As the pain faded and consciousness returned to my body, I slowly opened my eyes—the ceiling in front of me was unseen, the room was dark, and the air seemed to smell of potions, not very strong, but still uncomfortable.

The room was quiet, except for the sound of the clock hands turning on the wall next to it. On the cabinet is the calendar, and the magnifying glass next to it. There's also a printer-like instrument.

I don't know what it's called or what it's for, but it's working right now. From time to time, a slight electronic sound is emitted...... Then I turned my gaze back to the ceiling for a moment, and then I saw my sister sitting in a chair next to me, as if she was asleep.

That defenseless and somewhat cute sleeping face can't help but make people want to pinch it. But now, even if I could think so, I wouldn't have the strength to do so. So, I could only close my eyes slightly, trying to reconnect the memories that had come to an abrupt end after that. "Huh? Wait, what happened after that? ”

However, whenever I try to pick up pieces of bits and pieces from the ground and try to put them back together, my thinking always goes blank in the middle. No matter how hard I try to think about it, I can't remember how I got to the hospital.

"I remember Natsume jumping from the window with me in her arms and ......"

Then I tried to think about it again, but I still couldn't remember. It was as if this part of the memory had been uprooted and completely erased from my mind. Sensing this, my expression couldn't help but be a little depressed. "Forget it, ask me Natsume later—"

Thinking so, I rolled over, and the sky outside the window began to light up. In the distance, the horizon melted with the dawn. Little by little, the night is cleared...... Seeing this, I couldn't help but sigh and try to move my body a little, but my shoulders were as heavy as lead. Even, there is a faint pain.

Suddenly, I didn't dare to move anymore, so I stared at the lights hanging from the corner of the ceiling, listening to the sound of the clock hands turning on the wall, waiting for the time to pass slowly. Finally, the moment it pointed to 7, Natsume finally woke up.

Then, he raised his hands above his head and stretched, and the sound of an instant was as if he hadn't woken up yet. Rubbing his eyes, he slowly looked over to me. Suddenly, the eyes met. "Good morning."

I tried to say hello in my usual voice, but it was a little hoarse. "Brother, you're finally awake!" At this time, Natsume immediately got up from his chair and walked over to take my hand and said. The voice was slightly excited, and the eyes seemed to be sparkling.

Her hand was shaking slightly as she held my hand. Sensing this, I was stunned for a moment, and my expression stiffened as if there was a delay. "Looks like you're worried." As I spoke, I pulled my hand back with some embarrassment. At the same time, the voice is a little awkward.

"That doesn't matter! Anyway, it's good that you wake up. Suddenly, Natsume shook his head, and there seemed to be a cry in his voice. I'm really, really scared, what if you don't wake up, brother—"

"Now you, even if you can live without me, right?"

At this time, I couldn't help but look at her face as if I was joking. "I'm a burden to you right now, so it's better to throw it away as soon as possible—" "Brother! "However, before I could finish speaking, I was interrupted by Natsume in a very stern voice." If you say something like that again, I'm really going to be angry! As she spoke, she grabbed the sheets with her hands and clenched her fists.

"Natsume ......"

She was staring at me very seriously now, and I couldn't help but wince for a moment. Then, she could only turn her face to the other side that she couldn't see. "I'm really going to be angry! Word! I kid you not! ”

This is the first time I've seen Natsume get angry in my memory, and it's still me. "I'm sorry." So, I couldn't help but sigh and turned my face to her again, and then, at the moment when my eyes slowly met, I honestly apologized. "Really!"

At this time, Natsume looked at my face with an expression that he couldn't stand it, and after a while he sighed again. The voice seemed a little disappointed...... Suddenly, I could only pretend to be stupid and laugh a few times. Reach down and unbutton the last few buttons on the edge of the cuffs of the gown.

"How many days did I sleep?"

Then, a little bluntly changed the subject. "3 days—" Natsume had just finished speaking, and the door to the ward was gently pushed open. The doctor who appeared there beckoned to her. Then, he turned his face away from me and smiled.

"Will you lend me your sister for a while?"

Instantly, I was a little flustered and didn't know what to say. "Hahaha......" At this time, the expression of confusion couldn't help but make Natsume leak a series of laughter. Then, brother, I'll go a little bit—"

"Hmmm......"

I was stunned for a moment, then nodded nervously. Then, Natsume followed the doctor out of the room, through the hallway, towards his office at the end. "Doctor—" Then, the two men who stepped into the room sat down facing each other across their desks. "How does it feel?"

The doctor reached out and took off his glasses, put them next to him, and suddenly looked at Natsume's face with a serious expression. "Doctor, can I keep my injury a secret for the time being? I'm afraid my brother will be worried. ”

After speaking, Natsume reached out and picked up the mug in front of him, held it in front of him, hesitated, lowered his eyes slightly and took a sip. Then put it back in the coaster. The sound was unusually clear in the room, where there was no sound at all.

