The sunlight in rural Kumamoto always seems to carry the sweet aroma unique to citrus orchards.
Yuutenji Nyamu grew up on this simple and honest land, like a tenacious wheat stalk.
As the third of five children in her family, with two older brothers who were a constant source of worry above her and two younger siblings needing care below, she was naturally stuck in a delicate position—both the eldest sister and the most hardworking younger sister.
Nyamu's maturity was forced upon her by life.
While girls her age were still playing house, her small figure was already appearing in her eldest brother's orchard. The heavy bamboo basket was almost half her height, filled with mandarin oranges that her brother had carefully cultivated, round and full like small suns.
She had to stand on tiptoe and use all her strength to pick the sweetest fruits from the branches, her fingertips often scratched by the leaves and twigs, mixed with the refreshing fragrance of citrus peels.
The "guardian" assigned to her by her parents was supposed to be her second brother, Yuutenji Minoru. But this guy was the embodiment of "sly and lazy." He could always find various excuses to slip away—"Nyamu, I'm going to check if the fruits over there are ripe!" "Oh no, a bird pecked at the fruit, I have to go scare it away!" And then he would disappear without a trace, leaving Nyamu toiling away alone.
What was even more infuriating was that when the sun set and Nyamu returned home, her little face flushed with exhaustion, dragging a basket full of mandarin oranges, Yuutenji Minoru would always "happen" to appear at the door, his forehead even bearing a few suspicious drops of water (Nyamu later realized that he had temporarily smeared it on to fake sweat).
He would take Nyamu's credit, his face filled with a "hardworking" smile, and declare his efforts to his parents: "Mom, Dad, look! Today's harvest! Nyamu and I worked so hard!"
The parents' gratified smiles and the precious snacks or small toys given as rewards mostly ended up in Minoru's pocket. Nyamu could usually only get a small portion, sometimes even just a light "Nyamu worked hard too."
For a long time, the naive little Nyamu genuinely believed that her second brother had been a great help, until she was about to enter junior high school, when she overheard his "easily displayed malicious behavior" from a neighbor's child by chance.
At that moment, the grievances and anger of being deceived that had accumulated for years erupted in Nyamu's chest like a volcano! What height difference, what sibling affection, all were thrown to the winds. A world-shaking "killing brother without regret" war broke out in the family!
In the end, under the stunned gaze of the family, the tall and strong Yuutenji Minoru was actually beaten to his knees by his little sister, repeatedly promising, "I dare not do it again!"
This battle completely established Nyamu's unshakeable position in the family's food chain, and also ended Yuutenji Minoru's "embezzlement and perversion of the law" career.
However, the fruits of victory came with greater responsibility. Her eldest brother's orchard was always short of hands, requiring early mornings and late nights; although her second brother was suppressed by force, his mind was no longer in the countryside, and he was always thinking about running away. The burden of taking care of her young siblings and helping her mother with housework naturally fell more on Nyamu's still-tender shoulders.
The trivialities of life entangled her like vines, but there was always a small flame in her heart that had not been extinguished—that was the dazzling neon lights of Tokyo on TV, the confident smiles of the actors on stage, the light of being the center of attention.
She longed to leave this peaceful land and go to a place called "the big city," to study acting and become a real star!
This naive but infinitely precious dream became a beacon illuminating her busy life. She squeezed time like a sponge: in the late night after lulling her younger siblings to sleep, she recited the acting books borrowed from the library over and over again by the dim light of the desk lamp; in the gaps between helping her eldest brother pick mandarin oranges, she practiced expressions and lines to the fruit trees, treating the heavy fruits as loyal audience members; she actively participated in school's artistic activities, whether it was a supporting role in the drama club or a marginal part in the choir, she went all out and drew experience from it.
She understood that the road to her dream required sweat and excellent grades as a stepping stone. Geijutsu Academy—that was the temple in her heart. Therefore, in addition to taking care of her family, she devoted all her energy to studying, staying up late was commonplace, just to get that ticket to her dream one day.
Just as Nyamu was silently working hard for her future, her useless second brother caused trouble again.
Yuutenji Minoru suddenly announced that he was going to Tokyo to "make a name for himself"! And the place he was going was exactly the Tokyo that Nyamu dreamed of!
This made Nyamu feel like she had knocked over a bottle of mixed feelings, both a little gratified (negligibly) that her second brother was finally "motivated," and with a strong sense of displeasure—why could this guy who was lazy and cunning all day long set foot on the starting point of her dream earlier than her?
After a long period of consideration, her parents finally agreed.
That day, the whole family gathered neatly at the station. Nyamu watched her second brother, wearing his best clothes, with an expression mixed with excitement and guilt on his face, board the train to Tokyo.
Through the train window, Minoru waved vigorously at them. On the platform, her parents had tears in their eyes, her younger siblings ignorantly shouted, "Goodbye, Second Brother," her eldest brother silently patted Nyamu's shoulder. Nyamu herself pursed her lips tightly, secretly vowing—
"Just you wait, I will definitely go to Tokyo honorably with my own skills! And I will be more successful than you a hundred times over!"
Time flies, and four years have passed like a clear stream.
Hard work finally ushered in the season of harvest. A letter of admission from the Geijutsu Academy, like the most dazzling medal, was delivered to Yuutenji Nyamu's hands.
She was exceptionally admitted by the school and also received a considerable scholarship!
Holding that light but heavy piece of paper, Nyamu was so excited that she ran several circles in her own yard, and the mandarin orange trees seemed to be applauding for her.
She had already begun to excitedly plan her life after going to Tokyo: she wanted to see the Tokyo Tower on TV, she wanted to stroll around the legendary Harajuku, she wanted to visit and study in the theaters near the academy... However, life's script always loves to turn at the climax.
Just as Nyamu was packing her bags with anticipation, preparing to set off early to adapt to the environment, a phone call from Tokyo poured down like a bucket of ice water.
Yuutenji Minoru, her second brother who had been rarely heard from in the past four years, had a serious car accident and was in a coma in Todai Hospital!
The atmosphere at home instantly became heavy, her parents' worries almost materialized, her eldest brother frowned, and her younger siblings also felt the uneasy atmosphere.
The joy brought by that admission letter was covered by haze. Nyamu looked at her family and sighed silently.
That jerk of a second brother... although hateful, he is still a family member connected by blood after all.
Once again, as she had done countless times in her childhood, she shouldered that heavy responsibility.
Before leaving, her family also gathered at the station to see her off. But Nyamu keenly noticed that in the eyes of her family, in addition to their reluctance for her to travel far, there was more concern for that bastard in the hospital.
This worry, like a stone, weighed on her light steps towards her dream.
But she didn't complain, just hugged her family hard, turned around and boarded the train. The Kumamoto landscape outside the car window gradually blurred, ahead was Tokyo full of unknowns, and a brother lying in a hospital bed who needed her to "clean up the mess."
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