"Just a little bit more…!" I said as I forced my legs to run and run, my breathing almost becoming inaudible and and running almost becoming wobbly.
The sweat that came out of my body became more thick, supposedly from the drink that I had from that lady earlier. I couldn't thank her enough for this. The next time I see her, I'm immediately going to kneel before her.
I saw the lights that was illuminated by the station. There were tons of people leaving the station, yet not one was wearing a white one piece with a sun hat on, carrying a basket.
"Damn it, is she really not here…?"
I was almost running out of energy. The running I did really did take a toll on me, and I could probably collapse right now.
Yet again, I had no leads. She wasn't anywhere to be seen, and my time is already running out.
My thoughts was hazy. My mind was blank. My vision was wobbly, and my feet was shaking. Any more than this and it would be a serious issue not just for Yuumi, but for me as well.
I went ahead and walked towards the station. Just when I did, though, I saw what I ought to have lost.
There was a girl who was wearing a blue jacket, with a while one piece inside and a sun hat, carrying a basket. That is for sure, my little sister. However, what I saw next infuriated me.
There was a man right next to him. My thoughts, which was hazy, suddenly became engulfed in rage. I couldn't think of anything else. All I could think of was protect Yuumi.
And so, without a moment's notice, disregarding even the energy that was already drained from my body, I ran up to them. And then, I did something I would never do.
I punched the man in the face.
The force of my punch made him tumble over and fall on his back. I sat down on his chest and started punching his face thoughtlessly. That was all I did.
I couldn't think of anything else. My mind was empty, and I couldn't feel anything coming inside of me. The only thoughts that entered me was protection.
Second by second. The man struggled to fight me off, and I could see his mouth moving, as if saying something to me. But my mind was much too strayed from reality to even hear a single thing that he said. All I wanted to do was protect Yuumi.
My mind was fading away. My thoughts were being thrown left and right, up to the point I didn't know who even I was.
"Yuu-nii!" someone called out in a high pitched voice.
My senses became sharp. My thought process became normal, my vision became clear, and my body, although shaking, went back to its former state. And as I did, there was something much more important in front of me.
"…What have I done…?"
"It seems like he's in stable condition," the doctor said, handing me some tea. "He should wake up around a day or two. He'll be immediately consulted to a psychiatrist the moment he wakes up, and then be discharged."
After that, the doctor left.
We were currently in the hospital.
It was truly unexpected. Yuu-nii suddenly ran up to both me and Kentarou-san, and punched him straight in the face. I was too surprised and scared at the same time, but I somehow pulled myself together and called out for him. After that…
"Damn, your brother sure did a number on me," Kentarou-san said, badges and patches all over his face. "Never expected him to go on a rampage, though."
When I called out to Yuu-nii, he suddenly lost consciousness. He fell right on top of Kentarou-san's body, and his face was somewhat teared up like he just cried.
Miraculously, Kentarou-san managed to endure Yuu-nii's punches. It was a painful experience for Kentarou-san, and I'm worried about him. Thankfully, he was okay, and even though he was the one who got hurt, he still insisted to carry Yuu-nii in this hospital, albeit struggling to keep his own body upright .
"I truly apologize for Yuu-nii's sudden violence towards you," I said, bowing my head apologetically. "…Are you going to start hating him now…?"
Somehow, Yuu-nii managed to become friends with Kentarou-san. He's a fellow friend and classmate, so I didn't know what possessed Yuu-nii to suddenly just do what he did earlier.
"Hate him?" Kentarou-san asked. "Nah, I wouldn't blame him. He's my friend and all, and I'm pretty sure I've also found the reason why he did that to me in the first place."
Although his smile was rather forced, he still kept talking.
"Y'see, I don't have any little siblings; just an older brother. That's why, whenever my brother goes into a fight and gets badly injured, I don't really mind him all that much. He's older than me, and he can protect himself. However, put that in reverse with me getting all beaten up, then that's his cue to go and avenge me. You're in a pretty similar case, Yuumi-chan. Yuuji was just worried about you."
"But if you're his friend, then he wouldn't have done that to you…"
There's no way that Yuu-nii would just beat up someone for being close to me.
"I, uh, actually have a reason why he did that. Probably related to a recent club problem that he got roped into."
"Eh? But he never gets roped into any problems," I said. "And after his graduation from junior high, he said to me himself that he wouldn't join any clubs until his second-year. Why would he suddenly reconsider…"
After realizing how much of a burden it was joining a club, he didn't feel the need to join another one in senior high.
