“Pfft! Clearly, I’m the hero here! If anyone’s pretty, it’s you!”
Helos rolled her eyes at those words, her face full of disdain. “Did you see what a mess you were yesterday? If it weren’t for me, you’d have been finished right there!”
“Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right.”
Julius responded perfunctorily, then simply sat down not far from her, leaning against the big tree, his gaze settling on the girl’s face.
“But yesterday, the atmosphere between you and Miss Eleanor felt kind of strange, didn’t it?”
“H-huh, did it?”
Helos scratched her head nervously, her eyes unconsciously drifting away.
“It was obvious.”
Julius nodded, speaking seriously. “Usually, when you talk about the young lady, you’re always casual. But when you actually meet, why do you turn out like this?”
“Uh, well…”
Helos fiddled with her fingers, muttering quietly, her tone a bit hesitant. “It’s not that big a deal… It’s just, I really don’t know how to get along with little kids, that’s all.”
She paused, her voice growing much softer. “What if I end up hurting her again?”
Then she simply turned her head, pretending not to care at all:
“So I just shut my mouth and do nothing. If I don’t do anything, I can’t make a mistake, right?”
“You’re a kid yourself…”
Julius looked at her helplessly.
Although this girl really didn’t act like a child sometimes—neither she nor Eleanor; both seemed more mature than their peers.
But in the end, they were still kids.
Helos stuck out her tongue, her face saying “mind your own business.”
Julius couldn’t help but sigh.
“And besides, sometimes if you don’t do anything, you’ll just make an even bigger mess.”
He paused, a wry smile appearing on his face. “Your sister is practically shutting herself off these days.”
“Huh? Why?”
“She thinks you’re always holding a grudge against her.”
Julius said softly.
“Grudge? About what?”
Helos looked completely bewildered.
“Didn’t she push you into the pond back then? She’s still feeling guilty about it.”
“Oh—you mean that?”
Helos suddenly understood, then waved her hand. “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would’ve almost forgotten.”
“Kids get emotional, it’s normal.”
“Huh?”
Julius blinked, staring at the unconcerned Helos. “So you really don’t care at all?”
“It’s not like I don’t care, but…”
Helos tilted her head, thinking for a moment before shrugging. “But for me, it’s not a big enough deal to affect my mood.”
Julius frowned, unable to resist asking:
“Then why have you been sneaky about everything since then?”
“Because I’ve always been the kind of person people dislike.”
“They say all kinds of things about me behind my back.”
She spread her hands, wearing a look of “isn’t it obvious.” “So I just figured, if I get things done in secret, won’t that save a lot of trouble?”
As soon as she finished, Julius’s frown deepened visibly.
“So, in other words, you just think dealing with people is too troublesome?”
“Hmm—you could put it that way.”
Helos tilted her head in thought, then added with a bright smile, “That’s about right, isn’t it?”
“I suddenly feel kind of sorry for Miss Eleanor.”
Julius raised his hand to cover his face, his voice muffled behind his palm. “It’s like she’s been struggling with herself all this time, only to realize the problem was on the outside all along.”
“Oh? You can say stuff like that now?”
Helos squinted, the corners of her lips curling into a mischievous smile. “Looks like you’ve grown quite a bit~”
“That’s all your fault for being such a good teacher.”
Julius shook his head helplessly and sighed. “Next time, could you not make it so dramatic? You had me thinking there was some huge secret between you two.”
“I’ll try to be more careful next time?”
Helos blinked innocently.
“There’s going to be a next time?!”
The vein on Julius’s forehead twitched; he almost laughed in exasperation. “You’d better find some time to have a proper talk with Miss Eleanor. To be honest, she was the one who sent me to help you.”
The boy paused for a moment and then sighed:
“She was worried you’d shut yourself off, but now it looks like she’s the one more likely to do that.”
“Is it that serious?”
Helos was stunned, her face showing a bit of surprise.
She’d been avoiding Eleanor on purpose, sure, but only because “out of sight, out of mind.” She never thought her own sister would get hurt to that extent.
Helos fell silent for a moment, her eyes flickering slightly, but in the end, she nodded:
“Alright, since you’ve spelled it out this far… if I just keep acting like nothing’s wrong, that would be too heartless.”
“I’ll find a chance to have a proper talk with her.”
“Yeah, that’s the way.”
Julius nodded with satisfaction, but just as he was about to continue, Helos cut in, interrupting him:
“So, since I’m giving you this much face, can you agree to one thing for me?”
“What thing?”
“Promise me first.”
“…Fine, I promise.”
“Really? If you lie, you’re a puppy.”
“Mm.”
“If I go talk to my sister properly, you have to take me to hunt magical beasts, deal?”
“What kind of face is that?”
“Sweating.”
***
A few days later.
Under Julius’s arrangements, Eleanor arrived as promised.
She brought no attendants, walking alone along the stone path in the courtyard to the outside of the workshop.
The area around Helos’s workshop was much quieter than inside the estate—unless there was an explosion.
The old wooden door was half open, as if it had long been ready to welcome them.
Julius stood at the door and nodded at her, then pushed the wooden door open.
The workshop was a bit dim inside, shelves lined with bottles and jars, the mixed scent of various potions hanging in the air.
Helos stood with her back to the door, head down, fiddling with a potion in her hands.
Hearing footsteps, she stopped and slowly turned around.
She wasn’t wearing her mask, nor her cloak; she looked the same as she did on any other day.
When she saw who it was, her gaze froze, her fingers unconsciously tightening for a moment.
The air suddenly grew still.
Eleanor looked quietly at her, blue eyes holding restraint and barely concealed emotion.
She took a deep breath, as if gathering the words pressing on her heart.
“Sister…”
Helos stared blankly at her elder sister standing in the doorway, the potion in her hand accidentally bumping into the table with a crisp sound.
She quickly set it down, trying to act casual as she brushed the dust from her hands.
“If you’re here to scold me, just skip it, alright?”
Helos scratched her head, trying to change the subject. “I’ve been working really hard on my research lately, you know? Instead of watching me, why not go after those remnants of the Abyss Cult—”
“Helos!”
Eleanor suddenly raised her voice.
The young lady’s eyes never left Helos’s face, as if she wanted to see through that stiff smile to what lay inside.
“There are some things I have to say to you myself.”
Hope they can make up.