In this crossover anime, I've been bound to two systems.

That young boy back then was just like... him now.

After taking that group photo, Iroha Isshiki heard her mother say that when Chisato was very young, his parents and elders all passed away one after another, and no relatives or friends were willing to take care of him. That's why he went to an orphanage at a young age and lived a lonely life.

He had already endured much suffering, oppressed by the hardships of life.

Now that he's grown up and has his own strength, he can stand tall with his legs outstretched and back straight. Through his own efforts and kindness, he has found true love and has a happy family.

Just like what he told himself on his wedding night with his sister-in-law, he might have three children in the future. If the children don't object, he'll raise them to be doctors or lawyers, so the family can live happily together and no longer be lonely.

But now, all of that is ruined.

[The hardships that Chisato Suzumiya endured in her childhood and adolescence can be attributed to misfortune and accidents. But as she grew up, the happiness she gained slipped away one by one. Whose fault was that?]

In the quiet room, tears streamed from Isshiki's lifeless eyes for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

She let the tears stream down her face, her lips parting slightly as she emitted a lifeless, chilling chuckle.

Something inside has broken down.

She thought, "Stop pretending to be innocent and naive, Isshiki Yu. You're the one who caused this situation."

[It was your foolishness that caused the baby to die prematurely and not be born into this world, leaving Suzumiya's mother with regret and disappointment, causing your sister-in-law to be unable to have children, and after she learned of this fact, her expectation turned to despair, and she ultimately took her own life.]

It was you who shattered what could have been a happy life for Qianli, tearing his small family apart.

If only you had been more careful and reliable back then, and had been more cautious when going down the stairs.

If you can control your tongue and withstand your sister-in-law's questioning, you can hide that sad truth for a little longer.

If you could stay by your sister-in-law's side without leaving her even for a moment, just as you promised Qianli-gege.

Will things escalate to this point, to such an irreversible and utterly hopeless state?

Thinking about these heart-wrenching things, Iroha Isshiki, overwhelmed by guilt and remorse, could barely breathe, her eyes completely glazed over.

After sitting quietly for several hours, she finally moved. She got out of bed, opened her desk drawer, and took out a pair of craft scissors.

The sharp blade reflected a chilling light in the sunlight filtering through the curtains.

[Iroha Isshiki's hands trembled as she slowly pressed the blade against her neck. She was about to end it all when her gaze inadvertently fell upon the note her sister-in-law had left on the bed.]

My sister-in-law said she was responsible for taking good care of Mom and Dad, and for taking good care of... Brother Qianli...

【Clatter.】

The knife fell to the ground. Iroha Isshiki collapsed onto the floor, clutching her heart with both hands, sobbing uncontrollably.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

You woke up early the next morning.

You find Mr. and Mrs. Isshiki, along with Iroha Isshiki, in your room. Mr. Isshiki is lying on his desk, while Mrs. Isshiki and Iroha are lying beside your bed.

The slight noise woke all three of them almost simultaneously. Lady Isshiki anxiously inquired about your condition.

Loneliness and despair welled up in your eyes; you simply shook your head and remained silent.

You got out of bed, without a smile, and walked unsteadily to the wardrobe under their watchful eyes. You chose an outfit and changed.

[Midway through, Mr. Isshiki came to your side and softly asked where you wanted to go, but you didn't reply.]

You've changed your clothes and are trying to leave the room, but Mrs. Isshiki holds your hand tightly, preventing you from leaving.

[Iroha Isshiki also blocked the doorway with her body. You saw her swollen eyes, and after a long silence, she finally spoke.]

Your voice was a little hoarse. You said you wanted to go to the police station to find out the exact location shown on the surveillance footage where Midi jumped.

[Once the Isshiki couple realized what was happening, their will to stop you disappeared.]

Looking at you, so emotionless like a puppet on a string, a torrent of negative emotions surged through Iroha once more. She pursed her lips tightly, sniffed lightly, and obediently stepped aside.

[You arrived at the police station together and learned the location where Nakamoto Nari jumped. The shoes that the Japanese police had found were also returned to you.]

Holding your beloved wife's shoes, you arrived at the spot where she jumped. You sat cross-legged, slowly gazing at the sea before you, as if in deep meditation, remaining motionless for a long time.

[Iroha Isshiki stared blankly at you from behind. The back she used to find so reassuring and reliable now appeared precarious and shaky in her eyes.]

…………

Chapter 144 She Starts Living with You

[After you woke up, you were interviewed by the Japanese police. Although they haven't found your wife's body yet, there's no doubt she's no longer in this world.]

[You've been visiting the place where your wife passed away for a week straight to pay your respects, sitting silently for long periods.]

On the eighth day, you didn't go to the beach again. You spent two days holding a simple funeral for your wife.

At the funeral, only you and Isshiki's family were present.

On the tenth day, you picked up your briefcase and left home. The Isshiki couple were overjoyed, believing you were gradually emerging from your grief and beginning to want to get back to work.

But they were wrong. That afternoon, you went home carrying a large cardboard box.

The box contains some of your personal belongings from the workplace; you have officially resigned.

