Yon stands motionless, trying to process what has just happened. He feels a wave of sickness and embarrassment wash over him. The wind, which had picked up after Sam's apology, gradually subsides, leaving a stillness in the air. Sam gazes at Yon with concern etched on her face, her eyes filled with longing.
"She just said no," he repeats in his mind, the weight of rejection echoing within him. The words reverberate in Yon's head, repeatedly reminding him of the painful outcome. "Yon, are you okay?" Sam asks, her voice tinged with worry. "She just said no." Yon struggles to comprehend the situation, feeling detached from reality. Sam reaches out and grabs his arms, shaking him vigorously, pulling him back to the present.
"Yon!" she exclaims, trying to break through to him. He turns his head, concealing his face from her view. "I'm sorry," he mumbles, his voice filled with sorrow. Suppressing his tears, he pulls away from Sam, clenching his fist tightly. "I'm so sorry, Sam!" he cries out.
Yon turns around abruptly, rushing towards the rooftop door, tears streaming down his face. Swinging the door open, he stumbles down the stairs, descending as swiftly as possible. Sam calls out to him, but her words fade away unheard—he's already gone. Sam stands alone on the rooftop, her worry for Yon intensifying.
"I never got the chance to share my news..." Yon doesn't halt his running until he reaches home. Sam's rejection plays on a loop in his mind, tormenting him. "Idiot! Idiot!" he thinks to himself.
He continues to sob uncontrollably, stumbling along the street towards his house. Upon reaching home, he quickly removes his shoes and ascends the staircase, almost slipping on the newly cleaned wood. Kanna, Yon's sister, notices his arrival from the kitchen and warmly greets him, only to be met with silence and indifference."Welcome home, big brother!" There is no response, only the sound of a slamming door.
"I wonder what's wrong with my big brother..." Kanna Kinichi is an average-sized girl with a plump figure, sharing the same red eyes and brown hair as her older brother. She possesses a more reserved and gentle demeanor, both in terms of personality and appearance. Kanna takes on household chores, cooking, and acts as a surrogate mother, providing support to Yon whenever she can.
"Well, I need to finish dinner. I'll check on him later." Kanna returns to her cooking, feeling hurt by her brother's rude disregard. Meanwhile, upstairs, Yon sits lost in thoughts, pondering what he may have done wrong and whether Sam now harbors animosity towards him.
An hour passes.
"Yon! Dinner is ready!" Kanna calls out. Yon fails to respond to Kanna's call, further frustrating her. "Hmph! Coming home and not saying a word to me... I prepare his favorite dishes, and he simply ignores me? Not acceptable!" She marches upstairs, along the hallway, and forcefully knocks on Yon's door. "Get up, sulky pants! I've put in a lot of effort into tonight's dinner, and you will join me!"
Once again, she receives no response, igniting her anger even further. Overwhelmed by her emotions, Kanna bursts into his room, forcefully pushing the door open. The room is shrouded in darkness, with a faint silhouette nestled beneath a blanket. Yon is lying beneath it, now terrified by his sister's unexpected intrusion.
"Dinner is ready, Yon." she says fiercely. Yon peeks out from under his blanket, perspiration dotting his forehead, and his eyes red from crying. "Just calm down, okay... I've had a rough day." Kanna gazes at him, her eyes filled with suspicion, unconvinced by his emotional plea. She walks toward him, Yon instinctively pulling the blanket back over his head for protection. Kanna seizes the opportunity, yanking the blanket off him. Beneath it lies a despondent figure of a man. She grins, her expression tinged with mischief, and seizes Yon by his legs, pulling him out of bed.
"No, Kanna, stop! STOP!" Yon pleads with his sister, but she ignores him, dragging him through the hallways and down the stairs, his head bumping against each step. "You're going to eat dinner with me and tell me what happened today! Okay?!" she demands.
Yon cries out in pain, his head and face now marked with bruises, desperately wishing for this ordeal to end. "Yes, ma'am..." he cries out. They both sit at the dinner table, Yon gently rubbing his head for comfort. Kanna places a plate of steak and rice curry in front of him. Despite the pain, a faint smile tugs at Yon's lips as he catches the delightful aroma of her cooking.
"Thank you for the food..." he mumbles happily. Kanna smiles, appreciating his interest in her culinary creation. She takes a seat, setting a plate for herself, and joins him for dinner. The two poke at their meals, Yon feeling embarrassed about the events of the day, while Kanna patiently waits for him to reveal what happened. After a prolonged silence, her curiosity gets the better of her.
"So, what had you so upset?" she asks directly. Yon stops absentmindedly prodding at his food, looking up to see his sister's intense gaze fixed upon him, waiting for an explanation. He sighs and gives in. "Fine, I did something stupid," he says casually.
"Shocker," she mocks.
"Do you want me to tell you or not?!" he responds, annoyance clear in his voice. Kanna chuckles at his outburst. "Yes, yes, tell me," she says happily. Yon sighs once more, collecting himself. His tone becomes more serious, and Kanna takes notice of the shift in his demeanor. "I finally confessed to Sam," he blurts out quickly.
