Part No. 1

    A Wish from the Memory

    "Big Brother!! Why are you going out again today?! Mom said you should stay and keep me company!" 

    The loud complaint came from a little girl around eight years old. Her round, adorable face was now scrunched up in anger. Although she was just a child, it seemed she was a smart little child and clearly sharper than others her age. 

    "It’s just for a little while.”

    Gabriel was now older than before. With a weary look, he looked down at his little sister, who had latched onto his waist like a koala and wouldn’t let go. 

    Since the day he first woke up, five years had passed. The once thin five-year-old boy, who looked like a sick who was on the verge of death, had now become a healthy boy.

    However, Gabriel was still the boy who had the doll-like face. The first time he met the father of this body, he immediately understood where the light brown, lustrous hair and plump lips, which were similar to cherries, came from. 

    His features were almost entirely inherited from his father, with only his mother's eyes helping him cut down the sweetness on his face. They made it look sharper, not too sweet.

    When he turned to look at "Gloria," his only sister, who had a beautifully sharp face entirely resembling their mother, Gabriel could envy her in his mind. Especially her sharp eyes, matched with brows arched like a bow, which made his younger sister’s face even more beautiful and sharp, despite being only eight years old. 

    Meanwhile, he was called a walking doll by most people... It didn’t seem fair at all... 

    "That’s not true! Last time you said that, but you disappeared for the whole day!!" 

    Gloria shouted, tightening her grip around Gabriel’s waist. She wasn’t going to let her older brother go so easily today! 

    "Sigh..." 

    Seeing this, Gabriel could only sigh in resignation. 

    "Don’t sigh like that, liar!" 

    Gloria’s anger flared up even more when she saw her brother’s sigh. Don’t treat her like a burden; it was just one more day together! 

    "Okay, let me talk to Mom for a bit, alright?" 

    Although he liked smart kids, having a little sister who seemed to be too clever for her age and knew what he was about to do didn’t seem like a good thing. 

    Gloria stared at her older brother suspiciously, but when she saw his cute smile, her heart was softened and she let go of his waist without realizing it. Upon seeing his younger sister behaved obediently, Gabriel leaned down and gave her a light kiss on the cheek as a reward. At that very moment, the little princess's pout turned into a broad, happy grin. 

    Gabriel walked to a corner of the house where there was a large holographic screen. This was a high-priced interplanetary communication device that had nearly made him faint when he first learned the cost. Despite that, it was an essential household item because whenever his parents were away on business, urgent matters had to be discussed through this device only. 

    The planet he lived on was far from the center of the galaxy. To put it simply, it was a backwater planet with low development compared to other parts of the galaxy. Thus, interplanetary communication came with many limitations.

    Fortunately, he was born into a relatively well-off family for this planet, which allowed them to live without much struggle.

    Gabriel’s father was a businessman who often had to negotiate with businessmen from different planets, leaving him with little time to spend at home for long periods. As the business started to flourish recently, his mother had to step in to help, so his father wouldn’t have to work hard alone. As a result, it became normal for Gabriel to stay home and take care of his younger sibling, which ultimately led to the youngest sister becoming more attached to her brother than her own parents.

    The world Gabriel lived in could be described as a future world of humanity thousands of years ahead. After humans found a way to live beyond Earth, they eventually expanded their territories across the Milky Way galaxy. It could be called a peak in the development of human civilization.

    However, things didn’t turn out as beautifully as they had hoped for. At the center of the Milky Way, there existed creatures known as the “Zerg,” monstrous beings similar to low-level parasites. They were numerous and shared a collective consciousness.

    As a result, humanity had to inevitably face these brutal enemies if they wished to continue the expansion. Battling the Zerg became a challenge that humanity had to overcome.

    The war continued for millennia, and not only did humanity ultimately achieve complete victory, but it also left behind a legacy—‘psychic powers’ that a certain group of humans evolved during their battles against the Zerg. This ultimately marked the beginning of a new form of governance.

    “Mom…” 

    Gabriel greeted the person on the screen as soon as the connection was successful. 

    “Gabie, I just left, and you’re already contacting me. Is there something urgent?” 

    The young woman on the screen smiled brightly. Beside her sat a young man with a face as beautiful as a doll, frowning. These two were Rebecca and Augustin, Gabriel’s mother and father. 

    “I have an appointment to visit Mr. Fidango’s house today, but Gloria’s throwing a tantrum and wants to come along. Can I take her with me?” 

    Because child-rearing in this era was always facilitated by technology, babysitters were unnecessary. Additionally, the society on this planet almost didn’t have social inequality. 

    The reason was that most of the people living on this planet were ordinary individuals whose main job were doing business, with some engaged in farming, trading with other planets. It was a planet with low unemployment rates, no homeless or beggars. Hence, the crime rate was low, almost at zero.

    “Are you going to play that thing again?” 

    Rebecca asked uncertainly. Ever since her son regained his consciousness, he kept talking about music and strange instruments that only the ‘Sagittarius’—a group of people who were called the most advanced and powerful in the galaxy—knew about them.

    At first, she didn’t agree with how her son kept asking for something too expensive for him. Living on a small planet at the edge of the galaxy, finding musical instruments was like searching for a needle in a haystack. 

    Fortunately, a friend of Augustin’s had once visited Sagittarius and brought back one of those instruments, even though no one knew how to play it. The reason for that was… it looked beautiful.

    So, when Augustin was having a hard time figuring out how to buy a piano, this friend, who heard about it, generously stepped in to offer their generosity. As a result, her son naturally became a regular guest at that household. 

    “It’s a piano, Mom.”

    Gabriel pouted when he saw his mother’s opposing attitude towards his beloved instrument. 

