No Calling Me Big Brother!

Keiko Fushiguro pursed her lips, slowly swallowing back the hostility in her heart, and leaned back against the pillow.

The Hospital Room fell silent for a few seconds.

The next moment, as if to change the subject, she suddenly raised her eyes, looked around behind Akuta, and then looked at the door.

Where is my mother?

Akuta opened his mouth, almost blurting out, "She knew you were going to have terminal cancer and went to cry."

But the words that were on the tip of his tongue took a sharp turn.

"Your mom went to the bathroom, she'll be back in a bit."

"Oh."

Keiko Fushiguro responded and obediently lay down in the blankets, rubbing her little head against the pillow to find a comfortable position.

Looking at her obedient appearance, Akuta compared her to the Megumi Fushiguro he remembered.

I have to say, Fushiguro is definitely more adorable now.

Of course, this isn't because Akuta is a lolicon and likes little girls.

Simply put, Fushiguro is more polite now.

Keiko Fushiguro suddenly remembered something and looked at Akuta with curiosity in her eyes.

"That bad... uncle."

Akuta, who considered himself still a young man, immediately retorted.

"I'm not that much older than you. You call me Uncle Chicken Feather?"

"Oh, that Uncle Chicken Feather."

"Call me brother!"

"That Big Brother."

Akuta pondered for a moment, then changed his mind again.

"Hmm... how about you just call me uncle? It's forbidden for little girls to call each other 'Big Brother'."

"Oh." Keiko Fushiguro nodded obediently.

Although she didn't understand why, she chose to comply since Akuta had made that request.

"Uncle, did you take that picture of the blue and white lightning bolt in the sky just now?"

"Yes." Akuta nodded.

"Wow!" Keiko Fushiguro exclaimed.

She raised her hands and gestured, spreading her two short arms a huge distance apart in front of her chest. Feeling that wasn't enough, she widened them out further.

"It looks so big to me! You're really good at taking pictures, uncle."

Akuta's lips twitched. "Something doesn't quite sound right about what you're saying."

"What's not quite right?" Keiko Fushiguro tilted her head to look at him, her face innocent.

"It's nothing, this isn't a topic for children to know."

Akuta waved his hand, changing the subject.

"So, do you usually do this? You call out that Big Brother with the wheelchair whenever you get anxious?"

"Uncle's name is Mahoraga, not ' Big Brother with Wheels'."

Akuta fell silent.

"I know that's called Mahoraga, I'm asking why you summoned it."

Keiko Fushiguro's eyes darted around, and she pulled the blanket up a little guiltily, covering half of her face.

"That's because... that's because we were in a hurry."

The little girl's voice came out muffledly from under the covers, tinged with embarrassment.

"I saw you pinning Mom down, and you were standing there laughing weirdly. I... I thought you were going to do something bad to Mom..."

Akuta recalled the way he had squatted next to the pile of rubble and laughed, and realized he certainly didn't look like a good person, so he coughed awkwardly.

"It was indeed my fault, Uncle. I apologize to you here."

"It's okay, I forgive you."

Keiko Fushiguro looked at Akuta with a serious expression, making him wonder if he had really done something wrong.

But seeing Keiko Fushiguro in her hospital gown, Akuta felt a sense of relief.

If Keiko thinks it's my fault, then it's my fault.

Why?

She doesn't even look like someone with late-stage cancer, Keiko Fushiguro definitely does!

Since she's already acted this way, why don't you just give in to her?

You should always leave people with a beautiful memory of their final moments.

Just then, the door to the Hospital Room was gently pushed open.

Jinmi Fushiguro stood at the door, one hand still on the doorknob.

She had wiped away the tears on her face and put her hair back up in a bun.

Although her eyes were still red, she looked like she had returned to the state she was in when Akuta first met her.

When she pushed open the door, a smile returned to Megumi Fushiguro's face.

That smile wasn't pretty; her eyes still held a hint of moisture.

But she tried to make it look natural, as if nothing had happened.

"Keiko, Mom is back."

Keiko Fushiguro was in the hospital bed, was talking to Akuta when she heard the voice and immediately turned her head, her eyes lighting up.

"Mother!"

Jinmi Fushiguro walked to the bedside and glanced at Akuta first.

That glance contained three parts wariness, three parts suspicion, and four parts gratitude.

Although the Akuta originally intended to sabotage his mission, it indirectly revealed the truth about the Cursed Technique used to save his daughter.

Without him, Keiko would likely have met a terrible end and left this world forever.

In front of her daughter, Jinmi Fushiguro didn't say much, but simply reached out and touched Keiko's forehead, then tucked the blanket up a little more.

"What are you talking about with this uncle?"

"We're talking about that electric pole he photographed!" Keiko Fushiguro gestured, her voice weak but her enthusiasm high.

Jinmi Fushiguro's lips twitched slightly, but she managed to maintain a smile and agree:

"Hmm... Mom heard it; it was quite a commotion."

Akuta sat in the chair, wisely refraining from interrupting, and simply watched the mother and daughter quietly.

After her mother patted her head twice, Keiko Fushiguro looked up and asked, as if remembering something:

"Mom, where did you go? Uncle said you went to the bathroom, why were you gone for so long?"

Jinmi Fushiguro's hand paused for a moment, then she casually withdrew it and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"My stomach wasn't feeling well, so I squatted for a little longer."

"Oh." Keiko Fushiguro accepted this explanation.

Keiko Fushiguro was about to say something when she suddenly stopped and frowned.

The little girl gently curled her fingers on the blanket, as if confirming if the feeling was real. Then her brows furrowed more and more, and her whole little face scrunched up.

Jinmi Fushiguro immediately realized what was wrong and anxiously asked her what was wrong.

"Keiko? Keiko, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Keiko raised her hand and touched her head, her voice a little weak:

"Mom... I have a bit of a headache."

But Jinmi Fushiguro knew about her daughter.

Keiko grew up in a hospital bed; headaches and fevers were as common for her as drinking water and eating. This child had long since learned to endure them.

When she says "it hurts a little," it usually means she's already in unbearable pain.

She said the pain was definitely not ordinary!

"Doctor! Doctor!" Jinmi Fushiguro called out towards the door, then quickly turned back to look at Keiko.

Soon, Keiko Fushiguro's expression became increasingly clear.

Her face turned from pale to an almost transparent gray, fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead, and her lips faded. She gasped for breath like a small fish thrown ashore.

"Mom... it hurts so much..." Her voice was so faint it was almost inaudible, "My head... my head feels like it's going to split open!"

Keiko struggled incessantly in bed.

"Doctor! Doctor!"

Jinmi Fushiguro immediately went out to call the doctor, her high heels clicking rapidly in the corridor.

Not long after, the doctor returned with two nurses, the monitor's wheels squeaking from being pushed around.

The doctor bent down to check Keiko's pupils, pulse, and breathing, then glanced at the numbers on the monitor, his expression growing increasingly grim.

He turned to look at Jinmi Fushiguro, who was waiting beside him, hesitated for a moment, and then told the truth.

"Ms. Fushiguro, your daughter's condition has worsened again."

He paused, his tone slow, but each word was spoken with great force.

"To be honest... it might not work."

If you have anything you want to say to your child, do it now.