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Chapter 4 – Reunion With an Old Friend \nVolume 1\n<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\n\n\n
I put mayonnaise and eggs in my basket, and I had almost everything I needed to buy. All that was left to do was to take it to the cashier, but as promised, I also stopped by the snack section.\n
” Since you helped me, you can choose whatever you want. “\n
“Really?”\n
I was worried about the mental age of the girl whose eyes were twinkling there. However, she seemed to be having so much fun picking out snacks that I didn’t even feel like saying that. Sweets, potato chips, chocolates. Eventually, Sayaka brought me a 24-piece box of chocolates and a stick-type Tara-Tara.\n
“Then, here you go”\n
She put them in the basket. And I asked.\n
“Well, the chocolates are fine, but why the stick?”\n
“Dad says it’s a good snack for drinking.”\n
“Oh, it’s for Dad?”\n
“Huh?”\n
I’m not sure why there’s a question mark there.\n
“It’s for drinking, right? It’s not for you, is it?”\n
“Of course I don’t drink alcohol. But it’s for me, of course. I don’t know what liquor tastes like, but I’m sure I could eat it in juice.”\n
“Ah, that’s why. ……”\n
I wondered if my sister would be okay after all this time.\n
Whether or not she knows I’m worried, she quickly walked on ahead. I carried the cart with a sigh.\n\n\n
After paying the bill, I went to the ground level.\n
I noticed that there was a couch at the end of the escalator. I called out to Sayaka.\n\n
“Let’s rest here for a while.”\n
“Eh?”\n
Without waiting for an answer, I put the shopping bag on the chair. It was almost an hour since we had left the house and I figured she should have reached her limit.\n
“I’m hungry and I want to go home.”\n
“It’s fine. Your feet hurt, don’t they?”\n
The whole time I was shopping, I kept thinking about her feet. Every time she started to move, she frowned a little and walked a little differently than usual.\n
“Well, it hurts a little. I’m fine. Let’s go home.”\n
“Don’t push yourself too hard. Just sit down.”\n
When I said that, Sayaka reluctantly sat down next to me. I put the reference book I just bought next to her. I pointed at her feet.\n
“Take off your shoes, I’ll check it”\n
“I don’t want to. Why do I have to do that here?”\n
“No one’s watching. Just take them off.”\n
“All right.”\n
Sayaka unzipped her short boots. She also took off her socks, and when she went barefoot, the sides of her feet and heels were a little red. The heels were frayed and bloody.\n
“If they don’t fit your feet, return them. These aren’t the kind of shoes you want to wear after all this.”\n
“I thought they would fit my feet after a few wears, but they didn’t. You can’t buy shoes by mail order after all.”\n
“You can dress up all you want, but if you hurt your feet, it won’t matter.”\n
” I know. Stop nagging.”\n\n
I take out gauze and bandages from my shopping bag. \n\n
“Eh? When did you get them?”\n
“While you were in the bathroom. Wait a minute.”\n
After wiping the wound with a handkerchief, I pressed the gauze against the wound. I fixed it with medical tape and then wrapped a bandage around it. I also applied the same treatment to the side of the wound.\n
“You’re overreacting.”\n
“I’m not overreacting at all. If you hurt your feet, it’s a hassle. When you take a bath, you’ll feel itchy and you’ll get blood on your socks.”\n
“Yes yes.”\n\n
However, if I let her put on her shoes like this, they might come off soon. After putting her socks back on, I handed her a different handkerchief from the one I just gave her.\n
“Put this in your shoes. It’s better than nothing.”\n
“What? How many handkerchiefs do you have, shitty brother?”\n
“I figured you wouldn’t have any handkerchiefs anyway. I just brought one for you.”\n
“You’re right, it’s mine when I look at it”\n
That should take care of one leg. I immediately asked her to show me the other one.\n
“What? Both?”\n
“Of course. It’s not normal to have a sore shoe on one side.”\n
“Yeah, but…”\n\n
While complaining, she took off the shoe on the other side. It has the same scar. However, it seemed to be better than the previous one. I put gauze on it and wrapped a bandage around it.\n\n
“With that, we’re good”\n
I put the trash into a bag. However, Sayaka seemed to be unhappy.\n
“What do you mean, good? After all, so many people are looking at us.”\n\n
I looked around, and sure enough, a few people were looking at us with a smile. Two people, who seemed to be an elderly couple, were looking at us and talking quietly. They may have been talking about something like, “There was a time when we did that too”.\n
Sayaka stomped her feet on the spot, checking the feel of her shoes. She also stood up and tapped her shoes.\n\n
“Well, I think it’s much better now.”\n
“I guess so. You have something to say to me, don’t you?”\n
“What?”\n\n
She gave me a hard stare. Then she sighed.\n\n
“I don’t know if you understand this, shitty brother, but these things aren’t meant to be patronizing. No matter what you do, you’ll never be popular if you act like you want to be thanked.”\n
“Then be grateful, please.”\n
“That’s not the point.”\n\n
Sayaka, who had a dumbfounded expression on her face, was already walking away. I think she is embarrassed because she is still being watched.\n
“You’re not being honest at all.”\n\n
I chased after her, thinking that she was the one who couldn’t help it.\n\n