Hostility and Theft

“I can’t let Misaki get hurt.”

After leaving the house, Mana Ochi repeated this mantra to herself.
Holding Misaki Shizuki’s hand, she vigilantly scanned their surroundings.

Misaki had perfectly inherited the beauty of Yurina and their mother.
Though only eleven, her cuteness was undeniable, but some men in this country were perverse and untrustworthy.

This wasn’t mere paranoia—her subconscious warned her to stay cautious, likely due to some forgotten incident in her lost memories.

But the thought that she herself had acted perversely toward the original Yurina sank her into such shame she could barely lift her head.
‘Maybe I was the culprit… God, why was I such a terrible person?’

“Sis, what’s wrong?”
Misaki looked at her with concern, clutching her cat-ball plushie tighter, clearly nervous.

Not good—she was scaring her.
Mana quickly banished her dejected expression, flashing a practiced gentle smile.
“Nothing, just thinking about something else.
Let’s hurry over.”

They were headed to a park near Misaki’s elementary school.

Mana wasn’t foolish enough to think she could keep Misaki happy without preparation, nor arrogant enough to believe a fake sister like her could bring Misaki joy.
So, yesterday, she’d asked Misaki if she wanted to invite any classmates or friends to join them.
And then—

“Misaki-chan!”

The girl from Mana’s memory was already waiting at the park.
She rushed over and hugged Misaki.

Three other girls, likely invited along, were there too.
They quickly spread a mat on the grass and started playing, leaving Mana on the sidelines.

But this suited Mana perfectly.
She didn’t know how the real Yurina used to play with Misaki.

The less she did, the fewer mistakes she’d make.
Her role was merely to be a “guard” for these girls.
Though she probably lacked the courage to confront a malicious criminal, she could shout for help or stall a wrongdoer to buy the kids time.

“You’re Misaki’s ‘sister,’ huh?”

A slightly childish yet sharp, mocking voice interrupted Mana’s thoughts.
Turning, she saw the familiar girl standing beside her, glaring with hostility.
What was going on? Had she messed up again?

Mana’s face turned pale with panic.
She mentally reviewed her words and actions but found nothing amiss.

“Don’t bully Misaki,” the girl warned.

Bully Misaki?
Mana was dumbfounded.
She wanted to ask for clarification, but the other children called out.

“Kagami, what are you doing over there?”

“I’m coming!”
Kagami shot Mana one last glare, then switched to an innocent expression, waving as she ran back.

Wow, kids these days change faces faster than flipping a book.

After the thought, Mana sank into self-reflection.
In her memories, she’d faced similar situations as a child.

Even when she wasn’t at fault, even when she’d done nothing, she’d be locked in a confinement room for a whole day.
Clearly, it was because her father despised her, finding her mere presence an eyesore.

But why was she so hated by her family?
Just because she lacked spiritual power and was a failure?

She didn’t think so.

Even without most of her memories, she knew she’d ended up as a scumbag like “Takuro Ochi.”
And because of those missing memories, she often relied on subconscious instincts, inevitably picking up Takuro’s bad habits and earning others’ dislike.

Kagami’s hostility must stem from Mana unknowingly showing her ugly side.
Even in Yurina’s form, she couldn’t escape being detestable.
She gave a bitter smile, her expression turning lonely and dejected.

“Sis…”

Misaki’s faint voice startled Mana, making her jump.
“Misaki, w-what’s wrong?”
Mana quickly adjusted her face, flashing a gentle smile.

But this time, Misaki didn’t buy it.
She stared at Mana, her big, cute eyes glinting with scrutiny.

Oh no, had she been exposed?
Mana felt a surge of panic.

“Sis, can you play with us?”

Mana froze, staring blankly at Misaki’s concerned gaze for a while.
She realized she’d looked too lonely, worrying Misaki.

No, she couldn’t show such an expression in front of kids.
As Mana prepared to adjust her face further, the other girls ran over, tugging at her sleeves.

“Misaki’s sister, come play with us!”

Mana had no choice but to join the children.
“You’ll be the villain!”
Kagami, waiting there, crossed her arms smugly.

Mana gave a knowing smile.
“No problem!”
Someone like her was meant to play the bad guy.

