Chapter 13: Nii-san, You're Back

Boom!

After Kamikawa Mitsu shouted "I'm back," he heard movement inside the main hall.

The sound was very hurried.

Something was moving in a rush and bumped into a table.

Before Kamikawa Mitsu could think further, Kamikawa Chie ran out of the hall, limping on her left foot.

No need to guess.

The noise of bumping the table must have been caused by Kamikawa Chie walking too fast and accidentally hitting her left knee on the table.

"Nii-san, you're back." Kamikawa Chie hopped and limped over, stopped in front of Kamikawa Mitsu, bent down, and rubbed her left knee while speaking.

"Hmm." Kamikawa Mitsu was slightly stunned, nodded, and looked at Kamikawa Chie.

A Bai Xi face, wearing a small expression of great pain.

It was obvious that hitting the table had hurt a lot, yet she did not cry, forcing herself to hold it back.

"Are you okay?"

Kamikawa Mitsu supported Kamikawa Chie's arm with one hand to help her up, while quickly taking off his shoes with the other and stepping inside.

"Does it hurt a lot? Let me help you inside."

Kamikawa Chie quickly shook her head and waved her hands, forcing a smile.

"Nii-san, I'm fine, it doesn't hurt."

That smile, with pain and laughter coexisting on a cute face, made one unable to help but smile.

Saying this, she stood up, standing on her left foot.

"Nii-san, you came back so late today. Did you go on a secret date?"

"Nii-san, why is your schoolbag so dirty? Did you drop it on the ground? If the schoolbag is so dirty, it looks bad to take it out. Let me wash it for you."

"Nii-san, don't be afraid I'll ruin your schoolbag when washing it. Hehe, because today I washed all your dirty clothes that you hadn't washed yet."

"I washed every single one clean."

"If you don't believe me, you can go check. I hung them on the balcony."

Kamikawa Chie chattered nonstop like a little sparrow.

Towards the end, she put her hands on her hips, puffed out her chest, and wore a proud expression on her face, like a little tsundere.

She looked exactly like a little Princess who had helped her parents a bit, waiting for their praise.

Kamikawa Mitsu said nothing.

He listened quietly.

"Oh, right, Nii-san, today I didn't just wash clothes."

"I also took the quilts out to dry and mopped the floor."

Kamikawa Chie pointed at the floor, showing a sweet smile.

"Nii-san, look quickly, isn't it mopped very clean?"

"Also, also, I saw it was getting very late and Nii-san you hadn't returned yet, so I cooked the rice first and also stir-fried an egg."

"Nii-san, you probably haven't eaten yet. Later, please taste my first meal and see if it's delicious."

"Nii-san, am I not amazing? I discovered that I actually have the ability to do housework."

Having said that.

Kamikawa Chie's eyes darted restlessly, looking at the floor sometimes, and the wall beside her at other times.

Her hands fidgeted with the hem of her clothes:

"So... Nii-san, in the future, I can do the laundry, cooking, and drying quilts."

"Also, things like mopping the floor and going out to buy groceries, I can do those too."

"Besides these, I can help with other small matters as well."

Kamikawa Chie's voice trembled slightly.

"Nii-san, you don't need to treat me like a child. I am fifteen years old, not small anymore."

Kamikawa Mitsu remained silent and looked at Kamikawa Chie.

Perhaps she dared not look at Kamikawa Mitsu's expression, or perhaps she was speaking too intently, Kamikawa Chie did not notice Kamikawa Mitsu watching her.

She continued speaking.

"I am not a child anymore. I can do many things and help a lot. I can also share some of your burdens, so..."

As Kamikawa Chie spoke, her eyes turned red and her eyes filled with moisture.

Tears flowed down uncontrollably.

After saying the final two words "so," her voice trembled, and her body shook too.

Her hands gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, crumpling it into wrinkles.

She wanted to say the following words, but could not; her throat felt as if it were blocked.

She wanted to say it but dared not.

She was afraid,

Afraid that saying those words would bring loss, would...

Until now, Kamikawa Mitsu, who had been silent for a long time, made a move.

He raised his hand and gently patted Kamikawa Chie's shoulder.

His expression did not change much, but this did not mean he was cold, nor did it mean he did not know why Kamikawa Chie suddenly said these things.

When arriving at the front door, Kamikawa Mitsu sensed something from the original owner's memories.

Before taking a plane to commit suicide, the original owner wrote two wills.

One was the suicide note left in the schoolbag.

The other was a draft of the suicide note written at the very beginning, which had been discarded as waste and thrown into the trash can.

Originally, Kamikawa Mitsu had been praying.

