Chapter 1: Volume 1 - Prologue

It's Christmas, with snow fluttering in the air.

The city is filled with lively Christmas songs and colorful neon lights brighten up the streets.

It was almost five o'clock in the evening, and the people and cars passing by were filled with couples and families.

It was a peaceful and happy scene.

People who would curse such people do not come out into the city to begin with.

Of course, many people are working in such a situation.

At a road construction site just outside the downtown area near the city center, they started to clean up before five o'clock. Colored cones were placed, bars were set up to keep people away from the site, and once the cleanup was complete, the day's work was done.

The site supervisor turns to the guard who was guiding the pedestrians.

「Good job, you're done for the day.」

「Good work!」

The young man lifted his helmet and smiled brightly, pulling out his daily report from his chest. Checking the end time of the workday, he fills it out and gets the signature.

「If you'll excuse me, I have to go first.」

The foreman replied with a deep bow.

The foreman, a familiar face to me, has two children in the lower grades of elementary school. The young man knows that he has been coordinating his work with his authority and has decided not to work overtime today, which is why the company has sent him to this site.

──If I don't go home early, my wife will be very annoyed, as well as my children.

During the break, he would grumble and laugh at the workers, making them laugh.

It was a 15-minute walk from the construction site to the office of the security company where the young man worked.

It was a concern of the company that the young man was sent to a site that was within walking distance. He entered the office in his security guard uniform with a light step.

「Good work!」

「Oh, good job!」

In response to the young man's cheerful voice, several people in the office turned their heads. All of them welcomed the young man with open arms. In this workplace where there are many old people, a cheerful young man is welcomed.

「Yes, Kasahara-kun. Here's your statement for this month.」

「Thank you.」

I politely receive an envelope labeled "December payslip, Satoru Kasahara-san”.

Satoru puts it carefully in the breast pocket of his uniform, bows to the people in the office, and heads for the locker room.

In the changing room, a middle-aged man in a long-sleeved, white, tired shirt and pants was smoking a cigarette.

「Ohh, Satoru-kun. Good work. Are you on time today?」

「Yes.」

「How about today? A drink.」

With a gesture of the hand holding the glass, he does a pose drink and a mouthful, but Satoru pastes a bitter smile on his face while he does it.

「Ah~...I'll pass. Even if I go to pubs, there are a lot of couples in pubs today, aren't there?」

「Well, you know. It's Christmas.」

Fifteen years ago, "we used to have a big party at home," the middle-aged man began to complain.

He divorced his loving wife, who had been with him for 23 years after their children became independent. He still hasn't seen his ex-wife, although he does see his children twice a year. Still, he seems to have some lingering feelings for her and makes it a habit to complain about the loneliness of his daily life at every opportunity.

「Besides, I have a prior engagement today.」

「Oh, your little sister?」

「Yes!」

Satoru smiles cheerfully.

Satoru has a younger sister.

When his sister was born, her mother died after a difficult delivery. His father, in despair, committed suicide on the day of his mother's first birthday.

With no other relatives to turn to, Satoru, who was 16 years old and in his first year of high school at the time, decided to give his younger sister up for adoption, and dropped out of high school to take care of her at an orphanage.

For the past eight years, he has been paying his sister's bills at the orphanage and visiting her once a month, while clenching his teeth and trying to keep his nails lit for her.

The middle-aged man knew the situation.

It was a heavy burden for a 24-year-old young man to bear. Despite this, Satoru's happy reply was both dazzling and surprising.

「Well then, I'm sorry! I'll go home first!」

The middle-aged man sighed as he watched Satoru's back run off with an energetic voice.

「He's a good guy, though. ......」

He was approached by a colleague who was a little older than him, and happily gave him a high five. The middle-aged man, who had been friends with Satoru's father, had been a colleague of Satoru's since he started working here at the age of 16.

As a young man, Satoru's background is still painful and heavy.

When he sees Satoru, who is still a young man, acting like a joker without showing it, he feels that his own misfortune is light, and he also feels sorry for him.

「His sense of justice is a little too strong, though.」

「Hey, boss!」

A small old man appeared from behind the middle-aged man.

He waved a small hand as if he didn't care, and the two of them watched Satoru's back as he left the office.

The two old-timers of this small security company share a common understanding that Satoru is a good man who does not embellish himself. He has a strong sense of justice, which is why he gave up his future to protect his younger sister, who had no one left to take care of but him, and because of his sense of justice, he once got into trouble when he fought a thug who was involved with a woman at work.

In short, he is not good at dealing with the world.

