The television was turned on, and the channel on which Mia would be broadcast was already on.
Shouta sat down while he watched Mia on television, talking about herself and answering questions from an interviewer. Nothing could convince him otherwise than Mia's grin.
"Woah! Your sister is a part of the sweet six?!"
"Yeah, she's been working hard and, I guess she and her friend got lucky. They debuted and got a good boost"
Shouta shrugged as he smiled.
As he did, Sara walked inside and sat down near Shouta. She placed her head on Shouta's shoulders. At the same time, Shouta felt like a warm pillow was sitting beside him.
"Is it really that cold outside?"
"Yes, it is cold…"
"Didn't you bring a blanket?"
"Yes"
"...but?"
Sara looked towards the window, outside, the sky was still grey and dark, winds were strong, albeit, in a way, rather weak.
Sara turned her head towards Shouta, looking up at his face.
"Tanaka is borrowing it"
"..."
Not to hate her or to think she was dumb, Shouta looked back at the tv. Sara did the same, looking at the girl answering questions on the screen.
["—for the last question, miss Kazehaya"]
["yeah"]
["ehh… who gave you the spirit to do the things you like?"]
"The things I like?"
Suddenly struck by a question she wasn't ready for, Mia put her finger in front of her mouth, looking upwards cutely.
"When I was little—"
—She was more like someone who'll get bullied in her school. To the young Mia Kazehaya, the world was a cradle straight out of hell.
Unceasingly, every six and a half hours, Mia continued to hear incomprehensible voices and sounds.
Sometimes, they were weeping aloud; sometimes, they were crazed with anger; sometimes, they sounded like beautiful songs; sometimes, they sounded like death cries. Little by little, the sounds forced little Mia's mind and ears to listen.
No matter where she went; no matter where in the world she stood, the voices would not release the young Mia from their grip.
—How did everyone live while taking such a noisy world for granted?
Such was the question Mia lived with in that hell, where she could not even understand the voices of the people next to her as she pleased.
When her parents picked her up from school, she could not understand whatever it was they said along with their smiles. No matter how deep the affection in their words, their voices were set aside by her mind, who was still trying to know what the voices mean, never reaching Mia's comprehension.
"Mia, do you need anything?"
"..."
The reason Mia had grown up without anger, without tears, and with virtually nothing worthy of calling an emotion was because Mia, everything happening on the outside sounded like a hellish mess.
Her parents, too, struggled to understand their daughter. Neither father nor mother could communicate properly with her, always getting the same answer every time they tried.
Having the same feeling as his parents. Shouta didn't want his little sister to be sad. Prior to her birth, Shouta had been excitingly happy because he received the news that he was going to have a little sister. But after time passed and Mia entered elementary school, her face changed drastically. Every time, Mia's face was blank, expressionless, the same like Sara's.
"Good morning, my little sister! How was your sleep?"
"..."
Again.
"Welcome home, Mia!"
"..."
And again. Mia didn't answer her brother's calls.
—Then, how did she change? Why is she now happy and working hard? Why is she succeeding, passing his brother with her grades and talent?
It happened before Shouta went up to ninth grade.
"..."
Sara was walking back from school, all by herself, without any friends walking beside her. Riding the train, all by herself.
All the while Shouta was already at home, cleaning the house with Kaede.
"Miss Yamamoto… I have a question to ask"
"Yes, what is it, master Shouta?"
"Is it okay to stalk your little sister?"
"Oh my? Is master Shouta becoming a siscon?"
"Do not talk to me like that!!"
Shouta shouted as he was embarrassed. Kaede giggled at the sight of her young master's embarrassed face.
"But… I'm asking for real! Miss Yamamoto. Ever since Mia entered elementary school, she seemed like a different person. Every time she opened the front door, everytime I greeted her, she always answered with the same thing… Her blank and sad face"
"Are you trying to ask me if it's good if I follow Mia to school and wait for her every day?"
"It all began when she started primary school, so sure... Basically, I'm blaming the school."
"I'll be on board with this... Investigation you're going to conduct."
"I'll also need your assistance! You're older than I am!"
"Please… I do not deserve your admiration right now because I haven't done anything."
"Hahaha! Then I'll skip school tomorrow, and my father and mother will agree with me!"
The next day, before his investigation started. Shouta's mother, declined Shouta's offering of an investigation without giving him any information. His heart skipped a beat and shattered right after it.
"Young man, you still need to go to school!"
"I forgot what happened after that… But, my brother was a big help of my life and he has been giving me hope since then"
With that, Mia smiled adorably.
Her fleeting, obsidian-like hair rustled, her cheeks faintly red from happiness and excitement, sitting there with the look of a pure maiden at her most vulnerable, fresh from telling her past, waiting with all her heart for a question from everyone in the room.
With upturned eyes, she gazed toward him, Shouta's face reflected clearly in her blue eyes. Shouta slowly shifted his gaze from the tv to them, looking at Ichika looking sympathetic at him.
"Do you want to know more of the story?"
