she could sometimes glimpse in Ian when he looked at her and spoke.

What lay at the root of it?

Was it guilt, the knowledge that she could never truly *be* Shoah?

A debt of the heart, still owed to Anna whose life Shoah had saved?

Did she believe her own devotion was worth less than her sister’s life?

No matter.

Ian deserved to wear a better expression than that.

“If the fondness you hold for someone becomes a star, then a single star is enough for my heart. So, be at ease. The date, for me as well, was more than pleasant enough.”

At long last, Ian seemed relieved.

After sending him off, on the solitary walk home.

In an alley darkened by the moon’s absence, the distinct clang of heavy armor echoed.

“Maria.”

“Shoah.”

“I apologize for today. For taking that child away.”

The Inquisitor who had lent her strength during the Gula incident.

The rightful candidate to become Ian’s woman.

And…

The woman who would take away her precious second younger brother.

Maria’s eyes were cold.

“You have already saddened Ian once. Such an occurrence must never be repeated.”

“…Do you wish for me to leave this town?”

“There is no need for that. I simply request you promise. That you will not do anything further to cause Ian sorrow.”

It was a warning.

A cold and harsh utterance.

Shoah understood.

That she could never be Ian’s girlfriend.

That she lacked the youth and the extended lifespan, the strength to pursue the days she could share with Ian.

She was a mere, stubby candle.

A thin candle nearing the inevitable day its flame would be snuffed out.

“You are a good person. If I were to die, I could trust and leave Ian in your care.”

“…!”

“Within Ian’s heart, even a wretched person like me can become a star, but ultimately, I will fade. A meteor falls from the sky; it cannot illuminate the darkness within a heart.”

Shoah knew the consequence of coveting what she could not have.

Gomora and Gula had shown her that.

“I can live the rest of my life with the memories of today. So, do not fret. There will never be another day when I try to steal Ian away.”

Shoah resumed her walk.

A metallic scraping rang out.

The sound of a sword being sheathed.

Maria, from the alleyway behind, lowered her head in a bow.

She buried it all in the darkness within her heart.

It was a good night to see the stars shining.