"Leonard, I think it would be a nice surprise for you to pick up your sister from school." My mother said after lunch, wiping her hands on a worn dishcloth. "She would love to see you! It's been so long since you've seen each other."
I knew my younger sister, Clara, missed me. During the years I was away at Wushia Academy, our communication was limited to a few messages when possible, but I always worried about her. I remember how curious and energetic she was when I left. Now I could hardly imagine how she had changed.
"Of course, Mom. Can I do that? Is she studying in the same place I was?"
"Exactly. It might be a little nostalgic for you."
Walking through the busy narrow streets of Awaniko, I couldn't help but notice how things had changed for the worse. My heart squeezed a little at the thought of how my family had struggled to keep up in this environment while I was away studying at an academy with expensive tuition. But now, with what I had achieved, I could change all that.
I finally arrived at the elementary school where Clara was studying. The building was no different from many others in the area - a structure worn down by time and neglect, with dirty walls and a small courtyard surrounded by a rusty fence.
Parents and guardians waited outside, chatting as they waited for their children.
When the gates opened, the children poured out, running and screaming to be reunited with their families. And then I saw her. Clara was taller than I remembered, her white hair like mine tied back in a ponytail, and she was wearing her school uniform, slightly frayed around the edges but still clean. When our eyes met, she stopped for a second, blinking as if she couldn't believe her eyes.
"Leonard?" Her eyes went wide and then, before I could answer, she ran towards me and threw herself into my arms.
"Hey, Clara!" I picked her up and spun her around in the air like I used to do when she was smaller. "Surprise!"
She laughed, a sound that brought me joy. The last time I saw her, she was a toddler, but now she was beginning to show signs of the pre-teen she was becoming.
"I can't believe you're here!" She exclaimed, still laughing. "Mom and Dad didn't tell me!"
"I arrived just before lunch. It was Mom's idea to send me to pick you up. She wanted it to be a surprise."
But while I was still holding Clara in my arms, a familiar figure approached. The man, whose face was marked by a difficult life and shabby clothes, was someone I recognized immediately. It was my uncle Ricardo, my father's brother, and he had a strange smile on his face.
"So you're back, Leonard. We were beginning to think you'd forgotten your family."
"Hi, Uncle Ricardo. I'm back for a while. I have some things to take care of in town, and I miss my real family."
He stepped forward and crossed his arms as he looked me up and down, not mincing words even though he was a relative. "If you're back, I think it's time we settled some accounts. Your parents owe me 50,000 credits they borrowed to pay one of your tuition fees at that expensive gym in Republic City. You graduated, and that debt is long past due."
That hit me like a punch in the gut. I knew things were hard for my parents, but I had no idea they owed my uncle so much money.
Clara looked at me, confused, and I felt her body stiffen in my arms. Shit, did he have to do this in public and in front of a child?
"Fifty thousand credits?" I asked, keeping my voice low. "All right. I'll pay now."
Ricardo laughed, a harsh sound. "Now? Do you have that much money? I didn't know being an explorer paid so well."
Without another word, I turned on my system and, with a few quick taps on the screen, transferred the 50,000 credits directly to my uncle's account via the system's proximity identification technology.
The look on Ricardo's face changed from mockery to absolute shock as he received the notification of the transfer.
"What... How...?" He stammered, looking at the window as if it were a trick.
"Consider it done, Uncle," I said calmly. "Now I must take my sister home. Stay away from us."
He still looked stunned as I walked away, carrying Clara on my lap. His voice trailed off, lost in the noise of the surrounding people.
Clara, on the other hand, looked at me with wide eyes. "Did you really pay for all this at once?" She asked, and I realized she was old enough to understand what had happened.
"Yes, I did. Don't worry about it."
"But... won't you get in trouble? It was a lot of money..."
I smiled at her, relieved. "I'm an explorer, Clara. Do you know what explorers like me do?"
"Yes, you explore the ruins of ancient cities!"
"Exactly, clever girl. While I was exploring, I found an important treasure and sold it for a good sum. Now I can help our family and repay your efforts."
Her eyes lit up at the news, and like a typical child, her first reaction was to ask something that made me laugh.
"So... do you think I could win some new shoes?" She asked shyly.
"A new shoe?" I laughed as I put her back down and held her hand. "Clara, you're going to win a lot more than a new shoe. I'm going to buy Mom and Dad a new apartment, and I'm going to send you to a prestigious school so you can study and use all that intelligence you have."
"So we're going to live together again, only now in Republic City?"
"Together? Well, I don't know. I often have to go out of the city to explore."
"Huh? Even though you made so much money, you still have to work, little brother?"
"Of course. Without work, there's no reward." I answered her, but a drop of sweat dripped from my forehead because, well, my job was a little different from what she imagined. "But you've given me a good idea, Clara. I think it might be interesting for you to move to Republic City so we won't miss each other so much."
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