Chapter 82

August 5th, AD 2092 / Okinawa - Villa ~ Coast of Onna

Last night had continued until considerably late. Arriving at Okinawa then having a party until near midnight made for a pretty tough first day.

Yet, even so, for me to wake before the sun had risen, could only be explained as habit.

Truth be told, I had wanted to sleep a little longer, but I didn't want to turn into a loose lady. Falling asleep again would be unthinkable. With effort, I sent energy to my limbs, got off the bed and drew back the curtains, opening the window to let in some fresh air while I was at it. Since I'm on the second floor facing the backyard, there was no worry about being seen in my pajamas from the outside. ...

Although taking care of my appearance first really would have been more fitting of a lady's etiquette.

Sniffing the sea breeze I inhaled deeply, swelling my chest out. And at the moment I looked down, there was my brother training.

Crouched down low, he'd take a step with the right foot, thrust out his right arm, thrust out his left arm.

Then in that position he'd take a step with the left foot, and just as I thought he'd thrust out his left arm again he rapidly pulled it back, and as if intersecting, thrust out his right arm.

Turning his body as he progressively took steps with the left foot and right foot, his right arm would forcefully move from inside to outside, left arm from outside to inside, right hand up, left hand down.

It seemed like some sort of martial arts or karate I didn't know.

In each hand he held a small - one kilogram - weight, with which he went through motions with great precision. They were as vivid as the set poses used by lead dancers or stage actors.

Making his way in a circle around the fringe of half the backyard, my brother finally stopped moving, exhaling deeply and relaxing.

-Eh, it's over...?

I stared with bad grace at my brother's back as he took a deep breath, willing him to show me that beautiful 'dance' again.

Let me see more. Just once is fine.

That amazing form of yours, to your little sister...

—Wait!

I regained myself.

—No way, I had been entranced?

I closed the curtains in a rush, then hurried from the window.

The curtain rails made a pretty big noise, but it wouldn't be audible from the yard... I think.

I leaned against the wall and collapsed down. My face was hot.

My heart was pounding away furiously and wouldn't calm down even as I held my hands against my chest.

—He hadn't realized, right?

My brother hadn't looked up even once.

He shouldn't have seen me standing at the window.

Yet despite that, as I had stood staring as if enchanted, I had the feeling that my brother had noticed me too.

◊ ◊ ◊

As always, my breakfast was provided by Sakurai-san. This villa also technically had an automatic cooking machine managed by a HAR, but Sakurai-san herself had insisted that 'those who rely on automatic machines become insipid' and as such, all her meals were homemade unless under extraordinary circumstances.

Recently, I had taken a hand in helping too, but truth be told, my skills are still very much in the 'getting there' stage.

"Do you have any plans for today?"

As I sipped tea after the meal, Sakurai-san asked that question. In form that would have been addressed to Okaa-sama, but I knew full well it applied to me too.

"If the heat lets up, I'd like to go out to sea." Thinking a little, Okaa-sama gave her reply. "Shall I ready the cruiser?"

"Hmm... a smaller sailing yacht would be nice."

"Understood. Is 4 PM alright?"

"Yes, please."

With experience, Sakurai-san smoothly inferred the specifics from Okaa-sama's brief words and deduced her intentions, efficiently assembling a schedule.

This means my timetable for past 4 PM has been decided as well. Okaa-sama most likely intends to spend the time until then inside the villa.

Now, what shall I do?

"Miyuki-san, if you have no particular plans, how about going to the beach? Even if you just lie down, I think it'd be a good way to refresh yourself."

Seeing me lost in thought, Sakurai-san made a suggestion.

"...I guess so. Then, I suppose I'll just relax on the beach in the afternoon."

"I'll help you prepare. Ufufu, if you're wearing a swimsuit then you'll need to carefully apply sunscreen to each and every little part of your body."

...Eh? 'Ufufu', that's...

"...No, thank you. I can do it by myself."

"Now now, there's no need to refrain."

...Sakurai-san strangely seems to be anticipating something.

"The sunlight here in the tropics is intense. If you leave a gap somewhere, it'll be terrible."

...Sakurai-san, that look in your eyes is very suspicious.

"Naturally we'd have to cover all the bits under the swimsuit too. Ufufufu..."

"Uh, uhmm, Sakurai-san?"

Sakurai-san, for some reason, you look really scary right now! "Come on, let's go get ready."

I attempted to slip away in silence, but before I could move an inch, Sakurai-san had her hand around my wrist.

Her grip wasn't so tight as to be painful, but there was definitely no shaking her off.

I was dragged like that up to the second floor, and when I glimpsed at my brother, I had the distinct feeling he was laughing underneath his expressionless face.

...Even though he's not supposed to have any such human feelings.

