Yuzuriha sat cross-legged on the floor in a silent room, breathing in deeply through her nostrils and exhaling slowly through her mouth.
She had her eyes closed, even though there wasn't much of a difference from her usual. A few inches in front of her was her doting older sister Marcille, who should also be in the same sitting position.
It was quiet, save for the soft rhythm of their breaths and the faint noises of the city outside their window.
In all honesty, the floor was so hard that it made her knees ache and the fact they've been sitting in the same position for who knows how long didn't help either.
But she didn't complain. This was much more preferable than what she had gone through moments ago.
This moment of peace had come after a minor storm.
The second Yuzuriha returned from the bathroom, Marcille had ambushed her like a cornered mother hen. She bombarded her with a barrage of anxious questions that made her head spin.
Such questions were like; Was she okay? Did she need anything? Or was it something she ate? Should punish Leo for feeding her poison? Or should they go to the hospital?
A lot more like that followed, but you get the point. And the manner in which she asked those questions was terrifying. Even thinking about it made her shiver.
Fortunately, she had endured it with the patience of someone who was used to this kind of affection, she however was not but she played the part quite well. So, props to her for that.
It was only after a while that Marcille had calmed down, and they began to meditate afterwards. Apparently, this was the training she was talking about.
'You know, when she mentioned training I thought it would be something like learning how to fight or some physical workout. Not sitting in the same position for hours!'
After that explanation Sawatari gave her and Marcille informing her about practicing her astris, she was under the impression it would be something engaging. She was even looking forward to it.
Right now, she was filled with so much excitement that it bored her out of her mind!
Again, she didn't complain or argue. She merely followed Marcille's instructions, this wasn't something new to her after all.
She focused on her breathing. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.
Fortunately she had done this before. Funny how this body remembered how she used to do it. Back in her old life, when she was the CEO of Ichimonji International and a mother of two, she occasionally practiced mindfulness to keep herself from losing her mind completely.
Meditation had been her retreat when meetings dragged on too long, when the weight of expectations threatened to split her spine and dealing with Hana and Haru's shenanigans. Five minutes a day to silence the static
That was her normal, but this felt different, though.
'I don't know how to explain it, but this feels strangely calming once you try to focus on the positives.'
There was a serenity here she hadn't known she missed. It was quiet, yes, but there were other notable sounds. Like the clock ticking in the corner, the unknown noises from outside the window and Marcille's slow, methodical breathing like waves brushing a shore.
'She's pretty good at this'
By the calm way her chest expanded and contracted, Yuzuriha could tell Marcille had done this often, and seriously. Maybe even religiously.
Since she was giving it her all, she might as well return the favor. Yuzuriha shifted slightly, letting her thoughts swirl and settle.
As she fully locked in, a couple more minutes passed before Marcille finally decided to break the silence.
"This should be fine. Now we can start but find first. I always ask you this question, asking you to improve your understanding each time. So now, I'm interested in what you understand"
Marcille allowed a few seconds to go by before asking the question.
"Yor, what do you think astris is?"
Yuzuriha slightly jerked her head up, not because of the question. Because in that department. A technical definition, the one Sawatari told her tried to rise in her throat but she didn't voice it, not because she didn't understand it but…
'That's strange. If she always asks this question then why don't I remember it?'
Usually, whenever a question about this world was brought to her attention, she would suddenly get floods of information, depending on the clarity of it. But in this case she didn't get any of that.
It was blank. What did this mean?
Marcille didn't say anything, she was waiting on her little sister's response and Yuzuriha could sense her attention sharpen.
This…was a trap.
'Ahh, a trap?! Is she on to me?! What gave me away?!'
Yuzuriha panicked internally. On the outside she didn't express a single reaction that might hint she's having a breakdown.
That's how good she was at emotional intelligence, or something like that.
'No, I'm jumping to conclusions. I should relax, calm down and play it cool. She's my older sister, why would she suspect me? And who could she suspect me to be anyways?'
It was a ridiculous notion to even think about, so to Marcille's question, Yuzuriha decided to feign ignorance.
Before answering, she took another breath. Deeper this time as if trying to find the answer somewhere inside her lungs.
"...Astris? Umm, astris is, uh. Some kind of energy source, right? I'm sorry, my head's not working well today"
'Nailed it!'
She absolutely killed it. Yuzuriha wasn't a great actor but playing the dummy was relatively easy, especially because she wasn't lying in this situation.
But by the sound of it, Marcille wasn't exactly proud of her response. The silence that once plagued the room was back.
Yuzuriha couldn't tell what face she was making but it was hopefully a disappointed one. The answer she gave her was wrong on purpose, but it didn't really stray too far from what Sawatari told her.
'So then, how will she respond?'
For a few seconds longer, Marcille said nothing. When she did, she said…
"Seriously, Yor? We have covered this a hundred times already. I told you that astris is an unseen yet omnipresent current that binds all things, living or otherwise. It naturally leaks from our forms in varying amounts."
Yuzuriha raised an eyebrow at Marcille's words.
'What the, a new definition?'