「August 11, 2021 | Wednesday」

「04:23」

I wake up hearing a sizzling noise coming from our kitchen. It sounds like someone is cooking. Nanay woke up earl—

“!!”

Nanay is in Manila! Who's cooking?

I look beside me and I can't find Binary in bed. Although she is being cold to me, we still sleep together. I guess she doesn't really hate me. That's a huge relief.

But... Is she cooking? Does she not want me to cook for her anymore? Is she telling me she doesn't need me anymore? Arrgh. Come on Lucy, don't overthink this. Maybe she's just hungry. But she'll tell me if she is! She is angry remember? That's right. She's just angry.

“B-Binary... Aren't you awake way too early in the morning?”

“.............” She didn't respond. I guess that's given. I expected that. But she didn't even bother to look at me. She's really focused on cooking. What is she working this hard for? Is this for me? No. That's not possible... I think.

“Isn't that a lot for the two of us? What are you cooking anyway?” I come closer to take a look. But Binary looks at me with a side eye. I couldn't get any closer.

I sit down on a chair and watch her cook. It looks like she doesn't really need me to help. Her movements are very fluid showing her mastery. She just doesn't know how to cook. She knows it very well. She's very natural. She can live independently from me if she wants putting the need for money aside considering she can't work yet. But the point is that she knows how to cook; do the laundry; clean. And she's also very intelligent. Most importantly, maybe timid by nature, but precisely why she's very courageous. She's a brave a girl. Unlike me.

My problems only piled up because I am a coward. If I sent nanay Maria for a check-up despite her disagreements with me, maybe she won't be needing a surgery. If I rejected Mr. Ian and firmly set my boundaries from the start, maybe he would have left me alone.

“Ate...” I come back to my senses when Binary calls me. I miss that voice. I didn’t expect being called ‘ate’ was something to be overjoyed for. “Please give this to k'ya Mark..”

She finished cooking. She puts all the dish on a Tupperware. She didn't leave one for herself and.... me... So she was cooking early in the morning for… Mr. Reverren? But why? W-why...?

“I will prepare now. I'll go early to school today...” she speaks without her tone changing. Binary immediately leaves the kitchen without looking back or anything.

I look at the countertop. The heat is making the clear Tupperware become fuzzy. I can't see through the mist...

「06:17」

“Lucy, you're early today.”

“Good morning. You should sleep more Mr. Reverren.”

“I only need a few hours of sleep to recover.”

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“I see.”

“.............”

“.............”

It's awkward. How do I even interact with him? I think I was distant with him so suddenly being intimate is kind of… I should have been friendly from the start.

“Here,” I gave him the Tupperware. “Binary cooked them very early in the morning for you. Can you please tell me why?”

He didn't say anything. He opens the Tupperware first then nods in satisfaction, “Everyone will go to the one that gives them comfort when they have nowhere else to go.”

He looks at me mysteriously. What? I think he's trying to say that he is now Binary's comfort because I couldn't be one. That can't possibly be...

“Please leave,” he says. “You can just check up on me later.”

“I... Okay sir.” I want to stay to ask questions but he may get mad at me. I can only keep them to myself for now...

Or so I said but I already have an inkling of what's going on. And I don't like it in the slightest. I hope I'm just overthinking things—

In the afternoon, I found out my intuition was right.. I-I mean..

…For some reason, Binary is currently here… in the hospital... But she is supposed to be at school? What is she doing here? But isn't it already obvious? Did she just seriously skip classes? She never done that before. She's a diligent kid. She would never do that. So why now...? Why? Wait— Why are you feeding him— What is that anyway? A cake? Did you bake that? Oh. You baked that in your home economics? But don't you usually give that to me? Why? Why Binary? I know I messed up but this... This isn't right! This isn't justified! Our grandmother is in a risky situation yet you— I'm suffering! You've been ignoring me for what? For this bastard? Why? Why?!

I can't let this happen. My feelings aside, I can't let you be fooled by him. I thought he may be spoiled but he must actually be a good kid considering that he was compassionate with nanay. But I guess I was wrong! He's not the right one for you. Find somebody your age, Binary— W-w-what? Are you going to kiss him?! ENOUGH!

“Stop this at once!” I burst into his room. “Is this what you've been doing lately, Binary? Do you think you have the leverage to do this? Our grandmother is in danger. So why?”

“Calm down Lucy. Can't you see you're scaring your little sister?”

“Shut up, pervert!” I know I might be being brash right now but— I have to protect my little sister. I don't want her to fall into the wrong path.

“Hm. Where did your reserve nature went off to? This isn't who you are Lucy.”

“You don't know anything about me.. How dare you take advantage of my sister?!” I am way too angry. I need to calm down. But this son of a bitch— How am I supposed to calm down?!

“We fell for each other. Please respect that,” he looks smug. He's making me even more angry.

“Don't try to trick me. My sister is simply emotionally vulnerable right now. And you're taking advantage of that! If you think I will let this slide just because you're my patient, you're absolutely wrong! I can get another patient so you so stay away from my little sister!”

“I—” He was about to say something.

“Ateeee!” But Binary shouted. “Stop it.. K'ya Mark is just helping me!”

“Helping you? Don't be stupid! He's taking advantage of you. You're too young to understand!”

“M-Maybe I am.. but you have no right to scold me when you... you yourself is getting taken advantage of...”

“I'm doing it for nanay!” I shout back, trying to keep my temper in check. But this isn't going anywhere, and the only thing we're accomplishing right now is pissing each other off further.

“But I do too..,” she says weakly. It breaks my heart to hear her voice. To have such pain in it. It hurts me to watch her like this. I can't stand this. It hurts to see her cry. I can't bear seeing her cry. What do I even do? What can I still do? I don't know what to do at all.

I grab her arms, “Binary, you have to—”

“No! Please just leave... Leave us alone... Ate... Leave please...” Binary avoids my hand. She is hiding behind Mark. And this bastard, he’s just sitting there smiling smugly. I hate him. What kind of wicked witchcraft did he do to make my sister fall for him like this?

“Okay... I'm sorry.. Let's talk later...”

“No. I will stay here...”

What?

“What? Don't be ridiculous. I won't allow that!”

“I don't care! Leave!”

“I...” I feel so angry. Calm down. I have to calm down lest I make things worse. “I get it. Just don't do anything stupid. You're still too young.”

“You always think of me as a child...,” she says under her breath. I didn't say anything else. My goal is not to win against her. I can't offend her any further. She's just in distress. I just need to wait for her to calm down a bit. So do I...