How can I let go of the matter of saving my stepsister?

Of course, not everyone is serious and responsible. Yesterday, Sato Yu bought the drinks from the company pretending to be an adult, so there was no hindrance.

The neighbors living nearby all knew his background and ignored Sato Yu's excuses. The cashier at the convenience store slapped his cigarette away and gave him advice with a very neon flavor.

The patient is indeed not suitable to smell the smoke. Sato You was kind-hearted and did not force him. He was just feeling irritated and really needed a cigarette to relieve his stress, so he went out and stopped a drunk office worker on the roadside to ask for a cigarette shamelessly.

He put the cigarette in his mouth only to find that it had no light. He wanted to borrow another one but found that the office worker had already staggered away. He took a deep breath to calm his heart that was about to explode with frustration, and Sato Yu went into the convenience store again and bought a lighter under the sharp gaze of the cashier.

I found a sheltered alley and leaned against the wall. I had cigarettes and a lighter ready, and now I could finally smoke a cigarette.

Click, Sato Yuu lit the lighter and moved his cigarette closer...

"To this day you are still my light"

At a very inopportune moment, the cell phone suddenly rang.

Helplessly stopping the call and taking out his cell phone, Sato Yu saw the caller was [Chiharu Oda].

Not Qiong, but someone else.

"Oh shit!"

At this point, Sato You's dissatisfaction at being interrupted while smoking finally broke out. With a curse, he picked up the phone and put it to his ear.

"Sato-kun, long time no see..."

The call was connected, and a female voice came from the other end, which was completely different from the angry shouting before he answered the phone.

Refreshing and gentle.

Volume 8: Chapter Chapter . The Forgotten Promise

Her voice is soft, flowing like water waves, pleasing to the heart.

Just by listening to the voice coming from the other end of the phone, one would guess that the other party is an incredible beauty.

In fact, the person who called [Chiharu Oda] was indeed a gentle and kind beauty.

It really helped that the original owner's memory was still in his mind. With a little thought, Sato Yu easily retrieved the "file" about this woman, flipping through their past and recalling each other's soft face.

She has shoulder-length hair, delicate features and an elegant temperament. She always speaks softly, with a smile on her lips and a teardrop mole at the corner of her eye that makes you want to kiss her...

Chiharu Oda was the nurse who took care of Kyon when she lived in the general hospital. She was a kind older sister to the children who had to be hospitalized for various terminal illnesses.

I remembered that the original owner once saw her hiding and crying secretly. That beautiful face with tears is still engraved in my heart - whenever a child in the ward unfortunately passed away, Chiharu Oden would always hide.

"Good evening, Miss Mita."

The anger caused by his smoking urge being interrupted disappeared in a short time. Subconsciously, knowing that the other party would not see it, Sato Yu still put the cigarette into his pocket and then greeted him in a friendly voice.

"What a loud wind, is Sato-kun outside?"

"Well, I came out to buy something."

"I see, how is Qiong doing lately? Is she healthy? Does she have any adverse symptoms?"

The reason for the call was indeed Qiong. After a few simple greetings, Oden Chiharu immediately changed the subject and asked questions one after another with such anxious tone that Sato Yu could even imagine the other party holding the phone anxiously.

"She's fine."

"That's it..."

Chiharu Oda breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then...will Qiong come back to the hospital?"

Qiong is a fragile girl like glass who needs modern cutting-edge medical care to stay alive. Her current well-being is only temporary, and may even be an illusion created by an overly strong and mature child.

Go back to the hospital, the sooner the better.

Even though she knew Sato Yu's difficulties, Oden Chiharu still asked, with some unrealistic hopes.

Worried about Qiong, she longed for a miracle to happen.

But there was no miracle. Or maybe there had been one, but Sato Yu chose to give up after hesitating.

"...I'm sorry, the issue of hospital expenses has not been resolved yet."

It is not easy to bear the treatment costs of a radioactive astrocytoma patient when the medical insurance reimbursement ratio is insufficient. Not to mention ordinary office workers, even the Sato family who once ran a small factory had to live a tight life, and even had to bargain with others when buying vegetables on the street.

A 19-year-old boy cannot bear such a heavy burden.

"Sato-kun, you've done well enough."

Her voice dropped, and Oda Chiharu tried to comfort her, but Sato Yuu had something in his heart, a heart filled with guilt and hatred for "himself who had escaped", so the words came out of his mouth.

"I'm such a bad brother."

Whether he was in the past or he is now, he is not competent as a brother.

"There is no such thing!"

Unexpectedly, Oden Chiharu's voice suddenly became very loud, shocking Sato Yu so much that he subconsciously pulled the phone away from his ear and shuddered.

"I'm sorry, I was too loud, but there is no such thing at all. Sato-kun, you are undoubtedly qualified. You are the best and most beloved brother of Qiong."

"...I hope so."

"It's true. In the hospital, the person Qiong mentioned to me the most was you, Sato-kun. That was a rare moment when Qiong's cold and indifferent face would smile and never stop. She was so happy, proud and joyful."

"..."

In his memory, Qiong had never been cold and indifferent. Every time they met, she had a smile as bright and beautiful as a spring flower. Sato Yu really didn't know what Qiong was like when she was alone in the hospital without him.

I didn't expect that in Chiharu Oden's words, Kyon would have such a contrast.

Chiharu Oda was still talking about the past to cheer him up.

