"Are you awake, Yor?"

  Hearing Marcille's groggy voice almost sent Yuzuriha into full panic mode, but she bit her tongue and that spark of pain was enough to push back her voice. Even so, her panic flared up internally.

  'Oh my god, oh my god, did she hear me?!'

  'Freeze in place like a goddamn corpse! Maybe she'll think she was dreaming. That's a thing in this world, right?'

  Yuzuriha's brain fired off like a battalion of cannons, her thoughts crashing against each other in a frenzy of panic.

  She didn't respond to Marcille's initial question out of fear of what she might say and what might happen.

  And yes, her voice was fully operational. She didn't test it but she could feel it…somehow

  '...Of course it's a thing, don't be ridiculous! People hear stuff in their sleep all the time. It could be just a sleep mumble—'

  Suddenly, her internal ranting was interrupted by the arm draped over her stomach. It was subtle, but she felt it tense up a bit. And in the very next moment, the arm pulled her closer to Marcille until their bodies pressed together in a loose, sleepy embrace.

  'Eeeep!'

  Yuzuriha strained a scream.

  She held her breath and tensed her body. For a moment, she thought she was being attacked, but the soft warmth that enveloped her like she was being wrapped in sunlit cotton cooled down her nerves.

  The way Yuzuriha was so close to her, she could feel the plumb shape of her breasts, the melodic thumping of her heartbeat and her soft, heavy breathing.

  It wasn't frantic or even fully conscious…

  'Wh-what…Is she…sleep hugging me?'

  'Wait—this isn't so bad. Yeah. Yeah, this is fine. She's not trying to strangle me like last time. It's an improvement'

  A tense breath escaped her lips in the softest wheeze. It wasn't audible enough to wake anyone up, but even that let a wave of relief gently ripple through her chest.

  She didn't dare to move a single muscle, but still, she couldn't deny how Marcille's embrace was soothing her panic—slowly, like a tide.

  'This must be the work of magic!'

  After a moment of silence, Marcille finally spoke again. Her voice was drowsy which further confirmed Yuzuriha's suspicion of the girl still being asleep. Well sort of, she was slowly trying to wake up.

  If that's the case then that meant she must have woken up in the middle of the night.

  "Yor, I'm so sorry I hurt you. My exhaustion must have caused me to see things, but that's not an excuse to direct it toward you…Please, forgive you're idiot of a sister'

  She paused.

  "Mmm… I'm terribly unfair, you know…"

  Yuzuriha blinked.

  "Out of the three, I always give you my full attention. Willow was mad about it last night…kept saying it wasn't fair that she could not sleep with us…that it wasn't fair…"

  She let out a small, tired laugh.

  "When Leo tried to talk her down, she threw a pillow at him…But thank the Stars he got her to calm down somehow. He convinced her somehow about dignity and personal space, but I swear that kid's more of an old man than a boy…Honestly, he'd be more better suited as a diplomat than a chef…don't tell him I told you that though"

  Marcille gave a small, tired yawn. Yuzuriha could feel the heavy burden she carried from that simple gesture, but she could have been just imagining it.

  "All of this over a bed too small for three. It brought back memories, back when father was still here…"

  And just like that, Yuzuriha's interest was sparked. Hoping she would get into detail or tell her more…

  "Willow, she's worried about you too. Perhaps I ought to look into a larger bed, one we could all sleep together…someday"

  With that, Marcille's voice faded into the night. Her breathing once again came in slow and steady breaths, leaving Yuzuriha with a confused mind.

  'I…what do I even say to that…?'

  'Wait, wasn't I rude for ignoring her? No, no, no, after yesterday it couldn't be helped. At the very least, she's not suspicious of me anymore. Still, my heart's still doing backflips and what was she talking about, the part about our father?'

  Before Yuzuriha's mind could run into a frenzy again, she felt the warm embrace of Marcille snuggling around her even tighter. She almost yelped again, but she couldn't, not after everything Marcille told her.

  It felt nice, she no longer felt like she was balancing on the edge of a cliff. There was something oddly comforting about it all.

  It sure took her back, down the wholesome memories of her previous life.

  Yuzuriha smiled. Just the two of them, curled under thin sheets, one fully awake and the other dreaming with her arms wrapped around the girl she believed was her little sister.

  And for a moment, a fleeting moment, she let herself relax. Closing her eyes, returning into deep sleep.

