A Quiet Night

The silence that followed my words was heavy.

Fujimoto kept his head down, his shoulders trembling slightly. The wind rattled against the windows, as if laughing along with me.

I crossed my arms.

"You're nothing but a crybaby," I said , with a crooked little smile.

— Sister… — Filna murmured softly.

She took a step forward.

"Please stop," he pleaded , in a calm but strained tone.

I ignored it.

"He needs to hear the truth. We lost a large part of our savings to save this idiot," I continued firmly.

He lifted his face slightly, confused.

— What? — he asked .

I sighed.

That's right. I gave almost all of my savings and Filna 's. "So that man doesn't take you away," I replied .

His gaze went completely blank. He lowered his head again, unable to answer anything.

"Great. Now, if this doesn't sink in, nothing will."

I turned my back.

I'm going upstairs to prepare the futon . " So that idiot can go to sleep," I said , starting to climb the stairs.

The footsteps echoed through the house… but when I got halfway there, I stopped.

I leaned against the railing, listening.

— Satoru … — I heard Filna 's soft voice from downstairs.

"Please don't be so upset about what my sister said," Filna continued.

"How could I not be?! You heard what she said!" he retorted immediately.

"Yes, I did say that."

— Yes… but listen to me for a moment too. — he said Filna .

You could imagine her demeanor: hands clasped, calm expression.

" Yumi can be tough sometimes. You might not know this yet, but she also suffered a lot of prejudice in the elven kingdom," he continued .

My fingers gripped the handrail without realizing it.

"In truth, her life was painful. She cut off her own ears in the name of peace. She never had friends among the elves . Even so, I never saw her cry. I never saw her give up… nor let herself be consumed by hatred," Filna continued.

“…Hey, Filna , don’t start making me too nice.”

Fujimoto remained silent for a few seconds.

" Yumi always tries to improve," she said.

"She dreams of a peaceful world. And, if necessary, she would give her life for it. I think… at some point, she simply got tired of crying… and decided to do something about it," Filna concluded.

I felt my chest tighten for a moment.

"...You understand me too well, little sister."

"Thank you, Filna ," Fujimoto 's voice came out low.

A small smile escaped her lips.

"I think I'd better call my sister to see if you're ready for bed," she said .

He interrupted her:

"Wait... can I ask you something first?" he asked. Fujimoto .

"Yes, you can. What is it?" she asked .

"Can I use my power to see your status?" he asked.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Then he's going to analyze Filna ..."

"Make yourself at home," my sister replied .

I closed my eyes for a moment, imagining the blue characters appearing before him. I already knew her numbers well, but still…

“Level 27… two active skills… you’ve really grown, Filna .”

Shortly after, I heard his voice, astonished.

"So you have two skills?!" he shouted. Fujimoto .

Filna chuckled softly.

"Are you surprised?" he asked .

The conversation continued, and I already knew the content: TELEPORTATION, JIKŪ IKAN, her explanation of "equal" and "identical," and the story of the moe exchange with him in the forest.

She smiled to herself.

"At least that idiot recognizes when he sees something amazing."

When I heard him praising her techniques, I lifted my back off the handrail.

"That's enough spying for today," I murmured .

I went up the rest of the stairs, went to the room and started organizing the futons .

A few minutes later.

— Fujimoto ! Come to bed already! — I yelled.

He went in, somewhat awkwardly.

I was standing with my arms crossed, leaning against the wall. I was wearing my workout clothes: a tight-fitting top and slightly short shorts.

His face turned red instantly.

"Why are you ... dressed like that?" he asked .

I rolled my eyes.

"Wow, you're really pathetic. The top is workout clothes. The shorts might be a little short, but look at you: you blush just looking at skin," I said .

"Stop teasing me," he grumbled .

I approached slowly, until his breath brushed against my neck. I lowered my lips close to his ear.

"Let's imagine the impossible..." I whispered.

"You and Koharu are starting to date. I bet, knowing how cowardly you are, you'd fail at the crucial moment. Ha... ha... ha!" I said sarcastically.

His face burst into red.

“…I hit the nail on the head.”

His eyes welled up with tears of anger, shame, everything at once.

I sighed, setting the teasing aside for a moment.

"But you know..." I lowered my voice slightly.

"Even though you're an idiot, you never leave someone in need without help. That's what my sister and I admire about you," I said, smiling.

He wiped his eyes with his fist.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked .

I crossed my arms.

"You can't lose the things that make people stay by your side. You just need to realize where you went wrong and try to improve," I replied .

He fell silent. I could almost physically see the gears finally turning in his head.

"So... why do you think Shana managed to trick you?" I asked .

"What do you mean?" he frowned.

I watched as he thought. His eyes darted to the floor, then to the side, as if he were reviewing scenes.

"Come on, Fujimoto . Think with your brain, not your heart."

"That story Shana told... it was strange. But why didn't the Observatory detect a lie?" Fujimoto murmured.

I didn't answer.

— …That's it. She was wearing long sleeves. The bracelets must have been hidden under the fabric. I was so worried about Koharu that I didn't even think about it… I didn't even check if she was wearing the bracelets. — Fujimoto spoke very quietly.

