The Male Lead’s Younger Sister is Still Sad Today

Episode 26

Raiden opened his mouth.

“How about singing a song?”

The sound of fireworks was still loud. Since I had removed my hands from my ears, the sound was even louder than before. However, amidst the sound of fireworks, Raiden’s voice was clearer.

My ears still hurt, and a dreadful nightmare was still lingering in my mind. When the sky gets noisy, I would be irresistibly drawn into the nightmare.

But for some reason, today, it didn’t seem like I would have the nightmare again.

“Singing now?”

Raiden asked again as he looked at me staring blankly at him. Finally, I snapped out of it and nodded. Raiden straightened his waist, as if implying that I was too dull.

“Hold onto me again or something.”

I cautiously reached out and grabbed the hem of his shirt. The shirt was heavily wrinkled, showing how tightly I had held onto it earlier.

Raiden started walking.

As he walked, the side of Raiden’s face began to shimmer, much like his eyes earlier. I couldn’t take my eyes off him in that state.

* * *

Descending with Raiden, we quickly reached the foot of the mountain.

“How long are you going to hold onto me?”

Surprised by his words, I let go of his shirt. He brushed his hair that had fallen in the wind and asked me.

“Are you going back to the duke’s mansion right away?”

“Yes.”

In response to my words, Raiden nodded slightly. It meant that I could leave now.

“Well then, excuse me for now.”

Raiden’s car was parked on one side of the road. After a casual farewell, Raiden reached for the car door handle.

As I was about to return to the mansion, something suddenly came to my mind, and I quickly called out to Raiden.

“Um, Your Grace…!”

Without opening the car door, Raiden looked at me.

I bowed to him.

“Thank you so much for today.”

“…”

“I don’t know how to express this feeling…”

This was sincere.

At my words, Raiden paused for a moment. I bowed to him again and then took my leave.

The nightmares that haunted me were still there. In reality, I wasn’t okay yet.

The war had taken a lot from me, and the trauma persisted. Abel and I were still stuck in those times.

Friends who used to play with me in the courtyard, family members who shared stories during warm evening times—I still lingered in those times.

No matter how hard I tried to suppress them, memories would burst out at the sound of an airplane.

“But…”

Bang!

At that moment, a horn sounded.

Startled, I turned my head towards the source of the sound.

The one who honked the horn was Raiden.

“…Your Grace?”

Did he have something to ask me?

With a somewhat audacious expression, he opened his mouth.

“Get in.”

“…Yes?”

“Get in.”

Raiden lightly nodded towards the empty seat next to him.

* * *

“Wasn’t the festival supposed to end before midnight?”

Despite the time being well past midnight, the square was bustling with people.

Thanks to the warm-colored light bulbs strung across the stores, the atmosphere in the square looked much better than during the day. The gentle jazz music and the murmuring voices of people blended perfectly.

In front of the clock tower, people playing music filled the space, surrounded by others dancing to the rhythm of the music.

“Just because the fireworks are over doesn’t mean the festival is.”

Observing the laughter on people’s faces, I unconsciously glanced at Raiden’s face. Whether he felt my gaze or not, Raiden turned his head towards me.

“Why is that?”

“Just because. It’s nice to see everyone looking happy.”

“You cried so much earlier, but you have a good speed now.”

“Well, yes.”

I walked alongside Raiden, browsing through the shops. Perhaps because it was a festival, the items displayed by the merchants were all fascinating. It could be due to the festive atmosphere making everything seem exciting.

“One bottle of beer-.”

While I absentmindedly looked at interesting items, Raiden’s sole interest was in alcohol.

Instead of just ordering beer, Raiden glanced at me standing beside him. As I tilted my head while looking at him, Raiden corrected his order with the merchant.

“…Two bottles of beer, please.”

“It’s 5 Laphrine each.”

This was the moment.

“Your Grace, do you need any snacks?”

Of course, it wasn’t necessary to have snacks on such a night, but it might be nice to have some.

“…It’s better than having nothing.”

“Should I go get them?”

Even at a time like this, it’s about repaying the debt of the heart. I’ve received a lot from Raiden. It felt uncomfortable to leave things as they were, and I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep properly.

However, Raiden narrowed his eyes.

“What money do you have?”

“What are you talking about! Of course, I have money.”

I anxiously searched my pockets and pulled out some money, showing it to Raiden. Just in case, I brought this money, hoping it would be of help.

Seeing my cute little money on my palm, Raiden clicked his tongue.

“Is that money?”

“…”

W-well, compared to Raiden, I might be someone without much money…!

If this isn’t money, then what is it?

Afraid that Raiden might offer money, I hurriedly spoke up.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll go buy it right away!”

Among the various foods available during the festival, one of Raiden’s favorites was chicken dishes. He undoubtedly loved chicken dishes.

So, I searched for a shop that sold chicken. The roasted chicken with a yellow sauce made my mouth water just by looking at it.

