◆◆◇◇◆◆
1. A Steel Guardian, Sinking into the Abyss of Dress-Up
"Now listen carefully, Shutia. Today is our day off — which means completely private time. Which means that 'as long as it functions' gray shirt and slacks ensemble, lacking even a trace of charm, is hereby prohibited, effective immediately!"
Subaru Station's central commercial mall. Holographic advertisements drifted overhead. The air carried the scent of the latest synthetic fabrics. In the middle of it all, Ledea Mace planted her feet and made her declaration.
Across from her, Shutia — self-designated younger sister — wore the expression of someone being very gently managed, and scratched the back of her head.
"Eeeh... but sis, I'm perfectly fine in this. We never know when we'll get an emergency call for the Silver Anchor, and honestly ease of movement is the top priority, and besides — sis picked this out for me. I actually really like it."
"That was then, this is now! You're tall, your proportions are model-level, and while I will acknowledge that you always look *cool* — the attribute of *cute* is something you should be taking in regularly. This is a sister's obligation. It is, in fact, a welfare initiative."
Ledea's chin came up. One decisive step forward.
"Now. Today, as your older sister, I am going to coordinate you into the finest possible younger sister. Let's go."
"Ahaha... sis is genuinely excited, isn't she. ...Oh — sis, if we're shopping, I can pick out anything for *sis*. That shop over there with all the frills? I'm absolutely certain it's made for sis. I'll put my entire salary into it—"
"Yours comes *later*! Today's lead role is *you*!"
She was already pulling Shutia by the hand. "Oh well," Shutia said, with a smile she couldn't quite contain. Being pulled along by her favorite person in the universe, who was rushing around entirely on her behalf — for someone whose possessiveness was essentially structural, there was no greater happiness.
...It took less time than expected for that happiness to become something more closely resembling an endurance test.
"Next! Try this one!"
"Oh — um, this one...? Isn't there somewhat less fabric than I'm used to working with...?"
"No arguments. Into the fitting room."
Two hours had passed since they'd entered the apparel district.
Shutia was experiencing, for the first time in her life, the sensation of defeat in a context that did not involve combat.
Pastel blouses she would never have touched unprompted. Flare skirts with delicate lace trim. And, as a finale, an off-shoulder dress that made a rather bold statement about the existence of shoulders.
"...Sis, I really don't think this is my register. It feels drafty and I can't settle down and—"
"What are you saying. Look at the mirror. It suits you. It's very, very *cute*, Shutia."
Every time the fitting room curtain opened, Ledea's eyes lit up and she applauded with complete sincerity. That unguarded admiration hit Shutia with more destructive force than any charged particle cannon.
"Sis calling me cute this many times..."
She melted. She became a dressing doll. She submitted. But the unfamiliar fabrics, the complicated ribbon fastenings, and above all the psychological weight of being *admired* in plain sight of strangers — for someone who habitually kept her surroundings under observation — was quietly wearing her down from the inside.
Another hour passed.
By the time they reached the mall's terrace area, Shutia's gait was heavier than it had been the previous day when she was pulverizing asteroids with a harpoon.
"I'm... tired, sis... can we take a break...? My legs are reaching their operational limit..."
"My. Shutia, who has seemingly unlimited physical endurance, flagging over *this*. It appears that shopping requires entirely different muscle groups from space maneuvering."
Ledea laughed her small, satisfied laugh and patted Shutia's shoulder.
"Wait on that bench. I'll go into that last shop and find one more piece that suits you. You can see me from there — you won't lose sight of me. Sit."
"Okay... yeah. If it's right there, that's fine... go ahead, sis. ...Don't overdo it, okay?"
Shutia collapsed onto the soft bench as though her structural integrity had been quietly removed. She who could run to the edge of the universe at full speed could not currently be persuaded to move a single finger.
◆◆◇◇◆◆
2. A Crimson Arrival, or: An Unexpected Silence
She was staring blankly at the shop Ledea had entered, thoughts suspended, when something in the edge of her vision moved.
Strong color. Getting closer.
A girl. Long red hair, vivid enough to seem like it was burning. The fringe cut asymmetrically, and through it — eyes that held a particular quality: languid, a little distant, and underneath that, a stillness that felt as though it saw more than it let on.
The girl sat down next to Shutia without saying anything, and looked at her.
Shutia's professional wariness flickered on briefly, assessed the situation, and stepped back. No hostile intent. She asked, gently:
"...Something the matter? Did you need something from me?"
"...are you tired, big sis?"
The directness of it made Shutia laugh despite herself.
"...Haha. I suppose I am, a little. But it's because today has been so much fun — I'm just resting for a bit."
She gauged the girl's age — around sis's, she thought — and let the last of her guard down.
"What about you? It's not safe to wander alone. Are you lost?"
