I didn't have school, but I still woke up early to maintain good habits. I came back to my room after waking up early and making breakfast, looking at the sleeping girl in my bed. "Nnm... thank you..." She sounded like she had a good dream from her peaceful sleeping here.

  I sat watching her, waiting for her to wake up... "Huh?" My pillow had wet marks; judging by the location of them it was not drool. "... She really let everything out, huh..." I guess at some point she cried while in her sleep - I just hoped it wasn't because of a nightmare...

  I left her to sleep as she was... I figured I shouldn't interrupt her. So I sat here, waiting for her to wake up... Watching her.

  ... ... ...

  "Mmn~," I id down the book I was reading to see Cecelia slowly awaking. Her hair was a mess and her uniform had small wrinkles. "... ssss..." She slowly pushed herself up, "Haah—eh? Alicia?" Fufufu~, it was amusing and funny to see her suddenly sit up seeing me - rather than scared, she looked surprised. "Wha—why?"

  I stayed quiet, letting her gather her thoughts...

  "Ano—Alicia...?" She uttered, moving to sit on the side of my bed. Her gaze wandered around the room, "Eh!?" She looked at the digital arm I had on my nightstand and saw the time... then she picked up the arm clock and looked at it again. Thinking about it, this should be around the time she leaves for school? "I—sorry!" Cecelia said while putting my arm clock back on the nightstand before standing.

  "... you don't have school..." I calmly put my book back onto my table, uttering what I said just before she bolted out of my room.

  Instantly, she immediately stopped, looking back at me surprised, "I—... don't have school today?" She had such a lively, vivid expression now. She felt so much more alive this morning than any other time I saw her, almost like a complete reversal to her usual fearful, timid reactions when seeing me normally.

  "Yeah - don't worry. I handled the school end and your absence. So, for now..." Err, "... you can rex..."

  She let out a sigh. Her worried, yet lively face loosened. "Then..." Although she still wasn't completely rexed.

  I rubbed my eyes, "Let's eat breakfast before we talk." I wanted her to be a little more awake than she was now before we spoke. Although—, "Though let me do your hair first; it's a complete mess." It looked as though a bird nested its way onto her head; which surprised me. The few times I saw Cecelia, she usually kept her hair flowing straight back in a simple yet neat way, but—well, I suppose it probably wouldn't take too much time for her to fix her hair to how she normally keeps it.

  "Ye—yes." It was going to be a while until she was comfortable around me, huh...

  "You can sit here." I somewhat forced her onto the chair I was just sitting on. I faced it at my desk, towards the small mirror. Taking out a comb, I combed her hair... I realized just how much of a mess it was. Loose ends were sprawled everywhere on her head as I combed her hair gently, "What did you do to your hair?" I uttered to her.

  "It's... always like this..." ... I must have it easy... I took care of my hair, but it never ends up in a mess, with pieces sticking out like her hair. Her hair, although shorter than my hair - only stretching to just below her shoulders -, seemed more voluminous than mine... Maybe I was just lucky in the sense that my hair naturally sorted itself out without much work.

  "You have such nice hair..." I uttered, weaving through her hair with my fingers.

  "That—thank you..." She suddenly shook momentarily before going still, docile. I combed her hair straight back in an elegant, cute wavy style down to just above her shoulder. I was sure I could braid her hair cutely around her neck if I spent more time, but I was only fixing her hair for us to eat breakfast. Another time maybe...

  "There we go—!" I said, feeling accomplished. I stood up and walked around her, observing my work and her hair.

  "Thank you... Alicia." I felt... conflicted. Her genuine, heartfelt 'thank you'. Despite still having a sense of caution, her sweet voice full of gratitude speaking to me really reminded me that she was a pure-hearted child inside.

  With her hair done, "... now..." I let out a rge sigh, "Come meet me at the dining room table in 30 minutes."

  "Unn..." We both knew the eventual conversation upcoming; there was no avoiding it since I brought it up and forced it upon us yesterday. "... see you..." She uttered as she stood up and left my room.

  ... My gaze falls towards my small study desk... I st put it there inside one of those cabinets - wanting to put an entry in yesterday but didn't due to what happened. A cold sensation crept up through me, "... I..." I felt so hesitant about bringing this issue up. I knew I should do this to break all misunderstandings and crify everything, but, "... apologizing for something I never did; yet something 'I' did..."

  ... ... ...

  "It's... time..." I uttered. All my worry; I had some hint of me that wanted to avoid this and not show, but, "Who am I, as an older sibling - as an older sister - if I ignore her problems?" I let out a sigh; I was an older sibling - an older sister. It is my absolute duty to guide Cecelia - my younger sister - and help her through her struggles and successes and remedy the past. With that in mind, I went out my room to the dining room, sitting at the dining room table to wait for Cecelia.

  ... ... ...

  Yet here I was, with Cecelia not in sight... she isn't thinking it through like me as well, is she? It was five minutes past, and she hasn't come yet—,

  "... sorry Alicia..." Out the corner of one of the wall from the stairs - seemingly without making any sound going down the stairs -, Cecelia's head peered out. She came over to the table, "I—... know..." She uttered as she sat down on the chair—opposite to me.

