I was confused. So the reason you'd been sweating profusely and building a shade all this time was because of me?
For the half-sister you'd only known for an hour, the one you didn't even know existed, the one who was a burden that had been forced upon you?
No, I should have seen it as the minimum human consideration rather than because I was his blood relative.
For young and weak girls.
“Why don’t you go in quickly?”
“Oh, no. I’m fine. Oh... Dad? Come in. You must be tired and hot too...”
"Me? Here? Do you disregard my 12 years in prison? I've spent all day in the blazing sun pulling weeds and even cutting down trees. Why is this happening?"
Ryan, seemingly annoyed, pulled me by the back of the neck and tucked me into the shade. It felt much better; the scorching sunlight was blocked out.
'What is this?!'
A character that knows how to care for the weak?
Should I reinterpret Ryan's personality?
“Ouch! What the hell, you little brat! Why again!”
“Let’s stop yelling!”
While I was agonizing, Ryan opened the cab door and started making a fuss. Thinking he was really going to kill the engineer, I crawled out in a panic.
“Shouldn’t you at least give us some water?”
Fortunately, it seems like only the water bottle was stolen.
I went back into the shade and crouched down, staring blankly at Ryan.
As if trying to cool down, he tilted the water bottle over his head and poured cool water over it.
Bright yellow eyes. Golden hair that spread out like a lion's mane. A handsome face, but with thick lines and dark eyes, it gives off an overly ferocious impression.
And above all… a huge lump that looks like it could swallow me in one bite.
He was a tall man who looked to be well over 190 cm tall, and his muscles were perfectly lined up, making him a truly overwhelming figure.
Even if Ryan were truly incompetent, he could easily twist my fragile neck.
But.
“Yes, you drink the rest.”
I don't think so.
I had a small hope that this man who left me my share of water might be an unexpected person.
"Thank you…."
Ryan sat down with his back to me, covered only with the shirt he had taken off, and exposed to the full rays of the sun.
As I looked at his back, I felt a strange feeling.
'What is this feeling?'
I never imagined it before we met, but somehow, it felt a little strange to realize that Ryan was my older brother, half of whom I shared blood with.
Now that I've decided to turn my back on my brothers and father, the family I could call family, I'm left feeling even more alone...
'No, let's get this straight. I need to remain vigilant until I'm sure I understand his personality.'
I shook my head vigorously, and Ryan looked back, perhaps sensing my sharp gaze.
"Hey."
He called me.
Rattling.
At that moment, the shabby ship lurched once.
“Yes! Go ahead!”
"...”
Ryan frowned.
“Uh, uh...”
“?”
“Uweeek.”
Boooooooo-!
The powerful sound of the ship's horn, announcing departure, is heard at just the right time.
This is the independent port city of Sorrento, bustling with sailors in uniform and people going about their business.
“Ugh.”
It is a large island and a transit point on the way to the continent.
“Ugh.”
Ryan suffered from seasickness for the entire three hours he spent here.
As if that wasn't enough, he even diligently left his mark on the pier.
'Something a bit... trivial?'
Well, it was fortunate that the person who had been so scary started to feel a little more human.
Who knew that the man who could send someone to the brink of death with a snap of his fingers was now suffering from nothing more than seasickness?
“Funny?”
"No?!"
“Haa, ha...”
Ryan glared at me as if he had heard me laughing quietly, then grabbed my arm with a deathly look on his face.
“Knock on my back...”
"Yes!"
Pat, pat. I did as I was told and dutifully patted his back.
“Haa. To get to the continent, I have to take another boat here and do this... Th-this time, I have to do this for another week...?”
“The boat we’ll be riding here is big and nice, so you won’t get seasick.”
“Ugh.”
“Are you done? Are you okay now?”
“I need to lie down for a bit...”
Ryan, who had come to his senses, wiped his chin with the back of his hand and straightened his back with difficulty.
“Then, should we start by finding a place to stay?”
I wonder if there's any cash left. I rummage through Ryan's luggage, which he had tucked under his arm.
"Ah?"
Ryan took me by the hand and started walking with me on his back.
As expected, he's on the friendly side.
