Chapter Ten: Destiny

"I'm back." Pushing open the door, Tsukasa Aoki wearily placed his shoes in order and made his way toward the living room on the first floor.

Masao Kasugano was sitting at the dining table, watching television. On the table, steaming plates of untouched food awaited.

"Oh, Aoki, you're home," Masao Kasugano said with a smile, setting down his teacup. Since his daily bottle of beer at dinner had been canceled, he had to make do with the leftover tea in the house.

"Mm." Tsukasa Aoki rubbed his face at the entrance, softening his expression before stepping into the room with a smile. As expected, even with the effort, Masao Kasugano was still taken aback by his striking looks, awkwardly raising his cup to hide his reaction before saying, "Go put down your backpack, wash your hands, and let's eat."

"Alright." After replying, Tsukasa Aoki headed upstairs to his room. But just as he reached the landing, he noticed a commotion coming from the room opposite his own—the one that belonged to Masao Kasugano's daughter. Listening closely, he realized it was the sound of monsters howling from a video game.

Could Sora Kasugano have come back? Tsukasa tilted his head, recalling that just yesterday, Masao had said she wouldn’t be discharged for another two or three days.

After setting down his backpack and washing his hands, he sat at the table, curiosity getting the better of him. "Excuse me, is Sora back?"

"Oh? You saw her?" Masao's eyes widened, his tone urgent. "You didn’t scare her, did you... uh..."

Don’t just blurt out your true feelings! Tsukasa’s lips twitched, but he replied calmly, "No, I just heard some noise from her room."

"Ah..." Masao scratched his head in embarrassment. After spending a day together, he had realized that the boy before him only looked intimidating; in truth, his character was better than expected. After an awkward chuckle, he explained, "Well, Sora said she really couldn’t stand being in the hospital anymore, so we brought her home."

"If it’s not rude to ask, may I know what exactly is wrong with Sora’s health?" Tsukasa lifted his cup, taking a sip of warm water.

Kyou Kasugano, having just taken off her apron, brought the last bowl of miso soup to the table and spoke with a touch of melancholy. "Sora... She’s been frail since childhood, born with a congenital heart defect. She also inherited my hair color."

At this, Kyou touched her own silver hair and sighed. "Ever since she was little, Sora’s silver hair made her a target for teasing by other children who didn’t understand. She developed social anxiety, and over time, being alone so much, she also fell into a deep depression. Now, she can only stay at home every day and can’t participate in normal social life anymore."

"What about school?" Tsukasa’s expression grew serious. In his previous life, his younger brother had suffered the same way, so he understood deeply how difficult such a life could be. A silent sympathy filled his heart.

"Luckily, Sora is extremely bright. Even studying at home, she achieves excellent grades. After talking with the school, they agreed she only needs to take the important exams each year. Strictly speaking, you and she are still classmates. Though she’s a year younger than you," Masao replied with a gentle smile, his eyes narrowing in fondness.

"She skipped a grade?" Seeing Masao’s proud smile, Tsukasa couldn’t help but smile in understanding. "She must be a strong child."

"She is..." Kyou picked up her chopsticks. "Let’s begin eating. Sora has already had her meal. We wanted her to meet you, but she refused no matter what..."

"That’s alright." Tsukasa shook his head gently. "For a child like her, it’s already a lot to accept someone like me living in your home."

He remembered how his own brother had been sensitive and fragile, prone to sudden emotional breakdowns, unwilling even to see his older brother with whom he’d grown up. Tsukasa understood Sora’s mindset well.

The Kasuganos exchanged a look, surprised by Tsukasa’s thoughtfulness, and nodded with a smile. "Thank you for understanding, Aoki. There’s plenty of time ahead. Sora is a good girl—she’ll come around eventually."

"We hope you can treat her as your own little sister," Masao added, his eyes filled with hope. They wished Tsukasa could be kind to Sora, and if it might even help her overcome her struggles, all the better.

"Of course." Seeing their forced smiles, Tsukasa felt a pang of discomfort.

In his previous life, he’d donated his heart to his brother.

In this life, he’d gained a sister eerily similar.

Tsukasa sighed, feeling for the first time that perhaps fate truly existed.

"System, if I study medicine, would it be possible to cure congenital heart disease?"

[No skill has an upper limit. Medicine, theoretically, is no exception. If your proficiency is high enough, it is entirely possible to cure it.]

A genuine, radiant smile broke across Tsukasa’s face. "I see..."

If not for the Kasuganos, he might now be utterly alone, unable even to afford a meal.

If he could, he wanted to try—to see if he could rescue Sora Kasugano from that hopeless abyss where death might strike at any moment.

The image of his brother’s desperate, helpless face flashed through his mind. Almost unconsciously, Tsukasa felt a renewed sense of weight settle on his shoulders—a responsibility he could not ignore.

Then he would find a way. He would study medicine.

What he couldn’t do in his past life, he would attempt in this one, now that he had the means.

Tsukasa set himself a new goal. But soon enough, his face fell, and he asked Masao, utterly dispirited, "Uncle Masao... may I ask if there are any part-time jobs with an hourly wage above five thousand?"

"Huh?" Masao coughed, eyes wide. "Do you know I only earn four hundred thousand yen a month? And I’m a department chief! I work at least ten hours a day—at least!"

Tsukasa’s expression grew gloomier. "Oh... well, is there a part-time job as a department head or company president at your firm?"

"Huh?" the Kasuganos replied in unison.

"Haha... just kidding... haha..." Tsukasa laid down his chopsticks like a lifeless husk. "I’m full..."

Damn you, system, get out here!

[Well, if you worked at a host club and you were good enough, making hundreds of thousands, even a million a night, is not impossible...]

Shut up! Shut up!