"N-not really… it must've been hard. I don't want you to tell me your story—"
"It's actually not that sad of a story. Just another moment of my life that I cherish"
With Sara sleeping beside him, slanting her head over Shouta's shoulder. He turned back towards the tv. Mia was still talking, being asked multiple questions by the interviewer but not about her past, probably they were not allowed to dig further.
"2 years ago, huh? The day Mia changed completely…"
They were tasked to buy groceries for the house. They planned on doing a family party tonight, making a fiest with Kaede included.
As they walked towards the family mart, Shouta held Mia's hand. Her head looked down, not making a sound. The more Shouta looked at his sister's sad face, the more he wanted to know what happened.
"Welcome!"
Standing in front of the fridge, Shouta asked Mia what she wanted. As usual, Mia answered silently but she moved her limp hand and pointed at the box of chocolate milk.
After the chocolate milk. Shouta told Mia, crouching down to her height, to wait for him near the entrance of the family mart. Mia reluctantly nodded and went.
"Now… What do we need again?" Shouta said as he fiddled through his pocket, searching for the note his mother left for him, in case he forgot what he needed to buy. To be clear, Shouta had been forgetting a lot at that moment.
"Mia… Don't you want anything else?"
Shouta turned his body, looking behind him. What lies in front of the entrance of the family mart was no one. The person he told to stay and wait for him was gone.
"Mia!"
Shouta shouted as he dropped his groceries and bolted outside of the store.
His heart racing, beating faster than ever, Shouta's head couldn't be still. His mind only thinks about his little sister's safety.
Need to find her.
Need to find her.
Need to find her.
Need to find her.
Need to find her.
At the station, there was no Mia; at the park near his house, there was no Mia; at the beach where she always goes, there was no Mia; at the family restaurant where his family ate, there was no Mia.
Where did she go?
Now his heart is racing, faster than ever. Everyone would freak out if, suddenly, they lost their close ones. Though Mia didn't die, Shouta felt like he had lost her.
Out of breath, Shouta stopped near his house. In front was the station, where a green train would pass by, load and unload passengers. Shouta was hesitant, as he took a deep breath. He walked towards his house, legs shaking, his back sweating like a waterfall.
As he opened the door—
"—mommy… I'm sorry"
—?!
The voice sounded like it belonged to his younger sister, who was wailing and sobbing.
Keeping the door slightly ajar. Shouta was at a loss for what to do after witnessing his younger sister crying.
Out of his control, his body moved hastily and he marched into the house. His arms reached as wide as he could and his eyes watered as he whimpered.
"Mia!!"
"!!"
She suddenly felt a hard force hitting her back, launching her at the ground but as she hit the ground, the force wasn't hard and painful. Someone's hand. Someone she knew was keeping her safe.
"M-miaaaa pleasee d-d-dont… don't leave m-m-meh like dat!!!!!!"
"...B-brother…"
"I'm so wo-worried about you! I searched all over the place for you!"
"B-brother… I'm sorry…"
"No!! Nothing is your fault! Everything you've done has been right, nothing was wrong! You've been crying alone, right? You've been crying alone at night, right? You don't want us to look at your sad face, right?!"
"B-.. brot…"
Mia's eyes squinted. Water was making her vision hazy.
The world she knew. A world filled with voices began to crumble away, letting a new world welcome her.
Embracing it, Mia hugged back her brother.
And finally.
Cried out of happiness.
"And what happened?"
"She started changing since that day. She wakes me up every morning and slowly grows a smile that lights my day. She made new friends and they got lucky to be a young idol star. She has been working hard since that day, honestly. I'm happy for her"
Shouta smiled as he pleased himself with compliments about Mia. As he did, his face changed too fast to be normal.
"But lately, I've been feeling that she's pushing himself too hard"
"Too hard?"
"You know. Leaving veeryyy early to work on her Idol dreams"
"And how many times have you caught her doing that?"
"...zero"
He turned away, facing the wall beside him. Shouta hasn't caught Mia doing anything like that. He hasn't seen her doing the thing he doesn't want his sister doing. However…
"Being a brother. I must take care of my sister, right?"
"It's common sense. And… I have a question, Kazehaya"
"Hm?"
"Fujiwara, here… her voice sounds familiar to a song writer I listen to almost daily"
"I hear no question"
"Cause I haven't asked, Idiot!!"
"Sorry-sorry! I was just joking"
"Hmpf"
"Come on, just ask the question"
"...Fine"
"No need to be mad, you know?"
"Whatever"
Suddenly waking up, Sara opened her eyes and yawned. Shouta didn't seem to be bothered and he didn't notice her waking up.
"The song that I sang, you said you knew it, right?"
"Yeah, I was surprised that you knew that song"
"Cause it's Dovo's song"
"Eh? Who's Dovo?"
"The artist that I told you about just now. Her voice sounds similar to Fujiwara's"
"But… Sara wrote that song, back when she was in elementary school, right when graduation ended"
"Eh?!"
"Huh?!"
When she came into senses, Sara woke up and Shouta acknowledged her being awake. She cutely yawned again and scratched her cheek.
"Sara… did you-"
"Yeah, I made it into a real song"