I waved my hands, which had become much lighter, and smiled faintly.
"First, we need travel expenses, so let's go exchange some gold bars! This city has a special exchange rate, so it'll be a good deal if we exchange money while we're there!"
“...”
“If you go to the continent and exchange money, you get three gold bars for three thousand gold, but if you exchange money here, you get about three thousand one hundred gold!”
Ryan, who had been walking unsteadily, suddenly stopped and stared at me.
"Why?"
"You're quite talkative now that you're open-mouthed. And you're smart for a twelve-year-old, aren't you?"
Hmm.
“...Isn’t that better than being stupid?”
“Hmm.”
Ryan looked at me suspiciously, stroking his chin.
Then, sniff sniff.
Suddenly, he frowned and turned his head to look somewhere.
Me too, sniff sniff.
I turned my eyes, following the strong smell, and saw four sailors gathered together smoking cigars.
“You should stay away.”
Ryan told me to keep my distance, then walked over to the sailors, feeling through the pockets of his shirt.
“Hey, you guys! Hold on a sec! Here... Dammit, where is it? Just wait a minute."
For the half-sister you'd only known for an hour, the one you didn't even know existed, the one who was a burden that had been forced upon you?
No, I should have seen it as the minimum human consideration rather than because I was his blood relative.
For young and weak girls.
“Why don’t you go in quickly?”
“Oh, no. I’m fine. Oh... Dad? Come in. You must be tired and hot too...”
"Me? Here? Do you disregard my 12 years in prison? I've spent all day in the blazing sun pulling weeds and even cutting down trees. Why is this happening?"
Ryan, seemingly annoyed, pulled me by the back of the neck and tucked me into the shade. It felt much better; the scorching sunlight was blocked out.
'What is this?!'
A character that knows how to care for the weak?
Should I reinterpret Ryan's personality?
“Ouch! What the hell, you little brat! Why again!”
“Let’s stop yelling!”
While I was agonizing, Ryan opened the cab door and started making a fuss. Thinking he was really going to kill the engineer, I crawled out in a panic.
“Shouldn’t you at least give us some water?”
Fortunately, it seems like only the water bottle was stolen.
I went back into the shade and crouched down, staring blankly at Ryan.
As if trying to cool down, he tilted the water bottle over his head and poured cool water over it.
Bright yellow eyes. Golden hair that spread out like a lion's mane. A handsome face, but with thick lines and dark eyes, it gives off an overly ferocious impression.
And above all… a huge lump that looks like it could swallow me in one bite.
He was a tall man who looked to be well over 190 cm tall, and his muscles were perfectly lined up, making him a truly overwhelming figure.
Even if Ryan were truly incompetent, he could easily twist my fragile neck.
But.
“Yes, you drink the rest.”
I don't think so.
I had a small hope that this man who left me my share of water might be an unexpected person.
"Thank you…."
Ryan sat down with his back to me, covered only with the shirt he had taken off, and exposed to the full rays of the sun.
As I looked at his back, I felt a strange feeling.
'What is this feeling?'
I never imagined it before we met, but somehow, it felt a little strange to realize that Ryan was my older brother, half of whom I shared blood with.
Now that I've decided to turn my back on my brothers and father, the family I could call family, I'm left feeling even more alone...
'No, let's get this straight. I need to remain vigilant until I'm sure I understand his personality.'
I shook my head vigorously, and Ryan looked back, perhaps sensing my sharp gaze.
"Hey."
He called me.
Rattling.
At that moment, the shabby ship lurched once.
“Yes! Go ahead!”
"...”
Ryan frowned.
“Uh, uh...”
“?”
***
“Uweeek.”
Boooooooo-!
The powerful sound of the ship's horn, announcing departure, is heard at just the right time.
This is the independent port city of Sorrento, bustling with sailors in uniform and people going about their business.
“Ugh.”
It is a large island and a transit point on the way to the continent.
“Ugh.”
Ryan suffered from seasickness for the entire three hours he spent here.
As if that wasn't enough, he even diligently left his mark on the pier.
'Something a bit... trivial?'
Well, it was fortunate that the person who had been so scary started to feel a little more human.
