Sakura huffed, shaking her head. “No, not that, Master. They’re not ‘things’. They’re someone! Hey, … talk to him please.”

  There was a pause, then—

  > ‘Umm… hi.’

  Saku’s voice was soft, awkward, and hesitant.

  Kazuma’s eyes widened. He leaned forward slightly, brows furrowed. “…Wait. That’s a girl’s voice.”

  He turned slowly toward Sakura, suspicion dawning. “Sakura… you said they, right? That means—there’s more than one?”

  Sakura puffed her cheeks, clearly annoyed. “Now I get it! Master, that’s why they don’t talk to you! So what if they’re girls? You're overthinking!”

  “H-Hey! Why are you angry at me!? I just asked! I didn’t mean anything weird by it. Besides… I was right, wasn’t I?”

  > “Tch. I knew this guy would be like this… It would be difficult to tease you the way we tease Nii-chan if it were you.” Amaya muttered with audible disapproval.

  Kazuma recoiled. “HUH!? Another voice!?”

  > “Hey, you. What do you think about us, huh?” Amaya’s tone was direct, almost challenging.

  Kazuma blinked, visibly confused. “What do I think…? I don’t think anything—yet! I don’t even know anything about you. First of all, maybe tell me who you are… then I can say what I think.”

  He paused, rubbing his temple. “But from your voices alone, yeah… you both sound completely opposite.”

  Sakura beamed, nudging her father lightly. “Dad… I actually had the same question.” Her eyes flicked toward the crack. “Tell us more about them.”

  There was a small, awkward silence.

  > “Eh? Is it that important…?” Amaya muttered hesitantly, her voice shy for the first time.

  > ‘Amaya,’ Saku chimed in gently, > ‘listen… we don’t even know everything, right? We only know a little… that too, when Niichan told us.’

  Amaya groaned. > “Tch, you don’t have any problem at all. But I—I slapped him, you idiot”

  Sakura laughed and hugged Ren’s arm, grinning brightly.

  “Dad, please tell us what happened. This one you can tell, right? Or are you going to skip it again, like always? I’m only asking now because you brought it up.”

  *Six minutes had passed since the crack had opened.*

  Ren looked at her with quiet, sad eyes.

  “I’ll tell you… don’t worry.”

  He glanced toward Kazuma.

  “Kazuma, you’ll listen too, right? Hmm… wait—should we call Yui as well? She said she was tired and fell asleep, but I want her to hear this too.”

  He turned to Sakura with a soft smile.

  “Can you try waking her up? Just tell her the food's ready.”

  Sakura nodded slowly. She walked over and lightly tapped Yui’s leg.

  “Yui-san… food’s ready. Wake up.”

  No response.

  She hesitated, then gently shook Yui’s leg and touched her hand.

  “Yui-san… wake up.”

  Yui stirred with a groggy expression.

  “Huh…? What?”

  Sakura smiled nervously.

  “Um… food’s ready.”

  Yui blinked at her, then tilted her head with playful confusion.

  “Why do you look so nervous? Do I look like a ghost to you or something?”

  She turned toward Ren.

  “Your dad blends in so easily—why are you acting like I’ll eat you?”

  Yui walked over with slow, dragging steps, still rubbing one eye. She didn’t even look at the ground until she was almost beside them. Then she stopped, blinked twice… and frowned.

  “Huh? Wait—where’s the food? Did you even go get it? Or… you did go and just didn’t find anything?”

  Ren scratched the back of his neck.

  “Yui, I mean… I do have food, but—before we eat, I wanted to talk about something.”

  Yui’s half-lidded eyes sharpened instantly.

  “Huh!? Then where’s the food? If you don’t have any, fine—I could’ve believed you just didn’t find any. But why did you wake me up for no reason!?”

  Ren gulped, pointing toward the crack, still hovering faintly in the air.

  “…I told you before, right? Someone help me open dimensions and handle the calculations. Her name is Amaya. I also have another sister—Saku.”