“W-What’s that about?”
Kagami was startled by Mana’s refreshing smile and quickly turned away.
“Don’t regret it later.”

Mana didn’t know if she’d regret it, but she could tell joining was Misaki’s idea.
Though Kagami wasn’t thrilled, she’d helped switch the game to playing house.
Mana couldn’t let their kindness go to waste.

“Then I’ll be the prince, and Misaki will be the princess.”
Seeing the “villain” had no objections, Kagami immediately assigned roles with some bias.
The other girls, used to this, didn’t protest.

The roleplay went smoothly overall.
The only issue was that no matter how Mana “scared” Misaki, Misaki showed no fear, instead laughing happily.
This left the “prince” with a sour face, as if she’d eaten a basket of lemons, for quite a while.

But since Mana noticed, she wouldn’t let it end there.

In the scene where the prince defeated her, she held her last breath, approaching Misaki to “deliver her final words.”
“I never thought I’d lose… Oh well, Princess, live happily with the Prince from now on.”

Misaki, a clever child, welcomed Kagami with a blissful expression after Mana’s exit, even planting a kiss on her cheek.
“W-W-W-What?! I’m gonna die!”

Kagami’s face turned red as a ripe apple, her eyes spinning, steam practically rising from her head—whether from embarrassment or overwhelming satisfaction.
They played until nearly noon before parting ways.

“Misaki, don’t you have another sister?”
Before leaving, Kagami pulled Misaki aside to whisper.

“Nope.”

“Then what’s going on?”
Kagami sneaked a glance at Mana.
“How’s she different from what we heard?”

Misaki didn’t know how to explain, but she was certain of one thing.
“Sis is the best to me, so, Sumi, don’t be mad at her anymore…”

“Fine.”
With Misaki defending her sister so earnestly, Kagami Sumi could only nod reluctantly.
But she wouldn’t let her guard down easily.

Then Mana suddenly approached, startling the guilty Kagami.
“W-What do you want?”

“Thank you for coming to play with Misaki today.”

Mana knew well that without Kagami Sumi’s presence, it wouldn’t have been so lively, and Misaki wouldn’t have had so much fun.
But her heartfelt thanks left Kagami unsure how to react.

She responded in a defiant tone.
“I-I’m Misaki’s best friend. No need to thank me for that.”

“Then please keep being good friends with Misaki.”
Mana smiled gently.

“Tch, that goes without saying!”
Kagami’s face flushed for some reason, her eyes wavering.
Perhaps noticing her own odd reaction, she quickly waved goodbye and dashed off like a startled rabbit.

“What a good kid.”
Watching Kagami’s retreating figure, Mana said warmly, then took Misaki’s hand.
“Let’s go home.”

“Mm!”
Misaki nodded happily, even clinging close to Mana on the way back—her tension and rejection from the past two days seemed like a lie.

But Mana knew this was all thanks to the real Yurina.
She’d caught the start of Misaki and Kagami’s whispered conversation.

It was hard not to, given how happy and joyful Misaki sounded praising her sister.
It was clear how much Misaki loved her sister and how close they were.

Yet Mana had stolen all of that.
Worse, after her clumsy disguise was seen through by Kagami Sumi, she’d used Misaki’s trust in her sister to get Misaki to cover for her, even feeling relieved when it worked.
She was utterly shameless.

More laughably, she’d mistaken Misaki’s care for her sister as directed at herself and let herself feel touched.
She was pathetic.

Looking at Misaki, who leaned affectionately against her on the train, she said softly,
“Misaki, does Sis seem strange right now?”

Misaki lifted her head, staring at Mana with her big, cute eyes for a moment before burying her face in Mana’s arms, full of attachment.
“No, I love the current Sis the most!”

Ah, she’d been seen through.
Her fear and anxiety had all been exposed to Misaki.

But because she was “Yurina,” Misaki chose to embrace her, comfort her, even telling such a huge lie.
What a good child.

Mana raised her hand to pat Misaki’s head but froze halfway, unable to move further.
She was despicable.

To think she’d try to steal happiness meant only for Yurina.
She withdrew her hand.

“Thank you. Sis loves Misaki the most too.”

She spoke softly.

She should’ve apologized, but she used the excuse of continuing to play Yurina to dodge responsibility.
As expected, someone like her didn’t deserve happiness.