◊ ◊ ◊

Under Sakurai-san's hands, sun cream really was rubbed very thoroughly over every inch of my body, and by the time I stumbled out from the villa to the beach, I was limp all over.

'...Why do I have to be so tired over this?' I complained unreasonably to myself.

In any case, I assumed what I considered a modest easygoing posture, took off my tunic, then went under the parasol my brother had set up and on top of the sheet my brother had prepared and laid down.

The separated swimsuit I wore wasn't quite as far gone as a bikini, but still possessed quite a fair amount of exposure. It wasn't something I would have chosen, but then again Sakurai-san hadn't exactly given me much of a choice.

That's what I thought anyway, but at the sight of me, my brother wasn't moving an inch. Wearing knee-length trunks under a parka, he was seated next to me with his eyes on the horizon.

Knees slightly bent, looking as if spacing out.

When I stole a glance over, it was as if he wasn't even aware of me, simply staring into the distance. I wonder if he's bored?

He's a healthy, fit boy in his first year at junior high, but with the sea right in front of him, all he did was sit. That was it.

Is this normal? Driven by that question, I moved myself with my elbows, and sneaked a glance at the other parasols dotted around.

That's a... family I think. A mother and father, and a girl probably in her first or second year of primary school.

Just as I thought so, a boy slightly older than the girl came running up from the beach.

The boy took his father's hand, and seemed as if trying to pull him over to the sea.

The parasol next to theirs was vacant. There were various belongings indicating the presence of two people. ...There are two parkas, which means two people right?

Those two were probably down by the sea as well. Beyond that was... whoawhoawhoa!

I put my head down in a hurry.

After attempting another peek, I was forced to lower my head again almost immediately.

There, a guy around senior high— I don't think he was a university student yet— was rubbing oil over a girl.

In some pretty dangerous areas too. Hey, is he going for full body coverage? And in such an openly public place at that, aren't, aren't they embarrassed at all?

The guy at least didn't have to worry about being seen. Stroking away at the girl's body, he was laughing quite happily. It wasn't a very pleasant expression to see.

Do guys like doing that sort of thing?

A more outgoing woman would laugh— Sakurai-san definitely would laugh, but I had read in a magazine somewhere that men like touching women. I've also heard from friends at school that when 'advanced' senpais go out on a date, they have trouble with their boyfriends seeking after their body. Just what do they think girls are, I indignantly felt at the time. That terrible age of 'free sex' ended half a century ago! Besides which, you're doing those things to a junior high student!

...Not good, not good. Calm down. I can't go causing a frost on the beach in

Okinawa in the middle of summer.

But, the woman didn't seem to be against it.

It might just be because she's lying down prone the same as me and not readily visible, but since the guy is being allowed to go right ahead I'm guessing she's okay with it.

...The same as me?

Here's me lying down, and there's that person sitting next to me.

I wonder, is he thinking something similar? Is he capable of such a thing?

I craned my neck slightly, looking again at my brother's face, and my brother was looking at me.

Our eyes met.

In contrast to me who was frozen still, he simply continued to look around for two, three seconds, before turning back to face the horizon.

I regained control of my body with difficulty and, unable to say anything, simply hid my now heated face with my arm.

I thought about undoing my hair and using it as a curtain of sorts, but could see it becoming troublesome eventually.

Lying prone, I could do nothing but wait for my cheeks to cool down.

With my view obscured so, my - now back to normal - head began to fill with all sorts of thoughts I really shouldn't have been thinking about.

He, just when had he begun looking at me? What part of me was he looking at?

My back? Legs? Or...

I wonder, does this person have the same interests? Was he thinking he'd like to touch my body, or something...?

I knew I really shouldn't be thinking such things about my blood-related sibling. But my brother and I weren't quite that straightforward.

Even though we live in the same house, we rarely see each other.

The only times we're together, including to and from school, is when we're out.

Being together during the day like now only happens during trips.

For as far back as I can remember, I have no memories of taking baths together, playing together, or anything at all.

To me, my brother is not so much family, but rather more like a one year older boy I know. Those are my true feelings.

It's probably the same for him.

For him, I'm most likely just someone attending the same school, a one year younger girl...

Unexpectedly, I heard the sound of sand shifting. I knew it must have been my brother getting up. I couldn't raise my head.

Rather, my face simply sank further down into my arm which was serving as a pillow.

I tried willing strength into my arms, legs, and back, and found out my body had other ideas.

Inside my stiff body, my heart violently pounded away. I sensed my brother looming over me.

I couldn't breathe.

My head was in a daze.

It's too early for that to be because of oxygen deprivation, a rational part of my mind calmly and uselessly told me.

My body, which simply refused all instruction to move, was softly covered by a thin cloth.

—Eh?

I could feel the fabric, stretching from my shoulders to my thighs. It was the tunic I had taken off earlier.

That suitably folded tunic, was now spread over my body. Somehow, suddenly, I felt a sense of security.

