Names

"Huh? That big crater looks kind of familiar~"

"Hmph↓, you idiot Red-haired girl, we've walked back to where we started."

"I'm not an idiot, and my name isn't Red-haired girl! My name is You Ling! I have a name!"

"The three of us are all You Ling. Whether I call you Red-haired girl or idiot, as long as you know I'm calling you, that's enough."

"Ahhh! You smug bastard, today I'm definitely going to..."

The two six-year-olds, who had woken up midway through the journey, had started their usual routine again.

The three of them spent less than half a day circling the small island, but unfortunately found no traces of humans or any other intelligent life. The entire island carried an air of primitive wilderness.

Standing beside the original crater, Golden Phantom Spirit began considering what to do next. Of course, there was one small issue to settle first.

"Since you two care so much about names, how about we settle it right here?" Golden Phantom Spirit said, watching the two tug at each other's cheeks.

Red Phantom Spirit immediately agreed upon hearing that and was the first to let go.

"O-tay, o-tay! Saves this Blue-haired girl from randomly giving me stupid nicknames. Grr~ Let go already!"

"Tch~"

Seeing the other stop, Blue Phantom Spirit also released her grip. She disdainfully shook off the saliva on her hand before saying:

"I agree too. We do need new names to distinguish us."

"Do either of you have any suggestions?" Golden Phantom Spirit asked once the two stopped fighting.

"Hmm... Our original name was You Ling, 'Youling,' 'You Zero'...

Ah! How about we just call ourselves 'You One,' 'You Two,' and 'You Three'?"

Red Phantom Spirit began employing her earth-shattering wisdom, and the scene fell quiet for a moment.

"Uh, what are those expressions for?"

"We'll be using these names for a long time. Could you put some thought into it instead of coming up with names that sound like 'a random one by the roadside'?" Blue Phantom Spirit could not help mocking her.

"Hmph~ Since you say that, I assume you have some brilliant insight of your own?" Red Phantom Spirit put her hands on her hips, unconvinced.

"Of course."

Blue Phantom Spirit was not polite in the slightest as she confidently said, "I think that since we already have the name 'You Ling,' there's no need to choose another one. We can just use code names. For example, You Ling Alpha, Beta, Delta, and so on. Isn't that simple?"

The air remained utterly silent.

"Hm? Are you stunned by my genius idea? No need to be surprised, this is my..."

"Pfft, pfft~ Hahahahaha! You've been acting smug for so long, and that's all you came up with?!

That's even worse than my one-two-three naming method! Hahaha! As expected, there's nothing in your head besides narcissism." Red Phantom Spirit clutched her stomach and burst out laughing.

"Tch~ Forget it."

Blue Phantom Spirit raised an eyebrow and immediately mocked her back.

"After all, I never had any hope that a red-haired ape like you could understand the beauty of scientific symbols."

"Who are you calling an ape?! You blue-haired narcissist!

Obviously, my 'one-two-three naming method' is cleaner and more elegant. With your weird code names, anyone who didn't know better would think we were lab mice that escaped from some laboratory!"

"Stop using your nonsensical nonsense to insult my intelligence, you red-haired husky!"

"Maaah! Want to fight?!"

"Hmph! Foolish! This is the perfect chance to show you how reckless it is to oppose me!"

"Who's afraid of whom? Today, I'll show you my earth-shattering power! Yah!"

As she spoke, the two assumed fighting stances like a pair of puffed-up cats.

"Just use the names of the Three Phantom Gods. You two will be called Osiris and Obelisk, respectively."

Just as the two were about to start clawing at each other again, Golden Phantom Spirit's voice suddenly cut in.

"Also, I don't object to you arguing when your opinions differ, but I don't want to see you fight again. Can you promise me that?"

Golden Phantom Spirit—or rather, Ra's—voice remained as gentle as ever, without the slightest trace of anger or forcefulness.

Yet upon hearing her speak, the two little girls who had just been baring their teeth miraculously stopped confronting each other, as if some invisible bloodline suppression existed between them.

