In Tokyo: They are heavily dependent on me

Chapter 100. Decay

"That's why I said..."

"There's really nothing my brother can do for me."

When Kaoru said "I also want to do something for Rin" for the third time, Rin, who was already annoyed by him, finally couldn't help but express her opinion in an impatient tone.

Rin is capable of many things; there are simply too many to count just by thinking about them.

Because of these reasons, such incidents occur so frequently that when this body receives care from her, it naturally develops the idea that "being cared for doesn't require me to do anything for her."

Subconsciously ignoring the fact that such matters should be reciprocal is a fundamental truth.

"It doesn't matter what it is, I'll feel guilty if I can't do something for Rin!"

Kaoru grabbed her hands urgently, and the sudden reaction made Rin's cheeks flush.

"Brother...it's so strange. You've suddenly become very proactive today...it's completely different from the brother who usually just does his own thing after dinner and has no intention of caring about his sister at all."

"Ahem... Please stop making fun of me."

Being told his shortcomings so bluntly made him realize that he was indeed not a qualified older brother. At this moment, Kaoru's heart was filled with guilt towards Rin. That feeling kept eating into the deepest part of his heart, making him feel painful and suffocated with every breath.

"However, thinking about it... there are things my brother is capable of doing, you know."

Rin's words rekindled the hope in Kaoru's heart.

"What's wrong?"

Rin glanced nervously toward the bathroom, then lowered her face, her awkward manner making Kaoru want to know what she was thinking immediately.

Then--

"I just finished showering, brother..."

Rin turned her face to the other side to avoid eye contact with Kaoru.

"My underwear... I haven't had time to wash it yet."

Underwear...

Kaoru, of course, knew what that meant.

If it were just dealing with his cleaned underwear, he wouldn't feel any guilt. However, the current situation is completely different.

Rin had just changed out of her clothes, which still carried her scent... No matter how you look at it...

Xun felt something wet under her nose, raised her right hand and wiped it, seeing that her fingertips were stained a striking red.

"Brother...brother!"

This scene caught Rin's attention.

The scene that followed was quite chaotic. Kaoru strained to look up at the ceiling, while Rin quickly ran to the bedside table, pulled out a tissue, and handed it to her. After wiping the blood off her face, Kaoru went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her forehead and the back of her neck. By then, the bleeding had stopped and there was no risk of it continuing to flow.

He recalled the scenes he had experienced at that time.

It must have been because of that time, right? Although that guy's attack didn't work, he wasn't sure if his body would be unharmed. In the chaos, he was hit in the nose... such a situation might have happened back then.

It's infuriating. Thinking about it now... those two guys were definitely not mentally sound.

The evidence currently in hand consists of Miri's false accusation against him and the violence inflicted on him by Yui. These two incidents are likely to cause some fans to dislike them, and their support rate will drop.

However, relying solely on these methods is still not enough to completely defeat them.

While Kaoru was diligently thinking of strategies for the future.

Rin appeared outside the bathroom, leaned in, and asked with concern.

"Brother, are you alright?"

My thoughts were instantly pulled back to reality.

"It's alright, the bleeding has stopped."

"Is my brother alright? Would it be better to go to the hospital to get him checked out?"

Unlike the fake concern I felt when facing those two guys, I could genuinely feel Rin's sincerity. It wasn't just empty talk; she really intended to do it.

"Speaking of which, I'm more concerned about Rin's health. Are you injured?"

Kaoru noticed that her thumb was wrapped with a band-aid.

The thought of Rin silently enduring all of this for him intensifies his unease, to the point that when he takes the convenience that the other person brings him for granted, a sense of guilt arises.

By expressing his feelings so directly to Rin, Kaoru could clearly feel that doing so was indeed bringing them closer together.

"Ah... I was noticed after all..."

Rin reacted like a child caught doing something wrong by their parents, hiding her injured hand behind her back and becoming unable to meet Kaoru's gaze.

Let's put aside what we can't do for now and focus on doing what we can do.

Knowing this, Kaoru poured fabric softener into the basin. Rin, who saw this, immediately covered her eyes and watched through her fingers as he carefully washed her underwear.

"Brother... I've always done this kind of thing by myself since I was little. It feels strange to suddenly ask you for help."

Rin squeezed out the words nervously, observing Kaoru's movements... Her legs were crossed due to tension, and her body, leaning against the door frame, began to sway slightly.

She looked as if she was putting up her last act of endurance.

"I would be satisfied if I could help Rin. I've been neglecting these aspects before."

"Does my brother mean... that I should rely on you more?"

"Yes, because Rin is the most important person to me, and she is irreplaceable and the number one in my heart."

"Ah... I'm so happy to hear my brother say that..."

The washing of the underwear was completed quickly.

When Rin used the dryer function of the washing machine, she came downstairs with Kaoru. Before Kaoru could react, she clearly felt the soft touch on her back.

Rin's hands were pressed tightly against her waist, the embrace seeming stronger than ever before.

"Rin... what's wrong?"

Kaoru instinctively gripped the hands that were pressed against her waist.

"Being cared for by my brother... Rin is really happy, I feel warm all over."

"Really? That's wonderful."

"Brother... Rin can't live without you anymore."

"Ah, me too."

At that time, Kaoru did not understand the meaning of those words.

However, Rin was already perfectly clear about this matter.

She buried her face in her back, where she could hear her heartbeat, a smile on her face that seemed to indicate she was completely absorbed and had no other thoughts on the matter.

After all—my brother isn't the kind of person who's slow to understand things.

To others, this might seem twisted and heavy, but that doesn't matter anymore.

As long as the goal can be achieved, there's no problem.

Therefore, deception, exploitation, and lies no longer matter.

Rin thought to herself.