CH 25

(POV Chiharu)

I stood on the second floor hallway in front of Onii-san’s room, accompanied by Chifuyu who had just finished taking a bath. The chill in the air made me shiver, and I could feel the coldness of the floor through the soles of my feet.

“Kaito-san, I wonder if he’s okay…”

“I think Onii-san will be fine.”

As we stood there, Chifuyu expressed her worry in her adorable pajamas about Onii-san’s wellbeing. However, we couldn’t go inside his room since he had left a message instructing us to stay away to avoid catching his cold.

“Chifuyu couldn’t do anything…”

“Don’t blame yourself…I also didn’t do anything.”

“I wish there was something I could do…”

“Yeah, me too.”

I strongly believe it’s already a big deal just to feel like you want to do something out of concern for Onii-san. However, I can’t help but understand the feeling of insignificance when compared to Chiaki, which at times fills me with regret. Despite being her Onee-chan, there are instances where I failed to take the lead and act.

As the older sister, it’s my responsibility to guide my little sisters.

I also feel frustrated.

I already swore to myself that I would put all my efforts into growing for my sister’s sake, with my own needs taking a backseat. But the current situation is far from ideal and downright distressing.

“….Let’s go to bed now. It’s getting chilly… We don’t want to make Onii-san worry more if we get sick.”

“…Yes…”

Our bodies had already cooled down from the bath heat. Our body temperature was decreasing, making us feel cold.

Suddenly, I remembered that day, that moment. It was so cold, so scary, and I couldn’t do anything but resent the gap between me and those around me.

A faint shadow crossed my heart, but I quickly regained my composure.

I don’t care about myself or my emotions.

“Haru-nee, are you okay?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well… your eyes…”

“My eyes?”

“They seemed a little cloudy…”

“That’s just your imagination…”

I tried to suppress those emotions because I made a vow that day to kill off my own feelings. It was my promise to myself. But lately, that promise has been shaken.

“Hey, let’s go back to our room.”

After forcing the conversation to a stop, I took Chifuyu’s hand and went back to our room. We covered ourselves with several warm down blankets, but the night still felt a bit chilly.

◆◆

(POV Kaito)

I recovered. I was completely healed, and there was no more sluggishness, weariness, or heat in my forehead.

This is the power of Chiaki’s nursing care…

I got up from the bed and changed my clothes. I had to go to work today because I would have a year-end and New Year’s holiday if I worked today. Let’s do our best on the last day.

I went downstairs and immediately started making breakfast.

Today’s ingredients were eggs and sausages, which I would use as the main dish for breakfast.

As for my bento, rice balls or something would be fine. Let’s make them with Papa. Only with Papa… if I use this some other time, my daughters will burst out laughing, won’t they?

The important thing is the timing of use. I’ll definitely use it.

As for the miso soup, I put spinach and onions in the pre-made miso and made it look like it was homemade. Then, I made some rolled omelets and fancy octopus-shaped sausages to complete the breakfast.

“Alright, it’s done.” I quickly arranged everything on the kotatsu and decided to eat first since I had to go to work. After fixing my bedhead, washing my face, and brushing my teeth, I returned to the living room, where I saw Chiharu waiting with a worried expression, her hair sticking up in a cute way.

“Onii-san…Are you okay?” 

“Thanks to everyone’s concern, I’m feeling much better now,” I replied.

“Ah, Un…”

“Kaito-san, are you okay? Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard this morning?”

Suddenly, I noticed that Chifuyu had also woken up, but since she was standing behind me it surprised me a little.

“Thank you for worrying about me. Thanks to everyone’s care, I’m feeling much better,” 

“I see. ……I’m glad to hear you’re doing well.”

“No, I’m really sorry about yesterday. You did a great job turning off the kotatsu light.”

“That’s…Yes…”

“Something doesn’t seem right, are you guys all right? Chiharu and Chifuyu?”

“Well, I’m sorry for being useless even though you always take care of me. I couldn’t do anything yesterday…. so I feel bad about that,” Chifuyu said apologetically.

“I feel the same,” Chiharu added.

It might be okay to just tell them not to worry so much and let it go, but the thing is, the issue at hand has their feelings involved.

