Hoshino POV:
After closing the door to my Sister's room, I sluggishly made my way downstairs. Even through my multiple layers of clothing, a biting chill crept up my spine. I rubbed my arms. But no matter what I did, the cold never went away.
Argh, this sucks.
The facade I had put on in front of my sister began to crumble as I slowly descended the stairs.
I'm such… a vile human being.
I tightly clenched my hand around the railing. Scenes of playing the reliable older Brother flashed in my mind with each passing step.
A dry chuckle slipped past my lips.
Take a look at this guy… what a load of crap.
How ironic is it that the guy who never takes any chances is the one telling my sister to take a chance?
"I'll always be with you."
"You can count on me."
I'm telling my sister to depend on someone else when I don't even do that myself.
I'm nothing but a filthy hypocrite. I can't be the one to support her. She needs someone who believes in what they are saying—not some phony like me.
That's why… I despise myself.
My toe collided with something, snapping me out of my thoughts. I glanced down in agitation. Before I knew it, I'd reached the garbage bin. My eyes unfocused as I stared into the trash.
Maybe… I'll just throw it all out.
I clenched the bag in my hand and tossed it into the garbage.
I turned back toward the stairs and climbed them in a daze. The walk up was a lot easier compared to going down.
Eventually, I made it into my room. I closed the door behind me, letting the darkness completely swallow the space.
For the first time today, I was finally alone.
I stood at the center of my room motionless. With the darkness of my room hiding me from the outside, I collapsed onto the floor.
I wonder what Lily thinks of me now…
Does she think that I'm such a cool and reliable older brother? Will she be depending on me from now on?
At the thought, my shoulders relaxed—just a little.
The realization hit me a second later. My eyes widened, causing my entire body to tense. I bit the inside of my mouth, the metallic taste of iron tainting my tongue.
Holy shit… I'm so fucking disgusting.
Was I just… relieved that she would think of me that way? No—do I want to be seen that way?
I covered my face with both hands, trying to hide even from the darkness shielding me.
Don't get carried away. You don't deserve this happiness. And she can't depend on you forever—she has to grow up eventually.
My sister's smile as she left to get the chopsticks flashed through my mind. My arms slowly fell limp at my sides. It felt like I couldn't even see the darkness engulfing my room anymore.
That's right… She's already growing up.
She won't need me anytime soon. But… It's better this way. If anything, I should be happy for her. Finally, the thorn on my side—my Sister—will leave me alone.
Thank god…
I tried to force a smile on my face, but that smile never reached my heart.
I pushed myself off the ground and slowly walked over to my bed. I collapsed onto the mattress, letting my entire body sink into it. I closed my eyes.
In the darkness of my mind, a familiar voice reached out to me.
"You had a fun time."
"It was short, but it's time to put it to an end."
"We both know that it can't be like this."
"So, what are you going to do?"
I gripped the bedsheet.
"I'll do what I've been doing this whole time."
"Good answer."
I felt my consciousness slowly being swept away by the embrace of sleep.
The voice called out to me one last time before fading away.
"When you wake up tomorrow, everything will be as it should be."
My consciousness faded away…
Suddenly, the sound of my door being opened pierced my ears, pulling me back to the waking world. My eyes shot open, and I quickly sat up in bed.
I turned my head to the door and saw that my Sister was standing there, a meek expression on her face.
Noticing my reaction, she grabbed her arm and let out a quiet, embarrassed laugh.
"Hahaha… sorry, did I wake you up?"
My mind was still catching up, but my body moved on instinct. It forced out an annoyed sigh and glared at my sister.
"Don't you know what time it is?"
My sister took out her phone and checked the time.
"Uh… one in the morning?" she said with a blank expression on her face, as if nothing was wrong.
I scoffed.
"Don't you see the problem here?"
"No."
By then, my thoughts had finally caught up.
"Why the hell are you in my room this late at night? Go to sleep."
At that, my Sister grew restless. Her eyes darted around the room, like she was trying to dodge the topic.
"Hurry up or go back."
Lily flinched, her eyes returning to me.
"Okay… "
She took a deep breath.
"C-can I sleep in your room tonight? I'm scared…."
I was left dumbfounded for a moment.
"...What?"
Scared? What is she talking about? Is she talking about Mom? But Mom wouldn't do anything this late at night.
"What do you mean, scared? Scared of what?"
She hung her head, pausing for a moment.
"P-promise me that you're not going to laugh…"
I sighed.
"I don't make promises I can't keep. Just hurry up and say it."
She tightened the grip on her arm before blurting out, "G-GHOSTS!"
I stared at her blankly, blinking a few times. My mind, which had just begun to catch up, became lost once more.
"Ghosts?..."
"Yes! There's something in my room, so I don't wanna sleep there tonight! So, lemme stay here! Pleaseeeeee."
Lily has been scared of things like ghosts ever since we were little, so her showing up at my door wasn't new. Still… she hasn't done this since we were kids. I guess it's just one of those nights…
"Fine, hurry up."
Her eyes widened. There was a hint of excitement and relief that gleamed in her eyes.
Without waiting another second, she walked into my room with light steps and closed the door.
I reluctantly got off the bed, pillow and blanket in hand, and fell to the floor. My sister tilted her head questioningly as she saw this.
"...What are you doing?"
"Sleeping on the floor. You can sleep on the bed."
Before she could say anything else, I interrupted her.
"Shut up, stop wasting more of my time. Night."
I turned my back towards her and closed my eyes. A subtle smile formed on my face, but she wouldn't be able to see it.
I didn't know exactly what happened next, but based on what I could hear, it sounded like Lily let out a little scoff and headed to the bed.
The last thing I heard before my mind faded was a small "Thank goodness…"