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“HEY! Wake up!” Leo’s voice rang in her ears. “…Damn it! What should I do?!”
The floor was hard and cold beneath her cheek. Evidently, she was back in the present.
“Snap out of it…! Lille!” The sound of her name pulled her out of her state of half-consciousness. It was the first time Leo had ever called her by name.
She sat up, and Leo breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly stiffened again, however, when he realized she was crying.
“Hey… What’re you crying for?! Did you hurt yourself when you fell?” he asked. Lille shook her head, leaving Leo to flounder as he watched her weep.
“Leo…” Lille interjected, “Your sister doesn’t hate you.”
“…How do you know?”
“Because I saw her. I saw both of you.”
“Huh…? What’s that supposed to mean…?” He frowned.
“Put your hand over your heart.” Lille guided him, taking his hand and pushing it against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat.
“The orange mana is your sister’s. Just before she passed away, she left it to you. Since she wasn’t a sorcerer, it might be a little hazy, but…you can see it, can’t you?” she said softly.
Leo squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating. After a moment, they snapped open.
“Is…is it really hers?”
“It is. You can feel her warmth, can’t you?” She smiled through the tears. “Wherever she is, she’s not suffering anymore, Leo.”
Leo crumpled to his knees and curled up, clutching his chest. As he huddled on the floor, streams of tears rolled down his cheeks.
“I’m sorry… I really am…” he said to the mana within him, sniffling. “And, thank you…”
At last, Leo was beginning to properly grieve his sister’s death. In those dreadful scenes from Leo’s past, Lille had seen him wail and shriek in deep despair. Now his tears fell like the light pitter-patter of rain on a warm evening.
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AFTER a few minutes, Lille tried to quietly leave the room to give Leo some space, but he stopped her with a hand to her arm.
“I want you to read it with me,” he pleaded, looking up at her with sweet puppy-like eyes.
That was how they ended up snuggled next to each other on the bed, reading the diary Leo’s sister had left behind. Leo clung tightly to Lille’s side just as he used to with his sister. He probably missed her all the more dearly, reminiscing about the days they’d spent together.
Each entry was about either Leo or their family. She often wrote about how she hated making everyone worry, and that she herself was worried about Leo. Not once did she write about the pain her illness was causing her, nor any regrets about her future.
“Your sister was a strong girl, wasn’t she? Kind, too.”
“…Yeah,” he agreed softly.
She had written in detail about the day Leo first used healing magic. She wrote that she was amazed that the chronic pain had suddenly faded but knew the illness itself hadn’t been cured. She was afraid that if Leo kept trying to heal her, he would regret it one day and start blaming himself. She wanted him to know she was very happy, and to never forget that she loved and treasured Leo more than anyone else in the whole world.
“It says she wants me to become a proper sorcerer,” Leo pointed out.
“You already are,” Lille said, smiling gently. “You saved me, remember?”
“No, that was…” He paused, casting his eyes downward. “That was more for my own sake than for yours…”
Lille shook her head vehemently. “You still healed me, even though you were scared to.”
“Well, yeah, but…” He chewed his lip.
“I think you’re already doing everything your sister wanted for you. You’re a wonderful sorcerer,” Lille insisted.
“…I hope so,” he murmured, putting his hand over hers. When she squeezed his palm in return, he glanced up at her with a look of surprise.
“Um… So…” he began awkwardly, a pink blush dusting his cheeks. “You said that you, uh…you saw my past?”
She nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”
“How much did you see?”
“Until Master Charlie came to pick you up,” she recalled.
“So…you saw basically everything. You just had to see all the worst parts of me, huh…?” He winced.
“I-I’m sorry,” she apologized, remorseful that she’d invaded his privacy.
“No, I’m not angry. It’s just…” he groaned, holding his head in his hands. “Lille, I…” He shifted on the bed until he sat facing her.
“That was the second time you’ve called me by my name,” Lille said, beaming.
He blinked. “You heard me say it earlier?”
“I did.”
“Sorry…” His eyes swept to the side guiltily. “I’ve been so rude to you this entire time. You’re older than me, but I looked down on you.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I didn’t particularly mind. Especially since you’re a lot more knowledgeable than me,” she said casually.
“…All right, then. Also…,” he trailed off, his cheeks bright red. The air around him suddenly seemed to burn hot, too.
“Yes?” she prompted.
“I think… I think I like you,” he mumbled bashfully.
“Really…? Thank you,” she said, delighted. It honestly, truly made her happy to hear Leo express affection for her after months of cold, curt replies. However, the serious look in Leo’s eyes was starting to make her question whether he meant “like” in the way she thought.
“I’m gonna try really hard to enroll in magic school next year. If I get in, would you go out with me?” he asked.
“Hm? Go out where?” She furrowed her brow.
“So, can I kiss you?” he blurted.
Lille didn’t even know what he was talking about, never mind why it was a reason to kiss her.
“N-No!” she squeaked. She had a rather good idea of what a kiss was, and what it meant—but she wanted to make her first kiss special. She knew she wanted to save it for someone other than Leo.
“Why not? Do you hate me?” He pouted. When he darted forward with misty eyes, she automatically recoiled.
“Of course I don’t hate you. It’s just…you’re family to me.” She smiled apologetically.
“Are you saying you see me as a little brother or something?”
“Well, yes.”
Leo’s shoulders drooped dejectedly.
“Way to let someone down gently.” He rolled his eyes. “Still, I’m not gonna give up. I kinda thought you might say that, anyway.” Swiftly, he leaned further toward her, and pressed a quick kiss to Lille’s forehead.