Chapter Text
Mari adored her little brother.
He was born she was 3, and her life was immediatelly filled with happiness. Mari couldn't remember when exactly, how or why did she love her little brother so much. It felt like it was always there, as if she had always been an older sister to Sunny. She had the urge to protect him from any outside threat, to guide him in every step and to show affection to him. Sunny, who was only baby back then, didn't and couldn't understand such complex emotions, so he would just look at her with his big, baby eyes whenever his older sister would tell him how she spent her day at kindergarten.
When she was 7 and he was 4, Mari remembers hugging Sunny after his nightmares. For some reason, he had a lot of those at that age, constantly terrorizing his peaceful sleep. Mari doesn't remember him talking about them, he would just suddenly get up from his bed and silently walk over to his sister's, asking if he could sleep with her that night. She hated to say that, but, Mari kind of liked it when Sunny had nightmares. It wasn't the part where Sunny looked sad and afraid, almost begging Mari to let him sleep by her side, that brought her joy. The best part was that she could hug him and he would snuggle up closer to her, his quiet breathing was like a lullaby for Mari. At nights like that, she could have calm night herself, assured that her dear little brother in safety.
When she was 9 and he was 6, Mari found out that Sunny was afraid of spiders. Sunny was not a brave boy by any means, so it wasn't uncommon for him to be afraid of things he deemed scary. But, his fear of spiders was a different case. He wouldn't just flinch whenever he saw a spider like he did with dogs back when he was 5, Sunny would completely freeze in his place and have a complete meltdown. It was so bad that their parents even considered making Sunny go to some doctor to get it fixed. Mari, who knew that her little brother was afraid of hospitals, decided to take that role. Now, her conversations with her little brother were filled with fun facts about spiders and how they are good for the environment.
When she was 10 and he was 7, Mari realized just how shy Sunny was. Of course, she knew that before, she knew that her little brother didn't like to talk and mostly kept to himself. But, when he started to go to the same school as Mari, the girl realized how timid and introvered her baby brother was. He was afraid to go to his own classroom by himself, intimidated by the amount of unfamiliar faces he would see there. So, he asked Mari to go with him. Mari, of course, declined. It would be embarassing for the both of them! But, Mari did give her little brother some encouragment as they parted way in the school halls. 'Take a deep breath. It is not as scary as you think'. It was a handy phrase Mari always used to calm Sunny down and not let his fears get the best of him. It seemed to work this time as well, as Sunny came back from school as if nothing special happened. When Mari was questioning him about his day, her little brother said that he didn't make any friends. Some kids even picked on him for being so quiet! But, unfortunately, that was about what Mari expected. The good thing was that he still had his older sister, by his side, ready to help him with the problems at school!
When she was 13 and he was 10, Mari and Sunny's family moved out of the Oldplace City. Their mother argued that it was too loud and polluted, and their apartment was too small to keep four people in it. So, now Mari and Sunny lived in a big house in the suburbs called Faraway Town, a nice and quiet place with interesting people. Well, at least, Mari assumed they were interesting. She didn't really get to meet anyone, the only person from Faraway she knew was some nice old lady that taught her piano every day of the week from 6 P.M to 8 P.M. She met also some nice people at her extra classes and prep. school she went to from 2 P.M. to 5 P.M., but they weren't from Faraway. Oh, and her classmates at the new school were nice as well. Overall, Mari's life at the new town was quite busy, she had a lot of extra classes she applied to in order to get in college, the prep. school she went to was getting her ready for any test at school. And the piano lessons were something her parents encouraged, and Mari thought of it as a nice passtime.
Now, Mari was 14. The year when she moved into Faraway was quite intense and Mari barely had the time for her hobbies, but this year ought to be even more busy, as she will soon apply to college! Mari had to do her best and get a scholarship for the best institution in the entire country!
"H-Hey, Mari. I found a cool spot at the park." Sunny, who was getting more talkative, told his older sister, who was getting ready to go to her piano lessons at the moment. "I want to show it you. Will you come with me?"