  "It's okay Cecelia." I took a deep breath before gncing away, "... this is going to be..." I felt my face wanting to stiffen, but... I tried to let a smile show, "It—...'ll for both of us to take in—even though you likely already know I am not that same Alicia that—..." I drifted my words off trying to decide if I should say it or not. I took another deep breath, "Though... despite not being 'her', I'm... sorry; and..." I took another deep breath, "I know what 'she' did... I read 'her' diary." I spilled the truth - I wasn't sure how I looked, but... It was hard for me to say it.

  A sudden shock came to her as her eyes fshed open wide - there was no way she could forget. Tears flooded down her eyes, flowing down to her cheeks, "I..."

  "I know..." I was never one who found it easy to comfort people, yet I couldn't imagine what Cecelia was going through or felt right now.

  Everything 'Alicia' has done, no one to protect her, and no one to believe her.

  "I'm here for you now, Cecelia." I stood and walked behind her chair, before awkwardly embracing her in a soft, gentle hug. "I can't do anything about the past now, but I promise I'll do everything in my power for you now, Cecelia."

  "Thank you..." Her tears began to flow onto my arms, "I—you won't do it again, right...? Alicia?"

  "Never." I reassured her, speaking close and behind her. "Alicia—I will never do anything like that again, Cecelia."

  I kept myself glued to her... I couldn't say much, but being here for Cecelia was the least I could do.

  After her sobbing quieted and Cecelia calmed down, I opened my embrace and sat back down across from her. We still had breakfast, and I decided now was the best time to start my questioning. As we ate breakfast together, I delicately asked Cecelia boring questions about her general school life and how everything started, quickly learning basically everything.

  I thought about it... sigh... I couldn't be too careless, as she was in final year of middle school, so transferring her could be a reckless decision that could ruin her future education. Yet I couldn't just directly or indirectly solve the problem by confronting the ones who were messing with her. After all, I wasn't a student of the school, and... well, 'Alicia' was literally the one who told them, and I didn't have a way to get to or contact the same students anymore.

  "Alicia?" Eh—ah, did I space out?

  "Cecelia..." I couldn't think of much to do with her situation as of now. "After you are done with school, come meet me outside your school, okay?" Cecelia was done with school after me, and her school wasn't terribly far from where my school was, so this was the conclusion of my thinking.

  "Unn." I couldn't think of anything to do about her situation. At the very least, I could be her guardian - a knight protecting her princess, me the knight and Cecelia the princess.

  ... ... ...

  We finally concluded our conversation about our difficult topics - much to our relief. It was much easier than I thought to say it and be honest with Cecelia... I just needed to find the courage to do so, and I did.

  "Cecelia," She immediately stiffened up,

  "Ye—yes?" Cecelia still had her uncanny stiffness, but I suppose thinking about it made it look like she was a cute animal.

  I stood up, "Come to my room, we're going to go out." I told her.

  "Unn." Time for lunch was coming soon. I could have gone alone, but I wanted her to go out with me. As for today, I wanted to make something for the both of us.

  She followed me up to my room, where I went and happily did something I always wanted to do. I went through all the clothes in my closet and made Cecelia my dress up doll. After some time, I looked at the now dolled up Cecelia. A light touch of makeup and outfit changes transformed a cute, yet quiet girl into a lovely, pretty, cute girl. Looking at the reserved Cecelia, it made me realize she really did look like me - like a mini-me.

  Honestly..."What a shy, little rabbit." I jokingly uttered—,

  "I'm not a bunny!" Eh? Why was that what made her react? Hehe—I had to do something now.

  She looked away from me, pouting... "What a cute little rabbit?" I was sure I looked like a fool, but seeing Cecelia's reaction made it all the more worth it.

  "I'm not a rabbit!" She cried again in a cute manner; maybe I went a little too far with my teasing.

  After letting her calm down from my teasing, we both left to go shopping.

  We returned home after heading out to the grocery store. It was simply a trip that we needed to do, but it felt eventful and unique. Having someone to shop with, talk with, and also considering what someone else might want to eat - it all felt very new to me. Though - it didn't feel bad...

  Organizing our groceries back in the kitchen, I adorned my apron. "Alicia—ano... when did you learn to cook?" Ah—err... "I... knew you said you changed, but remembering—... um—you never really seemed like someone who cooked before..."

  I... well—, "I tried cooking when I first came here." I decided to be honest in a deceptive way. "Yet—I never thought I had much of a talent for it." Thinking back to the origins of me and cooking brought me back - it all began when I was with Goldia... Honestly, I had to thank her for a lot - Goldia gave me a lot of the skills that became useful here. From cooking, to knowing and doing housework.

  "... you seem happy..." Ah—a pitiful smile...

  "Sorry," I felt guilty looking at her and thinking about my past, one that Cecelia wasn't a part of. "But I am gd that I learned how to cook and do housework."

  "Okay..." Seemed Cecelia bought it.

  ... I'll tell you everything someday, Cecelia—someday - I promise...