A few days had already passed since what happened. Dawn was just beginning to appear on the horizon, and the light filtering through the window made him frown as soon as he opened his eyes.
An uncomfortable burning sensation pierced his vision, causing him to turn his face away 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 in the room.
After rinsing his face and coming out, he saw Kanna, who was—like every morning—serving him a cup of tea.
Even though that incident 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 because of the strong light coming in through the same window that had woken him up.
Before sitting down, he closed the curtains and settled into the chair beside the small table.
Kanna, who had not said a word since he entered the room, sat down across from him and poured herself her own cup of tea.
It was a daily routine since Reo had become aware of himself, and the atmosphere felt uncomfortable to him.
Neither of them spoke for several seconds. Reo fiddled with the small cup in his hands until, gathering his courage, he glanced sideways at Kanna and swallowed.
"Um— Kanna-san…" he murmured under his breath, unable to say what he truly 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 averted his gaze. Even so, the guilt did not fade.
"S-still…" he murmured apologetically.
Kanna narrowed her eyes at the child's stubbornness, then quickly returned her gaze to him. Reo could not decipher what those eyes expressed, but any adult would have noticed a subtle, dangerous glint within that intense red.
"If you feel guilty, there's a little thing you could do for me."
The boy's eyes immediately lit up. 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 watched his enthusiasm.
"Do you know why you can't leave the room?"
The question caught him off guard. 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 that they don't love me. They… they hate me…"
"You're right. They hate you, but they hate you because they're afraid of you."
Reo lowered his head. 'Why are they afraid of me…?'
"I don't understand," he lamented quietly.
"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 lifted the small boy into 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 flood in.
"Ahh…" Reo complained, trying to turn his face away.
It took him a few seconds to adjust to the brightness, but even then he could barely keep his gaze directed outside.
"I've noticed that you have trouble with your eyes. Have they become sensitive to light?" she asked calmly.
"I started feeling discomfort a few days ago… it must be from crying," he replied shyly.
"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 kind of punishment that day, but nothing happened.
"I've never punished you or raised my voice at you. Never. And I wouldn't do so over something insignificant."
She stared at him intently for several seconds. Anyone might have thought they were siblings because of how similar they looked.
"Are you actually my older sister?" he asked innocently; even he could see how much he resembled Kanna.
"No." She closed the curtains again and placed Reo on the bed, sitting beside him. "Let's talk about something else."
The boy settled beside her without hesitation; over time, he had grown attached to her.
"What are we going to talk about?"
"You've read about curses, haven't you?"
"Yes."
"Then tell me, what are they to you?"
Reo brought a finger to his chin. "A curse is… like a broken toy that no one wants to fix."
He recalled 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 at me. It's what makes Mom not have time to play, and why I live alone with books."
Kanna remained silent. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"I assumed that what I have is a curse. You brought it up out of nowhere… it wasn't hard to figure it out."
"I see…" was all she could say. Both of them fell silent.
Unlike before, this time Reo felt comfortable; he no longer felt that guilt from earlier.
He looked at her lap, and Kanna, noticing this, lightly tapped her hand, giving him permission. The boy carefully rested his head as she stroked his hair.
They stayed like that for quite a while, until small sobs began to be heard, coming from the child.
"Why cry?" she asked calmly. Little Reo could only run his hand beneath his eyes, trying to wipe away his tears. "I-it's just… my eyes burn." They were not entirely lies.
He had wanted to cry with someone for a long time now. With everything that had happened, that urge had only grown stronger, added to the fact that, for some reason, his eyes burned without any clear cause.
From Reo's perspective, only tears flowed as he saw everything wet, and also somewhat blurry.