Chapter 51 - We, Six Years Later [1]
"Hey, Aria..."
"Hmm? Anything wrong?"
"...Nevermind, it's nothing."
"...?" I tilted my head, wondering what was bothering her.
...
...
...
"Do you really not feel uncomfortable?" Camellia asked, glancing to her left and right.
"Not really. I'm used to this by now," I scoffed, ignoring the stares directed at me.
A few hours had passed since we won the case.
We sat down at a nearby café, enjoying the afterglow of our victory.
I thought there would be more to do afterward, but Orion stopped Camellia and me, taking care of everything else himself since we had done the heavy lifting.
I made many enemies after my bold display of confidence, but I didn't really care that much. I think it's better to assert that I wasn't a pushover than to imply that I was.
"Huh? What do you mean by that, Aria?"
"Yeah, I'm... oh, oops. Forget what I said."
—Slurp...!
"Mmm~" I swung my legs around, shaking my head to move past that topic, and happily enjoyed the milk tea Camellia had bought for me, savouring its sweet, delightful taste.
I hadn't been fond of sweet things when I was a guy, but this was even more delicious than I had expected.
I might just become addicted to it.
"You never cease to amaze me, don't you?"
"That's me."
With my half-baked answer, Camellia shot me a cold glare.
Not that I regretted it in the slightest—no, no, I had a lot of fun teasing Vincent.
Camellia didn't mind either... there was something else that worried her.
I was acting normal, drinking my milk tea without a single damn, but everyone was staring at us, baffled that we were casually eating after the mess I created.
No one approached us, likely because they recalled Camellia's and my defiant actions.
Though I remained nonchalant, Camellia felt otherwise—not because of them, but because I said I was used to this scrutiny.
"Hey, Aria?" she finally asked.
"Yeah?" I was ready to answer her question.
"How did you know? About my big brother and my true identity?" She twirled her straw nervously.
"Hmm, let's say I met him before I met you. As you said, we all have our secrets, you know?"
I smirked and made an elaborate excuse while eyeing her milk tea.
"And regarding you... I think I expected something like this one way or another."
"If that's the case, then what are you to big brother Kuro? Do you know what happened to him?" She looked at me with deep concern.
"...Hmm." I took a moment to think.
The person she wanted to meet and apologize for everything she had done...
—He's right in front of you, you know.
"Uh, let's just say he was someone precious to me as well." I scratched my head, struggling to define my relationship with... myself.
As if hit with a whiplash, Camellia looked at me, as if everything suddenly made sense.
But she made the worst assumption possible.
"Are you his... lover?" She gulped.
"—No. Please never say that again." I retorted vehemently, unable to fathom such an idea.
That was definitely something I had never thought of myself.
"We're... we're cousins! Yeah!" I nodded vigorously, flaunting my shoulders.
"Hmm." She looked at me intently, actually convinced that this was the case.
"You two are definitely alike, that's for sure, haha..." She fiddled with her hands, seeming uneasy about something.
She hadn't even touched her milk tea, which felt like a waste.
"Sigh... if you're not going to drink it, just give it to me."
—Fwip!
"H-Hey!" She exclaimed as I took the milk tea from her.
Without thinking too much about it, I drank her milk tea, which she had bought in taro flavour—the one I was planning to try.
—Slurp...!
"Mmm~! This one is good too! I should get this next time I come here."
"That's... that's mine..." She sulked, not showing her usual cheerful demeanour.
"Ugh." Seeing her mope like that was starting to irritate me.
"Hey, Camila... no, you're Camellia now. Why are you acting like this when we've just won?" I clicked my tongue, confused by her behaviour.
"After realizing who I am... do you not hate me now?" She clenched her fists, struggling to find her words.
"...What?" I tilted my head in confusion.
Camellia looked at me with a sad expression, regretting her past actions.
"The things I've done to Kuro... everything. It was all my fault."
"..."
"And even then, I really thought I could help you. But I felt so useless... I was saved by you not once, not twice, but three times."
I remembered those moments clearly:
Protecting her against the Eldians when her collar rang,
Escaping Arcadia successfully with our combined efforts,
Then, saving Camellia's reputation when Vincent cornered her.
It was no surprise she felt demotivated, considering I always seemed to be there to save her at the last moment.