  Yui turned toward the shimmer Crack in confusion.“…You’re really talking at that time?! I thought you were just weird for treating your katana like a soulmate.”

  *Eight minutes passed.*

  A hesitant voice came through the crack.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  > “Hi… I’ve been watching it since morning… with my dumb Niichan…” Amaya’s voice trembled slightly, unusually soft.

  Yui froze, eyes wide.

  “HUH!?”

  Ren nodded calmly.

  “Alright. I’ll start.”

  *******

  I was around nine. I didn’t know how to open something like that. But suddenly—crack. A rift. A shimmer. Curiosity won over fear. So I stepped in.

  And then… silence. Total silence.

  It wasn’t dark. Just… empty. Like the whole world had been erased. No sky, no ground, no sound. And then I heard it.

  Crying.

  Babies. Two of them. Echoing somewhere around me.

  “What? Where’s that coming from…?” I spun in every direction. Nothing. No one.

  But when I turned around again… there they were.

  Two tiny babies lying far away on the dark purple black mist floor. Just lying there like they’d always been there—but I swear they hadn’t.

  I ran over without thinking. My chest felt tight. Their cries echoed—one sharp, loud, almost furious. The other was soft and shivering. I crouched beside them, eyes wide, heart racing.

  And I pulled out a small cork-stoppered glass bottle from my pouch.

  *******

  “I wanted to bring that for you, Sakura, so you could dip the bread in it and eat.”

  *Ten minutes passed*—the crack flickered shut.

  Sakura leaned forward.

  “Dad… the crack closed?”

  Ren nodded.

  “Yeah. I can only open it two times an hour—and each time, it lasts ten minutes. So I can talk with them for 20 minutes total. If I close it early, the rest of that time is wasted.”

  He opened the crack again and continued the story.

  *******

  I unscrewed the cap carefully. My hands were shaking. I wasn’t sure why.

  I turned to the quieter one first. She was curled up, sobbing softly. I tilted the bottle to her lips. She sucked once—but the milk spilled back down her cheeks. No swallowing. No sound. Just the liquid dripping to the floor.

  Then I turned to the second one. She was crying louder. Fierce. Like she was mad I didn’t start with her.

  *******

  > “Hey! Please stop, you idiot niichan!” Amaya’s voice was frantic, almost pleading.

  > “You didn’t have to tell them—they’ll understand without knowing everything! Please, Nii-chan… I won’t mock you again”

  Ren smiled softly, his voice calm.

  “Amaya… I like you when you do that. When you tease, scold, even slap me…”

  Then Saku chimed in gently, a small giggle in her tone.

  > ‘Hey, listen—so what? You just slapped Nii-Chan, right? It didn’t even hurt Nii-chan with those tiny little hands.’

  > “Tch…” Amaya huffed.

  > “Well, do as you like. I’m going to sleep.”

  A faint pause.

  > “…Dummy Niichan.”

  “Where did I stop again? Oh—she glared at me.”

  *******

  I held the bottle to her too. Same result. She sucked once, then let the milk pour out—then smacked the bottle away and slapped with her tiny palm.

  Right on the cheek.

  I blinked.

  “…You slapped me?” I whispered.

  She grinned—just smiling proudly, like she’d won a game.

  “You hit me and smile like you just won something,” I said, rubbing my cheek. “You’re seriously dangerous…”

  They looked almost exactly the same—same tiny faces, same tiny fingers, same eyes. But I noticed something different.

  One had a tiny mole on the left side of her neck. The other—on the right.

  And then she slapped me again. Playfully, this time.

  But I couldn’t help smiling.

  I remembered the rice balls in my pocket. I pulled one out, broke off a bit, and tried to feed it to the quiet one. It slipped off her lips and dropped to the ground. No movement. No sound. Just wide eyes watching me.

  “…Come on, eat. Please. I don’t have anything else…”

  After a few tries, I gave up and sat down beside them.