He hoped Takee Sashiko had not discovered the suicide note in the trash can.

However, judging by Takee Sashiko's behavior now, she must have found the suicide note in the trash can and learned that Kamikawa Mitsu intended to commit suicide.

Kamikawa Mitsu gently patted Takee Sashiko's shoulder.

This gentle pat seemed to be the final blow upon a dam about to burst; Takee Sashiko's body trembled, and she could no longer hold back, bursting into loud sobbing.

She wanted to stop her crying and wipe away her tears.

She did not want Kamikawa Mitsu to see her sadness, fearing he would feel heartache for her.

Yet, no matter how she reached out to wipe her tears, the tears would not go away.

They kept flowing down.

Because she remembered that suicide note she had found this morning in Nisan's room.

And even more so because...

Under the blinding light from the hallway above, she suddenly noticed that Nisan's hair was interwoven with several strands of white hair.

To be honest, in today's society, academic pressure is immense; having a few strands of white hair is perfectly normal for a Gao Zhongsheng. Almost anywhere you walk on the street, you can find a Gao Zhongsheng with white hair, regardless of whether they study or not; having white hair is normal.

However, Takee Sashiko did not think of these things. In her view, those white hairs were the result of Nisan bearing the burden of the family alone, having too many worries, too much anxiety, and thus growing white hair.

Takee Sashiko was not foolish; she clearly understood how depressed and troubled Nisan had been after their parents died.

Although that Nisan who once loved to smile still wore a smile every time he faced her.

Yet, she knew clearly that Nisan was just holding on because he feared she would worry.

Every time she secretly opened Nisan's room, she would see Nisan with a gloomy face, clutching his head, frowning, thinking about daily expenses and worrying about the days ahead.

She very much wanted to help.

But every time she tried to offer help, Nisan would refute her with words like, "What can a child like you do? You'd only make things worse. Go do your homework."

Sometimes, as Nisan spoke, he would even sulk.

Over time, Takee Sashiko dared not bring up these things again.

She feared Nisan would get angry; she feared that mentioning these things would make Nisan feel incompetent.

However.

Everything changed after she discovered the suicide note.

Seeing the contents of the note, an unprecedented wave of regret surged forth.

Takee Sashiko was extremely remorseful.

She regretted that she hadn't persisted in offering help; she regretted that she hadn't gathered her courage to actively share some of Nisan's burden.

Today was Takee Sashiko's most anxious day; since their parents died, she had once again experienced panic and unease.

She was very afraid that Nisan had already committed suicide.

She wanted to go out to search for Nisan.

But she also feared that if Nisan had not committed suicide and returned home to find her gone, it would cause trouble for Nisan.

The entire day.

From morning until night.

Takee Sashiko stayed at home like this, praying that Nisan would not commit suicide, waiting for Nisan to return.

And during the day of waiting, she did not wait idly; she did the housework Nisan used to do, wanting to share some of the pressure with Nisan.

With every chore she did, feeling the exhaustion of housework, Takee Sashiko would cry once.

So... Nisan had given so much; she was truly a fool, a Bai Chi! Why couldn't she have discovered this sooner?

Just like that.

She waited until night, when the night fell.

Looking at the sky, Nisan still had not returned...

Takee Sashiko's heart, like the falling night, was also covered by a layer of darkness.

A darkness named helplessness, panic, regret, self-blame...

As time passed, that darkness grew deeper and deeper.

Just as the darkness was about to reach its critical point, Takee Sashiko finally heard that sound she had longed for most: the sound of the door opening, and the words she most wanted to hear, "I'm home."

Without a moment's hesitation.

Takee Sashiko rushed out; because she was too anxious and hurried, she accidentally bumped into a table.

She ignored the pain and ran out on tiptoes.

Seeing Kamikawa Mitsu, the heart Takee Sashiko had been holding in suspense finally settled.

At that moment, she did not cry; she forced back the urge to weep and spoke the words she had silently recited countless times in her heart throughout the day.

Until she reached the last few sentences.

She realized that the tears she had been holding back had already fallen, and the tears could not be stopped.

And when she reached the very last sentence.

She cried, and her words stopped.

The last sentence she had recited countless times, she did not dare to say.

It was forcibly stuck on the two words "so."

What followed was not spoken.

Because she feared that if she said it, Nisan would know she had read the suicide note, triggering Nisan's emotions, making Nisan feel that his vulnerability was known to his sister, causing the loss of Nisan; she feared her words would bind Nisan, feared she would add to Nisan's burden, feared Nisan would get angry...

Actually.

That sentence was very short.

And very simple:

"So, Nisan, let's work hard and live on together."