"Oh, welcome back. You're late."
When I got home, my mother, who always came home late, was sitting on the sofa watching TV.
"Well, a little."
This is more than just a small fuss, I thought to myself.
"What about dinner?"
"No problem. I have no appetite."
When I said that, my mother looked at me with a surprised expression.
"No appetite? Susumu?"
I said apologetically.
"Well, what can I say? Like summer fatigue? That's it."
"I can't believe it."
Mom put her fingers to her cheek and muttered.
"I don't really care. That's fine."
"Susumu"
My mother said with a serious expression.
"Something happened."
"..."
I remained silent because my mother's gaze seemed to see right through everything.
"There's no need to hide it."
Whether she knew what I was thinking or not, my mother continued.
"You and Shiori are both important family to me. You can worry as much as you want when you have worries, but you both have a place to return to right here. Don't forget that."
"mother..."
"And"
My mother interrupted me when I tried to speak.
"If you make a face like that, Shiori-chan will be sad, you know? You may be a bit stupid, but you're a pretty good guy."
Mom said this with a laugh. She seemed to be completely unconscious, but she was always watching over us.
"mother"
"What is it?"
"Thank you. Well, I guess that's only natural for a parent."
"Oh, so you've started saying it."
"I won't be a kid forever either."
"I don't know. Oh, by the way, Shiori-chan has been waiting for you to come back. She was happy that you listened to everything she said, but is that true?"
"...I don't think he said anything."
"Yes."
My mother sighed a little.
"If you keep saying careless things, Shiori-chan will stab you to death soon."
"That doesn't sound like a joke."
"Ufufu, I'm not kidding, brother."
I heard Shiori's voice right behind me, and I jumped in surprise.
"Hey you. When did that happen?"
"It's a sister's job to welcome her brother back home."
Shiori said proudly. And then,
"By the way, Brother? I need to talk to you for a bit. Could you come to my room?"
His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were not smiling at all. He was probably thinking something stupid.
"I was just talking to my mom."
I said, trying to somehow make do.
"Tomorrow won't do, Shiori. I have something important to tell you about your future career path."
"I also have something important to tell you about your future life."
"I, is that so?"
"Yes."
"Okay... I'll go."
"It's really helpful to have such an understanding brother ♪ Come on, let's get going."
As I was being pulled out of the living room by the sign, my mother said softly,
"My condolences."
I heard him say.
"Brother!"
As I entered the room, Shiori suddenly hugged me.
"Hey, Shiori..."
I said in a panic.
"That's bad. I have a mother."
Shiori didn't reply, but simply pressed her cheek against my chest. After a good three minutes of hugging, she reluctantly let go.
"...This is not enough at all."
I thought we had a ton of physical contact today, but it seems it wasn't enough.
"My brother doesn't pay me any attention, so I'm feeling frustrated."
"There's no need to report every single thing like that."
I said, pulling away the target.
"More importantly, what's the story?"
"You know, it was after school. I was just thinking about it."
I looked at the target with the same expression as a soldier facing a landmine.
"How about engagement? Of course, I don't think it would be refused."
"No, that's just not okay. Is there anything else?"
"there is no"
"Well, even if you answer that quickly... isn't it crazy for siblings to marry each other?"
So this is what my mom meant by "my condolences" earlier. Shit.
"Listen, Shiori. We're brother and sister. We can't get engaged."
"I don't mind at all, and I believe your brother feels the same."
"Well, you see. That's it."
I guess I really have to say it properly.
I made up my mind and told him about Aika.
"I've decided to go out with Aika."
"...picture?"
"So, I think you should find someone else. I'll even help you."
"Brother, today is not April Fool's Day."
"I know. I'm not lying."
"If it's not a lie, then it's a joke. You're a bad person, aren't you, brother?"
Shiori smiled brightly and made a scolding gesture.
"......"
However, when he saw that I didn't react, the smile on his face stopped.
"Brother, what's wrong? Please tell me it's a lie."
"It's true. I've decided to go out with Aika. Well, I don't know if it will last or not. For now, it's just hypothetical."
He had tried to say things in a way that would not hurt her feelings as much as possible, but it was all in vain for Shiori.
"What is that...?"
"Well, I'm sorry for the sudden request. But eventually, okay?"
As I spoke, Shiori remained silent, looking down and muttering something in an inaudible voice.
