Diary of a crystalfly

Chapter 4. Little sister

"Big brother Albedo, big brother Albedo.."

Gentle rocking loosened my foothold and I slipped down his chest, awakening me with a thump. Klee was in her pyjamas, and messy strands of bedhair were poking out of her head. Wait Klee? What is she doing here?

"Big brother Albedo.." she calls again, nudging a little harder. Albedo grunts softly, turning his head to the side and wrinkling his nose before he eventually lifts his eyes, attempting to register the stranger in his room.

"Klee?" he whispers, rubbing a sleepy eye as he sat up, "Why are you here?"

Klee stared for a good moment, eyes big and curious, perhaps finding amusement in how the neat and sharp man from yesterday could also fall victim to morning bedheads and unfocused eyes.

"Klee's hungry," she simply declared, still staring at Albedo like he was some rare specimen of animal in a zoo.

"Oh," Albedo trailed his eyes around Klee, avoiding her direct gaze as much as he could, brows unable to hide his slight feelings of perplex, "Where's Alice?"

His answer was only a piece of note handed over by Klee, with it writing:

.

This is Alice! I'll be settling the logistics for your lab today, so please take care of Klee for the day ٩(＾◡＾)۶. Her to-dos are as follows:

-Tutor Klee for Math and Linguistics
-Entertain Klee for indoor playtime
-Bring Klee out to the Whispering Woods for outdoor playtime

Make sure she finishes her studies before playtime! Have a good day dear ♡＾▽＾♡

.

At the final heart-shape neatly drawn, I could see Albedo's lips press into a thin line. He folds the note into a perfect square before rising from his bed.

"Klee is hungry," Klee reminds, though I doubted Albedo would have forgotten. Albedo acknowledges with a brief glance at her direction,

"Go wash up first. I'll get ready quickly and make us some breakfast."

"Okay!" Klee offers a bright beam and scurries out.

.

"Big brother Albedo, big brother Albedo!"

Albedo had his hands full preparing Teyvat fried egg for breakfast, yet Klee was tugging at his coat relentlessly, demanding for absolute attention. It wasn't like Albedo was ignoring her, but rather she simply had no patience for him. Klee was the first human? child I have come across, so it was vastly interesting to see how they lacked patience, empathy and fear as opposed to their adult counterparts.

Albedo seemed a little stressed out by her incessant nudging, but kept his cool and told her blandly,

"Just Albedo-"

"Tie Klee's hair," she demands, presenting two red hair ties on an opened palm. And there it was: his lips pressed to a thin line again, but he ultimately complies. Albedo swiftly turns off the stove and plates the eggs into two portions, placing them on the dining table.

"Have your breakfast while I do your hair," he instructs almost mechanically.

Klee nodded once and plopped on her chair, wolfing down the eggs as Albedo kneeled down behind her. Albedo did not leave a portion for me, so I simply drifted to his portion to drink some yolk. He probably wouldn't notice anyway.

I watched him carefully, intricately part Klee's hair, and then neatly weave her pastel locks into pigtails. Observing him carry out such a mundane task with great care, I would not have believed that Albedo had seemed unwilling before.