A few days had already passed since what had happened. Dawn was just beginning to peek over the horizon, and the light filtering through the window made him frown as soon as he opened his eyes.
An uncomfortable burning pierced his vision, making him turn his face and instinctively cover his eyes with his forearm.
It took him several minutes to fully wake up. As always, the first thing he did after getting up was go to the small bathroom the room had.
After rinsing his face and coming out, he saw Kanna, who was (as every morning) serving him a cup of tea.
Even though that accident had happened a few days ago, he did not have the courage to look her in the face. He felt guilty for having caused her trouble.
As he walked past her, he could not help but cover his eyes with his hand due to the strong light coming in through the same window that had woken him. Before sitting down, he closed the curtains and settled into the chair next to the small table.
Kanna, who had not said anything since entering the room, took a seat across from him and poured herself her own cup of tea.
It was a daily routine ever since Reo had awareness, and the atmosphere felt uncomfortable to him.
Neither of them spoke for several seconds. Reo played with the small cup in his hands until, gathering his courage, he glanced sideways at Kanna and swallowed.
"Th— Kanna-san…" he murmured under his breath, unable to say what he really wanted.
That day, she had not punished him. She had simply left him in the room and watched him for a few seconds before leaving. Since then, they had not had a proper conversation.
Kanna took a long sip of her tea, ignoring how hot it was, and when she finished she looked at him.
"There's no need for you to keep blaming yourself for what happened. What's done is done."
Hearing her, Reo tightened his grip on the cup and looked away. Even so, the guilt did not disappear.
"S-still…" he murmured apologetically.
Kanna narrowed her eyes at the child's stubbornness. She quickly returned her gaze to him. Reo was not able to decipher what those eyes expressed, but any adult would have noticed a subtle and dangerous glint in that intense red.
"If you feel guilty, there's a little thing you could do for me."
The boy's eyes lit up immediately. He nodded several times, unable to contain himself.
"You'd have to do everything I say. Do you have a problem with that?"
"Yes, yes! I'll do anything to make up for my mistake."
'A curse that doesn't match its bearer.' Kanna thought as she saw his enthusiasm.
"Do you know why you can't leave the room?"
The question unsettled him. All that energy vanished, replaced by a heavy bitterness in his chest.
"I— I didn't know why mom or dad didn't want to see me… but— since that day… it became clear to me that they don't love me. They… they hate me…"
"You're right. They hate you, but they hate you because they fear you."
Reo lowered his head. 'Why do they fear me…?'
"I don't understand," he lamented softly.
"Why would they be afraid of a four-year-old child? Hmm…" she murmured in an almost sarcastic tone, surprising Reo.
"What do you mean?"
Without answering, Kanna stood up and picked the boy up in her arms.
"W-what are you doing?" he asked timidly.
Holding him with one arm, she approached the window and pulled the curtains aside, letting the sunlight in.
"Ahh…" Reo complained, trying to turn his face away.
It took him a few seconds to get used to the glare, but even so he could barely keep his eyes directed outside.
"I've noticed you're having trouble with your eyes. Have they become sensitive to the light?" she asked calmly.
"I started feeling discomfort a few days ago… it must be because I cried," he replied apologetically.
"Hmm… maybe." She fell silent for a moment. "Do you know why I didn't punish you that day?"
Reo shook his head. He had expected some punishment that day, but nothing happened.
"I've never punished you or raised my voice at you. Never. And I wouldn't for something insignificant."
She stared at him for a few seconds. Anyone would think they were siblings because of the great resemblance between the two.
"Aren't you actually my older sister?" he asked innocently; even he could see the resemblance with Kanna.
"No." She closed the curtains again and placed Reo on the bed, sitting down beside him. "Let's talk about something else."
The little one snuggled up next to her without hesitation; over time he had grown attached.
"What are we going to talk about?"
"You've read about curses, right?"
"Yes."
"Then tell me, what are they to you?"
Reo brought a finger to his chin. "A curse is… like a broken toy that nobody wants to fix."
He remembered the books that said something like: [Misfortunes that should not exist].
He looked at the closed door and then at his hands.
"It's what makes my little sister cry when she sees me… and what makes dad angry with me. It's what makes mom not have time to play and makes me live alone with books."
Kanna remained silent. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"I assumed what I have is a curse. You brought it up out of nowhere… it wasn't hard to realize."
"I see…" was all she could say. Both remained silent.
Unlike before, this time Reo felt comfortable; he didn't feel that guilt from before.
He looked at her lap and Kanna, noticing it, gave a light tap with her hand, giving permission. The boy carefully rested his head while she stroked his hair.
They stayed like that for quite a while, until small sobs began to be heard, coming from the little one.
"Why are you crying?" she asked calmly. Little Reo could only pass his hand under his eyes, wanting to wipe his tears away. "It's— it's just… my eyes burn." They weren't entirely lies.
He had had that urge to cry with someone for a long time. With everything that happened, that urge increased even more, adding that for some reason his eyes burned for no reason at all.
To Reo's sight, only tears came out, while he saw everything wet, though also somewhat blurry.