"Maybe later, Sunny. I need to go." Mari replied, putting her jacket on. After that she quickly left her and Sunny's room. "Bye!"
She didn't wait for her little brother to answer.
"Mari, look!" Sunny walked up to his sister, showing her some toy he got. It was electronic, so, there was no way Mari would know what it was. She also didn't get a good view on the thing in her brother's hands, as she only shot a quick glance at it and turned back to her Math homework. It was very hard and tricky, but that was what Mari was waiting for when applying to the prep. school. If she does this test, then, no other test will fail her at school or some other exams!
"That's nice, Sunny." Mari replied. She was currently stuck on the question #13, which was the hardest one she met so far. Her teacher did mention how some of the problems will require the student to apply several formulas and rules to solve them, but this one was complicated. She was sure she could use the formula she was taught today, but, there was also way to solve the problem with another method, and both of the methods led to different answers. Now, Mari had to scheme through her solvings and understand where did she go wrong.
"Mom and dad got me an electronic pet rock. It's neat." Sunny continued. Maybe, Mari should just move on to the next problem for now? Maybe, if she did solved a few more problems, she would be able to face the dreaded question #13? Yes, that must be the way. Mari flipped the page of her textbook and began reading the contents of the Question #14. It was much easier, she has to note, just the usage of a single formula would lead to the whole problem being solved. Well, time to get to work!
"Though, it needs two players. Some of the boys in my class have it, but..." Sunny kept on talking. Now, Mari was getting the hang of it! The problem at the question #14 was really easy, and now she was moving on to the question #15, which looked about the same, just with different numbers.
"Maybe, you-"
Mari was really enthralled in the question #16, that looked similair to question #13, but the different numbers in it somehow made it easier for the teen to solve it. Was the problem really that easy, and she just didn't notice it before? Well, the 'do other questions first before doing the hard one' strategy was working for Mari, and she will put her skills to the test by trying to solve the question #13 now! Since she already had some equations done, this should be very easy for Mari. And just when she flipped her textbook back to the previous page and got her pencil ready, Mari realized someting.
"Wait, Sunny, what did you say?" she asked, turning her head to her little brother. He was squeezing the same electronic toy in his hands, the name of the device was still unknown to Mari. After staring at the wooden floor of their room for a few seconds, Sunny opened his mouth and then closed it again. He then let out a sigh and put the toy into his pocket.
"Nothing..." Mari's little brother said, leaving the room.
"Oh, okay!" Mari turned back to her textbook.
Now, armed with a pencil and newly found knowledge, Mari will finally defeat the beast that is the problem stated at the question #13!
"Mari?" Sunny said meekly, his voice was drowned out by the music in the room. At the moment, Mari was playing the Grand Piano their parents have bought, mastering the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on it. It was a little embarassing to play such a childish song, but, her tutor assured her that it was necessary to learn how to play simple symphonies first, and then she could move on to more complicated ones. So, Mari was ready to be the best player of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in the entire world, she shall go down in history as the girl who-
"Mari?" Sunny repeated, his voice was a little louder this time.
Oh. Sunny was still here. Mari had completely forgotten about him.
"Yes?" Mari said, stopping for a second. Her eyes were still on the piano, the word 'OMORI' was etched across it. Mari never heard of that brand, and the piano made by it was honestly a lot worse than the one at her tutor's house which was made by a company called 'Hikkiko', but, she was never really bothered by it. After all, her parents managed to get her an entire piano and Mari wasn't about complain over some of its disadvantages.
"I- Uhhh... I got some fruits and snacks for us..." Sunny awkwardly continued. "And the weather outside is nice..."
Huh. Usually, Sunny wasn't this talkative.
Mari wondered what other songs would she attempt to master in the future. For now, most of the songs she plays are nursery rhymes she used to listen to when she was a child. But, after she would turn into a more skilled piano player, she would play more serious songs. Maybe, she would play more classical songs from the ancients times? Waltzes have always been her favourite, and it would be delightful to be able to turn how to play them on her own. But, if she wanted to do that, she would have to flawlessly play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star first. So, what was she waiting for? Mari's fingers were already about to begin replaying the song, when-
"Could we- Could we have a picnic...?" Sunny spoke up again.
