Book 4: Volume 9 Chapter 1, Brother and Sister

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

 

Returning from her inspection of the fifteenth Floor, Mia encountered Towa resting in the relaxation area.

 

“Oh? What are you doing here?”

 

She had assumed he would be working diligently at the castle, so the question emerged naturally. Towa sighed in response.

 

“What? Can’t I have a break once in a while?”

 

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

 

Mia blinked at Towa’s unusually sharp reaction. Her Brother was Human too. His mood could turn prickly sometimes. Having spent their lives together as siblings, she understood this well enough. Still, such moments remained rare.

 

“Did something happen?”

 

Her expression shifted to concern, and this time Towa looked taken aback.

 

“No. Sorry. Nothing in particular happened.”

 

“I see.”

 

Mia nodded as Towa offered a wry smile. His expression truly told her nothing major had occurred.

 

Towa settled beside her, an inadvertent complaint escaping. “Mia… you seem to be thoroughly enjoying your life as an Administrator.”

 

“Yes, thanks to you.”

 

Knowing that even kings sometimes needed to voice their frustrations, Mia decided to listen. Better this than letting grievances fester. She understood her role here, which was to listen when Towa, who’d been destined for the throne since childhood. That was why she deliberately answered with confidence.

 

As expected, Towa chuckled, then sighed. “Although it couldn’t be helped, I really regret getting rid of you.”

 

“Thanks to that, I’m now enjoying my life as an Administrator.”

 

Towa chuckled softly at Mia’s chest-puffed-out reply. She could say such things to him when he felt down precisely because they’d been doing this since childhood. If Towa complained about the pressures of the throne to anyone else, he would face various criticisms, even from Daniela. For now, only Mia could hear Towa’s complaints as simply complaints. Of course, Mia knew that eventually Daniela would assume this role.

 

“Even though I judged it necessary at the time… I wonder if I was wrong after all?”

 

Towa could voice such risky thoughts only because of their relationship. Mia shook her head in response.

 

“No. That’s not true. If I had remained in that ambiguous position, there’s no doubt more people would have tried to install me as Queen.”

 

“That’s true.”

 

Towa nodded clearly. This was just venting. He did not really mean it. He simply needed to say aloud what sometimes pressed on his mind, and Mia was the only one who could hear it.

 

♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦

 

After talking with Mia for a while, Towa’s mood lifted. He asked in her usual manner, “Oh yeah, how are things on the fifteenth Floor?”

 

“There haven’t been any major changes.”

 

Towa laughed at Mia’s sigh-accompanied response.

 

“Hahaha. Even Mia is having a hard time.”

 

The implication was clear. That even Mia, recognized as excellent since childhood, still had far to go as an Administrator. Naturally aware of this herself, Mia did not argue, releasing another sigh instead.

 

“That’s true. How did Father manage to do it so easily?”

 

Deep respect for their Father, Kousuke, shone in Mia’s eyes. It was an expression Towa had seen since they were little. He inwardly chuckled at the familiar sight.

 

All five of Kousuke’s children held him in high regard, both as a Father and as a God, but Towa always thought Mia was the most devoted. If devotion to him as a living god were measured, Kokoro might rank higher, but as an individual, Mia definitely topped the list. That was just Towa’s personal opinion, of course.

 

If Kokoro were present when this topic came up, competition between the two would inevitably ensue.

 

While thinking this, Towa decided not to mention it, instead answering Mia’s question. “Well, I wonder about that? It might sound easy when you hear about it, but perhaps he struggled quite a bit in the past?”

 

“…I can’t imagine it.”

 

Mia looked up briefly, seemingly contemplating Towa’s words, before quickly shaking her head.

 

The image of Kousuke that Towa and the others witnessed was one of him calmly managing everything. They had rarely seen him flustered about anything. Incidentally, their Mother, Floria, had been the last woman to join Kousuke’s group, so she knew little about his early struggles. Of course, as they grew older, they heard stories from others, but even then, they heard little about Kousuke struggling.

 

His difficulties managing the Tower had become distant history for them. Of course, if they had simply asked, Kousuke might have recalled and shared those stories, but fortunately for him, his children never showed interest in hearing them. As a result, Kousuke’s stories of hardship never truly resonated with his children.

 

“When I was little, I thought about wanting to do this and that, but when you actually try to do them, they’re difficult, and there are things you just can’t do.”

 

“Haha. That’s true.”

 

Countless things seemed simple in theory but proved difficult in practice, managing the Tower included.

 

“Why don’t you try setting a goal?”

 

Towa’s suggestion prompted Mia to fall silent, contemplating whether a suitable goal existed. After some thought, she shook her head.

 

“No. There are so many things I want to do, I can’t decide on a clear goal right away.”

 

“I see. Maybe it would be better to take some time and think about it carefully.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Attempting everything without focus could result in accomplishing nothing. Better to narrow down to one goal and pursue it deliberately. Mia concluded this and nodded at Towa’s words.

 

Outwardly, people thought they were estranged. After all, Mia had been ‘cast aside’. But the reality was entirely different. Only a handful of people knew the truth, and since the Siblings preferred maintaining that perception, it would never become common knowledge.