When Aiko first regained consciousness after being rescued, she could clearly see the expression on that boy's face—relief mixed with overwhelming joy.
But just as she was about to say something, a sharp slap rang beside her ear.
That's right—she, a woman in her twenties, had just been slapped hard across the face by a child barely eleven or twelve years old.
Still weak and dazed, she could only stare blankly as the boy, tears streaming down his cheeks, gripped her shoulders and shouted, "What the hell do you take life for?!
Yuko and I worked so hard to pull you back from the brink of death, and this is what you do? Are you trampling on all our efforts?!
If Yuko finds out you tried to die like this, how do you think she'll feel? You think dying will make her feel better? No! It'll only make her blame herself for the rest of her life!"
"Paralyzed legs? So what?! There are countless people out there worse off than you—people who fight desperately just to stay alive! And you're the one who's giving up?
Didn't the doctors say you could recover? So what if the treatment costs a fortune?!
Yuko and I haven't given up on you—so how could you give up on yourself first?!"
That day, the hospital ward echoed with Seiya's heartfelt roar.
Struck right in the heart, Aiko could only cover her mouth and sob uncontrollably as she listened to his words.
Never had she imagined that she, a grown adult, would be scolded like this—by a half-grown child no less.
And yet, she couldn't find a single word to argue back. Instead, shame filled her heart, and she couldn't even bear to meet Seiya's eyes.
To be honest, when Aiko first woke up, she felt rather distant from him.
After all, unlike Yuko, who had already been living with Seiya for years, Aiko still thought of him as her late fiancé's younger brother.
When Yuko told her that she had adopted Seiya, that the three of them now shared the surname "Wenren," and that most of Aiko's medical expenses had been paid with Seiya's acting income—Aiko was shocked, but deeply grateful.
The truth was, Seiya had saved her life twice—no, three times, counting this one.
That slap, and the harsh words that followed, had completely woken her up.
From that day onward, Aiko truly saw Seiya as family. Her affection and concern for him even surpassed what she showed her own sister, Yuko.
After returning from the hospital, Aiko had tried to mend their relationship.
But Seiya had remained cold toward her for months.
That awkward distance lasted until her birthday... and ever since then, Aiko's greatest fear was upsetting Seiya and being ignored by him again.
"Alright, enough about that gloomy stuff," Yuko said, snapping her sister out of her thoughts. "Today's Seiya's first day at Youtou High School, remember?
Didn't we agree to celebrate tonight? If you help me out with preparations, I won't tell that brat what you just said."
Yuko smirked as she shoved a whisk and a bowl of egg whites into Aiko's hands.
"My, my... Yuko, you've gotten sly as you've grown up. If you ever get married, your husband's going to have a hard time with you."
This time, Yuko didn't get angry—she could tell her sister was teasing.
"Hmph, if I ever did get married, there'd be no one left to take care of you." Yuko shot back with a grin.
"I'm not worried at all. I still have little Seiya—he's way gentler than someone I know." Aiko said proudly while expertly whipping the cream.
"Have you forgotten, sis? Seiya's a seventeen-year-old high schooler now. He's not the little boy who used to take baths with us anymore.
And knowing how shy and bashful he was even as a kid, do you really think he'd take care of your daily needs now?"
Hearing that, Aiko immediately turned bright red, her imagination clearly running wild.
Meanwhile, on Seiya's side—on his very first day at Youtou High, he ran into three other students wearing the same uniform: one boy and two girls.
"Well, well, Arima, it's been years, hasn't it? You don't seem to have changed much though—especially your height."
Swallowing the last bite of toast in his mouth, Seiya spoke teasingly to the red-haired girl among them.
Twelve years had passed. Because of his family's move, Seiya and Arima Kana hadn't been as close as when they were children.
Still, due to work, they had crossed paths occasionally.
If he remembered right, the last time he saw her was two or three years ago.
Back then, she'd been in her third year of middle school. Now, she was a second-year high schooler.
And to be honest, she hadn't changed much—her face was still as youthful as ever. Aside from having a more noticeable chest, her height remained disappointingly the same.
Kana, too, froze when she saw Seiya. She clearly hadn't expected to run into so many familiar faces today.
That's right—not only Seiya, but the other boy and girl walking beside her were also people she'd known since childhood.
Back then, the so-called "genius child actress" Arima Kana had only ever been outperformed by two peers.
One was her junior—now far ahead of her—Wenren Seiya.
The other was Hoshino Aqua, a boy she'd met just once on set.
And today, of all days, she'd run into both of them—first Aqua, her one-time rival, and now her childhood friend and junior, Seiya.
Compared to Aqua, Kana was clearly closer to Seiya. After all, she'd only met Aqua once more than a decade ago; the reason she remembered him was simply because it was the first time she'd ever lost to someone her own age.
But Seiya... he was her true childhood friend.
It was only after certain misfortunes that her career as a "child star prodigy" had faded away.
Her mother, disappointed in her, had moved back to their hometown. Kana herself had relocated for work, and as a result, she and her childhood friend had gradually drifted apart.
(End of Chapter)