Kanna chokes on her curry, surprised by the unexpected revelation during their meal. "Ac- You- Ac- You what?" she utters. Yon sits there with a flushed face, deeply embarrassed about having to confess his actions. Kanna initially thinks he's joking, but soon realizes he is being serious. "He's serious... and judging by how he came home, it didn't go well."
She ponders for a moment, considering her response, while Yon remains slumped in his chair, dejected by Sam's answer. Unable to find the right words, Kanna rises from her seat. Lost in his thoughts, Yon fails to notice her actions. She approaches him and wraps her arms around him suddenly, taking him completely by surprise.
"W-What are you doing?" he asks, his confusion evident. "Comforting you?" she responds, her uncertainty mirroring his. "What—?" He cuts himself off.
He sits there, embraced by Kanna's tight hug, utterly bewildered. Yon recalls a time when he had to console his sister, who was being harassed by an older man at a park when they were younger. He had stepped in to protect her, and afterward, they held each other tightly, with Kanna shedding tears into his chest. Yon smiles, realizing how much Kanna cares about him. He notices that tonight's dinner was his favorite, as if she had an instinct that his day would be challenging.
"Thank you, Kanna." he says lovingly.
The two continue to hold each other for a moment longer. Yon feels a sense of comfort but also a lingering sense of foolishness for coming home and ignoring his wonderful sister. Eventually, Kanna releases him and returns to her chair to finish her curry. Yon joins her, and they eat their meal in peaceful companionship. Once they finish, Kanna cleans up, but Yon interrupts her.
"Let me take care of this for you. I was very rude tonight."
"O-Oh, okay," she responds awkwardly.
Yon takes the plates that Kanna had already gathered and proceeds to gather the rest of the dishes from the dinner table. He places them in the sink, also taking the pots and pans that Kanna had used. Kanna watches her brother wash the dishes from the living room, reflecting on the time they first arrived at their small home.
It was last year, right after their high school graduation. The siblings had been staying with their grandmother, Mayumi, who had fallen seriously ill. They spent almost every day and night at the hospital, filled with worry that it could be her last. After a month of this heartbreaking routine, their grandmother passed away peacefully in her sleep late one night. The loss deeply devastated the Kinichi siblings, and they mourned her for a long time, with their absent parents nowhere to be found.
Following a funeral filled with grief, a man approached them with an envelope, claiming it was entrusted to him as part of their grandmother's will. "Your grandmother entrusted this to me for you, young adults. Please take it," the man said with confidence.
Curious and somewhat skeptical, they accepted the peculiar envelope from the mysterious man, who promptly left. Kanna and Yon were astonished to discover a letter from their grandmother inside, in which she had entrusted several items to her grandchildren. The letter read:
"Dear Yon and Kanna, if you are reading this, I have reached the end of my journey. I deeply regret not being able to be there for you both as much as I wanted. Please accept my sincere apologies. I have left you with ample resources to start your lives independently from your neglectful parents. At the bottom of this envelope, you will find a key to a small home I purchased for you near Utopia College. I urge you to pursue your education and work diligently. I have also left each of you two hundred and fifty thousand Yen. Your grandfather and I worked hard to secure your future. I will miss you dearly and hold you in my heart forever. With love, Mayumi Kinichi."
The siblings were stunned as they read the heartfelt words of their grandmother. Yon turned the envelope upside down, and a small key fell out, along with two additional envelopes. They opened the envelopes, revealing the promised amount of Yen. They exchanged amazed glances, their minds swirling with disbelief. Hours later, they stood before their new home, meticulously clean and fully furnished. The open-plan kitchen and living area flowed seamlessly, with a cozy dining space nestled between them. A grand staircase in the entryway led upstairs to two bedrooms and a compact bathroom. Overwhelmed by the reality of it all, the siblings embraced each other, expressing their gratitude to their beloved grandmother.
Kanna sat, reminiscing about the events of the past year, her thoughts filled with admiration for her grandmother and appreciation for Yon's unwavering support during their shared loss. Now, it was her turn to be there for him. "Thank you, Grandma." she whispered to herself.
After a few minutes, Yon finished washing the dishes and made his way to the living room, where Kanna was engrossed in her phone. "I think I'm going to bed now," he said, exhaustion clear in his voice. Kanna looked up from her phone and glanced at the time before standing up. "I'll join you! It's getting late."
The two siblings ascended the stairs together, stopping at their bedroom doors. "Goodnight, Kanna, and thank you again... for always being there." Yon said graciously. Kanna blushed and smiled at her brother's words. "Goodnight, big brother," she replied cheerfully.
They entered their respective bedrooms and settled into their beds. Yon contemplated what the next day would bring, his anxiety slowly dissipating as he grew confident that Sam would understand his impulsive confession. In Kanna's room, she continued to mull over the situation, slightly concerned about the reason behind Sam's rejection. "They were always so close... I wonder what caused her to turn him down?"
Kanna's mind was full of thoughts and questions, but eventually she drifted off to sleep, looking out at the night sky, the full moon glowing through the clouds.