Lorie was right.
On his trips through the world because of his father’s job, Kyouhei had traveled on horseback. Those experiences had taught him that a spooked horse that had shaken off its rider could sometimes run into obstacles and break some bones—for example, the people and fencing around here.
“Lorie won’t let herself just abandon the horse and save herself,” Pamil told him.
“...Right.”
If she was so kind, he really wished she hadn’t shocked the attendant in the first place, but it was a bit late now.
“Kyouhei, what do we do?” Pamil’s voice sounded in his ear over the rushing wind and hoofbeats.
“Don’t hold so tightly with your legs, and pull back on the reins with both hands!” Kyouhei yelled. The only option was the direct method. Using all his memories and rough knowledge, he told Lorie how to control the horse. “Listen, don’t you dare tighten your legs on the horse; pull back on the reins as you go backward. Gently! If you use your full strength, you’ll spook it more and have it rear up!”
The order to stop a horse was to pull back evenly on both sides of the reins, but if you added a slight pressure with your right leg, that made it a command to gallop, which was the fastest gait a horse had.
Lorie had probably made that mistake.
“I’ll fall back while I’m pulling on the reins!”
“You will! But don’t you dare use your legs, okay?! Got it? Alright?!” he emphasized to Lorie as she seemed to regain her calm.
She did exactly what he’d told her, pulling the reins taut like they were a bowstring, her body falling back.
Then...
After a surprisingly short time, the horse slowed in accordance with her command and finally came quietly to a stop.
● ● ●
Lorie had an uncomfortable expression on her face.
Caleriette had a demonic expression on her own.
There was a heavy feeling between the two of them, and no one spoke.
Apparently, they at least had enough awareness to realize that the earlier display was not good.
The evening sky was a vivid orange, and the gentle wind had none of the warmth of the afternoon. Instead, the area was filled with the chill of a day at its end.
They were just outside the zoo, having smoothed things over.
“Do you understand?” asked Caleriette heavily. “Your thoughtless actions caused many people a great deal of distress.”
“...I apologize deeply, Mother,” Lorie said, her head dropping.
Regardless of her despondent posture, the sharp line across Caleriette’s brow—showing her anger—didn’t fade. It really felt as if Lorie was about to get a spanking.
However...
Caleriette didn’t say anything more, and instead knelt and gathered Lorie into her arms, hugging her to her chest. It was a far more eloquent way of telling her she was forgiven, and made clear just how much Caleriette worried about her.
Is that... what a mother is? Kyouhei thought vaguely to himself as he watched mother embrace daughter.
He had no memories of being hugged like that. Not only that, but he also didn’t even know who his mother was.
It really is great for a family to be together, he thought earnestly.
And obviously, a real family would be better than the fake family that Pamil had with Kyouhei.
But...
That would mean that she would leave.
“Kyouhei?” Pamil spoke to him, looking curiously up at him, having noticed his expression clouding.
“It’s nothing,” he said, forcing a smile.
He didn’t know what was going through her mind as she looked at him, but she reached out a hand and gripped his sleeve tightly.
“...What’s up?” he asked.
“I... uh,” she mumbled, being oddly reticent about meeting his gaze, “just... felt like it.”
Kyouhei gave her a faint smile.
Then...
“Kyouhei-kun,” Dolph called him suddenly. The self-proclaimed king’s body double was once more excessively grave, “we’ve caused you many issues today. Actually, no, when taking Pamil into account, it is not just today; my apologies.”
“Ah... it’s fine.”
That was effectively a “Thanks for everything,” and would link to “But we cannot do so any longer.” And then, finally, to “We shall look after Pamil from now on.”
It was the end of their playing house.
The end of their fake family.
...
“Though it will cause you trouble,” Dolph continued, “please continue to take care of Pamil.”
“Huh?”
Kyouhei’s eyes widened. This was the exact opposite of what he’d expected.
Dolph continued regardless, though: “We spoke after the chaos. The kingdom has collapsed, and we, who were made as doubles for the royal family, have lost our place. We have no titles and are in a country where we do not know right from left. However, this is in itself an opportunity, we believe.”
“An... opportunity?”
“As royalty, in our palace, each of us is limited in the amount of time we can spend together due to our positions. Now, however, we have no duties or responsibilities. We can all be together as a normal family.” Kyouhei stared silently at him. “It’s strange, isn’t it? We claim to be androids, fakes, but we see value in playing at being a family.”
