Allen Talks About His Family
A scene in Chapter 12 ~ Allen Talks About His Family
[angry at her brother and unable to sleep, Shion takes a walk back to town]
Shion: … Jin… Jin is awful, but… I wish I hadn't said such things… Huh?
Allen: —– huh? Chief!
Shion: Allen? What are you doing here?
Allen: Um, I…. I went back to the hotel after work, but I couldn't sleep for some reason… …and… you said this was your hometown, so I wondered what kind of place it was…
Shion: Say, Allen…
Allen: Y- Yes?
Shion: Could you… keep me company for a little bit?
[they stand under a tree]
Allen: … Th– This is a nice garden, huh? (W- Why would she invite me to a place like this?)
Shion: Y'know… when I was younger… When something bad happened, I would always come here and look at the stars. But, it's strange…
[camera pans up to reveal the Dammerung in the sky]
…Tonight there aren't any stars at all. All we can see is the Dammerung.
Allen: … No kidding. It's also unusual for it to take up such a low-orbiting position.
Shion: Being able to see the artificial planet where we now live in the sky of my old hometown… It's a rare experience, isn't it?
Allen: …Chief… um, did something bad happen this time, too?
Shion: eh– what?
Allen: Didn't you say that you used to come here when something bad happened?
Shion: Oh… yeah, I did say that, didn't I… … If I had really thought it through, it wasn't really all that bad. KOS-MOS was reclaimed by 2nd Division precisely as planned– I had returned to a dear, familiar planet and visited my family– The bad thing… …it's no big deal to anyone else…
Allen: Chief…… Oh, that's right. … Did I ever talk to you about my family?
Shion: Yeah, now that you mention it… I wonder why I never heard.
Allen: Well, it's because I never said anything. — I come from quite a large family, actually. We lived together with my grandparents, who founded my father's company. My father was strictly a man of business, and he would never play with children. The only exception was his fishing hobby–
My father didn't pay me or my brothers much attention, unless we were fishing. And my mother… well, my mother was awful at cooking, so she never made a meal even once. The only thing she really enjoyed was housecleaning, and wasn't satisfied until she, herself, had cleaned the whole estate spotless.
All of my brothers competed desperately for who would be my father's successor… but… I, the youngest, was the only one who never felt the appeal, and wasn't interested in that kind of rat-race,
Shion: —-
Allen: Ah- I'm sorry… I said too much…
Shion: No… that's fine, but… Allen, your family…
Allen: Sounds decently happy, right?
Shion: Uh… y- yeah… I had heard a rumor somewhere that you were wealthy, but… with your story, it seems like a somewhat happy family…
Allen: …but, that place was a prison for me.
Shion: —-
Allen: I do think they were all good people. They gave me earnest consideration. And they earnestly tried to keep me away from the rough waters of the world…
Shion: Allen–
[He puts on a stubborn face] Allen: But! I am a man! I want to try to cross the rough waters by my own power… It is an adolescent who thinks that way. – I still think that way now, but – [back to regular face] …that's why I went to Borromeo on a scholarship, studied what I myself wanted to study, and aimed for Vector.
Shion: —-
Allen: But still, frankly speaking, I– I don't like my family very much. …. That's why, y'know, I can't at all say, “don't worry”, to you, Chief. But, it's just that, I think we don't have to say that our own troubles are “no big deal”.
Shion: Allen…
Allen: Even nowadays, it is said all the time: “You're so spoiled and selfish. That's not a real trouble.”
But, I am who I am, and I'm always struggling with my troubles. Therefore, I don't want others to make me say that my troubles are “no big deal”. And— I…. I know how much you always try, Chief. So, you too– Please, don't say that it's no big deal, and please take your time with the worrying… Because, work in the meantime should… well… be handled by the Vice-Chief.
Shion: Allen– … I wonder if… …maybe I took my frustrations out on my brother… when it was really about KOS-MOS.
Allen: Oh, really?
Shion: Yeah, I don't know. So, I can't help but worry more and more. In the meantime, if you insist, I'll leave the work to you, Allen.
Allen: Yes, of course! (So, once your troubles have cleared up, I– I'll…)
