That night, after Aoi went to bed, I lay awake staring at the ceiling.
Memories wouldn't stop flooding back—the little things, the moments I had long forgotten.
Everyone always said I was the one protecting Aoi. But the truth was… she had always been there for me too.
---
I remembered one winter when I caught the flu.
I was in middle school, fever burning, body aching. Mom was at work, and Dad was away. I thought I'd just sleep it off.
But then Aoi—still in elementary school back then—sat beside me the whole night.
She changed the towel on my forehead again and again, her tiny hands trembling with effort. She even tried to cook porridge, though she nearly set the pot on fire.
I remember her crying because she thought I'd die from a simple fever. I had to force a smile, whispering, "I'm fine, idiot."
She didn't sleep until my fever broke.
---
Then there was the time in high school when I sprained my ankle during a soccer match.
While my friends laughed it off and the coach just told me to rest, Aoi stormed onto the field after practice.
"You're hurt and no one even cares?!" she scolded, her eyes blazing with anger. She practically carried my bag home, despite being smaller than me.
At home, she knelt on the floor, wrapping my ankle with the clumsiest bandage I'd ever seen. She was crying again, muttering, "Don't you dare push yourself like that, Haruto…"
I laughed back then, but secretly, my chest felt warm.
---
Lying in bed now, I realized something.
Aoi wasn't just someone I protected. She was the one who made sure I didn't fall apart. She worried for me, cried for me, took care of me even when I thought I didn't need it.
"…Idiot," I whispered into the dark, covering my eyes with my arm. "How can I ever reject a girl who cares that much?"
---
The next morning, I found Aoi already in the kitchen, humming as she prepared breakfast.
When she saw me, her whole face lit up. "Good morning, Haruto!"
I just stood there for a moment, staring at her.
She tilted her head. "What's wrong?"
"…Nothing." I walked over, gently patting her head. "Just… thanks. For always taking care of me."
Her cheeks flushed pink, and she looked away shyly. "You finally noticed, huh?"
I chuckled softly, my heart strangely at peace.
It was becoming clearer with every passing day—Aoi wasn't just my sister.
She was the girl who had always loved me, even when I was too blind to see it.