He became Shiori's older brother when he was five years old.
At the time, I had wanted a little sister, so I clapped my hands in joy, but the circumstances that led to this were complicated. Shiori had been subjected to terrible "abuse" by her own parents.
Having grown up with loving parents, I was shocked to learn that not all people are happy.
Apparently, Shiori's parents were playboys with no income, didn't provide her with proper food, and were assaulted over trivial matters. Shiori's mother didn't try to stop her husband's behavior, but instead nagged at Shiori, who was crying behind her back, saying things like, "Your crying is too loud" and "Your room is dirty."
Of course, there was no way that such horrible guys could find decent work, and even if they did find work, they would be fired within two or three days. Apparently, one of them even came to the company where my father worked. That was how my father offered to take in Shiori. However, Shiori had been venting his frustration at not having a job through violence, and I remember well that when he was taken in by our family, he was covered in bruises all over his body.
Why did Shiori come to our house? Because he killed his own parents.
Even if he lived, he would be abused by his parents every day for the rest of his life. And even more than that, the fact that he was not loved by his own parents was eating away at Shiori's heart.
To Shiori, his parents were now nothing more than targets of hatred.
Shiori secretly smuggled mercury used at school and poisoned his father by putting it in his father's drink. Then, when his mother sensed something was wrong and rushed to his aid, he beat her to death from behind with a bat. Over and over again.
Like tearing a rag that is no longer of use. Tear it apart until it stops bleeding.
That was...the end of Shiori's parents.
Due to the violent act of a young child and the fact that Shiori had been subjected to regular abuse, the case was dismissed. When my father heard about this on the news, he declared that he would take her in.
That was the beginning of everything.
That's how Shiori and I became "brother and sister" even though we weren't related by blood.
"From today, Shiori-chan will be part of our family."
My dad turned to the little girl and asked me to introduce myself.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Shiori. I'll be taking care of you from today onwards. I look forward to working with you."
Shio's eyes looked dark and cloudy as he bowed politely.
"Yeah, nice to meet you! We'll be living together from now on, so don't be shy."
"But I'm a freeloader."
"I don't know if it's Isorou or Isodine, but a little sister never holds back in front of her big brother."
Even I think my greeting was inappropriate, but I didn't know what to say to someone who had lost a parent in such a way. But I wanted to offer some encouragement, even if just a little. For Shiori, who was like a shell of an empty soul. For my sister, with whom I would spend the rest of my life.
Whenever Shiori was at home, she would always help with the housework. And she never laughed, not even for a moment. To me as a child, it seemed as if she had forgotten how to laugh.
"Hey, Shiori. Can I ask you something?"
I called out to Shiori as she was wiping down the living room.
"yes"
As expected, Shiori answered without moving a muscle in her cheeks. It seemed like she had lost not only her smile, but even her emotions. If that was the case, I decided that I had to do something to help.
"You never laugh at all."
"Laugh?"
"Yes, this is it!"
I smiled, thinking that if he saw other people laughing, he would probably laugh too.
"No."
Shiori said, shaking her head.
"I... I killed my mom and dad."
"You idiot."
"Yes, my mom and dad often told me that."
I couldn't understand why he had such thoughts. This guy hadn't done anything wrong. His parents deserved to die, and he had every right to be happy. So why was he giving up on life at such a young age, as if he'd already realized it?
"Okay, I understand. I have an idea."
"Think?"
"For now, I'll fix that whiny personality of yours. Come here."
I took Shiori to a nearby park. After all, a park is a place where kids can play like kids. Here, they can play without having to worry about adults.
"Okay, let's build a sandcastle for now."
I entered a small enclosed sandbox and began building a castle.
Shiori looked at me with a puzzled expression, so I invited him to join me.
"We play together. All kids our age play like this."
"I've never done it before."
The symbol answered as if it was obvious, but I continued regardless.
"Then you can just remember it from now on. You're really stupid."
"I'm not stupid. My teachers praised me a lot in kindergarten."
"That's not what I meant. I mean, the winner in life is the one who enjoys it the most. When I look at you, it seems like you're deliberately thinking gloomy thoughts."
"I'm... a murderer..."
The last words trailed off and were hard to hear.
I said as I worked on the details of the half-finished castle.
"Killing someone. That's a bad guy. What's wrong with punishing an adult who uses violence against an innocent child? I don't think so. So you don't have to worry about it."
"You wouldn't mind having Satsujinhan as your little sister, would you?"
"I told you, I don't mind. I'd rather you help me build a sandcastle."
"Y-Yes."
Running over to me, Shiori followed my lead and began to touch the sand.
"I'm a bad girl."
"If you're talking about good and bad kids, I'm a bad kid too. You must have been so sad you wanted to cry, but you never cried. Ever since you came home. You're a great kid."
"That's not true."
The marker shook his head, but I continued regardless.
"It's usually the parents who bully their children who are at fault. If they hadn't done that, you might have died, so what you did was not wrong."
"That's not true!"
"Whoa"
Shiori stopped what he was doing and shouted. I looked at Shiori in shock.
"Wh-what's wrong all of a sudden?"
"I killed my parents because I found them annoying! If I had been a better child, my parents would have taken better care of me! Then I wouldn't have done such a thing..."
"Hey, hey. Calm down."
"I wish I'd never been born! Then Mommy and Daddy wouldn't have died! No one would have been unhappy! I wouldn't have caused trouble for your parents!"
With his face and clothes crumpled, Shiori was crying.
"I'm nothing. I'm nothing..."
"Signpost"
I called out to the target quietly.
Then he shows me the finished sandcastle. Damn, I rushed it and it's so shoddy I'm ashamed of myself for making it.
"What is that...?"
Shiori let out a voice that sounded like he didn't know how to respond.
"A sandcastle. It's tiny now, but one day I'll build a real mansion. And then I'll have you."
"me...?"
"I'll make you my bride"
"Wife...?"
I nodded in response to Shiori's soft whisper.
"Did you know? It's the happiest event in the world for girls."
My voice was trembling as I said this, so I continued in a tearful voice.
"If you're having a hard time, rely on me. If you're in pain, come to me. There will be lots of fun things to do, and I'll cut your sadness in half. I'll be by your side until you're old and worn out. So."
"Big bro."
"So don't cry. If you keep crying, I won't marry you."
"If I endure it, will you marry me?"
"ah"
"Will you stay with me forever?"
"ah"
"Will you fall in love with me?"
"Of course."
"Then I won't cry...!"
Saying this, Shiori's face stiffened and dimpled. His smile was like a faint ray of sunshine shining through a long, cloudy sky.
"That's a nice smile."
I stroked Shiori's head. This was fine. This was fine. It was true that killing his own parents must have weighed heavily on him. If that was the case, then he could just replace it with something even more enjoyable. He could create those kinds of memories himself.
In my arms, Shiori desperately tried to hold back her tears. By doing so, she believed she could maintain her identity. From that day on, Shiori became my little sister, and little by little, she was able to blend in with the family.
That's right. From that day on, I made up my mind to protect Shiyuru. And Shiyuru is waiting for me to fulfill my promise. It's extremely servile to continue to keep a promise made when we were such little kids. But the oath I made back then was not a lie.
I continued running through the city, drenched in sweat. For now, I'll just try to find the landmark.
What I say at that time will depend on the situation.
Just like back then.