266 I Killed… My Older Brother… (1/2)

Seiji quickly walked back home.

He had already left what had happened behind him and only wanted to get home as quickly as he could.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang. It was from an unfamiliar number.

Was it from Airi Fuuma?

He took the call.

”Hello, who’s this?”

”Big brother…” He heard a little girl crying.

It was indeed Airi, but why was she crying?

”Fuuma-chan, what’s the matter?” Seiji stopped in his tracks.

”I… my brother… wahhhh—”

She sobbed uncontrollably.

Seiji had an ominous premonition.

”Fuuma-chan,” he said firmly, ”I’m listening to what you have to say. Try to calm down and tell me what happened.”

The little girl continued to sob.

Seiji patiently waited for her without speaking another word.

After she'd cried for quite a while, he spoke up again in the gentlest tone he could manage: ”I’ll help you, so try your best not to cry, and tell me what happened.”

”Big brother…”

”Only if you tell me what happened, will I be able to help you, Fuuma-chan… Airi.”

The little girl sniffled. ”Big brother… I… I killed… my older brother…”

Seiji was rendered speechless.

Just what was this!? He was astonished.

He didn’t hear wrong, did he? This little girl… said that she killed her older brother, Hiroshi Fuuma!?

Just what could have happened!?

He’d only left their home a little less than ten minutes ago, so what had happened in such a short period of time!?

Even if he said that he’d only bring Hiroshi Fuuma home and that Hiroshi could die as he pleased afterward, Seiji didn’t expect his words to come true! And to be killed off by his own younger sister… why was it in such a scary way!!?

'Calm down, I have to calm down.' Seiji chanted in his mind. He used a steady voice to coax Airi into explaining the situation more clearly.

...

Seiji ran back at top speed to that residential area and found the local park that Airi had told him about.

Airi was crouching in a children’s play area in a structure that somewhat resembled a cave.

Her clothes were in disarray, her eyes were wet and red, and her face was filled with tear streaks. She had a blank expression.

When she saw Seiji appear, tears streamed down her cheeks.

”Big brother…”

”Come over here, Airi,” Seiji said gently, reaching out with his hand.

Tears rolled down the blue-haired girl's and dripped onto the floor as she grabbed his hand and allowed him to lead her out of the playground cave.

Seiji hugged her and gently patted her head to try to calm her down.

As Airi clung on to Seiji tightly, her tears poured down without any sign of stopping.

A few minutes later, she finally stopped crying.

Airi remained silent.

Seiji took her hand and swiftly walked to her home.

The front door was left ajar. Airi remained at the threshold of the door, rooted to the ground, not daring go inside.

Seiji had her wait outside and entered by himself.

In the living room, he saw Hiroshi Fuuma collapsed on the sofa. Hiroshi was bleeding from his head, but it wasn't a serious injury.

Water had been spilled on the sofa and floor, and there was a porcelain cup lying on the floor with some blood streaks on it.

The scene was just as Airi had described. According to Airi, after he left, Hiroshi had woken up and said that he wanted to drink some water, so Airi poured a cup of water for him and brought it over, but he suddenly pushed her down on the sofa…

Airi struggled against him out of fear and smashed the cup against Hiroshi’s head several times in order to break free from his vice-like grip.

After seeing Hiroshi bleeding from his head and unconscious, Airi was scared witless into believing that she killed her own older brother, so she tossed away the cup out of fear, ran out of her home, and hid in the park.

In her panic, she reflexively called the nice-seeming big brother figure that she had just gotten to know…

That was all that Seiji knew.

When Seiji checked Hiroshi Fuuma’s condition, he discovered that Hiroshi was still alive!