I should choose my words carefully.

“Well, uh, just the fact that you’re worried about me makes me happy, you know?”

“But, while Aki-nee took care of you, Chifuyu hasn’t done anything useful…”

“…Until this very moment, you guys have been worried and considerate, and that’s something I should be grateful for….You guys may wonder what that’s even useful for, and it may seem like you didn’t do anything, but that kind of thoughtfulness is what gives me the energy to keep going.”

“Energy?” They both exclaimed

“That’s right. Your concern and effort, no matter how small they may seem to you, are not in vain. It helps me with my motivation for work and contributes to my overall well-being. What may seem insignificant to you means a lot to me.”

I sent a glance towards Chiharu, remembering the conversation we had about this before. We may not realize it ourselves, but we often forget or lose sight of things we learn from others. It’s a good feeling to be able to teach and learn from each other.

“…”

Chiharu nodded lightly. Now, Should I give Chifuyu one final nudge? As a proud Papa, I yearn to express something profound that will leave a lasting impression.

“Chifuyu, thank you for worrying about me. I’m really happy about it. So, don’t underestimate yourself too much. Underestimating oneself is a bad habit, you know.”

“Is that so…?”

“Yeah. Also, be wary of overdoing modesty; it can be misconstrued as insincere. What I truly want to convey is that you’ve been supporting me without even realizing it. Yeah.”

Oh no, embarrassment was welling up inside me. It was embarrassing to say things like this, but there was also the fear of what would happen if I was wrong. It felt like imparting false information to a child.

However, in all honesty, it was true that Chifuyu had been a pillar of support for me. She would say “have a good day” to me every day, even during winter break.

“When you say things like ‘have a good day’ or ‘welcome back,’ it warms my heart. That’s why we are both taking care of each other.”

“….Really? Did Chifuyu’s words actually help?”

“Of course. Look into my eyes.”

Our gazes met for three seconds before we both awkwardly looked away.

“Uh, yes, so that’s what I mean. Therefore, you don’t have to worry because you’re always there to support me, even more so than yesterday. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Yes…”

“Okay, then. I’m off to work,” 

Saying that, I grabbed my bag and headed straight for the door.

“K-Kaito-san!”

I headed straight for the door, but Chifuyu chased after me. She was in her pajamas, with her cute chestnut hair and bright blue eyes. It was quite different from her usual self, where she only showed her strong side. She had a stray hair sticking up from her bedhead. Perhaps feeling slightly embarrassed, she blushed and opened her mouth with an angelic smile.

“Have a good day.”

…It made me feel energized, as usual. It’s precious, this power of a daughter…

“I’m off then. I’m counting on you two. Don’t open the door for strangers, no matter what.”

“Y-Yes!”

“Got it.”

I unlocked the door, and sunlight poured in.

“Have a good day, Onii-san.”

“Yeah.”

I felt energized, once again. This is part two of that feeling, and the effect is even stronger.

The sun was shining bright. It felt like it was blessing my growth as a Papa. I wonder if my “Papa level” has gone up by about 2?

Alright, I’ll do my best in my last day. I got into my car and headed to work.

◆◆

(POV Chiharu)

“Kaito-san…”

“It seems like you were a big help to him, Chifuyu.”

“Yeah…I’m happy,” Chifuyu replied, still basking in the afterglow of her conversation with Onii-san. She then smiled and clasped her hands in front of her chest.

Un, she was radiating with 100 percent purity and preciousness.

“It’s probably about time we wake Natsu-nee and Aki-nee,” 

“You’re right.”

Both Chifuyu and I had a single ahoge (large cowlick) sticking up from the top of our heads. Oh, I just realized that this might be the first time in a while that all sisters have bedhead and ahoge. It could be a bedhead and ahoge bingo day today.

This was a situation where I had to check both of their heads as soon as possible.

Chifuyu and I went upstairs, each with a smile on our faces.

I was looking forward to seeing my sisters’ bedhead, but I wondered if Chifuyu was smiling for the same reason… Or maybe not?

I briefly had a strange thought, but shook it off and barged into the room where the two others were sleeping.