  “Why won’t you eat? Are you not hungry?”

  They stopped crying, but didn’t talk. Just stared.

  Their eyes almost looked like they were smiling. No voice, no words. Just a quiet presence.

  I ran a hand through my hair. “Okay… fine. At least let me give you names.”

  I looked at the calmer one. “umm….You’ll be Saku. It’s my daughter’s name. I know you probably don’t understand now…”

  I turned to the slappy one. She raised her hand like she was ready to hit me again. I leaned in and let her.

  Soft tap.

  Another smile.

  “…And you’re Amaya . I like darkness. Means ‘night rain’… and you definitely hit like a storm.”

  “Say aa… come on, say it—Amaya… umm… well from now onwards your names are Amaya and Saku”

  Then also they didn’t talk. Didn’t babble, didn’t hum. I slumped down beside them.

  I didn’t understand anything. I tried food, talking, even naming them. But they just stared with those huge eyes—like they didn’t know what was happening either.

  “…Can you at least make a sound that isn’t crying?” I whispered.

  “Are you just… too small to speak? Or maybe you’re not even… normal babies?”

  I looked down at their tiny forms—Saku smiling softly, Amaya eyeing me like she was planning her next slap.

  “…Guess I’ll stay a little longer.”

  *******

  As Ren finished his story, He exhaled gently and looked at Sakura, Kazuma, and Yui.

  “That’s what I said back then, too.” he said, eyes soft.

  He looked up, smiling faintly.

  “Later, I figured out they are souls. I didn’t know it at first, but I can only open that dimension portal three times per hour. I thought, Is there some weird limit?”

  He scratched his head.

  “Turns out, after a few years, Amaya yelled at me.”

  He mimicked her voice playfully.

  > “ ‘You idiot, Niichan! I unknowingly help you open that space—you have to wait twenty minutes each time!’ ”

  “I didn’t even know they were souls at first… I just kept visiting them. Sometimes I'd open a small crack when no one was around and talk to them quietly.”

  Sakura leaned forward. “Dad… can we also see them?”

  Ren paused, unsure. “Umm… it’s their choice. I mean… I force them to talk now, but showing themselves… That's different. I won’t force them.”

  He turned slightly toward the crack.

  “Hey, Saku. Can you show your face? I want to bring them into the vast space for once.”

  > ‘Nii-chan… Umm… just the four of you, right? Or are you gonna add more later?’

  “Hmm… no, I think in the future it’ll probably increase. Maybe a few more.”

  > ‘Ehh!?’

  “What’s the problem? You’ve already agreed to show yourself now, right?”

  Then he softened. “Well… I’ll ask you first every time. If you’re okay with it, and if you’re talking to them, then it’s fine, right?”

  Sakura tilted her head. “Dad… is there some problem with their faces?”

  Ren immediately waved his hands, startled. “No no! Their faces are beautiful. Perfect, even. But I told you, they’re really shy. Maybe showing up suddenly like this just makes them nervous.”

  > ‘Okay. Nii-chan. Open it directly’

  *******

  The crack in the air slowly flickered closed.

  Ren smiled and lifted the katana. He opened a full portal—a gateway directly into the vast space.

  The moment they stepped inside, all three stared in shock.

  Yui blinked at the soft light, the open sky, the grassy path and trees.

  “Huh!? This is a vast space? Haruki’s dimension doesn’t look anything like this!”

  Sakura looked around, eyes wide. “Master, you said Dad’s vast space was different… but I didn’t expect this.”

  Even Kazuma’s expression faltered. “When I visited, it was just… an empty void too but with a big room. Nothing like this.”

  Ren said. “That’s their illusion. Saku, are you ready?”

  A soft wind stirred the tree above them. Then—

  Saku’s form gently appeared, hovering midair before she landed on the ground, peeking downward awkwardly. Her hands clasped nervously in front of them.

  > ‘Umm… hi.’

