[ it would've been cruel to lie to her and give her false hope just to see it come crashing down later, but when she sees Rise's face fall, Sonico can't help but wish she'd done that. It's not fair -- Rise's a scared little girl and she's all by herself.

A great big sister, huh...

After a long moment, Sonico lets out a sigh. Then she reaches out, takes Rise's hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. ]

Don't worry, okay, Rise-chan?

I know this is scary but I'll make sure you won't be on your own. We can go and look for your friends and see if we can find anyone else you know and if we can't you can stick with me.

Is that okay with you?