How weird. Mari had completely forgotten about him once again.
"Sorry, Sunny. I am not hungry. You can have a picnic on your own." Mari replied. She didn't have time to have a picnic. Of course, it would be nice to spend some time with her beloved little brother, and have a little picnic like they did when the two of them just moved into Faraway. But, Mari had to focus on mastering her skills as a pianist. Her parents got her that gift with some hard-earned money, and not trying her best to hone her abilites would be disrespectful. Moreover, Mari would rather play her piano for now, opposed to going somewhere with Sunny.
Not that she hated spending time with her dear little brother, it was actually the opposite. The little moments she used to have with him were her brightest and happiest memories. But, Mari had to note that Sunny was getting a little too clingy the last few days. Whenever she would be leaving for her prep. school, he would always ask if he could escort her there. Whenever she would wake up and get ready to leave for school earlier than her little brother, Sunny would bother her with his electronic gadget. Whenever she was getting ready to play the piano, he would silently watch her play from the doorframe. Whenever she was got back from her tutor's and was getting ready to do her homework, he would always ask if they could play with his toys. Not that Mari hated it, she loved it when her little brother showed affection. But, it was a little frustrating. Could he not see that his big sister was busy?
"But... It's not- It's not fun when you're alone..." Sunny mumbled.
Mari felt her frustration rise.
"Sunny. Stop being a baby and let me play the piano." She coldly stated.
Her little brother looked hurt by those words. But, he persisted.
"B-But, I worked really hard-"
"Sunny!" Mari raised her voice. That startled her little brother. She took a deep breath. "Leave. Now."
That seemed to be just enough.
"S-Sorry..." Sunny murmured before leaving the room.
Mari let out a sigh.
Sorry, little brother. Your big sister is a bit busy right now.
Well, now with him gone, Mari could finally go back to playing her piano. If she wanted to get closer to playing the songs made by great composers such as Bach and Mozart, she would have to put in a lot of hard work!
"We're going! Bye!" Mari and Sunny's mom exclaimed putting on her shoes. Their father was wiping his glasses at that moment. And Sunny looked a bit shocked after hearing his mother's words.
Mari was standing near the door at the moment, patiently waiting for her family to leave for a trip to a house of some distant family member so she could do her Biology homework in peace. Her teacher, who Mari first thought of as a nice old man, turned out to be a complete monster, making the class read about fifty pages of their textbook, as he would be taking a test next day. It was a bit of a nuisance for Mari, as she would rather spend this day getting ready for the SAT, not learning Biology. Oh well. No knowledge was useless, so, Mari would use that opportunity to learn something new!
"Mari isn't... coming with us...?" Sunny asked. He looked as if he was stabbed in the back.
"No, sweetie. She said she had to do her homework." Their mother replied, putting on her sunglasses.
Sunny looked even more hurt than before.
"The three of us are gonna do just fine! Pucker up, son!" Their father ruffled up Sunny's hair.
Mari felt a bit guilty at heart. It seemed she was going to miss some quality bonding time with her family, especially Sunny. He looked quite excited for their little trip and he looked sad when he found out that his big sister wasn't coming with them.
"C'mon, Sunny! Don't be scared, you can do it without me! Remember, it's not as scary as you think!" Mari smiled at her little brother. Though, it seemed her words didn't do a good job at soothing him, as he still looked very sad.
"...Okay." He meekly answered, leaving the house. Their mother was the next one. And then their father.
Before locking the door, Mari heard their father tell Sunny something.
"Cheer up, son. We got a gift for you." was what he said.
Mari didn't know what was the gift, as she locked the door and quickly ran over to her and Sunny's room. The textbooks were already waiting for her, along with the pencil, some snacks and drinks. The Biology textbook looked as if it was taunting Mari, telling her that she would not be able to read all the pages and move on to doing the Math homework given by the prep. school, doubting her skills as a student. Mari smirked deviously, knowing her capabilites. She was about to spend an entire day here, conquering the many nuances of Biology.
