The person who likes me is a yandere.

That's true. What doctor would specifically study a disease that would heal itself on its own in a few hours if left untreated?

"However, my investigation of past cases revealed that Wang Zhenquan, who suffered from retrograde amnesia, regained his memory due to certain triggers."

"What was the trigger?"

Want to know?

"What? Stop keeping me in suspense, doctor, just tell me!"

"Yes, that is..."

As if anticipating our reactions, Mr. Miyazaki raised his index finger after a short while.

That's everyday life.

"Daily life...?"

After building up all that suspense, what they finally revealed turned out to be nothing special. Ayase repeated herself, somewhat disappointed, expressing her dismay.

"That's right. Those patients all regained their memories by triggering certain trivial daily routines from the past. Some were changing clothes, some were talking to their families, and some... were eating breakfast."

"So that's how it is! That's why the doctor asked Ayase to make breakfast!"

Ayase clapped her hands together and said excitedly.

"That's right. Asagami-kun always eats the breakfasts Ayase makes, and I think Ayase's breakfasts really stimulate Asagami-kun's memories."

"As expected of a doctor, you're amazing! Brother, how are you feeling after eating the breakfast Ayase made?"

"...Excuse me, what did you have for breakfast?"

"How could I forget!"

Ayase almost fell off her chair.

"No, I wasn't paying much attention when I ate breakfast... Oh, right, miso soup! I remember that nameko mushroom miso soup was really good!"

"anything else?"

"Uh, the salmon was delicious. The tofu was delicious, and then there was... the green milkshake was too sweet..."

"Ayase didn't make that kind of thing at all! Why did her Japanese breakfast, which was mainly salmon and miso soup, end with a green milkshake?!"

"Don't be angry, doing this will only make me remember even less."

"My brother wasn't even thinking about it seriously. He can't even remember the breakfast he ate just five minutes ago. How is he supposed to recall the past 16 years of his life?"

...This girl is so cute, but she's got a sharp tongue.

"Alright, alright, Ayase, calm down. It seems Asagao-kun's memory switch isn't breakfast."

"It's such a shame that they put so much effort into it!"

"But it wasn't entirely without results. Ayase, did you do as I instructed?"

"Hmm? So you put things my brother doesn't like in the food? You did, but as expected, there was still leftovers."

"Yes, is that definitely correct?"

Dr. Asago used tweezers to pick up the leftover green onion that Ayase had just used as a weapon.

"That's right, that's it. My brother absolutely refuses to eat scallions. He even picks out the tiny scallions from the instant noodle seasoning packet one by one with chopsticks. It's unbearable."

What the heck?

"Hmm, hmm. Unconsciously avoiding scallions means that Asahi-kun's current dietary preferences are no different from before the incident. It also indicates that Asahi-kun's memory has not been completely lost, but rather that the key to awakening her memory lies in her daily life. Hmm, this is quite interesting."

Dr. Miyazaki gave a chilling, faint smile. He examined the scallion he held up to the sunlight, as if it were a meticulously cut gemstone.

"Miyazaki-kun. Actually, I've thought of a way to help you regain your memories... Would you like to try it?"

Those eyes, reminiscent of reptiles, reflected light.

Chapter Eight: So Stingy

"Doctor, we're leaving now. Thank you for taking care of us for so long."

Ayase's long hair reached her knees as she bowed deeply to the doctor. It must have rained during the night; the asphalt road beneath her feet was covered in puddles.

"Brother, you should thank him too!"

Ayase kept bowing and nudged me with her elbow.

"Ah, yes. Uh, thank you for taking care of me for so long, Dr. Miyazaki... um? For so long?"

After I woke up, I only interacted with this doctor for an hour or two at most, so I think it might not be appropriate to say that.

"Qianyu-kun, please take good care of yourself. It's so good that you've woken up."

Dr. Miyazaki did not hesitate because of my somewhat strange tone, and said this with a calm smile on his face.

"...Yes, thank you."

"Oh dear, what's wrong? You seem unhappy. You're finally able to be discharged from the hospital, shouldn't you be happy?"

"No, that..."

