All I Need Is My Sister

VI : Alleyway Incident

Even though the blood in her lower body was still slowly beginning to circulate at a healthy rate again, Nene was unsparingly hit with a wave of recollection as she set her eyes upon the street in front of her. No, she'd never been here before—but it reminded her of the places she used to wander around prior to her adoption, so much so that it was nostalgic.

The same muted colours of the street buildings, the same blinding white of the cobblestone path. The only thing that might've been different was the sky—in her memories it was always a cloudy grey. Today, it boasted a bright blue.

The chatter from the commoners walking around filled the atmosphere with a sense of cozy familiarity. It wasn't as if Nene had many permanent friendships when she was the type to roam around, but this aspect of commoner districts was always the same, and it always provided her some sort of comfort. Even now, having lived nearly half of her life now with luxurious accommodations in every aspect, she still felt at ease just watching regular people go about their days.

"Nene!" The sound of Aoi's voice came rushing towards Nene before she eventually felt her own arm being taken in hers.

She was about to greet her sister with the same emphatic tone, but immediately took note of her haggard appearance—not that that made her look any less dazzling. But, it was very clear that the ride in the carriage had taken a toll on her, as well.

"So how was your ride?" Aoi asked Nene, eyes wide with appeal.

Nene didn't sugarcoat it. "Awful."

"Me too!" She sunk a little deeper into Nene's grasp in exhaustion, probably with relief at being able to disclose her own feelings.

So even otherwise-flawless individuals weren't immune to the burdens of a peasant's lifestyle. If so, then why not Akane!? Nene looked up to evaluate Teru, who looked just as unfazed as Akane had been—in fact, he even seemed to be just as amused from sitting in a carriage with someone who wasn't nearly as unbothered as him.

"Well, it'll definitely get easier to handle on our second ride back home," Akane, who Nene had forgotten was beside her, comforted Aoi with sincere sympathy. His orange eyes were laced with concern as he asked her, "Are you feeling alright?"

"Aren't those the kinds of questions you should be directing to your own fiancee, Lord Aoi?" Teru intercepted as he walked towards the three of them. There was a placid smile on his face as he continued, "As for me, I've taken care of my own fiancée's needs throughout the ride."

Akane's jaw clenched as he narrowed his eyes. "...I was simply expressing my concern as her longtime friend."

"Well, aren't I Lady Aoi's longtime friend, as well?" Teru wondered innocently, his light tone deepening Akane's glower.

Aoi then turned to her sister, taking no note of the men's bickering. "The crowd is surprisingly filled today, isn't it, Nene?"

Nene, whose attention was brought back from the view of the streets in front of her, blinked before saying, "Ah, you're right. It's livelier than I'd assumed it'd be, as well. It's a little hard to tell where we should be going from here."

She wasn't too keen on the idea of squeezing through the crowd while trying to stick next to three other people as well as keeping an eye out on the signs of the storefronts—even picturing that made her just a little claustrophobic. Luckily, Aoi seemed to have the same concerns in mind as she mulled over the view in front of her.

"Hmm." She tilted her head. "The young gentleman told me the general direction of the jewelry shop, so perhaps I could go look for it on my own first..."

The two men had already stopped talking to each other by this point. Once Akane heard her quiet voice, his eyes immediately widened with startlement.

"A young gentleman?" he asked, squaring his shoulders.