Who knew that the man who could send someone to the brink of death with a snap of his fingers was now suffering from nothing more than seasickness?
“Funny?”
"No?!"
“Haa, ha...”
Ryan glared at me as if he had heard me laughing quietly, then grabbed my arm with a deathly look on his face.
“Knock on my back...”
"Yes!"
Pat, pat. I did as I was told and dutifully patted his back.
“Haa. To get to the continent, I have to take another boat here and do this... Th-this time, I have to do this for another week...?”
“The boat we’ll be riding here is big and nice, so you won’t get seasick.”
“Ugh.”
“Are you done? Are you okay now?”
“I need to lie down for a bit...”
Ryan, who had come to his senses, wiped his chin with the back of his hand and straightened his back with difficulty.
“Then, should we start by finding a place to stay?”
I wonder if there's any cash left. I rummage through Ryan's luggage, which he had tucked under his arm.
"Ah?"
Ryan took me by the hand and started walking with me on his back.
As expected, he's on the friendly side.
I waved my hands, which had become much lighter, and smiled faintly.
"First, we need travel expenses, so let's go exchange some gold bars! This city has a special exchange rate, so it'll be a good deal if we exchange money while we're there!"
“...”
“If you go to the continent and exchange money, you get three gold bars for three thousand gold, but if you exchange money here, you get about three thousand one hundred gold!”
Ryan, who had been walking unsteadily, suddenly stopped and stared at me.
"Why?"
"You're quite talkative now that you're open-mouthed. And you're smart for a twelve-year-old, aren't you?"
Hmm.
“...Isn’t that better than being stupid?”
“Hmm.”
Ryan looked at me suspiciously, stroking his chin.
Then, sniff sniff.
Suddenly, he frowned and turned his head to look somewhere.
Me too, sniff sniff.
I turned my eyes, following the strong smell, and saw four sailors gathered together smoking cigars.
“You should stay away.”
Ryan told me to keep my distance, then walked over to the sailors, feeling through the pockets of his shirt.
“Hey, you guys! Hold on a sec! Here... Dammit, where is it? Just wait a minute."
"Haha, you can take your time. But where are you from? You look like you're from out of town."
A sailor asked. Ryan answered absentmindedly, rummaging through his luggage.
“I came from Abyssus Island. I’m planning to change ships here and cross over to the continent.”
At those words, the sailors all froze.
Abyssus Island.
There is nothing there, just a concentration camp.
If you're from that island, of course.
“I was released from prison today.”
At his addition, the sailors blinked silently and exchanged glances with each other.
“Ah, here it is! I found it... Huh?”
When Ryan finally found a note, the sailors were running away, half-smoked cigars still unlit.
"No, guys! Where are you going? Have you ever seen a criminal before?"
Ryan's arm, which had been extended towards them, fell down.
“What the... You’re hurting the feelings of someone who served his time in prison.”
I approached Ryan hesitantly.
He looked a little upset.
Well, that can't be helped.
A criminal by trade. And coming from the Abyssus, he must have felt that living in society wouldn't be easy.
Even the charge is the massacre of civilians.
But how unfair would it be if it were something you didn't even do?
'But it's okay. We can fix what's wrong.'
Because that's my goal.
“Hey, but aren’t you scared of me?”
“Yes? Now you’re here?”
"Come to think of it, I'm a criminal. Even though I have nowhere else to go, it's strange that you felt the need to follow a criminal."
“...”
“Even those big guys are running around like that, and a little girl is so fearless.”
Ryan glanced back at me.
“You... didn’t follow me without knowing what my crime was, did you?”
“I know. You killed a lot of people and set fire to the village.”
The reason Ryan is scary is that he almost killed me before I returned, not because of his criminal record.
Because I know that Ryan is not the real culprit of the 'Konrad Massacre' that happened 12 years ago.
“Aren’t you scared?”
“Yes, it’s okay. But you're my one and only dad.”
“...?”
For some reason, Ryan hesitated.
"Why?"
“Didn’t you get sex education?”
“Suddenly?”
“Oh, just in case, you don’t believe me when I say I created you when I was your age, do you?”
He spoke cautiously, looking at me as if I were an unintelligent creature.
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