「I really don't want him to leave work on time because it's the peak season, but I guess I can't help it. ......」

「Well, I guess you're right.」

The company tried to make the monthly visitation day with his sister as convenient as possible.

He would have liked to take the day off, but at the end of the year when there was a labor shortage, He asked for the job on the condition that it be done on time.

He readily agreed to do the job without showing his distress, but it was not only the middle-aged man who was feeling distressed, but also the president.

He wants Satoru to be happy.

Satoru is a good young man, and he feels it every time he sees Satoru, so he feels it even more, but there is not much he can do for the two of them. Thinking of Satoru's departure, they both sighed at the same time, looked at each other, and laughed.

「At any rate, from today onward, he will have a happy family time. We old folks, let's wish him all the best, shall we?」

「I agree」

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「Excuse me! I'm Kasahara, and I made a reservation!」

At the toy store where he had rushed in half an hour before closing time, Satoru picked up the item he had reserved with a tight smile from the clerk and walked through the Christmas night humming to himself.

On his back, he carries a Christmas wrapped bag about one meter long. It was a Christmas present for his younger sister, Alice.

Normally, personal gifts are not desirable for boys and girls in an orphanage. This is because they tend to get jealous of other children and become targets of bullying.

「If it's Alice-chan, she can share it with everyone.」

The staff at the orphanage gave permission for the gift.

「.......Fufufu, I'm sure Alice'll be very happy. ......」

To be honest, Satoru had been living a very hard life for the past few months in preparation for this day.

He had no hobbies to begin with and wasn't the type to spend a lot of money, so he didn't mind, but his life was hard enough that people around him were concerned.

However, this was no hardship at all when he thought of Alice's smile.

There was a cute little girl outside the station where he was meeting her, snow fluttering in the air.

Her cheeks were red from the cold, and she was rubbing her woolen gloves together as she exhaled her white breath. Her woolen hat was covered with a light dusting of snow, and she looked cold to the eye.

It's Alice, Satoru's beloved younger sister.

「Alice!」

「Onii-chan!」

A big smile bloomed on Alice's face when she saw her brother.

The fact that she had been shivering in the cold was nowhere to be seen, and she ran up to him happily and hugged him tightly. However, because of their height difference, she hugged Satoru's legs.

With a big smile on his face, he shook off the snow from her hat.

「I told you to wait for me inside.」

「Because I couldn't wait.」

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"Ehehe", With a small smile, she looks up at his beloved brother.

That gesture was appropriate for her age, but she also had a hint of sex appeal. If she grows up like this, she's sure to become a beautiful woman. As an older brother, he's a little worried about her, but she's only 8 years old. It's a little early to be having sexual relations, no matter what.

「How have you been?」

「Yeah! You know, the other day, I got my first love letter!」

He thought it was still early, but... Satoru slumps his shoulders in disappointment. Alice looks up at her brother's face with concern.

「...... Was it no good?」

「Hmmm ...... I don't think so. Love letters. ...... Onii-chan has never given or received anything like that..」

With mixed feelings, Satoru sat down and made eye contact with Alice, this time sweeping a small amount of snow from her shoulders.

「I see. Ehehe.」

After proudly saying, "Isn't it great?", Alice also swept a little snow from Satoru's head.

It was so funny that a couple who happened to see the scene laughed.

「Alright. Well then, here's a Christmas present for my good girl Alice, who's been so cheerful.」

She knew there would be a present――after all, it's a size that can't be hidden. Alice accepted the wrapped present, which was as big as her own, with her whole body.

「Thank you Onii-chan!　...... What's inside this?」

「A big fluffy teddy bear.」

They saw it at the toy store in September.

Three months ago, during a visit, Satoru had taken Alice shopping with him.

At the toy store, Satoru had seen her looking at the stuffed animal for a long time, though she didn't seem to be coveting it.

She replied, "Eh?" and then looked alternately at the gift and at her brother as if she had seen something incredible.

「...... Really?」

「You wanted it, didn't you? Onii-chan knew exactly what you want. The people at the facility gave me permission. ...... Open it when you get home, okay?」

「Yeah! I love you so much, Onii-chan!」

She tried to hug the stuffed animal, but it was too bulky for her to reach.

He laughed at the troubled look on Alice's face, and once he had the package, he gave her a proper hug and picked her up.

At eight years old, she's a little heavy to pick up with one hand, but he's half-heartedly hoping that he'll be able to have skin-to-skin contact with her while he still can.

「Play with your friends at the facility, okay?」

「Yup!」

Alice's reply was also cheerful.

