"I'm not your sister."
"Wait, don't go—"
In the dormitory late at night, the girl reached out her arm. The murky world shattered around her, and a black shadow vanished into a reality that seemed to melt away.
Again…
She sat up in bed, wiping the damp corners of her eyes.
She had lost count of how many times she'd been jolted awake like this.
The details of the dream were always fuzzy, but the profound sadness it left behind was seared into her very soul.
The one she longed to meet remained forever beyond her reach.
It was like a curse.
With a heavy heart, she climbed out of bed, dressed quietly to avoid waking her sleeping roommate, and slipped out of the room.
The dead of night had blanketed the entire dormitory in absolute silence.
Well past curfew, she still decided to go outside for some air.
Unlocking the main door, the chill night air washed over her, and she took a deep, refreshing breath.
Her long brown hair cascaded down to her waist, and her sparkling amethyst eyes reflected the stars above.
'What a truly beautiful night—' she marveled, spreading her arms wide.
People often said that night was the boundary between the world of the living and the world of the dead. The moment the sun sets, the world turns upside down; the living fall asleep, and souls awaken.
She liked that idea.
Because only when souls stirred did she feel she truly inhabited her own body.
The girl's name was Admire Vega.
She was the child who, in the womb, had stolen the sustenance meant for her twin sister, born into this world alone.
She was the executioner of her closest kin.
A red spider lily blooming on a corpse.
A ghost who shouldn't be here, living on burdened by sin.
Every night, she dreamed of her sister, wandering the world with nowhere to call home.
Every night, she searched for that older sister, connected by blood yet forever a stranger.
'She must hate me terribly…'
Admire Vega thought.
Because of her, the other had been denied the chance to live.
So every night, Admire Vega would fantasize that her sister, bound by blood, could borrow the cover of darkness to awaken within her, to experience the world through her senses.
That's right. At night, I live for her…
She walked to the classroom building, narrating the day's lessons.
She passed the library, recounting interesting stories from books.
She tilted her head back and spoke to the star in the sky that held an infinite fascination for her.
She felt that star was like her sister's eye, gazing upon the world with an innocent curiosity.
Admire Vega hoped her voice could reach her.
To offer some small comfort to that young soul adrift in the world.
It was a hopelessly impractical hope, but she clung to it.
Yes.
This world surely had spirits.
Just as Admire Vega was wandering the campus as usual, lights flickered over on the training field.
Two figures sat on the grass, feeling out of place in the serene night.
"You must be starving…"
"Once I feel hungry, my stomach just won't quit."
"Then you should just eat properly in the cafeteria—"
"I will next time."
"You'd better. But to end up this late? What's the dorm head doing out after curfew anyway?"
"Sorry to worry you."
"Haha, just giving you a hard time. The lights in my room were off ages ago. If no one knows, it's fine. What about your end?"
"I got Tanino Gimlet to cover for me."
"Good. If Fuji Kiseki caught you, it'd be no joke."
Listening to their conversation, Admire Vega frowned.
On such a beautiful night, these two Uma Musume were inexplicably sitting on the training field, eating boxed lunches.
She didn't want anything to do with them.
Just as she was about to slip away quietly…
"What are you doing?"
A voice suddenly came from behind.
A pitch-black figure had appeared behind her without a sound.
A cold sweat instantly broke out down her back, and her star-dancing mood shattered into pieces.
Clamping a hand over her mouth, she barely stifled a scream.
Struggling to maintain her usual aloof composure, she saw who it was in the moonlight.
Hair black as ink, golden eyes, cheeks pale as snow.
And that unique, gloomy, and mysterious aura that no one could imitate.
"Manhattan Cafe?"
They were both students in the high school division, and they'd exchanged greetings a few times, but that was the extent of their interaction.
"Why are you here?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing," Manhattan Cafe said, moving closer. "It's well past curfew. Why are you outside?"
"…Just getting some air."
She was blunt, showing no guilt for breaking the rules.
"I see."
Manhattan Cafe nodded as if she understood. "The night sky is particularly beautiful tonight. You can see Spica shining brightly in the distance."
She gazed at the star emitting its faint, distant light as she spoke.
That dark silhouette looking up at the sky captivated Admire Vega.
It felt so familiar…
As if she'd seen it somewhere before.
But the memory was hazy and muddled.
She couldn't grasp it.
The golden eyes glimmered faintly as the girl turned her head.
Under the moonlight, Admire Vega noticed those amber pupils shift to her face and contract slightly.
'Is she surprised?' Admire Vega couldn't help but wonder.
But soon, the other girl's expression returned to normal.
"…Are you out for some air too, Cafe-san?"
"Not really." She shook her head. "I didn't particularly want to come out on such a noisy night, but the Ritto dorm head asked me for a favor, and I couldn't easily refuse…"
It turned out the Ritto dorm head, having realized Narita Brian hadn't returned, came to the Miho dorm to inquire. Unable to find Dorm Head Hishi Amazon, she happened to run into Manhattan Cafe in the hallway, who was on her way to the bathroom.
So she asked Cafe to help relay a message.
Otherwise, Manhattan Cafe would already be getting ready for bed by now.
She shrugged helplessly.
"I see…"
What did she mean by 'noisy'? Was the sound from the training field considered noisy?
Admire Vega pondered this curiously.
The two figures not far away seemed to have heard them.
They packed up their lunch boxes and walked over.
"Hey, you two, it's way past curfew… not that I have any right to say anything, honestly."
Hishi Amazon scratched her head.
"Cafe, and… you're Admire Vega, right? What are you doing outside?"
"Dorm Head Fuji Kiseki was looking for you. She couldn't find you, so she asked me," Manhattan Cafe replied.
Hearing 'Fuji Kiseki,' Hishi Amazon's face fell.
"Oh dear, she found out after all?"
"I'll explain it to her," Narita Brian said.
"Then you'd better head back quickly. You don't want to make Fuji Kiseki angry; it's terrifying," Hishi Amazon said, waving goodbye to Narita Brian. "Thanks for tonight, and for running with me on the field."
"You did make me a bento, after all."
"I'm really looking forward to facing you in a proper race someday."
Hishi Amazon clenched her fist with determination; it seemed the two had just had an intense match.
"Training this late…?" Manhattan Cafe asked.
"The [New Zealand Trophy] is in a few days. I wanted to see where my current strength is at."
"The [New Zealand Trophy]?"
"That's right. It's a GII race. Can't afford to slack off."
"A GII… that's just below GI. Confident?"
"I won't take it lightly, that's for sure."
"Hmm…" Manhattan Cafe looked deep in thought.
"Well, Brian, I'll head back with Cafe now. You should take Admire Vega back too."
Hishi Amazon turned to remind them.
"Please wait a moment. I'd like to ask Cafe-san something."
Admire Vega spoke up suddenly.
Even if it was hopeless, she wanted to try and grasp at that slim chance to connect with the soul tied to her by blood.
'Have you ever seen…'
Before the words could fully leave her mouth, her eyes widened slowly.
"Manhattan Cafe… san?"
"What about Cafe? Huh? That's strange, where did she go?" Hearing Admire Vega, Hishi Amazon turned to look.
Manhattan Cafe, who had been right beside them just a moment ago, had vanished without a trace.
On the distant horizon, Spica, which had pierced the night sky, was once again submerged in the deep, pervasive moonlight.
Tonight, everything was as it always was.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.