Not much time had passed since they had come home, and, dressed in her favorite homemade clothes, which made her comfortable in hot weather and warm in cooler weather, Lilia took three small books out of her bag and ran down the hall, where a humble Glenn sat, doing his homework for school. After hesitating, she called out to him in her awkward, soft voice, and Glenn slowly turned his head in her direction.
"Brother, you know..."
'Have some confidence...you're part of the family! Confidence, please do your task...!' and lifted her head.
"I bought three books too...maybe you've read one of these?"
She turned the front of the book so Glenn could read their titles. Their distance was short, but Glenn uncomfortably moved his head forward to examine more clearly.
"The book in the middle I definitely remember reading. I also have it in my bookshelf; you could have asked me first so you wouldn't have to buy a copy."
"Ah, so you already have it..."
"I see, so you bought the Gothic novels..."
Lilia became uncomfortable being around him, and she felt disappointed in herself, for she could neither make him happy nor start a conversation properly.
'Failed... once again. Why am I so pathetic?'
Lilia turned toward the bedroom and silently walked away. Glenn also looked a little disappointed.
Once, at sunset, she sat dutifully on the shaved lawn by a small drainage ditch near the center of town and stared blankly at the clear water flowing in it. She pondered and pondered, but she didn't notice a man walk up to her and call out to her. The man's voice was mature and feminine, and Lilia was fascinated by it.
Lilia turned her head in surprise and saw a girl of twenty-five years of Asian appearance in front of her, and she thought her friendly look was cute, which made the girl slightly embarrassed.
The girl leaned toward her and humbly asked: "What are you thinking about?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I... You seem to be mistaken."
"No, it's not like that at all. I was only interested in your thoughtful appearance and fascinated by your blond hair."
"What...? But I don't know you. Why did you decide to approach me?" Lilia was slightly puzzled, and her slight tension seemed pleasant to the girl.
"There was an altercation between high school students here a long time ago...bullies. You should watch out."
"Okay... I'll take that under advisement. Who are you, by the way?"
"I completely forgot to introduce myself... My lover and I are getting married very soon, so you can just call me Higashikuni."
"Hmm? That's a nice last name you'll have."
"Thank you," the woman sat down on the grass.
'She doesn't seem like a bad person. I don't think anyone here is going to hurt me.'
"My name is Lilia Zaleman... It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Huh? I knew you were European. You have a lovely last name too, evokes warm emotions. What are you doing here? Sunset is about to fall."
"Ah, I was just... thinking about some things. You know, I've had a problem since a long time ago... And how are you doing?"
"I'm doing great! I'm not going downhill, at least I'm happy about something."
"Do you walk here often, miss?"
"Yes, quite often. This place has become something native to me, because I've been walking here since I was a kid. It's also where I've met my people that I want to move on with."
"Cool..."
"Oh, I'm sorry. You don't seem to be interested in that kind of dialogue. You probably think I'm a weird person for coming to you spontaneously...!"
"The awkwardness of this aunt is perfectly matched by the beauty of her manner of speaking... She's such a sweetheart."
"Not at all," Lilia began to look more open, causing the woman to be struck by her and slightly relieved.
"I'm glad to hear that. Tell me, have you been walking here long?"
"No, this is my first time here! How were you able to find friends here that you still communicate with?"
Lilia was eager to learn a lot about this woman, as she was curious to absorb the information the adults were giving her. She reduced all her tension to zero when she began to communicate openly with her and answer her questions in her harmless style, which Lilia thought was haughty.
From these days on she began to hold her daily meetings with this woman, and they found a suitable time to meet. At last Lilia was able to meet an admirable person with whom she found common ground.
"Auntie, how do you most prefer to absorb knowledge to self-development? How good are the methods you usually use?"
Their interest in their daily meetings never waned, and Lilia rejoiced each time as the girl peacefully answered all her questions.
"Lilia-chan, you have strong potential."
"You know, auntie, chatting with you gives me pleasure..."
"Really? What a joy, because I also enjoy having conversations with you."
After that, Lilia began to bring the books she had bought a few days earlier, and they took turns reading them together, simultaneously giving each other comments and portraying the characters' emotions as they read.
"What? Were you bullied at school? I think you should try to find yourself in another community of people whose interests are similar to yours. Most importantly, be yourself."
The distance between them shrank with each conversation and the woman's account of all the events she had gone through.
"You have so many interesting stories about your personal life!"
"I'm sure you'll have a story to tell soon, too. The events you found significant in your life will forever be in your memories, and you'll be happy every time you think back on them."
'So in the future I too will be able to tell the events of my life to someone... These events I will only admire!'
"Someday, when I have an interesting story about my life, too, I'll tell you about it first thing! I want those future stories to be nothing but positive!"
"I'm happy to hear that...I'll look forward to your accomplishments."
One day Lilia dared to tell her about her anxieties, how she couldn't talk to the brother she admired the most, and how she couldn't find her place because of it. Listening attentively to the sweet girl to the last word, the girl comforted her in an affectionate tone:
"Try to find exactly where your opinions can agree. If that doesn't work, then create space for the particular topic you find most interesting to both of you. Most importantly, be yourself, Lilia-chan."
Lilia's boundless admiration was unrelenting, and in this woman she also managed to see the kindness she wanted most. Not from her mother with her motherly love, and not from Glenn, but from the girl she had come to regard as an iconic person. Lilia wanted sisterly love.
The next time, humbled and deeply thoughtful, looking at an aquarium in a pet store with a decent and tiny white snake that had crystal clear blue eyes, Lilia, soon returning home, approached Glenn with the same unsure gait, holding one of the books she had bought.
Glenn paid her immediate attention, whereupon Lilia pulled herself together and added:
"I've read a book you know too. I'm sure you, too, felt admiration for the main characters when the story reached its climax! Didn't you?"
Lilia herself was surprised by her own statement, which she would not have failed to utter had it not been for the help of a lovely woman, and Glenn saw her so animated for the first time.
"Y-yes..." slightly startled, he replied, swallowing his saliva, whereupon Lilia lifted her head.
"I read it in its entirety... I really liked the ending of the whole story - for me, it's delightful! I didn't regret reading this novel...!"
Realizing that he wasn't answering her, Lilia lost her former confidence. Glenn turned to her with his whole body and replied with a sincere smile: "Good girl."
When that gentle voice, imbued with gratitude and warmth, reached her ears, Lilia, whose thoughts were plunged into dreams of hope and happiness, lowered her head and retreated to her room. Glenn saw the scene again, in which she also turned away from him, with the result that he was not quite sure what he was missing to bring her joy.
Meanwhile, Lilia, sitting on the bed and leaning against the wall, trembled slightly. Through her bowed head shone the joy and adoration of a sense of triumph.
'I succeeded...I made it! I managed to talk to my brother! with all joy she thought to herself, not stopping to shake.'
But the next day, unexpectedly, she did not meet the woman with whom she had managed to spend the whole spring break, and soon lost sight of her altogether. The girl disappeared from Lilia's sight, never telling her anything about her place of residence. Nevertheless, having learned much from her about worldly matters and gained experience, she still seemed a mysterious person to Lilia, and the girl was not even surprised by her equally mysterious disappearance.
Lilia left the place and never came here again, and it seemed strange to her that all she felt inside was gratitude. The girl warmly accepted her departure.