Van took out three cups, poured orange juice into each one, and pushed them across the bar to the three kids sitting in front of him. Then he stuck a straw into each cup.
"I don't want a straw! Taking tiny little sips isn't cool!"
Zeri pulled the straw out at once, then noticed she had dripped juice on the counter and obediently wiped it clean with her sleeve.
The sight made Van smile despite himself. A good, honest kid like this somehow dreamed of becoming a rebellious, stylish, cool older girl.
Maybe she and Vi would have gotten along.
Powder was taking tiny sips through her straw. Her eyes were still red and swollen from crying, which only made her look even more pitiful.
Van couldn't help rubbing her little head. Her hair was soft and smooth, as if someone had just carefully brushed it out.
"So... uh, Powder? She's your sister?"
"Mm-hm."
"She doesn't look like you at all."
Zeri's eyes moved back and forth between Van, tall and broad with black hair and brown eyes, and Powder, small and thin with blue hair and blue eyes. Question marks might as well have been floating over her head.
"That's because we don't share a father or a mother."
"Huh? Aren't siblings supposed to be kids with the same mom and dad?"
"Hahaha..."
Seeing Zeri's blank, earnest face, Van couldn't hold back a laugh.
That reminded him again of the farewell letter Vi had left him.
We're lovers, right? Crossed out. We're a couple, right? Crossed out. We...
After line after line of scribbles and corrections, Vi had finally gotten to the point. Of course, the pen hadn't been very good, so even though she had tried to block out the words with ink, he could still make out what she had written.
Anyway, Powder's my sister, so she's your sister too. After I'm gone, you have to take care of her for me...
"Heh... She really knew how to dump trouble on people."
Van swirled the liquor in his glass, his eyes slowly losing focus, the faintest trace of a smile touching the corner of his mouth.
Then, while spacing out, he noticed the little braid hanging behind Powder's head.
Powder had always had braids, but most of the time they were just tied off carelessly with string. After all, no one could expect Vander or Vi to be any good at braiding hair.
But this braid had been done beautifully. Even the tie holding it in place had a pretty little bow, clearly arranged with care.
"Has Silco been taking care of you all this time?"
"Mm..."
Powder stopped sipping from her straw and answered quietly.
"Silco's been good to me..."
"Good? How could you think that guy is good?"
Ekko still hated Silco from the bottom of his heart, and the words came out almost by instinct.
Powder immediately lowered her head and shrank into herself again.
Van shot Ekko a hard glare. Ekko looked unconvinced, but under Van's stare, he still stopped talking.
Van rubbed Powder's head and spoke gently.
"What do you think of Silco? Be honest."
"Who's Silco?"
Zeri leaned in with her big eyes full of curiosity, only for Van to press her back with one hand.
"Not your business. Go play."
"Oh..."
Powder looked up at Van, then secretly glanced at Ekko, who was still sulking.
"If I say... I don't hate Silco, will you hate me?"
Van paused, then smiled and took a small sip of his drink.
"You don't need to slander someone who treated you sincerely just to match someone else's opinion."
He tapped the counter hard in front of Ekko.
"Right, Ekko? Say something. Now."
"..."
Ekko rolled his eyes helplessly. Under Van's urging look, he turned awkwardly toward Powder and spoke.
"Yeah. I hate Silco, but if you like him because he was good to you... I'm not going to blame you for that just because I hate him."
"Mm-hm. That sounded like a man."
Van nodded in satisfaction and got another eye roll from Ekko.
"Hmph. But don't expect me to ever be nice to Silco. Not in this lifetime."
"Haha, fine. Don't worry. I'll always be on your side, little man."
With Ekko's promise, Powder finally seemed to let go of some of the knot in her chest. Still, she did not talk about what it had felt like staying with Silco.
Instead, she asked something else.
"Is Vi... really dead?"
At that, Ekko sat up straighter and looked at Van, whose expression had turned heavy.
His own face grew more serious too, faintly tangled with unease, even his breathing slowing.
"Silco told me she was dead."
"Silco lied to you!"
Ekko spoke at once. Even though he also felt that outcome was almost certain, he still had to deny it.
"Keep your voice down, Ekko. Don't scare Powder."
Van kept one hand propped on the bar and put his pipe between his lips. Zeri, quick to notice, helpfully lit it for him.
"But if she's alive, why hasn't she come to find me?"
Maybe she had simply cried too much today. Powder's eyes reddened again, but no tears fell this time.
"Maybe it's like she said. Maybe she really doesn't want me anymore..."
"No. Your sister loves you more than anyone. I swear it."
Van lowered his head and let out a long stream of smoke.
"If she's alive, she will come find you... if she's alive."
Ekko looked at Van in shock. He knew exactly what it meant for Van to say something like that out loud.
Powder did not break down like before either. She only lay against the bar and slowly closed her eyes.
Van stroked her hair and let out a soft sigh.
...
...
After settling Powder, who had fallen asleep again, into the bed in the basement, Van stood behind the bar, silently wiping cups and putting the bottles and tools away.
But his mind was clearly somewhere else. Work that usually took him no time at all dragged on and on, with half of it still unfinished.
At one point, he even picked up a glass he had already wiped clean not long ago and started wiping it again without realizing.
"Van?"
"Hm?!"
Ekko tapped him on the arm, startling Van out of his daze. The cup slipped from his hand and fell to the floor.
The sharp crack of glass breaking rang especially loud through the quiet tavern. Even Zeri, who had fallen asleep face down at a table, wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth and rolled over.
"What you said earlier... were you serious?"
"What? What did I say?"
"You know... about Vi maybe really being... dead."
Van was silent for a moment.
Then he shook his head and let out a soft laugh.
"Hah. No, of course not. I admit I said the wrong thing just now. Maybe... maybe Vi just got delayed by something. Or something else happened."
Ekko looked at the forced smile on Van's face.
His mouth opened, then stayed open for a long while, but he couldn't find anything to say.
"Maybe."
[End of chapter]