As soon as the show ended, Deya barely held back her tears. She was deeply ashamed. She had thought only of herself, of having fun with her friends, while her brother was dealing with betrayal alone. These thoughts brought a wave of self-disgust. Turning to Yuno, she said firmly:
"We need to go home."
"Even if we go back, your brother won't be there. After sending us here, he left on a long assignment," Yuno replied.
She knew Ray had started going out into the field as part of the "Devils." Yuno understood that Deya was just a child, but she couldn't help blaming this little one, because she saw her as the main reason Ray had gone off the deep end. In one of her last arguments with Ray, she had said she hated him.
Inside Ray, a fear of losing this little one mixed with the thought that, by succumbing to his fear, he had raised her incorrectly. That was why they were here. He wanted to give the little one time to be an ordinary child and see what came of it.
Yuno was very afraid that if Ray saw the little one was better off here, they might stay forever. Part of Yuno wanted to sabotage this order, but she knew that if she did, Ray would never forgive her. And she didn't want to be the one to hurt Ray. Yuno's loyalty to Ray knew no bounds. Even if Ray told her to kill an infant, she would do it without asking questions.
Miku survived only because Ray had forbidden Yuno to touch her. Though Ray tried not to show it, Yuno, who knew him better than anyone, could clearly see how much the betrayal had crushed him. Seeing this, she vowed that from now on, before letting any girl get close to her daddy, she would have a private conversation with each of them. And if, after that, they decided to be with him, and any of them dared to cheat, she would make their lives hell.
Only because Deya had a part of Ray in her could Yuno keep her hatred in check and continue to care for her. But the day the little girl said she hated Ray, Yuno lost it and slapped her.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Yuno said:
"Even if we go back, your brother can't come home right away. Besides, I don't think he'd be happy if we left in the middle of the school year."
"This is all my fault. What an idiot I am… I said so many things to him! What if he doesn't want to see me?" Remembering her brother's face, the little one looked scared. He had seemed very disappointed, and lately, he had been constantly lost in his thoughts. This thought frightened the girl.
"Don't be afraid. Your brother loves you very much. I don't think there's anything in this world that could make him hate you. You need to apologize and not repeat your mistakes. And I'm sure everything will be fine."
Two weeks had passed since they watched that show. Everyone who knew Deya noticed she had changed a lot: she played less, returned to training, and was constantly lost in thought.
Despite their relationship, Deya always knew her brother loved her, so such treatment must have a reason. But Yuno had made it clear she wasn't going to talk about it for years.
A phone call jolted the girl from her thoughts. Seeing the caller's number, Deya wanted to hang up, but something made her answer.
"I know you don't want to see me, but I know you've been troubled lately by the question of why your brother is so strict about your training. I'll tell you about it if you agree to meet me. There's a café called 'Dawn' not far from where you live. If you want to know the truth, I'll be waiting for you there today."
Seeing Deya getting ready to go out, Rocky asked:
"Little sis, where are you going?"
"I want to take a walk."
"Great, let's go together?"
"No, I want to be alone."
Even though there were four boys in the house, Deya had considerable authority among them. Frank was very happy with this little one, and one of the reasons was that her presence was great motivation for his boys' training.
Lately, Deya had changed a lot. Rocky wanted to say something but didn't dare, knowing he might step on a landmine and get beaten up. As a rule, Deya was a sweet little angel, but if you crossed a line, she could become a demon. Once, she had beaten them all up.
When Rocky and Apollo complained to Frank, he only added:
"So now the boys knew: crossing this little one's boundaries could be dangerous not only to their health but also to their lives."
They had been beaten for trying to peep on Yuno in the shower.
When they met at the café, Deya could easily see that Miku had changed a lot. She no longer had that energetic aura about her, and the girl's beauty had faded considerably.
"I know you're not very happy to see me, so I'll get straight to the point. Besides your brother being very demanding of you, you're also annoyed by the fact that he's often away. This flash drive has everything you need to know, but once you open it, your world will change forever."
Pausing, she continued:
"A good friend of mine helped me gather this information. There's one archive on this flash drive. You'll only get the password when you turn sixteen. That's a video that a child your age shouldn't see. But what's there is enough to understand your brother. What's on this flash drive, along with what I'm about to say, could be very dangerous for your brother, so don't tell anyone about it—not even your friends."
"You know about the 'Devils,' don't you?" asked Miku.
"Yes. These days, it's hard to find someone who hasn't heard of them. In certain circles, there are rumors that your brother is the founder of this group. After you look at the information on the flash drive, you'll understand that he has a motive."
"Why are you helping me find out the truth?"
"I don't know if it's true that your brother is the founder of the 'Crimson Devils.' Maybe it's just a rumor. But I know one thing for sure: he needs an anchor to keep going. I managed to earn the right to be that anchor for him, but I was stupid enough to lose it. Now only you can be his anchor."
"What about big sis Yuno?" Deya asked.
"Your brother loves you both. To him, she's like a daughter, but her main task is to look after you if something happens to him."
"My brother is very strong. What could happen to him?"
"You're right, he is. But your brother isn't immortal. As far as I know, he's already attempted suicide. Besides, you said you know about the 'Devils,' so you also know what they do."
For the little one, her brother had always been as steadfast as a titan. The news that her brother had attempted suicide seemed absurd to her. As if reading her thoughts, Miku said:
"I know it's hard to believe, but no matter how strong a person is, everyone needs an anchor. I lost that right, and now only you can be his anchor. After you look at the information on this flash drive, a lot will become clear to you."
"Yuno definitely knows we met. When she asks why we met, tell her I was trying to apologize."