...
At night, Mari's family was back. Sunny held something rectangular and metallic in his hand, which Mari didn't notice until he presented it. He told her it was a flip phone.
That must've been the gift.
Mari's 15th birthday was a week ago.
Usually, Mari let herself slack off for the whole month of her birthday, it was a tradition she held for her whole life. But, she couldn't let her do that this year. She was 15 now, which meant that applying to college was something Mari would do soon. So, slacking off was a luxury she couldn't afford.
Mari woke up at 6 A.M., as usual. She was going to school earlier than her brother, as she had some extra classes at school that started before the mandatory ones. They weren't that interesting, but they were good for her marks, which was good for applying to college. Mari brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth right after waking up, as usual. She would not let herself waste any time, she wanted to present at school as early as possible. She then changed out of her pijamas and into her school uniform she has been wearing for almost a year now, as usual. It was getting a little too small for her, but that didn't bother her. Then, Mari got down and began cooking a meal for herself, as usual. It was friday, so her parents would not be up until 8 A.M., so Mari could have something very light, something she could eat really quickly. Two toasts with some jam on them will do just fine. Mari sat down and munched on her quickly made breakfast, as usual-
Wait.
Something felt... different... today. Mari felt a weird feeling, as if... something... was... missing...? Something about her morning today, it felt incomplete. Perhaps, Mari forgot to do something...? Let's rewind her day a bit... She woke up... Then, she brushed her teeth... Then, she changed her clothes... Then, she got to her breakfast... That's it...
Was there something she forgot...?
...
...
...
Aha!
Mari stood up from her chair, not bothering to finish the second toast. She ran over to her room and grabbed her backpack, which was, of course, already filled with textbooks Mari put in there yesterday. That was the thing Mari forgot about- Her backpack, the most important thing you take when going to the knowledge palace! She sure was getting a bit forgetful these days, she should work on that negative trait of hers. Maybe, later.
Finishing her toast, Mari realized that the feeling of something missing was not gone.
She decided to ignore it this time.
Mari was already back from school. For most of the students, it'd be a time when they could relax and do their own stuff, but, not for Mari. She was about to leave for her prep. school right after the normal one. But, before that, she would go home and have a lunch break. Her parents, who must've been on their lunch break too, were back home as well. Her mother was wiping off some dust of some of the family photos at home, as she usually did. Her father was behind the stove, preparing some sort of meal, as usual.
It was really tasty, Mari had to admit, but, she didn't have time to enjoy the food. She had limited time, so, she would have to eat the meal rather quickly.
And just when Mari was munching down on her food as fast as possible, she felt that horrible feeling come back to her. A void opened up in her heart once again, and Mari felt as if her day was incomplete. That was very weird- Mari was sure she had done all the things she was supposed to do today. She even outdid herself by overstaying at school and cleaning the desks. So, why was that feeling of something missing was back? Mari was quite sure that everything was in its place, she made sure of even at the morning when that feeling first bothered her.
So, why? What was missing?
...
Mari couldn't think of anything this time.
Whatever. Mari was more than capable of ignoring it.
Or that was what Mari thought she was capable of.
"Mari?" she heard her father speak to her in a soft voice.
"Yes?" Mari put down her chopsticks at the table after finishing her meal.
"Are you alright?" her father asked.
Mari was taken aback by that question. It was unusual for anyone to ask such question out of the blue. Maybe, Mari did feel a bit of a headache at school, so she must've been a bit sick. She did go to sleep very late last night and she woke up early in the morning, so she must've been looking rather tired. But, overall, Mari was fine and ready to move on with her day. After all, she still needed to go to prep. school and to her piano tutor, there was no time to relax only because of this minor hinderances.
"Yeah, I am fine." Mari answered, getting up from her seat. "Thanks for the meal."
Mari could feel the atmosphere in the house become more tense as she got her backpack and left for her prep. school. The feeling only strengthened when Mari passed by a family having a picnic in the local park.