All my meaningless tension disappeared, and perhaps as a consequence my mind began to drift instead.

Without allowing myself any further self-analysis, I felt myself lulled into a comfortable sense of drowsiness.

In the end, I really do have to be thankful to Sakurai-san. Despite the fact I was under a parasol, I had slept in that fierce sunlight for quite a while. If I hadn't been guarded by sunscreen all the way up to my nails, my bare legs would no doubt be suffering terrible burns by now.

"So hot..."

As I blamed the interruption to my sleep on the relentless heat, my brother was, as expected, still next to me watching the horizon.

"...How long have I slept?"

"Around two hours."

I asked a question without warning.

And yet, he answered without a moment's hesitation. Almost as if to head off any other questions.

The answer felt rushed, like he didn't want to give me time to think. "I see."

I vaguely felt that something was up, but my head was still fuzzy from having just awoken, and I wasn't able to put a finger on that sense of discomfort.

As I got up, my tunic slipped off onto the sheet.

Perhaps because of the sea breeze blowing sand everywhere, despite the fact I had slept on a sheet, the surface under my limbs felt a little rough.

"I'm going into the water."

Without waiting for a reply, I hooked on my sandals.

All around the sheet, numerous footprints were evident. They hadn't been there before. Some parts had been flattened, resembling the backs of people who had fallen over. Perhaps some people had been playing beach volleyball...?

The number of surrounding parasols had decreased as well.

It seems a lot had happened while I was asleep, I thought lazily, as I headed down to the beach.

◊ ◊ ◊

After a late lunch, I spent some time reading in my room. However, after two hours I became bored. It's not that I dislike reading, I simply didn't really feel like it today.

I guess I'll go show Okaa-sama my magic practice. Thinking that, I went to her room.

My room is in the very middle of the 2nd floor.

Okaa-sama's room is across from the stairs, on the other side.

The room opposite mine is empty, and the one next to the stairs belongs to my brother.

Passing by it, I heard a voice from inside. Without thinking, I paused.

This resort is pretty standard, meaning that unlike our home, it's not fully soundproofed; yet despite that, it's not so cheap that normal voices could be heard from the hallway. For them to be audible, they must be speaking very loudly.

Not to mention that that voice just now, was Sakurai-san's? Instinctively, I pressed my ear to the door.

"How could you leave a terrible blow like this without treatment!" Sakurai-san was probably scolding my brother.

"It's nothing major. There is no compromising damage to the bone."

"Don't act as if everything's fine as long as nothing's broken! Doesn't it hurt!?"

"There is pain. However, it's nothing more than a penalty I have set upon myself." Pain?

Penalty?

—What are they talking about?

"Haa... you're always like this... Tatsuya-kun, I've already given up trying to correct that mentality of yours but...

At least let me heal you up with magic, so take off your clothes please." Always?

"There is no need. If it becomes a hindrance in combat, it will repair itself."

"...Tatsuya kun, even Guardians have a day to day life. Because we aren't merely fighting machines. Speaking of which, about that incident, it would have been better for you to simply wake Miyuki-san and leave. As Guardians, though we should respect our charge's will and freedom to the utmost, that's no reason to get into a fight just because you don't want to interfere with a nap."

...Eh? Me?

"I am regretful."

"Seriously, please think this incident over alright? Running is also a perfectly respectable tactic. Tatsuya-kun, you need to learn to be more flexible."

I didn't hear the sound of a sigh, but rather sensed that Sakurai-san had done so as she sagged her shoulders and prepared to leave.

In a hurry, as quietly as I could, I went back to my room.

◊ ◊ ◊

The cruiser Sakurai-san had prepared was a six-seater sailing ship with an electric motor attached.

The four of us along with the helmsman and his assistant filled the boat to full capacity.

I sat awaiting departure on seats arranged face to face. Directly across from me is Okaa-sama, and next to me is my brother.

Pretending to watch the sails being set up, I shot a glimpse at my brother's profile. He was intent upon their work, and didn't notice my gaze.

Ever since I had overheard their conversation, I couldn't help thinking about it. My brother is my escort.

Getting injured in the course of protecting me is to be expected. But up until now, I have rarely ever seen my brother injured. Direct confrontation like yesterday's are also rare.

Speaking of his injuries, they had all been from training.

Which was why I, despite being a successor candidate to the Yotsuba, had always naively assumed that there were very few humans who would be despicable enough to pick on us children.

Such a thing may be so in novels, but reality is different.

At Fumiya-kun's place, unlike the Yotsuba, Ojisama's work seemed to be more out of convenience.

The 'Guardian' attached to me is iconically associated with a successor candidate of the Yotsuba.

Therefore a part of me had always thought that for a child like my brother to be assigned as a Guardian had been for the sake of giving my magically-lacking brother a place in the Yotsuba. And another part has always felt guilty for doing so.

