Ethereal Stones [Ethereal Saga Book 1]

Astora Chapter 3: Reveal

"I'm a girl," Shion continued. "It's not right for a guy to unbutton his shirt in front of a girl if they aren't related or in a romantic relationship."

So that was why Shion acted so odd around me as if flirting. Ugh, I am as naive as Tsukyo made me out to be after all...

"So you are a girl," I said laughing as I showed myself.

"What? No, I am not!" Shion said as she put her arms in front of her chest.

"Don't lie, I heard you. Why were you trying to act like a boy while on the surface?"

She lowered her head and gulped as I got closer.

"You really don't know anything that is going on in the rest of the country do you?" Shion said as she looked at her siblings. "This country doesn't allow women to have manual labor jobs and that's what most of the jobs I find consist of. So, even if today I was just selling food, I wouldn't be allowed to appear like a girl. That's why that woman was being harassed by those men in black, well that, and because they wanted to tax her gains."

"I see," I said as I sat down on a wooden chair.

"We women are only allowed to get an education and do desk jobs but only rich girls in this country are allowed to get educated nowadays due to costs. So, without a job, or the ability to go to school, I had to dress up like a boy," Shion said as she looked into my eyes.

"Wow, that sucks. I know a bit of how that is, we poor men are doomed to only having manual jobs," I said as I looked down at the wooden table. "I always wanted to become a teacher but I can't as I'm a male. Even if I were a girl, I wouldn't be able to be a teacher as I'm poor."

"That's right, the current system sucks, but at least you were free from it all this time. You were free from the society of a city, one that views poor girls as nothing but trash or "prizes" to be won in gang fights, or buying them off using one's wealth," Shion said as tears rolled down her left eye. "Life gets even harder for you when your parents have to leave the country to find jobs to try to educate you, but said parents are still poor in that new nation to afford to feed us."

"I wish I could help you," I said sympathetically. I got up and wiped the tears out of her eyes. Seeing her like that...I knew it was chivalrous, but I felt a need to help her. "I'm gonna help you sell things tomorrow. That way ya little sister here can at least go to school."

"You would really do that for me?" Shion said as her eyes began to glow.

"Of course! Ya are my friend after all, like a friend of mine said, "Friends help out friends, that's what we are there for"," I said remembering what Tsukyo said to me and my siblings in the past.

"Thanks a lot, you are the best, Sora!" Shion said as she hugged me.

"I'm sorry that I made ya get so red," I said as I began to blush.