53 - The Brave, Listening to His Little Brother's Worries

I fought off an angel that night.

I was in front of my brother's room.

<>

The Demon Lord inside me asks.

"Gaius hasn't been well since he came home from school. I was wondering if something was wrong.

I knocked on the door, but there was no answer.

"Huh?　He's not here."

That's when it happened.

>

I heard my brother's voice coming from outside the house, from around the garden.

It sounded like he was in a hurry.

"Don't tell me ...... you're a demon again?"

Using the magic of shifting, I move toward the direction of the voice.

"Hey!　Don't do that [Neesan]."

"Baaah!　Bawwah!"

"Dog?"

Gaius is being pushed down by a dog.

He was licking him around the mouth.

"Stop it, Nathan, you're tickling me!"

"Bawwah!"

"Nee-san!　Sit down!　I'm not feeding you!"

"Kyuun ......"

Dog backs away from Gaius.

"Good boy, good boy. Don't worry, I'll feed you."

"Boo!"

Again, the dog jumps on Gaius and licks him.

"Ha-ha-ha!　Already, Neesan is a spoiled child. ......... brother?"

I suddenly make eye contact with my brother, who was playing with the dog.

"～～～～～～!"

Gaius turns red.

"This is different!　I was just walking my dog!"

"Yeah, I can see that."

After a while.

We were in the Carlyle family yard.

Sitting side by side on a bench.

At our feet is a large dog, eating from a plate.

"But why is his name [Neesan]?"

"...... what?"

"What's wrong?"

"...... No, nothing."

Gaius pats the dog on the head.

"This dog was picked up by [Julius] when he was little. The dog was very attached to my brother and was with him all the time.

After that, every time Gaius called me, the dog that was with him would respond.

"He started to mistake my name for [Nisan]," he said.

"Hmm. You mean you were calling me that many times?

"Huh!　Why the hell would you do that!　No, stupid brother!"

"Kyun ......"

"Oh, no. I was just cursing the one that wasn't you."

Gaius patted Neesan on the head.

The dog was furry and fuzzy.

Hmmm, I envy him.

"Hey, can I touch you too?"

"Okay, come on, go ahead."

Nee-san looks at me, but then he turns away and starts to suck on my brother's face.

"Ha-ha, Nee-san likes me more, huh?"

"Why do you look so happy?"

"I've been losing to you my whole life, haven't I?　That's why I'm happy to win, even if it's such a small thing."

Gaius pats his dog on the head.

"...... but I really didn't want to win this one."

"What? What?"

"No, it's nothing."

"I see. Hey Gaius, you wanna go for a walk?"

"Uh, yeah. Okay."

We walk side by side through the garden at night.

My brother holds the leash of his dog, Nathan, in his hand.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?　You don't seem well."

Gaius stops and reaches for the sky.

It was early summer and the stars were twinkling beautifully.

"I was just thinking," he said, "that it's a little far away.

"Far?　What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the difference in ability between you and your brother."

The younger brother crouches down and pats his dog on the head.

"You know, recently I've been able to fight demons on equal terms. I still have a long way to go, but I was happy to see my brother's back a little.

But ...... and his brother.

"There was an extraordinary being, an angel, and even he surpassed him. So I'm a bit discouraged."

Gaius hugs his dog.

He licked him around the eyes.

"Don't worry. You'll be able to beat that thing in no time."

Gaius looked at me and smiled.

"......Yeah, I knew [my current brother] would say that."

The younger brother's expression brightens.

However, his eyes were a little sorrowful.

"Thank you, brother."

"Bah!"

"Oh, come on, Gaius thanked me, didn't he?"

"Bawwah!"

Nathan rushes at me.

My dog NeeSan pushes me down, and licks my face.

"Hey, Gaius, help me!"

"Ha ha!　Oh, no. It's not often you see your brother in trouble, so I'm not going to help you."

The younger brother crouched down and looked at him happily as he flirted with Neesan.