The purple smoke lingering in the air faded with time, leaving only the scent of tobacco.
Flicking off the lengthening ash, Edes glanced at Danan, slowly sinking into his chair. “All good?” he asked softly, a faint smile on his lips.
“With what?”
“Sorting out your heart.”
“…”
Who knows… Danan muttered, picking up a cigarette butt from the ashtray, crushing it until brown leaves spilled like burnt embers.
He couldn’t even grasp his own feelings—how could one cigarette’s time sort them? Washing down the bitter tang in his mouth with lukewarm beer, Danan wiped his flushed cheeks with his mechanical arm.
Not flushed from embarrassment or shame. Just… drunk. He was weaker to alcohol than he’d thought, far from immune.
Downing the beer in one gulp, Danan sighed heavily, his gaze dropping to the table’s underside. Through bleary eyes, he saw Stella’s startled face.
“…What’s up, Stella?”
“Uh, well… you came back.”
“So?”
Wriggling her small, delicate frame, Stella climbed onto Danan’s lap, spearing a piece of food from the table and holding it to his mouth.
“This.”
“…”
“You haven’t eaten much, right? So, eat.”
“You eat it. I’m not hungry.”
“Eat anyway.”
Her earnest gaze left no room for argument. Slathering a siumai with mustard and soaking it in soy sauce until its golden-brown turned dark, Stella held a small plate in her other hand, pressing the siumai to Danan’s dry lips.
“…I’m an adult. You’re a kid—eat it.”
“You’re taking me to the ruins tomorrow, right?”
“…”
“Then you should eat something. Danan, I don’t know what the ruins are like or what to do there. If you collapse from hunger, we’re screwed.”
“…”
Staring at the heavily flavored siumai, Danan ate it in one bite, chewing. The thin skin, bursting meat juices, and the sharp blend of soy and mustard stung his nose. The taste of real food—unlike anything he usually ate—made his throat tremble, tears welling in his eyes.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
The texture, unlike canned artificial meat, was worlds apart from the nutrient-dense gel packs for ruin diggers. Choking it down, Danan stroked Stella’s head as her bright smile bloomed, his cheek twitching at the tatsuta chicken she offered next.
“…Gotta eat this too?”
“Yup!”
“Stella, I’m really not hungry. Why not give it to Eve or Lils?”
“They ate plenty while you were gone.”
“I’m fine with just beer.”
“You’re drinking because it’s not enough, right?”
Biting into the pressed tatsuta chicken, the rich oil’s aroma pierced his nose.
They looked like siblings far apart in age. The older brother humoring his sister’s whims, struggling to appease her. Blood or no blood, despite their short time together, a faint warmth was budding between Danan and Stella, an undeniable bond flickering.
“Danan,” Edes said.
“…What?”
“Family… it’s pretty nice, huh?”
“…Yeah.”
Edes narrowed his eyes at the heartwarming scene, nodding as Danan gave a wry smile, facing more food Stella pushed on him.
“What now? Keep drinking? I’m fine either way—”
A short beep from Edes’s chest made him grimace as he pulled out his communicator.
“Sorry, work call. Gotta step out.”
“You okay?” Danan asked.
“If I’m not back in ten minutes, we’re done for today. I’ll cover the bill, don’t worry.”
“Not about the money. If… you need a hand, say so.”
“…Thanks, Danan. And ladies, look after this guy. He’s a handful when drunk.”
Clamping the communicator between shoulder and ear, operating his HHPC, Edes paid Mrs. Irene and hurried outside.
“So,” Lils said, sipping her drink, eyeing Danan as she swirled her glass, the half-melted ice clinking rhythmically.
“What’s next, Danan?”
“Wait ten minutes. If Edes isn’t back, we go home. Good?”
“Fine by me. Eve, Stella, that okay?”
“I’m good, but Eve…” Stella trailed off.
The silver-haired girl, hand on her cheek, traced her glass’s rim, lost in silent thought. Not about today or tomorrow, but something further ahead.
“Eve, what’s wrong?” Danan asked.
“…Nothing. Just thinking.”
About what? Swallowing the question, Danan set Stella down, passing her to Lils, then lit a cigarette, exhaling purple smoke.
“Smoking with Stella here?” Lils remarked.
“Eve,” Danan said.
“What?”
“…You’ll say it doesn’t matter, but I’m… a bit grateful.”
“Huh? What’s with you? Eat something weird?”
“Not just you… damn it.”
Ordering two more beers, Danan chugged them, his spinning vision catching Eve and Stella as he inhaled cigarette smoke.
“Lils, it’s been… ten years? More? We’ve put each other through a lot, pushed shitty jobs on each other, but we’ve made it work. I don’t know how you see me, what you think, but… I don’t hate you. Probably… the opposite.”
“W-Wait, Danan, what’s gotten into you? This isn’t like you!” Lils stammered.
“Just listen, okay? Eve… since meeting you, things around me started changing. Fate—stupid word, but I felt it was real… because of you. Because you gave me Lumina… that’s what I think.”
Uncharacteristically talkative, words catching, Danan’s drunken face was unguarded, a side Eve and Lils had never seen. They blinked in shock, grabbing his hand as he reached for more liquor.
“Stella…”
“Yeah?”
“You’re not alone anymore. Me, Lils, Eve—we’re here. If you’re in trouble, talk to us. I don’t know about them, but I… as long as you don’t give up, I’ll back you. So… try not to kill. Even in the undercity, I’m enough to be bloodied.”
“But, Danan… if I don’t kill, someday I’ll—”
“I’ll protect you… no, I will protect you. Call it meddling if you want. If we’re family, even a fake, bloodless one… an older brother protects his sister. It’s only natural. So…”
Before finishing, Danan slumped onto the table, his quiet snores filling the silence.
“…Let’s go. Danan’s out,” Lils said.
“What about him?” Stella asked.
“I’ll carry him. Don’t worry, Eve—no idiot’s touching you with me around. Lils, lead the way.”
“Fine, fine. Big sister’s taking care of the dumb big brother.”
“You’re the middle sister. I’m older,” Eve countered.
Wrapping Danan in her silver wings, Eve smiled. Lils laughed off their banter. Stella, glancing between them, mumbled, “Then I’m the youngest sister?” Shoving the last bite of food in her mouth, she followed the two as they left.
