The person who likes me is a yandere.

Just go with the flow and do what comes to mind first. By the way, that girl... she seems pretty good-looking at first glance. Okay, that's settled. Wait, what's this? Is it inappropriate to compliment her face right off the bat? How did I interact with girls before this incident?

Chapter Ten: Welcome Home

"Oh, right. Brother, you probably don't remember, this is Tianyi from across the street from our house."

...While I was thinking it over and over, Ayase readily gave me an introduction, which was a great help.

"She's very gentle and reliable, and we've been very close since we were little."

"Oh, I see. Thank you so much for your care all this time, little sister. Please continue to take care of me in the future, Tianyi—"

"It's so noisy!"

I mustered all my social skills and did my best to offer what I believed to be a perfectly appropriate greeting, only to be interrupted by the girl's cold remark.

"Ugh..."

"Huh? What... happened?"

Then, the girl sighed deeply and looked me up and down with her laser-like gaze.

"...Hmph, looks like you're perfectly fine."

She talks like it's nothing, like everything will be alright. Fine, I take back my previous assessment. This neighbor named Tianyi is indeed both domineering and terrifying.

"So, what are your plans for the future?"

Was her greeting just now considered finished? The neighbor completely ignored me and asked the little girl.

"The doctor said it's best to live as usual as possible, so I'd like to go home for lunch first. Is Tianyi coming for lunch too?"

"I'll pass. I'm leaving."

The neighbor decisively declined the little girl's invitation, then turned and walked away. She crossed her arms, the soles of her flat shoes scurrying across the ground, then slowly turned back—

"Ah ...

He stared at my face, leaving behind a sigh that seemed to crack the asphalt before finally leaving.

"...Uh, I mean, Ayase. What kind of guy was that you were talking about?"

"Across from my house, there's Tianyi, who's so friendly!"

Really? I didn't mishear.

"She's the same age as my brother, and we were even classmates... Don't you remember?"

"I don't remember at all"

And I'd rather not remember that kind of wicked woman.

"Don't let her appearance fool you, she's actually a kind-hearted older sister. Let's get along well."

"You're giving me a tough question. Oh, by the way, speaking of classmates, what's my situation like at school?"

"W-what's wrong! School, school, school!?"

Ayase spilled the snacks she had just received all the way.

"...Ayase, what's wrong?"

My question was quite ordinary, but her reaction was excessive.

"Hey, hey, hey, w-what's wrong, brother? Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"Is it that strange? I just wanted to ask if there were any people I was close to at school."

"Ta-da! Of course! My brother is so handsome, he's very popular at school!"

"Really? But during the time I was in the hospital, no one came to visit me..."

"Huh? W-why? I...I don't know... Ayase is doing this as a memento; I don't really know anything about what happened in the second year."

"Ayase, what's wrong? You seem really strange."

"That kind of thing is okay. Let's not talk about that anymore, let's go inside. Ayase is hungry~. Look, look, this is Ayase and her brother's love nest~"

It seemed that Ayase had absolutely no intention of talking about school. She abruptly changed the subject by saying she was hungry, then hurriedly picked up the snacks and opened the door as if fleeing.

—Sorry to bother you.

I silently repeated this to myself as I entered the living room of the Aragaki family home.

The interior layout of the house matches its exterior. The entryway is the old-fashioned type, with a shoe-removal area and a shoe cabinet on the side. The weathered hallway floor extends into the house. On the shoe cabinet are a key rack and a standing photo frame with a picture of a cat. Opening the shoe cabinet, you can see the siblings' shoes arranged in pairs, seemingly nestled together.

"Brother, how are you now? Do you want to take a walk around the house?"

"Okay, let's do it that way."

We sat down together in the narrow entryway and took off our shoes.

Opposite the entryway is a lattice screen that opens to reveal a small dining area. To the left is the kitchen. In the center of the room sits a dining table and four chairs. The living room, connected to the dining area, contains a kotatsu (heated table) and a small television. While most rooms are old, they are kept very tidy.

"This is what my brother did."

Ayase pulled out a chair from the dining room. I sat down at her urging, and then Ayase walked around to sit opposite me. This is how we usually eat breakfast, I guess... I tried to touch the table with both hands; it felt a little sticky, but that was about it.

