Chapter 13: Abilities of zodiacs
Kaiser had been waiting for the bus for a while, chatting with his aunt.
Mathilde's warm voice came through the line. "How are you? Have you eaten yet?"
"Yeah, I ate," Kaiser replied, his voice lazy but tinged with affection. "Just a sandwich, nothing special."
"A sandwich? My poor dear, you're not eating enough. You know you need to eat well to stay healthy, especially with school taking up so much energy. What else did you do today? How was school?"
"It was just another day, Aunt Mathilde. Classes were... boring."
"Are you feeling okay there?"
"Yeah... it's fine. Nothing special."
Mathilde fell silent for a moment—she'd always known how to detect what he wasn't saying. "Kaiser, you know if you're not feeling well, you can talk to me. I'm here for you, okay?"
"I know, Aunt Mathilde," he replied, this time with palpable sincerity. "It's just that... well, I don't want to be a burden on you."
"I understand, sweetheart, but you'd never be a burden, alright?"
Kaiser let out a small laugh. "Thanks, Aunt."