Little Silver Wolf felt a mix of trepidation and a secret, fluttering joy.
She didn't quite understand why 'Silver Wolf' was teaching her a unique form of Aether Editing. In a child's simple worldview, possessing something special that belonged to her and her alone was, without a doubt, a wonderful surprise.
On the other hand, she was terrified that this thing she held so dear might be utterly trivial in the other woman's eyes.
If she ran over all wide-eyed to confirm it, only to receive a casual, indifferent answer... that would be heartbreaking.
They had only known each other for half a month, after all. Perhaps 'Silver Wolf' understood the little one well enough, but to Little Silver Wolf, she didn't even know where this "big sister" had come from.
She only knew what she'd overheard from Cipher and Bartholos—that her sister was the Savior of Amphoreus, the one who had rescued the entire realm from a hopeless cycle of reincarnation and granted them all new life.
Little Silver Wolf didn't grasp the complexities, but she knew one thing for certain: her sister was someone very, very incredible.
And for someone so incredible, things that seemed priceless to outsiders might be worth nothing at all.
This realization made the girl feel a nagging sense of inferiority. Not only was she not "incredible," she was just a kid without even a pair of parents to call her own.
Did she really have the right to stand by her sister's side?
Or rather, did she even have the right to call her "sister" at all?
The closer Little Silver Wolf got to 'Silver Wolf', the more she couldn't help but overthink.
It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for everything her sister had done; she was just anxious about whether the woman actually cared about her.
More than some legendary Aether Editing technique, what Little Silver Wolf truly craved was her sister's gaze. She wanted her sister to care.
But then she'd think that a plain, ill-tempered kid like herself wasn't nearly as likable as other children.
Maybe it was better to just pretend she didn't know anything—at least that way, she could keep the dream alive. If she got a flat "no," she knew she'd burst into tears right then and there.
Yet, every time she tried to stop in her tracks, Cipher's words would echo in her mind, keeping her restless.
And so, harboring a heart full of conflict, Little Silver Wolf dithered and dawdled until she finally found where 'Silver Wolf' was lounging.
At that moment, 'Silver Wolf' had managed to find a reclining chair from somewhere and was lying by the window with her eyes half-closed.
The flickering neon lights from outside washed over her—a scene that looked anything but restful.
'Silver Wolf' had actually been mulling over the Permanence Equation.
Over the past ten days or so, her understanding of the Path of Abundance had improved significantly.
With that segment of the Ambrosial Arbor root she'd taken earlier as a reference, she felt as though she could practically manifest a similar plant with her bare hands. Not that she actually would, of course.
Sensing Little Silver Wolf's approaching footsteps, she slowly opened her eyes and looked at the nervous girl walking toward her.
This little thing wasn't yet the stoic, poker-faced Silver Wolf she would eventually become; right now, her expressions were quite vivid.
"What's up? Hit a wall with something you don't understand?"
Little Silver Wolf was a natural-born genius for hacking. Even when faced with the "Pro" version of Aether Editing—which was effectively nightmare difficulty—the girl showed steady growth.
Even if she didn't come asking for help, she could usually solve problems on her own eventually.
However, Little Silver Wolf often chose to run to her temporary sister with questions. It was obvious she just wanted an excuse to talk more. So, 'Silver Wolf' assumed she was here for another lesson.
But the girl stood before her and shook her head. "No, it's not that."
"Then what are you up to?"
'Silver Wolf' blinked. Recently, Silver Wolf had been making quite a name for herself on Punklorde.
By now, the whole planet knew a brilliant young hacker had burst onto the scene, a talent so dazzling she was almost certainly the next legend in the making.
Technically, few hackers on Punklorde could pose a threat to her. And even if they did, she had Cipher and Bartholos lurking nearby.
With those three working together, they might not be completely invincible, but they were certainly a force to be reckoned with. Plus, it wasn't mealtime yet, Cipher's plan showed no signs of ending, and her own "roleplay" time still had about ten days left.
After a quick mental scan, she couldn't think of any specific reason why the girl would seek her out right now.
After that brief exchange, Little Silver Wolf bit her lip and fell silent. She looked like she was fighting an intense internal battle, appearing utterly restless.
Though 'Silver Wolf' didn't know what was wrong, she had no intention of peeking into the girl's thoughts. She simply sat up with a quiet smile, waiting for her to speak.
After a few moments of quiet, seeing that it wasn't right to let the girl just stand there, she reached out and took Little Silver Wolf's hand, pulling her closer.