"Qiong told me the reason why you became an animator."

"Because Qiong likes animation very much."

Listening to Chiharu Oden's voice, the response came out naturally. Suddenly, a buzzing sounded in his ears, and Sato Yu was completely stunned.

[One day I will create a unique animation that can be broadcast in the prime time of the evening, Qiong, let's watch it together then. ]

[Brother? Pfft~ You can even draw a mouse as a duck neck. ]

[It will be fine from now on. It may take five or ten years, but I will let you, who loves animation the most, see the animation made by your beloved brother! We have a promise! ]

[Well, we have made a promise. I will definitely wait until that time. It doesn’t matter if it takes a little longer. I will definitely wait until then.]

The dusty memories were suddenly unlocked, and Sato Yu suddenly remembered when he dropped out of school and entered the animation industry, which was two years ago.

Two years ago, Qiong was diagnosed and admitted to the hospital.

It was not for his own crappy dreams and aspirations, but for Qiong's aspirations. He wanted to be a powerful person in Qiong's eyes, to make the most favorite animation in Qiong's heart, and to fulfill the promise they made to each other, so he became an original artist.

Keep going, even if it hurts, until the day when medical technology is good enough to cure you, until the day when I make an animation. Maybe he in the past wanted to give Qiong such a wish.

Stay alive, your brother will be with you, and we will work hard together.

Why did he only think of such a thing now?

"hiss--"

Sato You sniffed hard, tears welling up in his eyes. The cold wind made his eyes hurt and burn.

"I think Sato-kun is very cool for chasing his dreams passionately for his sister and becoming the person that makes people jealous and makes Qiong smile endlessly.

It's really amazing that you've persisted until now. I think you can definitely do it and create an animation that will make Qiong proud.

I think...Qiong is a strong child, she will definitely persevere and wait until that day.

So, so…”

Chiharu Oeda on the other end of the phone seemed to be crying as well, her voice was a little hoarse and intermittent, but she was still shouting at him loudly.

"Come on, Onii-chan who makes animations!"

There was no response, or perhaps there was no need for a follow-up response at all. After shouting this, Chiharu Oden hung up the phone, leaving Sato Yu alone in the dark alley, looking up at the sky.

Sato You took out the slightly wrinkled cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth, then tried to light it. However, his hands were shaking a little, and it took him a while to finally press the lighter.

Whoosh~ The cold wind rushed into the alley just in time, extinguishing the fire in just a moment.

"..."

Sato Yuu blinked.

There was a mistake in his previous voice.

It’s not that both of them are not competent brothers.

He was undoubtedly a competent brother in the past, but what about him? What about me now?

angry.

"Ahhhhh!!!"

In anger, Sato You threw the lighter to the ground.

Skirt~

Volume 9: Chapter Chapter . There will never be another girl like this

With his mind confused, Sato You hurried back home.

"elder brother!"

He took out the key, unlocked the door, and before he could look inside, the girl's clear and joyful call already rang in his ears.

The long-lost feeling of returning home and being greeted by someone...

With the corners of his mouth twitching, Sato You took off his shoes at the entrance and spoke.

"I'm back, what am I doing?"

"Pack your things."

The house was still cold even though the heater was broken. Wrapped in a thick coat, Qiong was packing various things she would need for the trip in the living room.

There were a lot of things, and an entire suitcase had already been packed. When Sato Yu came back, Qiong was packing the second one.

As soon as Sato Yu saw the blue boxer briefs, her face turned red and she felt a little embarrassed.

The girl was really not shy and even helped him to clean his underwear. She was so virtuous that she looked more like a good wife than a sister.

"Your ears are all red from the cold. Come on, put them on."

As she spoke, Qiong took out an orange velvet hat from the bottom of the suitcase, stood up and stood on tiptoe to put it on Sato Yu.

Sato Yu lowered his head and leaned forward a little. His ears felt warm and he could smell the faint fragrance of a young girl.

His body stopped, a little dazed.

It is a pity that she is so virtuous, sensible, beautiful and wonderful, but she is about to pass away soon, which makes people want to...keep her.

At this time, with the hat on, Qiong began to circle around his body, looking around as if searching for something.

"what happened?"

Sato Yu was frightened by being stared at and couldn't help asking questions, while Qiong finally gave up the search and jumped in front of him nimbly, stretching out her hands to ask for a surprise.

"Where's the cupcake? I know you bought it, give it to me now!"

"What cupcakes?"

"You're still lying, brother. You must have bought it. If you don't hand it over, I'll search you."

Sato You's doubts turned into pretending to be stupid in Qiong's eyes. She was sure that her brother must have brought her favorite dessert back from this trip, so she threw herself on him, pouting and acting coquettishly.

In my memory, Qiong's real brother in the past was always like this. Whenever he felt that he had done something wrong to his sister, he would hide a small cake in his arms without telling his parents and secretly pass it to Qiong.

This is a little secret and routine between the brother and sister.

But Sato Yu had forgotten, or rather he had never remembered it before.

"......Feel sorry."

I felt a pimple-like discomfort all over my body, and my heart felt empty and painful.

Feeling lost, guilty, and regretful, Sato Yu didn't know what to say. After a long pause, he finally squeezed out these words.

He failed to live up to Qiong's expectations. Even though he was not aware of such a practice before, he still felt guilty and couldn't help blaming himself.