Chapter 5: Let the Brothers Have Fun

“Yes, a happy ending.” Shirakawa Natsu handed over the drawing in her hand, noticing the phone on the table. Hashimoto Arina doesn’t usually use her phone.

The item now casually tossed aside is the one from when she was on the phone with someone, and the damp stains on her sleeves confirm this suspicion, as she slumped over the table and started crying. This continued until he came in.

“Did Sister Cai seem to be in a bad mood because she encountered a difficult patient?”

Hashimoto Arina also noticed the tear stains on her sleeve and covered her forehead with her hand: “Seriously, I originally wanted to maintain the image of a cheerful older sister who bravely faces difficulties, but now you’ve seen my vulnerable side. Just laugh if you want to.”

After she finished speaking, she spread her hands indifferently, revealing an expression that said, “You can laugh at me all you want.”

Shirakawa Natsumi wasn’t bothered by her changing the subject and said jokingly, “If you encounter any difficulties, Sister Cai, you can tell me. Don’t let my appearance fool you, I’m actually very, very rich.”

Although he drew comics with malicious intent, those works still brought him considerable profits.

“Don’t talk like a rich old man, you jerk~” Hashimoto Arina looked up and tapped him on the head before waving her hand: “It’s not a big deal, I’ll handle it.”

“Yes…” Shirakawa Natsu lowered her voice, tentatively asking, “About your boyfriend?”

He remembers the day he received the app, he overheard two nurses gossiping in the hallway, one of whom mentioned seeing Hashimoto Arina get into a Porsche driven by two young, handsome men.

Hashimoto Arina’s cheerful smile gradually faded, slowly transforming into a kind, elder-like smile: “Adults have their own troubles too.”

In that instant, Shirakawa Natsu clearly sensed that beneath her smile lay a river. The two stood on opposite sides of the river, able to see each other and chat happily, but unable to reach the other side.

“I’m not a child!” Shirakawa Natsumi exclaimed anxiously. Aside from the rewards from the system, he also secretly liked this cheerful older sister. Now wasn’t a good time, but the system’s favorability rating of 93 gave him a glimmer of hope: “I…I like…”

Before I could say it, a small hand covered my lips.

Hashimoto Arina’s eyes showed panic, fear, and helplessness. She looked at him and shook her head slightly.

A sense of frustration rose in Shirakawa Natsumi’s heart. She reached out and grabbed her arm, trying to pull it away, but did not use force.

He read a plea in Hashimoto Arina’s eyes, a fear and helplessness stemming from the fear of losing something.

Shirakawa Natsu’s heart softened instantly, and her arms gradually loosened.

The two stared at each other until Shirakawa Natsu showed signs of difficulty breathing. Hashimoto Arina quickly let go, hurriedly stood up, and gently patted his back. She was no longer as composed as usual and seemed flustered: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Natsu, are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

Shirakawa Natsu reached out to stop her, took a few deep breaths to calm her breathing, and then smiled: “It’s okay. I was just about to say that I like this ending, and I believe that Sister Yuzuri will like it too.”

Hashimoto Arina paused, looking at the drawing. Unlike her usual sketches, this one was clearly more meticulously crafted, making the figures appear more three-dimensional. Every line seemed to be infused with emotion, as if the figures were about to come to life.

“I’m here today to deliver the artwork. Once Sister Cai has seen it, remember to give me your feedback.” After he finished speaking, he waved his hand and turned to walk towards the door.

Hashimoto Arina didn’t come to see him off this time, and after watching Shirakawa Natsu walk out the door, a worried expression appeared on her face.

She walked cautiously to the door, peeking out half her face until she watched Shirakawa Natsu slowly enter the ward before turning her gaze away.

She sat back down at her desk, picked up the drawing, and began to look at it carefully, her hand stroking the texture of the paper. It was as if she could see the boy, filled with some expectation, pouring his emotions into each stroke, outlining the ending she wanted to see.

As I flipped through the manuscript, a few tears fell onto the pages.

Hashimoto Arina was instantly flustered, frantically wiping away tears from the drawing with her sleeve, afraid of damaging it.

In the hospital room, Shirakawa Natsu lay on the bed in a daze, beginning to question the meaning of life.

The 93 favorability rating on the app was definitely not his illusion.

He even suspected that the favorability rating was based on a 1000-point system; otherwise, according to the normal game settings, one should be able to reach 93 points of favorability.

They’ve already reached a point where they can coordinate well and pose in any way they want.

But reason quickly dismissed this conjecture; if the maximum score is 1,000, then the items that can be redeemed in the shop could never be in the double digits.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense for him to empty the entire store after conquering just one target.

Without a doubt, the APP is rated on a 100-point scale.

But why would a confession with a favorability rating as high as 93 still fail? Shirakawa Natsumi was completely baffled.

He pondered this until the afternoon, when Miyuki came to the ward to retrieve the original manuscript.

