Chapter 34: A lion and its cub..

I found a spot in front of a shabby shopping complex where the foot traffic was sparse.

I could see people walking down the street.

Though a few glanced at me occasionally, their stares didn’t linger long because my face was well-covered.

It was a relief.

My life had always been about waiting.

I couldn’t do anything on my own.

I always needed someone’s help.

Waiting, and waiting again.

For me, waiting had become a natural part of life.

It always had been.

But everything changes.

Me, and everything around me.

The only problem was that, in my case, the changes had been a bit extreme.

So, has anything changed now? Unfortunately, it’s hard to say yes. While I’ve changed, I’m still the same in many ways.

I’m not afraid of change.

I just needed some time.

“Haa…”

As I watched my breath puff out white, I found myself waiting for someone again.

Endlessly, endlessly.

“Sis!”

How long had I waited?

I heard a familiar voice.

Whether it was because I was outside or simply because I’d heard it so many times, the word “sis” now sounded strangely comforting.

Perhaps the biting cold that seemed to seep into my brain was affecting me.

It didn’t take long for my sibling to arrive where I was. I knew her school wasn’t exactly close to this spot, but judging by her quick arrival, she must’ve rushed over as soon as she got my message.

“…Why did you message me like that? You scared the hell out of me.”

When we finally met, her face was a mix of irritation and relief, and she was breathing heavily.

Despite the cold, a thin sheen of sweat glistened on her forehead, evidence that she had been running.

“Huh? Mom said someone’s coming to look at the house and told me to step out for a bit.”

“I know. I talked to her on the phone.”

The fact that she’d even called Mom showed how startled she must have been.

Thinking back, I realized the way I worded my message could have easily been misunderstood.

Maybe that’s why her voice, uncharacteristically sharp, shot back at me.

“Why didn’t you just go to a PC bang or something? You like games, don’t you?”

Ugh. She hit a sore spot.

Afraid of what kind of snowball effect another misstep might cause, I confessed the truth.

“…I couldn’t go in.”

“What?”

Her brow furrowed slightly.

It was an expression I rarely saw.

“Then why not go to a café? Cafés usually have big windows, so you can see everything from the outside.”

“Well… I’ve never been to one before…”

She sighed deeply, looking at me as if I were hopeless.

“Goodness, Sis, you’re a real piece of work.”

“I’m just not used to it yet.”

It’s true.

When a new champion is released, it feels unfamiliar at first, but after facing it a few times or playing it yourself, you get used to it quickly.

This is the same.

I just need time.

“Yeah, sure. Whatever you say.”

Of course, she didn’t look convinced.

And honestly, I couldn’t blame her. After showing her such a pitiful side of me, it was only natural she wouldn’t believe me.

‘Even I don’t like playing with teammates who perform poorly every time I queue with them.’

In games, you often encounter players like that.

They’re in the same rank, but for some reason, they always perform worse when they’re on your team.

As much as I try to be understanding, I can’t help but feel annoyed when I see them as my teammates.

It seemed my sister’s distrust of me was coming from a similar place.

“Anyway, this makes Mom’s plan completely pointless.”

“…What plan?”

“You really think Mom kicked you out? She probably wanted you to learn some independence.”

“Is that true?”

“I didn’t hear it directly from Mom, but that’s my guess. She’s always been overprotective of you, so it doesn’t make sense for her to just throw you out.”

Now that she mentioned it, it did make sense.

It wasn’t certain, just a hypothesis, but the logic seemed sound enough.

You know, like the story of a lion pushing its cub off a cliff to make it stronger.

Of course, that story has no factual basis, but as a metaphor, it fits.

“Let’s find somewhere to go. Oh my, look at your face. It’s frozen solid.”

“Eek!”

The moment her hand touched my face, I let out an involuntary squeal.

She looked taken aback, clearly not expecting me to react like a startled bird.

“Uh… sorry?”

She stammered an apology, clearly flustered.

“No, it’s fine. You just startled me.”

“Then let’s go.”

As she started to lead the way, something unexpected happened.

“Hmm?”

My sister’s gaze dropped to the floor, and her brow furrowed slightly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Sis, are those boots… mine?”

“Oh… Are they yours? I didn’t know which shoes were mine, so I just picked these.”

“…Those are brand new. I haven’t even worn them yet.”

Her voice had a chilly edge to it.

It wasn’t just my imagination.

“It’s not that I’m upset about you wearing my shoes without asking. And it’s not like I’m so petty that I’d get mad over something like that. But don’t you think that even between siblings—no, sisters—there’s a line we shouldn’t cross when it comes to using someone else’s things without asking? Of course, I’m not angry. You know me—I’m not that petty. I was just surprised, that’s all. Actually, now that I see them on you, they look perfect. They suit you so well! You’re so pretty it’s almost unfair.”

My sister had always been considerate and understanding.

But this was the first time I’d ever seen her exude this kind of intimidating aura.

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

Instinct told me that the best course of action was to apologize immediately.

It felt like the time when a top-lane teammate got repeatedly dived by the enemy jungler and quietly typed “321” in the chat.

The difference now was that a loss in a game would only cost a match, but I couldn’t even begin to predict the aftermath of this situation.

“Just ask next time, okay? You scared me.”

Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.

It was terrifying.

For the first time, I thought my sister could be genuinely intimidating.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll ask next time.”

“Alright, let’s go. There’s a café nearby I go to often. They have really good egg tarts.”

I followed behind her like a baby chick, afraid to let her out of my sight.

It felt like I was the younger sibling here…

“Then again.”

Technically, my sister was far more experienced in social situations than I was.

They say there’s no age limit to learning, and I shouldn’t feel embarrassed about this.

…At least, that’s what I’d like to believe.

The dignity of being the older sibling was slipping away.

Not that I ever had much of it to begin with, but now it felt completely gone.

The café she led me to was a small, cozy spot, similar in size to the one I’d seen before.

It seemed she’d chosen this place, avoiding larger franchise cafés, to be considerate of my discomfort around crowds.

“What do you want to drink?”

“Anything. I don’t really know what’s good.”

“Really? Hmm… Coffee? Or maybe a smoothie or juice?”

“Coffee.”

I used to avoid caffeinated drinks entirely, but coffee had recently become one of my guilty pleasures.

Most of the time, it was canned coffee delivered to my door, the perfect companion for late-night ranked games.

“Something sweet?”

“Yeah.”

I wasn’t the type to drink sweet beverages often.

Or, to be precise, I’d never really had the chance, thanks to my mom.

But recently, I’d gained some freedom to experiment, and trying out snacks and drinks I’d always been curious about had become another little hobby of mine.

The first time I tasted canned coffee, I was amazed.

That’s when I realized I had a soft spot for sweet drinks.

“Hot or iced?”

“Hot.”

Though I usually drank canned coffee cold, the situation called for something warm.

“One hot white chocolate mocha, one iced americano, and two egg tarts, please.”

After efficiently ordering, my sister grabbed the vibrating pager.

“When it buzzes, that means the order’s ready, right?”

“Yeah, exactly. How’d you know?”

“I saw it in a drama.”

Though I’d spent decades as a shut-in, I wasn’t completely cut off from the world.

I may lack social skills, but I wasn’t clueless.

“Ah, that makes sense.”

She laughed lightly, clearly finding my explanation amusing.

She already knew I was an avid drama fan, after all.

We exchanged lighthearted conversation until the pager buzzed just a few minutes later.

Bzzz—

“Oh.”

As she absentmindedly reached for the pager, her expression turned mischievous.

I had a bad feeling.

“Sis, why don’t you go get it?”