Early in the morning, Bai Xian woke up from a splitting headache, feeling as though he was about to be reincarnated into another world.
The sunlight streaming through the window hurt his eyes so much that he reached out and violently pulled the curtains shut. Holding his head, Bai Xian began to recall the scenes from his dream:
"Big brother?" A soft voice sounded close to his ear. At this moment, Bai Xian's eyes were tightly shut, unable to open no matter what.
...Who is that? Are they calling me?
"Big brother?" The call came once more.
Bai Xian tried to sit up from the bed, only to find that he couldn't move at all. His hands and feet were numb, and his eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand weights.
Move! Move!
My body!
What on earth is going on?!
Bai Xian shouted angrily in his heart, struggling for a long time, but it was all to no avail.
Perhaps unwilling to remain trapped in bed like this, a single line of clear tears quietly slipped down the boy's cheek.
"Doctor, when will my big brother wake up?"
"Well... To be honest, I can't guarantee it. Although the surgery went very well, but..."
"How could this happen? Is there any way? I'm begging you! You have to make my big brother wake up!"
In the cramped hospital room, a chestnut-haired girl tightly grasped the doctor's arm, her haggard face a pitiful sight.
"The blade in his back has been removed, but that kind of external injury isn't the biggest issue. Instead, it's..."
"His head, right? It's all my fault... It's all because of me that big brother was hurt like this... Sob..." The girl sobbed in self-reproach.
"Please accept my condolences..."
The doctor comforted her softly, while inwardly letting out a sigh.
To protect this girl, the child on the hospital bed had suffered so many gasps and tears from sharp weapons on his back, and there were also traces of blunt force trauma to his head. When he was brought in for medical treatment, a dagger with a broken hilt was still stuck in his back, and he was covered in blood from head to toe.
Recalling what the boy looked like when he was first brought in, the doctor couldn't help feeling a lingering sense of fear.
Kids these days are truly formidable...
After rescue efforts by a group of medical staff, the boy's life was saved.
Yet here he was, lying unconscious on the hospital bed, unable to wake up no matter what.
The doctor let out another heavy sigh, seemingly thinking of something. He looked at the boy on the bed, turned his head, and said to the girl:
"Actually, there is another way to make him wake up, but because the technology is not yet fully mature, success cannot be completely guaranteed, and he might lose a portion of his memories."
"Of course, for the patient, this is actually a good thing, because he will forget the trauma and pain he suffered. But correspondingly, he will also forget everyone connected to this incident—including you, of course."
"If the surgery is successful, you cannot mention what happened to him either, to avoid the patient recalling it and suffering another mental shock... Unless he remembers it himself."
"This situation will last for three to five years, though the exact time remains unclear..."
"Of course, appropriate stimulation later on will help the patient remember, but for at least three years, you must not appear in front of him..."
"It doesn't matter! Whatever the method is, please go ahead and do it..." Hearing that there was still a way, the girl threw caution to the wind and immediately pleaded with the doctor to perform the procedure as soon as possible.
Looking at the girl's anxious expression, the doctor nodded heavily and said, "I understand. Then please allow me to make a phone call to ask for the family's opinion."
"No need. I am his older sister. Let me sign the papers." At that moment, a woman with the exact same hair color as the boy on the bed walked into the hospital room.
From the woman's words, it was clear that she had been listening outside the door for a long time. Now pushing the door open, she was prepared to discuss the specific details of the surgery and its corresponding side effects with the doctor in depth.
"I see. Then please come over and take a look at this treatment plan..."
The girl looked timidly at the two people conversing nearby, especially the woman claiming to be Bai Xian's older sister, which filled her heart with guilt.
...She's Bai Xian's big brother's sister. What should I do? How am I supposed to face her?
After a long while, as if the conversation had concluded, the doctor left the hospital room with a file bag.
The woman tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, first casting a glance at the boy on the hospital bed before turning her gaze to the cowering girl beside it.
Realizing she was being watched, the girl's heart tightened, her body trembling slightly, not daring to meet the older sister's eyes.
"Little girl, your name is Soyo, right?" Hearing no angry reprimand, just a calm question, Soyo's tense heart relaxed a fraction.
"Mm..."
Seeing that the girl was not quite as nervous, Bai Ying lowered her voice and said gently, "Don't be nervous. What happened isn't your fault."
"By the way, little girl, you can just call me big sis. Bai Xian this brat often mentions you to me."
"Saying things like he has a little sister now, acting excited like a complete fool, hahaha~"
Bai Ying akimboed with one hand while covering her mouth with the other, laughing uncontrollably.
"Quiet! Please do not disturb the patient's rest!" A nurse suddenly pushed the door open and reprimanded the woman who was still laughing loudly.
"Sorry~" Rebuked, Bai Ying's face fell, her expression turning somewhat awkward.
...Pfft, hahaha~
Seeing Bai Ying's mortified face, Soyo finally let her guard down, her mood inevitably infected by the optimistic older sister, and she began to secretly peek at the woman claiming to be an older sister.
Bai Ying had shoulder-length silver-white hair, wore a light blue floral dress, possessed a gentle face, fair skin, and a pair of captivating purplish-red eyes.
Twiddling her little fingers, Little Soyo was no longer afraid, and tentatively spoke in a soft voice to the woman:
"Big... Big sister?"
"Mm."
Hearing the response, Soyo could finally hold back no longer, trotting over to Bai Ying's front, her eyes red, and hugging the newly recognized older sister tightly without letting go.
"Big sister..."
"Mm..."
...Big sister... Big brother...
That's wonderful, I've gained another family member...
Another wave of intense headache struck. Bai Xian could only recall that a girl in his dream had called him big brother.
Yet the specific details refused to come to mind.
Right, his phone.
Bai Xian felt around the bed, but couldn't find his phone anywhere, so he sat up dazedly.
Scanning the room, he realized that his phone had fallen under the bed at some point. Bai Xian bent over, reached out to pick it up, and glanced at the time.
...It's already 8 o'clock. Time to go to school.
At this moment, Bai Xian felt extremely fortunate, because in Japan, high school classes generally started at 8:30, and even Haneoka was no exception.
After a quick wash, with no extra time for breakfast, Bai Xian mounted his beloved little motorcycle and set off.
Destination: Haneoka.
During the ride, Bai Xian was still pondering that strange dream.
As he was reminiscing, Nagasaki Soyo's complicated expression suddenly surfaced in Bai Xian's mind.
"Don't... forget me..."
The girl's words still echoed in his ears, yet Bai Xian could never quite make sense of them.
...Don't, forget you?
Soyo-san...
Did we use to know each other?
Red Sun Trivia: Amnesia is a medical condition caused by brain injury or severe psychological trauma.
Its main characteristics involve the disruption of normal integration functions regarding consciousness, memory, identity, or the environment, thus causing distress to daily life.
Most cases of amnesia gradually recover over time.
(Today's match: Bai Xian loses!)
(Bai Xian: What does this have to do with me??°??°?)
Holding a mortal flesh eroded away by the world,
I let myself go.
That bewitching red thread, piercing right through you and me.
Entangling, yet the connection remains unbroken.