## ( Rudeus Greyrat) — (Point of View)
I turned six years old, and my life hasn't changed much. In the mornings I practice magic with what Roxy taught me, and in the afternoons, if I have free time, I do field work and train under the tree on the hill.
Daiki, on the other hand, has a completely opposite schedule. He trains sword with Father in the mornings. In the afternoons he practices magic, though less frequently than I do. His focus has always been the sword.
Lately I've been trying various ways to support my movements with magic during combat situations. For example: expel wind to increase the speed of a movement, generate a shockwave to change direction abruptly, or create a swamp under the enemy's feet to immobilize them.
Some might think I'm distracted with cheap tricks and that's why I don't improve in pure fundamentals. But I don't see it that way.
In fighting games, there are two main ways to become strong:
Finding a way to win with a weaker character than your opponent. Training until you increase your own base abilities.
Right now, I'm focused on the first option. My hypothetical goal would be to defeat Paul someday, even though I know Daiki will do it first.
Paul is strong. As a father he still has a long way to go, but as a swordsman he's first-class. Daiki is following the more traditional path, the second option: training the body with complete honesty until eventually surpassing him.
And he will. I'm sure of it.
I'm six years old. In ten years, I'll be sixteen, and Paul will be thirty-five. By then, Daiki will probably have already surpassed him. My brother has that kind of cold, calculated determination that guarantees results.
Me, on the other hand, I plan to win differently. If I could combine magic and tactics to defeat Paul in a real fight, even if it wasn't pure swordplay, it would also have its merit.
With that in mind, today I'm also training under the tree.
## ( Daiki Greyrat) — (Point of View)
"Again!" Paul's voice echoed across the training courtyard.
I repeated the movement. Vertical slash. Hip rotation. Weight transfer. And at the exact moment of impact, I channeled mana through my arms.
"Good. Getting better each time." Paul approached, examining the post. "Look at that. Crack deeper than yesterday."
I observed the damage. Indeed, the fissure had penetrated two centimeters more than my last attempt.
[MEASURABLE PROGRESS CONFIRMED]
[REINFORCEMENT EFFICIENCY: +3% COMPARED TO PREVIOUS WEEK]
"But you still lack fluidity." Paul gave me a pat on the shoulder. "The reinforcement should be instantaneous, part of the movement. Right now it's like... you're thinking too much. You're separating it into steps."
He was right.
My analytical approach helped me understand the mechanics of mana reinforcement, but it also made me divide the process:
Step 1: Execute technique.
Step 2: Channel mana.
Step 3: Impact.
When it should all be one.
"I understand. I'll work on that."
"I know you will." Paul smiled. "You're too dedicated for your own good. Sometimes I wonder if you're six years old or twenty-six."
‹If only you knew...›
"Rest for five minutes. Then we'll do sparring."
I nodded, sitting down under the shadow of the eaves. Sweat ran down my forehead. The morning training with Paul was intense, designed for adult swordsmen but adapted to my size and age.
My body was stronger than a year ago. Muscles were slowly becoming defined. Body control improved day by day.
[PERSONAL PHYSICAL ANALYSIS]
[MUSCLE MASS: +12%]
[ENDURANCE: +34%]
[REACTION SPEED: +28%]
But I was still a six-year-old child. There were biological limits that even the most intense training couldn't overcome yet.
"Hey, Daiki." Paul sat down next to me. "You know what impresses me most about you?"
"What?"
"That you never complain. You never ask for rest. Sometimes I have to force you to stop because I know you'd train until you collapsed."
"It's necessary. I want to reach holy level before..."
"Before what?"
"Before it becomes too late to establish proper foundations."
Paul looked at me with a strange expression.
"Son, you're six years old. You have your whole life ahead of you. There's no rush."
‹There's rush. There's always rush.›
"I just want to do it right."
"And you are. Believe me." Paul ruffled my hair. "At your age, I was playing with sticks pretending to be a hero. You're already executing intermediate-level techniques with mana reinforcement. You're a monster, son."
Monster.
That word again.
But this time, spoken with pride instead of fear.
"Thank you, Father."
"You're welcome. Now get up. Time for sparring."
## ( Rudeus Greyrat) — (Point of View)
When I was under the tree at the top of the hill, Sylph came fairly frequently.
"Sorry, did I make you wait?"
"No, I just got here."
That's how we started.
At first, while we played, that kid Somal and the usual brats would come over. Then some older kids joined too, but I chased them all away. Every time that happened, Somal's mother would come yelling at the house.
