The Stepsister's Tale
Cast:
Cure Happy, Hoshizora Miyuki - age 15
Cure Peace, Kise Yayoi - age 16
Hayase Ryuuto - Falsetto's son - age 10
Hayase Masatora - Falsetto's son - age 7
November, 2013
Once upon a time, there were two brothers who lived alone with their father.
The father was lonely because his wife had died, and the two brothers had lost their mother.
"How unfortunate we are!" said the father.
The two brothers said that they could live on, so long as they had their father and each other. But the father was not satisfied.
After that, the father met a beautiful widow, who lived alone with her daughter. Because they had both lost their lovers, the father courted the widow. They fell in love and decided to marry.
The father would have a new wife. The woman would have a new husband. The two brothers would have a stepmother and a stepsister.
"This is the end of our misfortune," the father said.
The two brothers had not been asked whether they wanted a stepmother. They had not been asked whether they wanted a stepsister. The two brothers had heard many stories about stepmothers and stepsisters, and wanted nothing to do with them. They said that they could live on, so long as they had their father and each other.
But their father did not listen. He and the widow married.
The stepsister was older than the two brothers. She was neither pretty nor ugly. She never said anything threatening or hurtful. However, the two brothers remembered the stories and decided they would not trust her.
When she smiled at the two brothers, they frowned at her. When she spoke to the two brothers, they stayed silent. She even drew a picture of a cool robot, but the two brothers refused to look at it. They said that they did not need a stepsister, so long as they had their father and each other.
After this had gone on for a while, the older brother said to the younger brother: "Brother, whenever our stepsister tries to deceive us, she always leaves immediately afterward."
The younger brother answered: "Yes, Brother, and I am glad. She cannot do anything while she is not here. We will be fine, so long as we have father and each other."
The older brother said: "I do not trust her. When she is gone, she may be working with our stepmother to deceive Father. Let us follow her and see where she has been going."
So, the two brothers followed their stepsister. They followed behind her when she walked out of their house. They followed behind her when she walked into the woods. They followed her until she came to the edge of a great, moonlit lake. The two brothers hid and watched her as she knelt down and wept.
As the stepsister wept and the brothers watched, a great spirit emerged from the lake.
The spirit asked with a voice as cold as night: "Girl, why do you weep?"
She said: "Spirit, my Mother has forgotten my Father! When Father died, I told Mother that we could live on so long as we had each other, but she married a widower with two sons! She never asked whether I wanted a stepfather! She never asked whether I wanted two stepbrothers! I have heard many stories about stepfathers and stepbrothers, but because I am the eldest, I have tried to forget about those stories and make the best of it! Oh, Spirit, the stories are true! My two stepbrothers hate and shun me even though I have only been kind to them! How unfortunate I am!"
The spirit listened to her tale, then answered with a voice as cold as night: "Girl, you may come with me beneath the lake. If you come, that will be the end of your misfortune, but you may never again return to the human world."
When the two brothers heard this, they knew that it was not a trick. The two brothers had heard stories about stepfathers and stepbrothers just as she had, but because they still had their father and each other, they had not thought of those. They had acted just like the cruel stepbrothers their stepsister feared.
The stepsister stood and took a step toward the spirit. The two brothers came out from their hiding place and each grabbed one of her hands.
The older brother said: "Sister, do not go! We do not hate you! We were wrong to fear you!"
The younger brother said: "Sister, do not go! Your mother would miss you, and so would we!"
Seeing that the girl was not so unfortunate, the spirit returned to the lake alone.
Miyuki turns the picture book to the last page. "And they lived together happily ever after!"
Nearly all of the last two page are taken up by an art spread, where Yayoi has drawn herself, her mother, and her future stepfather and stepbrothers in great detail.
Masatora stares at the picture with stars in his eyes. "That's amazing! It looks just like us! Ryuuto, it looks just like you and me and dad and Yayoi and her mother! Why are we in a book?"
"Well..." Yayoi says, starting to blush. "That's because..."
"Because why?" Ryuuto asks.
Miyuki smiles. "What Yayoi is trying to say is that she made this book for your whole family. She drew all of the pictures all by herself! Isn't that cool?"
"It's super cool!" Masatora answers.
Ryuuto looks at Yayoi, then nods. It is possible that he approves of her just a little bit. "What about the rest? Where did this story come from?"
This time, Miyuki blushes.
"Don't get shy now, Miyuki!" Yayoi says with a giggle. "This is the future you're aiming for!"