We Are A Family

Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Three days passed by without any event worth noting about for Klaus Weber. He's been discharged from the hospital since Friday, though the doctor had more questions than answers for him. A medical expert knew a scar couldn't heal itself in a mere few days.

The very notion of it would spark a riot no doubt. Still, Klaus had to be discharged on that day according to procedure, so the unanswered questions remained that—unanswered.

Klaus had no difficulty whatsoever fighting the Draugrs invading his Personal Dimension. He'd gotten used to his enhanced physical abilities and improved acuity. His reliance on conjuring objects had plummeted by a fair amount. At the very least, the loot he'd acquired more than made up for this in various ways.

"Hmph!"

A stark green blade cut through a D-rank Draugr like melted butter. The Draugr's two companions lunged at Klaus from behind, their canine teeth ready to sink into his tender shoulders. Their jaws clamped on at last—but their prey had vanished. Their saliva-soaked teeth bit into tasteless air.

Two rays of light bent in a wide arc towards the Draugrs like a whip and tore them apart without a hint of mercy. The unnatural strokes were caused by none other than the sword in Klaus's hand. He'd swung it with strength powerful enough to rend an a.d.u.l.t ox.

Klaus Weber as he was right then had transcended into another being—an Astral.

Every Astral had the ability to manifest the same Oubliette of the Keeper he or she had defeated. But Klaus had yet to find an excuse to pop one out. There was simply no need for him to do so. At his current state, he'd be more than capable of smiting and slashing his own path without relying on that power.

D-rank Draugrs were too weak for him to be serious in a fight. He cut through a horde of them with a slash packed with such force that it created ripples in the vacuum. Reincarnated people who'd not claimed their Crown yet were wary of the deleterious effects of Draugrs of any rank. But those who'd claimed theirs—Astrals—fought the Draugrs as if they were being irreverent of them. A haughty few would start to undertake more powerful Draugrs by nature because of this impetus.

"Grawwr!" A D-rank Draugr leaped and bit into Klaus's arm from his blind spot. He was taken by surprise but didn't fail to counter the attack with his own, sending the vile creature into the void.

The outcome of that exchange was anticlimactic in a sense. Klaus suffered no injury whatsoever on his arm. The answer to this peculiarity was obvious since a transparent cloak of protection had graced him since the beginning of the fight.

"The pendant you gained from fighting that powerful Draugr proves to be far more useful than I'd thought it would," said a girl's voice—Euryanthe—in Klaus's head.

"Though I don't know how much the pendant can protect me. There must be a limit to the amount of beating that the cloak can endure before it gives out."

"That may be so, yes. But a Lohengrin from a Draugr that powerful shouldn't be scoffed at. As intangible as the ability is, I'm certain it will be as useful as your blade."

"You're right."

"Say, Euryanthe. Draugrs can't do anything to my Personal Dimension while I'm away, right?"

"Hmm? That should be obvious. The state of the Personal Dimension will reset every time you come back. Any damage incurred in your absence means nothing. I'd explained this."

Klaus shrugged. "Just sating my curiosity."

"That being said, are you going to focus on coercing your sister now?"

An utterly honest question by Euryanthe. Though, coercing was a strong word in every sense since Klaus had no intention of using force nor threats. If Freda was unwilling to cooperate, then he would wait until the next day. The cycle would stay until Klaus managed to make Freda accept her past life and the people she was involved with.

"I'm taking a more passive approach," Klaus answered. "Going at it with full force would only lead to a less desirable result. I would be deriding myself non-stop if it goes that way regardless."

"Understandable... I'm impartial in how I view things, Klaus. My opinion on your methods of moving forward will be objective."

"That so?"

He didn't mind getting advice on how to get Freda to his side from Euryanthe. He remembered his sister's stubbornness and obstinateness to the point where his body was drained from energy. Freda of the past was too rigid in her way of thinking that putting stubborn and obstinate in the same sentence wouldn't cut it.

Sure, she was a child—teenager to be more precise—at this stage. Even then, she was far too different from those around her. Her looks and personality stood out the most wherever she went. Someone at that age shouldn't be pressured by these superficial matters.

Freda's uniqueness was the main reason why Klaus had to act. He knew her the best out of everyone, so...

"You're taking this the wrong way, Freda. I hope that there's still time left for me to make up to you as your brother."

. . .

"...?"

Tsujihara J. Freda stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of a familiar face. She turned her head towards it, but the person in question was nowhere to be found. Strange. Was she just imagining it?

Given her personality, she didn't give up on the notion that someone was stalking her. A popular individual had no control over the adverse effects that came with a rising marketability. The girl stuck with her belief and continued walking.

It was around one o'clock in the evening. Arai Naoto—Freda's boyfriend—called for her to meet up with him after school. He intended to skip going to his soccer club to have some fun. A general sentiment for accomplished students.

