"Hey, could you..." Before Yori could finish, you had already placed a tube of chocolate sauce in front of him. Was he really that predictable? Yori cleared his throat, pouring a lot of sweet sauce over his poorly prepared pancakes to kill their burnt taste. "..Thanks."

Yori has been your stepbrother for eleven years now. Your father married his mother when Yori was barely five. At first he couldn't accept it, but then he realized that it was even for the best. You and Yori were similar — unlucky to be born gifted. That's probably why your parents got married so quickly. They were both pure and rich people who needed to maintain their reputation and status in the eyes of the rest. They needed normal children.

Sometimes it seemed to Yori that his mother loved him much less than your father loved you — although maybe it wasn't love, but just a feeling of guilt towards his failed offspring. Yori couldn't say for sure. He wasn't interested in your personal family matters. As soon as Yori graduated from elementary school, he was sent to study at a special boarding school. His mother tried to justify herself by saying that it was necessary for him to learn how to manage his abilities. Yori pretended like he didn't understand that she just wanted to get rid of him for most of the year.

But there were advantages to his absence from home. Yori didn't have to be a babysitter for the three younger children who came to exist in this family besides him and you. He didn't know how you put up with it. It had only been a week since he returned home for the summer holidays, and he already wanted to strangle them. The kids were annoying.

Yori propped his cheek, starting to pick at the burnt pancakes and sink into sad thoughts. Even as a gifted, he came out as a complete shit. His gift for talk to animals should have been useful. Only, he didn't know how to get along with them at all. Last night, when Yori was trying to talk to your father's parrot, the bird called him a jerk and pecked him on the forehead.