  ****

  This time, there wasn't a doubt in her mind.

  The once quiet air now carried the faint hum of morning traffic and the distant muffled voices of people not only from the streets but also from inside the building as well.

  Yuzuriha could even feel the warm rays of sunlight brushing against her skin like a whisper. And of course, that sweet smell of porridge with cinnamon pulled her fully awake.

  Yep, these were clear signs that the world was rousing from sleep. It was morning and it was time to get busy!

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The date was Tuesday, 11th of Solnace, 849 P.E, early in the morning.

  'Huh, what does that mean?'

  Light footsteps kept shuffling past her, followed by the sounds of rustling fabric, a zipper being tugged, Leo grumbling something unintelligible and Willow giggling.

  The Drapes household was fully awake, everyone was going somewhere. The two were already preparing to head out to school. Yuzuriha couldn't see them but since she has experience, she could imagine how they must have looked.

  Perhaps they had matching uniforms, with Leo being the picture perfect gentleman and Willow on the other hand, likely had wild strands of hair fighting against her attempts to tie them up.

  To get a clear narrative, Yuzuriha tried to pull from her inherited memories of such mornings like these. There had to be something of them walking to school together or sharing groggy breakfast but there was nothing

  There wasn't a single recollection of school life with them.

  'That's strange. Does that mean we didn't attend the same school? Or…was Yor not going at all?'

  This world's education system must have been different, but that couldn't be right. A few moments ago, Marcille had helped her to get dressed, probably a uniform. Surely that meant she had somewhere to be, right?

  Still, no memories surfaced.

  Forgetting about that, they went to breakfast. They had a bowl of simple warm porridge. A dish she hadn't eaten in a long time. It tasted good but something else had drawn her attention.

  'So quiet'

  Compared to the lively dinner they had, the morning meal was strangely quiet. Neither of the two, Leo nor Willow spoke much beyond the occasional sigh or muttered complaint. And Marcille wasn't in the room with them, she was still preparing herself as well.

  The reason they are quiet could either be that or the looming weight of another school day.

  She understood that feeling quite well.

  It wasn't long before they had to leave. Willow almost forgot her backpack which earned her a scolding from Leo. As the kids jogged down the apartment stairs, Marcille and Yuzuriha stood beside each other as they waved them goodbye.

  "We should get going as well"

  Marcille turned with a tired sigh while dragging her by hand. They walked through the hallway of their apartment until they settled into one of the doors.

  As Marcille knocked three times, Yuzuriha caught a whiff of the scent wafting from the other side, it was floral but not artificial like perfume. It was faintly sweet and layered with something earthy, distant incense.

  The funny thing is, this wasn't the first time she smelled such a thing. It was somehow familiar in a way she couldn't explain.

  And then, the realization sparked in her mind.

  "Grace, are you in there?"

  Marcille said as she knocked on the wooden door three more times. The first time she did so nobody answered. Even with her heightened sense, Yuzuriha couldn't hear a thing on the other side, just the floral scent entering her nostrils.

  They waited a few more seconds before she tilted her head.

  "Uhm, is she not in today?"

  Marcille gave her a tired sigh.

  "Probably not. When she has one of her long nights, this sort of thing tends to happen. Come on, let's go inside. She told us we could just go in in times like this"

  Yuzuriha didn't know any of that, but nodded her head, nonetheless. Then, without hesitation, Marcille gently pushed the door open.

  As they entered, a soft sudden breeze slipped past them, carrying with it a wave of sensations that hit her all at once.

  "Ah?"

  She let out a surprised yelp, though not loud enough to draw attention from her doting older sister. If she was loud, she might have begun to panic or put her to sleep again.

  It didn't hurt when she did it, but it was still unsettling how she could do that with just her fingers. It was almost surreal.

  'Get a grip, I live in a world full of magic now. I should be used to these kinds of things, unless I want myself to stand out'

  Yuzuriha slapped herself on the cheek with both hands, putting her focus back on the apartment.

  Her hyper senses smelled the tang of ink on worn book covers, the rustling of pages turning somewhere, the hiss of steam from a boiling kettle and finally the carriage wheels creaking in the streets below.

  'The window must be open'

  Despite sensing all of these sensations at once, she didn't feel overwhelmed by them. In fact, they actually helped her to get a mental image of what the place might look like.

  "What a mess"

  Marcille's amused voice snapped Yuzuriha out of her concentration. This was accompanied by her reaching out and grabbing her hand.

