"This…"
Hayashi Shuichi hesitated.
When Reiko was younger, she loved clinging to him and sleeping together.
But that was then. Now, at eleven, she wasn't quite a blossoming teenager but no longer a naive child either.
Sleeping together at this age felt inappropriate.
Reiko stared at Hayashi Shuichi expectantly. Seeing his silence, her face fell, disappointed.
"Onii-chan, I understand," she said, biting her lip, voice trembling. "Even if I'm scared, I'll try…"
She raised her hand, wiping her eyes as tears slid down her cheeks. "Onii-chan, put me down. I'll go back to my room."
Seeing his little cousin's pitiful look, Hayashi Shuichi's resolve softened.
"Fine, tonight you sleep here. Once you're better, back to your room!"
"Mm!"
Reiko nodded happily, nuzzling his neck like a kitten. "Onii-chan's the best!"
"Stop it," Hayashi Shuichi said, placing her on his bed. "I'm getting green onions and ginger from the izakaya. Stay put."
"Okay," Reiko replied obediently, slipping under the covers.
Hayashi Shuichi left the room but realized he'd forgotten the izakaya keys.
Hurrying back, he heard cheerful laughter from his room as he reached for the keys.
"Tonight, I get to sleep with Onii-chan! His scent, hehe…"
Uh…
Hayashi Shuichi's face darkened. He peeked through a crack in the bedroom door.
Reiko, wrapped in his blanket, was rolling around on the bed like a gleeful little ball.
Unable to hold back, Hayashi Shuichi pushed the door open, sternly asking, "Your cold got better too fast, didn't it?"
"O-Onii-chan?"
Reiko froze, her smile vanishing. She quickly reverted to a listless state, pitifully saying, "My head's so hot, I feel awful… ugh!"
"Still pretending!"
Hayashi Shuichi, torn between laughter and exasperation, flicked her forehead. He touched her head—cool to the touch.
"You learned that trick fast, huh?"
He realized she'd mimicked his trick from last night, rubbing her hands to warm her forehead.
"Onii-chan, I'm sorry!" Reiko, caught, sat up and knelt on the bed. "Since I'm already here, why not just…"
"Back to your room, now!" Hayashi Shuichi huffed.
"Wah… Onii-chan doesn't want me…" Reiko raised her arm, about to wipe her eyes again.
Hayashi Shuichi grabbed her hand, smelling onions—explaining her earlier tears.
"You learned this from Yukiko?"
"Mm," Reiko nodded timidly, head lowered.
Before he could scold her, she hopped off the bed and scampered out of his room. "Onii-chan, I'm going back!"
Hayashi Shuichi shook his head helplessly. Having such a clingy sister was both a joy and a headache.
…
The next day, Hayashi Shuichi slept in, waking near ten.
Oddly, since Reiko moved in, she never let him sleep this late, even on weekends. Why was it so quiet?
As he left his room, Wangcai ran up, leash in mouth, looking expectant.
"Woof woof…"
"Didn't Reiko take you for a walk?" Hayashi Shuichi patted the dog, glancing at his sister's room.
Normally, she'd have taken Wangcai out and returned by now.
"Wait a sec," Hayashi Shuichi said, heading to the bathroom.
After washing up, Reiko's room was still silent.
Assuming she was exhausted from yesterday, he didn't think much of it. He went to the izakaya kitchen, started cooking seafood porridge, then took Wangcai for a walk, stopping by a convenience store for meat buns.
Back at the izakaya, the porridge was ready. He sent half to the Mouris upstairs, then brought the rest to the second floor.
Wangcai eagerly grabbed his bowl, placing it at Hayashi Shuichi's feet.
"Don't worry, you'll get yours," Hayashi Shuichi chuckled, tossing three meat buns into the bowl.
"Reiko, breakfast!"
He called several times, but her room stayed silent.
Puzzled, he peeked in. "Reiko?"
"…Onii-chan," Reiko's flushed face peered from the bed, dazed. "I don't feel good."
"Pretending again?" Hayashi Shuichi glared. "Get up for breakfast."
"…Okay," Reiko pouted, weakly climbing out of bed, trudging to the dining room.
"Eat, it'll get cold," Hayashi Shuichi said, placing a bowl of porridge before her.
Reiko nodded listlessly, picking up a meat bun but staring at it, unmoving.
"No appetite?" Hayashi Shuichi asked, confused.
"…Not hungry," Reiko mumbled, her voice barely a whisper.
Is she really sick? Hayashi Shuichi, half-doubting, touched her forehead—it was burning.
After last night's trick, he checked her armpit to be sure. Still hot.
"You're actually sick?" he confirmed.
"I told you…" Reiko said, aggrieved. "Onii-chan didn't believe me!"
"Who told you to fake it last night…"
Seeing her pout, ready to cry, he quickly backtracked. "Alright, my fault, okay?"
She couldn't have seafood porridge with a cold. Hayashi Shuichi grabbed milk from the fridge, warmed it in the microwave, and handed it to her. "If you don't want the bun, at least drink this. I'll make you something else later…"
After coaxing her to finish the milk, he told her to rest.
Reiko didn't move, instead opening her arms toward him.
Hayashi Shuichi sighed, picking her up to carry her to her room, but she interrupted, "Wrong! Not that way!"
(Chapter End)
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