Mari was finally back home after a long day.
Some kind of event took place at her prep. school, Mari never really understood what was it really, but, she did take part in it. Because of that, she left the place later than usual, so she had to immediatelly go to her piano tutor's house was taking a short break at her house to avoid being late. It was an unexpected challenge, but, Mari handled it just fine. She even arrived to the tutor's home earlier than usual, so she had some extra time to hone her skills, so, it only benefitted her.
But, Mari's day wasn't over just yet.
Her parents were getting all cozy at the couch, ready to watch the evening news after a hard day at work, while Mari was ready to play her piano. After going to prep. school, the normal school and to her tutor's, relaxing notes of piano did a good job at reducing Mari's stress. So, she sat down on the chair before her piano, greeted with the 'OMORI' logo on it, as usual. And now, she would play some tunes at the piano as practice, until it would be time for dinner, as usual.
As usual.
As usual.
As usual.
...
Something was unusal here, Mari had to admit. That feeling couldn't have been bothering her for no reason, it took a whole day for the teen to realize that. Even though Mari did everything as usual, this day felt incomplete and hollow, as if something that happened usually at some parts of her day were not present and did not happen. But, what exactly was it? That was the question of the day. And, of course, Mari would find an answer to it.
Closing her eyes, she began to scheme through her mental check list.
Ate breakfast in the morning? Check.
Greeted all the teachers at school? Check.
Made sure to talk to some of my classmates? Check.
Gazed at that boy in her class for no apparent reason? Check.
Did her homework while on recess at the prep. school? Check.
Did her best at the piano lessons? Check.
Looked for any mistakes in her homework while riding a bus back home? Check.
Was about to play her piano after everything was set and done? Check.
The feeling of being watched by her little brother as she played? Che-
WAIT!!!
That was it! Her little brother! Sunny, her beloved baby brother she adores so much she would die for him at any given moment! Her baby brother who is afraid of spiders and always needs some encouragment before talking to people he didn't know! That was it!!!
Mari didn't see him for the whole day, and she just realized it. He was usually the one to walk up to her imbetween the important parts of her day, asking his big sister if they could hang out. Today, he didn't approach her and she didn't even take a notice of that, only had a feeling in her gut that was promply ignored so she could carry on with her day. Pretty embarassing, she should make it up to him. Maybe, later.
But, now, she needed to make sure that the feeling of something missing would leave her alone. She needed to see Sunny, maybe even talk to him. Maybe.
Mari left the piano room and bgean to walk up the stairs to her and her little brother's room, not listening to the sound of a monotone voice of someone talking on TV filling the house. Mari pushed the door open, expecting to see her little brother on his bed, having fun with his little gadgets or toys or maybe reading a book. But, much to her surprise, she was met with... nothing. Sunny wasn't in their room.
Huh. Strange. Where could he be?
"Mom?" Mari peeked into the living room. Her parents were sitting on the sofa and watching the evening news as Mari expected. Her mother's head turned to the doorway where Mari was currently standing.
"Hmph?" She softly hummed.
"Do you know where is Sunny? I didn't see him today, and I want to say hi." Mari impatiently tapped her foot.
"Oh, he is out with his friends." Mari's mother replied.
Mari hated to admit it, but she was very shocked by her mother's answer. She expected Sunny to be outside, yes, but, she didn't think he would be going out with his friends. Again, Mari hated admit it, but she didn't think Sunny had any friends. Not that Sunny wasn't interesting or he wasn't fun to talk to, quite the opposite actually. It's just that... kids his age are very cruel and unaccepting, and a quiet and self-reserved child like Sunny would have trouble fitting in, so acquiring friends would be even more difficult.
Nontheless, Mari is ecstatic for him! It was about time for her brother to come out from his shell and begin meeting new people! A shame Mari wasn't there to cheer him on though...
"He should be back soo-"
And just as Mari's mother was about finish her sentence, the door to their house clicked open. Everyone in the living room snapped their heads towards the entrance. Sunny, who was enthusiastically pressing buttons on his flip phone, entered the house. He didn't seem to notice anyone, too enthralled in his phone.
