CH 23

[Mifuyu PoV]

I have a younger brother.

His name is Yusei Shinzaki.

My younger brother was a really kind and caring boy.

Until recently.

My brother has changed.

I guess it was the lie that triggered the change.

From that time on, his tone of voice changed and he became aggressive toward others.

I couldn’t help but see him as a spoiled child.

It seemed to me that he was just blaming everyone around him because he was not getting his way.

So I spoke to him as if I was telling him off.

As it turned out, that was a bad move and hurt my brother even more.

After seeing that, I reflected on it vehemently.

Then I finally realized that I had hurt my brother.

I thought I had apologized and made peace with him.

Some time later, I was bullied by a group of girls in my class.

The reason was a broadcast my brother had made.

I was called to the back of the school building that day and was being violated.

Just when I was thinking, “Hurry up and get it over with,” I heard a voice from behind me.

It was Yusei.

Yusei had taken a video of the bullying taking place.

He used it to threaten them, and took pictures of the underwear of the group of bullies.

Yusei said, “If you tell the teachers, parents, or anyone else, I will upload this picture and the video I just took to social networking sites.”

I wondered if it was really Yusei.

The Yusei I know would never do such a thing.

I, as a family member, know that better than anyone else.

That is why I could not accept this kind of Yusei.

I thanked him for saving me and begged him not to do this anymore.

At that time, I asked him how long he had been like this.

Hearing this, Yusei’s eyes turned deep, deep gray.

Then he shouted his true feelings.

Don’t force your selfish ideals on me, he said.

Now that I think about it, having ideals forced on you is something I don’t want to live with.

But at the time, I didn’t want to believe that Yusei had said such a thing, so I said, This is not the Yusei I know.

When I got back home and my head cooled down, I felt self-loathing for what I had said.

I felt that I had hurt him by my selfish words and actions.

That’s what I thought.

So I tried to talk to him to apologize for that.

But when I tried to talk to him, he would always look away and avoid me.

I was really sad about that.

Summer vacation arrived.

I thought this was my chance.

During the summer vacation, I would inevitably spend more time at home.

Then I would have time to talk with Yusei, I thought.

However, Yusei never wanted to talk to me.

Painful, sad.

I was filled with a mixture of emotions.

I made up my mind to talk to him.

But he ignored me and tried to enter his room.

I grabbed him by his sleeves and forced him to stop.

Yusei looked displeased, but turned to me and listened to what I had to say.

I told him.

I told him that I didn’t want to hurt him any more, that I didn’t want him to suffer any more.

I also asked him to forgive me.

Yusei said it was too convenient for me to do so.

I know that better than anyone else.

All I could do was apologize.

I didn’t know that I was tormenting Yusei by forcing my ideals on him.

Looking back, I wonder what I was talking about, but at the time I really didn’t realize it.

All I could do was apologize.

Yusei was about to go back to his room.

I am not the real me.

The moment I heard that, I realized how much I had hurt my brother.

I had driven him to the point where he could no longer say that he was himself.

That fact weighed heavily on my heart.

I stopped Yusei and told him that I wanted to make up with him.

It’s too late for such words.

I think so too.

But I want to get to know Yusei better from now on.

That’s what I told him.

But he didn’t understand that.

That’s what Yusei told me.

He didn’t need a sister after that.

That’s what he said to me.

I couldn’t stand it any longer and went into my room to escape.

Tears naturally flowed.

It was not because I was told I was unwanted.

My tears spilled out of anger at myself for making her say such a thing.

After crying for a while, I made up my mind.

I decided to make up with Yusei during this summer vacation.

I will never torment Yusei again.