Lilia and Mari were in the bedroom alone. In the aquarium, which was on the chest of drawers, a white snake rested meekly under the warm light, and Mari could not let it out of her sight. She sat on a chair in front of the aquarium, but kept some distance, for she was afraid that the snake would jump on her and bite.
The girl admired Hoshi's nobility.
"Don't be afraid," Lilia, who was standing behind her and tucking her long hair, told her, "it won't bite you."
But Mari couldn't help but be wary of the presence of a long lizard in the house.
"I've never seen snakes this close."
"W-what, really?"
"It's kind of wild to me... what do you think, Lilia-chan?"
"Well... I like them. A lot of people think it's exotic, in the sense of keeping snakes as pets, but to me all pets are the same."
"To tell you the truth, I'm very afraid of reptiles, for I had an intimidating situation earlier that left me with a phobia and childhood trauma..."
Mari was exaggerating. Several years ago, while she was serving the Hirota clan, while cleaning the grounds of the building, a short brown snake had snuck up to her through the leaves and tried to snatch at her leg. Mari screamed violently, after which the rest of the servants ran up to her. This situation seemed serious to Mari, but it turned out that that snake couldn't have done any harm to the individual.
Her non-serious fear, she preferred to call it childhood trauma.
"It's an interesting story..."
"You don't think I hate reptiles at all...! This snake is very adorable, and even though I'm scared to be around it, I can't resist looking at its sparkling blue eyes."
"Mari-chan, what kind of animals do you like?" Lilia asked, brushing her hair.
"I've never been sure of my pet preference...but I like doggies best! They're cute and energetic and always trying to help each other, just like me."
"Mari-chan symbolizes herself with a doggie...".
"If you were a doggie, you'd be a Pomeranian Spitz. They're just so fragile and cute..." Lilia gasped.
"That's right. What kind of pets do you prefer? Well, you have a snake, but other than that... I'd like to know what others you like."
Lilia hesitated, "Generally speaking, I like reptiles best... You could say that I symbolize myself with them in this way. Initially, my mother strictly forbade me to get a snake, but after explaining to her that looking at them makes me feel more confident... she decided to buy me a Hoshi. My brother would have preferred a dog, yes kept telling me to change my mind, but..."
'Lilia-chan is so insecure and embarrassed by every word in her direction... If she feels confident with Hoshi, symbolizing herself with a reptile might allow thoughts of her being unsociable. When I think of reptiles, I inadvertently imagine them as slow and perpetually lurking creatures. Maybe then... she tries not to show her feelings by hiding her presence from others, and that's why her totem animal is a reptile?'
Mari thought to herself, scratching her chin. After constructing a picture, she came to her senses and flamboyantly declared:
"Wait...! Was it Glenn-sama's words that made you decide to buy a doggie instead of a snake then?"
Lilia nodded suppressedly.
'She can't give Glenn-sama her opinion...Could it have been after that her mother decided to take her up on her offer to buy a snake?'
"Tell me, Lilia-chan, are you afraid to give your opinion to Glenn-sama?"
"Actually... I feel inhumanly insecure in front of Glenn, like I'm forcing myself to decide not to try to seem like a simpleton..."
'Lilia-chan... Where did she lay such a foundation of thought in herself?'
"It started way back when," Lilia added, "when I could walk and talk naturally. I was constantly hearing praise from relatives and loved ones about what a genius my brother really was. Up until middle school I heard positive opinions about my brother, and in junior high school, when I was still in Japan, they started comparing me to him. I wasn't really good at school and school was hard for me... And my brother was the complete opposite of me. I couldn't find a place for myself, so I asked my mother to move to Germany, telling her that it was difficult for me to have a relationship with my relatives. My brother and I never communicated just for fun, couldn't even find a common topic of interest to us, and after all that... I call her little sister... I think not... I'm sure my brother doesn't see me as a little sister, and yet I deserve to be treated that way. I'm boring and insecure... how do I deserve even a second of his attention?"
