Life didn't get easier, even in another world.

‘Is it a hideout or something?’

No. They couldn’t possibly take Kairen to one of the Philomns hideouts.

‘Is it Ron’s house?’

Did he have a house in this world?

Nah. A house can’t possibly be this shady and old...

Creak

The door of the room opened at that moment. Kairen turned his head towards the door only to see his brother, who was wearing his hood, come in with a tray in his hands.

“Oh?”

.....

But this time, the black fog-like thing that always covered his face was not there anymore and Kairen could see some parts of his face through the gaps of the hood.

“When did you wake up?”

‘Just now.’

“....”

Kairen couldn’t say that out loud. He stared at his brother with a stoic face, making the older boy chuckle.

“Don’t look at me like that. Okay. I’ll bring you some water. Wait a moment.”

Aaron placed the trail he was holding on the table and rushed out of the room. Kairen peeked at the trial. He could see some bandages and medicine. There were also a few towels and a bowl of water.

A few seconds later, his brother returned to the room with a glass of water in his hand. He approached and sat down beside Kairen. Helping Kairen raise his body a little bit, he pushed the water towards his lips.

“Mmm...”

“That’s enough.”

“Just a little bit more-”

“Nope.”

Aaron put the almost full cup of water on the table at a distance from Kairen that his hand wouldn’t reach.

“Bastard...”

Kairen looked at the glass of water with tears in his eyes.

“Don’t be like that. It is not good for your health.”

“Are you a doctor now?”

“Nope, but I know some basics, unlike some people.”

“Tsk!”

Kairen lifted his body a little bit, only enough to lean back on the bed.

“How are you feeling? Do you have pain?”

“Yes, but not as much as before.”

His body was sore and his wounds ached, but his condition was not as bad as the last time he had woken up.

“Good. Move your hand. I have to change the bandages.”

“...”

Kairen pulled up the blanket.

“No.”

“Huh? Why?”

Kairen looked away from Aaron’s confused face and mumbled under his lips while staring at the wall.

“...It will hurt...”

He didn’t look back at his brother to see the face he was making.

“...Are you a kid?”

“No? But I don’t like pain!”

“It won’t hurt.”

“Lier!”

“Move your hand!”

“No- Hey!”

Kairen’s hand was forcefully lifted. He couldn’t even resist as his brother’s grasp was more powerful than he imagined.

“Cheater! That’s not fair!”

How could you force a patient by using physical strength? You scum! Why was he so strong anyway?

Wait.

No, really... Why was he so strong.

And there was also another thing that bothered him.

“Hey.”

“I said it won’t hurt-”

“No. Not that.”

Aaron raised one eyebrow, urging Kairen to say what was in his mind, while he was preparing to change the bandages.

“Why do you look younger than you should be?”

Aaron froze.

“Huh?”

“You look younger. I’m sure of it.”

His brother was 5 years older than Kairen. Kairen was 23, nearly 24 now, so his brother should be around 29, in his late twenties. But he didn’t look like that. He looked much younger, almost the same age as Kairen. He was younger than what Kairen remembered him to be.

There were also other things that made him sure of this. His brother had a car accident about a year before Kairen was thrown into this world. He got a small scar on his cheek from that accident. It was small and faint, but Kairen knew how it looked. But now, there were no scars. Aaron’s hair was also longer than this before. Not too long, only enough to be tied behind his head. But now his hair was only shoulder-length. He could’ve cut it but... Kairen didn’t think that was the case.

“Did you do plastic surgery-”

“What? No!”

Aaron retorted, his voice raised slightly.

“Then what?”

“Didn’t the same thing happen to you?”

“Huh?”

Aaron pointed at Kairen.

“Didn’t you age back when you were thrown to this world?”

“....”

Blink Blink Blink

“I... what?”

Kairen tilted his head.

“When you came to this world.”

Aaron put down the bandages on his hand and turned to Kairen.

“I heard it was ten years ago, and you were a 13-year-old teen.”

