166 - Side Story - Leonardo's Perspective - My Little Sister 11
"Tina, let's make up."
After a night passed, I wanted to talk things over properly, so I knocked on Tina's room door. Knocking is important. In Tina's current room, it could mean life or death.
Last night, thinking it would be a bother if she was sleeping, I entered without knocking, was judged a suspicious person, and nearly got killed by the watchdog (Oscar). If I had been even a few seconds slower to think it was strange that the black dog was not on the bed when I looked, I think I would have died. The black dog aimed for the nape of my neck from behind with precision. I can only think that was absolutely serious.
...Huh?
The black dog who last night had tried to kill me without hesitation had its tail lowered in distress this morning as it snuggled up to Tina on the bed. It was a dog whose expressions were hard to read, but even I could tell its face now. It was the face of being completely at a loss and waiting for some human to come.
"Tina? It is morning, you know? Even if we are fighting, let us at least greet each other in the morning."
Thinking something was strange, I shook Tina's shoulder to wake her as she slept curled up. From Tina, I only heard a sluggish, muffled voice, with no words of protest or refusal.
"...Tina?"
This is definitely strange, I thought, peeling back the blanket to reveal Tina's head. Tina inside the blanket had a somewhat red face and was breathing painfully.
"You have a fever."
At her clearly unwell condition, I placed my hand on Tina's forehead to check her temperature. Even an amateur could tell it was a high fever, and I understood well why the black dog had been so completely at a loss.
"Is there something you need, some other person's big brother?"
Seemingly not bothering to hide her displeasure, Tina's attitude was wonderfully bad. During meals she sat using the bear plushie's belly as a backrest, but once Kalisa cleared the table, Tina hid behind the bear plushie as if to keep distance from me. Once it came to this, hidden by the plushie's enormity and the bed canopy, Tina was almost completely invisible.
...Jinbei is in the way. Who was it that bought such a huge stuffed animal?
Who, nothing. I was the one who bought this bear plushie. Perhaps intending to sleep in the plushie's shadow, Tina was desperately pulling the blanket in the shadow of the plushie's legs. Since she had a fever, I wanted to let Tina rest first. Thinking this, I reached out my arm to help her, but she threatened me not to interfere. As if incredibly in sync with each other, Oscar leaped onto the bed in time with Tina's threat and began threatening me too.
...That is one excellent watchdog, man.
Bertrand had lamented that the dog was not doing his job, but if he knew the actual situation, he would see Oscar was displaying an unparalleled level of excellent work. He acted according to the will of his charge, and moved to eliminate anyone judged an enemy (me).
"My head hurts, so I do not want to deal with some stranger. Please leave."
Using her body weight to pull the blanket, Tina fell backward with the momentum. There was a thud like she had hit something, but when I tried to lift myself up to help her, the black dog growled, so I could not even get close.
"...That is strange, is it not? If you were some other person, you should be on my side."
It was clear Tina was still holding onto yesterday's anger. Her choice of words held nothing but thorns, with no consideration or mercy.
"Who are you?"
When Tina finally showed me her face from the plushie's shadow, she stared at me with a genuinely puzzled expression. Her clear blue eyes were there, but her expression was completely blank. For Tina, it was not sarcasm or anything. I think she was truly asking "who are you."
"I am Tina's big brother, and I am on Tina's side."
"Liar."
For an instant, strength filled Tina's eyes. She glared at me as if to kill me on the spot, then immediately hid her face back into the plushie's shadow.
"...Tina, let us make up."
I tried talking to Tina hidden in the plushie's shadow, but there was no response from Tina. I called her name several times, but all were ignored. The black dog must have decided he did not need to deal with me anymore, as he circled around the bear plushie and moved to Tina's side. I could see Tina's hand occasionally stroking the black dog's back as he sat down beside her.
"Anyway, just listen to me."
I do not know how long I spent facing Tina in the plushie's shadow. Suddenly, only Tina's hand emerged from the shadow.
"...If you want me to think about whether I will listen, I demand a tribute that would make me want to."
Waving her hand, Tina started saying things like this. Siegwald had thoroughly scolded me, and said that if I came to apologize, I should at least have her listen. She was recalling that conversation now, and saying if I wanted her to listen, I should hand over a tribute worthy of making her feel that way.
Tina continued that this was solely out of respect for Siegwald's position, and that she herself had no desire to hear excuses from some strange man.
"Let me tell you, if you bring something like sweets or the same old stuff, I will throw you out."
Seeing that Tina's voice had regained some energy, I felt happy and relaxed my cheeks. When I asked what she wanted, there was a rustling from Tina in the plushie's shadow, and she slowly crawled across the bed. I thought she had finally shown me her face, but Tina raised her leg and kicked my body with weak strength.
"You idiot, Leo! You have not learned anything at all! You do not get it! Idiot, idiot, idiot!!"
There was no strength in it, and her body was light, so Tina's barefoot kicks did not hurt me at all. However, even I, often described as thick-headed, could tell I had only made her angrier.
"Think for yourself a little! You should know what your little sister wants, idiot!"
With a flop, as if reaching her physical limit, Tina collapsed onto the bed. As she stared up at the ceiling with tears gathering in her blue eyes and began to cry, the black dog, as if taking over, leaped at me from the plushie's shadow. Just like last night, aiming precisely for my Adam's apple.
At this rate, retreat was the only option. Against a trained dog, unarmed, the odds were too poor.