Naoto had a broad smile on his face when Freda showed up at a local cyber cafe. He'd been invested in playing games at this place as of late, much to his girlfriend's chagrin. Of course, the girl's opinion on the matter played little to no role in persuading him.

Why would he? Whenever Naoto enjoyed something, others wouldn't be able to stop him. His reputation as his school's gleaming hope and living trophy were more than enough to gain everyone's favor. Nonetheless, Naoto invited Freda to watch him play games.

"Hey, after this, can we go straight back home?" Freda spoke in a loud voice to overcome the cafe's boisterous atmosphere.

"Huh? Why?" Naoto said with his eyes glued to the monitor's screen.

His hands flitted between the keyboard and mouse as he played an online JRPG game with his friends.

"I have things to take care of!" Freda said irritatingly.

"Why you're so busy? Did your teacher dump tons of homework today?"

"No, that's not it!"

"Whatever. You can go home if you want."

"So—"

"After we check the new coffee shop down the street."

"..."

The new coffee shop? She could get her hands on the shop's commercial product before heading back. The idea wasn't bad, so Freda didn't retort.

Naoto finished playing in about an hour or so and said goodbye to his friends. He slung his right arm around Freda's waist, and she shuddered. Being a couple didn't mean she warrant intimate physical contact. They were too young to engage in such activities.

So, Freda distanced herself from Naoto a fair bit. He understood what he did and continued walking down the street. Though, just as the couple was about to reach their destination, two figures stopped in front of them.

"Hm?" Naoto raised an eyebrow at the two high school students standing before him. Before he could walk around the obstacle in his path, one of the students put a hand on his shoulder.

"Huh? What do you want?"

The student—Klaus—took a sidelong glance at Freda. She had a boyfriend and he didn't know anything about it. More importantly, she was accompanying this boy who'd been playing truant. Not that he had a say on the matter, but the fact that he saw what the boy tried to do to Freda made his blood boil.

"This is a warning. Don't touch her again," said Klaus through clenched teeth.

"Who are you to tell me what to do? Get your hand off me."

Naoto slapped Klaus's hand away and returned his glare with his own. Clearly, Naoto had a not-so-nice personality that his body language screamed he wanted to strike Klaus right then and there. No words could assuage the boy's anger.

"Klaus, you're here again," said Freda with an exaggerated sigh. "I told you, didn't I? I don't want to see your face ever again and yet—"

"Freda, why are you with this guy?"

"...I can be with whoever I want. You're not my brother anymore."

Freda grabbed Naoto's arm and pulled him away with such strength that he jerked forward awkwardly. For a dainty girl, Freda exerted strength unbefitting of her looks.

Even Klaus was surprised by this. The only conclusion he could come up with at that time was that Freda had already become an Astral. It was the sole logical reason.

"Freda!"

"Don't bother with my life, Klaus! First, it's Dad that keeps bothering me and now you!? What's next? Mom will drag me back too!?" Freda turned around after she'd walked a certain distance. "I don't want any of you to get in my life!"

She walked off just like that, dragging Naoto as she went. A comical sight to the bystanders indeed, but not to Klaus and Aoi.

"...She's not in good hands," said Aoi who'd been on the sideline since the beginning.

"I know. That's why I'll keep doing what I'm doing. Why is she trying so hard to deny her past life? I don't understand."

"You have to ask her."

"Yeah, I suppose. Anyway, you didn't have to accompany me, Aoi. You must have things to tend to at your home, right? Your parents must be worried."

"..." She rather be outside than at home. Her dislike for the toxic environment she'd been living in for the past decade-and-a-half was palpable to some extent. As her best friend, Klaus picked up on this some time ago but decided to not ask her about it.

Then again, the scar on her forearm he saw back then put a dent on his decision. Sooner or later, he'd have elicited the truth from her—but now was not the time.

They walked back to their neighborhood and changed their conversation's topic on the fly.

"The vice president looked dead worried about the president today," said Klaus. "Just because he's absent, she dismissed everyone and left the club in a jiffy. I'm on the notion that he's really sick."

"...No, I don't think so."

"Hm?"

"I don't have to tell you that I'm a good observer, right? The vice president--Yutani Mae—is quite a unique individual. She holds a rather negative reputation at school but when she's around the president, she's quiet."

"So, she's shy when she's around guys?"

"That might be the case, but I keep having this feeling that it's something else. What I'm trying to say is that—"

"The vice president owes him a grand favor!?" Klaus came up with the conclusion on his own.

"No, Klaus, it's—"

Aoi's words fleeted along with the subtle wind as Klaus began daydreaming. The vice president had yet to return a favor, so she acted nice towards the president. This explained a lot!

Klaus's imagination ran wild in his mind, trying to picture various possible scenarios related to his conclusion. Aoi breathed a sigh with an indifferent expression. When Klaus started daydreaming, there was no getting to him.