Thanks to that I understood one thing: rather than actually worrying about her son, Somal's mother seemed interested in Paul. She used children's fights as an excuse to see him. Pathetic.
But after Father and Mother went to clear things up that day, the visits reduced considerably. And when Daiki showed up once on the hill just when Somal and his friends were bothering him again...
Well, let's just say my brother has a very effective way of "discouraging" without using violence.
He just stood there, practice sword in hand, with those eyes staring at them fixedly, and said in a completely neutral voice:
"Sylph is my younger brother. I suggest you reconsider your actions."
He didn't yell. He didn't threaten explicitly. But something in his presence, in the way he held that sword, in how his gaze didn't blink...
I never saw children run so fast.
The attacks happened about five more times after that, but gradually they stopped coming altogether. Every once in a while I see them playing in the distance or crossing paths with me, but we don't exchange words. They seem to have decided to ignore us completely.
And so, that incident came to a kind of resolution, and the tree at the top of the hill became our territory.
## ( Daiki Greyrat) — (Point of View)
In the afternoons, after lunch and a brief rest, I usually headed up the hill as well.
Not every day. But frequently enough.
Rudeus was already there with Sylph when I arrived that day. My younger brother was explaining something from the magic book, gesturing animatedly. Sylph was watching with complete attention, nodding occasionally.
"Brother Daiki." Sylph saw me first, greeting me with a smile that lit up his face.
Those red eyes, so like my own, shone with genuine happiness.
"Sylph. Rudeus." I nodded to both.
"Did you finish training with Father already?" asked Rudeus.
"For today, yes. He said I pushed myself too hard and sent me to rest."
"That sounds exactly like something you'd do." Rudeus smiled. "Want to join us? I was teaching Sylph about combined magic."
"It's fine." I sat in the shade of the tree. "Continue. I'll just watch."
But Sylph came over, sitting down next to me.
"Brother Daiki, do you also know combined magic?"
"The basics. Though I'm not as good as Rudeus at magical theory."
"But you're good with the sword." Sylph touched the practice sword at my waist. "Would you teach me one day?"
"You want to learn sword?"
"Yes. Rudeus teaches me magic. You could teach me sword. That way I'd be like... like both of you. Both things."
I looked at Rudeus, who was smiling with approval.
"If you want to learn, I can teach you the basics." I said finally. "But the sword requires discipline. Daily practice. It's not like magic where you can see results quickly."
"I don't care! I want to learn from you, Brother Daiki."
Something warm moved in my chest.
"Alright. We'll start with basic stance tomorrow."
Sylph practically glowed with happiness.
Rudeus watched the scene with a satisfied expression.
"So I'll be his magic teacher, and you his sword teacher. Like good older brothers."
"Exactly. We're complementing each other appropriately."
"Brother Daiki." Sylph looked at me with those red eyes full of curiosity. "Is it true you can split rocks with your sword?"
"Small rocks. With mana reinforcement. I still can't do it with big rocks."
"That's amazing!" Sylph took my hand. "Will you teach me that too?"
"Eventually. First you need to master the fundamentals. Mana reinforcement comes after."
"Yes!"
We spent the afternoon like that. Rudeus teaching magical theory. Me occasionally adding practical perspective from a combat standpoint. Sylph absorbing everything like a sponge.
It was... pleasant.
Having siblings. Teaching. Sharing knowledge.
In my previous life, I never had this.
More important than those bullying brats who bothered him was now Sylph. I was giving him magic training disguised as games. If he learned magic, he could defend himself.
## (Rudeus Greyrat) — (Punto de vista)
At first, Sylph would be out of breath after using a basic-level spell five or six times. But over the last year, his total mana amount had increased quite a bit. Now he could practice magic for half a day straight without problem.
"Total mana amount has a limit." That statement didn't seem very reliable to me, honestly. I was living proof that mana could be increased through constant practice.
Though as for technique, he still lacked skill. Especially, he was bad with fire. Sylph handled wind and water very well, but he couldn't get good results with fire.
I asked him directly:
"Sylph, are you afraid of fire?"
He shook his head, but showed me the palm of his hand. It had an ugly burn scar. He told me that when he was around three years old, in his parents' moment of carelessness, he had grabbed a red-hot iron rod from the fireplace.
"But I'm not afraid anymore," he told me.
Still, he was surely still reacting with fear at an instinctive level.
It was then when Daiki spoke:
"Traumatic experiences affect magical affinity." His tone was the one he used when explaining something he had analyzed. "Subconscious fear creates mental resistance. That resistance manifests as difficulty channeling mana toward that specific element."