“No...” Kyouhei shook his head.
That wasn’t the case, not at all.
“And so, we decided to go out in search of a place to be a family.”
Kyouhei let out a sigh of understanding.
“However, we decided... not to take Pamil with us on that journey.”
“...Why?”
“Do you really need to ask?” Dolph spoke, a faint smile on his face, troubled, almost resigned, but not unhappy in the slightest. “When I watched the two of you, I realized that it was for the best. When Lorie was in trouble, who did Pamil first turn to for help?”
“Father...” Pamil murmured, a dazed expression on her face.
“You are now this boy’s sister, Harumi Nanbu. You should stay with him... I won’t say goodbye—it’s too painful.”
Suddenly, Kyouhei realized why the Bergmann family hadn’t moved to help. Their Royal Powers would have easily been able to stop the horse. But, in the emergency, Pamil hadn’t immediately gone to her mother or father to help Lorie; she had gone to Kyouhei.
And so the family had realized it as well.
What held more meaning to her.
Between her position as a princess of Bergmann, and that of Kyouhei Nanbu’s sister.
“Father...”
“Farewell,” he said, before turning on his heel and leaving. The others, with various glances back at Pamil and Kyouhei, or bows, followed after him.
“...Are you okay with that?” Kyouhei asked.
“With what?” Pamil asked back, oddly surprised at his question.
“You know... not going with them.”
“What are you talking about, Kyouhei—actually, Onii-chan?” she answered. “I’m Kyouhei Nanbu’s sister; I should be with you.”
“...That’s a strange way to move out from your parents’,” Kyouhei joked with a slight smile.
“Hmm?” Pamil asked, looking at him for an explanation.
“It’s nothing. Let’s go home.”
“Let’s!” she agreed, smiling and nodding.
● ● ●
Well then. This had all been well and good.
As the sun sank behind them, its last vestiges of light washing over them, Kyouhei and Pamil left the shopping district and entered the warehouse district by the port.
They were headed for the Nanbu house, which stood in that area.
Kyouhei input the security key for the service entrance and opened the door.
“I’m back,” Kyouhei muttered to no one.
“You’re late,” came a voice immediately.
Kyouhei started at the unexpected answer and looked around, only to see Dolph, who they should have parted with earlier.
“Wha...?!”
There was a space in one of the warehouse’s corners that was furnished with a table and chairs, which functioned as their living room. And in that space, sitting and drinking a cup of Japanese tea... was the Bergmann family.
“What are you doing here? Weren’t you going on a trip?!”
“Indeed, but there was an issue,” Dolph explained, his usual majesty dripping from every word. “We forgot something.”
“What?”
“That we have no money.”
Right, they didn’t. Kyouhei had been caught up in the situation and had forgotten.
“We may be royalty, we may be androids, but people who don’t work, don’t eat. So we all had a discussion and decided to go job-hunting in the city.”
“...Why are they so familiar with sayings when they don’t have any actual common sense themselves?” Kyouhei muttered to himself.
“Therefore, we first searched for a calm place to live. We decided to all rent an apartment... but the places in this country are all too small,” he proclaimed, solemnly of course, whether he heard Kyouhei’s mutterings or not.
Kyouhei had a feeling of dread.
Then...
“On our way back, at a loss, we came across your father, Kyouhei-kun: Shuuhei.”
“Ah.”
“He said: ‘Then, live with us. Thankfully, the next-door warehouse is free.’” Kyouhei seriously considered teaching his irresponsible father a lesson with his fists for saying something like that so carelessly. “So we shall be neighbors from tomorrow on, and decided to wait to give our greetings.”
Next to him were Lorie and Caleriette with a portable stove, cooking pasta. They had probably misunderstood the custom of giving soba noodles to your neighbor to state their intentions to get along, and were trying to do something similar.
“Pamil,” Kyouhei spoke.
“Hmm?”
“Why don’t you say something to your oh-so-wonderful family,” he spat, unable to get his feelings out himself. What was the point of that dramatic, tragic parting?
“Ah, right,” she said with a magnanimous nod. “Mother, Lorie.” The woman and little girl looked over at her. “When cooking pasta, it’s best to boil it in plenty of water,” she taught them.
“Not that!!” Kyouhei groaned.
Well, whatever. This was how Kyouhei became neighbors with his odd little sister’s even odder family.
And they all lived happily ever after.
...Probably.