Secret Fail Urus: ........... Thecto Sis: Fail. Fail Urus: ...Ah, Thecto. Thecto Sis: Are you okay? Fail Urus: More importantly, how are you doing? Thecto Sis: I'm fine. Fail Urus: Good, then. Sigh........... Thecto Sis: ...What's wrong? You've been lost in thought ever since we left the village. Fail Urus: Ah... Thecto Sis: Right before we left, the village elder pulled you aside, didn't he? ...Did he say something to you? Fail Urus: Ah... no, he didn't. Just the usual thing. Thecto Sis: Ah. "How pitiful" right? Fail Urus: Yeah. How pitiful, being born into a world that's ending. Thecto Sis: He always cries when he says it. But that... Thecto Sis: It doesn't really make us feel any better hearing it, right? Fail Urus: Yeah... you're right. Thecto Sis: I wouldn't buy it either if someone tried to tell us how lucky we are, but... Thecto Sis: Being called pitiful just irritates me for some reason. Thecto Sis: ...I don't know. The village elder's a sweet man. Maybe I’m the one who sucks. Fail Urus: That's not true at all. Thecto Sis: ........... Fail Urus: Hey, um... Thecto Sis: Yeah? Fail Urus: You and Airio don't really look alike for twins, do you? Thecto Sis: We're fraternal twins. Mom used to say that back when she was still around. Fail Urus: Ah, right...That's true. Thecto Sis: Why do you ask? Fail Urus: No... it's just, kind of... Thecto Sis: Kind of what? Fail Urus: It feels very "you and Airio" somehow. Thecto Sis: Haha. What's that supposed to mean? [Balaeno shows up behind Thecto.] Balaeno: No clue, dude. Thecto Sis: Whoa, you scared me! Balaeno: Village detected. Shall we stop by? Balaeno: Should I conduct a reconnaissance scout beforehand? Thecto Sis: I don't know... ask one of the adults. Balaeno: On it, brochacho! Thecto Sis: Federation slang is so weird... Fail Urus: I'm not even sure that's Federation slang... Fail Urus: ........... [Flashback to Ecolina Village.] Ecolina Village Elder: ...Fail. By the time you all come back, this village might not even be here anymore. Ecolina Village Elder: I've heard that those Federation people march their captives off to work as slaves in the desert... Fail Urus: Elder...That Amiya person said they wouldn't do anything like that. Ecolina Village Elder: As if we can trust them. You poor children might never come back home again... Ecolina Village Elder: Born into such a cruel era...! How pitiful...Uuhh... uuhh... Fail Urus: ........... Ecolina Village Elder: Forgive me for losing my composure... Fail, you're a clever boy. There's something important I need to tell you. Fail Urus: Something important...? Ecolina Village Elder: It's about Thecto and Airio. Fail Urus: ...Huh...? Ecolina Village Elder: Those two were raised as twins. But their faces don't really look alike, do they? Fail Urus: Yeah...but some twins are just like that, aren't they...? Ecolina Village Elder: Those two aren't twins. Thecto was just a baby found crying beside a woman who collapsed and died on the road. Fail Urus: Wha-?! Ecolina Village Elder: The Sis couple took pity on him and raised him alongside Airio as twins. It would be a shame for Thecto to die without ever knowing. Ecolina Village Elder: When the time comes for him to find out, Fail... I want you to be the one to tell him. Ecolina Village Elder: Hearing it from his best friend will be much easier on him. Fail Urus: D-does Airio... k-know about this...? Ecolina Village Elder: Most likely not. Fail Urus: Huh…?! Ecolina Village Elder: I'll leave the rest to you, Fail. Fail Urus: Wh........... Fail Urus: (...Why do adults always cry about how "pitiful" we are, only to dump their worst problems onto us? ) Fail Urus: (Passing the buck, pushing it off onto someone else... What am I even supposed to say to him? ) Fail Urus: (That Thecto isn't really part of the Sis family? That they’re not really twins?) Fail Urus: (If he ever found out... what would happen to them?) [End of flashback.] Fail Urus: Gh........... Thecto Sis: Fail? Fail Urus: Ah, no... Fail Urus: ...It's nothing... To be continued...