Thinking about what might improve Tina's mood, I went to the kitchen. Sometimes, as part of her being spoiled, Tina would say she wanted to eat the vegetable soup I made. Hoping this might improve her mood, as I was simmering some large-cut vegetables, Hermine appeared in the kitchen, which was extremely rare. I had heard that Hermine herself was good at cooking, but I had never once seen her cook since coming to the residence. That did not mean the claim she was good at cooking was a lie. It was simply that she did not encroach on Bart and Tabitha's territory. As proof of this, I had heard that when the two were busy and short-handed, she would sometimes help with the prep work.
"...Are you an idiot?"
Comparing the pot and my face, those were the first words out of Hermine's mouth. Since Tina said it was not sweets, I tried making vegetable soup, but was it still too simple?
"I believe Tina-san's 'not sweets' was meant as a hint from Tina-san to soothe her mood with something other than food."
Even though Tina had given me a hint despite her anger, Hermine's gaze was cold as I was making vegetable soup without having learned my lesson. She did not say it out loud, but I could keenly feel her thinking "this incompetent fool." Well said, that eyes speak as loudly as words.
"Ms. Hartmann, would you know what Tina wants?"
"Since Mr. Dupre, the elder brother, has received a failing grade, I do have an idea of what Tina-san is seeking."
"Could you not tell me?"
"I refuse."
If she told me herself, she would lose Tina's trust and incur her wrath in turn, Hermine answered. Certainly, for a riddle-like request from one's little sister, getting the correct answer with someone else's help would be disqualifying as a big brother.
"This is a good opportunity. Why not think carefully about Tina-san?"
"I thought I was thinking."
"That is merely 'thought you were,' I suppose."
When Hermine pointed out that I should have spent far more time with Tina than any tutor, yet asked what I had actually seen of Tina all this time, I had no rebuttal. In terms of duration, I should have been with Tina longer than anyone in the residence, but in terms of time, it was only since the end of autumn that we started being together. And even that was due to work circumstances, guarding the research materials of Saint Yuuta Hiraga, not the result of me trying to increase my time with Tina.
...Think about Tina, huh.
Staring at the contents of the pot simmering away, I thought about Tina anew.
When I think of Tina, above all, she is cute. Not just her appearance, but her obedient, affectionate personality is also cute. Despite that, she is shy around strangers, and often hides behind me in new places or in front of new people. At times like that, I feel relied upon as a big brother, and it makes me happy.
She is also a rational child for her age. It is rare for her to get angry and cry and scream like this time. The last time Tina got mad and swung around a cushion was when I scolded her regarding Kaya's behavior. Back then too, Tina insisted she was not at fault, and got angry at me for not listening. Not at Kaya, but at me.
...From back then, I was already an unreliable brother to Tina, was I not.
Come to think of it, since around then, I feel like Tina started relying on Alf whenever something happened. She would bring consultations to me too, but she must have been bringing the same consultations to Alf as well.
...Even though I was unreliable, she finally started acting spoiled with me as her big brother, and then I betrayed her.
Alf and the others' view was that I scolded her in the wrong order. Certainly, when explained with proper reasoning, it was understandable that Tina would be angry. Because of that, I also did wrong by Teo.
...A tribute other than food, huh.
Thinking of something that would make Tina happy, the first thing that came to mind was Aurelia. Tina was very attached to Aurelia. Aurelia was like a natural enemy to the Black Knights, but for Tina, it was probably different. Aurelia, who only speaks a language resembling English, and Tina should not be able to hold a proper conversation, but perhaps conversely, that was good for Tina. That old woman only speaks thorny, venomous words to those who can understand her, but there is no way that would work on Tina. Even Aurelia could not overcome an innocent child, it seemed, as she showed a gentle side only to Tina.
...Maybe I should invite Aurelia to live at the residence?
If that came to pass, it felt like Aurelia would be hitting me with her cane from morning till night, but Tina would be happy. She worried about the elderly Aurelia living alone in the valley. She has two disciples by her side now, but who knows how long that will last.
...What else.
She likes embroidery. She likes sweets too. She is happy when there is honey. She dances in front of pudding. She gives strange names to plushies and puppies, and tends to like cute things and pretty things.
...The hair ornaments I gave her are managed by Tabitha and Kalisa, but the ribbon Aurelia gave her, she manages herself, you know.
Then, remembering the lace ribbon hidden in the attic, I realized something. When Tina caught a cold in autumn, I took the key from her with a promise that she could use the attic room again in spring. I had deliberately been vague about it and had not returned the key even in spring, hoping she would use the third floor room instead of the attic.
...The attic key? What Tina wants, is that it?
Something other than food that I could prepare that Tina would definitely be happy about would be the key to the attic room. Once I thought of this possibility, nothing else came to mind.
...But it is the attic, you know? A servant's room.
That is hardly a room to let one's little sister live in. This was something I had been telling her ever since she wanted that room.
...No, Tina said I am not even her brother, did she not.
If she says I am not her big brother, then maybe letting Tina live in the attic is fine. Though Tina was not saying I am not her little sister. The accurate thing was that I was not recognized as a big brother by Tina.
"...Come to think of it, I have never once accommodated Tina."
Tina had always been the one to adjust to my convenience. Even when I was busy and could not attend to her, she did not complain, and when she was left alone in the residence she had just been brought to, she did not say anything. When I told her to attend Menhishumi Church, she endured it even with a brat there, and when I hired a tutor to teach her etiquette, she obeyed that too.
All of this was based on my assumptions about the education I thought Saromon would have given his daughter. I never confirmed Tina's convenience, nor her feelings, not a single thing.
The terrifying thing is, I only realized this now.
Time's up. Looks like it did not end today either.
I will fix typos and errors another day. Found typos, fixed them.