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Crackle, crackle, we walk while stepping on the crystal flower field.
Strangely enough, the trampled crystal flowers make a cracking sound after a while and stand up towards the sky again.
I can't help but be mesmerized by the fantastical sight.
"Does Rai like Antaros?"
Gian-aniki asks me that.
Of course.
"Because Gian nii-sama gave it to me for the first time, I like it."
That's right, I received a red crystal flower from Gian-aniki when I first met him in this garden.
Crystal flowers that crumble from the tips of their petals as they wither, eventually turning into glittering, fine crystal fragments.
I still keep the fragment of the red crystal flower that I received from Gian-aniki with great care.
"Does Rai remember things from when you were a baby?"
Seeing Gian-aniki with a blank expression, I was worried that he would be creeped out that I remembered things from when I was a baby, but Gian-aniki smiled with his cheeks flushed happily.
"Hehe! I'm happy. Hey, Rai. Then, do you remember what else I said at that time?"
I couldn't betray Gian-aniki's expectations, who was waiting for my words with excitement, not doubting for a moment that I remembered, so when I said that, Gian-aniki gave me a full smile.
"Rai, come here!"
While giggling happily, Gian-aniki takes my hand and goes to the very center of the southern garden.
There, there was a particularly large, glowing tree.
Is it about three meters in diameter? Several thin trunks overlap to form one thick trunk.
The roots of the tree undulate and burrow into the ground, sucking up water from the ground.
When water passes through the tree's vascular bundles, it emits a faint light under the tree's epidermis.
As if blood were passing through blood vessels, the light pulses as it rises higher and higher.
The light spreads from the trunk to the branches, from the branches to the leaves, throughout the entire tree.
It shines strongly when a lot of water passes through, and it shines weakly when little water passes through.
My hand, which was mesmerized by the fantastical sight, was tugged.
"Rai. Over here."
Perhaps because he has elven blood, Gian-aniki blends in very well with the scenery here.
It seems like he will dissolve and disappear into the light, so I gripped Gian-aniki's hand tightly.
As I was led by the hand by Gian-aniki, who was smiling faintly, I entered the gazebo next to the glowing tree, but it seemed that there was already a visitor there.
"To think you were secretly making preparations, you were planning to meet such a guy."
"J-John!? W-why are you here!?"
The one drinking tea in the gazebo first was a young boy who looked a lot like Gian-aniki.
Probably the son of Sophia-sama, just like Gian-aniki, Giovanni-aniki, one of my brothers.
His fiery red hair is very similar to Father's.
His blue eyes, probably inherited from Sophia-sama, glared coldly at me.
"Hmph. You're just the youngest brother, know your place and don't even think about becoming Crown Prince."
"John!!"
Giovanni-aniki glares at me with eyes full of contempt.
Gian-aniki hugged me to protect me from that gaze.
"That's what Maya-sama is saying, and it has nothing to do with Rai."
"Is there any way to prove that? How do I know if he really doesn't want to be the Crown Prince?"
"That's..., no, but..... But! The Rai I know wouldn't do something like that!"
The force of the arms hugging me tightens.
"Ha! Maybe he's using you. He's the son of that Maya-sama, you know."
"Rai wouldn't do that! He's my brother!"
"Then let me say it, you are my brother!"
"Rai is John's brother too!?"
"Even so, he's just someone I'm connected to by blood. You're important to me, Gian."
From those words and expressions, I can tell how much Giovanni-aniki cares about Gian-aniki.
I'm happy that Gian-aniki is protecting me, but I don't want it to worsen the brotherly relationship between Gian-aniki and Giovanni-aniki because of that.
"Gian nii-sama..."
"Rai. It's not your fault. I'll protect you, ah! Cough!!"
I was about to say, "It's okay," to Gian-aniki, but he got too excited trying to protect me and started coughing.
"Gian!! Tsk! It's your fault! Don't make Gian push himself!!"
"Uwa!"
I was pushed away by Giovanni-aniki with a thump! and put my hands on the spot.
The feeling of "What are you doing?" is there, of course, but Giovanni-aniki's voice at that time was shaking, so I raised my face in surprise and looked at his face.
"Always, always! Gian's been pushing himself lately because you're here!"
If I remember correctly, Giovanni-aniki is fourteen years old this year.
Fourteen years old is the equivalent of a Japanese middle school student, still a child.
I know very well how Giovanni-aniki feels, desperately calling out to the coughing Gian-aniki.
Of course.
For Giovanni-aniki, Gian-aniki is the closest brother.
Moreover, Giovanni-aniki is older, so he must feel a strong desire to protect him.
In fact, he must have been protecting Gian-aniki's heart all along, near Gian-aniki, who had to stay in his room because he was not feeling well until he reached this age.
"Gian!! Gian! Are you okay? Where does it hurt?"
"Cough, cough! Cough!!"
I know he's upset about Gian-aniki coughing more than usual.
However, there is almost nothing we can do in this place right now.
Then we should call an adult right now.
"Giovanni nii-sama! Maria and Kyriros-shishou are at the entrance of the garden. Giovanni nii-sama, please call them!!"
A fourteen-year-old Giovanni-aniki can go call someone faster than a five-year-old me.
But Giovanni-aniki glared at me with distrust towards me and jealousy for having taken Gian-aniki.
"You think I'll leave you and Gian alone together?"
"But, there's little we can do!"
"Ha!! You're planning to harm Gian while I'm gone! Don't mess with me!! Gian is my brother! I'll protect him!!"
While that was happening, Gian-aniki started breathing heavily, and his face turned pale.
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