The person who likes me is a yandere.

The cold, whirring sound of the engine echoed faintly in the white-enclosed space.

Ayase's nervousness and excitement rippled through me like waves from her hand on my shoulder. It's finally here; at this point, I have no choice but to grit my teeth and go for it. I made up my mind and gently released Ayase's hand from my shoulder.

At that very moment, the sound of the shutter captured the world's time.

Three days had passed when I woke up.

Although there is no sign of my memories returning, I am carefully following my daily life as if I were following a white line drawn by someone, and in the process I have picked up some information that can be considered as substitutes.

Some say memory is the jewelry box of the soul. But those things that reveal diamonds and pearls, to me, are nothing more than worthless pebbles. How many more of these pebbles must I swallow...? What will become of me when my heart is one day filled with those pebbles? Right now, I am filled with this melancholy that borders on fear.

"Brother, one more! Smile, smile! Come on! Pose, yay! -"

...Right now, I'm taking a photo booth picture with my sister.

"Okay, one more. So cute!"

"So cute!"

"This time, from above, love~-"

How many photos do you want?

"Well"

A few minutes later, Ayase looked at the printed photo booth picture as if she were seeing a terrible report card.

"Absolutely not. That expression looks like a zombie, brother."

Even if you say that...

"Smile more! Look, just like that person."

Ayase was referring to a life-size promotional standee featuring a currently incredibly popular supermodel sporting a flawless 100-point smile. As expected of a professional, both her pose and smile were impeccable.

"Come on, brother, stand up too, and strike this pose!"

"Is this even possible...? It's so shameful!"

I glanced around furtively, and whispered my rebuttal to Ayase.

Recently, the arcade has lost its former popularity, but the photo booths, with their unique ambiance, still hold a special place among local high school girls, bustling with activity even during the day. The place is like an underwear market, filled entirely with girls; as a boy, I felt like a pervert hanging around.

"Besides, why do we have to come so early in the morning to take photo booth pictures..."

I cleverly concealed the fact that we were 'siblings' and muttered to myself like this.

"Of course we'll take some photo booth pictures, since it's a date!"

"Brother-sister dating is weird enough, but I almost always end up getting the short end of the stick."

"Honestly, you're full of complaints. You did all this for your brother!"

Ayase raised her beautiful eyebrows and placed her fists on her hips. It was supposed to be a gesture of anger, but Ayase did it as if to emphasize her slender waist.

"Brother, listen carefully! Dr. Miyazaki said that the amnesia will only last for a day or two at most."

"Ah, um"

"So, brother, how many days has it been since you lost your memory?"

Ayase extended her index finger.

"The fourth day?"

"Correct answer!"

"……Thanks"

"What's there to get so excited about!"

What's going on now?

"It's doubled! Even though twice the usual amount of time has passed, my brother still hasn't remembered Ayase at all!"

It's as if it's my fault. Ayase pouted.

"What can I do? Don't force me to do things against my will."

I've tried my best to live my life exactly as I did before the accident—sleeping, eating, showering, going to school—but I still can't figure out where the opportunity to regain my memories lies.

"No, no, Ayase can't wait any longer. She has to regain her memories today. So, let's do it normally today too."

"Normal? This is normal?"

I scanned the entire photo booth section filled with pictures of girls dressed in flamboyant attire.

"That's right! The two siblings go on dates every weekend. And their dates always start and end with photo booth pictures."

Ayase handed me the photos of the selfie and shrugged.

"Brother, look closely, do you remember anything?"

"Well, who knows..."

I snatched the photo booth picture that was held just two millimeters away from my eyes and looked at it carefully again.

The Lotus Staff siblings in the first edition have a subtle sense of distance, their expressions completely opposite. The younger sister's smile is even brighter than the glittering emblem on her shoulder.

—This child is absolutely adorable.

