My sister used to be a strong woman in my eyes.

With her high status, glamorous appearance, and outstanding athletic ability, she was admired by all students, including myself.

"Hey, stop there! Boys, make sure your ties are properly tied!" she would yell.

She always arrived at the school gate before anyone else and stood there, ready to enforce discipline.

While punishing students for violating school rules, she would remind others to abide by the school regulations and set a good example.

"No more of this next time!"

"Yes, President."

The student in question skulked away in front of my sister, leaving me behind... I would hide behind a telephone pole near the school and wait for my sister to leave her post before entering the school.

It may sound cowardly, but I did it to avoid unnecessary embarrassment. After all, my capable sister had a useless younger brother like me.

Every time I thought about this, I would recall the mocking laughter of some girls from the neighboring class in elementary school.

"Hey, hey, look! Yukari's little brother is such a dummy!"

"Oh, come on. You're not that bright either, you know?"

"Hey hey hey, he's a big dummy then! And she's the big dummy's sis..."

Before she could finish, I punched her in the face.

Furious, I shouted at them.

"Don't insult people who have nothing to do with me!"

"Waaah... He hit me! Teach him a lesson!"

The girl, lying on the ground after I knocked her down, cried loudly, and her two female friends started attacking me together.

Although my opponents were just two girls, I was so weak at the time that I couldn't put up much of a fight.

I managed to exchange blows with them for only two rounds...

"Aaahhh!"

They grabbed me by the collar and accidentally threw me down the stairs!

Well, looking back now, that was a long time ago. Besides, they did apologize sincerely in the end.

The incident caused quite a commotion, but my dad eventually gave them a break because my injuries were minor and didn't cause any serious harm.

"Considering my son's injuries weren't severe, and also your daughter didn't do it on purpose, I'll let this go..."

"We are truly sorry!"

Although my dad forgave their family, the girl continued to apologize and bowed her head.

It seemed that her father scolded her severely at the time. After all, their family ran a small restaurant, and if something happened to someone else's child... well, it would be bad for their business.

"An apology is not enough!"

In the end, they couldn't escape her father's persistence. During the three days I was in the hospital, I received meals or fruits from them every day.

"Oh, feeling better today?"

"Yes, uncle."

"Is... that so?"

When I saw my uncle enter the room, I struggled to sit up from the bed.

His restrained demeanor made me uncomfortable, so I tried to calm him down with a gentle tone.

"Uncle, actually..."

"Huh... What is it?"

"...No, it's nothing."

Actually, I wanted to tell him that he didn't need to come anymore, and that I would be discharged from the hospital tomorrow after further observation.

I forced a bitter smile and held back the words that were about to come out of my mouth.

Looking at him bustling around, washing the fruits for me, I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.

"Actually, I'll be able to go home tomorrow, so you don't have to worry too much."

"...Hmm, you're really a good kid."

"It's nothing, really, because I'm really fine."

"No, I heard already, it was my daughter's fault, but..."

The fierce father unexpectedly grinned and told me a joke.

"Truly the son of a great artist, if only he could be a playmate for my daughter."

"It's nothing... just my father's pride (whispering)."

Indeed, my father and sister.

I have always lived in their dazzling radiance, nothing more than a tiny chess piece!

Those times, when we were very young, the childhood impatience and unease have long been replaced.

"I wonder how that father and daughter are doing now... wow!"

Before I knew it, I tripped on the stairs while wearing slippers.

I tumbled straight down from the middle of the staircase!

Bang!

"Ugh... it hurts."

My butt feels like it's split into two, it's all because I was too distracted just now, and Yukari's clothes were also scattered on the floor.

Turning to look at these stairs, I still feel like they're taunting me... huh?

"Hehe, it feels like these stairs have given me some good memories!"

I, with a face that hasn't shown any signs of pain, am already smiling through my tears.

The first time was probably when Yukari fell from the top, right? But what caused it exactly?

Following the central part of the stairs, I searched carefully, step by step.

Finally...

"I found it!"

In the middle of going up, I noticed something strange wedged between the layers of the stairs.

For some reason, my face filled with excitement, like a child who discovered treasure, and I worked at it with all my might!

It wasn't very tightly wedged, I just applied a little force with my fingers.

"Heh! Let me see what it is...?"

A strangely-shaped item that looked like a commemorative pocket watch.