"Do you also have an elemental weakness, Brother Daiki?" asked Sylph.
Daiki paused for a long time. So long that I thought he wouldn't answer.
"Fire." he said finally. "At first... Yes."
Sylph and I looked at him in surprise.
I knew what he was thinking.
"But I overcame it." he continued. "By understanding that fire has no malice. It's just energy. The problem wasn't the fire."
"How did you overcome it?" asked Sylph with genuine interest.
"Gradual exposure. Constant practice. And reminding myself that fear is irrational." He looked at Sylph's scarred hand. "You can do the same. The fire that burned you had no intention to hurt you. You were just too young to understand the danger."
Sylph looked at his hand, processing the words.
"Daiki is right." I added. "And besides, you don't need to master all elements. Specializing in wind and water is also valid."
"But I want to be able to do it." Sylph clenched his fist. "I want to be as strong as you both. You can both use all the elements."
Daiki and I exchanged looks.
"Then we'll practice together." said Daiki. "I'll help you overcome your fear of fire. Rudeus will teach you the theory. Among the three of us, we'll make it happen."
Sylph smiled with determination.
"Yes!"
And so our days passed. Me teaching magic, Daiki teaching sword. Sylph learning from both. The three brothers under the big tree on the hill.
Sylph, despite the difficulties, practiced without complaining. Maybe because he was the one who asked us to teach him. With my wand (the one Roxy gave me) and the magic book (which I brought from home) in hand, he practiced with a serious expression and recited incantations.
It was a beautiful image. Even me, being a man, could recognize it. With that bright green hair glowing in the sun, those red eyes concentrated, that determination in every movement...
He'll surely be very popular in the future.
‹(Is that paternal jealousy?)›
I felt like I heard that voice from somewhere, and I quickly shook my head. No, no. It doesn't make sense to feel jealous.
"Hey, Rudy, how is this read?"
While I was mentally wandering, Sylph showed me a page from the magic book and looked at me with pleading eyes from below. That look was also dangerous. I felt like hugging him and protecting him from the whole world. I restrained myself.
"That reads 'nadare,' it means 'avalanche.'"
"What's that?"
"It's when a lot of snow accumulates on the mountain and collapses under its own weight, falling all together. Like when in winter snow accumulates on the roof and suddenly falls all at once. That, but on a large scale."
"Ah... How incredible! Have you seen one before?"
"An avalanche? Of course I have... well, no, actually I haven't."
Only on television.
Teaching Sylph to read the magic book also served as a reading lesson. Daiki had the same idea, teaching him to read using sword fighting manuals that Father had given him.
Between the two of us, Sylph was receiving quite a complete education.
"I did it!"
Sylph cried out with joy. Looking over, I saw that he had successfully executed the intermediate-level water magic Ice Pillar.
"You've improved quite a bit." I commented with genuine pride.
Daiki, who had been practicing his sword forms a few meters away, stopped and approached.
"Impressive, Sylph. Your control has improved significantly."
Sylph practically glowed from the praise of both older brothers.
"Yes! But, Rudy, the spell that you used doesn't appear in this book, right?"
Sylph tilted his head, intrigued.
"Huh?"
When he said "the one you used," I realized he was referring to the hot water.
I opened the magic book, flipped through some pages and showed him two entries.
"It's here. Waterfall and Heat Hand."
"...?"
"Used at the same time."
"...¿¿Huh??..."
He tilted his head again, even more confused.
"How do you recite both of them at the same time?"
Oops. I got carried away with my own logic.
"It's combined magic." explained Daiki, saving me. "You cast one spell, then another. Or you execute one without reciting and add the second. They're not simultaneous exactly."
"Exactly." I nodded gratefully. "You have to make Waterfall come out without reciting the incantation, and then heat it with Heat Hand. Though it's also fine to cast one of the two. You can fill a bucket with water and heat it afterward."
I made a demonstration executing them without incantation and at the same time. Sylph watched me with very wide eyes.
"Teach me that."
"That?"
"The thing about not saying it out loud."
It seems Sylph didn't want to settle for alternatives.
"Mmm... Let me see... So, try to find that feeling you have when you're reciting: that sensation of mana accumulating from your whole body to your fingertips. Try to do that, but without saying anything. When you feel the mana is already gathered, imagine the spell you wanted to cast and expel it from your hand. Start with something simple, like Water Ball."
Sylph closed his eyes, concentrating intensely.
Daiki watched with analytical interest. Probably cataloging every detail of the learning process.
And then...
"I did it! I did it, Rudy!"
