Ballard: Guh—

Lunasia: Sorry... Gravel and wood chips are embedded in the wound. I have to clean it out first before I can bandage it.

Lunasia picked up a small pair of tweezers and, bit by bit, picked the impurities out of his wound. But flesh and blood were intertwined; no matter how gently Lunasia moved, she couldn't avoid causing pain.
Although he tried his best to endure, he couldn't help but cry out.

Ballard: Ugh...
Lunasia: Sorry, I still hurt you. You're trying hard to bear it, aren't you? But this pain is necessary. You can't run away just because you're afraid of the pain, or the wound won't heal.

Her eyes were full of concern, but her serious expression was also genuine, like a real nurse. But soon, her bright eyes were once again filled with care, and she reached out her hand to him.

Lunasia: But if it really hurts too much, just squeeze my hand.
Lunasia: If the pain is unavoidable, at least let me share it with you.

Then, without asking for Ballard's consent, she took his hand.

Ballard: ...

Ballard stared blankly at her face, unable to react for a moment. Soon, however, she resumed her work, once again scraping a nerve in the wound. A piercing pain shot straight to the top of his skull.

Ballard: Ugh... Ah!

Almost like a reflex, Ballard subconsciously clenched his fist and Lunasia's hand.

Lunasia: ...

However, Lunasia's expression remained unchanged as she continued her work carefully and meticulously. Ballard slightly loosened his grip and saw that her fair hand had been squeezed red and swollen by him.
But she said nothing.

Soon, the cleaning was finished. Only after Lunasia straightened up did he realize...
To treat his wound more easily, Lunasia had been kneeling on the gravel path of the garden. Beneath the hem of her skirt, her knees were already covered in red pressure marks.
After she brought back gauze and iodine, Ballard's gaze couldn't move away from her knees, which looked no better than his own wounds.

Lunasia: How did you get beaten up like this?

Ballard: At first, there were only two of them, and I could handle it. But then more and more people came, and I was beaten down.

Ballard spoke softly, avoiding his sister's gaze for some reason.

Ballard: In the end, a few of them held me on the ground and let a fat kid ride his bike over me...

Lunasia: They actually did something like that!? Tell me, who did this!? They must pay the price and apologize to you properly.

Lunasia immediately stood up, a fierce fire burning in her eyes. This was the first time he had seen an expression of anger on her face.

Ballard: It's useless, they'll be hard to find. They aren't my classmates, just a bunch of local hooligans.
Lunasia: Even if it's difficult, we can't let people like that do whatever they want. What was it about? Did they try to extort you?
Ballard: ...No, a small dog had been following me since I left school, so I fed it something. Then two people came over. They pushed me away first, then forcibly snatched the dog. The puppy was terrified and kept yelping. I tried to reason with them, but they said this was their entertainment for the day, and if I tried to stop them, I would become their replacement amusement. I tried to correct them a little, and I got beaten up.

Tears streamed down his face against his will. He turned his head away, not wanting Lunasia to see his pathetic state. However, after bandaging the boy's wound, Lunasia reached out and wiped away his tears.

Ballard: Well, anyway... they pinned the dog to the ground and ran it over the same way they did to me... Before leaving, they beat me up again...

Hearing this, Lunasia's face became as cold as frost.

Lunasia: Starting tomorrow, we'll go to and from school together. With me around, no one can bully Bill.
Ballard: I just... don't get it. I don't understand, I can't figure it out...

Ballard grabbed his own hair, pulling at it ceaselessly as if that was the only way to make himself feel better.

Ballard: Why... It's so unreasonable, isn't it...?

Ballard's eyes were red as he kept rubbing and tearing at his hair, strands of it falling out... At this moment, his mind was filled with the worldly principles, philosophy, law, and the rights of existence and all things, eloquently spoken by the respected academy lecturers...
However, this series of excellent education could not explain his situation.

Ballard: Aren't humans the only rational beings among all creatures? Why do people like this exist? Even knowing they will be punished one day, that they will eventually meet retaliation from someone stronger than them, why are they so foolish? Is this kind of unreasonable thing allowed? Why would the thing that created humans allow such unreasonable behavior to arise in our minds? Just because there are more of them, they think they can unleash violence and beat up those weaker than them without hesitation.
Ballard: Is everyone like this, or is it just them?

Ballard grew more agitated as he spoke, and the tears wiped away by Lunasia flowed again. He wanted to wipe them away with his own hands, but sadness and indignation flooded him like a torrent.
Suddenly, Lunasia's arms wrapped around Ballard's head. His sense of smell was captured by a pleasant fragrance, which he would only learn much later was the scent of jasmine. A calming, peaceful power enveloped Ballard, and the sorrow in his heart instantly dissolved, replaced by an overflowing warmth.

Ballard: ...Sister?
Lunasia: It's not just them. Everyone is the same, Bill. This world is just like this... Indifferent, cruel, hungry... Everywhere is soil that breeds sin, everywhere is the unreasonable law of the jungle... But, as long as we stay by each other's side, none of this will be a problem. I can protect Bill. Is Bill willing to believe me?

Ballard couldn't see Lunasia's expression; his mind was filled with the image of the wounds on her knees.

Ballard: ...Why?
Lunasia: Why what?
Ballard: Why are you so gentle to me?
Lunasia: What other reason could there be... Because Bill is my younger brother, and I am Bill's older sister. It's only natural for an older sister to protect her younger brother, especially since you're still so small... When you grow up one day and have more power, it will be your turn to protect me.
Lunasia: Now, then, let's go find those kids who bullied you and settle the score...

It was on that rainy day that Ballard, for the first time, understood the true meaning of the words "older sister"
It was a word that carried the fragrance of jasmine.