“What are you thinking about? You seem distracted.” Miyuki still had an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth as he stood by the bed. At 1.79 meters tall, with his long legs, he appeared even more imposing, like a model who had just stepped out of a fashion show.

Unable to come up with an answer, Shirakawa Natsu asked, as a last resort, “If a girl has a very high level of affection for you, if 100 is a perfect score and she’s already at 93, why would she reject your confession?”

After he finished speaking, he looked up at Miyuki, hoping to hear a constructive answer from her.

But he soon noticed that Miyuki’s eyes were full of pity as she looked at him. After a long while, she said, “Is it possible that her feelings for you are just your illusion, and you just think that she has feelings for you?”

“…” Shirakawa Natsumi’s lips twitched. He knew that Miyuki must be thinking of him as a delusional person right now.

But the situation was awkward; he couldn’t very well take out his phone, point to the 93% favorability rating on it, and shove it in her face.

Seeing his resentful gaze, Miyuki seemed to realize she had been too direct. She punched her head with her fist and casually sat down by the bedside with her legs spread wide.

“First of all, it is impossible to accurately express the degree of favorability in the form of numbers in reality, because many times we may not know our own feelings.”

After listening, Shirakawa Natsu’s eyes lit up, as if she had grasped something, and she quickly said, “Go on.”

Miyuki took out a lighter from her pocket, intending to light a cigarette, but then, remembering that this was a hospital, she played with the lighter in her hand: “Even if you really like someone, there are many other factors, such as different views on life, different genders, blood relations, or the other person being married.”

“I see!” Shirakawa Natsu felt as if he had been constipated for a week and then took a laxative, and suddenly everything became clear, and his body felt unblocked.

Yes, reality isn’t a game. In a game, once your affection level reaches a certain point, you can make any request to the other person, and the female protagonist won’t refuse.

But reality is different; even if someone likes something, other factors will be considered.

After receiving the mobile app, he made the mistake of thinking like a gamer, focusing only on marveling at the system’s wonders while ignoring real-world factors.

Shirakawa Natsu began to list out the potential problems between the two.

With a six-year age gap between the two, the relationship between the patient and the doctor would be considered inappropriate.

Medically speaking, he was a patient who could die at any moment.

Hashimoto Arina also has a rumored boyfriend.

After listing these things, Shirakawa Natsu seemed deflated, her body went limp, and she fell backward onto the hospital bed.

When I first got the app, I didn’t know its functions, so I chose Hashimoto Arina based on my preference, which resulted in me going straight into hell mode.

The app gave him hope to survive, but reality dealt him a heavy blow.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Mikoto asked, noticing his eyes suddenly go from shining brightly to looking utterly hopeless.

“I can’t give up.” Shirakawa Natsu is not one to give up easily. Having been given a second chance at life, what is there to be afraid of?

He must now change what he can change, and then find a way to get Hashimoto Arina to accept what he cannot change.

Intelligence will be the key to victory.

I need to find out all the information about her legendary boyfriend.

Shirakawa Natsu looked at his feet. It was impossible for him to gather intelligence. His gaze fell on Miyuki.

With her handsome appearance and being a woman, even if she were caught stalking someone, she could easily make up an excuse to get away with it.

Shirakawa Natsu looked at Minoki and suddenly said seriously, “Minoki, there’s something I need your help with. It’s hard to say, but I have no choice but to ask you for it.”

After he finished speaking, he tried to show a sincere look in his eyes and met Miyuki’s gaze.

Miyuki was taken aback at first. When she saw his eyes, she lost her grip on the lighter and dropped it on the ground with a loud clatter.

Feeling uncomfortable under Shirakawa Natsumi’s sincere gaze, she crossed her arms and met his eyes without looking away.

She said, slowly and deliberately, “We grew up together, and I’ve always considered you my best brother.”

“Yes.” Shirakawa Natsu nodded seriously: “So I can only ask you for help. Do you understand? I don’t trust anyone else.”

Miyuki leaned back strategically, suddenly realizing he couldn’t refute it; what he said actually made a lot of sense.

He had been bedridden and had never dated a woman. Even if he randomly found a live-in woman, he would feel inferior because of his physical condition.

He had no other friends, so he really only had himself to help him.

His life could end at any moment. At the age of eighteen, he was lying in a hospital bed. I gave him that business card yesterday, which probably triggered him.

I am partly to blame myself.

Miyuki’s expression was unpredictable, just as she said, she had always regarded Shirakawa Natsu as her best brother, without any other feelings involved.

But it would be too tragic not to help my best friend fulfill his only request.

Miyuki took a deep breath, opened her eyes, met Shirakawa Natsu’s gaze, and said seriously, “Okay, but you know, I only like women, and that won’t change.”

She didn’t want their relationship to deteriorate after this happened.

Shirakawa Natsu was stunned. He didn’t understand why Miyuki emphasized her one-night stand, but when he heard that she was willing to help, he immediately nodded with a look of surprise: “Of course I know.”