Himegi-san a Bride from the Future Begs Me to Confess My Love to Her Again - Volume 2 Chapter 1.9

Touka Himegi – Reminiscence 2

That day, I was standing in front of Ouji-kun’s desk.

Yes, unusually—or rather, for the first time, I had something to ask him.

On his desk were cards from a game that my sister often plays.

I spoke to him as he was messing around on his smartphone.

“Ouji-kun, do you have a moment?”

“Wait a sec, just a sec… I’m almost done figuring out a deck recipe to beat Harune-chan.”

“It’s about my sister.”

“…Himegi-san, you have a cute little sister…”

“…Yeah. Thank you for taking care of her.”

“It seems like it’s her second time running away from home.”

He set down his smartphone and looked at me.

If I wasn’t mistaken, there was a definite anger in his eyes.

He probably knew most of the situation from Harune, and he was silently blaming us, who had hurt Harune.

“Isn’t it troublesome for you? I’ll take her home today.”

My sister Harune had run away from home for the second time.

The reason she ran away was because she couldn’t stand watching our parents fight every day.

Naturally, everyone in the house searched for Harune.

I also sought help from my childhood friend, Takashi.

That childhood friend asked for assistance from both his girlfriend Chikada-san and Ouji-kun.

Eventually, Ouji-kun found Harune.

Apparently, he took her into his care when he found her crying in a convenience store parking lot.

And currently, she is being looked after at Ouji-kun’s home.

“…If it’s about troubling us, don’t worry. Harune-chan also says she doesn’t want to go home right now…”

I can’t blame Harune this time.

The reason my sister ran away was entirely because we were not good enough for her.

Looking back, I was always focused on myself.

The one suffering the most was my sister. And yet, I neglected her.

I’m a truly pathetic sister.

I’ve failed as an older sibling——

“I heard from Chikada-san, Ouji-kun, you have a newborn baby at home, don’t you? I can’t possibly bother your family at such a busy time.”

“Don’t worry about that. Winter break starts the day after tomorrow, and I’ll help look after my siblings and Harune-chan.”

To be honest, I didn’t know how to face Harune.

Even though I knew my parents were arguing every day, I chose to turn a blind eye.

I was fed up with everything, and I thought nothing mattered anymore.

But when my sister ran away, I finally woke up to what I should be doing.

“I don’t mean to pry into your family affairs, but according to what Harune-chan told me, you don’t have relatives who could take her in besides your family, do you?”

“Well, our situation is a bit unique…”

“The only family you have, your grandmother, lives in another country, right?”

“…Yes, that’s right. My grandmother lives in a distant country.”

To begin with, we don’t even know where my grandmother lives.

Even if she lived nearby, her house would undoubtedly be a dangerous place.

Rather than sending my sister to such a place…

“…Then I’ll beg you. Could you please take care of my sister during the winter break?”

I bowed deeply.

I felt foolish.

It wasn’t the act of bowing my head that bothered me. It was realizing that he, whom I had looked down upon as ignorant, was far more mature than I was.

After my sister died, I thought I was the most unfortunate person in the world.

I had been playing the role of a tragic heroine somewhere in my mind.

But that wasn’t the case——

Many people lent their strength for the sake of my little sister.

Despite us rejecting various things, they reached out to us without showing any discomfort.

Neither my sister nor I were lonely.

I had forgotten such simple facts—that people can’t live alone; we live by cooperating with others.

In reality, the one who knew nothing about the world was me.

The one who hadn’t learned anything from my sister’s death was also me.

“I know I’m repeating myself, but you don’t need to worry.”

“Thank you.”

In any case, I must now intervene between my parents and mediate.

With Natsumi-nēsan gone, I am the only one who can hold my estranged parents together.

That’s what I must do now. Otherwise, I can’t face my sister.

“More importantly, Himegi-san…”

“…What is it?”

“I never had the chance to say this… My condolences for your Onē-san.”

This time, he stood up and bowed to me.

“…Thank you.”

“Let me know how I can help. I’m here for you.”

“Thank you.”

“Well, reconciling your parents is important, but you should also make up with him…”

Saying that, he pointed at Takashi.

Upon being pointed at by Ouji-kun, Takashi made an awkward face.

Apparently, he had been eavesdropping on our conversation.

“He’s your childhood friend, right?”

“…Yes.”

“I often fight with Kanako too, but we’ve never been awkward with each other for half a year.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“He was desperately looking for Harune-chan too. I think you have a good childhood friend, Himegi-san.”

We still hadn’t reconciled.

Even though I was the one in the wrong, my foolish pride kept me from apologizing.

“Himegi-san.”

“What is it?”

“…would you like to hold my twins sometime? You may think I’m an overly doting brother, but every day, seeing these tiny lives trying so hard to live makes me think about the preciousness of life.”

He scratched his head awkwardly, clearly embarrassed.

“Well, they still have faces like monkeys.”

“…alright. I would love to hold them too if it’s okay.”

And a few days later, I held his siblings in my hands.

Just as he had said, they were wrinkled and had their eyes closed.

They weren’t the babies I had imagined, but I found these tiny beings to be precious.

Somehow, my tears flowed, my tears spilled out before I knew it.

It reminded me of the time I was allowed to hold my newborn sister, Harune, from my mother.

Back then, I swore with my sister to cherish Harune no matter what.

Even though I had promised to protect her, no matter what happened…

I really am a fool. Out of self-concern, I’ve turned away from what matters most.

This time I’ll keep the promise from that day.

I’ve made nothing but mistakes, but I should still be able to start over.

That vow from that day hasn’t disappeared yet.

On this day, I pledged once more to my late older sister and my living little sister.

I’ll reclaim it. Even though we’ve fallen apart, we should be able to start from zero again.

I’ll restore the bonds of our family.

…This year was a year for me to learn about life and death.