“Huh?”

“You aged back.”

“What? No!”

Kairen hurriedly shook his head.

.....

“That was not me! I mean, he was a Kairen but not me!”

“...A Kairen but not you?”

“Yeah... He was similar to me but... I came here later... I mean the body... How should I explain it...”

“....”

Kairen had difficulty explaining the situation he was in. How was he supposed to explain something he didn’t know?”

“Kairen.”

“Yes?”

“That Kairen that was not you was also Kairen, right?”

“Yes.”

“...Do you think there are parents like ours who would give their son a name like ‘Kairen’?”

“...”

Kairen closed his mouth. He lowered his head, looking at the blanket with a blank face.

“You... Do you mean my name is stupid...?”

“...”

Pat

Aaron put his hand on top of Kairen’s.

“Not to break it on you but...”

“....”

“Our parents were weirdos... you know how they made up your name because they were too lazy to find a proper name for their baby.”

“....”

Pat Pat

“...Ron...”

Drip

A tear dropped from Kairen’s eye.

“You too...”

“What? H-hey!”

Seeing Kairen near to cry, the older boy jumped up.

“Hey! Wait, I didn’t mean that! Look! I just meant that you have a unique name, that’s all!”

“You made fun of my name as well...”

“No! I’m sorry. Don’t cry again! Hey!”

Aaron hurried to hug his brother and pat him. He couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong with this kid. Why did he start crying all of a sudden? Did his mind age back more than his body?

Pat Pat Pat

“Anyway, what do you mean by that Kairen not being you?”

“Sniff.”

Kairen wiped his tears with his sleeve.

“I mean, I didn’t get here 10 years ago. It was only a few months ago.”

“...”

Aaron, letting go of Kairen and moving back to where he used to sit, looked at Kairen with a strange gaze.

“A few months?”

“Yeah.”

“When exactly? The date you were transformed here, what date was it?”

“Uh...”

Kairen thought about the date. It was spring when he was transformed here. It was their midterm exams when he was moved here.

“It was May 5th I guess.”

“...”

He could see his brother’s eyebrows frown deeply.

“May 5th?”

Hearing his brother’s serious voice, Kairen suddenly stiffened up. Did he say something wrong?

“Then, where were you before then?”

But what Kairen heard was something he expected the least to hear.

“What do you mean?”

Aaron was looking right into his eyes, making Kairen scared even more.

“Before coming here. Where were you?”

“I... wasn’t anywhere?”

Kairen tilted his head as he said whatever came to his mind.

“You know what happened that day. I was on my way to that job interview, do you remember?”

Aaron’s eyes shook when Kairen mentioned that day and he frowned even more as if he was reminded of a very unpleasant memory. He pressed his lips and clenched his fists slightly.

‘What?’

Kairen was shocked to see the sudden change in his brother. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to him that made him make such an expression at the simple mention of the day of that eclipse.

“Yes. I remember it clearly.”

Kairen shivered from the cold voice and gulped.

‘Where did my kind and gentle brother go? Give him back! This man is scary!’

“Ahem. So that day, I was going to the interview when that eclipse happened. I was on the bridge when a huge thing appeared in the sky and everything turned into a mess. I was being pulled up when I suddenly saw a light.”

Aaron tilted his head and raised an eyebrow.

“It was a dark gray light. It touched me, and then there were a few cracks... before everything went white. The next moment, I was here. At the body of a 23-year-old Kairen.”

“....”

His brother was silent.

“....”

Kairen silently stared at his silent brother.

“...”

“...”

A few minutes passed like that before Aaron opened his mouth.

“Was it in the morning or at night?”

“Uh?... Ah! It was... around 11:30 when I woke up.”

“...That is not possible.”

Kairen flinched at his brother’s cold voice.

“What is-”

“I know that the time here passes differently from Earth’s, but this is still impossible.”

Aaron raised his head.

“The early in the morning of May 5th. That is the date when I came to this world.”