"Who is that bitch... Brother?"
"Uh... Peruere? Could you lower your guard for now?"
"Avrora? What is that girl? Why is she looking at me like she wants to kill me?!"
Peruere’s menacing aura left me flustered and Furina terrified. It felt like one wrong move would cause a major disaster.
"Peruere...? Why did you bring those fries...?"
"Obviously, I brought them for you, Brother... But why is that bitch clinging to your back?"
Furina was pressed against my back, trembling. Perhaps crushed by Peruere’s killing intent, she could only move her lips soundlessly and could not get a word out.
"Thanks for bringing the fries... Why don’t you two try talking first...? Furina, this is my little sister, Peruere."
Maybe she was nervous, because Furina awkwardly tried to walk up to Peruere... only to immediately return and hide behind me again. Apparently irritated by that, Peruere came up to me first, handed me the fries, and dragged Furina away. At least she was not crushing the fries. Was it because she had brought them for me?
Now face-to-face with Peruere, Furina trembled as she looked at her.
"Ahem... Yes, my sub...ject! For an orphan like you... to behold me requires an ex...ceptional stroke of luck..."
"Enough. Get to the point. Who are you, and why were you standing beside my brother?"
Peruere cut Furina off immediately. Furina was flustered. This was surely a life-form younger than her, yet the pressure she gave off was on the same level as an angry Neuvillette.
"I-I am Furina de Fontaine, leader of Fontaine and the Hydro Archon..."
"Really? Then why was someone as important as you standing beside my brother? And all the way out in this remote place, without even an attendant?"
Peruere had entered serious mode. Looking at her like this was like seeing Peruere—Arlecchino—during the Fontaine storyline. She was a professional at tying people up in knots.
"W-Well... I came because I had business with your brother..."
"Oh? Business with my brother...? If it concerns him, then naturally I, his sister, ought to know too, shouldn’t I? What business brought you all the way here, Hydro Archon?"
Peruere pressured Furina without giving her a moment to breathe. Furina was already short, while Peruere, despite being only ten, had grown to nearly 160 centimeters and was taller than her. Considering that adult Peruere was estimated to be in the high 170s... she would grow even taller. I suddenly felt sorry for the Furina who would meet Peruere then. She already looked pitiful enough as it was.
"Um... Your brother..."
"My brother?"
"I was going to have him adopted into the Palais Mermonia... Eek!!"
The moment the word adoption came out, Peruere’s eyes widened. Until moments ago, she had been narrowing her eyes as if assessing just who the hell this person was. Now, she was openly showing hostility.
"Who dares try to take my brother away as they please? To leave the orphanage, he needs that bitch... no, Mother’s permission. I doubt Mother would give my brother away so easily."
Furina did not collapse under that hostility. As though trying to display the authority of a god, she gathered her resolve and spoke.
"I-I’ll use the authority of the Hydro Archon to take your brother out! Don’t get any foolish ideas and hand your brother over to m—"
In that instant, Peruere’s hand shot toward Furina’s face. This was bad!
"Peruere..."
I lowered my voice, speaking as though issuing a warning.
Peruere stopped her attack. Furina, startled, fell onto the ground, on the verge of bursting into tears.
"Hic... Avrora..."
"Who did I say you were allowed to use violence against...?"
"People who harm me, Brother, Citra, or Cravie."
"And people who harm those who will become your family one day. I told you to remember both of those sentences."
"This bitch was trying to hurt me. That hateful little... She was trying to take my brother away from me without knowing her place...!"
"Would I abandon you and leave this place, Peruere? You are all my precious family. Forever."
Of course, I knew those words would become meaningless if I died. But this was what I had to say now.
"Brother..."
Peruere’s hostility ebbed away, and she returned to her usual expressionless face.
I approached Furina and helped her up. Furina fell into my arms and began to sob her heart out.
"Hic... sob... I was scared... Avrora... Save me..."
"Sigh... You crybaby. You’re even more trouble than Peruere..."
I stroked Furina’s head. Peruere wore an unpleasant expression, seemingly angry that I was petting someone other than herself.
