Chapter Text
I sat behind the counter, drumming my fingers on the surface.
The shop was quiet. Too quiet.
The kind of quiet that made you wonder if the apocalypse had started outside and no one bothered to tell you.
Then—
Crash.
The door slammed open.
“Big Brother!” Belle’s voice was full of triumph. “I ordered tapes! Action, adventure, mystery—real stuff. Not the boring ones you always pick.”
I looked up slowly.
She stood there like she’d just saved the world.
Hands on her hips. Grinning from ear to ear.
“Boring?” I raised an eyebrow. “Documentaries are very informative.”
Belle pouted, arms crossed.
Like she was genuinely offended.
“They take, like, ten hours to cover one topic. I could live an entire life by the time your ‘interesting’ tapes finish explaining moss.”
I snorted.
Fair point.
I set my clipboard down and walked over to her, ruffling her hair.
She ducked away with a scowl.
“Okay, okay. When do your hyper-exciting tapes arrive?”
“Tomorrow!” she said. Her eyes sparkled like they were about to shoot out star-shaped beams. “And I’m picking them up.”
I paused.
Belle… picking up a shipment?
She’d probably get distracted by a stray cat and end up in a back alley museum.
Still…
She wasn’t a kid anymore.
Maybe it was time I stopped treating her like one.
“…Sure. You’re an adult now. You can handle it.”
Her eyes widened.
Then—
A hug. Sudden and tight.
“Thank you, Big Bro!”
I didn’t return it immediately.
Not because I didn’t want to.
But because hugs meant time was moving forward.
And part of me still wanted to pretend we were standing still.
She let go first.
“Oh!” I said. “I almost forgot—I have a shipment coming in today. Want to come with me to pick it up? It’s near the gadget store.”
Belle tilted her head.
“Only if you buy me noodles.”
I sighed.
Of course she wants noodles.
“Alright. I’ll get you noodles on the way back.”
“You better!” she said, skipping ahead like she’d already won.
I glanced at the shelves.
Still dusty. Still lined with tapes no one watched.
But for a moment, the shop didn’t feel so empty.
We walked down the street with tapes in hand.
The afternoon breeze was warm.
Cats roamed the sidewalks. People wandered by with groceries.
Old men dozed under shaded benches.
Just another normal day.
We reached General Chop’s noodle stand. Belle hummed, bouncing on her heels as I set the tapes aside and sat down.
She raised her hand like she was calling a summon.
“General Chop! Red Chili Chicken Noodles, please!”
The man behind the counter chuckled as he scribbled on his notepad.
He looked at me next.
“What about you, Wise?”
I blinked. I’d been too deep in my thoughts.
“…Smoked BBQ Noodles, please.”
He nodded and got to work. The scent of oil and broth filled the air.
As I scrolled through my messages, Belle tapped me on the shoulder.
“So, Bro,” she said. “You really think your tapes are going to help the shop?”
I put my phone down and met her stare.
She had her hand on her chin like a discount philosopher.
“Well, they’re new releases. Should draw in some foot traffic.”
I hope.
Belle raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.
“Oh really? Well, my tapes will bring in even more. Just wait a few days.”
If that happens, I’ll let her handle the orders from now on.
…Maybe.
General Chop set down two steaming bowls.
“Here’s your noodles, you two.”
For a moment, I just stared.
I had never been this grateful for a bowl of noodles in my life.
Belle slurped her broth like she hadn’t seen liquid in days.
“Wow! I’ve never been this happy for noodles before!”
General Chop chuckled while scrubbing dishes.
“Well, I put my heart and soul into each bowl.”
Maybe I should open a noodle shop one day.
…No. Mine would never match General Chop’s.
I tapped the counter.
“How much do we owe?”
He waved me off with a grin.
“On the house, Wise. You two are my favorite customers.”
I’m going to start praying to General Chop.
We stood, gathered our tapes, and waved.
“Thanks, General Chop! See you tomorrow!”
“Stay safe,” he said.
Back at the store, we dropped the tapes next to the shelf.
“Belle, let’s turn in early tonight. We’ve got to pick up your order in the morning.”
Belle was already halfway up the stairs.
“Already on it, Bro!”
Guess she was more tired than I thought.
I stayed downstairs. There was one last thing to check.
I grabbed the bills from beside the clipboard and brought them to my room.
Electricity: high.
Water: normal.
Plumbing: normal.
All normal.
Except the damn electricity.
I narrowed my eyes.
I hate Fairy. Always using the heater for nonsense magic again.
I shoved the papers aside.
Tomorrow was coming.
Time to sleep.
"Wise... Wise... Wise!"
I jolted awake.
Standing in front of me, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed, was my master.
Same white shirt. Same jeans and heels. Same long, clean hair like always.
“Wise, wake up. You have school soon. Make sure you wake Belle, and come downstairs for breakfast.”
This dream again.
I sighed.
Might as well follow along.
“…Okay, Teacher.”
The world looked unusually bright. I’d forgotten how vivid everything felt after my implants were installed.
