Do You Think I'm Going to Survive This?

Sixth Street was a neighborhood with a tangled web of power. Dragons kept their heads down here, and tigers lay low!

Because the moment you stepped behind its storefronts, it was like passing through a tunnel in time into a completely different world.

See Uncle Enzo over there?

His shop looked like an auto repair garage. In reality, he was Second-Ring Thirteen-Lang, and the place was an illegal Bangboo modification den.

See the cool lady across from my shop?

Her place looked like a record store that pressed vinyl. In reality, she developed weapons hardware and software and built custom W-Engine drivers!

See Master Chop next door?

At his noodle shop, regular customers got regular noodles. Those in the know got a few breath mints after their meal that could save their lives inside the Hollows!

See Master Tinman?

He looked like a guy running a coffee shop, but he was actually a source of Ether batteries for the black market!

I could go on, but you get the idea!

The general store sold military-grade batteries and hardware. The toy store sold toy guns—the kind that could damage a mech.

A quick look at Sixth Street's businesses: "illegal Bangboo modifications," "arms trafficking," "controlled military supplies," "potent stimulants," "Proxy commissions"...

As for me, Wise, I ran a video store on Sixth Street. On the surface, Belle and I were the Cereal Siblings. In reality, we were the Hollow Sage and Ether Commandant!

New Eridu's greatest Proxy—Phaethon, in the flesh!

I had two younger sisters. Belle was my sister by blood. She had a fiery temper and a fierce sense of justice.

The other was Griseo, whom we'd taken in. She had blue hair, loved to paint, and had been staying at our video store for a year. I already thought of her as my own little sister.

Griseo didn't have a New Eridu citizen card, and I didn't know how old she was. But she definitely wasn't an adult—which meant she was a little girl!

Oh, I almost forgot!

Everyone's first impression of Griseo was like—

A white bird soaring freely through a clear sky, reflected in the starry eyes of a girl, as though she, too, were gliding through the galaxy...

In just one year, Griseo had become Sixth Street's darling, the princess of The Stars in everyone's eyes!

If anyone tried to hurt her on Sixth Street, she'd wake up the next day and find that person in some corner of a Hollow, inside a bridge's concrete pier, or in the wall of a high-rise.

All right, enough rambling. Back to the point—do you think I'm going to survive this?

Today was supposed to be a lovely, sunny day. Instead, it brought two pieces of news!

Good news: Belle had gone to pick up Griseo's school admission notice. Our Little Painter was about to start school.

Bad news: Belle was about to call the police on a "super-duper perverted little-girl fanatic." That fanatic was me.

Here was what happened. Belle went out this morning, and I stayed behind. Cleaning the shop was hard work, after all.

I hauled boxes, straightened the shelves, and cleaned up. By the time I finished, my poor back was half wrecked.

I was sprawled on the tatami like a dried-up fish. Every little movement made my spine scream.

That was when Griseo stepped onto my back with her bare feet. They were soft and small.

Griseo's voice came from above my head. "Wise, your color has turned gray, like a stone after the rain."

I felt so much better I nearly cried. "You're so thoughtful, Griseo... Could you step a tiny bit lower?"

Griseo's pressure was just right, and I started talking nonsense.

"Ooh~ Ahh~"

"That's the spot~ Feels so good~"

Griseo kept going. "Wise, should I press harder?"

See? What a thoughtful kid!

Was this what it was like to have a sweet, considerate little sister?

I could almost understand that line from the Bible—little girls were like dew on grass at dawn. They were everything beautiful in the world. They were the future, the embodiment of hope and the beauty of life, a miracle from God.

Like little girls and you'd regret getting zapped. Don't like them and you'd regret it for life!

As the saying went, "A rose needn't grow taller; those who love it will bend down." Why admire an older woman when you could watch one grow up? And then the door opened.

"I'm back!!"

It was Belle. I looked up without thinking and met her eyes.

How could I describe that look? It was as if she'd just spotted something filthy.

Before I could explain, Belle whipped out her phone, her fingers moving in a blur.

"Hello, Public Security Department? The video store on Sixth Street—yes, Random Play. There's a super-duper perverted little-girl fanatic here! Yes! Caught! In! The! Act!"

Me: "???"

Griseo: "Oh? Belle's back!"

"No, Belle, let me explain!"

"Griseo just saw how tired I was and offered to step on my back! I wasn't thinking anything dirty!!!"

"Belle, my dear sister, could you please put down that phone first!!!"

So that's the gist of it. What do you think—am I going to survive?

The Public Security Department isn't really going to show up, is it!!!

What am I supposed to do now!!!

Answers, please!!!

Urgent!!!

As the accused—Wise—finished his tearful testimony, Belle slowly turned her gaze to Griseo.

"Griseo, is what my brother said true?"

"Belle~" Griseo nodded. "Wise moved so many boxes today. He looked tired, so I wanted to help."

"There! See?"

"Fine!"

After hearing Griseo out, Belle put her phone away for the moment, though the suspicion in her eyes hadn't faded one bit!

"Griseo, you're the best!" Wise let out a breath of relief when Griseo backed him up. If word of this got out, the neighbors would chop him into mincemeat.

"You hear that? You hear how thoughtful and kind Griseo is? Now that's a good sister!" Wise protested indignantly.

"Belle, you should learn from Griseo. Have a little more faith in your big brother!"

"..." Before Wise could finish, one glare from Belle shut him right up.

Belle left her phone in her pocket and switched into stern big-sister mode. "Griseo, why are you barefoot again? The floor's cold. What if you catch a chill?"

"Um..."

Griseo looked down at her little bare feet, then up at Wise. In a soft voice, she said, "Because... Wise said he likes it better this way..."

The room went silent. Wise's smile froze on his face.

Belle instantly pulled out her phone again and dialed a different number. "Hello, Defense Force?"

"No, Belle! I never said that!!!" Wise waved his hands frantically, desperate to save himself. "Griseo, explain!"

Griseo blinked innocently. "Didn't Wise say shoes pick up paint easily? And if I run around in them, I'll dirty the canvases and track paint all over the store..."

After a pause, the little girl added, "So I didn't put any on. Besides, I like going barefoot better too. It's soft and warm, like walking on grass."

Belle: "..."

Wise: "Griseo, next time... could you finish your explanation first?"

"Okay, Wise!" Griseo nodded obediently.

Belle stood there, looking from innocent Griseo to her brother, who had broken out in a cold sweat. Then she quietly slipped her phone back into her pocket.

"I'll let you off this time, Wise. But don't let me catch you again... or else!!!" Belle made a throat-slitting gesture at him.

"Come on, Griseo! I'll carry you upstairs to put your shoes on!"

"Thank you, Belle!"