Strongest Alchemist System
—Different World Lines (Part 4 END)

“Oi, Riku, do you want to come to karaoke with us?” bring my classmates.

“Sorry, today I have a need, you guys go alone,” I said as I put my hands together apologizing to them.

“So. Well, you can come if you can later. Then we go first,” reply my classmates and go straight away leave me.

“Yeah, have fun.”

I waved my hand with a smile looking at those who were getting further away. But, as soon as I turned around to leave as well, I immediately wiped the smile off my face.

‘Yeah, it's really tired to keep smiling fake,” I muttered with a tired sigh and a gloomy look. “But, I still have to do it or Shina will worry about me and blame herself,” I continued to strengthen myself not to keep complaining.

After that, I returned to walking, today I intend to visit Shina who is still being treated inside the hospital.

It's been 5 years since I lost both my parents, and now I'm in 3rd grade of Junior High, while Shina should be in 1st grade of Junior High. But, because of her body that continued to weaken, she could not attend school like a child in general, and could only continue to stay in the hospital.

It took a very troublesome procedure to be able to bring Shina out, therefore she always looked lonely when she was there.

Honestly, if I could I would like to continue with him and accompany him. But, Shina forbade me and kept urging me to go to school, so I had to go to school.

I told you that I learned all the lessons they taught me when I was a kid, so there's no point in studying anymore

Even if now I try to enroll in the university and take the test exam, I can easily get the best score.

But, Shina still insisted on telling me to go to school. He said I had to make friends, and school was the place to be.

Therefore, I was forced to pretend to be a cool person just to make friends, even though I had no intention to be friends with them all.

Geez, this is really troublesome.

“Excuse me,” I said as I walked to the reception.

“Yes, can I help you?” ask the receptionist.

“I want to see my sister, her name is Shinomiya Shina,” I replied.

By the way, after being adopted by the Shinomiya family, our surname also changed. Thanks to that, we were treated with VIPs inside this hospital, as they could not let the families of such rich people feel disappointed with the service they had.

I really owe a lot to the Shinomiya family.

“Alright, please fill in your data and needs first here,” said the receptionist while giving a piece of paper and pen.

I filled it according to what I was told, and gave it back.

“Thank you. Please wait a moment, there will be a nurse who will send you to Shina-sama's room,” continued the receptionist while bowing her body politely, and directly calling someone.

They didn't have to go this far, though I'm also grateful that they treated us well here.

But it always bothered me whenever anyone found out that I was the son of the Leader of Shinomiya Groub, they immediately talked to me and tried to curry favor with me.

It sucks to chase away such people without having to tarnish the name of the Shinomiya family.

“Riku-sama, sorry to keep you waiting.”

While I was thinking about it, someone came to pick me up, but she was not a nurse, but a woman in waitress attire.

“Maya-san, thank you for your hard work,” I said and walked towards her.

“No need to be formal to me, Riku-sama. I am here on orders from Gorou-sama to take good care of Shina-sama, so this is already my obligation,” Maya replied while bowing her head.

She was one of the servants sent here to take care of Shina, and in particular she was in charge of helping Shina's needs such as urinating, making food, and others.

There were also other servants sent here, but Shina refused everything, so now only Maya and the maid were left guarding her room.

Maya is a beautiful mature woman, with a toned body. She has straight black hair tied to a ponytail, and clean white skin.

It's just that he's a very stiff guy.

“Alright, please follow me, Riku-sama. I'll take you to your sister's place,” take Maya and I follow her without saying anything.

There we took an elevator, and headed to the top floor of this hospital building, which is the 17th floor that is only for the rich. But, right now the floor was all rented by the Shinomiya family, so there was only Shina's room there.

Actually this is too much, but I can't refuse their good intentions.

The Shinomiya family really treated us well, the wife of Goro also welcomed us both warmly. They are good people.

Only, the problem is their daughter.

Goro has an only child who is the same age as me, his name is Shinomiya Akane. I often saw him when I was at the residence, but we never chatted with each other, at most just greeting.

I don't know why, but Akane seems to hate me.

When I thought maybe it was because he didn't like having other people's children coming into his family, it turned out that he made a close relationship with my sister, only when he was with me did he act cold.

I really don't know the girl's mind.

When I let out a tired sigh, we finally arrived at the front door of Shina's ward. Right then, I glanced at Maya who was standing behind me.

He understood what I meant, and immediately left after bowing once.

After that, I began to set my appearance, once I was satisfied with the shape of the smile I had, I immediately knocked on the door of the room.

“Shina, it's me!” call me in a cheerful voice.

At that very moment, I heard my sister's voice from inside the room.

“Onii-sama?!” He sounded surprised, but I didn't care much about him.

“I enter,” I said and immediately opened the door of his room.

“Tu-Wait! Onii-sama, please wait a moment! Shina was still—” Shina shouted in panic, but she instantly froze as she looked at me who had already entered.

“So, what are you doing this time?” I asked, as I looked at the child who was silent like a statue as he tried to remove the ribbon that tied his hair in a twintail style.

There, I also saw a comic book that I always bought for her, it was open in part when a protagonist praised her twintal heroin hairstyle.

He seems to be trying to imitate her.

At that very instant, Shina's face began to blush, she was really so embarrassed that smoke billowed from her head.

But—

“Don't worry, you're in puberty anyway, so I know why you're also getting interested in—“

“Whispering, quiet! You stupid Onii-sama!” cut Shina while throwing a pillow over my face before I can finish my own sentence.

“Yeah, you don't have to be that angry, do you?”

