Chapter 19: Illusion 2

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Translator: Soafp

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June 8. Saturday. I lied about working. Looking at my smartphone. 6:25 PM. I am 16 years old. The anniversary of Kai-chan's death.

Wearing my high school uniform, I ran out of the apartment building and fled to a small children's park down the hill. The rain had stopped. The park was small, with the unique smell of mud and steam from the rainy season lingering in the air.

I sat on a bench. It was wet from the rain, but I didn't mind. Although this time of year has the longest daylight, it was already quite dark by now. Of course, there were no children playing. But, if I close my eyes like this, I can see it. The times when Kai-chan and I played together in this park, happy. Digging in the sand, sliding down the slide.

We even had fashion shows. We'd walk around the park in our favorite clothes, showing them off to each other like models.

“Onee-chan, look, look!”

I had always worn childish clothes that Mom bought for me. Because I grew quickly, the clothes that got too small for me were passed down to Kai-chan.

I really wanted dresses with frills or something like a little lady would wear, but that wasn't possible in a family with a younger sibling so close in age.

Among them, Kai-chan loved the pink shirt with bears on it that I had outgrown. He never paid any attention to the other shirts Mom bought specifically for him, like ones with trains or dinosaurs.

I had to protect Kai-chan from everything that might scare him. I had decided that since I was little.

So I managed it. His clothes, his toys, who he could play with—everything was managed by me. I judged it was okay to give him that pink bear shirt.

He would take off his pants and show off the shirt, twirling around happily like a dress. He was so cute. Cuter than any other girl. I was satisfied.

“Onee-chan, look!”

Yes, twirling around like that, looking so happy.

“Onee-chan, hey…”

Huh?

When I opened my eyes, looking down, I saw small feet. Little feet wearing clear pink sandals made of vinyl with sequins, like glass slippers, feet that I had allowed him to wear.

“Onee-chan…”

As soon as the small child looked up, they started running.

“Wait!”

I shouted and took off after the child almost simultaneously.

I chased after them.