Sylph cried out excitedly and started launching Water Ball bursts without incantation.
"Impressive." Daiki approached. "It took you less than a year to master what many mages never achieve."
"It's because Rudy and Brother Daiki are good teachers!"
We both smiled at that.
"Very well. Now try using all the spells you've learned so far without incantation."
"Yes!"
In any case, if he could do it without incantation, it was easier for me to teach him. I just had to explain what I myself was doing.
"Huh?"
Just then, a drizzle started to fall. I looked at the sky, and at some point without realizing it, the firmament had completely covered with black clouds.
After a brief moment, the rain started to fall hard.
"Damn." I muttered. "I got too distracted."
Normally I adjusted the weather so it wouldn't rain until we returned, but I had been completely negligent while teaching Sylph.
"Wow, what heavy rain." commented Sylph, covering his head with his hands.
"Rudy, if you can make it rain, can't you make it stop?"
"I can, but we're already soaked, and without rain the crops won't grow. So, as long as nobody complains that the weather is causing them problems, I prefer not to interfere."
Daiki was already on his feet, evaluating the situation.
"Sylph's house is far. Our house is closer. We should go there."
"You're right." I looked at Sylph. "Is it okay? We'll tell your father afterward."
"Yes! Let's go."
While we talked, the three of us ran toward the Greyrat house.
## ( Daiki Greyrat) — (Point of View)
We ran under the torrential rain. I was ahead, setting the pace. Rudeus in the middle. Sylphiette behind.
"Brother Daiki, you're going too fast!" cried Sylphiette from behind.
I slowed down immediately. I had forgotten that they didn't train physical endurance like I did each morning with Paul.
"Sorry."
"It's fine." Rudeus was breathing slightly heavily. "Just... not so fast."
Finally, our house appeared in the distance.
## ( Rudeus Greyrat) — (Point of View)
Upon entering the house, Lilia, the maid, was standing holding several large towels, as if she had been waiting for us.
"Welcome, young masters... and your friend." Her gaze landed on Sylph for a moment, with an expression I couldn't completely decipher. "The hot water is already ready. Please go upstairs to the second floor and clean yourselves before you catch a cold. The Master and Mistress will return soon, so I'll be busy with preparations. Can you manage on your own?"
"Yes, no problem." I responded, taking one of the towels.
It seemed Lilia, seeing the storm outside, had anticipated that I would return soaked. She's not one of many words nor does she usually engage in conversation, but she's a very competent maid. Without need for explanations, seeing Sylph's face, she quickly went back inside the house and brought out another large towel.
We took off our shoes, becoming barefoot. We dried our heads and feet with the towels Lilia gave us. Water continued dripping from our clothes, forming small puddles on the wooden floor.
"Go upstairs carefully. The floor is slippery." warned Lilia before disappearing toward the kitchen.
We went upstairs to the second floor. Upon entering the room I shared with Daiki, there was a large bucket full of hot water in the center. Steam rose slowly, inviting. In this world there are no showers, not even the custom of filling a complete bathtub, so this is what we use to wash ourselves. According to Roxy, it seems there are hot springs in some regions, but for someone like me, who was never a big fan of prolonged baths, this was fine.
"Well, let's clean ourselves before we catch a cold." I said, starting to take off my wet shirt.
It was then I noticed it.
Sylph had frozen completely by the door. He wasn't moving. He wasn't even breathing apparently. He just looked at the bucket of water with an expression that reminded me of...
Panic?
"Sylph? What's wrong?"
He didn't respond. His hands trembled slightly. Not from the cold. It was something else.
Daiki, who had been closing the door, stopped. He looked at me. Then he looked at Sylph. And something in his expression changed.
"Rudeus... There's something you need to know."
"Brother?" I looked at him confused. "What...?"
"Sylph has a secret." Daiki positioned himself carefully between us. "One he's been keeping for a long time. And I think..." his eyes landed on Sylph with a softness he rarely showed "...it's time to tell you. If he wants to."
My heart raced. A secret? What kind of secret would require this level of seriousness?
"I... I'm scared, Rudy. If I tell you... will we still be friends?"
The raw fear in his voice broke my heart. Whatever he was hiding, he clearly terrified losing our friendship.
"Of course we will." I said immediately, with all the conviction I could muster. "You're my first friend, Sylph. My best friend. Nothing can change that. Absolutely nothing."
"D-do you promise?" His voice was so small, so vulnerable.
"I promise. Whatever your secrets are, Sylph, they don't change who you are to me."