A slight smile escaped him.

"I understand..." he finished.

"If I had reasoned with my brain, and not with my heart... none of this would have happened," he continued.

"See?" I said . "You think clearly when you don't let your feelings control you."

He took a deep breath.

"By the way..." he began, trying to change the subject.

Koharu and I dating. Why did you say that?" Fujimoto asked curiously.

Smile.

"Ah! Because when I met Koharu at the hot springs, she told me you two were dating." I laughed .

" Huh ?! That's a lie!" he almost shouted.

I laughed out loud.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist the joke. But... I confess I ship you two," I said , laughing.

He looked embarrassed and averted his gaze.

After a few seconds, he cleared his throat.

"Hey, Yumi ... can I ask you something?" he asked.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Wait. Don't tell me you've activated pervert mode and are going to ask for something indecent," I said , deliberately serious.

"STOP! I just want to see your status!" he reacted immediately.

Laugh.

— Ah… so that was it! But I still think it's kind of perverted. — I said .

"You're kidding me, right?" he scoffed.

"Okay, you can see. Hehehe ," I agreed , taking a step back.

He closed his eyes, activating the Hidden Observatory.

I felt his mana move, analyzing my body, the numbers, the skill.

"So, Fujimoto ... now you understand why a clone of mine almost scared you to death in the dungeon ?"

When he opened his eyes, he was completely surprised.

"I was surprised... so your ability is to clone yourself," he murmured .

Smile.

"So, did you like what you saw?" I asked .

He seemed thoughtful, still processing the numbers.

"But why couldn't I see her status that day in the dungeon?" he muttered , more to himself.

I tilted my head.

" You're wondering why you didn't read my status that day, aren't you?" I said .

I crossed my arms.

— The Film She was with me, watching who came in. She saw you and Koharu . — You tried to read a clone. Clones probably aren't read accurately. — I explained .

He nodded, finally understanding.

"That makes sense... now I understand," he murmured .

That's when the door opened.

Filna entered, her expression grim.

" Yumi , you idiot, what kind of clothes are you wearing to sleep in?" he grumbled .

I pretended to be offended.

"What do you mean?" I asked , feigning innocence.

She sighed, then looked at Fujimoto .

" Fujimoto , I'll call you in two minutes. Can you leave me and 'Miss Heroine' alone?" he said .

He agreed and left.

As soon as the door closed, Filna stared at me.

"Wear something decent," he said . Filna brava.

I looked at the shorts.

"Isn't this decent?" I nudged the bar.

She took a deep breath.

"I'll count to three, or I'll get the frying pan. One... two..." said Filna .

I raised my hands.

— Okay , okay. — I gave in, changing into something longer.

"Better. I'll fix Fujimoto 's futon . Open the door and call him." She sighed.

Smile.

"Wait. Rock-paper-scissors . If I win, you sleep in just your shirt. If I lose, I clean the house and cook tomorrow," I said .

" Huh ? Deal. I'm going to win," she replied confidently.

"We'll see. Rock, paper , scissors !" we said together.

My hand on scissors. Hers on paper.

"I won!" I exclaimed in celebration .

Filna blushed, grumbling as she took off only her pants, leaving her in a long shirt.

"My sister... she still hasn't had big boobs or a big butt all these years, huh? Now..." I started teasing.

"Don't finish the sentence," she interrupted, her face burning.

Laugh.

"Okay. Get the futons ready , I'll call Fujimoto ," I said .

I went to the door, opened it, and called out:

"Hey, idiot. You can come in now," I called to him.

When he returned, three futons were lined up on the floor.

"Everything's ready. Let's go to sleep," Filna said seriously.

"Thank you," he replied.

I lay down on the middle futon , Filna on one side, Fujimoto on the other.

"Tomorrow my sister is going to introduce her boyfriend. Also, when he arrives, the four of us are going to discuss important matters," I commented proudly.

" Shouta ... just thinking about seeing you here warms my heart."

— Good evening. — he said Filna , turning off the flashlight.

— Good evening. — he replied. Fujimoto .

We remained silent for a few seconds.

I'll turn to the side.

— Yumi … Filna … thank you for today. — he murmured.

I felt my face getting hot.

"It's... it's nothing," I muttered .

"My sister and I have a little problem: if someone compliments us when we're going to bed, we feel the urge to go to the bathroom," Filna sighed and commented.

I sighed.

"We'll deal with that later. Right now we have a bigger problem," I said .

Filna and I looked at Fujimoto .

I smiled slightly.

Hey, Fujimoto . There's only one futon left , yours. So nobody sleeps on the floor… the three of us can sleep on it. You already know, right?

"Know what, exactly?" he swallowed hard.

Filna picked up the frying pan.

"If you try anything perverted while sleeping with us, you'll get a beating," he warned .

"You didn't even need to say it! I wouldn't do anything," he replied indignantly.

I pulled the blanket up to my neck, feeling the warmth on both sides.

I closed my eyes.

"Goodnight, you two idiots," I whispered .

And, for the first time in a long time, I fell asleep thinking that… maybe this world could still be saved.