Chapter 15: Brother
I had never seen my older brother like this before. He was always so cheerful, so warm. But now, he was someone who barely cared about the world around him. His body had grown heavier, and he refused to leave his room.
People called him a hikikomori—someone who withdraws completely from all social interactions and isolates themselves in their room or home for years.
His emotions changed too. My brother, who used to be so gentle, now snapped easily, especially when he lost at the games he played in his room. His angry shouting would echo through the house late at night, making it hard for me to sleep.
I felt so sorry for my mother, who faced all this with endless patience. She bore it all silently, though even my sister, Takahiro Nana, sometimes lost her temper and got into shouting matches with him.
I remembered how gloomy our home had become, but I couldn't blame anyone. None of us wanted this. It wasn't anyone's fault—not truly.
But still...I blamed myself. My brother, Takahiro Naki, had become a hikikomori because of me. I regretted not being able to stand up for him against the bullies. I regretted not being able to protect him when he had always been the one protecting me.
I'd relied on him to shield me, but I hadn't had the will to defend him in return. After all, my brother was just an ordinary person; he couldn't withstand the years of bullying he went through.
He...endured it all just to protect me...to protect his younger brother.
It reached the point where my brother couldn't continue his education in high school. He avoided it altogether, terrified of meeting the bullies again.
I couldn't bear watching him like this.
One day, my mother spoke to me about Naki's condition.