I looked at the sleeping girl in my bed. After some sudden movement, I could tell she was starting to wake up. "Nnm... thank you..." She uttered—Cecelia really was a bad sleeper, huh... She sounded like she had a good dream from her peaceful sleeping.

I came back to my room around the same time I prepared for school. I didn't have school, but I still woke up early for maintaining good habits. Coming here I saw her still sleeping in my bed peacefully. I waited a bit for her to wake up, but the way things were looking... "Huh?" My pillow had stains; judging by the location of them it was not drool. "... She really let everything out, huh..." I guess at some point she cried herself to sleep - or cried in her sleep.

I left her to sleep as was... I figured I shouldn't interrupt her.

So I sat here as I waited for her to wake up... Watching her.

... ... ...

"Mmn~," I looked aside 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 funny how I made her wake up so fast just by being here. "Wha—why?"

I left myself quiet,

"Ano—Alicia...?" She uttered as she got out of bed. Her gaze wandered around the room, "Eh!?" Ah—she picked up and looked at my night desk alarm and saw the time... Thinking about it, isn't this the time she normally leaves for school? "I—sorry!" Cecelia said whilst putting my alarm clock back on the nightstand.

"... you don't have school..." I uttered to her just before she bolted out of my room. 

Instantly she stopped immediately and looked back at me surprised, "I—... don't have school today?" She had such vivid expression now that I see her normally. She felt so much more alive this morning than any other time I saw her, almost like a complete reversal to her dead span fearful reactions when seeing me normally. "Then..." Seeing her like this invoked an indescribable feeling inside me... Err—is this how older siblings feel when seeing their younger siblings?

I rubbed my eyes, bringing myself back to reality. "Let's eat breakfast before we talk." I wanted her to be a little more awake than was now before we spoke. Plus—, "Also let me do your hair; it's a complete mess." It looked as though a bird nested its way to her head; which surprised me when I saw her the few times we do see each other. She usually kept her hair flowing straight back in a simple yet neat way, but—well, I suppose combing it straight at her length of hair wasn't difficult.

"Ye—yes." It was going to be a while until she regained her composure back, huh...

"You can sit here." I somewhat forced her onto my desk with my mirror and took out my comb. As I combed her hair, I realized just how much of a mess it turned into. Loose ends sprawled everywhere on her head much to my amazement as I combed her hair softly, "What did you do to your hair?" I uttered to her.

"It's... always like this..." ... I must have it easy, huh... I took care of my hair, but it never ends up in the mess of pieces sticking out like her hair. Though her hair, although shorter than my hair seemed more voluminous than mines... Maybe I was just lucky in the sense I had to do little maintenance to my hair.

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

"That—thank you..." She suddenly shook momentarily before going still again. I combed her hair straight back in an elegant, cute wavy style down to around her collarbone. I was sure I could braid her hair cutely around her neck if I spent more time, but here it was simply for my own entertainment to do her hair. 

"There we go—!" I said, feeling accomplished. I stood up and walked around her whilst she turned herself looking at my desk mirror. 

"Thank you... Alicia." I felt like I awakened a new side of her. Her sweet voice full of gratitude speaking to me really reminded me that she was a pure-hearted child inside.

With that, "... now..." I took a large 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. 

... I instinctively gazed towards my small study desk... Inside one of those cabinets was that diary. 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 clarify everything, but, "... apologizing for something I never did; yet something 'I' did..." I couldn't even think of how to do it without making it sound like an empty apology. 

... ... ...

"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, 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 her and help her through her struggles and successes. With that in mind, I went out my room to the dining room to wait for Cecelia.

... ... ...

Yet here I was, with her 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 walls, Cecelia came into the dining room. "I—... know..." She uttered as she sat down on the chair—next to me.

"It's okay Cecelia." I took a deep breath before glancing away, "... this is going to be hard for both of us to take in—even though you already know I am not the Alicia that—..." I drifted my words off trying to decide if I should say it or not. I took another deep breath, "I feel sorry; and... I know what she did; I read her diary." I spilled the truth.

A sudden shock came to her as her eyes flashed open wide - there was no way she could forget. Tears flooded down her eyes quickly, "It... she was terrible; she didn't let me go, and I... I..." Cecelia quickly leaned her face on my shoulder.

"I know..." I was at a lost. I was never one who found it easy to comfort people, yet I couldn't imagine how Cecelia felt. All that secret abuse. No one to protect her, and worse of it, no one to believe her, "I'm here for you now Cecelia." I uttered to her before awkwardly embracing her in a soft hug. "I can't do anything about the past Cecelia, but I'll do everything in my power for you now."

"Thank you..." Her tears continued to wet my chest, "I—you won't do it again, right...?" 

"Never." I reassured her. "I will be with you."

I let her stay on my chest for a while... She was probably going to cry a lot today from our talks. 

After her sobbing paused, I opened my embrace a little to see if she would move out, but she stuck herself onto me... "What a troublesome 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.

When she left from my chest, I wanted to make fun of her a little. "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.

Ignoring her, I thought back... sigh... I still had to do something about her school situation. I couldn't be too careless, as she was in her final year of junior high, 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. 

"Alicia?" Eh—ah, did I space out? Cecelia slowly squirmed herself out of my loosening embrace I had on her.

After some time settled, I decided now was the best time to start my questioning. I delicately asked Cecelia boring questions about her general school life and how everything started, quickly learning basically everything. 

With that in mind; my worries grew... I knew how this all started - Alicia started this -, but to think that Alicia knew such a troublesome group that could outcast someone from a school's social group. 

"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?" School for her ended after mines, and it 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.

... ... ...

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 done with it. The hardest part was her school issue, but now...

"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 to where I went happily did something I always wanted to do - as Alicia. 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 changed a otherwise cute, yet quiet girl into a lovely pretty girl. 

"Unn..." I nodded in satisfaction towards the appearance I gave her. "Let's go." I uttered

 

 

---

 

 

We returned home with enough groceries to last a few days - opposed to when I had to shop alone. Having someone to help and talk to was nice. It also felt different to shop for someone else, and to not have to decide what to cook myself... 

"Alicia—ano... when did you learn to cook?" Ah—err... "I... knew you changed that time, but remembering—..." I suppose forgetting would be hard.

"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...

"... you seem happy..." Ah—a pitiful smile with slight tears looked at me... Guh—,

"Sorry," I felt guilty looking at her and thinking about my past. "It's about someone, a long-gone happy thought." 

We slowly brought out all our cooking ingredients to prepare ourselves a small lunch. After our coordinated efforts, we sat at our dining table ready to eat.

"Thank you for the food Alicia." Looking at her smile brought a smile to my face...

 

 

---

 

 

"It's nice..." I uttered, finishing the day in my room. 

A lot of pressure was off my chest. Seeing today, I realized everything changed again. 

"... would opening up really be as easy as to her?" Cecelia never questioned it, but there may be a day where everything spills. "Would everyone still accept me as—!" My silent confession to myself was cut short when my door was opened. I slid my chair out of my desk and turned to look at Cecelia.

"Alicia..." She uttered as she slowly walked up to me on my chair. "...thank you..." 

"Ah—?" An unexpected hug came from her to my surprise.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me now, Alicia." 

"... unfair..." Young girls are truly the hardest opponents to win against.