Even though they only met once in a while, Satoru was happy to see that she was growing up straightforward and honest.

After a lot of skinship, he put Alice down and held her hand again. They are too close in age to be father and daughter, and too far apart in age to be brother and sister, but they do not look like a couple.

It would be a crime.

「Well then. Alice, are you hungry?」

As soon as Satoru said that, Alice's stomach made a cute sound that could be heard.

「Ehehe...... a little」

Alice smiles with an embarrassed expression.

Normally, she would have finished eating at the facility by now. she said "a little," but he's sure she's hungry in her own way.

In response to Alice's reply, Satoru replied, "I see," and walked off with his sister's hand.

「Hey, Nii-chan, ...... want to eat something. Will you come with me to eat?」

「Something sweet again?」

At Alice's immediate response, Satoru looked bitter for a moment, as if he had been caught.

Satoru has a rather strong-looking face, but despite his face, sweets are actually his favorite food. Whenever he went out, he was happy to be able to eat sweets, but it was only recently that she found out that they were actually her brother's favorite.

But of course, it's not that Alice doesn't like it, either. it's just that the time she gets to spend with her brother is precious and a precious treasure.

「That's right! There's a place that has a Christmas-only sweets buffet!」

Satoru replied in a loud voice.

He happened to see a sign on the way to work, and was curious about it. He had to be careful not to be extravagant, so he could only enjoy his once-a-month visits.

「It can't be helped. ....... I'll hang out with you, Onii-chan」

She laughs at her sister's coy behavior, and pats her head roughly.

The two of them do not know that this peaceful Christmas scene of two siblings is going to fall apart a little later.

＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊

They walked around the city, talking about what they were up to, as if they were on a date, and went to the restaurant they wanted.

The restaurant was busy, but fortunately they didn't have to wait long and were able to get in easily. He paid the bill first and followed the waiter's instructions to take a seat.

The dessert buffet was only available for three days during the Christmas season. To be honest, his expectations were 50/50, but even at a glimpse, the quantity and quality betrayed Satoru's expectations in a good way. There seemed to be a wide selection of drinks. There was also a small selection of salty and spicy drinks, probably to take the edge off.

――It's a hit! I'm glad I decided to come here!

He raised his voice inwardly, licked his tongue, and listened to about a quarter of the clerk's explanation.

「 ....... That will be all. Please take your time」

After listening to the clerk's explanation, Satoru and Alice stood up vigorously.

「Don't take too much!」

「That was Alice's line.」

Divided into groups, they each put their favorite cakes, puddings, and fruits on their plates as fast as they could. For both Satoru and Alice, this was dinner, so the way they served it was relentless.

The result.

「Onii-chan ......, you don't have to bring it all at once.」

To the dismay of his eight-year-old sister, there was a mountain of cake on two plates. The whole thing would have been about a cake and a half.

The drink was iced tea with no gum syrup or milk, but considering the pile of cakes, the calorie count was a bit low. Well, Satoru is not that fat.

Alice had four small cakes, some fruit, pudding, and orange juice. It was a perfectly normal combination.

「About this much, It's okay. It's okay.」

「You may be right, but ...... you're not behaving well, you know?」

Satoru gasped when his sister's pointed it out.

But it would be even more bad manners to put back what he had brought now. Unable to respond to his sister's suggestion, Satoru gave up his argument and clapped his hands.

「Then, let's eat.」

「Itadakimasu.」

Alice also bowed deeply, and immediately started on the cake. she cut the strawberry cake with a fork to fit her small mouth, and took a bite. The fluffy sponge, the lightly sweetened cream, and the tartness of the strawberries were a perfect match.

Pon and then there popping sound, like something burst, but she couldn't hear it――

「It's delicious! Right! Onii―......」

She looked up from the pile of cakes and tried to ask her beloved brother for his consent, but there was no sign of him in her line of sight.

「Huh? Onii-chan........?」

He was there just a moment ago.

The pile of cake plates in front of Satoru is still intact.

Alice looks around.

He's not here.

――Ah.

Could he be hiding under the table, trying to surprise Alice?

Geez. You're a helpless, Onii-chan.

Alice peeked under the table.

He's not there.

Suddenly feeling uneasy, Alice looked around, confirmed that her brother was not there, and her face turned pale.

The girl's cries suddenly echoed, and the store was in an uproar.

On the seat where Satoru was sitting were the coat he had been wearing, a stuffed bear wrapped in wrapping, and a carefully woven quilted coaster with a star pattern that didn't recognize.

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