I got up and made my way to Belle’s room. I opened the door.
She was sprawled across her bed like a statue sculpted by chaos.
“Belle. Wake up. We’ve got school.”
She groaned and rubbed her eyes.
“…Okay, Bro. You wash up first. I’ll be down soon.”
I hoped she actually meant it this time.
After cleaning up, I headed downstairs. Master sat at the table, flipping through the newspaper.
“Oh, Wise—did you wake your sister?”
I sat across from her. “Yeah. She’ll be down in a minute.”
Footsteps overhead. Water running. Then—
Thump thump thump—
Belle half-stumbled down the stairs, still yawning. She plopped into her seat.
“Bro, can you do my hair after we eat?”
Right. She wanted pigtails today.
“Sure. What style do you want?”
She grinned sleepily, but her eyes gleamed. “Pigtails!”
If Belle wanted pigtails, she’d get pigtails.
After breakfast, she handed me the hair ties.
I got to work.
Twist the left. Loop the tie. Adjust.
Mirror it on the right. A little tighter. There. Done.
I grabbed a mirror and handed it to her. “So, Belle. Is it to your liking?”
She looked at her reflection with stars in her eyes. “I love it! You should do my hair more!”
…Probably my best work yet.
Master clapped her hands. “Okay, you two—it’s almost time! Eat what’s left and let’s go!”
She was like a golden retriever that wanted to bolt out the door.
After cleaning up, we grabbed our bags, put on our shoes, and headed out.
Before pulling out of the driveway, Master glanced back.
“You’ve got everything, right?”
We both nodded. “Yes, Master!”
She started driving.
The road to Helios Academy hadn’t changed. The school stood tall, clean, and futuristic as ever.
Still too fancy for my taste.
When we arrived, I turned to Belle.
“Meet me at the front gate after the last class, okay?”
“Okay, Bro. I’ll be there!”
Before we reached the building, two familiar faces greeted us.
Lucius—spiky blond hair and that usual smug grin—and Sarah, neat glasses and long black hair.
“Yo, Wise!” Lucius raised a fist. “Ready for school?”
We bumped knuckles.
“Yeah. Let’s do this.”
“That’s the spirit!” He turned to Belle.
While they chatted, Sarah stepped closer.
“Hi, Wise. You ready for the test?”
Right. The test. I’d almost forgotten.
“Yeah. Studied before bed.”
She smiled, hands behind her back. “Good. I’m beating your score today, by the way.”
I smirked. “I’d like to see you try.”
(I beat her.)
The bell rang. We rushed to class.
One blink later—
First period turned into last period.
Wasn’t today longer?
“Bro! Let’s go home!”
Belle ran up to me, waving.
“You got it.”
The memory of this day felt longer. But… whatever. It was just a dream.
As we walked, Master’s car pulled up.
Belle nudged me. “Hey, wanna race?”
I smiled.
“Sure. First to the car gets the last ice cream in the freezer.”
Her eyes narrowed with that usual fire.
“Ready, Belle? 3... 2—”
“Hey—!”
She took off before I even hit one.
She was two steps ahead and laughing.
I ran like my life depended on it.
Didn’t matter.
She still beat me.
“The last ice cream is mine!”
Figures. I could never beat her in a race.
We collapsed into the back seat, panting.
“So,” Master asked, glancing at the mirror. “Who won?”
Belle raised both arms in victory. “I did!”
That night, after chores, we got ready for bed.
Belle knocked on my door.
“Wise, can I sleep in your room?”
I looked up and smiled.
“Sure. I’ll take the floor.”
She curled up on my bed. I took the floor.
Then—
“Belle! Wise! Wake up!”
Master’s voice snapped me upright.
She shoved something into our hands.
An HDD system for me. Eous for Belle.
“Master, what’s going on?!”
This…
This was before she was taken.
She looked out the window, eyes narrowing.
Dark shapes in the distance.
“There’s no time! Run to the front—my friend’s waiting. Take the suitcase.”
She thrust it into my arms. Clothes. Supplies.
We didn’t argue.
We ran.
A car door opened. A man in the driver’s seat looked back.
“You Master’s friend?” I asked.
His gaze was sharp. “Yes. Call me William. I’m taking you somewhere safe.”
He watched over us until I opened my store.
I never forgot that.
Then everything turned to black.
I opened my eyes.
A black void.
No walls. No light. Just one figure ahead.
I panicked.
“Belle? William?! Where are you?!”
No answer.
The figure turned slowly.
Its head… wasn’t a head.
Purple fire danced where its face should’ve been.
It raised one hand.
“You must find the truth.”
Truth?
“What truth?! What are you talking about?!”
The dream—the school, Belle, the race—it was all just a setup.
A message.
A memory rewritten.
Then—
Snap.
I woke up in a cold sweat.
The sheets clung to my skin.
What was that dream? It felt too real.
What was that figure talking about?
I needed answers.
But first, I needed to clean up.
And open the store.