"So, Brother. It looks like you’ve finished all the fries... How about we go back now?"
"You should clean up the mess you caused. This one, right here."
I pointed at Furina, subtly letting her know that there was still something she needed to handle.
"...Fine. I’ll go on ahead. After all, I am your faithful servant, Brother. [Arlecchino]..."
Now she was calling herself my servant. Having a little sister like this was absolutely killing me. I was terrified of the consequences...
Peruere put the smelt I had caught into a plastic bag and headed home. We could make a fire and eat the smelt later.
"What the hell is with that girl?! Is your little sister actually a monster?!"
"Well... I do admit she’s a monster..."
She was a monster, all right. A girl who would rise to become the Fatui’s Fourth Harbinger could hardly be anything else.
"I feel like she’s going to stab me someday. What am I supposed to do? I’m so scared..."
Knowing that she really would get stabbed someday, I laughed as I watched Furina make a self-fulfilling prophecy.
"Hic..."
"Hey!!! This is very serious, you know?!"
I was relieved that Furina had returned to her usual self. Stroking her head again, I told her about my plans.
"Furina? I’m going to take the bar exam soon. Crucabena, the director of the House of the Hearth, wants me to become a lawyer or prosecutor and get close to Neuvillette."
"Really? Of course, if you become a lawyer or prosecutor, you will see Neuvillette often... But what is her goal, making a child like you take the bar exam? It’s an incredibly difficult test."
If I told her it was Crucabena’s scheme to kill her and take her place as the Hydro Archon, tenderhearted Furina looked like she might faint on the spot. Peruere had already rattled her, so this was no time to bring up something like that.
"Maybe she wants to create lawyers directly under the Fatui... And perhaps she thinks getting close to Neuvillette would make things in Fontaine easier."
"I really, really want to adopt you and play together, but I have this feeling that your little sister would come find me and kill me..."
Furina slipped into sulky mode. What was I supposed to do in a situation like this...?
"Children of the House of the Hearth are forbidden from going outside as a rule. Except when they’re on missions. So the days when I can meet you are limited."
Furina became even more dejected. I wasn’t done talking, you know?
"The day before the first exam, I’ll probably go to Fontaine to book lodging. That day and the day of the exam are free days, right? When the time comes, I’ll play with you then."
Only then did Furina lift her head and look at me. When you looked at her like this, she really was a beautiful girl—but seeing her break down crying earlier had been unbearably pitiful.
"Then if the bar exam is held sooner, we can meet sooner too?"
Furina stared at me expectantly.
"Uh... well... I guess so...?"
As far as I knew, the first exam was at the end of September... Looking at Fontaine’s history, that date had almost never changed. At first it had been held in June, but complaints about the heat poured in, so it was moved to March, and then, a hundred years ago, it was set for late September. As technology developed, grading became faster, and the majority opinion was that it was best to finish the third round before the year ended. So, Furina? You won’t be seeing me for another nine months.
"Great! I understand! Don’t worry, Avrora! This Furina de Fontaine will make something happen somehow!"
"What exactly are you going to make happen...?"
"Of course, I mean meeting you sooner! Neuvillette may scold me a little... but if it means I can see the friend I worked so hard to make, I’ll do anything!"
Furina struck a pose full of needless determination. But what exactly was she planning to do...? I hoped it was not what I was thinking.
"Don’t overdo it, Furina. We’ll see each other again."
"I can’t wait! Anyway, wait for news from me!"
With that, Furina ran toward the Court of Fontaine. I could only hope she would not cause some kind of incident...
Three days later, mid-December.
"Fuck, Furina, you bitch!!!!"
I began the day by looking at the front page of today’s edition of The Steambird and unleashing a hearty string of curses at Furina.
[Bar Exam Moved Up to March... First Time in Over a Hundred Years]
[Examinees Thrown into Chaos; Exam Committee: Questions Will Be Easier in Consideration of the Revised Date]
[Lady Furina de Fontaine: Number of Successful Candidates to Increase, Announcement Within Fifteen Days]
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