Dinner was warm nikujaga —his favorite. They ate in a rhythm of old habits: she stole a potato from his bowl; he retaliated by hiding the soy sauce. But halfway through, his chopsticks stopped moving.
Sora stood there, taller than her now, with a tired face that tried to smile. “Hey, nee-chan.” baku ane otouto
“It failed,” he said. “Completely. I lost the scholarship, the lab space... everything.” Dinner was warm nikujaga —his favorite
“I can and I did.” She stood up, walked to the fridge, and pulled out two cans of beer. “Here. Drink. Tomorrow, we make a plan. You’re not a failure. You’re just a younger brother who tried something brave and lost. That’s not the same thing.” taller than her now