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"I'm hungry!"

"Well... with all these problems overflowing, might as well fill our stomachs too..."

This wasn't the time to be self-deprecating. The clock above the TV showed it was past 5 o'clock, the hour hand approaching 8. My uncle and his family would have finished their dinner by now.

"Mi-kun is a big eater, right?"

Mayu chided me like a teasing aunt. She hopped off my lap and stood between the TV and me, hands on her hips.

"Then, I'll make dinner for you!"

The backlighting from the TV made her appear almost divine, and I was nearly compelled to bow in reverence.

"Alright, please do."

"What do you want to eat? I can make anything."

"Something you dislike."

My nasty instinctual response made her tear up.

"Just kidding, a joke! I want whatever you like. What you love, I love. Seriously."

It was a weak attempt at flattery, even worse than a street solicitor's pitch. However, she seemed mollified. "Leave it to me!" She dashed to the kitchen, not even wearing slippers. The effect was extraordinary.

A dull thud drew me to follow her.

The kitchen was as expected. At first glance, it seemed organized but was actually in disarray. The placements of items were chaotic. Why were knives stored with chopsticks?

With her forehead flushed, Mayu took an apron from a shelf. She wore a red apron over her school uniform and then shyly stood before me.

"How do I look?"

She looked up, seeking an opinion.

I couldn't come up with an appropriate compliment on the spot, so I hugged her. That gesture was sufficient to convey my feelings.

"Mi-kun, I love you."

When she pulled away, her cheeks were flushed. She gave me a smile full of charm, a smile I could never hope to match in my lifetime. "When are we having the ceremony?"

"Wait."

Suddenly, they were in a marital relationship.

"I'd like a girl first."

Now they even had a child. Is she a bride from the heavens?

To divert the topic, I looked around the kitchen for another subject. Although there was nothing significant in the kitchen, I remembered an issue I had put aside and asked,

"What about their dinner? Are we making it together?"

Mayu stepped away from my embrace and pulled out two rolls from a bag attached to the refrigerator, saying, "These."

"...That's not enough. We have to feed them more."

"Why?"

"Just because. You can cook, right? Feed them something good."

Mayu pouted, and the rolls were crushed in her grip.

"It's okay because they're with us, right? In fact, they had even less. And I let them drink as much water as they want."

"But still..."

Your standards are too low.

"We brought them here, so we have to do at least that for them. Remember our times, when we were hungry and in pain?"

And to get food, we were forced to perform "tricks." Yes, tricks. What we received after those acts wasn't food, but "feed."

Mayu reluctantly nodded.

"If Mi-kun says so..."

"I'm not ordering you. This is a request. I hope you, with your own will, feed the two. Of course, since it's a request, you can refuse."

The hypocritical tone made even the speaker cringe. Mayu wouldn't refuse when asked like this. Such selfishness was chilling.

"I understand, but... Listen to my request later, okay?"

She lit up with a sudden idea and smiled. Of course, since it's a request, it can be refused. But why would one want to be so logical about emotions? I nodded in agreement.

"Alright! Wait here!"

She threw the crushed roll onto the table and energetically opened the fridge. I watched her for a moment before picking up the roll and leaving the kitchen.

I took my mobile phone out of the bag thrown onto the living room sofa. I dialed a familiar number from the address book. My aunt answered almost immediately. I informed her that I would be having dinner with a friend. Chewing on her favorite dried squid, she acknowledged and hung up after telling me to come home early.

I returned the phone to the bag and sat on the floor.

I closed my eyes and revisited my past with Misono Mayu.

In ten seconds, the memories played out, and the viewing ended.

Only the worst memories resurfaced.

After finishing my business, I opened the sliding door to the traditional Japanese room. I walked to the center and turned on the light.

"Um, nice to meet you, I guess?"

Trying to make a good first impression with a smile like a TV show host, I gave up, realizing it was forced.

A foul odor lingered in the six-tatami mat room. The nauseating smell irritated my nostrils. The reasons were clear: the two hadn't bathed, their clothes were unwashed, and the primary source of the smell was the makeshift toilet in the corner. To prevent the stench from escaping, I closed the sliding doors. It would take considerable effort to maintain composure.

The older one, presumably the brother, looked up at me with fearful eyes, while the younger one, possibly the sister, glared menacingly with drooping eyes. What they shared in common was their inability to move, shackled by their feet to the room's pillars. Their shackled ankles and the pillars showed signs of struggle, with minor scratches and splinters. The two children held their breath, their mouths forming the shape of the kanji character for "one." I sat down in front of them, assuming a formal seated position with a straight back. I couldn't help but be polite to strangers. The boy looked somewhat bewildered.

"You are Kouta Ikeda and Anzu Ikeda, right?"

Upon calling their names, I observed their reactions. Kouta seemed to feel the weight of his fear, nodding his head several times as if to affirm my statement. On the other hand, Anzu looked away towards the wall, her attitude suggesting a refusal to engage in conversation. Well, that was to be expected.

"Please call me 'big brother.' Of course, 'Onii-chan' is fine too."

"...Okay."

The boy finally responded, his voice muffled, "Wait, what's your name?"

"Let's keep that a secret," I said, trying to add some intrigue to my otherwise plain existence. Ignoring the puzzled looks from the two, I held up the bread to their eye level.

"Are you hungry?"

"Eh, ah, yes, no," the boy stammered, trying to answer. It was hard to understand. Anzu, probably tired of watching her brother's struggle, chimed in without turning her gaze from the wall.

"Of course we are. We haven't eaten anything since morning. Give that to us quickly."

Her tone was sharp. She continued to dissect the bread, likely checking for foreign substances. There was no cream, chocolate, or poison in it.

"There's dinner after this, you know."

Anzu paused her inspection, her eyes widening.

"What do you mean?" Kouta asked, his expression a mix of thin hope and prevailing anxiety.

"The lady who kidnapped you is preparing a meal. I don't know what she's making."

"Making? Food? Is she adding poison or making us eat cockroaches?"

Anzu shot back with a stern face. She was indeed checking for foreign objects earlier. Her cautiousness was somewhat endearing, making me want to tease her slightly.

Kouta, worried that his sister's attitude might upset me, tried to gauge my reaction.

"Don't call me by my first name," Anzu interjected.

"If one of those things was in the food, would you eat it, Ms. Ikeda?"

"Why would I eat something like that?"

"What if they said they'd kill you if you didn't?"

"If I ate that, I'd die either way."

"That's not the point," I countered. "What if they said they'd kill your brother if you didn't eat it?"

Kouta visibly flinched, tears forming in his eyes. Anzu shot her brother a disdainful look.

"You have to think about the impact your choices have on others and take responsibility for them," I continued, thinking of my own relationship with Mayu and the responsibility I felt towards her.

Anzu fell silent, her defiant gaze now cast downwards. In her stead, Kouta exchanged glances between me and his sister before finally speaking up.

"I'll eat it," he said.

"Huh?"

"I'll eat it, so please, don't say or do anything to Anzu."

Despite his severe stutter, there was a clear determination in his words, reaching out to me directly. He was truly playing the role of the protective older brother.