"Both of you, hurry up and come downstairs."
I heard my mother's voice calling from downstairs. Was she still looking out for me back then? Anyway, I should get down there quickly. I'll just go along with whatever my parents say and live without thinking too much. I should have done that from the beginning. With these thoughts, I entered the living room and silently started eating my breakfast.
"Kaya, when you're done eating, can you go wake up Yuu?"
"Sure."
I quickly finished my meal, put away my dishes, and headed upstairs. I knocked on the door before entering.
"Sis? You're in there, right? I'm coming in."
Since there was no response, I opened the door. My sister was already awake inside. Even though I was fairly sure she would be, I was still relieved to see her alive. At least it wasn't all for nothing.
"You're already up? Well, consider yourself woken up then."
"Yes, I'm fine now. I was just lost in thought for a bit. I'll be right down, so get ready and wait for me."
"Got it."
I went back to my room and started getting ready. It didn't take long. However, I didn't feel like going downstairs just yet, so I stayed in my room to pass the time. After a while, my sister came to get me.
"You're ready now, right? Let's go."
"Yeah."
We both left the house together. I couldn't remember how we used to walk to school together, but it didn't seem this quiet before. I had no idea what to talk about, so I remained silent. Before I knew it, we had arrived at school without exchanging a word. We went our separate ways to our classrooms, and I sat through a typical day of elementary school classes. The day ended without any issues, and I waited for my sister so we could walk home together. I thought the walk back would be just as silent, but my sister broke the silence.
"Kaya, please wait. Just wait for a moment."
"Did your shoelace come undone? Just tell me, and I'll wait."
"No, it's not that. Just... don't go anywhere, okay? I'll handle everything."
"What? What are you talking about?"
"If you don't understand, that's fine. I'm sorry. Just forget it."
My sister said something strange. What was she talking about? Could it be...? Well, it doesn't matter. I'm just going to do as I'm told from now on. I'll keep going until they decide they don't need me anymore... No, I should stop thinking about that. After that, silence returned, and we walked home.
A few weeks after I had reverted to being a primary school student, my sister came into my room with a gift.
"What's this? A necklace?"
"It's a charm. It's for your academic success and health. See, it's a pendant, so you can carry it with you all the time."
I'd never received something like this before. Why now?
"Thank you. But why?"
"Because you've seemed down lately, Kaya. Listen, always keep this with you, no matter where you go, even to school. It'll definitely bring you good fortune."
"Alright."
The charm was surprisingly heavy for its size. I never expected my sister to rely on something like this. I put the pendant on as instructed. With it tucked under my clothes, it would go unnoticed.
Even so, my troubled thoughts must have shown on my face for my sister to notice. It must have been quite obvious. But I'd forgotten how to smile a long time ago.
Nothing particularly eventful happened after that, and soon it was time for the entrance exams. I had studied as instructed, though not as intensely as before, and as expected, I failed the middle school entrance exam. I had passed it once before, but maybe it just wasn't something I could do.
"Kaya, I heard you didn't pass."
"…Yes."
"How could you fail? How could you not succeed? I provided you with such a perfect environment for studying, and you still couldn't do it! Yuu passed with flying colors!"
My father's angry words left me speechless.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself? Well, there's no point in lamenting now. Next is the high school entrance exam. That school has a combined middle and high school, but you can still enter at the high school level. You'll have to study as if your life depends on it. Understood?"
"Yes, I understand."
"Good. Now get back to your room and study. You're already behind. You'll need to work ten, no, a hundred times harder than everyone else to catch up."
I returned to my room. His reaction was exactly what I expected. I didn't feel sad anymore. In fact, I was grateful he still cared enough to scold me. I wondered how much longer I'd be in his sights—how long until I was no longer needed? I knew I wouldn't accomplish anything, but until the day he finally says he doesn't need me, I'll keep trying.