‘By the way, Your Grace…’

I wandered around, looking for Raiden. He was sitting on a bench in front of the clock tower. His face, gazing at the clock tower, looked oddly tired.

Did I unconsciously stare at him? As I sipped his drink, Raiden’s gaze suddenly turned towards me, who was glancing at him.

The moment our eyes met, I quickly avoided his gaze. Feeling as if I had been caught secretly watching him, my face flushed a bit.

The shop owner, who had just finished packaging, smiled lightly at me.

“It’s originally 10 Laphrine, but it’s a good day, so I’ll give it to you for 9 Laphrine.”

“It’s a festival, so you should charge more, shouldn’t you?”

“Alright, the young lad is so handsome that I decided to charge him less.”

I handed her 10 Laphrine, but the shop owner refused my money. Then she smoothly changed the subject.

“By the way, young lad, um… you’re not a singer, are you?”

“Oh, someone like me can’t be a singer.”

She gestured towards me.

“There are many opera singers who have finished their performances passing by here. But your personality seems more charming than those people.”

Hearing compliments made me feel good.

Throughout my way to Raiden, it seemed like the corners of my mouth were curling up, and when Raiden, who was sitting on a bench drinking beer, saw my face, he paused.

“…Seeing you pouting like that, something must have happened.”

“Ah! That’s, well…”

As I explained what happened with the shop owner, Raiden looked at my face, his head cocked as if he didn’t understand.

It felt strangely awkward having Raiden’s eyes stare at my face so intently. Well, I am the younger sister of the protagonist, so I guess my appearance isn’t bad.

I’m fairly satisfied with my face. To be more honest, I really like my face.

I cleared my throat lightly.

“Well, still, doesn’t this look somewhat lively?”

“What?”

As Raiden heard my words, his face instantly turned sinister.

“It’s not just a lively face?”

Upon hearing that, I honestly felt a bit annoyed.

“I apologize, but I resemble my mother a lot.”

“It’s not just a resemblance, it’s charming. In this world these days, charm is more important than appearance.”

“…”

“Really.”

Emphasizing his words, Raiden handed me a bottled beer.

“Ah… yes.”

I replied hesitantly to his words as I accepted the beer.

Because I had gone to buy snacks, the beer wasn’t as cold, but since it was the first sip of a drink after crying for a while, it went down my throat smoothly.

“Why did you cry?”

However, to Raiden’s question that came right after, I choked on my beer. Fortunately, I didn’t spit it out, but I almost did.

“Cough, well, that is…”

“…”

Looking at Raiden’s ash-gray eyes staring at me, I finally opened my mouth.

“It’s because of the fireworks sounds… I have some unpleasant memories associated with that sound.”

As I said this, it seemed like quite an insignificant thing. Feeling a bit embarrassed, my face blushed slightly.

“Ahem, well, it’s because it’s…loud.”

“…True.”

Raiden, who stared at me, said it was loud.

“Yeah, that’s why I find it scary. Besides, I can’t avoid that sound even if I try to.”

I drank the beer in one go. Raiden Akarut was the second person to know that I’m scared of airplane sounds.

It was embarrassing to cry in front of him, shedding tears and running my nose. But apart from that, nothing changed. Raiden’s expression looking at me and his attitude towards me remained the same.

‘More than I thought… it’s all the same now.’

Even my mood at the moment was unchanged. Nothing had really changed.

“Well, it’s not like I particularly enjoy that either.”

“…You too, Lord?”

“I wouldn’t want human hands to reach as far as the sky.”

Raiden tilted his head towards the sky. Following his gaze, I looked up at the night sky.

The night sky was filled with stars, as if it could pour down on me at any moment.

Then Raiden placed his hand on the back of my head.

“Lor-Lord?”

Surprised and unable to hide my confusion, I called out to him, but without responding, Raiden continued to press on the back of my head. Because of this sudden action, I, who had bowed my head deeply, felt a bit awkward in this situation.

As I started to struggle with his sudden action, Raiden exerted more force on the hand that held my back of the head.

“Make a wish in your sleep.”

“A… wish?”

Suddenly, what’s with the wish?

“All I can do for you is find a damn shooting star.”

His tone was harsh, but the meaning behind his words was kind. It was amazing how fierceness and kindness coexisted in him.

I pondered for a moment about what wish to make. However, the contemplation was brief.

By the time I finished making a wish, I felt the pressure on my head from the hand gradually releasing. I cautiously raised my head.

During that time, my face felt a bit warm, perhaps because blood had rushed to my head. I cooled my reddened cheek with the back of my hand.

Raiden, taking a sip of beer, asked, “What wish did you make?”

“Tonight, I wished that Lord would have a happy dream.”

“What?”

Hearing my words, Raiden suddenly frowned.

“Such foolish-.”

“Thanks to you, Lord, today wasn’t a bad day. Of course, I should yield as much as a star to you, Lord.”

Smiling, I offered him the beer bottle. Gradually, Raiden’s eyes widened as he looked at me.