She'd intended to have the girl sit beside her, but the moment she was near, the little one suddenly blurted out:
"Sister, I have a confession. I've been secretly facing off against other hackers lately."
"Mm. So, did you win or lose?"
'Silver Wolf' had known all along, of course, but for the sake of the girl's pride, she had to play along.
"I won."
"Then it sounds like you've been studying well. Keep it up."
'Silver Wolf' smiled and ruffled the girl's hair, casually reshaping her ponytail into twin drills.
"..."
Little Silver Wolf was used to her sister's habit of messing with her hair. She'd just change it back once she walked away anyway.
"You aren't mad, Sister? That I went off to fight other hackers on my own?"
"I'm not. You aren't a child who knows nothing; I trust you to have a sense of proportion. And even if you do get into trouble, I'm the adult here—I'll handle it for you."
"..."
Little Silver Wolf squeezed the woman's hand tightly in return. Once again, the urge to never let her sister leave surged within her, stronger than ever.
It wasn't that she disliked the Shopkeeper.
It was just that the Shopkeeper really didn't know the first thing about raising a child, and with the small shop to look after, she simply didn't have the energy to spare.
"Sister, I have one more question. Can I ask you?"
"What is it?"
"Is the Aether Editing I'm learning... different from what other hackers use?"
Silver Wolf finally worked up the nerve to ask.
Of course, there was a follow-up question she was too shy to voice.
What she really wanted to ask was whether she held a place in her sister's heart, or if the woman was just passing through because she found the situation amusing.
But that was a question she simply couldn't say out loud.
"It is a bit different. It's a specially optimized version—quite a few steps ahead of standard Aether Editing techniques."
"Phew..."
Little Silver Wolf knew her curiosity wasn't fully satisfied yet. But the next question... honestly, she felt like she was being a bit too greedy.
After all, they'd only known each other for two weeks. In such a short time, and being just an ignorant kid herself, she couldn't imagine she mattered that much to someone so great.
"Then, um... why did you go through the trouble of optimizing it, Sister? You could have just taught me the original version, right?"
The girl felt her wording was awkward and wanted to take it back, but 'Silver Wolf' didn't give her the chance. She explained with a smile:
"Because you're talented. It would be such a waste if your potential was held back by the limitations of the technology itself, wouldn't it?"
"..."
Little Silver Wolf's face turned bright red in an instant.
Her sister called her talented! And the unique Aether Editing was modified specifically because of her extraordinary potential!
Because she was different from everyone else, her sister had tailored the technique just for her.
She does care about me!
It has to be said, when someone is looking through rose-colored glasses, everything seems beautiful.
Strictly speaking, 'Silver Wolf' was just acting like a teacher who cherished a gifted student; her words weren't that extraordinary.
But to Little Silver Wolf's ears, it sounded as if her sister was telling her she was special—that she was important.
She was happy, truly happy.
But at the same time, she grew even more reluctant to face her sister's eventual departure. Thinking about their future separation made her current happiness feel like a limited-time trial voucher.
Little Silver Wolf looked down and let out a tiny sigh. "Sister, what will you do after you leave here?"
"Hard to say. I tend to wander the universe, and I don't really stick to one thing. Why the sudden question?"
"Nothing..."
The girl shook her head. This wasn't exactly good news for her right now.
But looking at it from another angle, if she eventually gained the ability to travel the stars on her own, could she follow her sister and go on adventures across the universe?
Most people probably didn't wander like her sister did, and those who did usually didn't choose to travel in groups.
So, if she became a legendary hacker quickly—clearing this "starting village" called Punklorde—maybe she could ask her sister to take her along when she headed into the cosmos.
The thought gave Little Silver Wolf a sudden, massive surge of motivation.
She was going to become the new legend of Punklorde! And the sooner, the better!
But before that...
"Sister, can I tell people that you were the one who taught me how to be a hacker?"
"If it makes you happy."
'Silver Wolf' looked at the girl, who was carefully "validating her ticket," and shook her head with a chuckle.
Lately, her "emotion points" had been rising a bit faster; it was likely because Silver Wolf had already started letting the secret slip.
Even though she hadn't mentioned a specific name, the girl had disclosed some of the connection between her and Cipher. 'Silver Wolf' didn't have much to say about being the hottest topic on Punklorde right now. She hadn't intended to make such a big splash.
But this little girl had gone all out, insisting she had a teacher from Amphoreus backing her up.
Now, conspiracy theories were flying all over Punklorde, and she had been cast as the "shadowy mastermind" pulling the planet's strings.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL