"Honestly, the way you say things is a little too convincing sometimes… kind of scary, actually. But relax, I was just talking."
Fully aware of his own situation, Carlos had only been venting. He waved it off with a grin, then deliberately widened his eyes as he looked at what Rem was holding.
"Steamed sweet potato? Is that… for me?"
"Mm!" Rem nodded hard, eyes curving into a bright smile as she carefully offered it with both hands. "You're hungry, right? This is for you."
"Thanks! Then I won't hold back!"
At first, Carlos' adult pride had made it hard to accept food from a child. Over time, though, he'd gotten used to being fed.
A real man knew when to bend. Pride wasn't worth starving over, especially when malnutrition might stunt his growth. That would be truly tragic.
Besides, he was a kid now too.
Seeing him eat so enthusiastically, Rem looked pleased. With a small "heave-ho," she sat down beside him, then copied his earlier pose, lying back on the rock, hands folded behind her head, gazing up at the moon.
"The moon's really pretty tonight," she murmured.
"—kh, cough, cough!"
The phrase triggered a memory from his past life, a famous literary reference. He choked on the sweet potato, eyes watering.
"Huh? W-what's wrong? Are you okay?"
Startled, Rem scrambled upright and patted his back over and over.
"I'm… fine. Just got a little surprised."
"By the moon?" she asked, tilting her head. "Because it's that pretty?"
She had no idea what she'd just said. Of course she didn't.
Carlos shook his head with a wry smile and nodded.
"…Yeah. Let's go with that."
"If Carlos says so, then okay!"
Rem accepted it without a hint of doubt, smiling brilliantly.
Innocent kids really are dazzling, he thought. And adorable. I can live with this.
Feeling oddly cleansed, he wiped his hands on his clothes and ruffled her hair.
"H-hey, don't do that! Even if you wiped them, you were just eating, your hands are still dirty!"
"It's fine, it's fine~ My hands are clean enough to lick. Totally fine!"
"Even so, "
…
", You two. What are you doing outside at this hour?"
Another girl's voice sounded from behind them.
It was just as soft as Rem's, just as young, but carried a sharp edge that made the air tighten.
Rem immediately hopped off the rock and ran over, pointing dramatically.
"Sister! Carlos is bullying people!"
The girl who looked exactly like Rem, aside from her pink hair and eyes, narrowed those eyes at once and shot him a piercing glare.
Ram.
"Oh? You've got some nerve, Carlos. Bullying Rem while Ram isn't around?"
"No way. We were just playing."
Bathed in the little girl's icy stare, Carlos felt equal parts helpless and amused, especially when his Energy Points stubbornly refused to increase.
"You're the only one having fun," Ram said flatly. "Get over here. Ram's going to make it even for Rem."
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm older than you. Head-patting is a privilege of seniority."
"Older? By less than a day?" Ram scoffed, then gestured at herself. "And height-wise, Rem and Ram are taller than you. Enough talk. Come here, or Ram's coming to you."
She lifted her chin smugly.
Annoyingly, she wasn't wrong. Girls matured earlier, and during childhood that often meant being taller. Carlos was, in fact, a little shorter than Ram.
The well-aimed jab left him sulking. "Putting height aside, don't you think this is excessive? You're trampling on my dignity as a man."
"A man?" Ram snorted. "You? A kid like you can talk about being a man after you're taller than Ram. Now behave and let Ram pat you. Or Ram's eating this sweet potato herself."
She revealed the sweet potato she'd been hiding behind her back, identical to Rem's, and waved it enticingly.
"…I've said this before, but if you keep bullying people like this, it's going to come back to bite you when you're older."
"What? You thought this was for you?" Ram laughed. "This is Ram's midnight snack. Ram's. Own."
"Fair enough. I can't steal your snack." He turned away dramatically, clutching his stomach and sighing. "…Only one sweet potato… I wonder if I can make it to breakfast. Guess I'll have to jump in the river for fish, or head into the forest for food."
"A-again with this?!"
Ram's smugness collapsed instantly. She ground her teeth. "That trick won't work on Ram… not sixteen times!"
"It's fine, Ram. Don't force yourself. This isn't your fault," he said gently, even patting her head. "If I drown in the river or die from poisonous mushrooms, that's on me. Even if we've known each other for years, you're not obligated to save me."
"Ugh…"
Ram froze, unable to even swat his hand away. Rem tugged at her sleeve, eyes pleading.
"S-sister…"
"F-fine! I get it!"
Unable to withstand her sister, or her conscience, Ram angrily shoved the sweet potato into his hands. Carlos instantly brightened, earlier misery gone without a trace.
"Thanks~! That's my best friend for you. When it really counts, you two are the only ones I can rely on!"
"Waaah! So it was all an act again! You're the worst!"
Defeated for the sixteenth time, Ram stamped her foot in frustration.
Carlos, meanwhile, happily enjoyed the spoils of victory, until he suddenly stopped eating, staring at the sweet potato in his hands as he sighed again.
Ram noticed at once. "What now?! Why are you sighing again?! Don't tell me Rem's sweet potato tastes bad! If you dare say that, Ram will seriously hit you!"
"R-really?"
Rem's eyes welled up, and Carlos hurriedly shook his head.
"No, no! That's not it. I was just thinking… I'm kind of pathetic. This is better than when we had to scavenge in the forest, sure, but now I'm reduced to tricking kids out of food. Mentally, it almost feels worse than eating bugs."
"You are a kid too," Ram said flatly. "Why do you always pretend to be an adult? Do you actually like eating bugs?"
She hesitated, then added, almost kindly, "If you really want to eat them, we could help you catch some… but the first time Ram shoved a bug in your mouth, didn't you throw up horribly? Every time after that, you acted like you were dying."
"…Why would you ever conclude that I like eating live bugs? And stop bringing that up!" he snapped. "Just thinking about it makes me feel like there's something wriggling in my mouth!"
The memory hit him full force, especially that first time, when Ram had stuffed a still-living bug between his lips.
The sensation. The taste.
His stomach lurched, and even the sweet potato suddenly became hard to swallow.