When Kaede Rukawa returned home, the house was eerily silent.
His sister's shoes were already placed at the entrance.
He suddenly had a very bad feeling in his heart.
This was not like the usual atmosphere at all.
If his sister came back, she would not feel like this.
As blood-related siblings, this feeling was very accurate.
He put down his things and searched inside and out, but there was no sign of his sister.
Kaede Rukawa frowned and stood in front of his sister's door. He stared for a while before knocking on the door.
There was no reply.
Kaede Rukawa took a deep breath and opened the door.
His sister's room was always clean and tidy. His sister had always tidied up his room. Of course, her own room would be even more tidy.
But to him, there was nothing to look at.
The figure curled up at the foot of the bed was the key to his frown.
He walked over and looked at his sister sitting on the carpet with her hands hugging her knees. He felt very conflicted.
She had not been like this for a long time.
Although he did not care about anything other than basketball, he was very concerned about his sister who had always been by his side.
He did not like to talk much. His sister was not a chatterbox in her bones. Instead, she was very quiet.
But she would try her best to create a family atmosphere. She kept nagging in his ear and told him a lot of things. What happened in school, what she did, what kind of people her friends were. Then, she would ask him what he did in school, how his studies were, how he played basketball, whether he slept on the way and in class …
All kinds of nagging.
But he did not dislike it.
With her around, the house was not so cold.
He had never counted on his irresponsible parents.
If his sister was around, it did not matter if they were not around.
Anyway, compared to the mother in his memory who could not even do housework well, his sister was much better.
She could do whatever his mother wanted her to do.
Except that there was no such thing as a mother's love.
Besides, he did not care about it.
So, even if he had never said anything or shown anything, in his heart, his sister was the most important person. There was no doubt about it.
"Ying …" He knelt on the ground. His eyes flashed a few times and he pulled her into his arms.
Time stood still just like that.
"I'm sorry, big brother … I'm tired … I've already ordered takeout for dinner … I'm sorry …" A muffled voice came from his chest.
There was nothing to be sorry about.
Kaede Rukawa indifferently replied, "Idiot."
He seldom thought of such trifles.
His sister had said that with her around, he didn't need to worry about any trivial matters.
Even if he failed his exams, his younger sister would tutor him.
He had never been unable to participate in any basketball activities because he failed the make-up exam.
He didn't have to worry about his family at all. His sister would take good care of him.
To him, this was enough.
Kaede Rukawa had a sister who was almost omnipotent. She was such an outstanding sister.
He knew.
He was proud of it.
He was just not good at studying, but he was not brainless.
He rarely thought about these things, but he was too lazy to think about them.
It wasn't that he hadn't thought about it. She had already started doing so many things at such a young age. Until now, and even in the future, she would be very tired.
But for so many years, she had never shown anything. She was rarely unhappy. She was almost always smiling at him.
But today, she said she was tired.
"Who bullied you?" He couldn't help but reveal a trace of anger in his tone.
Unforgivable!
How could anyone bully his, Kaede Rukawa's, sister!
No one could bully the sister that he, Kaede Rukawa, cared about!
The sister that he had never dared to bully!
His sister's swollen cheeks made him unable to calm down.
Anything could be said, but if someone hit his sister, it was absolutely unforgivable!
At first, he didn't notice that she had buried her face in her knees, but now that he saw it, he was unable to restrain his anger!
Although he would never show it, this was his most beloved little sister!
There was no need to doubt.
"It's okay. They're even more miserable …" Although her brother was an idiot, whether it was in his studies or in his life, he was still her biological brother. He cared about her from the bottom of his heart.
For this warmth, it was enough.
"Idiot." Kaede Rukawa unceremoniously scolded again.
Perhaps, in his understanding, the best scenario was: The other party was all beaten up and sent to the hospital, while his sister was unharmed and could even come back to cook dinner for him.
Therefore, the men in the Rukawa family were actually very petty.
Kaede Rukawa used tweezers to pick up the alcohol cotton to treat the wound on his sister's face. If the people in the school saw his careful look, they would definitely be shocked.
In the eyes of the teachers, he was lazy, rude, slept in class, and failed in exams. Other than playing basketball, he was a useless idiot.
In the eyes of the students, he was self-righteous, arrogant, and had an iceberg face. He was cold and aloof.
Of course, there were also people who thought he was very handsome and cool, and played basketball very well — although they were all girls.
But at least none of them would believe that this gentle brother was Kaede Rukawa.
"Have a good rest. Don't go to school tomorrow."
"Ah, I'm disfigured. How can I go out?" She said sullenly.
"Idiot." Kaede Rukawa scolded again.
"Brother, you're so good …" She hugged Kaede Rukawa's waist with both hands and buried her face in her brother's arms.
"Ah." Kaede Rukawa touched his sister's head.
She really felt a little tired all of a sudden.
Probably because she had been too rational all this time.
Although her principles would not change, this time she was destined to live for herself.
No more cowardice.
Family and parents were no longer in her consideration. She would not torture herself for such things anymore.
She was free to make any kind of friends. No one could make the decision for her.
She had her own principles. No one could make the decision for her.
What she wanted was freedom.
And her family, she had her brother.
That was enough.
Buried in her brother's arms, she unknowingly fell asleep.
Kaede Rukawa looked at his sister and pulled out a faint smile on his usually cold face.
But — those who bullied his sister, he would never let them go!
He clenched his fist.
The author has something to say:
I want to say that I have disconnected from the Internet …
I want to say that I have already taken the exam …
I want to say that the holidays are coming soon …