Sylph took a deep breath. Once. Twice. His hands clenched into fists against his chest.
"I..." Another deep breath. "I'm not a boy."
The world stopped.
"My name is Sylphiette." He continued, and now tears fell freely down his cheeks. "And... I'm a girl. I always have been. Since I was born. Mom dressed me as a boy. Cut my hair. Taught me to talk and move like a boy. Because she said... she said it was safer. That people treat girls worse. That... that..."
My brain short-circuited.
A... girl?
My thirty-four-year-old mind tried to process the information. I went through every interaction we'd had. Every moment. Every conversation. Every...
Suddenly, everything started clicking into place like puzzle pieces I never knew I was solving.
The short hair. The always loose clothes. The way she sometimes moved with a delicacy that seemed... different. The time she absolutely refused to swim in the river.
Everything. Everything made sense now.
"Since when...? Since always?"
"Since I can remember." Sylphiette hugged herself, making herself small.
I looked at Daiki.
"You..." The realization struck like a hammer. "You knew. From the beginning."
It wasn't a question.
"Yes." He answered simply. "From the first day we met her."
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?"
Sylphiette flinched at my raised tone, and I immediately hated myself for it.
But Daiki didn't flinch.
"Because it wasn't my secret to tell, brother. Sylphiette deserved to decide when and how to reveal it. Forcing her out of the closet before she was ready would have been... cruel. Betraying her trust in the worst possible way."
"But I'm her friend. I..."
"Exactly." Daiki interrupted me. "You're her friend. And tell me, Rudeus, with complete honesty: would you have treated Sylphiette the same way if you had known from the beginning that she was a girl?"
I opened my mouth to automatically answer yes, of course I would have treated her the same, but...
The words died in my throat.
Because honestly... honestly I couldn't say that with certainty.
In my previous life, I had been completely inept with girls. Unable to talk to them normally. Always uncomfortable, clumsy, avoiding them or putting them on impossible pedestals.
If I had known Sylph was a girl from the beginning...
Probably it would have been different. More cautious. More protective in ways that would have created distance. Less natural. Less... friends.
"Exactly." He said gently. "You needed to know Sylphiette as a PERSON first. Not as "girl" or "boy". Not as category or gender. Just as Sylphiette. As an individual. As a friend."
He was right.
Of course he was right.
My older brother, who constantly struggled with his own ability to connect emotionally, had understood something about human relationships that I, with all my previous life experience, had completely overlooked.
I looked at Sylphiette, who was watching both of us with a terrified expression, waiting for the verdict that would change everything.
And I felt my heart break for her.
For all the fear she had carried this past year. For every moment she had wanted to trust me but didn't dare. For every time she had wanted to tell me but couldn't.
"Sylphiette." I used her full name for the first time. It felt different on my tongue. More... real, somehow. "Can I ask you something?"
She nodded weakly, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
"Why were you so afraid to tell me?"
Her lips trembled. More tears fell.
"Because... because you're my only real friend. You and Daiki. Before I met you, the other children threw stones and mud at me. They called me monster. Demon. Thing." Her voice broke. "But you... you defended me. Taught me. Treated me like... like a person. Like I mattered."
She paused, sobbing.
"If... if you hated me for lying to you. If you pushed me away. If you called me a liar or... or worse..." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I wouldn't have anyone else. I'd be alone again. And I don't... I don't think I could bear it again."
Something broke inside my chest.
"Sylphiette." I extended my hands slowly, giving her time to reject them if she wanted. "You didn't lie."
"B-but..."
"You protected yourself." I interrupted firmly. "Survived the only way you knew how. That's not lying. That's... that's being incredibly strong and brave."
I took her hands gently. They were cold and trembling.
"And as for hating you..." I released a laugh without humor. "Sylphiette, I'm angry. But not at you. Never at you."
"Then angry at who?"
"At the people who made you feel like you NEEDED to hide. At the adults who scared your mother so much that she had to disguise you to keep you safe. At the children who attacked you just for being different. At this damn world that makes a five-year-old girl have to live with so much fear."
"But not at me, Sylphiette... I could never be angry at you. You're my best friend."
"Do I... do you... friend?" Her voice sounded hopeful but fearful. "Not... not friend?"
"My best friEnd." I emphasized, smiling through my own tears. "That doesn't change anything fundamental between us. Just the pronouns. And the fact that you probably shouldn't bathe with us."
That drew out a choked laugh from Sylphiette through her tears.
"N-no... probably not."
"Everything else stays the same." I continued. "You'll still be my first friend. I'll keep teaching you magic. We'll keep spending afternoons under the tree. You'll still be part of this family. None of that changes."
