Maria, now aware of the truth surrounding her brother, William, made it a point to be near him wherever he went. Driven by respect and affection for her brother, she was determined to help him.
Maria knew that William had been acting, even around their family. But she also realized that sometimes the smile he gave her was genuine. It made her slowly realize that her brother wasn't devoid of emotions, he just couldn't understand them.
One day, Maria directly asked William about it, surprising him. William realized he had underestimated his own little sister.
He had always felt alone, believing no one could understand him. But it turned out, the person who understood him best was always right beside him.
Slowly but surely, William began to learn about his emotions with his little sister's help. She was always there to support him.
Then one day, he realized there were two things he had never experienced before, sadness and failure.
This forced him to visit a special place called "Pignus Aula," also known as the "Aula of Gods," to make a plan.
However, after leaving the place, his mind became a bit chaotic. Due to his carelessness, he got into an accident. His memories became a bit hazy afterward, but he was okay. Still, he felt the world around him had changed drastically. He felt isolated from reality, constantly lonely even when surrounded by his family.
His little sister's presence was the only thing keeping him sane.
While William was in the hospital, during a moment of solitude with Maria, she said something strange that confused him.
"I'll make sure this works, brother. Thank you for trusting me."
William didn't understand what she meant, but he just nodded, not wanting to worry her.
Soon after, William and Maria returned to their school life, though they had to hide during breaks.
"Maria, are you sure you want to spend time with me?" William asked.
"Yeah, I don't need anything else but you, brother."
"But-"
"Don't worry, my friends and I are fine. I'm doing this because I want to. We're family, right? Is it wrong if I want to be close to my family?"
"N-no... It's not wrong."
Maria smiled and began feeding William his lunch, saying, "So, let me spoil you every day from now on."
"But-"
"No refusals. You refused back then, didn't you? So, it's my turn now. I want you to let me pamper you!"
"Are you angry?"
"No, I'm happy."
William fell silent for a moment before replying, "I guess I can't fully understand human feelings."
"Of course you not, me too... Ihihi, beside that, I've been reading the novel you recently read, brother, you know?"
"Really? Why are you suddenly interested in novels?"
"If I say I'm doing it for you, what would you do?"
Hearing this, William glanced at Maria, who had already done so with a smirk.
"So, you're mimicking the scenes from the novel," William said.
"What's wrong with that? I'm mimicking, but it doesn't mean I'm just mimicking. I'm mimicking because I want to get used to it and become the character I want to be."
"For me? Why?"
Maria smiled again and replied, "You know, I'm not forcing myself. I'm doing this because I want to, not because I want to do it for you. I'm not doing this for you, but for myself."
"Yourself?"
"Yes, my own satisfaction, as a Little sister who loves her brother."
William was taken aback by her statement and said, "People might misunderstand if you say it like that."
"Let them. I don't care how people see me, because I have someone who understands me. As long as that person always pays attention to me, that's enough for me. I don't need to explain who that person is, right?"
William chewed his food first, all the while watching his sister who continued to stare at him, waiting for his answer.
After a while, William sighed and said, "Do what you want, if that's what you think is best."
"Thank you, my dearest brother!" Maria shouted, hugging one of William's arms without hesitation.
"Ugh... Where's the old you?"
"Ihihi, I've changed quite drastically in the past few months, haven't I? It's because my desire to be a super cute little sister is so strong! You always say I'm a cute little sister. Why are you surprised when I become real?"
"Back then, I just wanted to tease you because your angry reactions were always funny. I didn't expect it to become your motivation now."
"Ehehe, does that mean I succeeded in becoming your dream little sister?"
William smiled and replied, "I really can't win against you, Maria."
"It's the privilege of being funny and cute! My beauty itself can charm men. No wonder you can't win against me!" Maria said proudly.
"You're great at saying that without hesitation. There's no logic in your words."
"Beauty and cuteness don't need logic. Beauty can't be explained scientifically. It exists only to be enjoyed by the eyes, right?"
"Your words are great."
"Ihihi."
After that, Maria fed William again with her lunch.
"That's your lunch."
"If you're full, I'm full too. If you're afraid I'm not full, why don't you feed me with your lunch too?"
William, who could only follow his little sister's request, could only accept his fate. They both fed each other that day.
Years passed since that day, Maria continued to strive to be the dream sister from her brother's favorite novel. But slowly, she also found herself enjoying reading novels. Unconsciously, it became her hobby and she even read novels more often after that.
One day, they finally graduated from elementary school and entered middle high school. Finally, after so long, William could escape the hateful stares of those around him.
But to be safe, he chose a middle school far from his home, making it extremely difficult for anyone he knew from elementary school to find him.
What Maria did to William made him curious. It made him start mimicking other people's personalities and become someone who had many friends at school. But because he imitated so many personalities, he became burdened. Almost every circle he had was gained with a different personality. He was forced to adapt himself anywhere, anytime, and with anyone.
This made him tired over time and he made mistakes due to carelessness, leading to him being labeled as a "liar" at that time. Fortunately, his mask came off in the 8th grade. He only had to endure for another year while holding the title of "liar" until he entered high school.
Even though it was only one year, the wound remained deep in his heart, making him unwilling to do it again. From then on, William became a very honest person and even directly told everyone about his thoughts.
Not only that, he felt that the personalities he had taken on had stuck with him, making it even harder to determine who he really was. Make Him wondered if one day he could find his true self.