"I couldn't do anything but helplessly watch you always fight for me... I'm sorry." She rubbed her elbow in shame, sinking deeper into despair.
...Does she not realize who she is speaking to right now?
The sister I had despised the most—the one I wished the heavens would smite—was apologizing right in front of me.
All I could feel in this moment was admiration and happiness at seeing her change.
"Pfft... hahaha!" I laughed, amused by how direct she was.
Camellia looked at me in silence, allowing me to laugh at her as if she deserved it.
I could also sense the glares from others, as if they believed I was truly scum.
There wasn't any grand reason behind my decision to protect her; it was simple. It wasn't for the greater good...
—It was because she was my little sister.
"You're so cute, Camellia." I smirked and gently patted her head.
"W-What...?" She gasped, clearly confused by my sudden gesture.
"Hehe, this is what Kuro Historia would have done if he were to see you now." I boldly claimed, smiling brightly.
Her eyes widened, as if my statement had taken her by surprise.
I felt proud of her for how dramatically she had changed into a better person.
"N-No... he won't—"
"No, I'm sure he will."
"..."
"Who do you think grabbed the runes, saved me from that Ashen Witch's wrath, and survived that wretched hellhole we were trapped in until you found me?"
I remembered the cabin where she had lived for two years, a shack devoid of human presence, where she had been forced to live alone in eternal fear and isolation.
Yet, despite that dreadful environment, she refused to give up.
This Camellia is the one I knew when we were young, back when our relationship was like that of typical siblings.
"Camellia, I'm so proud of you," I said, gently caressing her head and finding her little tantrums endearing.
She remained silent, allowing me to stroke her hair as she fought to hold back her tears.
Although we were meant to have a joyful reunion after escaping Arcadia, troubles met us the moment we woke up, but eventually, we found our happy ending.
...
...
...
"Heeey~, are you two finished?" A person chimed in. It was a voice that sounded familiar.
"W-WAAAH!!!" Camellia shrieked, recoiling from her chair as she came back to her senses.
"Oh, it's you." I looked at her and waved my hand, unfazed.
"—The quack doctor."
"You really have no shame, do you?"
"Tell that to yourself, who smoked a cigarette in my room while I was injured."
When the quack doctor arrived, people quickly grew flustered, witnessing something they weren't supposed to see.
Now that things were back to normal, the atmosphere returned to its usual state—just a little more awkward.
What? I'm just treating her like a little sister, that's all.
"..." The green-haired nurse looked at me with pity.
"What?"
"Nothing, I just feel bad, that's all."
"Feel bad for what?"
"Don't worry about it."
—Creak...!
Without even greeting us, the quack doctor sat down beside us, resting her hands under her chin, eager to watch.
Even though Camellia and I were sharing a beautiful moment, she had to come and ruin it. Tsk tsk.
"What are you doing?" I asked her.
"Keep going."
"N-No!!! Who even are you, anyway?!"
Camellia finally came back to her senses after the steam that came from her head was gone.
"Ah, there's the Camellia I know."
"Indeed."
"Hmm? You know Camellia as well? Miss Quack."
"My name is not Miss Quack, Aria."
"Then tell me your name, Miss Quack."
After considering it, the quack doctor thought deeply and reached a sincere conclusion:
"Later."
"See, there you have it."
"Hey... you two...!"
—Grip...!
Suddenly, Camellia's eyes narrowed, and the table began to creak under her grip.
Unable to hold it back any longer, the table began to crack under Camellia's sheer strength as we both teased her.
"If you're going to make fun of me like this... then I'm going to...!"
"Camellia," the quack doctor said, looking at her with a serious expression. "I came here to talk about the case and relay information."
The two of us exchanged confused glances, unsure of what she meant.
"Huh...? Camellia was now on guard, suspicious that she had gone to our table on a sudden notice.
I was just as puzzled. How had she even found us in the first place?
"You were wondering why I haven't revealed who I am, right?"
—Flick!
Without warning, everything around us fell silent, as if no one else existed.
It wasn’t that she had made everything quiet... it was something deeper, an ability that transcended mere words.
We weren't in the café anymore.
"Where the hell did you take us?!" I exclaimed, looking around in bewilderment.
"We're at my office, of course." She sat down at a desk cluttered with papers.
It was an extravagant office, filled with classified documents that were not known to the public.
We were high up in the sky, and I could see everything from this vantage point.