The reason he said he'll join one in the second-year was because after I'd graduate from Taka Junior High, I'll immediately enroll in this school. That would mean we'll get to spend more time together, and joining a club would improve the effect much further. I'm not complaining, as I also want to be in his company.
"Oh, you're misunderstanding something, Yuumi-chan," Kentarou-san said. "He isn't on any clubs. I think it was more of a request from a certain club member of mine."
"…"
So he was going at it again. Ever since that day, he's always had soft spots for anyone and everyone. He treated everyone equally, whether it'd be ally or foe. I guess he couldn't hold it in again after a few weeks.
"He just really can't hold himself, Yuu-nii…," I muttered.
"Anyways, I'm gonna stay at a nearby hotel for now," Kentarou-san said. "Seems like the trains closed for now. I'm not gonna be able to go back home, and even if I could, I wouldn't want to show this face in front of my parents."
"Oh, okay…"
He stood up and took his jacket from a coat hanger. As he did, he said something to me one final time.
"One more thing. If Yuuji wakes up, tell him I forgive him, and thanks for getting back to me."
I didn't get the entire premise of what Kentarou-san had just said, but it's none of my business, so all I could do was nod at him. He left shortly after, and I was left alone in the waiting room.
This didn't make any sense. Why would Yuu-nii suddenly attack his friend? Kentarou-san said that it might be related to something personal, but even then, he wouldn't just punch someone if that matter was as little as trivial.
If there was some other force at work here, then I might need to force myself to call my parents. This might just be a sign that the person that caused Yuu-nii's wreckage in his childhood, the one who ruined his life, Ryuuji, is coming back.
I'm really worried about his condition right now. After twelve whole years, if he decides to come back again…
"…Just be safe, Yuu-nii."
And so, the next day passed. Yuu-nii was still not waking up, as expected, and there was currently nothing to do. I went home yesterday to bring some clothes for Yuu-nii to wear when he wakes up, since his current clothes weren't really much.
I'm also extremely worried. Today was a Sunday, and despite the time we spent together happily in that picnic we had yesterday, the next following events were something I was not expecting.
That's not just part of my worry, though. I'm still trying to contemplate whether Yuu-nii is still him or not, and that bothers me. It still hasn't left my mind since yesterday's events.
There was still nothing to do. It's already 7:13 am, and all I've done after I've woken up was just watch after Yuu-nii after I had breakfast. I also brought some manga and light novels, but unlike at home, I usually don't read them out in public, even if I'm in a private room. I also had my smartphone, but I never actually used it for entertainment. I've only ever used it to communicate with Yuu-nii whenever we were apart.
"…"
I picked up my smartphone, opened the dialler app, and then clicked on Miku-chan-senpai's number. After a few rings, she eventually picked up.
"Akiyama residence, this is Miku speaking," she said, her voice hoarse even through the speaker. She must've just woken up.
"Hello, Miku-chan-senpai? This is Yuumi."
"Ah, Yuumi-chan. What's happening for you to call me so early on a weekend?"
Her voice really just sounded like an old person.
I explained to her about last night's events, and as I did, I heard her getting ready to start the day. There was the sound of running water, munching down food, and brushing teeth. After a bit, I finally finished explaining.
"So that's about it," I said.
"Well, for starters, that sure is rare," she said, her voice sounding much better. "I've never seen Yuuji mad, nor have I even heard about it. And to the person that he always spends his time on school to boot."
There was certainly something wrong with that. Even Miku-chan-senpai, a person that I had just met for a few weeks, could easily read Yuu-nii. That applies for me, too.
"He's waking up tomorrow, right?" she asked.
"It's still not certain, but there is a probability."
If he were to end up waking tomorrow, a Monday, then he would have to miss a school day, exactly like last week. If he were to wake up today, then that'll be a relief. I just hope he wakes up, or I might need to skip school to look after him again.
"I'll come over. Seems like it'd be too much of a hassle to take care of him, right?"
"You don't have to do that…"
"Come on, just think of it as a worry of a friend. Besides, I want to see Yuuji's sleeping face. I can't usually see it whenever I'm sleeping over, since I'm always the first one to go to sleep."
That was a riduculous reason that even Yuu-nii would agree with me. But just like him, I giggled and then answer.
"Do whatever you want," I said, my mood lightened up for a bit.