"The me right now…?" Rem stared blankly at Shichen.
"That's right."
Shichen stroked her head, his smile gentle. "The Rem I see is cute, has a great figure, is strong, can do all the housework, can even make clothes… who wouldn't like a girl like that?"
"Shichen…"
Rem lowered her head, her voice trembling with tears. When she looked up again, her eyes were already brimming.
"Why… why was my horn the one that remained? Why wasn't it Sister's? Why was Sister born with only one horn? Why—why are Sister and I twins?"
Her lips trembled. The questions tumbled out like she was searching for the meaning of her own existence—questions she'd been tangled up in since she first became aware of herself.
"Rem…" Shichen looked at her with pity.
In her place, anyone would care about these things. Not everyone is carefree and relentlessly optimistic.
"I'm sorry…"
Rem apologized through her tears, and the accumulation finally spilled over, running down her cheeks. She couldn't help wiping at them, apologizing as she did: "I'm sorry, Rem said something strange… please forget it. This is the first time Rem has told anyone this, that's why…"
"What does it matter?" Shichen said softly.
"Eh?" Rem lifted a tear-streaked face, puzzled.
"Sigh, you really are a little dummy." Shichen tapped her on the head.
"Eh?"
"Your sister's horn being severed was caused by people, not you. Why are you blaming yourself?"
"But I… had such terrible thoughts…"
"So what?" Shichen shot back.
"What…?" Rem's eyes went wide, wondering if she'd misheard.
"You were so young then, your thinking wasn't mature, you were always living under your sister's talent—what's wrong with having extreme thoughts for a moment?"
"But she's my sister…"
"Do you hate your sister?"
"No, I love my sister the most!" Rem said at once, seriously.
"Then there you go. It was just a fleeting bad thought. You didn't do anything—what you've carried is guilt born from that moment. You've let it bind you, trying to 'atone'… What did you do wrong?"
"But I felt relief when Sister's horn was cut off—schadenfreude…"
"And? Everyone has a shadow in their heart. There are very few saints in this world, and you were so young then. Simple, direct thoughts are perfectly normal."
"That's… not right…" Rem shook her head, unwilling to accept his words.
"Rem." Shichen's voice firmed as he gripped her shoulders, bringing her eyes to his.
"I…" Rem's eyes were red and wet; the towel at her chest was already damp.
"Why are you still clinging to the past?"
"Because Rem is always lacking. If Sister still had her horn, she'd definitely be better than I—"
"Stop. There you go again."
"Mm…?"
Shichen pinched her cheeks, annoyed. "Whenever you talk about Ram, you strain to exalt her and belittle yourself. Have you ever considered that even if you swapped places, would she really do better than you have?"
"Sister definitely would—mm!"
Shichen tugged harder, cutting her off. "That's only your imagination, born from childhood worship of her. As she is now, she's worse than you—she can't cook, her housework isn't as good, she can't do things the way you do. Maybe she's a bit better at managing the estate… In what way does she surpass you?"
"No…"
Rem shook her head, and Shichen let go so she could speak.
"No, that's not true. The real Sister is stronger! If she had her horn, she definitely wouldn't—"
"But right now Ram doesn't have a horn. I don't 'know' a horned Ram."
Shichen cupped her face, wiping her tears, and smiled into her stunned eyes. "The Ram I know now—her cooking, sewing, cleaning, and even her figure—all lose to Rem."
"That's because…"
"Whether she has a horn or not—at this point, you're probably the only one who cares."
Shichen pressed a finger to her lips. "You're just comparing her strengths to your weaknesses and denying yourself."
"I…"
"Right now, you have what Ram doesn't. Focus on that. You're excellent, you work incredibly hard, you're so cute—and your chest is much bigger than Ram's."
"C—chest…"
Rem reflexively raised her hands to cover herself, cheeks flushed. "W-why do you always talk about that?"
"Even if Ram had a horn, it wouldn't change that, would it?"
"Shichen, you… you're unexpectedly H," Rem mumbled, face burning hotter.
"Imagine being lectured by Rem," Shichen chuckled when he saw she'd finally stopped spiraling.
In the end, she'd simply been wound too tight. He knew Ram herself wasn't terribly hung up on oni traditions anymore—she even wanted to help Rem let go of hers.
Talking someone out of a mindset isn't easy. It takes time, steady influence. For now, the best approach was to start from places where Ram lacked something—to give Rem a foothold of confidence. Anything would do; they were twins, after all.
"Shichen… do you really like girls' chests that much?" Rem asked, voice tiny and shy.
"Not really. I don't like Ram's."
"Mm… what does that mean?"
"I like the person first, then their chest," Shichen said candidly.
"Like the person first…"
"I'm very happy it's Rem here now," Shichen said with a smile.
"I…"
Looking at his smiling face, Rem felt her heart race. A shy warmth rose in her, her cheeks burning. She turned away so he wouldn't see. "Rem… Rem is just Sister's stand-in…"
"Don't say that. I don't even like Ram. If I were treating you as her, I'd go crazy."
"Sister isn't that bad, right?" Rem protested softly.
"No, no—in my eyes, the difference between you and Ram is like heaven and earth."
"…"
"Please don't call yourself a stand-in, okay?" Shichen cupped her face and gently turned her back to him.
Her cheeks were rosy and warm; Shichen rubbed her forehead—the place of her horn.
"You and Ram are sisters—twins. Neither replaces the other. Isn't it best if you go on loving each other?"
"Loving each other…"
"You already do. So have you ever thought—if you weren't here, what would become of Ram?"
"Sister would…"
"She'd go mad, wouldn't she?" Shichen finished.
"…" Rem was silent, but she believed it, too.
"So you're irreplaceable to each other. Things are as they are—lean on each other."
"I…" Rem was still tangled up inside.
Convincing someone is hard—especially someone with layers of hurt. Shichen didn't plan to fix it all now. "Alright, alright—no need to change overnight. Bit by bit. For example, compare the present you and Ram. Stop thinking about the idealized version in your head."
"It's not that easy. Rem has always…"
"It is easy. I'm here, aren't I?"
"You?"
"Yup. I don't know who you two used to be—only who you are now. That means I can judge your differences directly, without any bias."
"Shichen…" Rem stared at him.
Smiling, Shichen set his hand on her head and gently stroked her hair. "Don't dwell on the past. From now on, look to the future."
"The future?" Rem murmured, eyes half-closed in contentment.
"Yeah. The past is gone—it doesn't need your attention. Just do today's tasks and think about tomorrow's. That way, you won't get stuck."
"Think about tomorrow…?"
"Anything—making breakfast, getting dressed, taking a bath. Whatever."
Rem frowned in thought. "Anything… But Rem has always depended on others."
"In that case, depend on me."
"Depend on Shichen?"
"Sure. Didn't I say I'd steal you away sooner or later? If you're bound to rely on me, then start now."
"…That's not certain," Rem said with a small laugh.
"I don't see it that way."
"You're too confident."
"You should be confident. So from now on, let's talk about what to do tomorrow—boring, but something to look forward to."
"…Shichen, you said you liked oni, right?" Rem asked suddenly.
"I do," Shichen nodded.
"Then… you've been possessed by a ghost."
"Have I? That's wonderful," Shichen said, winking, grin bright.
Infected by his smile, Rem's lips curled up and she laughed, too. And as she laughed, tears welled again and spilled down her cheeks, dotting the towel—yet she kept laughing.
Laughing and crying, tears of joy, straight from the heart.
Shichen only continued to gently stroke her head.