  "Careful, step forward. There's a basket full of yarn right by the door and a stack of books, I think"

  As Marcille led her through the cluttered path of the apartment, Yuzuriha felt her shoes brush against the edge of something soft and unstable. Passing it, she was thankful that she didn't knock over whatever that was.

  A second after, the scent of old parchment and wild herbs clung to everything but it wasn't as great as that floral scent. It had cloaked the entire place.

  'There's no doubt by the time we leave here, we'll reek of it. Ah, well that doesn't matter. What matters is what we are doing here?'

  Yuzuriha knew for a fact that everyone in the Drapes family was going somewhere when she was getting ready in the morning. Leo and Willow had to go to school, whereas Marcille had to go to work.

  That left her then, since she wasn't going to school then what were they doing in the apartment of their neighbor from across the hall?

  As soon as she thought of that question, the answer became evident. Not because of past memories, but just common sense.

  The only reason Marcille was leaving her with an untidy woman was because…

  'She's leaving me with a babysitter!'

  At that moment, Yuzuriha felt conflicted. By counting her physical appearance and disability, a babysitter is an appropriate option. But her 30 year old mentality waved against it.

  She was a grown woman who didn't need a babysitter to watch over her. She was once the CEO of a multi million yen corporation. She was pretty capable by herself!

  'Keyword being 'was', ahww'

  Yuzuriha pouted at the realization. She didn't really have much of a choice of her own anymore, especially not in a new world where she had little to no information on.

  She gave in to obedience as Marcille began to speak.

  "Aunt Grace won't be back for a while. She probably found something new to fixate on in the library again"

  Yuzuriha sank carefully onto the cushions of a couch Marcille led her to. Her fingers traced the texture of the worn fabric and scattered throw pillows.

  "Yor, if you get hungry, there's bread in the kitchen, the middle shelf. And you can mix that with jam, the one in the ceramic jar. Oh, if Leo comes by, tell him not to cook until supper. I left that note last time and he ignored it. I'm hoping if it's coming from you, he'll listen

  If he does ignore you too, I left some duck meat inside the icebox. You can tell him to get creative with it"

  Yuzuriha nodded, unsure as to how a blind little girl was supposed to make food for herself in this strange house, but she nodded still…

  "Got it. Bread and jam. Duck meat for dinner, uh…supper"

  With that, Marcille gave her hand a squeeze before letting go.

  "Well close enough. I'll be back later. If you want to go to the bathroom. Careful not to trip over anything, please. And tell Grace I said hi for me—"

  "—What's the rush? You can tell her that yourself"

  The voice that came from behind Marcille was so low, smooth and sudden that it even caught Yuzuriha off guard. What it said didn't sound like a threat, but its unexpectedness made the air tighten like a drawn bowstring.

  Like a predator constantly in a state to pounce, Marcille's body coiled with instinct. Without warning, there was a wide arc gap in the dense floral scent that cloaked the apartment like mist.

  Through that alone, Yuzuriha could imagine that she must have lunged a slicing attack with blistering speed. The strike had cleaved the air with a whistle but there was no point of impact…in other words, it hit nothing.

  The strike passed cleanly through the space without resistance.

  "Wow…"

  She couldn't tell if that was a kick or punch but before she could revel in how amazing that was, Marcille had already stepped in front of her. She could feel her body blocking the path between the mysterious voice and the blind girl behind her.

  "Yor, stay behind me"

  Marcille's tone sounded serious, even the air felt charged, however…

  …the voice returned, but this time it was high pitched, with a lifting playfulness that broke the tension like a snapped string.

  "Marci, Marci, calm down! You're going to break my teacups again!"

  It was the voice of a woman, as in who it belonged to, Yuzuriha didn't need to confirm it.

  "...Grace?"

  A sharp clatter came from the far side of the room which was followed by the shuffle of hurried footsteps, then a loud clink as something metallic hit the floor.

  "Oh, Stars, that was the lid to the experimental formula. Marci, do you remember that thing I told you about? The new potion my husband's working on? Its function is supposed to nullify all acoustics—sounds, I mean. He's been experimenting with a compound that coats surfaces and scrambles the acoustic feedback, but apparently it's too glitchy right now. It even blocked my voice in the hallway. I think that's why you didn't hear me coming in"

  She took a breath then closed it with.

  "That said. Good morning you two!"