"You're home, Brother!"
When Tetsuya returned home, Anon, who had been waiting for him in the living room for a long time, immediately bounced over to greet him.
"Let me tell you, I just learned a new song! Wanna hear it?"
"What... so fast?"
Tetsuya couldn't help but be a little shocked at his sister's unusually fast progress.
"It hasn't even been a full day..."
"Oh, don't worry about that! Anyway, just sit down here for me!"
Anon forcefully dragged Tetsuya, who hadn't even had a chance to change his clothes, over to the sofa—
"Whoa, so light..."
After successfully seating her brother on the sofa, Anon couldn't help but make a small comment.
"Brother, do you really eat properly?"
"Of course I do. In fact, you should be the one who knows my appetite best, right?"
Faced with his sister's questioning, Tetsuya couldn't help but shake his head.
"I just don't get fat."
"That's a really irritating thing to say. You should be glad that I'm a slim girl too."
Anon pouted, then picked up her guitar and stood in front of Tetsuya with a serious air.
"Next, the future top guitarist, ANON-chan, will perform a song for my favorite brother!"
With that, she held up her guitar and prepared to start her performance—
*Thud—*
"...Huh?"
An incredibly strange and muffled sound drifted from her fingertips, making the already not-so-serious atmosphere even more comical.
"What's going on... ah, it's because my left hand accidentally pressed down on the strings! Wait, that doesn't count! Let's start over!"
With that, Anon corrected her posture and began her second attempt—
*Twang~*
An even more out-of-tune vibrato rang out. And this time, Anon immediately realized what the problem was.
"Oops! My fingernail scraped it by accident!"
"...Pfft."
Even Tetsuya, with his incredibly calm and composed personality, couldn't help but chuckle after this series of blunders from his sister.
"Anon... are you trying to cheer me up on purpose?"
"No!!!"
Anon's face was already red from her repeated mistakes.
"I just wanted to let you know that I've really been practicing properly!"
"Even if you're not in such a hurry to show me, I'd still believe you."
"It's not just because of that. It's mainly because I want you to hear this song!"
With that, she took a deep breath and finally began to play seriously—
[I'm laying here dreaming Staring at the ceiling]
[Wasting the day away]
[The world's flying by our window outside]
[But hey baby thats OK]
"..."
As the performance continued, Anon gradually got into the zone.
And Tetsuya's expression also changed from its initial relaxed state to one of gradual surprise.
Although it had only been one day of getting back into practice, Anon was actually able to play normally and coherently. Not only that, but while playing the guitar, she could even sing along properly—
[Cause if you wanna go Baby let's go]
[If you wanna rock I am ready to roll]
[And if you wanna slow down]
[We can slow down together]
The country-style guitar melody gently delivered the lyrics, filled with warmth and love, into Tetsuya's heart.
Watching his sister's focused performance, Tetsuya's expression gradually became moved.
Unlike when he heard the song Togawa recommended, although his sister's technique was still a bit green, her dedicated posture and the emotion contained in the song were properly conveyed to the depths of his heart.
"Is this the power of music..."
Feeling this new and unfamiliar sensation, Tetsuya quietly enjoyed his sister's performance.
......
"Alright, finished!"
With a shout that somewhat broke the atmosphere, Anon finished her performance and put down her guitar.
"How was I, Brother?"
"...It was wonderful."
Tetsuya said as he applauded for his sister:
"For a beginner who hasn't touched a guitar in almost a year, it was truly excellent."
"Geez, I can't tell if you're praising me or teasing me!"
Although she said that, Anon sat down next to her brother with a huge smile on her face.
"So, besides that, what other thoughts do you have, Brother? About the song?"
"Besides that..."
Tetsuya thought for a moment before saying:
"The meaning of this song is that you hope I'll spend more time at home with you, right?"
"Well, there's that too, but that's not the main point!"
Anon gave him a light bump with her shoulder.
"I know my brother is an incredible genius, and you'll face many difficult and arduous jobs like this one in the future. As your sister, I can't help you much with your work, but... whenever you feel tired, Brother, or want to rest, I'll be here waiting for you to come back."
"Whether it's lying around at home all day or going for a pointless walk outside, whatever you want to do, Brother, I'll definitely do it with you! That's the one thing that even a good-for-nothing like me can promise you."
"Anon..."
Hearing his sister's earnest and warm "confession," waves of warmth surged through Tetsuya's heart.
Both Togawa and Anon were expressing their care and support for him in their own ways. In this situation, if he continued to be as cowardly and indecisive as before, then he would truly be the most pathetic man in the world.
"Thank you, Anon."
He reached out and, in a rare move, proactively stroked Anon's hair.
"I won't push myself like last time again. But... you're right. If I really do feel tired in the future, I'll be counting on you to heal me then."
"...!"
Suddenly having her hair stroked, Anon froze on the spot.
Although she often initiated some rather over-the-top physical contact with her brother, Tetsuya almost never touched her proactively.
If she remembered correctly, the last time Tetsuya had patted her head was when she accidentally bumped into a door frame as a child.
(*Mmm... even though it's still a head pat, I feel like... it's completely different from when I was a kid.*)
The warmth from Tetsuya's palm was so distinct and comfortable that Anon subconsciously narrowed her eyes.
And... she wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but as Tetsuya gently stroked her hair, she felt as if something deep inside her body was stirring—
"Ah, right. By the way, Anon, in the English song you just sang, there were a few places where the pronunciation was a little non-standard. It would be even better if you could correct them."
"Whoa! I was enjoying a long-awaited head pat from my brother here! Don't suddenly switch back to serious mode!"
As if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head, Anon couldn't help but let out a tragic cry.
"And don't you think it's cruel to tell someone who failed at studying abroad that their English pronunciation isn't standard?!"
"Ah... I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize so seriously either! Doesn't that just make me seem even more pathetic! No, as mental compensation, you have to keep patting my head... for at least ten minutes!"
"Alright, alright."
Looking at the little pesterer who had just plopped herself into his arms, Tetsuya just let out a light chuckle, then, as she wished, began to gently stroke her hair.
Perhaps he would still face countless challenges in the future, but as long as Anon was here, he would definitely be able to persevere.
After all, no matter how much time passed, they would always be family. Even without blood ties... the bond between them would surely never change...
...
At least for this moment, that is what Tetsuya truly thought.