Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Onii-chan! Onii-chan!"

"...Hah!"

When I came to, I was standing in a place I was unfamiliar with.

And in front of me, there stood a familiar and somewhat nostalgic figure.

"What's wrong, Onii-chan!? Suddenly spacing out like that… Are you feeling sick…?"

"Eh… You are…"

I looked around.

Then I realized that it wasn't an unfamiliar place.

This is… my apartment… back in Japan.

The place where I live together with Miku… The nostalgic place… I call home...

And the figure standing in front of me was the only family I was left with.

An extremely important existence.

The most important person in the world I wanted to make happy no matter what.

My little sister, Miku.

"If you're not feeling well, why don't you take the day off from your part-time job…? I'll make the call, so—hiyaa!"

"Miku!! I've missed you so much!!"

Before I knew it, I was hugging my little sister.

It was my first reunion with her after ten-odd years or so.

I let the increasing emotions I'd been keeping bottled up for Miku over the years burst forth.

"Wai—onii-chan! It hurts…"

"Ah… s-sorry…"

Before I knew it, I had been hugging my little sister too tightly.

I released her in a hurry.

"What's up all of a sudden… Eh…?"

"Hm?"

Trailing off, Miku then looked at me with wide eyes.

She gently traced my cheeks with her index finger.

"Why are you crying… onii-chan…?"

"Eh… I am…?"

That's when I first realized it.

I was crying.

"Eh…? What is this…? Why am I crying…?"

Once I became aware that I was crying, it was like a dam bursting, tears fell after one another.

I tried to make it stop, however, it didn't. I felt embarrassed so I turned my face away from her.

"Onii-chan!"

As I did that, Miku then hugged me from behind.

"Mi...ku…?"

"It's alright, onii-chan. It's alright."

"Eh…?"

"Onii-chan has been through a lot of hardships, right…? It's alright… Miku is always here by your side… So please… you can talk to me."

"..."

"Every hardship onii-chan experiences, Miku will bear it with you, think it through with you. Or is it perhaps Miku's fault? Is it because Miku is here with onii-chan that he is going through hardships…?"

"No…! I…!"

"Ne, onii-chan…! Listen…! If it's because Miku is here that onii-chan is suffering, then… Miku will leave. After all, if onii-chan isn't happy, then Miku isn't either. If onii-chan will be happy if Miku leaves, then Miku will leave."

Hearing that, I couldn't help but turn around and hug Miku back.

"No…! It's not because Miku is here…! I'm not suffering at all, see? Please don't say something like leaving! Being together with Miku is my one and only happiness!"

I spoke my true feelings without any falsehood.

Hearing that, Miku, whose face was on my chest, broke into a smile.

"Really? I'm glad… Miku also feels the same. As long as Miku is with onii-chan… Miku doesn't need anything else."

"..."

That's when I finally realized.

The reason why I returned here after I wished Amaterasu for Miku's happiness.

And that is...

Because I, myself, was Miku's happiness. 

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