Goodbye, My Dear Planet

After thinking for a while about what might have happened that had given him a day off, Rurouni finally sighed.

"...Who cares?"

"I needed a day off very badly, and I got what I wanted."

"So what else is there to discuss?"

A smile slowly spread across his face.

Not the polite smile he'd been forcing since yesterday.

Not the tired smile he'd worn at breakfast.

A genuine one.

Small at first...

Then impossible to hide.

"Today's actually my lucky day."

"Maybe today..."

"I'll finally stop thinking about that nightmare."

He leaned back against the headboard.

A long sigh escaped his lips.

"No classes..."

"No pretending I'm awake..."

"No surviving six periods..."

Then a quiet laugh.

"Guess the universe finally decided to give me a break."

He unlocked his phone again.

Then opened the trio's group chat.

Without thinking too much...

He typed.

Rurouni:
Today's my lucky day.

Only a few seconds passed.

A notification appeared.

Kara:
Yeah. I told my mom, and she called the principal to cancel school today.

Almost immediately...

Another message appeared.

Katon:
Of course. That's the normal sequence of events.

Rurouni chuckled out.

"Yep."

"These two are definitely themselves."

He tossed the phone onto the bed.

Then stretched both arms overhead until his back gave a satisfying pop.

"A whole day off..."

"Maybe..."

"Today's really going to be awesome."

Just then...

A familiar voice came from behind him.

"Oh?"

"Looks like you're feeling better."

Before Rurouni could react...

Somya placed a hand against his forehead.

"Good."

"No fever."

Then she gently grabbed his right ear.

"Do you have any idea how worried you made your onee-chan?"

"I even bought all your favorite snacks, hoping you'd recover."

You're one of the reasons I got sick, by the way.

Rurouni glanced toward his desk.

Chocolate biscuits.

Soft drinks.

Cake.

Everything had been neatly arranged.

Did she forget that I could barely afford a single novel even if I saved money for an entire month?

He looked back at her, awkwardly.

"Onee-chan..."

"You know we're poor, right?"

Somya tugged his ear again.

"The only poor person here is you."

"Did you forget that I have a job too?"

She folded her arms proudly.

"The day you see my company and my office..."

"You'll follow every command I give you like a good little puppy."

Rurouni couldn't help laughing.

"Yeah, yeah..."

Then he smiled warmly.

"Thanks, Onee-chan."

Her expression instantly softened.

She cupped both his cheeks as though he were still five years old.

"Aww..."

"Look at you."

"My good little brother actually said 'Thank you'."

Then she leaned closer and whispered into his ear.

"So..."

"Did a girlfriend from your dream reject you yesterday?"

Rurouni let out a helpless sigh.

No, she didn't reject me.

She just killed me, that's all.

Strangely...

For the first time...

He didn't feel nervous about her teasing.

After thinking for a moment...

A small smile appeared on his face.

"...In a way..."

"...You're not wrong."

He thought about the pleasant dreams he'd had before.

If those dreams counted as his "girlfriends"...

Then perhaps...

They really had rejected him.

For five long seconds...

Neither of them spoke.

Then—

They both burst into laughter.

The laughter continued for several minutes.

This time...

Rurouni's smile was completely genuine.

Outside...

The morning breeze gently stirred the curtains.

Warm sunlight continued to fill the room.

For the first time since the nightmare...

The weight pressing against his chest felt just a little lighter.

Rurouni happily sat beside Somya, enjoying the chocolate biscuits and drinks she'd bought for him.

Seeing him so relaxed...

Somya gently patted his head.

"You know..."

"When you were nine years old, you were the most innocent little kid I've ever seen."

Rurouni paused mid-bite.

"...Really?"

He looked genuinely confused.

"To be honest..."

"...I don't remember much about what I was like back then."

Somya sighed with a smile.

"Of course you don't remember."

"You didn't even know what a fantasy novel was back then, nerdy little brother."

Rurouni ate his last biscuit.

"...Well..."

"...Who cares about that now?"

"It's not like I committed some crime back then."

Somya immediately corrected him.

"No."

"You spent the entire day chasing me around, asking me to play with you."

"You even bit me."

"Then blamed me for things you did."

"And whenever you thought you were about to get punished..."

She smiled while remembering.

"...You'd act cute to escape."

Rurouni nodded while eating.

"...Yes, yes."

"You're absolutely right."

His tone made it obvious that he didn't believe a word she was saying.

Somya simply smiled.

Then...

Her eyes wandered toward something beside Rurouni.

His school bag.

Her hand moved.

Rurouni's eyes widened, on guard.

"...!"

He immediately reached for it.

"Wait, Onee-chan!"

Too late.

Somya casually grabbed the bag with one hand.

Rurouni tried to pull it back.

He lost miserably.

With her left hand.

While barely paying attention.

Rurouni froze, his remaining dignity quietly left his body.

Yep.

I'm literally weaker than my own sister.

Somya opened the bag.

She looked inside.

Then...

Her eyes landed on a particular sheet of paper.

A science test.

Rurouni's expression changed instantly.

A nervous smile appeared on his face.

Why?

Of all the things inside my bag...

Why did it have to be that?

And why did it have to be in her hand?!

Somya slowly looked at him.

An evil smile appeared on her face.

"Awww..."

"My little baby brother has been so busy with fantasy novels..."

"...girlfriends at school..."

"...and girlfriends in his dreams..."

She held up the test.

"...that he forgot he actually goes to school to study."

Rurouni's smile became increasingly desperate.

Somya leaned closer, asked politely.

"Do you have anything to say?"

After what happened just now.

Rurouni knew one thing...

His dark future is still dark.

Yup.

I'm dead now.

Goodbye, my dear planet.