The Bottom Line?

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    “Then, Kotaro Onii-chan, good bye. See you tomorrow?　Don’t worry, I’ll go to school tomorrow. And Azusa-chan, see you tomorrow, okay? Today was fun. Thanks for chatting with me.”?

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    Shiho looked more satisfied than usual as she left, perhaps satisfied with her typhoon-like rampage.?

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    I waved her off and saw Azusa slumped on the sofa looking tired.?

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    “I’m …… tired.”?

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    She seemed to be exhausted from accompanying Shiho and doing a lot of tugging and pulling.?

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    “Thanks for your hard work.”?

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    To show my appreciation, I take a can of juice out of the refrigerator and hand it to her.?

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    After accepting it, Azusa’s eyes widened as if she suddenly realized something.?

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    “Oh, maybe …… this kind of thing is called being ‘spoiled’?”?

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    Apparently, she was not aware of it. Maybe she noticed it because she was conscious of it when Shiho pointed it out to her.?

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    …… Well, she has been a sister since birth …….  Being kind to her brother was probably a normal part of her daily life.?

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    She probably took it for granted that her brother would be kind to her.?

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    Or when he bought her sweets.?

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    Or when he would listen to her requests.?

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    Comforting her when she felt down.?

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    For Azusa, perhaps it was just a normal routine.?

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    And Shiho was jealous of those things.?

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    Azusa seems to have finally realized that.?

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    “I see …… Azusa’s ‘Onii-chan’ has always been Onii-chan…….”?

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    Looking somewhere far away, she mumbles a few words.?

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    Then she put her canned juice on the table and looked straight at me this time.?

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    “I’m sorry.”?

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    Abruptly, Azusa bows her head.?

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    Her words were tinged with regret.?

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    “I’m sorry I said that you might not be my Onii-chan…….”?

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    –No, no, no.?

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    There’s no need to apologize, Azusa …….?

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    I’m not your ideal “Onii-chan”.?

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    “I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while now, but your ideal ‘Onii-chan’ is nobody else. Of course it’s not me, and it’s not Ryuzaki either…….The ‘Onii-chan’ Azusa is looking for is no longer available anywhere. You know that, right?”?

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    In the past, Azusa lost her own brother.?

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    Because she was unable to accept this and continued to search for “Onii-chan,” various distortions were created.?

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    “…… Yeah, I know. Onii-chan is not ‘Onii-chan’. Of course, it’s not Ryoma Onii-chan ……. Ryoma-kun? And no. Azusa’s ideal Onii-chan is nowhere to be found.”?

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    She looks sad, but she is not downcast, she is looking forward and facing reality.?

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    Perhaps it is thanks to the fact that she has been alone for so long these days.?

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    She seems a little more mature or …… calm and able to think things through than before.?

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    “But you see, it’s different. Azusa is, you know, I’m not apologizing in the sense that I want you to forgive me or anything like that……. Just let me apologize for betraying your feelings, Onii-chan? You don’t have to forgive. This is a clean slate…….”?

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    –Oh, I see.?

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    I was worried about her, but it seems Azusa has already sorted out a lot of her thoughts.?

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    “I’m sorry I said such terrible things.”?

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    It’s not that she wants me to forgive her.?

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    Merely apologizing because she has done something wrong.?

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    “Also, thank you for being the ‘Onii-chan’ to this awful little sister of yours.”?

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    Once again, Azusa bows profoundly.?

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    Her sincere attitude made my cheeks loose.?

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    “There is no such thing as a person who doesn’t make mistakes. And since Azusa and I are still immature teenagers, we make a lot of mistakes…….”?

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    So the important thing is obviously not to apologize for your failures.?

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    I think the most important thing is to properly take the next step forward, using this failure as a source of inspiration.?

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    “Azusa, you also need to properly think about where your “happiness” lies, okay? Don’t be tied down by ‘Onii-chan’ and do your best …… to make sure you get what you really want.”?

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    It means growing up.?

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    And to be grateful.?

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    Maybe that’s what it means to be an adult……. So, as an older brother, I was genuinely happy to see my sister grow up.?

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    “I told you before, didn’t I? I’ll be watching over you the whole time.”?

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    “…………”?

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    When I told her this, Azusa’s eyes suddenly became moist.?

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    But she rubbed her eyes and looked at me stoutly, trying not to cry.?

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    She doesn’t break down and cry like she did when she was once dumped by Ryuzaki….?

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    Azusa is stronger now, and she’s okay.?

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    “Onii-chan, …… Azusa, I’m going to cut my hair. Do I have scissors?”?

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    Then she – untied the hair string that she had tied into twin-tails.?

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    Her hair had always been the same since she was a little girl, but that seems to be the case until today.?

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    “Eeeeee!”?

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    With a buzz, she snips off a long strand of hair.?

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    Because she cut it herself, it is unbalanced. However, Azusa looked very refreshed.?

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    “I’m going to go try to get some sleep. I’ll be fine now. …… Azusa will go to school tomorrow, okay?”?

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    “…… Then you might want to adjust your hair a little more, okay? You look like a child sitting on a throne.”?

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    The slicked-back bangs and slicked-back hair remind one of a childish girl.?

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    It looks good on her, but, well……, it’s a little unbalanced, but since she cut it herself, it can’t be helped.?

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    “Then, Onii-chan do something about it?”?

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    With that said, she now tries to throw all the responsibility to me.?

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    She seems to have made up her mind, but she won’t stop indulging herself in the house.?

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    “I’ll try ……, but don’t get your hopes up, okay?”?

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    Well, it can’t be helped. No matter what they do to us, no matter how badly they treat us, the bond of brother and sister is not easily broken.?

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    Me and Azusa will always be brother and sister. That’s why she will always continue to do …… this way and rely on me for anything.?

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    I accepted it as I always do. I have to say, when Azusa gets spoiled by me, I can’t help but accept it.?

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    Because there is no Onii-chan who can refuse a request from his sister.