    “A piano, fine, a piano... I’m surprise that you know how to play it when no one else on our planet can.”

    “Gabie’s birthday is coming up. What do you want for your birthday?”

    The father, who had been silent, looked up and asked after he finished dealing with the documents in his hands. Even though the couple had to travel to do business every day, they always had time for important days of their son and daughter. 

    “I want to play the piano at Mr. Fidango’s house more often.”

    Upon seeing an opportunity, Gabriel didn’t hesitate to seize it.

    “Sigh… our son never thinks to ask for something like others do.”

    Upon hearing the request, Rebecca sighed resignedly. No matter how many birth days passed, his wish remained unchanged—to be allowed by them to continue playing music. 

    “I want to buy you an instrument too, but it’s just so hard to find.”

    Augustin grumbled in frustration. He had been trying to contact and use all his connections to find a way to buy a piano.

    Unfortunately, it was a peak period for pianos, since such an instrument was popular among the Sagittarian. Hence, there was not even one left for them who were at the distant place.

    “It’s alright. I can play at Mr. Fidango’s house.”

    To Gabriel, an instrument was just that—an instrument. He was the true creator of beautiful music. So whether it was his or not didn’t matter, as long as he could play it, that was enough for him. 

    “Won’t we be troubling them too much, dear?”

    Rebecca turned to ask her husband worriedly. 

    “Oh, come on, darling… that man nearly tries to steal our son away. If Gabie doesn’t show up for more than three days, he contacts me asking when our son is coming over again.” 

    “Is that so?”

    She felt relieved when she saw that it wasn’t an issue on the other end. 

    “In that case, can I take Gloria with me?”

    Gabriel asked, blinking his eyes. Upon seeing their son pleading with that adorable face, the couple’s hearts were immediately melted. They nodded in agreement without realizing it.    

    “Thank you!”

    Upon seeing that, Gabriel beamed happily. At last, he would get to play the piano again after staying home, taking care of his younger sister, and keeping her company for two days straight. 

    Gabriel walked off in high spirits, while Gloria looked at him. Her expression showed she didn’t trust him. 

    “Big Brother looks like a crazy person!”

    The younger sister said with a pout. 

    “Hey, I contacted mom and asked for her permission to take you with me. Don’t make me change my mind.”

    Upon seeing how the younger sister always looked for an opportunity to oppose him, the older sibling could only mentally resign to that. He had to admit that it was his fault for indulging his little sister, leading her to be so spoiled. Since he had never had siblings before, when he first found out he had a little sister, he intended to protect and care for his only little sister as best as he could.

    But those intentions ended up turning Gloria into the spoiled princess of the family instead. 

    “Boo… I will go anyway. I know Mom would let you go anyway since it’s almost your birthday.”

    The little princess wasn’t just spoiled, but she also loved to show that she knew what others thought.

    “You’ve never been to Mr. Fidango’s house, right? When we go, you need to mind your manners. Even though he’s a friend of Father’s, he belongs to one of the most powerful families on this planet.”

    Gabriel sternly instructed while approaching and picking up the little child, who seemed to have gotten heavier again. 

    “Got it,” Gloria replied with a long, drawn-out tone. 

    “…I also want to know what you’re doing at that house so often. Leaving your adorable little sister alone at home with a robot isn’t good for a child’s development!” 

    Hearing that, Gabriel pinched his little sister’s tiny nose out of cuteness aggression.

    “Listen to you.” 

    “Big Brother! Don’t tease me!”

    The child protested in a loud voice once she was harmed without any way to defend herself.

    “I’m going there to play music.”

    Gabriel decided to reveal upfront, so this little princess wouldn’t be shocked when they actually arrived at Mr. Fidango’s house. 

    “Playing music?”

    Gloria tilted her head in confusion. “But you can just use the ‘system’ to make music. There’s no need to waste your energy going to ‘play’ it. It’s such a waste of time.” 

    “It’s not the same…”

    Gabriel sighed, realizing that in this time, the futuristic world, playing music had become a rare and exalted thing. Normally, people who played music were those in great powerful circles—kings, generals, nobles, or the wealthiest businesspeople living in the galaxy’s central regions. 

    As for them who lived on a distant planet, they could only look on and use a synthesized system to create a music, since their chances of accessing those instruments were next to none. 

    In truth, Gabriel had tried using the system Gloria mentioned, but he was extremely dissatisfied with how he used the system to create music. The reason was that those synthetic sounds were only beautiful, but they lacked the ability to convey emotions he sought. Even though it has the same sound, it was unlike playing an instrument, where a player’s skill, technique, and understanding of the instrument influenced the music they played.  

    That was why he constantly begged his parents for the chance to play music, despite the fact that no one could teach him. As long as he had an instrument, he could learn and practice on his own, drawing on all the “memories” he had. 

    “How is it not the same? All the music I listen to every day before bed comes from the system.”

     Gloria grumbled to herself, seeing her older brother’s firm insistence. 

    “It’s very different…”

    Gabriel couldn’t help but laugh as he saw his sister’s pouty face. He leaned down and kissed her cheek out of a cuteness aggression once again. 

    “I’ll play it for you.” 

    Upon hearing it, Gloria quickly looked up. Her eyes were sparkling.

    “Really?” 

    “Really.” 

    “Promise?”

    She didn’t just say it, but the little princess also raised her pinky finger to pressure him. It was a thing she had learned from her older brother. By doing so, it meant that the other party had to keep their word, and they weren’t allowed to change it!

    Gabriel couldn’t help but smile at his younger sister’s quick wit. He had only explained the pinky promise once, yet the little child had picked it up so fast that it was unexpected to him.

    The boy lifted his small pinky finger and linked it with the chubby one, gently shaking it back and forth. 

    “Promise.”