"Hello, sweetie! How was your day?" Sunny and Mari's mother smiled at her son, who suddenly lifted his gaze to quickly look at everyone in the room he was currently in. After that his eyes were on the phone again.
"Very good." Sunny answered, pressing buttons on his phone and taking off his shoes.
Mari, now assured that her brother was in the house, quickly rushed back into their room. She didn't feel like playing piano right now, so she might as well finish her other homework. For example... Literature! Her teacher told everyone to memorize one of the character's inner monologue down to every word. Almost everyone in the class groaned and complained, implying that such task was useless. But, Mari, who was dedicated to being the best in each subject, was more than happy to accept such challenge. And so, she shall analyze and memorize every single word and comma in the character's ramblings, making sure to-
Mari's immersion was suddenly ruined when she heard someone plop down on the bed not for from her. She snapped her eyes away from her literature textbook and looked to her right. There she saw her little brother, who didn't bother to change out of his clothes and immediatelly lied down on his bed, still typing something on his phone. He looked really into it.
"Hey, little brother! How are you?" Mari grinned. She realized she still hasn't talked to Sunny throughout the whole day, and right now was a really good opportunity to fix that.
"Good." Sunny replied, both eyes glued to the phone. He was responding unusally firmly, without faltering his words. It seemed he was in a good mood.
"That's great!" Mari clapped her hands together.
She was already about to get back to her homework, and prove to everyone that the Mari everyone knows could also easily understand a psyche of a character, but, a question to her little brother popped in her mind.
"Who are you talking to?" Mari asked, already turning to her textbook.
"Friend." Sunny answered, the clacking sounds of his phone were still present.
"Oh, that is great!" Mari said, trying to find the part where the character speaks. If she remembers correctly, the monolgue is supposed to be about the inner feelings of the character, how they feel abandoned and alone, how they think that their former companions have betrayed them and left them to rot alone. It is a very touchy theme, but, Mari could handle it. After all, it was just a character. "Who is it?"
"Kel."
"Sunny, don't be silly! I don't who that is!" Mari giggled. After she would get over analyzing the monolgue, she should redo her Math homework again. Who knows, maybe, some mistakes were made and Mari didn't notice them. Unlikely, since Mari already checked everything twice, but, you know what they say! Third time is the charm!
"He is our neighbour."
"Oh, a neighbour? I didn't know." Mari replied. She finally found the mentioning of the character she needed, but there was no trace of their monologue. Mari felt the frustration inside her rise, as she realized that she should've marked the exact page, not leave some vague notes about her homework. "What exactly are you talking about?"
"Other friends."
"Tell me more." Aha! The monolgue has finally been found. Now, Mari could-
"Okay." Mari heard her little brother's clack some more, after which he closed his phone.
Mari sighed. She should be reading her homework, not slack off and chit-chat with her little brother right now. But, since she was the one who asked, she should listen to him talk about his friends. That is the least she could do right now. So, Mari put her textbook away and turned to face her little brother, who was sitting up on his bed.
"Kel is our neighbour. He is also my classmate. He is very active and loud. It can be annoying, but I still love him." Sunny began. It was short, but informative.
"Interesting." After Mari would be done with math as well, she should do all the mock SAT exam sheets she was given at prep. school. She might learn something new by revisiting her old works, maybe even uncover some of her mistakes when scheming through the tests. SAT is a very serious matter, so, Mari should do her best and gain the highest score she possibly can.
"Aubrey is from another class, but, she is friends with Kel, so he introduced me to her. She is very cute and stubborn. She also thinks Kel is very annoying, so they bicker a lot." Sunny continued.
"A girl, huh." But, SAT wasn't the only thing that could stand in Mari's way of getting a diploma and a scholarship. There were many other subjects and tests that Mari would have to get through. Even though Mari wasn't interested in the topic, she would have to master Physics as well, since its mark also mattered a lot for her overall grade and diploma. They were complicated and hard to understand, but, if Mari put in enough hard work, then she would finally crack the incomprehensible subject and conquer it too.