The girl didn't answer.
Instead, without any particular announcement, she leaned sideways and rested her head on Shutia's shoulder, transferring her full weight with calm confidence.
"Wha—"
The girl closed her eyes, apparently satisfied.
"...you remind me of my sister. ...warm. calming."
And then she fell asleep. Regular breathing. Completely at peace.
Shutia did not move. She had turned to stone. She couldn't shift without waking her, but if *a certain someone* came out of the shop right now and saw this—
"Shutia, look at this! If it's this color, it might complement your eyes — oh?"
The worst possible timing. Ledea emerged from the shop.
She found: an unknown girl, pressing up against her sister in apparent contentment, and her sister, frozen, wearing an expression that was trying very hard to be neutral.
Ledea stopped. The garment in her hands remained raised.
"..."
"Th-this isn't what it looks like, sis! She just — suddenly—!"
"..."
Ledea's gaze was cool. And also, just slightly, entertained.
"...Hm. Popular, aren't you, Shutia. The self-proclaimed younger sister who captivates every woman on the station. Using my absence to find a *new* little sister to collect?"
"Sis, your eyes aren't smiling! It's a misunderstanding — I'm devoted entirely to sis, always—!"
"No, no, it's fine. You naturally attract people wherever you go — that's simply who you are. I'll just go back in and take my time finding you something *really* special. Something *wonderfully* cute. I should be back in about an hour."
"Sis! An hour is too long! *Sis—*!"
Ledea knew perfectly well that left to herself, Shutia drew people in without trying. She let the small, slightly mean amusement show, just briefly, and disappeared back into the shop.
Shutia looked at the ceiling, a sleeping girl against her shoulder, and accepted her fate.
◆◆◇◇◆◆
3. A Blue-Haired Runner, or: The Double Star Converges
"Kanoaaaa~! Where are you~!"
From across the mall, at considerable speed: a figure running with both hands full of shopping bags, blue hair in a side tail flying behind her. She skidded to a stop in front of Shutia with a squeak of shoes on floor, and stood there breathing hard.
"Hah — hah — *there* you are — Kanoa—!"
She looked at Shutia, registered surprise for half a second, and then bowed deeply.
"I'm so sorry — did my sister cause you trouble—? I looked away for a moment and she was just *gone*—"
The woman roused the red-haired girl — Kanoa — who blinked awake slowly, rubbed her eyes, and got to her feet.
"...hm. done?"
"Yes, done — honestly..." The woman straightened and looked at Shutia with genuine apology. "I'm so sorry. I'd like to thank you properly, but I need to get these bags into a locker first and—"
"Please, don't worry about it."
Shutia had nothing but gratitude for this woman's arrival. As a means of rescue from this particular situation — hell or paradise, she was no longer certain which — the timing could not have been better.
The blue-haired woman, Asphi, gave Shutia an apologetic bow.
Shutia offered her usual composed smile in return, and Asphi's expression settled into something warm and unhurried.
"...No, truly — thank you. I'll find a way to repay this properly someday—"
As they turned to go, Kanoa stopped.
She looked back up at Shutia.
"...thanks, big sis. ...I think I like you."
"Oh — ah, haha..."
Kanoa gave a small wave, grabbed one of Asphi's bags, and the two of them left together, noisy and easy in each other's company. Shutia watched them go and exhaled.
"...The storm has passed."
◆◆◇◇◆◆
4. The End of Shopping, or: The Suffering That Wouldn't End
"Oh. The girl left already?"
Perfectly timed, Ledea emerged from the shop. Her bags were, without question, fuller than before.
"...Yeah. Her sister came to get them. They went home together. ...I am completely, thoroughly done for, sis..."
"I see. That's a shame. ...But — good news. I found exactly what I was looking for."
From the bag, Ledea produced a black gothic lolita dress with abundant frills, and a matching headband.
"Now then, Shutia. Try this on, and we'll call it a day. With this, your transformation into the perfect *cute little sister* will be complete."
"...Sis. Can we go home. I'll do anything — rust removal, full engine disassembly, whatever you want — just please—"
"No. There's still time before sunset. And I need to check the new arrivals at that shoe shop over there. Up. Shoulders back."
Shutia made a sound of pure suffering and let herself be pulled forward by the hand.
The mysterious light that had erased debris in the Graveyard belt was frightening, yes. But here, now — the frilled dress in her sister's hands was considerably more terrifying.
And, in a way that made no rational sense whatsoever, considerably more precious.
"...Just today, sis. Just today, okay?"
"Hm. That depends on how I feel tomorrow."
Subaru Station at dusk.
Through the noise of the mall, the laughter of one very small older sister — dragging her considerably taller younger sister along by the hand, with the focused energy of someone on a mission — rang on, and on, and didn't stop.