But from the conversation those two had earlier, injuries seem to be something par for the course.

"Miyuki-san, is something bothering you?"

"Ah, no, it's nothing."

At that unexpected voice, I turned around in a hurry. Not good, not good.

I made Okaa-sama worry.

"It's been a while since I've gone sailing..."

"Ah, that's right."

Pretending to watch the sails being set up seems to have worked out.

But that won't put them off indefinitely, and I decide to shelve my thoughts for now.

Just in time, it seems we're about to depart.

Despite the fact that we're not using the motor, we drew away from the pier at a greater speed than I expected.

I focused my thoughts on the flowing scenery.

In the face of a westerly wind, we were headed in a north-northwest direction.

Since I had assumed that in summer along Okinawa, a southeasterly wind should be blowing, I asked the captain about it, to which he replied that a low pressure area was approaching from the Eastern sea.

I was also told that it wouldn't grow into a typhoon, so I shouldn't be concerned.

I hadn't even been aware of that, so my worries did go up... but it's not like I've been at sea for any long period of time, so it's probably just a needless anxiety.

Although we were sailing towards Iejima, the point of the trip itself was sailing so we had planned to turn back halfway. With the current wind speed though, by the time we were halfway it'd be dusk already.

Sailing is more comfortable than I had anticipated.

It felt like my confused heart was being swept away by the wind. If I had known, I would have liked to leave earlier and go further.

I closed my eyes, and for a while simply listened to the sound of the wind in the sails.

If we can end the day like this, I should be able to sleep very comfortably tonight.

—Should, because I knew that this couldn't last.

Upon feeling a particularly sharp wind, I opened my eyes. Sakurai-san was looking sternly out to sea, or rather, glaring.

The words the assistant uttered as he desperately appealed into the radio — submarine? In this situation, I don't think it's the Navy. Could it possibly be foreign? These are Japanese territorial waters though. Don't tell me... an act of aggression!?

It wasn't only me starting to fret. As if the ship itself had pushed the panic button, the motor squeaked as it started up and the sails were stowed.

As the rudder swung round the cruiser tilted, and I grabbed on to the rail.

"Ojou-sama, please go to the front."

Although I knew this wasn't a good time, my brother calling me 'Ojou-sama' all of a sudden was a pretty big shock.

It's something that happens often, but to be called in such a way as if I were a stranger saddened me.

In response, my attitude unnecessarily hardened. "I know!"

With that utterly uncalled for and meaninglessly high pressured line, I complied and left my seat.

I observed the foaming sea.

Although my brother had his back to me and I couldn't see his face, I just knew what sort of eyes he was making just as sure as if I had taken his hand.

Neither glaring, nor staring.

—Simply expressionless and empty, those eyes of the void. Sakurai-san stood on the stern side, protecting Okaa-sama.

Okaa-sama is an exceptionally powerful magician, but her strength has been down because of it recently. The interactions between magic and the body is still not fully understood, but it is known that using powerful magic has a proportional strain on the body.

She mustn't be allowed to use magic.

Reaching that thought, I took my CAD out from my pouch in a hurry. Sakurai-san already had her CAD on standby.

And my brother was—empty handed, just standing there.

From behind our wake, two black shadows rapidly approached in our direction. Dolphins? Like hell they were!

I could identify those intuitively.

Torpedoes!? Without any warning whatsoever!?

As I was frozen, my brother standing in front of me made an inexplicable gesture. He raised his right hand out to sea, at those looming black shadows.

Without a CAD, you do know there's no meaning in making the motions right?

Even if only in the least, you're still a magician right!?

I was cursing inside. Not only irritation at my brother imitating the gestures without knowing their true purpose, but irritation at his powerlessness as well.

With those thoughts in my mind, I looked up at Sakurai-san. As Okaa-sama's Guardian, surely she would do something in place of my brother's uselessness, and berate him for his escapism.

But I was off.

Faster than Sakurai-san could activate anything, my brother, like a flash of thunder in the clouds, unleashed magic.

It was over so fast, I didn't even realize it was a sign magic had been invoked for a moment.

Both the torpedoes sank towards the bottom of the sea.

As they sank, the shadows expanded. The torpedoes had disintegrated?

Just what had this person done...?

Without a magical aid or anything...?

As doubt and denial warred in my mind, the magician inside me told me this phenomena was without a doubt caused by my brother, who had used an unbelievably advanced magic to interfere with the information structure of the torpedoes and achieve an extreme state of decomposition.

This person, who, apart from the ability to neutralize another's magic, should not have any magical ability himself, had...?

Could it be that I don't actually know the least bit about this brother of mine?

I didn't actually understand anything about him at all?

As Sakurai-san continued to work magic under the water, I simply stared at my brother's back, reverted to the child he seemingly appeared to be on the outside.