You repeatedly assured the Isshiki couple that you wouldn't do anything foolish, but that too many things had happened recently and you wanted to rest for a while before leaving the Isshiki family home and returning to your own apartment to live alone.

[Iroha Isshiki visits you almost every day, and as time goes by, she gradually notices that the smoking and drinking you had previously given up are starting to reappear in your room.]

Your ashtray by the bed is overflowing with cigarette butts, and the coffee table in the living room is piled high with empty beer bottles.

She comes every day and cleans your room, but it's all for naught; the next day, the apartment is back to its disheveled and messy state.

[You've rarely spoken since you resigned, and most of the time you reek of alcohol. Even when Iroha tries to have a dry conversation with you, she gets no meaningful response.]

But thankfully, you manage to eat a few bites of the food she cooks every day, which is the only thing that brings her comfort.

Three months later, you lie drunk in bed while Isshiki Isshiki in the living room quietly tidies up for you. You suddenly call her over and tell her to bring the seal the next day.

[Iroha is pleased that you, who have been silent for so long, have taken the initiative to speak to her, but she doesn't understand why you suddenly asked her to bring the seal.]

She cautiously asked why, but you didn't answer. Instead, you rolled over in bed and curled up.

Iroha Isshiki felt a pang of sadness. She longed for the return of her confident brother, the one who used to be so composed and capable in everything he did, but she knew that was wishful thinking.

She covered you with a blanket, turned up the air conditioning a few degrees, tidied up a bit, and left. The next day, when she came to your door with her seal, you handed her several documents and asked her to stamp them.

[Iroha Isshiki took the documents and examined them, discovering that they were all asset transfers involving real estate, totaling four properties!]

Everything happened suddenly, but it didn't surprise Isshiki Hatake. She had a vague feeling that this would happen when she returned home last night. (External group: 51.14￥7 (948; 1))　

Isshiki Iroha shook her head. She refused to stamp the document, and instead of going home that day, she called her mother to have her personal belongings and a change of clothes delivered.

[First-person perspective immersion...]

It was a little after 3 p.m. Mrs. Isshiki received a call from her daughter and rushed home from outside. After packing her clothes, she arrived at Suzumiya Chisato's apartment.

She pressed the doorbell, and Iroha Isshiki opened the door.

"Mom, thank you for your help."

Iroha took the bag from her mother's hand.

"What exactly happened? You sounded so anxious when you called. What happened to your brother Qianli?"

Mrs. Isshiki wanted to go inside, but her daughter stopped her.

"Nothing."

Isshiki Hagoromo gave a fake, seemingly nonchalant smile; she didn't want her parents to worry about it.

"I just suddenly felt that it wouldn't be bad to stay with Brother Qianli for a few days now and then to keep him company."

"Are you sure everything's alright?"

"Yes, really, Mom, you can go back now. I'll call you right away if anything happens."

Ichiro Iroha closed the door.

The apartment returned to quiet.

Is everything really alright...?

As Isshiki Hatake faced her mother, the corners of her mouth that had been raised slowly flattened.

She placed the bag she had received in the guest room and carefully pushed open the door to Suzumiya Chisato's room.

The bedroom curtains were drawn tightly shut, letting in no light. The entire room was dark and gloomy, with only the flickering light from the desktop computer on the desk.

Suzumiya Chisato sat at the table, watching the movie playing on the screen. Her eyes were vacant, like those of an old woman on her deathbed, and there was not a trace of life in her body.

That's why Iroha Isshiki avoided having her parents meet directly with Chisato Suzumiya during this period.

His condition, which has persisted for so long, is truly unsettling.

She naively believed that her brother Qianli's condition could gradually recover with time.

But she was wrong. Everyone's heart has a threshold. Once it exceeds the limit, there is no way to get out of it on your own.

Today, he has even prepared the transfer agreement for the assets under his name.

This extremely unusual action set off alarm bells in Isshiki's mind.

The image of her sister-in-law jumping off the cliff still keeps replaying in her mind. She will never allow her beloved brother to do anything foolish again.

"Brother Qianli".

Isshiki Iroha slowly walked over and stood next to Suzumiya Chisato.

Suzumiya Chisato didn't react. The light from the computer screen shone on his face. He hadn't taken care of himself properly in a long time; his bangs were covering his eyes, and his stubble was growing haphazardly on his chin.

Iroha was used to his reactions, and she continued talking, trying her best to smile.

"I'll cook a pot of pork rib soup tonight, with your favorite corn. Please drink plenty of it, okay?"

Suzumiya Chisato slowly closed her eyes, her upper and lower lips gradually parting.

"...Let's go back, Aya."

“I’m not going back. It’s not free at home at all. My dad will scold me if I stay up too late at night. It’s much more free here.”

Iroha Isshiki feigned nonchalance, trying to dispel the suffocatingly gloomy atmosphere in the room with her energetic and cheerful voice.

"Speaking of which, it's been a long time since we've played games. Why don't you play with me for a while tonight? You don't have anything to do anyway."

As Suzumiya Chisato looked at Isshiki Iroha, who had taken her arm and was acting coquettishly, she felt for a moment as if she had returned to the past.