Guilt and Long-Awaited Warmth

Mana didn’t rashly look for a job.
Considering the family’s situation, she felt she needed to discuss it with Ryoko Shizuki first before deciding.

If Ryoko didn’t agree…
The thought of that worst-case scenario made her freeze, trembling as she pulled out her phone to check the school’s information.
She sighed in relief.

The school’s deviation value was only 52.
With a bit of effort, she could likely earn a scholarship.

But that would be much slower than working part-time…
Mana sighed, deciding to do her best and leave the rest to fate.
She shifted her focus to cleaning the house.

Ryoko’s job was nearly round-the-clock, and with cooking duties, she had little time for anything else.
After returning home, Mana thought she should help ease the housework burden.

“Misaki?”
While sweeping, Mana noticed Misaki Shizuki peeking at her from behind her room’s door.
Once spotted, Misaki quickly vanished.
As long as she didn’t run outside, there was no need to worry, but her attitude left Mana dejected for a while.

The Shizuki house was much larger than the apartment they’d later move to.
Mana worked until nearly noon and only managed to clean half the place.
When she reached the area with the family altar, she paused, bowing with deep guilt.

“I’m sorry… This is all my fault, but I’ll definitely bring Yurina back.”

After carefully cleaning the area, Mana called Misaki to eat the bento Ryoko had prepared.
During lunch, Mana felt incredibly awkward.

Several times, she tried to say something to lighten the mood, but Misaki would immediately look scared and turn to clutch her cat-ball plushie.

“How do I get closer to this kid?”

While washing the dishes, Mana couldn’t help but sigh.
With Ryoko, acting like a good daughter might suffice, but that wouldn’t work with Misaki.
Misaki seemed to sense something off about her and was always wary.

Of course, Mana knew her overly eager and deliberate actions could easily annoy others.
But she didn’t want Ryoko to come home from work only to worry about sisterly discord.
Even more, she didn’t want Yurina to return to a broken bond with her sister.

Yes, everything she did was just to atone, to ease her conscience a little.
She was that despicable and shameless.

But Mana wasn’t the type to stop because of guilt or sadness.
After washing the dishes, she threw herself wholeheartedly into cleaning.

“Sis…”
While she was busy, a small, cute hand suddenly tugged at her clothes.
Turning around, Mana saw Misaki holding her cat-ball plushie, looking at her with slight fear.

“What’s wrong?”
Mana tried to keep her tone gentle.

Misaki instinctively wanted to hide behind her plushie but pursed her lips and spoke up.
“M-Misaki wants to… help…”

Mana froze, then crouched down with a bright smile.
“Thank you, Misaki, but I can handle it.
The living room’s done—want to watch some TV?”

Misaki shook her head and didn’t leave.
Instead, she followed Mana, helping with small tasks.

What a sensible child.
Mana realized that, like herself, Misaki wanted to lighten Ryoko’s load.

Even though she sensed something off about Mana, she still tried to connect.
Since yesterday, Misaki hadn’t left the house once.

Other kids her age would’ve run off to play, but to avoid troubling her family, she’d likely been holding back.

‘This child’s bearing pressure beyond her years.’

Mana couldn’t help but think of her own sister, Makoto.
She had few memories of spending time with her sister, but her basic judgment remained.

In a prestigious family like the Ochis, with her—the eldest “son”—having run away, the family’s burdens would’ve fallen on her sister.
Makoto would likely have to marry a man she didn’t love, living a life of scheming and intrigue.
The thought alone was painful.

Mana knew she could no longer change the Ochi family’s situation.
But at least here and now, she could prevent a similar tragedy.

After cleaning another room, Mana, with some trepidation, spoke to Misaki, who was carrying a bucket.
“Misaki, are you free tomorrow?
How about I take you out to play?”

At the mention of going out, a spark of excitement flashed in Misaki’s eyes.
But her face showed hesitation, even confusion.

“I’ll talk to Mom about it.
Don’t worry, I won’t cause her any trouble.
But you have to promise me you won’t run off, okay?”

Misaki finally nodded, clutching her cat-ball plushie and whispering almost inaudibly,
“I won’t… cause trouble for Sis…”

“That’s great.
You’re such a good kid, Misaki.”

Mana smiled happily, reaching out to pat Misaki’s head.
At first, Misaki flinched, but she didn’t pull away, burying her face in the plushie and quietly accepting the touch.
Soon, her ears turned red from shyness.

Seeing Misaki didn’t show disgust, Mana sighed in relief.
It seemed the sisters’ bond outweighed her awkward behavior.

For this moment, she was glad to be Yurina.
Of course, she believed the real Yurina would do even better.

Misaki Shizuki used to love smiling.
Her father was cheerful and generous, her mother warm and kind, and that person doted on her.
But after that day, smiles and her father vanished from the house together.

“It’s okay, it’s all in the past.”
Her mother said this with a sad face, trying to comfort her, but Misaki’s attempts to console her had little effect.

“It’s all your fault!”
That person was both sad and angry, but Misaki only felt confused.

Dinner times grew later.
Her mother was rarely home, and when she was, she had little time to play.
At night, her mother would cry alone in front of her father’s photo.

“Get lost!”
That person stopped playing with her, pushing her away when she got close.
No matter how much she cried, they just watched coldly from the side.

Her mother fought with that person often because of her, but it only made that person hate her more.
After dinner, her mother would sigh heavily.

When Misaki realized this was her deserved punishment, it was too late to apologize.
“Don’t think this will make me forgive you!”

She started helping with chores, but her mother thought that person was bullying her.
“Why don’t you believe me!”
That person was furious.

Later, that person would take her favorite things, bully her to upset their mother, or glare at her with disgust when she smiled.
She stopped daring to smile.

Gradually, her dreams filled with her mother’s crying, her bloodied father lying beside her, and that person’s curses surrounding her from all sides.
She stopped daring to leave the house alone.

Because of this, her mother had to escort her to school, later transferring her to one with a school bus.
The family’s burden grew heavier.
She knew it was her fault.

She tried to make things right.
She wanted her family to smile again.

She gathered the courage to approach that person, but every attempt failed.
At some point, she began to hate and fear them too.

She knew it was her fault, that continuing like this would break not just her but her mother too.
Yet she couldn’t overcome her fear.

But then, things took a turn.
That person changed.

They still looked like that person, but they no longer gave her cold glares.
They even smiled at her.
At first, she thought it was a malicious smile and wanted to flee in fear.

But it wasn’t.
Their smile was as gentle as her mother’s now.

They didn’t fight with her mother, helped with chores, and returned her favorite cat bowl.
For a moment, she almost thought this was a stranger pretending to be that person.

But that was just her escaping reality.
Because now… her sister genuinely wanted the family to smile again.
A stranger wouldn’t go that far.

The only explanation was that her sister had overcome the hurdle she couldn’t.

That day, laughter returned to the house after so long.
Her mother was smiling—because of her sister.

That night, she dreamed of her sister taking her out to play, something she hadn’t dared hope for.
The next day, it came true.

Even now, seeing her sister, her body still instinctively trembled with fear.
But when she closed her eyes, she could clearly feel the emotion from her sister’s touch—care and affection.

Even if this was a stranger, it was definitely her sister.