After seeing Christina and the others off, Rio was summoned by Latifa and Liselotte. He went to meet up with them in the parlor, accompanied by Miharu and Aki. There, he was informed of their plans to go out.
“You’re going to the Ricca Guild?”
“Yup. Liselotte wants to hear our opinions of her new product,” Latifa explained cheerfully.
“I see...” Rio looked over at Miharu and Aki.
Last night, Aki had casually agreed to help without thinking, but she hadn’t expected Rio to come along, so she now looked rather uncomfortable.
“And so, we wanted you to come along, Onii-chan,” Latifa said.
“I’m fine with it... Is it just the five of us?”
“Yup!”
“Are you sure?” Rio asked Liselotte as well.
“Of course. We’re the ones asking you to come. Princess Charlotte has given her permission already, so if you’re not busy, we’d like to leave right away.”
“I see...” Rio glanced at Aki’s face once more.
Could this be...
A look of realization crossed Rio’s face as he noticed how strangely gleeful Latifa was, grinning from where she sat before him.
“Sure, I can go now. But I’d like to talk a little before we leave,” he said with a nod, a look of resolution on his face.
Latifa tilted her head. “Talk?”
“Yes. I’d like to talk to Aki properly.” Rio’s gaze was clearly fixed on her.
“With...me?” Aki’s body shook as though she had been startled, and her expression stiffened.
“Yes. About the memories of Amakawa Haruto that I have. We weren’t able to talk about it during the banquet.”
In contrast, Rio’s voice was awkward but gentle, as though he had noticed her nerves and was trying to keep her calm.
“In that case, it would be best for us to leave,” Liselotte said, believing herself to be an outsider who should excuse herself before they started discussing the details. However...
“No, I’d like everyone here to listen as well. Since you four are the ones who knew Amakawa Haruto directly... Is that okay?”
“Okay.”
Liselotte nodded with a serious look. Miharu and Latifa also gave their silent agreement.
“Is that okay with you too, Aki?” Rio asked.
“I don’t mind...”
Aki averted her eyes from Rio and nodded, squeezing the hand of Miharu beside her.
And so, Rio began speaking. “As you all know, I have Amakawa Haruto’s memories. But as I said during the banquet, I consider myself a different person from him.”
Displeased with Rio’s words, Aki pursed her lips unhappily.
“Can you tell me what you’re thinking, Aki?”
“What do you mean ‘what’? You just said it yourself—you’re not Amakawa Haruto. Why should I have to tell someone who has nothing to do with me what I think of them?” Aki said scathingly.
“I don’t consider myself Amakawa Haruto. I can’t lie about how I feel regarding that. But I realized I shouldn’t be running from his memories either. I want to face the life that he lived, and the traces he left behind.”
“Even if you tell me that, there’s nothing I can do,” Aki said with a frown.
It was at that point that Miharu called out to her with a look of determination. “Surely you have an opinion about it, no?”
“Miharu...”
“I know you’ve had conflicted feelings about Haru-kun this entire time. I’ve been by your side watching you until now. Why don’t you tell him those feelings?” Miharu said in a scolding tone.
“But Haruto doesn’t think of me as his little sister, does he? He already said he’s not Amakawa Haruto. Why should I have to express my feelings to a stranger? Answer me that first,” Aki snapped, her discontent exploding.
“For my own satisfaction, I guess. I’m the one who wants to do this. I want to stop running away from you for my own sake. I don’t want to pretend I can’t see you anymore. If possible, I want to get along with you. I want to move forward together.”
“Get along...”
“Am I being unreasonable?”
Aki didn’t answer. She fell silent as though she was avoiding giving her reply.
“You heard him. Haruto said he wants to get along with you,” Miharu said in a rare show of proactiveness. Perhaps she thought it was her duty to mediate between them as Aki’s older sister figure—or perhaps she had her own opinion about the situation.
“What about you, Miharu? Are you okay with this? Didn’t you love him? You’re still in love with Amakawa Haruto right now, yet the person with his memories is saying he’s not him. What does that mean? Did you fall in love with someone who isn’t Amakawa Haruto?”
It was a clear attempt at diverting the topic, but there was no doubt that was another source of Aki’s discontent.
“Yes,” Miharu said in a clear voice.
Aki was wide-eyed with shock. Rio’s eyes also looked surprised.
“At the banquet, I realized I couldn’t think of Haruto and Haru-kun as different people. I told Haruto that I wanted to be with both of him.”
“So why...”
“I think I understand now—the reason Haruto feels like he’s a different person to Haru-kun. I was told I was Lina in my past life, and I consider myself a different person to her. That’s why I know what it’s like when people ask you to be someone you aren’t,” Miharu said with a bitter expression.
Miharu...
Rio’s eyes widened. He was being told he didn’t have to be Amakawa Haruto by no one other than Miharu herself. It was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
“What about you, Aki? How do you feel about Haruto having Haru-kun’s memories? I want to know too. So please, tell Haruto properly.”
