“Hm? Is something wrong…?”

“Ah—no, it’s just… I thought it was a rather unusual surname…”

Shirayuki-san spoke with an awkward, troubled smile.

It was an unexpected reaction… Did she think it was a fake name?

“Well, I don’t think it’s that unusual…? I mean, sure, it was given to us by someone else, though…”

Our surnames were given to us by Maria-san.

She handled the procedures herself and took the characters from her own name to create Aima.

Neither Hina nor I ever cared much about our surname, so I hadn’t thought about it until now…

Honestly, all I thought was that she really could do anything—even casually deciding on whatever surname she wanted.

“That’s a very odd thing to say… It almost sounds like your surname wasn’t inherited, but something someone invented for you.”

Shirayuki-san lets out another wry laugh.

Well, if she didn’t know about her outrageousness, that would be a natural reaction, I suppose.

“That’s actually how it is. We grew up in an orphanage, so unlike other people, we didn’t inherit our surname from our parents.”

“Even then… normally you’d take your foster family’s surname, right? Or if not, you’d at least keep whatever surname you originally used—like one based on the area you came from.”

I realize that’s a good point.

Why did Maria-san give us surnames derived from her own name?

There is also the possibility that she wanted to make us feel like her possessions, but if so, she should have given us the same surname as her own.

The reason she took us in—or rather, me—was that she said she “needed a child to succeed her.” If that’s the case, it would be even more appropriate to give us the same surname.

Come to think of it… I still haven’t even been told what her surname is.

No matter how many times I ask, she just says, “I’ll tell you when you become respectable,” and brushes it off.

That was back in elementary school, and after realizing she probably didn’t intend to tell me, I stopped asking.

“She’s a pretty unusual person… With our normal way of thinking, there’s no way we could predict what goes on in her head.”

“…What a frightening thing to say…”

I concluded that trying to understand Maria-san’s thought process was pointless and laughed it off, but Shirayuki-san turned away with a pout.

She muttered something under her breath, but it seemed to be just a mumble to herself, so I couldn’t hear it.

…Did she maybe take it as me bad-mouthing the foster parent who went out of her way to take us in?

“I am very grateful for her. If it weren’t for her, both I and Hina would have been separated.”

When I said that, Hina quietly sat down right beside me.

So I gently wrapped my arm around her and softly stroked her head.

Just from that, Hina relaxed, narrowed her eyes in contentment, and leaned her body against me.

Actually, speaking of us, while I’m nothing special, Hina has always been unbelievably cute—enough to attract people’s attention since she was little.

That’s why there were plenty of people who wanted to take her in.

So then, why wasn’t she adopted by anyone until Maria-san took us in? …Well, I’ll leave that part to your imagination.

“You two seem very close…”

“I’d say we’re the closest in the world.”

Shirayuki-san wasn’t smiling warmly—her smile was tight and strained as she looked at Hina. In contrast, I replied boldly and with a smile.

She probably thinks we’re a pair of extreme siscon and brocon siblings, but I don’t care.

To us, we’re special to each other—that’s all there is to it.

“Well then… if I make them wait too long, they might try something stupid. I should get going.”

Seeing that Hina had calmed down, I slowly released her and stood up from the bed.

“Onii-chan, are you really going…?”

Hina looked up at me with worry, mixed with a trace of loneliness.

“I have to. There’s the matter with the photos, and—more importantly—I won’t be satisfied until I’ve said my piece.”

Well, I don’t intend to settle things just with that.

But it wouldn’t be appropriate to tell Hina that.

“But… I—I’ll go with you…!”

She probably thought she couldn’t let me go somewhere dangerous alone.

Thinking so, Hina clenched onto my clothes tightly and appealed to me with a determined look while trembling.

As always, she is a kind sister who thinks of others.

But—

“No, Hina. Furei told me to come alone, and I want you to rest.”

Since I declared that I would go myself, Emera won’t just sit around waiting.

Nine times out of ten, she’ll set up traps or guards and try to obstruct me.

There is no way I can take Hina to such a place.

However, naturally, Hina didn’t want to give in—

“If you truly care about him, then staying home quietly and waiting would be the wiser choice.”