  Sakura’s eyes lit up. She ran forward and hugged her.

  “You’re so cute! Why were you hiding? You don’t need to be shy!”

  Saku smiled shyly.

  (Saku. She is sixteen. Her long black hair spilled gently down her back, shifting like silk in the garden light. Her eyes were a soft black, wide and full of hesitant warmth. A tiny mole sat on the left side of her neck, beneath her jawline. Her features were gentle—soft lips, slightly flushed cheeks, and a graceful, quiet beauty. The kind of girl who’d make flowers bloom just by standing near them.)

  Sakura seen up to the sky. “Amaya! Can you come too?”

  > “Huff. Just look at her face. Mine’s the same. Only difference is… my mole’s on the right side and short hair”

  Saku giggled faintly.

  > ‘She’s crying, Sakura… that’s why she doesn’t want to come.’

  Amaya’s voice flared.

  > “Idiot! Why are you saying that!? Don’t talk like that in front of them!”

  She suddenly appeared next to Saku with a fiery aura and smacked her gently like a grumpy child. But tears were already slipping down her cheeks.

  (Amaya. Same as Saku—twin-perfect in appearance, but fire where Saku was calm. Her hair, cropped short, swayed with defiance. The mole on the opposite side of her neck. Her eyes didn’t bloom flowers—they sparked like little storms, even while wet with tears.)

  Ren’s eyes widened. “W-Wait… are you crying?”

  He took a step forward, stunned. “I didn’t mean anything bad! I was just explaining…”

  Yui whispered, “Why are you so shocked?”

  Ren’s voice dropped. “…This is the first time I’ve seen her cry after that incident. In all these years, even when she slapped me, yelled, sulked… she never cried.”

  Amaya suddenly lunged into Ren’s arms, burying her face in his chest.

  > “Dumb Niichan! Why’d you say that!? That’s not how I act! That’s not me!”

  She sniffled loudly.

  > “I know you just made that up, right? Just say it! Say you made it up, didn’t you!?”

  Ren placed his hands gently on her shoulders. “Okay, okay… I created it. Don’t cry.”

  He smiled gently. “Do you want to slap me again?”

  > “You idiot! Idiot! Idiot!” she cried, smacking his chest repeatedly like a sulking child.

  > “Hmph! I don’t talk to you anymore!”

  Ren blinked and raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Really? Then…”

  He paused on purpose—Before he could finish—

  > “Ugh—Dumb Niichan!” Amaya shouted.

  > “At least for today—go away! Come tomorrow! I’m not talking to you!”

  She puffed her cheeks hard.

  > “Or say you like me more than Saku—then I’ll talk!”

  > ‘Huh!? Why does that matter!?’ Saku huffed suddenly. > ‘Nii-chan obviously likes me more—he even named me with his daughter’s name!’

  Amaya glared sideways.

  > “Tch. He said he liked my name too! You heard him!”

  Ren sighed and patted both their heads with a soft smile.

  “You two are like my eyes. Left and right. I’ve said it so many times, haven’t I?—you’re both equal. Stop fighting.”

  He turned to the others. “Well, now you’ve seen them. Let me bring the food, and then we’ll head out.”

  Sakura and Yui nodded, helping gather the small trays of food.

  As they turned to leave, Ren looked back and smiled.

  “Bye. I’ll talk to you later. But seriously—don’t fight with each other, okay?”

  Neither Saku nor Amaya looked up. Both turned their faces away with matching huffs.

  Ren sighed, rubbing his neck.

  “You two never listen to my words anyway…”

  But then his voice softened.

  “…Still, I’m happy. Even when you’re fighting… you’re talking.”

  He smiled and walked off.

  Behind him, Amaya peeked sideways at Saku.

  > “Why’d you say I was crying, huh?”

  Saku smiled gently.

  > ‘Because you were crying.’

  > “You idiot.”

  Author Note : Do you like Saku and Amaya? In the next Chapter I think you will find it interesting.