I Promised to Make the Class Honor Student My 'Little Sister'. It Seems She Wants to Be Spoiled a Lot - Volume 1 Chapter 12.2

Me, Putting My Body on the Line for My “Sister,” Facing Reality

“…*cough*, *cough*!”

Overwhelmed by an unbearable cough, I woke up in the middle of the night.

Sitting up, I coughed for a while before checking the clock, which showed just past two.

“…*cough*!! This is definitely bad…”

This isn’t just a sore throat.

It feels deeper, like the cough is bubbling up from even further inside my body.

Also, I’ve sweated so much that my pajama T-shirt is drenched and uncomfortable.

“──Ryu-kun?”

While I was sitting in bed coughing… Ao, who had been lying with her upper body on the bed, looked up at me worriedly.

“Sorry, Ryu-kun.”

Immediately, Ao slipped her hand inside my chest and wedged a thermometer under my arm.

Her arm touched my bare skin during this process.

I was startled by the cool sensation and how unnaturally smooth it felt, but…

More than that… I could feel Ao’s hand trembling.

“──39.8 degrees? This is definitely too high…”

Even as I sat there dazed,

Ao pulled out the thermometer and quickly stood up from the bed.

“For now, I’ll go wake up Yukari-nee. Just wait a bit, Ryu-kun.”

And with that, Ao dashed out of the room.

“This is too much──*cough*! *cough* *cough*!!”

The moment I tried to call out to stop her──a sharp pain shot through the middle of my chest.

Bent over from the intense pain and unending cough,

All I could do was… wait for Ao to return.

──Then, not even thirty minutes had passed,

Based on Yukari’s judgment, she called 119.

And before I knew it, I was being rushed──into an ambulance.

Ah… It’s my first time inside an ambulance.

Lately, I’ve been experiencing a lot of firsts. Like the “family contract”, jumping into rivers.

Thinking about such trivial matters──I turned my head to the right.

Outside the ambulance, Yukari was talking to a paramedic.

And standing beside her, Ao was looking at me with a face like she was about to cry.

“Pneumonia is a possibility.”

The voice of the paramedic talking to Yukari sounded strangely clear.

“There’s also a possibility of hospitalization. We’ve confirmed that Inaba Central General Hospital can take you right now──”

──Inaba Central General Hospital?

The moment I heard that name, my mind cleared instantly… and I shouted at the paramedic.

“It’s okay; you don’t have to take me to the hospital!”

The paramedic looked at me wide-eyed.

But… my resolve didn’t waver.

“I felt bad until just now, but I’m much better! It’s not something that needs──”

“Don’t say something so stupid!!”

With a voice even louder than mine──Ao screamed.

“…Ao?”

“What if you died!? Coughing so much, with such a high fever… What if something happened to you… Please, value your own life…”

Tears began spilling from Ao’s big eyes, drop by drop.

Ao’s usually bright red lips were trembling as if they were freezing.

The always calm and caring Ao,

My “younger sister” who’s pure and innocent when it’s just the two of us.

Seeing her make such a sad face──.

And realizing how my words had hurt Ao, I was filled with regret.

Signing the mysterious “Family Contract”,

Getting carried away thinking I understood Ao and her family.

It’s no good, after all.

Maybe I’m just not cut out for this whole “family” thing.

“…Ah… Ryu-kun, you’re so transparent, you know?”

As I sank deep into despair,

Yukari stood up and approached where I was sitting on the bed.

“Want me to guess what you’re thinking? ‘I didn’t realize Ao had such trauma. I’m no good. I’ve lost confidence in being a “family”…’ Something like that, right?”

“…Yukari, are you a psychic? That’s actually scary.”

“Sorry to disappoint. Just your “twin”.”

She said jokingly and then hugged me, laughing.

“Understanding someone else’s feelings or thoughts 100% is impossible forever. Because I and everyone else are different beings. Blood relations mean nothing here. Thinking you understand a blood-related family member 100% is… just arrogance.”

Then, she abruptly let go of me.

Turning her back to me, she continued.

“So… it’s okay not to understand everything. If you have time to regret what you didn’t notice, think about what you’ll do next. That’s how little by little, the connection of hearts becomes stronger──that’s why we are “family.”

──A contract exchanged with ink thicker than blood.

──A connection of hearts stronger than blood relations.

When I signed the “Family Contract” with the Kakogawa family,

I remember my chest swelling with excitement.

──And now, the words Yukari shared.

They were enough to remind me of the feelings I had back then.

“Then, I’ll head back for now. Ao and the rest will probably come to visit later, so rest up, okay?”

“Ah, thanks… Yukari.”

Yukari, still with her back to me, waved her hand flippantly.

To her, I voiced a question I had been pondering for a while.

“Hey, Yukari. Like I seem to hate my blood relations, do you… hate blood ties too?”

Yukari stopped in her tracks.

Without turning around, she responded casually.

“Actually, I’ve been raised in an orphanage since middle school.”

“…Eh?”

Caught off guard by her unexpected statement, I was at a loss for words.

Without paying much mind to my reaction, Yukari continued.

“Ah. Not like Ao and Kizuna, not due to death or anything. Both my parents are probably alive somewhere. I don’t know.”

She said indifferently, almost coldly, and then began walking again.

“Well, that’s how it is. So, I can understand how you feel… If you ever have trouble, feel free to talk to me anytime, my “twin”.”

After Yukari left the room,

I lay back down and stared at the white ceiling.

“…I really thought I understood, but I didn’t know anything.”

Neither Ao’s trauma from losing someone,

Nor Yukari’s feelings about her severed family ties.

And probably… whatever Kizuna is going through too.

I really don’t understand anything. It’s truly shameful.

But, as Yukari said──there’s no time to regret what I didn’t notice.

“…I heard you were diagnosed with pneumonia. But you seem to be doing quite well.”

────That’s when it happened.

A particularly unfriendly, low, and dark voice reached my ears.

The moment I heard that voice, I felt sick to my stomach.

But still,

Gathering all my energy, I sat up and turned towards the entrance of the room.

“…What are you doing here, Dad?”

There stood an older man with thick glasses.

His hair, tinged with white, and his stern face, gave off an unyielding impression.

Yes, that was──my father, Takato Okina.