𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 | 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐨𝐤𝐚 𝐠𝐢𝐲𝐮𝐮

❄️ 86

Koyuki had a really weak body. She had to be attended on throughout the night, and I had to change both the cloth on her forehead and her clothes. She had to drink water frequently, and whenever she went to bathroom, I had to carry her.

I nursed my dad before, so unlike most other people, my body was way more resilient. This wasn't hard for me at all.

"I never thought about playing around, ever since before," he said, although he was reminded of his childhood when he used to play with his sister. "When I was free, I just trained hard, so don't worry about that."

Koyuki closed her eyes and kept herself relaxed. "But sometimes, a change of pace is," she spoke weakly. "There's going to be fireworks tonight, so just go."

"Onii-chan! Look that big one's a blue one!!!"

Hakuji shook the thought of. "Maybe. Once your dizziness goes away, I'll carry you to the bridge so we can watch."

"Eh?"

"Even if we can't go today, there's next year and the year after that. We can just go then," he said. "Ahhh... I hope I can bring F/N too. I'm sure you'll get along." The man squeezed the remaining water in the cloth before placing it on the girl's forehead, only to see her crying.

The only thing that annoyed me when I nursed her was that Koyuki would start crying in the middle of our conversation. It must be depressing to be in a sickbed. When she cries, it just makes me feel uncomfortable.

Why am I seeing this, though?

After three years, I turned eighteen. Koyuki turned sixteen and she stopped lying down all the time. She was starting to be able to live normally.

"Hakuji, come here!" Said Keizo.

"Okay..." Hakuji responded and followed here he went.

He went inside the room and sat down in front of Keizo and Koyuki and it made him nervous. What's this for?

"Can you take over my dojo, Hakuji?" Keizo asked happily. "And you can have Koyuki as well."

"Huh?" Sure that the blood run up both faces of Hakuji and Koyuki about what the father had said. But it confused the boy a little.

I had the tattoos of a criminal. I never imagined having a future. Even my hopes of getting my sister is decreasing. Much less a future where I was loved by someone.

Maybe what my dad told me was right. Can I finally find the right way to live?

That fleeting hope where I could possibly fix my life grew so big I couldn't control it.

And at that moment, I wanted to protect them even at the cost of my life.

And never in my dreams would I have imagined a poisoning.

"Even Koyuki-chan was killed!"

I made a promise.

"Are you really okay with me?" I asked her.

She looked down the ground and even I could feel her embarassment. "Do you remember talking about seeing the fireworks when we were kids?"

I was worried that I couldn't remember that part, but you made me remember about it.

"It was a small conversation between you and me, Hakuji-san. But I was very happy about it," she said sweetly. I kept my eyes on her and waited for her to continue her words. "'Even if we couldn't see the fireworks this year, we could see them next year or the year after.' That's what you said." Yes, I do remember now. "It's just... I could never actually imagined a future where I could see next year or the year after...

...But you saw my future, Hakuji-san. And if it was natural, you told me there was a next year. I was really happy."

I watched how she carefully walked closer to me and held both of my hands as I remained quiet. "You're amazing, Hakuji-san... Will you be my husband?"

I gave her a smile. "Yes. I will become stronger than anyone else and protect you with my entire life."

In the end, it was nothing but words. Again, I couldn't even manage a single thing.

I became a murderer. I ended countless of lives from the wrath of my anger.

I keep breaking my promises.

I lost my hopes to retrieve my sister.

I failed to give my father the cure he needed.

And I failed to protect them too.

I became a demon and lost my memories. I wanted strength once again. Even though there wasn't a single thing left that I wanted to protect--No.

F/N. How did I forget?

Becoming a demon, will I be able to find you?

Will you even accept me?

Yet in the end of the day, it's just a pathetic, comical, uninteresting story.

to be continued.