But its appearance was too worn-out.

"It seems like a very old keepsake!"

I remembered when Mom was still alive, she once took me to France for a trip.

At a corner of a quaint street, we entered a very peculiarly decorated boutique.

I still remember how Mom, who was young and beautiful at the time, was very interested in all sorts of novel things.

"Xi, let's go inside and see what small souvenirs they have, let's buy something to show your father... sound good?"

"Yeah!"

Although I remember the past, I find it difficult to recall Mom's appearance.

After Mom passed away, everything related to her was burned along with this old house.

Of course, there were naturally no photos left.

"The house has been renovated completely, so there's no way this can be the pocket watch from back then, right?"

With a hint of bitter smile, I couldn't help but shake my head and open the pocket watch...

Click!

Huh...?

The clasp of the pocket watch got stuck due to deformation, so it can't be opened.

Feeling somewhat frustrated, I decided to leave it for now and said,

"Never mind, let's just put it away for now!"

Then, I turned around and picked up each piece of clothing that Yukari had scattered on the ground.

Huh?!

Just as I finished bending down to pick up all the clothes on the floor and was about to go to the bathroom, something strange crossed my mind.

"Hey, did Yukari not face inwards?"

As I said this, I slyly threw a mischievous glance towards the stairs leading to the second floor.

It was empty, with not a single sound...

That should be enough, so I lifted Yukari's white shirt with my hand and sniffed it at the tip of my nose.

Meanwhile upstairs...

"I feel a bit uncomfortable. Could it be that I really caught a cold?"

Yukari originally just wanted to pretend to have a fever to tease me, but she didn't expect so many unexpected incidents to happen, making her efforts backfire.

But for some reason, she couldn't let it go and bit her nails in frustration.

"No, I can't just leave it like this..."

Just as she was about to stick her leg out, the cold flesh and air brushed against each other, causing her to immediately retract her leg back under the covers.

Just freezing her leg like that made Yukari feel a chill throughout her whole body!

"Forget it, getting myself sick would be more trouble than it's worth."

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Yukari had no choice but to stay put.

I, who was hesitating downstairs, ultimately couldn't escape from the moral criticism.

I carefully folded Yukari's clothes one by one and threw them all into the washing machine.

"Phew, great... I'll make some soup for Yukari with the available ingredients."

The air in early winter was extremely cold, and even the soup pot emitted a long wisp of steam.

The freezing cold of the night drifted away with the wind.

Standing next to the boiling pot of water, I gradually fell into a daze.

It seems like snow is falling earlier this year compared to previous years!

I wonder if my parents living abroad and my mother, who already resides in heaven, can see this scene?

In my memories, my mother's smile has always been the clearest, but when I tried to picture her entire face, I realized that in my memories, my mother only had that one smile.

Without intending to, my body shivered uncontrollably at this thought.

I constantly felt like I had lost something important and eventually fell into silence filled with self-blame.

During this time, completely unaware of my own lack of self-awareness, I stared out the window at the snowscape, unable to hear even the sound of the boiling soup.

"Clack!"

Unbeknownst to me, behind me, a hand had already turned off the switch on the induction cooker.

Then, with hands on hips, wearing an angry expression, Yukari slapped my shoulder.

"Hey, do you know how dangerous that was just now?"

"Um... huh?!"

Yukari's face full of disappointment scared me once again!

And it didn't end there, as her two fists targeted my temples with an unusual frequency that caused unbearable pain.

"Ouch, what are you doing?! I kindly made congee for you, and now you're repaying me like this?"

"Congee? Are you demolishing the house or making congee?"

Yukari retorted, grabbing my head and moving it towards the overflowing pot.

She pointed at the spilled pot and scolded me.

"Take a look... right here!"

I looked in the direction she pointed and saw that the power cord was stained with some soup, and I was speechless.

Indeed, if Yukari had been a minute or two later, something bad might have happened!

"Look, if there's a fire, what would you do?"

At first, I had a good attitude to admit my mistake, and Yukari continued to scold me relentlessly. But in that instant when the word "fire" burst out of her mouth, my brain cells were instantly annihilated by fear.

That sentence kept repeating in my mind, and the voice gradually became distorted.

If there's a fire... fire...!

The word "fire" slowly erased my sanity, and the scene before my eyes was completely engulfed by raging flames!