44 Under The Starlit Nigh (1/2)
Once I've arrived in England, I stayed in a mansion of a rich businessman. His daughter, Charlotte, is quite the cheerful girl. She would always try to drag me out to play with her. Due to our inability to communicate, I decided to teach her some Japanese, which she mastered in no time at all.
”Onii-san~ Let's play!”
”Okay, okay... I'm coming, Charlotte...”
It's been like this for a few years now, but I still haven't got used to it. I don't really miss anything from my homeland because I could always observe my little sister through the <<Little Sister Protection Program>>. However, I still couldn't get rid of the loneliness in my heart.
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On one particular night, I couldn't get any sleep. Therefore, I decided to step out onto the veranda. Unexpectedly, I saw Charlotte standing there, gazing at the stars in the night sky. As I moved closer to her, she turned around and reacted.
”Yuuji Onii-san?!?!”, she exclaimed in surprise.
I decided to stand beside her.
”Nee~ Charlotte...”
”What is it, Yuuji Onii-san?”
”Nee~ Charlotte, aren't you cold?”
She is still in her nightgown, which is surprisingly thin. It is so thin that you could almost see through it.
”It can be a little cold, but I can still stand it... What did you suddenly ask, Onii-san?”
I decided to ask her another question.
”Ah~ I'm just curious. Nee~ Charlotte, why are you here?”
She turned to look towards me and tell me about her life.
”To be honest, Yuuji Onii-chan, my life isn't exactly a great one.”
She then continued to tell me that since her father owns a big company, he rarely has time to play with her. Her mother, who is her father's assistant, also needs to work long hours as well. The maids all pay respect to her because she is her father's daughter, and there are no one around her age to play with her. Then, she proceeded to say,
”That's why, Onii-san, I'm so grateful for you.”
”Hmm? Me?”
”Yes, Onii-san. Ever since you came here, you've taught me a lot of things and spent time with me. You've made me feel the warmth of a family for the first time in my life.”
At this part, tears started to form in her eyes.
”Onii-san... You're thinking about someone, aren't you?”
”Hmm? What are you talking about, Charlotte?”
”Onii-san, whenever I see you, you would always be gazing at the sky, seeming to always be thinking about something, and on many nights, the maids told me that they would seldom see you coming to this veranda to gaze at the stars. That's why I know that you're probably thinking about someone.”
”Hahaha... You're overthinking it, Char-”, before I could finish my sentence, Charlotte interrupted.
”Onii-san... It's someone you hold dear, isn't it?”
”...”
We kept gazing at the stars in silence for a while.
”Nee~ Charlotte. I've... thought about something...”
”...”