Was it still not working?
Though there was no reason for it...
The boy in a wool hat placed a hand on his chest.
Just now... he really had felt a long-forgotten, intense surge of hope.
So when that hope was dashed, the disappointment seemed to rebound several times over.
He'd lost his composure a little.
"Haah~"
The boy in a wool hat let out a deep sigh without meaning to.
The woman in a white down jacket's eyes widened slightly.
She pressed her lips together.
Her silly little brother was rarely this... It wasn't just disappointment...
There was weariness... irritation... helplessness... despair...
All kinds of complicated emotions were tangled together.
Yet his expression was strangely calm.
It was almost painful to look at.
At least, that was how she felt.
"..."
The woman in a white down jacket sighed heavily to herself.
"This is my fault."
The woman in a white down jacket's sudden, unexpected words left everyone confused.
The boy in a wool hat didn't understand, but he felt a little uneasy.
He knew his situation must have been weighing on his older sister.
But...
He had his own convictions.
And yet...
He really didn't want his sister worrying about him.
Even more, he didn't want to see her looking so helpless and guilty.
He'd rather she get angry with him.
Of course, it would be best if none of that happened.
Whenever his sister got angry, he'd instinctively feel "terrified."
That was because the "shadow" of his childhood still loomed so large.
"Sis..."
The boy in a wool hat was planning to obediently leave with the woman in a white down jacket.
He really had dragged this out for too long.
"I took my childhood joke too far."
The woman in a