"...Why?"
Suddenly, Shiori said.
"Nii-san, why..."
"I'm sorry. I can't go out with you. You should find a good person."
Then Shiori turned to me with pleading eyes.
"What is it, brother? Did I do something wrong? Please tell me so I can apologize."
"It's not that. It's not that I've come to dislike you. Don't get me wrong."
"So you still love me, right?"
"Well... as siblings, yes. But we can't be lovers."
"That's strange."
"...You're the one who's wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"You do understand, right? Incestuous marriages are not recognized by law. You'll end up living a lonely life without anyone's approval."
"That's not true! No, I don't think so! There's no way I'd be unhappy being with you!"
Shiori's voice was rising. It had been a long time since I'd seen him this excited.
"While we're students, yes. But we're about to enter society. We can't depend on each other forever. That's why I decided to date Aika."
Slowly, I tried to persuade the target.
Shiori was silent for a while and then said:
"I thought Hiiragi-san was dangerous. I should have done something about her when I saw her chatting happily with her brother during class."
"Don't sound so scary. We're not that close yet."
"Don't lie."
"Why would I lie? I still don't know him that well."
"It's Hiiragi-san. She looked at my brother with those sticky, lustful eyes. It's impossible not to suspect a relationship after that. I don't believe it, I don't believe it, I can't believe it!"
The sign repeated the same words over and over again.
"Yes, that's a lie."
"picture?"
"You belong to me, and you should never open your heart to anyone else. I've told you many times before, haven't I? Cheating is not okay."
"... mark"
I said with a pain in my chest.
"I'm really glad you think that way. But we have to be able to take responsibility for our own actions. If things continue to drag on like this, how am I going to explain this to my mother? How am I going to face my dead father? Think about that carefully."
"There's no need to worry about that."
Saying that, Shiori put her arms around my neck.
"You just need to teach happiness without thinking about what others think. Everyone is busy thinking about themselves. You just need to ignore the nagging voices of society."
Then Shiori put her mouth close to my ear.
"Come, let's become one, brother."
"or..."
At that moment, something snapped in my head.
"Stop it!"
I pushed the marker with all my might, and it hit the desk, causing my notebook and pen to fall off.
"Ah."
Without thinking, I ran towards the target.
"S-Shiro. Are you okay?!"
But there was no reply. Like a broken doll, Shiori only uttered incomprehensible words.
"My brother killed me."
"Hey, hey? Target?!"
"......"
"Sign! Are you okay? Sign!"
"Aaaaahhhh!"
Shiori yelled, then ran out of the room.
"Hey, wait! Target!"
As if to push me away as I chased after him, I heard the sound of a lock being locked from Shiori's room.
But I didn't care about that, so I banged on the door with all my might.
"Shiori! You can hear me, right?! Open up!"
"...Please don't come."
A strained voice came from inside.
"I can't look at my brother right now. Please leave him alone."
When I tried to speak, a hand was placed on my shoulder.
"Susumu, stop it. You can't provoke me into mischief right now."
"Mom...? B-But Shiori. He's the one suffering right now."
"What can you do to help me?"
My mother gave me a sharp look, and I couldn't say anything back.
My mother said to me kindly.
"What you can do now is to believe in Shiori-chan. That's the greatest thing you can do as her older brother."
My mother's words had a powerful effect on my hot body, like pouring cold water over it.
"I understand..."
When I said that, my mother laughed and took her hand off my shoulder.
With a really bad feeling in my heart, I returned to my room. It was past midnight. I wondered what kind of face I should make when I met Aika tomorrow. Suddenly, I remembered and took out a white envelope from my bag.
It was a suicide note left behind by the real Aika. I cautiously opened it and read the contents.
It was a detailed account of the suffering of an oppressed girl. It was filled with intelligent writing, but there was no mention of the perpetrator's name, and the writing was more of a resigned one, with people saying things like they were tired of life and that they were being bullied because they were no good.
It was never a pleasant thing to read. No matter how much pity I felt, the person who wrote it will never come back. And before you know it, people will forget about it, and the next bullying will occur. I felt as if the stinky malice of human beings was being exposed and surrounding me.
Looking at the end, I noticed a revised line. Perhaps this was the example my dad was talking about. I read it carefully.
"--this is..."