The place I used to be in

Walking right up to the front door of the house was the trio. Yuu and Sato were hand in hand, and Sato could sense that she was apprehensive. Uncle Otto led the way, and the lights inside the house indicated that someone was still awake.

"Look, Yuu, it seems like they're still awake," Sato said, trying to break the ice in that moment.

Uncle Otto's house was quite spacious, with two floors and five bedrooms. Even if their parents had come with them, there would be plenty of room.

As Uncle Otto opened the door, they entered the house. Sato immediately noticed something different: he could now recall more about his uncle.

The house had a simple design but was adorned with numerous religious elements. In the main hall, there was even an altar where Sato remembered their family conducting ceremonies.

Sato couldn't determine whether Uncle Otto followed a specific religion or if he was an admirer of various traditions. The altar featured items from different belief systems, leaving Sato intrigued.

As he gazed at the altar, he felt a sudden chill in his belly, as if something was opposing his very existence. He couldn't comprehend why he was experiencing fear or why his body was reacting strangely. There was definitely something peculiar about that altar.

"Bro, are you okay?" Yuu asked in her calm and gentle voice, concerned about Sato's sudden change in demeanor.

Upon hearing her voice, Sato regained control of his senses and looked at her, signaling that he was alright. He briefly contemplated the oddity of the altar but dismissed it as he surveyed the rest of the room.

"Hey, can't you recognize your beautiful big sister?" a familiar voice said, followed by a jump and a hug.

It was Suei, his cousin who was supposed to be the same age but seemed more mature than him.

"Hehe, I've grown a lot in these past years, huh?" Suei remarked, nestling her head on Sato's chest, which now towered over her.

"Oy, oy, are you causing trouble again, Suei? Stop it and let me breathe," Sato said, clearly enjoying the situation but also feeling overwhelmed.

While Suei playfully interacted with him, he noticed two little girls standing beside them, their eyes filled with fury. Their presence sent shivers down Sato's spine.

"Hey... They're going to kill us, so stop it!" Sato exclaimed urgently to Suei, who laughed and released him.

The two figures were Yuu and Mio. Yuu greeted Suei while Suei playfully greeted Sato.

"If it isn't my almost second sister," Sato said, as he hugged Mio.

Mio had a similar personality to Yuu—shy, cute, and gentle. The main difference was their size. Mio was visibly smaller, about three or four fingers shorter than Yuu, and hadn't grown much over the years. It suited her role as the younger sister perfectly.

"I-I-I missed you, Sa," Mio said, her voice barely audible due to her shyness.

As Sato embraced her, he felt a powerful aura emanating from Yuu, who was standing right beside him.

"Haha! Don't make your sister jealous by hugging everyone like that, boy!" Suei teased, thoroughly enjoying the reunion.

"N-No, you silly, I d-don't care about that," Yuu stammered, blushing and looking away.

"You really don't know how to lie," the others chimed in, teasing her.

Laughter filled the room as they continued hugging one another. The reunion thrilled all four of them after being apart for so long.

"Where's Takachi?" Sato asked, realizing he hadn't seen him among the small group that had gathered to welcome them.

"He and Tomoko are probably sleeping. They have work tomorrow morning, you know?" Suei replied with a mischievous expression.

"Oh, they're still working at the general store, right?" Sato recalled.

"Yes, if they stayed up as late as we did, the store would be empty tomorrow morning, heh," Suei remarked.

"Well, I'm still planning to wake up early and go there, so that's not a valid excuse," Uncle Otto interjected.

"Sato, you and Yuu can sleep as much as you want. You're the guests here, so don't worry if some of us won't be home in the morning."

"Hey, Sato, we can't let them work all the time while we do nothing," Yuu argued, looking at him with determination.

"Yes, tomorrow might be difficult, but what do you guys think about helping out at the store the day after tomorrow?" Sato suggested.

"Hmm, I'm not sure. Let me think about it tomorrow, okay? The city isn't in the best condition these days, and after today's incident, I don't feel like spending too much time there," Otto replied, feeling slightly uneasy.

"H-Hey, Sato... Yuu... can I show you to your bedroom?" Mio asked timidly.

"Yes, let's take our luggage to the room and get some rest. We're exhausted from the trip," Sato said.

Mio led them to their room and helped them with their bags. It was the same bedroom they had used when they were young. Located on the second floor, their cousins occupied the other two rooms on that floor. The remaining spaces on that floor were an empty bedroom and a bathroom.

The room had a cozy and tranquil atmosphere. Yuu and Sato's beds were placed side by side, almost as if they were meant to sleep together.

This setting triggered memories of Sato's childhood spent in that room...

****************

"H-H-Hey, Sato, can I sleep with you here?" young Yuu had asked in his recollection.

"Yes... Did you have a bad dream?" Sato had replied.

"Well, don't worry about it. You can sleep with me. Give me your hand," Sato had reassured her, reaching out to hold her hand.

"You're warm and sweaty, Yuu. You can relax now. I'm here with you..."

"I love you... Please don't leave me alone," little Yuu had said before drifting off to sleep.

Sato never quite understood why, but Yuu used to have frequent nightmares in that house. Almost every other night, she sought solace in his bed. He had asked Uncle Otto and Aunt about it, but even they couldn't explain why she experienced such fear.

Well, now he might have a clue... Perhaps those things in the house were tormenting her...

****************

"Sato, let's sleep?" Yuu said in a tired voice.

"Oh, sorry, got lost in my thoughts..." Sato replied.

"So, how are you feeling? Are the girls still the same for you?"

"Yeah, I was really scared that maybe they would hate us for that... but I think it was a silly fear," Yuu said as she sat on her bed.

Sato started changing into his pajamas since Yuu had already done the same. Unintentionally, he made her blush by forgetting about her presence while changing.

Yuu remained quiet, waiting for him to finish.

Afterward, Sato sat on his bed and playfully teased her.

"If you have any nightmares, you can sleep here with me," Sato said.

Yuu didn't quite like the tease, and Sato knew he had said something foolish to his sister.

Silence filled the room, but Yuu tried to break it.

"I... I hope you didn't say that without meaning it... I feel really uncomfortable sleeping here," Yuu said with a soft voice.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad... You can come over here anytime... I'll hug you and make you feel at home," Sato said, trying to act confident.

"O-Okay..." She felt pleased by his words, but it also made her blush a little.

Suddenly, she lay down and covered herself, feeling a sense of shame about the situation.

Seeing that, Sato smiled, got up, and went to her bed to give her a kiss on the forehead before they slept.

As he did so, Yuu repeated those same words again.

"I love you... don't leave me alone... okay?"

"God, that's one of the cutest things I've seen in my life," thought Sato.

"But it's funny, it really reminds me of the time we used to live here together... She always told me that."

"She used to say that every night, her only nightmare was the one where I left her alone... But it's silly to think about it. Even as we grow up, I'll still be close to her."

****************

"Was it all just foolishness?"

"Well, one could argue that I did leave her, but it's not like I wanted to... I didn't have a choice."

"I have to endure this alone. I can't drag them into this hell."