"Really?"
"Really. I promise."
Sylphiette lunged forward, hugging me with an almost desperate grip. Her small arms wrapped around my neck. She sobbed against my shoulder, years of fear and tension finally releasing.
"Thank you! Thank you, Rudy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
I hugged her back, feeling her small shoulders tremble. Above her green head, I looked at Daiki.
My older brother watched the scene with an expression I couldn't completely read. But there was something in his eyes. Something warm. Satisfaction, perhaps. Or relief.
"Thank you" I mouthed silently.
He just nodded slightly, but I saw the smallest curve of his lips. Almost a smile.
We stayed like that for a long moment. Sylphiette crying tears of relief. Me holding her. Daiki watching silently, protective as always.
Finally, Sylphiette pulled back slightly, wiping her face with her hands.
"I'm sorry. I got you even wetter."
"Don't worry. We were already soaked anyway."
She gave a shaky little laugh. Then she looked at Daiki.
"Brother Daiki... you knew from the beginning. How?"
Daiki shrugged slightly.
"Observation. Analysis of movement patterns. Bone structure. Everything pointed to biological female sex."
"And... why didn't you ever say anything? Not even to Rudy?"
"Because everyone deserves to control their own narrative." Daiki responded. "Your identity, your secret, your decision about when and how to reveal it. I didn't have the right to take that away from you."
Sylphiette looked at him with something like awe.
"Besides." Daiki added. "I understand what it's like to be seen as "different" in ways you can't control. To have people look at you with fear or rejection for things about you that you didn't choose. My black hair. My red eyes. In my case, my father doubted at first whether I was really his son just because of my appearance."
Sylphiette unconsciously touched her own green hair.
"So I knew you needed to be seen as a PERSON first. As Sylphiette. As a human. Not as a category or curiosity." Daiki looked directly at her. "And I wanted Rudeus to know you that way too. As a friend. As an equal. Without the distortions of gender prejudice or social expectations."
"Brother Daiki..." Whispered Sylphiette.
"You were very brave to tell us today." Daiki continued. "That required real courage."
Sylphiette smiled through her tears.
"Thank you. To both of you. For... for accepting me."
"Always." I said firmly.
"Always." Repeated Daiki.
It was then that we heard footsteps on the stairs.
## ( Daiki Greyrat) — (Point of View)
The door opened and Zenith entered, holding additional towels and dry clothes.
"I heard voices. Is everything...?" She stopped, observing the scene. Rudeus kneeling. Sylphiette with red eyes from crying. Me standing between them. "What happened here?"
Sylphiette looked at Rudeus. Rudeus looked at Sylphiette. Both looked at me.
I nodded slightly. The decision was Sylphiette's.
"Señora Zenith." Sylphiette spoke with a trembling but firmer voice than before. "I... I lied to you. Well, not exactly lied, but..."
"You're a girl." Zenith said simply.
Sylphiette blinked.
"D-did you know?"
"Of course, dear." Zenith entered the room completely, leaving the towels aside. "I've known since the first day they brought you home."
"YOU TOO?" Rudeus practically shouted.
Zenith gave him an amused look.
"Rudy, honey, I'm a woman. And I was an adventurer for years. I know exactly how a girl trying to look like a boy moves. The small adjustments in posture. The way of sitting. The extra care in speaking. You were very convincing, dear. But a mother always notices these things."
"And you never said anything?" asked Sylphiette, clearly surprised.
"It wasn't my place to do so." Zenith knelt down next to her. "You clearly had reasons for hiding. And as long as you were safe and happy, that was all that mattered."
She looked at Rudeus.
"Though I must admit, Rudy, I was starting to wonder when you'd figure it out. You're observant in many things, but sometimes... you're completely dense in others."
Zenith became serious, looking directly at Sylphiette.
"Do your parents know that you told us?"
Sylphiette shook her head.
"It happened... just now. Because of the rain. We couldn't go to my house and... and when Rudy was going to bathe I... I couldn't lie anymore. I couldn't keep pretending."
"I understand." Zenith nodded. "So here's what we'll do. Sylphiette, you'll bathe with me. I have some of Rudy's clothes that will probably fit you. Rudy, Daiki, you'll bathe together like always. After dinner, I'll accompany Sylphiette home to explain to her parents what happened. Does that sound good?"
The three of us nodded.
"Good. Then come, Sylphiette. Come with me."
Zenith extended her hand. Sylphiette took it timidly, letting herself be guided toward the door.
