"Are you awake, Yor?"
Hearing Marcille's groggy voice almost sent Yuzuriha into full panic mode, but she bit her tongue and that spark of pain was enough to push back her voice. Even so, her panic flared up internally.
'Oh my god, oh my god, did she hear me?!'
'Freeze in place like a goddamn corpse! Maybe she'll think she was dreaming. That's a thing in this world, right?'
Yuzuriha's brain fired off like a battalion of cannons, her thoughts crashing against each other in a frenzy of panic.
She didn't respond to Marcille's initial question out of fear of what she might say and what might happen.
And yes, her voice was fully operational. She didn't test it but she could feel it…somehow
'...Of course it's a thing, don't be ridiculous! People hear stuff in their sleep all the time. It could be just a sleep mumble—'
Suddenly, her internal ranting was interrupted by the arm draped over her stomach. It was subtle, but she felt it tense up a bit. And in the very next moment, the arm pulled her closer to Marcille until their bodies pressed together in a loose, sleepy embrace.
'Eeeep!'
Yuzuriha strained a scream.
She held her breath and tensed her body. For a moment, she thought she was being attacked, but the soft warmth that enveloped her like she was being wrapped in sunlit cotton cooled down her nerves.
The way Yuzuriha was so close to her, she could feel the plumb shape of her breasts, the melodic thumping of her heartbeat and her soft, heavy breathing.
It wasn't frantic or even fully conscious…
'Wh-what…Is she…sleep hugging me?'
'Wait—this isn't so bad. Yeah. Yeah, this is fine. She's not trying to strangle me like last time. It's an improvement'
A tense breath escaped her lips in the softest wheeze. It wasn't audible enough to wake anyone up, but even that let a wave of relief gently ripple through her chest.
She didn't dare to move a single muscle, but still, she couldn't deny how Marcille's embrace was soothing her panic—slowly, like a tide.
'This must be the work of magic!'
After a moment of silence, Marcille finally spoke again. Her voice was drowsy which further confirmed Yuzuriha's suspicion of the girl still being asleep. Well sort of, she was slowly trying to wake up.
If that's the case then that meant she must have woken up in the middle of the night.
"Yor, I'm so sorry I hurt you. My exhaustion must have caused me to see things, but that's not an excuse to direct it toward you…Please, forgive you're idiot of a sister'
She paused.
"Mmm… I'm terribly unfair, you know…"
Yuzuriha blinked.
"Out of the three, I always give you my full attention. Willow was mad about it last night…kept saying it wasn't fair that she could not sleep with us…that it wasn't fair…"
She let out a small, tired laugh.
"When Leo tried to talk her down, she threw a pillow at him…But thank the Stars he got her to calm down somehow. He convinced her somehow about dignity and personal space, but I swear that kid's more of an old man than a boy…Honestly, he'd be more better suited as a diplomat than a chef…don't tell him I told you that though"
Marcille gave a small, tired yawn. Yuzuriha could feel the heavy burden she carried from that simple gesture, but she could have been just imagining it.
"All of this over a bed too small for three. It brought back memories, back when father was still here…"
And just like that, Yuzuriha's interest was sparked. Hoping she would get into detail or tell her more…
"Willow, she's worried about you too. Perhaps I ought to look into a larger bed, one we could all sleep together…someday"
With that, Marcille's voice faded into the night. Her breathing once again came in slow and steady breaths, leaving Yuzuriha with a confused mind.
'I…what do I even say to that…?'
'Wait, wasn't I rude for ignoring her? No, no, no, after yesterday it couldn't be helped. At the very least, she's not suspicious of me anymore. Still, my heart's still doing backflips and what was she talking about, the part about our father?'
Before Yuzuriha's mind could run into a frenzy again, she felt the warm embrace of Marcille snuggling around her even tighter. She almost yelped again, but she couldn't, not after everything Marcille told her.
It felt nice, she no longer felt like she was balancing on the edge of a cliff. There was something oddly comforting about it all.
It sure took her back, down the wholesome memories of her previous life.
Yuzuriha smiled. Just the two of them, curled under thin sheets, one fully awake and the other dreaming with her arms wrapped around the girl she believed was her little sister.
And for a moment, a fleeting moment, Yuzuriha let herself relax. Closing her eyes, returning into deep sleep.
****
This time, there wasn't a doubt in her mind.
The once quiet air now carried the faint hum of morning traffic and the distant muffled voices of people not only from the streets but also from inside the building as well.
Yuzuriha could even feel the warm rays of sunlight brushing against her skin like a whisper. And of course, that sweet smell of porridge with cinnamon pulled her fully awake.
Yep, these were clear signs that the world was rousing from sleep. It was morning and it was time to get busy!
The date was Tuesday, 11th of Solnace, 849 P.E, early in the morning.
'Huh, what does that mean?'
Light footsteps kept shuffling past her, followed by the sounds of rustling fabric, a zipper being tugged, Leo grumbling something unintelligible and Willow giggling.
The Drapes household was fully awake, everyone was going somewhere. The two were already preparing to head out to school. Yuzuriha couldn't see them but since she has experience, she could imagine how they must have looked.
Perhaps they had matching uniforms, with Leo being the picture perfect gentleman and Willow on the other hand, likely had wild strands of hair fighting against her attempts to tie them up.
To get a clear narrative, Yuzuriha tried to pull from her inherited memories of such mornings like these. There had to be something of them walking to school together or sharing groggy breakfast but there was nothing
There wasn't a single recollection of school life with them.
'That's strange. Does that mean we didn't attend the same school? Or…was Yor not going at all?'
This world's education system must have been different, but that couldn't be right. A few moments ago, Marcille had helped her to get dressed, probably a uniform. Surely that meant she had somewhere to be, right?
Still, no memories surfaced.
Forgetting about that, they went to breakfast. They had a bowl of simple warm porridge. A dish she hadn't eaten in a long time. It tasted good but something else had drawn her attention.
'So quiet'
Compared to the lively dinner they had, the morning meal was strangely quiet. Neither of the two, Leo nor Willow spoke much beyond the occasional sigh or muttered complaint. And Marcille wasn't in the room with them, she was still preparing herself as well.
The reason they are quiet could either be that or the looming weight of another school day.
She understood that feeling quite well.
It wasn't long before they had to leave. Willow almost forgot her backpack which earned her a scolding from Leo. As the kids jogged down the apartment stairs, Marcille and Yuzuriha stood beside each other as they waved them goodbye.
"We should get going as well"
Marcille turned with a tired sigh while dragging her by hand. They walked through the hallway of their apartment until they settled into one of the doors.
As Marcille knocked three times, Yuzuriha caught a whiff of the scent wafting from the other side, it was floral but not artificial like perfume. It was faintly sweet and layered with something earthy, distant incense.
The funny thing is, this wasn't the first time she smelled such a thing. It was somehow familiar in a way she couldn't explain.
And then, the realization sparked in her mind.
'...This is Aunt Grace's door!'