“Shina doesn't want to know anymore! Shina currently doesn't want to talk to you!” my sister said as she puffed her cheeks with a frown.

Seeing that, I walked up to him and sat down next to him.

“You know, if you say that with a hairstyle like that, you're just gonna be more cute. Are you trying to be tsundere's sister?” I said while laughing.

“Te-So Shina, right?” his reply sounded annoyed, and hurriedly let go of his ribbon.

“When it was so cute, why did you get off?” I teased him again.

“I-That's not Onii-sama's business, is it?!” shina exclaimed with her face still flushed red, and as I laughed at her she hit me.

Like that, time passed as we talked and joked.

Perhaps, only in this moment alone, I could express my feelings sincerely without any lies.

To me, Shina was the only life spirit I had to get through these exhausting days.

I swear I'll do anything to make her happy.

That days like this won't last long.

“Uhuk! Uhuk!”

“Shina?!” I cried in panic.

“No, Shina is fine, Onii-sama. It's just a regular cough. In addition, please tell me again about the game that Onii-sama told me about,” Shina said with a gentle smile, while hiding the cloth she had worn to cough before.

There, though it was just a glance, I saw blood spots.

But, I tried to close my eyes because it seems that Shina doesn't want me to worry about her. So, still in my smile, I kept saying.

“Yeah, actually I haven't finished the game either, so I don't know how it goes from their story,”.

Hearing that, Shina looked disappointed. “Why doesn't Onii-sama continue it?!” she asked in annoyance, because the story I was telling ended up hanging.

“Yeah, you don't have to be that sad either. All right, what if we could play the game together? There is also a TV here, so I only need to bring the game.”

“Really?!”

“Sure, I promise, and also, tomorrow I will buy you a novel that you like, won't tomorrow a new volume of the novel be released?” my spoken.

Shina looked very happy, she looked very impatient waiting for him. It made me a little happy too when she smiled so widely.

“Onii-sama, promise yes?! Promise huh?! Shina will be waiting for Onii-sama! So Onii-sama should really keep her promise, or Shina will be furious big time!”

“Yeah, didn't I tell you I promise, you don't have to be that excited either. Jeez, you really are a troublesome sister,”, said I who was a little overwhelmed by my sister's behavior.

After that, I won it by stroking her head, she looked so very happy when I did.

It seems like tomorrow will be a busy day.

Well, if it's for Shina, I guess I'll work on it.

Tomorrow before going here I will stop by the bookstore to buy her a novel she likes, as well as some novels she might like.

Since Shina couldn't get out of the hospital, the only fun she had was novels and comics like I wasn't with her.

Sometimes we play games together.

Those were very pleasant days.

But—

It seems like this world is still not enough to make me crumble.

***

“Hah! Huh! Huh!”

I run, I run and I keep running without caring about everything.

That was the next day, the time where I should have promised Shina to play a game with her and buy her a novel she liked.

It was supposed to be a happy day where we played together all day.

It was supposed to be a fun day where I could see Shina smiling.

It was supposed to be a peaceful day where we would joke again.

It was supposed to be a very, very important day where I had promised to accompany him to play the game.

But…

Wh why? Wh why? Wh why? Wh why? Wh why? Wh why? Wh why? Wh why? Wh why? Wh why? Wh why? Wh why? Wh why? Wh why? Wh why? Wh why? Why—

—Why did you leave me?

“Shina?!”

‘Bum!’

I ran as fast as I could towards this 17th floor and then opened the door of Shina's nursery hard. Then, I went straight to Shina's bed, where everyone had gathered as well.

Standing around Shina, there is Goro, his wife, Akane, Maya, and also a doctor who always checks Shina's body regularly.

The moment they saw me, their faces looked extremely bitter, and they immediately left the room and gave time to the two of them with the current Shina, where her body was now really very weak.

I, with a trembling body, sat down next to her while holding back all the tears that wanted to drip, and I gently grasped the hands of my already extremely cold sister.

“What is Onii-sama..?” ask her with a soft voice and heavy breathing.

Seeing that, my chest became increasingly claustrophobic. “Well, it's me, Shina,” I replied, and clasped the boy's hand tighter.

Shina smiled when she found out that it was me.

“Onii-sama, do you want to promise us? Today we're going to play a game together, right?” she said with a gentle smile.

“Well, of course, I also brought you the novel you like,” replied to me in a trembling voice, while trying hard to hold back my tears.

“Onii-sama, today we are going to play a full day game, right?”

“Yes, of course, we will be together continuously today.”

No, please, don't say that.

“Onii-sama, have you played the game yet?”

“No, it's I just wanted to start, so you don't have to worry.”

Please, Shina, please don't leave sister…

“Really? Though Onii-sama can start first.”

“Are you stupid? Didn't we promise to play together.”

Shina, please, stay with brother. I promise you I'll find a way to save you, so please hold on a little more.

“But, for some reason today Shina feels very sleepy, so I guess Shina won't be able to play with Onii-sama.”

“What do you mean? You can not sleep, today we will play games together according to the promises we made, beware if you break it.”

Shina…

“Sorry, Onii-sama.”

Hearing that, I bit my lips firmly, and continued to tightly grasp Shina's hand while bowing my face to her hand with tears that had dripped down from her.

Then, exhaling her last breath, Shina smiled gently.

“Onii-sama, I love you.”

“Ah?”

His hand fell, and Shina closed her eyes for ever.

“... Ah?”

When it was also—

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH—!!!”

—For the first time I shouted so loudly.

...[.OF END]...