More than any memory, this was the first thought that came to mind when I heard the alarm clock. So far, I'd only ever seen her in uniform and casual clothes, but her date outfit was different. She wore a floral mini-dress with a white cardigan. Her outfit certainly didn't cost much; it was probably due to her natural beauty.

Compared to her, the man beside her was utterly hopeless. Being placed in the same frame as an angelic beauty only served to accentuate the difference in their qualities. In terms of raw talent, the Aragaki siblings should have shared similar potential, yet they appear so different. Standing together like this, it's impossible to tell they're siblings at all.

"Brother, how are you?"

"Well... I don't quite understand."

"Let's film it again."

"Forget it, it's all the same no matter how many we shoot."

"How can we let this go? The date can't even begin without a decent photo! Come on, let's take one!"

Ayase dragged me, who was reluctantly going, back into the photo area. Before I could stop her, the coin rolled into the coin slot with practiced ease. The whirring of the machine echoed through the all-white photo area.

Ayase thinks it must be because her posture just now was wrong.

Ayase said this while checking the position of the shell-shaped hair clip on the screen.

"posture?"

"That's right, that's right, we really have to use the usual position."

Even the posture is normal now. Since this is a required procedure, there shouldn't be any harm in trying it.

"Then, brother, stand behind Ayase, and extend your arms straight forward to hug her tightly."

Does it mean "stretching forward"?

I did as she instructed, standing behind her and then extending my arms straight over her shoulders.

Then, hug me tight—

Ayase grabbed my hands and crossed them over her chest like she was pulling down a safety bar on a roller coaster.

"Hey, what the heck is that pose?!"

Naturally, it turned into a situation where Aragaki-san hugged Aragaki-chan from behind.

"Oh, I love you so much, brother! Smile, smile!"

"How can I possibly laugh! This... this won't do!"

I promptly pulled my hand away before I could feel the softness of a certain part of Ayase's body on the inside of my arm.

"Hey, don't move it away, brother! This is our signature sibling pose!"

"Who poses like that for a photo?!"

"My older brother used to be like this. Okay, give me your hand, they're about to film."

"I don't care about my past self! Stop! Let go of my hand!"

And so, we argued about our posing for the photo for more than three minutes.

"Ugh...it's like a war."

Ayase, with a pained expression, carefully cut out the printed photo booth pictures. The miserable scene of the Aragaki siblings wrestling face-to-face in the photo area was captured completely, looking almost like they were wrestling.

"This is the first time I've ever used this kind of expression in a photo booth. Where in the manual is the sticker... Waaah!"

Do we still need to apply it?

"Ah, but... it looks so unique when placed together with other photo booth pictures like this, it's perfect!"

Huh? He's already smiling through his tears?

"Brother, what do you think? Isn't this one funny?"

"Ah, um...it's really fun."

At least in the corner of the sample, I couldn't find anything similar.

"That's right! Hehehe, oh dear! I was so busy having fun! Okay, let's move on to the next one! The next one will definitely be fun!"

As Ayase said this, a radiant smile appeared on her face, like a late-blooming cherry blossom. My little sister's mood changes so quickly; I wish I could learn from her.

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Passionate Himalayas

On Saturday morning, a little after breakfast, Ayase sat up straight at the table with a serious expression and asked me to sincerely apologize to her for standing her up yesterday.

At first I thought she was joking, but then I realized she seemed serious. She insisted that if she couldn't make up for the emotional loss of time, she would just stay there and not move. But things were easy to fix; she wanted to make up for yesterday's loss by going on a date with me today.

What happened yesterday was entirely my fault, and since we were both staying at home all day, I didn't know what kind of common sense she would force upon me, so I just agreed to her request... However, the date with the Aragaki siblings is quite a difficult task.

"Brother, look, look! It's over there! That's the café that the Aragaki siblings like!"

"Don't pull me, the handkerchief is going to tear!"

Ayase vigorously swung the handkerchiefs we were holding and strode forward.

"But we can't waste time. You have to spend quality time with me until tonight."

"I know, I told you not to poop anymore."