Chapter 12: A piece of memory about little sister

The next day, when I was walking with Alicia around the forest, by chance we met Elvy on the way.

"Yo, Elvy-chan, morning," I greeted.

"Morning too, Riku-san. But, isn't it already afternoon? Did you just wake up, Riku-san?" replied Elvy with a gentle smile.

"Well, I see, because of thinking about many things last night, I couldn't sleep."

I thought about what Alicia suggested last night, and in the end I couldn't sleep. It was a torturous night, it was the first time I stayed up late because of the stress.

Maybe the last time I played a game all day from morning to night to complete all the missions in the game, but suddenly the lights went out and all my data was erased without a trace.

It gave me a fever for 3 days.

"Is that so? You should take more care of your body, Riku-san," said Elvy who was understandingly worried about me.

She really is a good girl.

Just receiving her kindness makes my heart feel at peace again. It felt like all my tiredness just disappeared.

"Oh yeah, by the way, thanks for lending me this shirt."

"That's nothing, Riku-san. If Riku-san needs anything else, please tell me immediately. I'll prepare it for you," said Elvy with a cheerful, innocent smile.

My goodness, she really is so cute.

It almost made my heart entangled by that innocent smile. Isn't it too cheating for a girl to be this cute?

I want to hug her and want to pamper her more. But, calm me down, if you do that, it will be tantamount to sex offenders. I'm not that kind of person.

But, for some reason, every time I talk to her, my feelings always fluctuate very strangely. I always feel comfortable when I'm around her. This was the first time I could speak normally with a girl other than Alicia.

Is it possible that at this rate I can get into Elvy's route and win it?

"Hello hello, Riku-san~ are you okay? Your face looks disgusting~"

Perhaps realizing what was going through my mind, Alicia smiled mischievously as she teased me like that.

It made me a little annoyed and embarrassed, so I coughed once to reset my emotions.

"Cough— Well, what are you doing here, Elvy-chan?" I asked, trying to change the subject in a different direction.

"I just delivered food to everyone. Have Riku-san and Alicia-san eaten yet? We still have food stock in the warehouse, do I need to get it for you guys?"

"Thank you, Elvy-chan. But I'm fine, I've eaten."

"Really? Well, that's good then," said Elvy with a sweet smile.

Seeing that, I also smiled gently.

"Ahahaha, Elvy-chan is really very good, not only hardworking, she's also very cute. I'm sure you will grow up to be a great child," I said with a complacent face, much like a father pampering his child, although Elvy should be older than me.

"Umm… Riku-san? This is a bit embarrassing…"

"Hm? Oh, I-I'm sorry."

Maybe because I was too lulled by my own fantasy, without realizing it my hand grabbed Elvy's head and stroked it. She looked very embarrassed with her face turning red.

I hastily released it.

"N-No, I'm fine. Instead I like it when someone strokes my head."

"I-Is that so?"

"Well, for some reason, Riku-san always brings me back to the image of my brother leaving, you guys have the same vibe."

"Me?"

Surprised by that subjective judgment, my eyes opened wide.

"Well, you two are good people!" she shouted with an innocent smile, it makes me a little happy.

Then, shyly, she said back. "U-Umm, Ri-Riku-san. C-Could you do that again? I really like it when my brother strokes my head," she said.

But, hearing that—

"...."

—I instantly fell silent.

The world seemed to stop when Elvy said that. Starting from the sound and visuals, everything seemed to be taken away from me. I couldn't see anything moving around me, and the noises around me only buzzed at very low sound frequencies.

At the same time also...

Suddenly a memory that I don't want to remember anymore, crossed my mind.

It was the deepest memory that I should have forgotten and ignored long ago.

But, somehow, by seeing Elvy and talking to her, those memories are slowly recovering.

"Riku-san?"

Seeing me who had been silent for a while, Elvy wondered, she tilted her head in confusion.

However, I couldn't hear hers voice at all. The world around me stopped, and I felt like I was not in it. Something seemed to be trying to snatch me away from this world, and if I let it go on like this, I felt that I would lose something very important.

However, at that moment, someone suddenly hit my back really hard.

"Hey, what are you thinking?! Don't just shut up, say something!" shouted Alicia in annoyance while slapping my back really hard.

"Hnng—?!" I screamed in a low voice.

It was a really really bad pain, that it made me cry a little.

"A-Alicia-san you can't do that!"

Elvy who saw it immediately defended me, but Alicia didn't seem to care at all.

I turned my gaze towards the woman, and there she just snorted in annoyance while crossing her arms.

Seeing that, I winced.

Geez, couldn't she just be a little gentler. It really hurts a lot.

"Sorry Elvy-chan, I'm fine," I said and started to get back on my feet again.

"Re-Really?" asked Elvy who was still worried.

Then, after standing up, I smiled faintly while stroking hers head gently. When I did that, Elvy really looked very happy and enjoyed it.

"Don't worry, if it's just like this it's nothing to me. Sorry for making you worry," I said trying to calm her down.

Hearing that, Elvy pondered for a moment, and sighed. "Fine, if Riku-san says it, I won't ask anymore," she replied with a lovely smile and then just focused on enjoying herself as I stroked her head.

She really is very cute.

Seeing this reminds me of my little sister who has been gone for a long time.

"Huh?"

The moment I thought that, my eyes immediately opened wide, and a memory suddenly flashed through my mind. A pleasant memory with my younger sister.

("Onii-sama*, Shina worked hard, so Shina deserves a prize. Shina wants Onii-sama to pet her head!")

Can only sit quietly in a lonely hospital bed, a girl smiles sweetly when she talks to me.

(Onii-sama means older brother)

At that time, I happily complied with her innocent request.

"Oh my, you really are a troublesome sister," I said while stroking hers head.

"Oh, my brother often says that to me too. Riku-san is really very much like him!" said Elvy with her innocent smile that was very excited.

Then, I didn't say anything else, and after that, we parted ways there.

Now it's just me and Alicia left.

I waved my hand with a gentle smile to Elvy who also waved at us from a distance.

"Aren't you going to ask?" I said.

"You want me to ask?" replied Alicia.

I closed my eyes for a moment and smiled slightly. "No thanks, that's enough."

After that, we left the venue, headed for our next destination, namely the discussion room where now it's time for everyone to gather again at the venue, to continue our discussion which was previously unfinished.