*[W-what was that feeling just now?! It was like facing Mom!

Mom used that same tone where you couldn't hear any anger before she got mad, but if you didn't stop, you were definitely getting beaten up the next second!]*

Red... no, the girl who should now be called Osiris shivered sharply, then rubbed her slender arms.

As expected, thickheaded idiot-type characters had especially accurate sixth senses. She had been just a tiny bit away from receiving her first beating since coming into this world.

For some reason, Ra's human emotions became particularly active whenever she faced these two little girls.

Normally, it would have been nearly impossible for something so minor to stir her emotions, much less make her angry. Yet the moment she saw the two about to fight, Ra could not suppress a flicker of anger, as though some old scar had been pricked.

"I understand. I lost my composure just now." The blue Obelisk had already obediently straightened up.

"M-me too! I'm sorry, please don't be angry. Haha~"

Osiris hurriedly echoed her. "By the way, should I call you Sister Ra now?"

"You don't need to call me sister, nor do you need to use honorifics with me. We were originally split from one person, so there is no distinction of age or seniority between us.

I only hope that the three of us can get along well. There should be no rifts or grudges between us, let alone bloody conflict."

Ra's tone remained unchanged, but perhaps it was an illusion: just as she finished speaking, the cloudy sky overhead cleared.

As if a tremendous burden had been lifted, the red and blue little girls both let out long breaths.

But the moment the pressure passed, Osiris's eyes began rolling around again.

Opportunities were always fleeting, and her restless nature could not resist taking this chance to stir up some trouble.

Glancing at Obelisk beside her, who was still standing at attention like a good little girl, Osiris said to Ra with a fawning expression:

"Sister Ra has a point~ But since there are three of us, there should be an order of seniority, right~ It'll also make things easier to explain if people ask.

How about this: Sister Ra, you're the eldest sister, I'm the second... ptooey! I'm the second sister, and Obelisk can be the youngest. It's settled, then. What do you think?"

As she spoke, Osiris carefully watched Ra from the corner of her eye. Seeing no reaction, she finished voicing this proposal that carried her own small selfish motive.

"Mm, that works too. I have no objection." As Osiris had expected, Ra, who did not care about such matters to begin with, did not object.

Having snapped out of her good-girl state, Obelisk was just about to protest that she did not want to be the youngest, but upon hearing Ra's words, she forcibly swallowed them back down.

Meanwhile, Osiris, whose scheme had succeeded, could not help revealing an expression of "just as planned."

*[Hehe~ A mere little blue-haired girl thinks she can compete with me!

As the middle sister from now on, when trouble comes, I can shout, "Big Sister, help me!" to deal with outside threats.

And when I retreat, I can use seniority to crush Blue-haired girl and resolve internal problems.

Hmph! Heh! What in this world can stop me now! What the hell can possibly stop me now?!]*

"What is it, Osiris? Did you think of something that made you happy?"

Ra's words interrupted the momentum that had been wildly, explosively, enormously building within Osiris. Her increasingly exaggerated expression instantly returned to its obedient look.

"Haha~ Nothing, Sister Ra.

It's just that Obelisk's name and mine are a little long. They used to be two characters, but now they're four or five, which is troublesome to say. From now on, just call us Oshi and Obe.

What do you think, Obe 'little' sister?"

With her back to Ra, Osiris turned and flashed Obelisk an Anya-style smile.

"I. Have. No. Objection!"

Obelisk practically squeezed those insincere words, seemingly steeped in blood and tears, through her teeth. Her crimson eyes stared at Osiris's back as she secretly swore:

[Hmph! I'll endure for now and avoid her edge!]

[Just wait, red-haired brat! Today's humiliation will be repaid a hundredfold someday!]

"Hm? Little sister, what are you muttering about back there?"

"Ah~ I said Second Sister has excellent judgment." Obe immediately composed herself and gave Oshi a sweet smile.