The next day, I woke up to my mother caressing my hair with a loving expression.
"It's ok. You can go back to sleep."
She sounded so sweet and caring that I wanted to whine to her. But the reluctance that stemmed from not having similar interactions for a very long time, stopped me in my tracks.
"...No. I'm awake now. I'll have a headache if I keep lying down."
I got up and saw my family sitting around me. Father was reading a newspaper. Eldest brother Caelum was cleaning his already spotless sword with a white cloth. Younger brother Celestine was running around with his daggers and the youngest Celine was playing with a rather large lizard.
"Ciel."
The patriarch of the Winslow family put down the paper and everyone in the room shifted their attention towards him.
"I was told that you Awakened."
"...Yes, Father."
"What will be your next step?"
Neil Winslow. Despite being a Mediocre E rank who married a poor F rank, he had grown to become ambitious after the birth of his first child. And he pushed his children to climb up the hierarchy and strengthen the family name for future generations' safety. Just like my father back in my world.
And I, who had followed my father's every order and wish for as long as I can remember, don't know of a method that doesn't require following my father's words, to live. So, I know exactly what answer he wishes to hear. And that was a relief in its own way.
"I wish to continue my education."
"That is a given. Move back into the family home until you become proficient in using your powers."
"...I have no intention of becoming a User."
He carefully examined my reaction. And I made sure to look as tired as possible and added,
"I don't think I should even consider it before I've taken care of my overall health."
"Well, if that's what you wish…. Make sure to properly look after yourself."
…Do I live alone?
I guess that's a good thing.
2 more days passed by. During that time, I found out why my father didn't even ask me to recuperate at the family home. It was because Caelum, the eldest, had a very special place in his heart for his younger sister; I have yet to figure out why. Thus, I was a detrimental existence to my family who value honor and prosperity above anything else.
Caelum is a famous S-rank light swordsman. He is the strongest in the nation and isn't affiliated with any guild. He could easily turn a country upside down. He is the symbol of hope for our people.
And how would those people react if he turned out to be capable of throwing all of that away for a sickly and useless sister?
Thus, it was imperative that I actively separate myself from him and reduce our time together. And I will follow my father's wishes because I am an obedient daughter.
Except, Brother Caelum refuses to leave me alone. He became paranoid about my safety and has been stuck next to me until the moment I was standing in front of my house.
"Are you sure you can take care of yourself alone?"
"I'll be fine. Not even Mom and Dad are making a fuss. What are you so worried about?"
"What if your fever comes back and you collapse before you can call for help? As I thought, I can't just leave you alone-"
"Brother."
"Yes?"
"I recover quicker when I'm alone and in a quiet place."
"... Alright. But! You have to text me every day, ok? A call would be better but that's asking for too much."
"I'm glad you understand. Well, goodbye then."
A few days had passed by since I had holed myself up in my house. It was neither a long nor short time. I couldn't get out of bed. I thought I was no longer sick but that seemed to be an understatement. Even moving felt like a lot of work.
I did make sure to text back my 'brother' whenever he texted because I didn't want anyone to know about the state I was in, nor did I want to answer for it. I didn't even know what was wrong with me.
On the 9th day, I sat up on the bundle of blankets on the bed. The temperature was in the forties. Hot. Too hot. I had to get up or I'd lose my mind from the oven-like heat and incredible humidity. Sooner or later, I'd become a boiled potato.
After another hour or two, I got out of bed and went to the bathroom. Despite my irresponsibly lazy behavior, the house didn't go to hell. Unlike the bed. That place needs an exorcism. I found some clean clothes, hung them on the railing, and stood under the cold shower. The water reached the deepest part of my scalp and skin and washed away the trapped heat from deep within.
…. I live here now.
That would have been my reality, but I started sneezing, so fuck you, immune system. I had to get out of the shower.
After coming out of the bathroom, I was itching to clean up. Mission deep cleaning, commence.
It took a few hours, but I was refreshed in my clean house. But, now I'm hungry. I don't wanna cook. I don't wanna order food either because I dunno how that works here.
Never mind, I found cheese. I am happy.
Look at me. Starving for nine days without reason, wallowing in doom when all I needed was a bit of cheese to reach Nirvana. What has my life come to?
What has my life come to?