Sepakai (GXG) (GIRLXGIRL) (GL)

63

Chapter 7
Section 14: Envisioned Path
“Oh my, welcome home. You’ve been going out a lot recently.”

Mom’s voice rose to greet me as I walked into the living room through the back door. She was in her usual apron and was busy preparing supper like she always is at this time of the evening.

“Yeah, a bit…….now and then.”

“Sarah was complaining you know? Talking about how her Onee-chan wasn’t helping with the store at all.”

“Ah, right……I’ll apologize later.”

Now that I think about it, when I was leaving this morning I did promise to explain things to Sarah when I got back. But how do I explain this? I still haven’t sorted out what I should tell her or how much.

“Oh, where’s Saluena-san? Didn’t you two leave together?”

Mom propped herself up on her tiptoes and peered behind me when she noticed someone was missing.

“Saluena said she had some business to take care of, so she left after walking me home.”

“Oh, I see. I was thinking about cooking whatever she wanted for supper tonight. I suppose you’ll have to do. What would you like me to make tonight?”

Honestly I don’t have an appetite. But in order to not raise any suspicions, I forced a smile and told her stew.

“Okay, that sounds good. It might be getting warmer out, but a good stew will taste delicious with how cold it’s still getting at night.”

Satisfied with my answer, my mom left me and headed over to the kitchen in a good mood.

I moved my hand up to my face to make sure I had actually managed to pull off a smile.

“……I……was relieved, back then……..”

Saluena never said anything after that. Looking at me, she gave my head a small pat.

It always feels like Saluena is holding herself back when she touches me, as if she were handling a fragile doll, but this time her hand was heavier, messier. She then turned on her heels, and after mumbling something along the lines of, “I’ll be right back,” she walked back towards a city died red from the setting sun………never turning back.

“……..I’m alone”

How many days has it been since I’ve been able to say that? Saluena has been acting as my shadow since the day I formally met her, and so with her gone, I’m now all alone. A silence I had grown accustomed to working my whole life in a bookstore now wrapped itself around me once again.

“……”

I left the living room and made my way over to the store. That was where I found Sarah. There were no other customers here at this time of night, so my little sister was reading a book at the counter just as I had always done in her position.

“Welcome home Onee-chan.”

Hearing me coming from my footsteps, she raised her head. Meeting my gaze she showed her pearly white teeth in a large smile.

“Yeah…….I’m home.”

Moving around the counter, I took a seat right next to her.

Click, Click, Click…….the ticking of each second passing filled the room from the clock hanging on our wall. For a short moment, us sisters shared that time together, but then my little sister abruptly shut her book and shattered that silence.

“…….a sister came by today. She said she was looking for you, so I told her you had run over to the guild. Did I do good?”

“Yeah, good, great job.”