Chapter 13 Dream

(Shiina Mahiru's POV)

On the way home, I met my mother in front of my apartment. I didn't want to see her. The more I saw her, the more I felt like I was an accident resulting from my parents' failed arranged marriage.

Suddenly, I felt a cold rain pouring down on me. It was calming.

"UHM... Miss, are you okay getting yourself wet in the rain?"

Hearing the gentle voice, I glanced at the person who spoke. I didn't recognize him; he wasn't an acquaintance.

"Sorry for disturbing you, but you can have this umbrella," he said, offering it to me.

Was he trying to hit on me? I hesitated; I didn't want to accept anything from a stranger.

"I'm sorry, but I don't need it," I replied, looking directly into his eyes. He blushed and looked away, a sign that he wasn't just a random man hitting on a high school girl.

"Hmmm... Okay, but I insist because I can see through your clothes," he said, pointing out that my undergarments were showing and my clothes were sticking to my body.

I didn't feel bothered by it. I didn't care much about myself.

"Sigh, I'm Aron Laserna," he introduced himself. Surprisingly, he spoke fluent Japanese, which was unexpected for a foreigner.

"I'm Shiina Mahiru," I replied indifferently.

Suddenly, he hugged me and buried my head in his chest. "You can cry; it will help you release the stress."

His words made tears well up in my eyes, and I cried loudly. But why was I crying? I'd complained about everything in my life, but I hadn't realized the comfort of being consoled.

After a minute or more, I stopped crying, wiped my tears, and looked into his eyes. I blurted out the question that had been bothering me since the beginning.

"How did you know I needed to cry? I'm grateful for your shoulder, but I'm curious why you sensed it."

He gave me a serious look, and his eyes turned sadder as he explained, "Maybe because you and I share a similar expression of feeling broken. I don't know your circumstances, but I feel like you're questioning if you are important because someone made you feel abandoned."

"I felt the same way when my girlfriend cheated on me. I questioned if I was really that unimportant, useless, or not special."

"But I didn't know my mother overheard those questions I whispered in my room. Do you know what she said to me?"

I looked at him, waiting for him to continue, seeing his warm and bright smile. It was hard to imagine someone cheating on a person so warm and lovely; maybe she was a fool or a gold digger.

"My mom said, 'So your girlfriend dumped you, and you think it's your fault? Son, it's not your fault; it's the other party's fault. You are the sweetest person I know, and those girls should be happy to have a taste of your sweetness. If your girlfriend dumped you, it doesn't mean she's the only girl in the world. There are plenty of girls you'll meet in the future, and you'll experience both pain and love.'"

"You are my masterpiece, who made me experience sunshine and rain. So cheer up."

Hearing his words, I couldn't help but smile, though a small part of me felt jealous. His phone rang, and he looked at me apologetically. I nodded, granting him permission to answer it, and he quickly went off to speak with someone on the other end.

After a minute, he returned and said, "I'm sorry, my mom mentioned introducing me to my stepsister, so I have to leave."

I wished I could bask in his warmth a little longer. "You can have my contact number, and once again, I'm Shiina Mahiru. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Aron Laserna. Nice to meet you too." We shook hands and exchanged contact information as he left.

_ _ _

Waking up inside a large room within the Hyperion, Aron rubbed his eyes and looked around the place, muttering, "What a nostalgic dream. That's the first time I met my stepsister. Who would have thought she was the daughter of my new stepfather at that time?"

As Aron gazed at Seele and Bronya, he couldn't resist the warmth of their smiles and the memories of that fateful meeting with his stepsister. With a contented sigh, he snuggled back into his bed, deciding to go back to sleep, leaving behind the nostalgic dream.

"Aron!" Suddenly, Kiana barged in and saw that Bronya and Seele were snuggling on both of his arms. "Wha-"

Kiana was shocked to see that Bronya had gone ahead of her, and her mind started to imagine various things that might have happened in the room with the three of them.

Using her brain at full function, she immediately dashed outside and arrived in Mei's room.

"Mei-Senpai! Aron made a baby with Seele and Bronya!" Kiana shouted, shocking Mei with the news.

The two of them hurried back to Aron's room and found the three of them snuggled together. Kiana pouted like a child, but Mei smiled warmly, understanding that they hadn't done something that teenagers shouldn't do.

"They are just sleeping, Kiana. Let's go," Mei said to Kiana, dragging her away.

"But, Mei-Senpai, they are sleeping in one room!" Kiana tried to protest, but a single glare from Mei silenced her.