"I just envy," spoke Niken again. "I'm just jealous of others who had a family. There will be a long term' holiday. Everyone was so excited about planning a holiday adventure with their family. As for me..."
"I am your family." Cut Richard.
Niken smiled. "I know. But sometimes I want to feel a mother's love. Her voice, her hug, or when she will hum at night to make me sleep." Niken sighed with a dejected heart. "I'm sorry. This is the last time. I just want to pour out my whole heart tonight. Am I rather sensitive?"
Richard put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "It is okay. Take it out whenever you want. I will listen to all your complaints."
Niken smiled with relief hearing her brother's sentence.
"Do you remember the first time I froze time?"
"…"
"Do you?"
How could he forget? How could he possibly forget it? At that time, he invited Niken to play in the forest. There they found a rabbit trapped in an artificial hole.
They helped him and realized that there was a wound on the rabbit's foot.
They decide to take it home without knowing there was a lioness watching.
Just as they were about to move from the pitfall, the lioness jumped and confronted them. Reflexively Richard positioned himself in front of Niken to protect his sister.
Unfortunately, Richard was very young and had just learned his fire control skills. Facing a wild lioness and protecting his sister at the same time overwhelmed him. Until at one point, Richard stumbled and fell, making the lioness took advantage of this opportunity to pounce on him.
Niken let go of the rabbit in her arms per reflex and ran as fast as it headed towards her brother. Unknowingly, Niken stopped the time as she dashed toward his brother and stood right between Richard and the lioness.
The scene became more frightening as the lioness that floating in mid-air showing its canines in wide-mouth as if it would eat them alive right when the time rerun.
Niken intends to protect her brother, but because she didn't dare to see what is happening, she just stood stretching out her arms to different sides while closing her eyes.
One second, two seconds to the tenth-second, Niken did not feel anything made her peek to see what was happening. She was shocked beyond words to see all things surround her had stopped moving, including her brother.
Niken quickly turned around and touched her brother's body to take him away from this forest before the time starting again. Miraculously, Richard could move as soon as Niken touched his body.
Sadly enough, Niken's body could not last long, and she fell limply supported by his brother. That's when time went back.
Richard has a quick reflex to support his sister and avoid the attacks of the lioness who want to kill him. Richard half carried half dragged Niken to flee out of this forest. Niken could look back and saw the rabbit that left behind died instantly as the other lioness showed up in nowhere and pounced the poor rabbit.
Since then, Niken did not dare to use her unique skill. She was afraid as soon as time went back, something terrible would happen.
That day was the worst day and the day they wanted to forget the most. But now Niken brought it up again.
Richard sighed dejectedly. "I do. What is it?"
"I feel funny. I once used to afraid of my own ability. But now… I feel this ability became one of my life."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It's weird, right?"
"Well, I don't know if it's weird or not. Until now, we still know almost nothing about your ability. What we know someone has been hunting those time-controllers for ages."
"Well, that's true."
"Ehem... Niken, did Kazuto tell you something?" it was too sudden. Richard changed their main topic. Perhaps he didn't want to reminisce that day any longer.
"Kazu? Like what?"
"Nothing."
Besides, Richard was curious why Kazuto did not tell his sister that Niken had become his inamorata. Is it possible that he was afraid that she wouldn't like the fact she became an inamorata? Or maybe he was worried that Niken would not accept Kazuto in her life?
It was as bright as the day that everyone could see Niken had special feelings for Kazuto. It's just that he didn't know whether Niken will accept the fact that she is an inamorata or not.
In any case, Niken was still young. Maybe her feelings right now were only temporary. It could be that Niken would find her true love in a few years. So there was a possibility that Niken didn't want to be bound by being a knight's inamorata.
"Niken, what would you do if there was a knight who wants to claim you as his inamorata?"
"Huh? Why did he make me his inamorata?"
"You know the history, right? An Elementalist knight could not control his feelings. When he meets someone who is destined for him, he will fall in love at first sight."
"Yeah, I know. What does it have to do with me, though?"
"I'm just curious as to what your reaction will be if you become a knight's inamorata."
"My dear brother, your joke is hilarious." Niken was laughing honestly believe that her brother was joking around. "How come you make a joke like this?"
Richard gulped nervously as he started regretting his query.
He shouldn't ask her about this.
Now he knew how it felt a cat got his tongue!