Chapter 40 - I Love This Person So Much!

"Akasaka, we had a lot of fun, didn't we?"

"Shall we play together again?"

…This is bad. I don't think I can hold back.

"Onii-san, you should stay away from that girl. She's dirty and stinky."

"We did it because we're kind, don't you think? It was fun, wasn't it?"

I can't help but make the hand I'm holding unintentionally tighter.

"You two… You're in the way, can you please go away?"

"Eh, why? Oh, maybe Onii-san likes her?"

"What bad taste!"

Seriously… When I think about how these guys messed up Eri-chan's life, I can't help but get angry.

I was about to take a step forward to say something back when…

"Yukishiro-Onii-san, it's okay."

Eri-chan took one big, slow, deep breath, smiled at me, and faced them.

"What, Akasaka? What's wrong?"

"Do you want to play together again?"

They spoke with annoyingly shrill voices.

…I should trust Eri-chan.

"…Shut up. You two are so noisy."

"Huh?"

"…What?"

When Eri-chan said that, she withdrew her smiling face and replied with a stern voice.

"You… How long are you going to keep doing that?"

"Huh?"

"It's okay to be envious of others, but to discriminate without making an effort is what elementary students do, isn't it?"

"…How annoying."

Eri-chan's grip on my hand tightened.

"If you had made an effort, that guy might have confessed to you, don't you think?"

"Huh?"

"I've already found happiness for myself. It's thanks to Onii-san right here. It may be something you will never achieve in your lives. So, no matter what you do to me, I won't be shaken anymore."

She put her arm around me and smiled.

"…Disgusting."

"No fun."

The two girls left as if they had lost interest.

Then, Eri-chan took a deep breath and…

"Everything is because I love this person so much! Idiots! Keep living your pathetic life as it is for the rest of your life!"

With that, Eri-chan smiled and said goodbye to them and to her past self.

"…Yukishiro-Onii-san."

"Yes."

"Eri did her best."

"Yes."

I gently hugged her. Eri-chan was shivering.

"Good job, Eri-chan."

When I gently rubbed her back, she began to cry aloud that my clothes were soaked with tears.

I felt like crying too, but I held it in.

Above all, I was happy that Eri-chan had made a step forward.