She could be a standard office worker, but something felt off about her confident and eccentric abilities and personality.
Could it be...?
"What, did you really think I worked in an abandoned hospital?"
"Yeah, it really suits someone as gloomy as you."
"That’s not the question you should be asking right now."
Before our argument escalated, Camellia spoke first, visibly surprised.
"You're a Grand Council Member...?"
Gone were the clothes she wore as a doctor; instead, she was dressed in more professional attire, which took me by surprise.
The office outfit was adorned with various ornaments and decorations, making her appear even more authoritative.
The quack doctor who had smoked in my room was actually a high-ranking government official?
"I don't believe it." I shook my head, trying to convince myself I wasn’t dreaming.
"Heh, now you know I’m not just some quack." She said smugly, which only irritated me further.
"Who are you?" Camellia asked.
The Grand Council member, despite her usual vagueness, wore a solemn expression, as if she wanted to tell her at this moment.
However, she shook her head and refused to provide her true identity.
She was here not to disclose who she was, but to share information with me.
"You'll figure it out, I'm sure you'll remember who I am. Maybe not now, but very soon."
"Wait... what do you mean?"
Without further warning, the Council member removed her left arm from her chin and snapped her fingers.
"Let's talk about this later, Camellia." For the first time, I saw her smile, and it brought me a sense of discomfort.
"W-Wait... are you possibly—"
—Flick!
But before she could finish her sentence, Camellia vanished right before our eyes, leaving only the two of us in her office.
"..."
"..."
—Tick... tock... tick... tock...
A clock ticked heavily, its sound emphasized by the eerie silence that enveloped the situation.
The two of us looked at each other, both filled with suspicion.
We were waiting for one of us to break the silence, and I decided it was time to take the bait.
“…Why did you tell me what was going to happen that night?”
"Because I didn't want you die that easily, that's all."
...
...
...
Silence stretched between us, and she kept glancing at me, trying to confirm something.
“Then how about you? How did you know the Azure Blossom’s secret while being aware of the two members of the Historia family who held it?”
“…I just enjoyed learning history, that’s all.”
I offered an excuse, hoping it would suffice. But unlike Camellia, she was cunning to the core and saw through my lies.
“You have one major flaw in that logic, Aria.”
"...I don't know what you mean by that."
—Fwip!
She stood up from her chair and moved closer to me, as if distance didn't mean anything to her.
"W-Wait, what are you doing!?" I tried to take a step back, but I couldn't stop her.
I was too weak to resist, unable to fend off even what seemed to be an overworked employee.
Just like when Camellia had pinned me down before, she held my arms and caressed them.
"You’ve somehow grown so small and cute... haven't you?"
"What..?"
"Fufu, have you really not noticed?" She giggled as if she had confirmed my identity.
"The Azure Blossom only blooms in the presence of its owners..."
She smiled and placed my hand on her cheek.
—Voom...
Particles began to form all around her body, revealing something I didn't expect but knew would eventually happen.
Just... not this soon.
"But that's the part where you got it wrong, Aria. Because Kuro and Camellia were an irregular case, it only does so when both parties were involved, not just one."
At that moment, chills ran down my spine.
Inheriting an Azure Blossom seed myself was something I didn't think would happen, let alone belonging to two people at the same time. I was completely unaware of this.
Even from the very beginning, I had already altered the future with just that—and in doing so, I had exposed my true identity.
"So, who do you think you are now?" She smiled.
From day one, it was the reason why she visited me daily, even as a Grand Council member, all for this moment—only to be confirmed.
"There's no way..." I couldn't believe it.
Right before my eyes, her dull green hair transformed into a different colour, and her eye colour shifted as well.
Pale yellow hair emerged, adorned with a small silver flower hairpin on the opposite side of her braid.
Her blue and golden eyes stood out, paired with her black, round glasses.
Like a flower finally blooming, one of the Historia members unveiled herself to me.
Not as someone to thank for saving Camellia, but as her long-lost sibling.
"Aria, no… Kuro. It's been so long, hasn't it?" Her hands were shaking, as if she had been waiting since forever.
Her true identity was Erina Historia, the fourth daughter of the Historia family...
And a Grand Council member and the current head of the Historia.
"What do I do now...?" I tried to think of some way to convince her otherwise.
If Camellia could hide her identity, why not the others?