You've got it backwards, backwards! Being discharged has actually made me more worried. Dr. Miyazaki's proposed treatment plan was simply to return to daily life after discharge.

"Um, doctor. Is it really okay for me to go home? Even if the trigger for regaining my memories is in everyday life, being discharged from the hospital all of a sudden is a bit..."

"It's okay, trust me."

To ease my anxiety, the doctor nodded firmly.

"Since there are no abnormalities in the body, continuing hospitalization is pointless. More importantly, this will allow us to return to daily life as soon as possible and stimulate the brain."

"Oh, I see..."

"Cheer up. It's understandable to feel uneasy at first, but there's nothing to worry about. You've always lived this way, so you'll definitely get used to it soon. In short, try to live as you've always done before; this will help you become your old self again."

"Oh, I understand."

...My former self, my former memories. If going home can restore them, then I have no reason to object...but...

"Leave it to me! Ayase will do her best to help my brother."

Ayase, full of energy, raised her hands and made a triangular rice ball shape early in the morning.

"It's not a rice ball! It's a double salute, meaning 'I understand'!"

"Ah, is that so...wait, a double salute?"

...Why? The thought of spending time alone with this girl makes me feel incredibly uneasy in every sense of the word.

"Brother, we have to go now. Goodbye, doctor. Thank you so much."

But this little sister had no idea what I was thinking and just kept smiling brightly.

"Oh, right, can I ask one last question?"

Dr. Miyazaki returned Ayase's smile and said...

"I'll handle all the negotiations with the police regarding the hit-and-run incident involving Qianyu-jun. Is that alright?"

"Huh? Why?"

"The complicated procedures might hinder your memory recovery. Besides, I hope Ayase can focus all her energy on helping you recover. What do you think?"

"Since the doctor said so... is this okay, brother?"

"That's true, this decision is a good one."

I don't even know my own situation, and the thought of communicating with the police in my current state sends chills down my spine.

"Then it's settled. You two be careful on the road, and contact me immediately if anything happens."

"Okay, doctor. Thank you so much!"

"Thank you"

And so, we paid our respects to the kind doctor with double salutes and left the Shin-woo Hospital, which had disturbed our sense of time for one night but actually lasted for seven days.

It's a four-stop train ride home from Shinya Hospital, which should take about 35 minutes. I followed Ayase and we arrived at the station in 5 minutes. Since I didn't have an IC card, I had to buy a ticket from the ticket machine.

"Brother, it's 230 yen."

"Ah, um"

I took my wallet out of my pocket and put a 500 yen coin into the ticket machine.

"Two tickets, two tickets, we have to buy Ayase's too."

"Oh, I see."

I took my wallet out of my trouser pocket again, this time inserted the exact amount into the ticket machine, and pressed the touchpad. After a while, I held the two tickets that came out, handed one to Mengmeng, and then carefully zipped up my wallet before putting it in my pocket.

Because this series of actions had to be done using only one right hand, it took quite a while to get through the ticket gate. Incidentally, as for why I can't use my left hand…

"Hey, I'm talking to Ayase..."

"Brother, what's wrong?"

"We're sticking together way too much, aren't we?"

...because Ayase was clinging tightly to my left hand like a koala clinging to a eucalyptus tree.

"Really? That's normal, isn't it? Hehehe, finally I can hold my brother's hand again~"

As Ayase said this, she pressed her body even closer to me. Her chest, stomach, waist, and legs—the softness of a 15-year-old girl pressed against me with all her might.

"Hey, this is really bad! Let go!"

"That's outrageous! They actually asked me to let go! My brother used to date Ayase, and during dates, certain parts of their bodies had to be in close contact. That's common knowledge in the world of sibling dating."

What have you been feeding your sister, the me before she lost her memory?!

“I said it! That’s what my older brother said before!”

"I...I know. Anyway, just let go, okay? This sibling behavior is definitely not normal. Besides, there's no such thing as a sibling dating industry in this world."

"I won't let go! The doctor instructed that Ayase needs to help her brother live the same life as before, so she has to walk the same way as before!"

"Ouch! Ouch! My nail is embedded in my flesh! Let go!"

"I won't let go!"