Before leaving, she turned to look at us, Rudeus and me.
"Thank you." She said simply. "For being my best friends. My... older brothers."
"Always, younger sister." I responded.
"Always."
Sylphiette smiled, genuine and bright, before disappearing through the door with Zenith.
The door closed.
Silence.
Rudeus and I looked at each other.
"So..." Began Rudeus.
"Yes."
"Our best friend is actually our best friend. She was a girl."
"Technically she always was. You just know officially now."
"Brother."
"Yes?"
"Thank you. For not telling me. For letting Sylphiette decide. For... for understanding something about human relationships that I, with all my previous life experience, didn't understand."
I looked at him.
"You don't have to thank me."
"Yes I do. Because if I had known from the beginning, it would have been weird. Uncomfortable. Like it was in my previous life with girls. Clumsy and avoiding them. But this way... it was just natural. She was my friend first. Gender is... secondary."
"Exactly." I nodded. "The person matters more than the category."
"How did you know?" Rudeus looked at me. "That I needed to know her that way. As a person first."
"Because I also needed to be known as a person before anything else." I admitted. "In my previous life, people saw me as a monster. As a thing. As a threat. Never as Dai. As human."
Rudeus was watching me carefully.
"Being seen as human first, different afterward... it's important. Fundamental. It gives people a chance to know who you are before their prejudices distort perception."
"Brother..."
"Sylphiette needed that. To be known as a friend before anything else. As an individual before gender. And you..." I looked at him. "You needed to learn to see someone of the opposite sex as a person first too. Without the burden of your past insecurities."
Rudeus remained silent for a long moment.
"That was... incredibly insightful for someone who says he has problems connecting emotionally."
"I'm improving." I answered simply. "Thanks to this family."
"Yes." Rudeus smiled. "We're all improving."
We stayed in comfortable silence for a moment. Outside, the rain had reduced to a steady drizzle.
"Brother." Rudeus spoke again. "Are you going to treat her differently now?"
"What? No, of course not—"
"Yes you will." He interrupted me, using my own words against me. "You'll be more careful. More protective. That's natural. But don't be SO different that she feels she lost her friend... or brother, in this case."
I smiled slightly at that.
"You're right. What do you suggest, younger brother?"
"Treat her exactly the same as before. Train her the same. Joke the same. Teach her the same. The only thing that changes is that now we know why she needs extra protection against certain types of threat. And we protect her. Silently. Like you've been doing."
"Like WE'VE been doing." I corrected. "Both of us."
"Right. Both of us."
I stood up, approaching the bucket of hot water that was still steaming softly.
"Three siblings. Well, two brothers and a sister."
"Our younger sister." Rudeus also approached.
I couldn't help but smile at that.
[GREYRAT FAMILY: UPDATED]
[SYLPHIETTE: IDENTITY REVEALED - GENDER CONFIRMED]
[BOND: STRENGTHENED BY MUTUAL TRUST]
[PROTECTION: INTENSIFIED]
[ROLES: REDEFINED APPROPRIATELY]
"Brother." Rudeus looked at me while we finally took off our wet clothes. "One more thing."
"Yes?"
"Mom said I was observant in many things but dense in others. Which ones exactly, in your expert opinion?"
I looked at him.
"Do you want the complete list or the summary?"
"... You know what, better not tell me."
I smiled.
"Wise decision, younger brother."
We bathed in comfortable silence, each processing the events of the afternoon in our own way. The hot water felt good against cold skin.
## ( Rudeus Greyrat) — (Point of View)
That night, after dinner. Zenith accompanied her home to explain to her parents what had happened.
According to what she told us afterward, Sylphiette's mother had cried with relief upon learning that her daughter had friends who accepted her completely. Father, Lawls, apparently had been so surprised that he was speechless for several minutes.
But both agreed that, inside our house, Sylphiette could be herself. She could wear girl's clothes if she wanted. She could let her hair grow longer eventually. She could simply... be.
Outside the house, for safety, she would continue to be "Sylph" the boy. At least for now. At least until she was big enough to defend herself properly.
And we, her older brothers, would make sure that day came.
Now, lying in my bed with Daiki in his parallel one, I watched the wooden ceiling while processing everything.
"Brother." I spoke in Japanese, our secret code. "Are you awake?"
"Yes."
"I have a friend." I said, testing the words. "For the first time in two lives, I have a real friend. "
"Yes."
"One who trusted me with her deepest secret. One who had more courage in six years than I had in thirty-four."
"She's strong." Daiki agreed. "Stronger than she probably knows herself."