"Okay."

"Really?!" Suddenly, Natsume, whose voice was a little excited, stood up from his chair. The expression that had been tense until just now was finally soothed...... At this point, she couldn't help but look at her right shoulder, then smiled a little awkwardly, and sat down again.

- "Actually, I am now wearing a thick bandage from my right shoulder to my flank. The entire right half of his body is almost unconscious. —How could this kind of thing be said to my brother. Once he knew, he would definitely blame himself again.

"Now, do you feel any discomfort?"

"Huh?"

The words of the doctor in front of him instantly pulled back Natsume's thoughts that were drifting farther and farther away. "No?" She was stunned for a moment, blinking her eyes a few times before whispering. The voice was a little timid. "Really? Does that hurt? ”

Natsume shook her head again. Suddenly, the doctor's expression was a little depressed. "Excuse me......" The voice of self-muttering made people a little worried. Doctor, don't worry. It's a lot easier! ”

At this time, Natsume interrupted him in a cheerful voice. Then, he waved his fist a few more times in front of him. "I've felt very lucky to be sitting here talking to you like this. Don't feel sorry for me......"

After saying that, Natsume got up from his chair and bowed to the doctor with a very serious expression. "Thank you!"

"Actually, at that time, if there were no passers-by to help, we would have been in danger!" Then, Natsume, who returned to the ward, tilted his head and tried to remember while telling me. The voice is quite serious. "Really, thank them so much......"

Then, with an expression like an exclamation, he whispered to himself. Then, turning his face out of sight, he sniffed a few times. "Actually, I heard this from the doctor."

"Just now?"

Suddenly, my voice was a little confused. "That's right—" Natsume smiled back at me. "The doctor also said that it was unbelievable that we could all be alive......" Now, Natsume's expression is the same as before, no different from usual.

I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. So, the two of us talked about something that didn't have any nutrition...... In short, I don't want to let the atmosphere cool down. "Speaking of which, how is Lola—" I naturally brought up her.

"I don't know."

"Huh?" Suddenly, I was stunned for a long time, and my eyes narrowed to catch my sister's gaze. "How could you not know?" Even the leaking sound is a little strange. Natsume sighed, not listening at all. Got up from his chair and took an apple from the shopping bag that was sitting on the cabinet next to me, with his back to me.

"Do you want to eat?"

As she spoke, she picked up the apple in her hand and shook it proudly in front of my eyes. "I just bought it at the convenience store downstairs!" Then, say it in a confident voice. "No, I'm not hungry right now."

"Really?"

In an instant, Natsume's attitude became very cold, as if he was making a fuss, and he didn't bother to look at me...... Next, take out the knife for peeling from the pocket on the inside of your coat, skillfully remove the peel little by little, and throw it into the trash can not far from your feet.

"Brother, look! Hey, hey, hey...... I'm amazing! Just as she had a whole, undamaged apple, she asked in a voice that seemed to show off to me. At this moment, the door to the ward was pushed open again. Walking in were a few uncles with very serious expressions.

After greeting me, he called Natsume out.

I was a little curious about what they were talking about, but I couldn't hear it from such a distance. So, I had no choice but to give up. "What? ......" At the same time, a little further at the end of the hallway, around the corner not far from the foyer, Natsume was startled by what he had heard.

"...... dead? How could it be! This kind of thing ......! ”

The uncles looked at each other, and suddenly they didn't know how to continue. At this time, their expressions were also sad, but their voices were still calm. "And—" Then he handed Natsume, who had taken a few steps back and was barely able to stand against the wall, a shopping bag.

"It's something found in her house."

The moment she reached out to take it, she noticed that her hand was shaking violently, and hurriedly pressed it with her other hand. But even if it did, it didn't alleviate much. "Well, we'll have to go back and investigate......"

"Thank you......"

Although his voice trembled so much that he couldn't even finish a sentence, Natsume, who reached out to wipe away his tears with his fingers, still said thank you to their backs. Then, solemnly, bowed.

"Brother, Sister Lola has ......" Immediately after, when she returned to the ward, she finally couldn't help but start crying, tears kept falling, but Natsume didn't even mean to wipe it. Instead, let them land at your feet again and again......

"Really......?" At this time, I couldn't help but bow my head too. In an instant, the sound became like death. At the same time, desperately hold back tears. At this time, I accidentally caught a glimpse of the contents in the shopping bag.

"Aren't these all ...... Did I write a novel......"

So, I slowly picked up a copy from it and started flipping through the last page...... Almost every page has her thoughts in the margins. It's just a little different from Lola's cheerfulness and straightforwardness in front of me. It is a very direct and cold, unrelenting insight and impression.

Then, the night after that, I got another call from the man......