Gray was walking on the side of the street. The orange glow of the late afternoon sun spilled across the city's sky, casting long shadows along the sidewalks.
It was already 4 in the afternoon.
Gray was dressed up in simple clothes. He had barely enough time earlier, but somehow, he was gaining a lot of attention. As he walked past, minding his own business, he could feel how the girls turned their attention to him.
It was strange.
In the past, people used to look at him with pity or, worse, disgust. But now... it was different. Their stares held curiosity. Admiration. Even a hint of amusement.
It felt unfamiliar, but he couldn't lie.
He kind of liked it.
After a few minutes of walking, Gray arrived at the place he wanted to go—Lily's school.
Gray stood on the street of the school. He was leaning casually against a tree with one of his hands in his pocket. Classes were about to end in just a few minutes.
Instead of waiting for Lily to come home by bus, Gray had decided to fetch her himself. He figured it'd be a nice surprise.
'It's been a while since I picked Lily up from school,' he thought as his eyes gazed on the school gate. A few seconds after and the sound of the school bell rang from inside.
'I wonder what her reaction will be.' He chuckled, already looking forward to it.
A few moments later, the students began leaving in groups. They were laughing, chatting, and having fun as their bags hung on their backs.
Gray straightened his back, when he finally saw his sister.
Lily stepped out of the gate, his backpack was slightly crooked, her ponytails bouncing as she walked. She was with two other girls—one on either side of her. The girls were talking, obviously happy, while Lily stayed quiet in the middle.
'Oh? Lily has some friends. I thought she didn't have one?' Gray frowned but eventually was gladdened to know it.
"Lily!" Gray raised a hand to wave as he called her name with a smile.
Lily's steps halted the moment she heard her name being called by a familiar voice. Her eyes widened, and she froze in place for a second before hurriedly waving goodbye to the girls beside her, not even sparing a glance for the two.
"I-I'll go ahead!" she told them quickly, then ran toward Gray, with her arms stiffly at her sides.
Gray opened his arms like he was expecting her to jump into them, but Lily stopped just in front of him with a weird expression on her face.
She wasn't smiling. Instead, she looked anxious.
Lily's hands were fidgeting. She was looking around anxiously as if she didn't want anyone to see her.
"You came to fetch me?" she asked, blinking up at him.
"Yeah. Figured I'd surprise you." Gray tilted his head in confusion. He was confused at the way Lily was acting. It was unlike her.
Where did her little cheerful sister go?
"Oh..."
Gray waited for a response, but she didn't say anything else.
Instead of looking happy like he thought she would, Lily looked awkward, like she was trying to avoid someone. Her fingers gripped her bag strap tightly, and she wouldn't meet his eyes.
Gray blinked again, unsure.
"What's with the face? I thought you'd be happy I came to pick you up."
"I am!" Lily said quickly, a little too loudly. "I mean—yes brother. I'm... happy." She answered with a big, forced smile that wouldn't even convince Gray.
"What's happening? You didn't like your brother fetching you?"
"What? No!" Lily squeaked, her face reddening slightly. "I'm not mad. I'm totally fine. You're just imagining it."
"You sure?" Gray frowned deeper.
"Yes!"
"Then why do you look like that huh?"
"I—!" Lily opened her mouth, then closed it. She puffed her cheeks out slightly and turned her face to the side, avoiding his gaze.
"Did I embarrass you or something?" Gray crossed his arms, studying her.
"No!"
"You're lying."
"I'm not!"
"...Is it because of the two girls you were with earlier?"
Those words were like magic. Lily instantly turned red, her ears heating up like a kettle.
"N-no!" Lily's voice cracked slightly as she shook her head, stepping back.
"N-no! Of course not! They're just... classmates. That's all!" she waved her hands quickly, her eyes darting left and right.
"Really?" Gray raised a brow, his expression now unreadable. "Because it looked like something else to me."
"It's not! I promise!" Lily blurted out. She then looked down at her shoes and gripped her bag tighter.
"It's nothing, brother... seriously."
Gray studied her carefully. He could tell she was lying. It was in the way she bit her lower lip. In the way her shoulders tensed. And most of all... in the way that she couldn't even meet his eyes when answering
"I don't buy it, Lily," Gray said quietly, crouching down to meet her eye level.
"Talk to me. Were those girls bothering you?"
"No! I mean—" Lily flinched a little, her voice rising too fast.
"Lily..." Gray's voice was lower now. It was gentle as if he wanted Lily to know that it was fine to tell him everything.
"Are they bullying you?"
Lily didn't answer at first. Her lips parted slightly, then closed again. Her eyes were turning watery, and she looked like she wanted to speak but the words wouldn't come out of her lips.
"I said it's not important, brother." She looked away and shook her head.
Gray stared at her in silence. He knew that Lily wasn't the kind of girl to lie. But now? She looked terrified that it was breaking his heart.
Gray's expression softened. He reached out and placed a hand on her head, gently ruffling her hair.
"You know, I'm not just your brother when things are fun," he said quietly. "I'm your brother all the time. Even when things are hard. Especially when things are hard."
Lily blinked up at him.
"You can tell me, Lily. No matter what it is."
Lily's eyes teared more, before she swallowed hard. Her voice was barely a whisper when she finally answered.
"I... I think they don't like me, brother," she said. "They laugh when I talk. They say I look poor, and they call me names."
Gray's hand slowly lowered to his side. His other hand curled into a fist behind his back.
Lily looked up at him with a trembling lip.
"I didn't want you to know. I was scared you'd get mad. Or worse... that you'd think I was a burden."
Gray knelt again and pulled her into a hug.
"Don't ever say that," he whispered into her hair. "You're not a burden, Lily. You never were. And those girls? They're just cowards hiding behind fake smiles."
Lily clutched his shirt, finally letting herself cry just a little.
Gray's jaw tensed. He didn't say anything else.
But deep down, he had made up his mind.
'No one hurts my sister and walks away from it.'