Miharu looked at Rio as she urged Aki to talk about her feelings.
“I hate Amakawa Haruto,” Aki muttered, averting her gaze.
“Why is that?” Miharu asked gently.
“Because I had to watch mom suffer after the divorce... I don’t know why they divorced, and I know my hatred is misplaced. But I also know he wasn’t there when we needed him—he wasn’t there for me when I needed him...”
Aki was looking downward like a sulking child. Yet even then, she was able to voice her entire heart. Although it wasn’t to Haruto, she was telling her feelings to Rio, who possessed his memories.
“You were lonely,” Miharu said, verbalizing Aki’s feelings.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I still get mad when I think about it now... I just hate him.”
Aki pouted without looking at Rio.
“But that doesn’t mean I hate him. I’m grateful for what he’s done for us, and I feel bad for all the trouble we caused him during the banquet,” she added. “I think what he says is right. He isn’t Amakawa Haruto, and I agree with that. But...”
“But what?”
Miharu slowly urged Aki to keep talking.
“But hearing him say they are two different people was also irritating.”
Although she could understand, she couldn’t give a clear explanation. Aki vented her honest but complex feelings. Rio was about to respond with a serious expression, but...
“Why?”
Latifa, who had been listening silently until now, questioned Aki first.
“Huh?”
“Why were you irritated? What did you want Onii-chan to do for you?”
“I don’t know,” Aki snapped with a hint of self-derision.
“Did you want Onii-chan to be Amakawa Haruto?”
“No. I literally just said I hated him, and that I think of them as different people.”
“Then did you want him to think of you as his little sister even though he’s not Amakawa Haruto?”
“Wh-What? Where did that come from?” Aki said, turning red at Latifa’s question.
“That’s what I got from what you were saying.”
“No way. I’d never want that,” Aki denied vehemently. “Besides...”
She was about to say something but stopped.
“But what?”
“I don’t think I’m suited to being a little sister. It’s happened twice now. Two people who became my older brother chose to leave me. Probably because I’m annoying and dishonest?” Aki said, scorning herself sadly.
“That’s not true!” Miharu said immediately. “We may not be related by blood, but you’re my adorable little sister who I wouldn’t trade for the world.”
Aki smiled happily. “Thanks, Miharu.”
“What about you, Onii-chan?” Latifa asked Rio. “What do you think of Aki? What kind of relationship do you want with her?”
“What kind of relationship, huh? I...”
Rio thought carefully without giving an immediate answer. Everyone waited for his words without interrupting.
“I think you’re very important to me. It’s my wish to live happily with everyone, so I want you there too. That’s why I’d like us to join hands and live through both the tough times and fun times together,” Rio said, revealing his true thoughts.
“Onii-chan...” Latifa smiled happily and turned to Aki with a look of expectation. “What do you think, Aki?”
“What do you mean ‘what’?”
“Onii-chan is saying he can’t be happy without you, so he wants you here.”
“I-I don’t need you to spell it out for me!” Aki raised her voice in embarrassment.
“Do you hate being with him?”
“I don’t... I’m glad he includes me when he thinks of everyone. Though I do wonder if it’s okay for me to be accepted when I’m like this...”
“It’s fine. Of course it’s fine! Onii-chan is saying even if you whine and waver, we’ll carry those anxieties with you and overcome them together. Right?”
Latifa looked up at Rio.
“Yeah. So you can keep hating Amakawa Haruto if you want. You can vent those feelings at me without holding back.”
“Why?”
“It may be convenient for me to say I’m a different person, but it’s unfair of me to pretend I can’t see you suffering over him when you’re right next to me. The memories and emotions of Amakawa Haruto definitely exist within me. That’s why as the person who inherited his memories and feelings, I want to face you properly.”
Rio stared straight at Aki without any hesitation in his eyes.
“Isn’t it a nuisance for you to have to deal with these irrational feelings of mine?” Aki asked, averting her eyes timidly. Was she refraining from venting her feelings? Or was she feeling guilty or afraid?
“I don’t think you’re a nuisance,” Rio said to Aki gently.
“Why not?” Aki asked in disbelief, eyes wide.
“Like I said just now, Amakawa Haruto’s memories and feelings definitely exist within me. That’s why I can’t think of you as a stranger, and don’t want to treat you as one. You might not like it if I said I considered you my little sister, but that’s how important you are to me. I guess that’s why?” Rio said, looking a little bashful.
Aki’s entire body flinched.
“Yeah. That’s why I want you to tell me if you’re feeling lost or want to whine, without holding anything back. Let’s worry over things together. That’s what I think, anyway...”
Rio was doing his best to express his emotions in his own clumsy way, when he suddenly stopped and looked surprised.
“Wah...” Aki had started crying, tears running down her face.