"What are you talking about...? Lilia-chan, do you really think that such trifles can trample the bond of brother and sister?"
"Blood is the only thing that proves our closeness... Everything else does not bind us, and my brother does not consider me his little sister...!"
"This is nonsense! How could you even make up a story like that?!"
'Lilia-chan, I suppose, was confused, all the time in thought, and unconsciously belittling herself, accepted her fictional helplessness... because of the pressure from society, which began to compare brother and sister. Their mother probably guessed this herself, after which she did not deny Lilia-chan any suggestions to develop her opinion...'
"Lilia-chan, you moved to Germany...to find yourself and stop tormenting yourself, didn't you?"
"There was only a sense of helplessness behind that decision...I just ran away from it all...decided to get away from the hopelessness."
"Wrong!"
Lilia flinched at her statement.
"You really wanted to change yourself for the better, didn't you! No, I can even declare that I am sure of it! You wanted to separate yourself from your brother so you could stop putting pressure on yourself and start developing yourself as a person, just the same way reptiles live!"
"Hmm? What does that mean?"
"You don't seem to get it yourself, and that's a shame, because your actions are far more noble than you yourself think. Wasn't the reptile analogy necessary for you to finally stop torturing yourself? You decided in the end to pick a path that you could follow."
"I don't understand. Is it you explaining it so strangely, or is it just me being unwilling to accept...?"
"Argh, what! Am I really talking that weird?!"
Mari, shuddering, racked her brain as to how she should clearly gather her thoughts into one lump and reproduce them to her peer. Her thinking and vocabulary, though refined by daily reading of books on the estate, was an ordinary girl herself.
"As a matter of fact. I'm not that mature and well-read myself, and I can hardly bring my thoughts to people in a coherent way, I'm only ten! Well, if you don't get it that way, I'll try to put it another way.
She turned straight toward Lilia, which made her startled by her abruptness. Taking her by the arms, Marie said confidently:
"Just try to talk to Glenn-sama, take your confidence in your hands. You can even kick him a couple of times for his irresponsibility in your direction, for I don't think he'll mind!"
"Oh? Why do you think so?"
"Because I'm in touch with him, too," Mari smiled cheerfully, surprising her. "Just talk to your brother, isn't that what you came here for? You shouldn't be offended that he doesn't give you the attention you deserve, it's just that this day is too important to him and his friends to think about anything else. However, I assure you that you are just as important to him!"
"Important...? But... why doesn't dear brother show it? Am I really important to him...?"
"Mari-chan, what do you think... what is your brother's opinion of me?"
"He loves you more than anyone! You're his family, remember?"
"But it's only blood that binds us together..."
"As it is, he is only human, and it is inherent in him to love and protect his close friends as well as his family. Besides, Lilia-chan, don't forget that you, too, are human. Your family ties are strong, because you've been through absolutely every family event together, haven't you?"
Lilia recalled the relationship between their family and the events they had had. She recalled Glenn being taciturn to his mother, but she also remembered being aware of how he had tried to talk to her as a child, but held back because of something she, as a little girl, did not understand at the time.
"Family members go through all the joys and hardships together, protecting and giving love to each other. Isn't that what family is? Honestly, I don't know myself, because I haven't seen my parents, and I can only rely... So, Lilia-chan, pull yourself together and side-by-side resolve your adversities with confidence! Try not to let yourself down, okay?"
'Mari-chan doesn't have a birth family...?'
"Stop hiding your feelings and thinking you're somehow worse than your little brother! By carefully studying my given rules you will surely be able to talk to Glenn-sama without too much fuss."
"Mari-chan..." Lilia seemed appreciative.
"Oh, I've been talking..."
'For the happiness of the people around me and for the sake of my future...' Mari ran to the door and opened it, calling loudly for Glenn, which made him slightly confused. 'I will take any action I can get. My improvement is just beginning!"
"What?! But I'm not ready...!" a distraught Lily said softly.
Glenn entered the room and saw the two girls sitting on the bed with very different emotions.