lava

11:10 A.M. \ Clear

Rhodes Island Landship, Cabin No. 2, Operator Living Area

Breathe in—

—Breathe out.

Empty your mind. Purge your thoughts.

Phew...

Alright. No problems.

Heart rate unaccelerated, emotions holding steady. You're alright, Lava. You can do this!

This is the one! You're gonna talk to Hibiscus without getting pissed at her!

Oh, Lava~! You're just in time!

I've prepared you a healthy meal for today too, so make sure you eat it!

What? For hell's sakes, who'd want to eat your 'healthy meals' day in day out?!

...Hfff...

(No, no, Lava. Don't talk to her like this.)

(Patience. Bring out your will of a master fortune-teller, and control yourself...)

(Steady heart. Steady heart.)

Phew.

Uh, no, I mean...

With every day being healthy meals, I'm a little tired... I'm not saying I'm fed up with you! Don't overthink it!

Haha, what's all that rubbish for? Of course I know you wouldn't be fed up with your sister~

Come on, this is today's lunch. Make sure you don't leave a single scrap!

It's been getting cold lately. Balanced nutrition is the number one defense against getting ill, don't you know?

Blugh...

Hmm? What's wrong?

I've told... I'm TELLING you...

Forget this fff... flavor for a moment. You know the thing I hate eating most is tomatoes, right?

Uh-huh. Why wouldn't I know?

So why...

—Why would you go and stuff all this boiled tomato into MY lunch!?

Aw, don't get worked up. It's because tomatoes are very nutritious, of course~

And don't think I didn't know! Don't you always sneak any food you don't like onto Kroos's plate?

And not just that, you've only been eating meat recently, without a single vegetable in sight, haven't you?

You can't be like that, you can't be picky! 'Bad kids' like you who don't listen are in need of a little stricter punishment!

I'll be watching you to make sure you eat every last bite today!

(Deep breath)

Don't get angry don't get angry don't get angry.

Don't get... aaaarrrghh fffor gods' sakes I can't do it I can't take this!

Can you stop being like this ever! Don't treat me! Like! A child—!

Ugh...

And it all ends up like this once again.

I didn't want to argue with her, but she's just too annoying, isn't she? Who forces people to eat what they hate like that? Urp... I still feel like I want to throw up a little.

Ugh.

Whatever. It's my fault in the end for not controlling my temper...

What what what? Who's bullying you?

Tell me quick, I'll beat them up! Just watch me pummel any rotten bully into next week! Just liiiiiiike—this!

Waagh!

Stop swinging your bat around in here! That's dangerous as hell!

Hold on, didn't the Doctor say hitting people with your bat was forbidden on the ship? Wasn't writing a whole letter enough to learn anything?

Oh, right! Awgh... I hate writing self reflection letters! I don't wanna write any more!

Oh well, that's okay, I can do it without using my bat. Look, I can smash my backpack into any baddies! My backpack's really useful! Amiya and the bosses said I was really cool and strong!

So don't worry, Lava, it's my turn to make the baddies learn!

I don't worry about... look, just pause, calm down for now. Mind you don't get dragged in for another lecture.

And nobody's bullying me.

Really?

Really.

(Staring)

You're lying!

Wha?

If nobody's bullying you, then why do you look like you're having a really sad time, Lava?

Sad? Do... do I?

No way, you're seeing me wrong! I don't—

Of course you do! I don't see things wrong!

Your eyebrows are all crumpled like that one time you were playing piano and the lid smashed into your hands! You look like you're really hurt!

You're blowing this out of proportion!

Am I right or not!

Ugh.

Fine, okay, you're right. But it's not anything that serious. *sigh* I just had an argument with that stupid Hibiscus, nothing unusual...

Oh, is it a Hibiscus thing again?

Awwww. If it's a Hibiscus thing, then I can't help you out...

Why not?

Because Hibiscus isn't a baddie, right? She was really nice and gentle last time she examined me, and she gave me a little cake too! It was super tasty!

Hmph. That's just like her, playing nice.

What's so amazing about cakes? It's not like I can't make them...

And with HER abilities, baking something that counts as edible these days? Do you have any idea how many times she had to fail before that?

And she couldn't throw away anything she'd ruined, and she forced me to clean up her awful messes for her.

Um... um? I don't get it!

Does that mean you got a lot of cakes to eat?

As if it'd mean that!

Ugh... forget it. I don't know what I'm doing telling you this.

Basically, if you actually had a brother or sister or whatever, you'd understand what kinds of maddening creatures big sisters are! Especially the oppressive, dictatorial ones like Hibiscus...

Hey. What's the silence for?

Um. How do I put this?

Huh?

I think, it's really nice!

Huh? What part of that's nice?!

It's really nice, the idea of having a sibling... I really wanna experience it.

I could ask the Doctor to be my brother or sister or something, but, it wouldn't be like it is between you and Hibiscus, right?

Uh, that'd be, I guess... not the same?

Knew it...

Then, Lava.

What.

I thought of a good idea—you just gotta make Hibiscus be my older sister!

Pfff—!!

*cough*, *cough* *cough* *cough*... Wh—What kind of insane idea is that?!

I'm not being insane, I'm saying it very seriously!

Do you understand that, like, sisters... familial sisters are blood-related? They—Even if you wanted to, they're not something you can just give up to other people!

Whaaa—what does that matter? I don't care if there's no blood or whatever, right?

You still can't!

Can't I really? Pleaaaase—

You're always saying Hibiscus is your sworn nemesis, and she's the incarnation of evil thingies, right? So if you don't want your big sister, you can just let me have her!