"brother"

My reaction should have been enough to tell that my memories hadn't returned, yet Ayase still gently placed her hand in mine.

"Welcome home"

He said this to me with a smile.

Chapter Eleven was a bit of a shock.

"Oh no! I forgot to bring in the laundry!"

As soon as Ayase pulled back the living room curtains, she clutched her head and screamed in terror. She frantically jumped into the yard and rushed toward the clothesline covered with laundry.

"It's all wet...no, it needs to be rinsed."

Ayase began to pack up the clothes in frustration.

"Waaaaah, my clothes are so heavy and damp..."

"Ayase, are you alright? Let me help you carry it."

I called out from the covered walkway into the courtyard.

"It's alright, it's alright. Brother is a patient, go sit down and rest."

"No, that won't do."

"Alright, stop doing unnecessary things!"

Ayase's index finger suddenly pointed at me, and I, who was about to put on my slippers, froze on the ground as if I had been struck by a spell.

Then, with a smile, she spoke to me in a remarkably persuasive tone.

"Shouldn't we be acting normally? Brother, you should go back to your room and get some rest."

...I understand now, I don't usually help with housework.

"Then I'll respectfully comply and go back to my room. It's on the second floor, right?"

"Yes, look up the stairs and see the lattice door on the right. That's Ayase's room inside, don't get it wrong!"

"I see"

"Don't get it wrong! You absolutely cannot go in!"

"Everyone said they know, my room is on the left, right?"

"This is outrageous! This is outrageous!"

I waved to the bouncing Ayase, indicating that I was just joking around, and then returned to the living room. Oh, I see. Even a sister who can casually slip into her brother's bed doesn't want him in her room.

For the first time, I felt a genuine sibling dynamic emerge between us, and I smiled slightly.

After creaking up the steep stairs, just as Ayase had said, there were two doors in the hallway. Without a doubt, the Japanese-style room on the right was my bedroom.

"........."

As soon as I placed my hand on the lattice window, I naturally became nervous.

I can feel my heart racing. This is probably the final showdown. Even returning to the town where I was born and raised, returning to the home where I was born and raised, I still can't awaken my memories. The last chance I have is here, my room. In my entire life so far, this is probably the place I've spent the most time in. If returning here can't restore my memories, then there's probably no hope of recovering them in the short term. I don't expect to remember everything, not even a tiny bit, not even just being able to feel the pain points of those memories, I just want to grasp at my life—just a few scattered fragments of my life as Qianyu.

I infused this thought into my fingers and, with a heart full of prayer, pulled open the lattice door.

"…………Oh My God"

Then, I immediately turned it off again.

…………Well.

What happened? Just now... I think I had a very shocking hallucination...

"cough cough"

I coughed lightly to calm myself down, then rubbed my eyes vigorously. This time, I tried to slowly open the lattice door. The speed at which the door opened wouldn't affect the world inside, and the exact same scene I had just seen slowly unfolded before my eyes.

"…………Oh My God"

Even though it was the second time, I still couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"What's going on...?"

The room was full of photos.

Some are laughing, some are calm, some are standing, some are sitting, some are in uniform, some are in casual clothes... Despite the wide variety of poses and sizes, the photos all depict the same person. Not to mention the photo frames on the bookshelves and tables, even the walls and ceilings are covered with them.

The person in the photo isn't an idol or an anime character; it's so outrageous that I almost wish it were. The person filling this room, staring at me like an interrogator, is... my sister, whom I parted ways with not long ago downstairs.

Qianyu's bedroom was completely filled with her sister's photos, leaving no blind spots or gaps.

"...This is terrible!"

I was immediately drenched in sweat.

Actually, I knew from our previous interactions that the sibling relationship between Aragaki Asahi and Aragaki Ayase was slightly overstepping boundaries. But after seeing this scene, I feel... well, there's a fundamental difference.

Speaking of which, Ayase once said that my hobby is photography. Even if we assume it's just taking pictures of my family, that's fine, but don't display them! Put them away! These things should be kept out of sight. The way they've been turned into this is more than just a little creepy.