- Dahlia's POV -
I stepped out of the building and looked around. There were so many plants growing well. It was even better than the garden I'd visited with her during a school event.
Aunt Isabella then took me around the garden to see the various plants.
Besides beautiful flowers and ornamental plants, there were also fresh fruits. Hmm, wait, is this a garden or orchard?
"Aunt Isabella—"
"Sis."
Ah, I forgot she didn't want to be called auntie.
"Sis Isabella, is that the gardener?"
I pointed to the man in the white coat.
"Yes. He's the gardener. What's wrong?"
Oh, so this is the garden.
"Nothing."
That morning, we continued walking and enjoying a relaxing time.
Sometimes the gardeners would give us pieces of fruit and explain what kind of fruit or plant they were taking care of.
This was a coincidence, because I hadn't had breakfast yet. I've been drinking quite a bit of sis Isabella's milk, but that's water, not food.
Ah! Hmmm...
Papa always reminds me to eat fruit every day. I don't know how long it's been since I've done that. The taste of this fruit... it's so new to me.
"Hmm, come to think of it, I don't eat fruit often."
"Eeh! Sis Isabella, you shouldn't do that. Papa said eating fruit is important, you know."
"Really? I want to hear what your dad said. Would you tell me? Working so much makes me less attentive to things like that."
"Sure."
While we were eating breakfast with the fruit we got, I told her about Papa's obsession with eating healthy foods, especially fruit. Then, before I knew it, an hour had passed.
Since it was getting late, we decided to go to a shady spot. And somehow, I agreed to take her to my room.
In my drawer was something important and secret. I hoped he wouldn't notice.
"What are those papers?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"There are so many papers piled up in the drawer, so I was curious."
That's true. I guess something like this isn't easy to ignore.
"No one's allowed to see!"
"Your room is so neat."
"I think someone came in and tidied it up."
"That means the person who tidied it up saw what was in those papers."
That's true. Come to think of it, I've also helped tidy up those papers several times every time I attacked another babysitter. Does that mean a lot of people already know what's in those papers?!
"I could ask someone else, but I want you to tell me yourself."
"Why?"
"Because it means you trust me."
Trust me?
"You trust me?"
Sis Isabella sat across from me and looked at me with a small smile.
I wasn't sure if I could completely trust her, but maybe I could try.
I took out some paper and showed her the drawings I'd drawn.
"Do you know what this picture is?" I asked, trying to confirm something.
"Hmm... It looks like a cafeteria. A girl is sweeping, then seems to be helping the cafeteria attendant. She... is putting down a bowl while wiping down a table."
"Next."
I showed her the second picture.
"Same picture. But this time the girl is sitting at a table alone, a little further away from the others. Oh, and there's a clock there too. Is that the menu?"
"Right."
I showed her the third picture.
"A commotion broke out, and the table fell in the opposite direction from where some of the kids were... and made the area a little bigger. And at the cafeteria table... some of the food on the trays was gone. Dahlia, how long did it take you to prepare all that?"
"Two days. It was quite difficult to convince the cafeteria staff to let me help, in exchange for choosing food early."
"Are you taking revenge?"
How should I answer that? I didn't feel like doing that, but I had to do something.
"I just... want to get it over with. You know? Mama said she loves me very much."
"All parents love their children."
"Mama said so too. She'd be sad and hurt if I got hurt. I don't want Mama to be in pain or sad. That's why I have to protect myself well."
"Then, how about I help?"
"Help?"
"Even if you try to protect yourself and stop bad things from happening, it's no different if you end up getting hurt, right?"
"That's true, but fighting without getting hurt..."
"That's why I'll help you."
That day, I showed others for the first time how I survived in the orphanage.
"I'm sure the people here care about you quite a bit too. They gave you stationery and sketchbooks..."
Really? Come to think of it, that's true.
If that's the case, I feel a little guilty towards them.
Even so... why did sis Isabella say that?
It felt like... Sister Isabella was different from the others. She not only told me things I didn't realize, but also told me various truths.
For several hours, we continued drawing and making plans to deal with the children who had bad intentions towards me.
As Isabella had said before, she was quite adept at strategizing like this.
"Dahlia, what's wrong?"
"Hmm?"
"You look sad."
"Eh? No. I just remembered Mama. We used to play games making up stories by drawing like this."
After I said that, there was a moment of silence. Then, at that moment, sis Isabella moved and hugged me.
I wanted to tell her I was okay, but the words wouldn't come out.
I leaned deeper into sis Isabella's embrace and buried my head in her chest. It felt comfortable, but it wasn't enough to calm me.
I gripped her clothes tightly, then Isabella's breasts suddenly opened, and her nipples entered my mouth.
Once again, my body moved before I could think.
I moved and nursed sis Isabella, just like this morning. And just like this morning, I felt calm.
I didn't understand what was happening to me. Why did I fall into someone's arms so easily? Was I really that weak?
"Dahlia."
"Hmm?"
"You told me about yourself earlier. Now let me tell you about myself. I once lost someone very important to me. I was depressed and felt alone. I remember her saying that we have to be strong and keep standing no matter what."
I didn't think I could do it.
"But you know what? What she meant wasn't standing alone."
"Not standing alone?"
I stopped nursing and looked at sis Isabella's face.
"Yes. Back then... I stood with help from others. I accepted a helping hand from my friends, until finally I could stand on my own."
"Just like when you reached out to me."
"Yes. I know. You must have had a hard time standing on your own. It's okay, now I'm here with you."
What's this? I felt light. Something that had been holding me back seemed to disappear.
Ahh... This is it... This is what I've been looking for.
"Are you crying?"
"No, I'm not. My throat just feels dry."
"Then drink some, and it'll relieve the discomfort."
"Okay."
With that, I continued nursing for a very long time, even after sis Isabella's breasts had run out.