—Shirayuki-san thankfully stopped Hina with a gentle smile.

She is probably trying to fulfill her promise to repay me.

“…Okay…”

If she came along, she would only be a hindrance.

Hina nodded slightly when she realized that.

It might be harsh, but this time it’s for the best that Hina stays home.

“Aima-sama—no, Eito-sama. When you arrive at the estate, please go around to the back gate instead of the front. There should be someone waiting there to guide you. If you give them your name, you should be able to enter the estate without any trouble.”

“Is that so? That helps, but… why did you correct yourself when saying my name?”

What bothered me more than Shirayuki-san’s advice was her use of honorifics with my first name.

Honestly… it felt a little embarrassing.

“It’s to avoid confusion with the surname…”

“Well, I guess that’s true… But you don’t need to add -sama, okay? We’re classmates, and it’s not like I’m your master or someone above you.”

Actually, I am not used to it, so please stop.

“Please don’t worry about it; it is a habit ingrained since childhood.”

“Seriously…?”

She probably had some sort of rule drilled into her—that she should address her master’s friends with ‘sama’.

I shouldn’t force her if she doesn’t want to, and I should probably put up with it.

…But, I’m not Emera’s classmate.

“Well then, I’m leaving.”

“Onii-chan, be careful…”

As I left the room while being watched by Hina, Shirayuki-san unexpectedly followed me.

“Weren’t you supposed to watch over Hina?”

“There was one thing I forgot to tell you.”

Since she went out of her way to come and tell me, it must be important.

Judging by that, I stopped walking and turned to face her.

“I know you want to quickly erase your sister’s photos. But you must not rush. You can’t let your guard down around Emera-sama— and especially not around Furei-sama. The moment you do, they will definitely exploit that opening.”

“But… Furei seemed to be on our side this time.”

“As long as Emera-sama is watching, Furei-sama cannot openly act for Eito-sama’s sake. Rather, in order not to arouse Emera-sama’s suspicion, she may lend a hand to Emera-sama depending on the situation. And—if someone tries to harm Emera-sama, you should consider that Furei-sama will become your enemy. Just like Emera-sama, Furei-sama cherishes Emera-sama above all else.”

For something she called ‘just one thing,’ that was quite a thorough warning.

Well… I understand what she is trying to say.

Furei seems listless and lazy on the surface, but that’s precisely why she has an unpredictable side.

She doesn’t seem to have any martial arts experience based on her usual movements, but she was able to follow our fight with her eyes.

It wasn’t like beating someone meant only trading punches—if they used tools, the odds could easily turn against me.

“Doesn’t that mean I’ll end up confronting Furei no matter what…?”

“Haa… Could you please not make bold statements about hurting Emera-sama right in front of me…?”

She sighed at my question, looking exasperated.

Saying that I will end up confronting Furei means that I am saying “I intend to hurt Emera.”

As always, she’s surprisingly perceptive for someone who looks so young.

“It would be best to buy as much time as possible. If you do that, you might be able to find a way through without ever having to confront Furei-sama.”

“What do you mean?”

I understood what she was saying, but I didn’t understand why I needed to ‘buy time’, so I asked Shirayuki-san

“When the time comes, you’ll understand. You should even be able to go along with Emera-sama’s unreasonable demands. Use that to buy time.”

I still didn’t get what she meant, but maybe because I’d beaten her in the duel, Shirayuki-san seemed to trust me quite a bit.

Either way, I have to make them erase Hina’s photos. Trying to force my way through would only make things worse, so for now I should trust Shirayuki-san—someone who knows Emera and Furei far better than I do.

Besides, I already know that this girl has a sharp mind and excellent situational awareness.

“Thank you, I’ll do as you said.”

“Yes, please be careful.”

Seeing me off with a small, unexpectedly cute smile, Shirayuki-san watched as I headed toward the station.

“—Aima… Eito-sama… To think we would meet again in a situation like this… I see… Emera-sama has opened Pandora’s box…”

I thought I heard Shirayuki-san mutter something behind me, but when I turned around, she had already gone back inside.

So it must have been just a monologue.

And so, once again, the resolve to make Emera pay welled up deep inside my chest.