"Basil is also from another class, and he is friends with Aubrey. He likes flowers a lot and is very shy, like me. That is why we are really close, I guess." Sunny carried on.
"Flowers. Got it." Mari shouldn't forget about her piano as well. Her piano lessons were not an excuse to cut her some slack and let her relax after studying, it was something that required a lot of hard work and dedication from the teen. If Mari was quick enough to do her homework in a few hours, then, she might have some time to practice her piano after dinner. She was no longer playing just some nursery rhymes, she was getting to more complicated and modern music. She could not wait until she got to the part where her teacher would finally introduce Mari to Waltzes, her favourite. But, for that, she needed to be extra dedicated.
"Hero is very cool. So cool. He can do everything flawlessly. He can patch up wounds, charm anyone with his smile, get straight A's at school and cook. He is very cool." Sunny kept on going.
"Cook..." Tomorrow would still be a busy day for Mari, since she would have to-
Wait-
"Isn't cooking a bit too dangerous for a twelve-year-old?" Mari asked, concerned.
There was no way a twelve-year-old could do all those things. Even Mari, who was fifteen, sometimes did accidents when trying to cook. About that... When was the last time she cooked? She couldn't exactly remember, it all felt so long ago now... Did Mari even cook ever since she enrolled into the prep. school...?
Anyway-
Maybe, that kid was just lying in order to make Sunny like him? Knowing her little brother, Mari was sure that Sunny would belive someone like that without any questions. So, it was important that Mari explained to her little brother that children his age shouldn't be allowed to cook and interact with the kitchen equipment.
"Huh?" Sunny rasied his eyebrow in confusion.
"That friend of yours. You told me he can cook. Sunny, children your age shouldn't be allowed to do that, so I doubt that-"
"Oh. Hero isn't my age."
Huh?
"He is fifteen."
HUH?!
Mari was completely apalled by what her dear baby brother just said. He was hanging around... a fifteen around? What does someone Mari's age have to do with her little brother? Not to insult him or anything, but spending time with someone much younger than you is... boring. Though... Sunny wasn't eleven anymore. Maybe, he changed a bit in a year and was very mature? Wait- Why was Mari even asking such questions??? She was his big sister, the one who knows him best, of course he wasn't mature enough to hang around some teenagers!
What exactly did that Hero person want to do with her little brother?
"Sunny. You shouldn't be friends with someone much older than you. They are more mature, they might be a bad influence and make you-"
"No, you're getting it wrong." Sunny cut off his sister. "Hero is Kel's older brother. He is just looking after his sibling, and since we happen to be there, he looks over as well. It isn't what you think."
Mari exhaled in relief. That was good.
"Hero is so cool. I wanted to buy a flower to Aubrey once, but I didn't have any money, so he just gave me twenty dollars. When I said that it was too much for a flower, he just smiled and left. Wow..." Sunny continued.
"That is great." Mari turned back to her desk, and reached for her textbook. Now, she was finally able to get back to her homework! Good thing she already found the part with the monologue, or else it could've been-
"Hero is very cool. We were all hungry after school and Kel invited us all to his house. Hero was there, and he made the best pancakes I have ever eaten in my life." Sunny continued.
"That's... good, Sunny." Didn't Mari make pancakes for him once? Were they not tasty or something? But, Sunny looked so happy when he was eating them and told his big sister that she did a good job.... So, were Hero's just better? Wait- Why was Mari thinking about this? She was supposed to get her homework done as soon as possible, so she could-
"Hero is very, very cool." Sunny continued.
"That's..." Mari was unsure if she should say good. She didn't want to say Hero was good. She didn't know why- She just didn't.
"I wish I had a big brother like Hero." Sunny uttered.
...
"But... You have a big sister like me. That's better, right?" Mari looked over at her little brother.
He got up from his bed, looked back at his sister.
"I don't know." Sunny shrugged, leaving the room.
...
A little later that day, while playing piano, Mari couldn't help but wonder.
Did Hero know how to play piano?