"My feelings are the same as yours, sister."
That dream again.
Admire Vega dreamed of her younger sister.
Unlike last time, she was no longer so panicked. She understood her sister's concern and knew that her sister wished for her happiness.
So now, when she saw her sister, Admire Vega could finally face her with composure.
"Is this a dream?" Admire Vega asked.
"It's a dream. Sister's dream."
Her sister smiled, innocent and adorable like a child untouched by the world.
They say that in dreams, everything tends toward a vague state, both what you see and what you hear, all shrouded in a hazy mist.
But here was different. Admire Vega could see the bright sun in the sky, could feel the grass beneath her feet stirred by the wind.
Her hearing, her sight, both functioned normally, but...
She sniffed.
Indeed, she couldn't smell anything. Scents couldn't be perceived in dreams.
"What do you mean by 'feelings'?" Admire Vega asked her.
Her sister had said that right upon meeting her.
"Feelings... are the feelings for someone important," her sister said, placing a hand over her heart. "For you, sister, who is the most important person?"
"You, of course," Admire Vega answered without hesitation.
"Is that so... Hehe, I'm so happy."
Scratching her cheek happily, her sister hopped about on the sunlit grass, her white dress fluttering up and down, making her look like a spirit on a racetrack.
"Though I'm happy you think of me that way, that's not what I mean by 'important person.'"
In the blink of an eye, her sister was standing right in front of her.
Looking at the face so similar to her own, yet slightly more youthful, Admire Vega asked, "Then what do you mean?"
"It's about the person by your side, of course. I've seen her—the one you care so much about at school."
"You've seen her!?"
Admire Vega couldn't help but shout uncontrollably.
Hearing those words from her own sister was quite a blow.
"Yes. After all, I've always been by your side. I'm very interested in everything about you. Every word you've said to your classmates, everything you've done, I've seen it all. Really, sister... you should try to interact more with others sometimes. Don't keep yourself shut up in your room all the time."
"Urgh..."
If anyone else had said this, she would have ignored them and warned them to mind their own business.
But this came from her most cherished sister. For Admire Vega, who always bore the responsibility of being the older sister, there was no way to refute it.
"So I saw her. The one you care so much about."
"Care... I wouldn't go that far..."
It was just that this person drew her attention more than others did.
"Sister..."
Admire Vega's sister puffed out her cheeks, her gaze practically spelling out the words "Don't lie." Admire Vega turned her head slightly, trying to avoid meeting those eyes.
Finally, unable to bear her sister's stare any longer, Admire Vega rubbed her head.
"Alright, alright. I do care a little."
Her sister looked entirely unconvinced but didn't press further.
"She's one of the very few people you truly care about. No, it's not just you. Actually, I care about her too."
Huh?
"That person... has a presence similar to Mom's."
Hmm?
What on earth?
"Mom?"
Did her sister see a shadow of their mother in Manhattan Cafe?
Aside from her long, dark, lustrous hair, Admire Vega didn't really sense any resemblance between Cafe and their mother.
Wait, did her sister even know what their mother looked like? She hadn't...
Shaking her head vigorously, Admire Vega pushed those troubling thoughts back down.
"I think that person suits you very well, sister."
Her sister stated her opinion without any hesitation.
"You sound just like Curren..."
The other girl had told her the same thing just recently. Right before she fell asleep, in fact.
"Hehe, I was right there when Curren said it. I heard everything." Her sister raised a hand. "The stars in the sky are my eyes. I'm always watching over you, sister."
Looking at her sister's bright smile, Admire Vega couldn't help but hold her forehead.
"So, do you think what Curren said is right?"
"Right or wrong, that's for you to decide, sister. But I know that feelings for someone you like can't be hidden." Her sister spoke candidly.
"No matter where you are or what time it is, whenever you recall the little moments with that person, a warm feeling rises in your heart."
Closing her eyes, her sister focused on recalling that feeling. Then, as if tugged by some force, even Admire Vega's heart began to pound.
Heat, palpitations, a restless longing—an intense yearning for that important person surged within Admire Vega.
Oh no...
Her head felt like it was about to short-circuit, her consciousness growing strange. She felt an impulse to hold that person tight.
Thankfully, the impulse vanished as soon as her sister opened her eyes.
Gasping for breath, Admire Vega could still hear the frantic beating of her own heart in her ears.
What just happened to me...?
As she puzzled over it, her sister took her hand.
"That is your feeling, sister. Your true feelings."
Feeling the genuine warmth in her palm, Admire Vega stood frozen. From her sister, she sensed a bond that came from the soul.
Her sister's thoughts were her thoughts. Her sister's feelings were her feelings.
Two hearts as one, in separate bodies.
"I want you to be happy, sister. But happiness is never given by others. You have to seize it yourself."
So, sister, make a choice you won't regret.
Watching her sister's smile grow increasingly hazy, Admire Vega realized the dream was about to end.
Though the impulsive feeling had faded, the heat in her heart hadn't completely dissipated.
A choice she wouldn't regret.
Expressing her feelings to that important person.
Was it really... just that...?
Clear morning sunlight spilled onto the floor of the room. The girl on the bed slowly opened her eyes, her clear purple gaze slightly dazed.
The conversation from the dream vanished from her mind like bubbles, fading in mere seconds. Soon, Admire Vega could only recall the last few sentences.
Facing her own feelings honestly—she was never good at that sort of thing.
Just as she tried to sit up, she realized a dark figure lay beside her.
Who!?
Startled, Admire Vega's eyes widened, her hand instinctively reaching to the side.
Can't get up?
Something seemed to be pinning her hand down. Not only that, but something long and soft was trapped between her legs, and her foot happened to be hooked around it.
What is this!?
A soft, boneless sensation continuously came from her arm, thigh, and chest.
Thump.
She heard a heartbeat near her ear.
Admire Vega slowly looked up. Soft black hair was fanned across the pillow. A pale cheek showed slight discomfort from being pressed by an arm. Delicate eyebrows were gently furrowed.
Only then did Admire Vega realize she was clinging to the other person's body like an octopus—legs entangled, arms wrapped around the waist, ear pressed against the chest!
A familiar face, a familiar scene, a familiar scent.
"Ah..."
Her mouth opened, a sound escaping.
Reason told her not to make a sound, but her mind felt like a detonated bomb, completely overriding reason.
"Ah... ah, AHHH—!!!" Her voice grew louder and louder.
One morning, at Tracen Academy's Miho Dormitory, a scream pierced the dawn, igniting the flames of daybreak.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.