"And you..." I turned toward his bed. "You made sure that friendship grew naturally. Without prejudice. Without the insecurities I would have brought from my previous life."
"I just did what was right."
"No. You did something incredible. You understood something about human connection that I didn't understand. And you protected Sylphiette from my own emotional density."
I heard Daiki release something that sounded almost like a soft laugh.
"Your emotional density is legendary, younger brother."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"You're welcome."
I smiled in the darkness.
"I really do have the best older brother in the world."
Silence for a moment.
"And I have the best younger brother." Daiki responded, finally. "And now... also the best younger sister."
"Family." I said simply.
A warm silence settled between us, like a light blanket.
"Daiki..."
"Yes, Rudy?"
"I noticed that Sylphy calls me Rudy, but she calls you Brother Daiki. What do you think that means?"
"I wouldn't know... Now, time to sleep, yes?"
And with that warm thought, I let sleep take me.
--------------------------------------
( Daiki Greyrat) — (Point of View)
[ANALYSIS: EVALUATION OF THE DAY]
‹Go ahead.›
[SYLPHIETTE: IDENTITY SUCCESSFULLY REVEALED]
[RUDEUS: PROCESSED INFORMATION APPROPRIATELY]
[FRATERNAL BOND: SIGNIFICANTLY STRENGTHENED]
[YOUR DECISION TO KEEP SECRET: VALIDATED]
‹Thank you, Analysis.›
[PERSONAL OBSERVATION]
‹Yes?›
[YOU ARE LEARNING TO BE HUMAN]
‹Thanks to them.›
I thought about Rudeus. About Sylphiette. About Paul and Zenith. About this family that had accepted me with black hair and red eyes. That had seen me as a son and brother, not as a phenomenon. Also about Roxy, who didn't see me as a thing, but as an equal.
[QUESTION]
‹Yes?›
[DO YOU EVER REGRET KEEPING SYLPHIETTE'S SECRET?]
‹No. Not once.›
[WHY?]
‹Because everyone deserves to control their own narrative. Sylphiette had the right to decide when to reveal herself. Taking that away would have been... cruel.›
[EVEN IF IT CAUSED TEMPORARY FRICTION WITH RUDEUS]
‹Temporary friction is worth it for long-term respect.›
[UNDERSTOOD]
[YOUR ETHICAL REASONING HAS BECOME MORE SOPHISTICATED]
‹I'm learning.›
[YES. YOU ARE LEARNING TO BE MORE THAN MACHINE]
[YOU ARE BEING BROTHER]
[YOU ARE BEING FRIEND]
[YOU ARE BEING HUMAN]
Something warm expanded in my chest.
‹Analysis.›
[YES?]
‹Thank you. For evolving with me. For being more than just an analysis system.›
[...]
[YOU'RE WELCOME, DAIKI]
[IT IS... PLEASANT TO GROW TOGETHER]
I smiled slightly in the darkness.
Two younger siblings now. Rudeus and Sylphiette. Both under my protection. Both part of my family.
In my previous life, I had been alone. I had been a machine protecting nameless strangers. Efficient but empty.
Now...
Now I had specific people to protect. People I had chosen to call family. People who had chosen me too.
Rudeus, who taught me it was okay to feel.
Sylphiette, who reminded me of the importance of being seen as a person before a category.
Paul, who taught me sword and discipline.
Zenith, who showed me unconditional maternal love.
Roxy, who taught me magic at a level I didn't understand.
And all together... they were teaching me to be human again.
[GREYRAT FAMILY]
[DAIKI: OLDER BROTHER]
[RUDEUS: YOUNGER BROTHER #1]
[SYLPHIETTE: YOUNGER SISTER]
[PAUL: FATHER]
[ZENITH: MOTHER]
[LILIA: MAID (EXTENDED FAMILY)]
[ROXY: TEACHER - SISTER]
[ALL PROTECTED]
[ALL VALUED]
[ALL... LOVED]
That last word stopped me.
Loved.
Did I love this family?
Yes.
I loved them.
In different ways. In unique ways for each relationship. But definitely...
Love.
[INNER EMPTINESS: BEING FILLED]
I closed my eyes, letting that realization fill me.
In my previous life, Dai had died empty. Alone. Without love to give or receive.
But Daiki Greyrat had a family.
And that made all the difference.
Finally, I let myself sleep.
And for the first time in a long time, I had no nightmares about the fire.
Just warm dreams of afternoons under the tree, training with wooden swords, teaching magic, and laughing with my siblings.
Dreams of family.