My Idle System

If she didn\'t work and provide for her brother\'s living expenses, then what else could she offer? Her reclusive brother wasn\'t sociable and preferred to stay in his room; she had never even heard him mention a friend.

While fortunately, she hadn\'t heard of him being bullied or harassed by others, nor had he mentioned any arguments or problems with his classmates.

It still came down to the fact that he didn\'t like socializing with others, and she didn\'t want to interfere with his decision.

Holding her brother tightly, embracing him with all her being, and lost in thought, Annabelle was suddenly reminded of the past, when she was still a child, before Christian had come into the world. She had two friends who were siblings, and she remembered the jealousy she felt when a problem arose, and they stood together against her.

She still remembers how, more than feeling it was unfair being two against one, she felt a deep jealousy that they had a sibling who stood by them against her, while she had no one.

Annabelle was reminded of how, from that moment on, she would always nag her parents, telling them she wanted a sibling—preferably a boy—because boys were strong. She wanted a strong brother to defend her, to always be there for her.

That sibling bond was something she had always longed for.

After a couple of years, Christian came into the world, and she felt an immense love for him. In that moment, she truly believed she was the happiest person on the surface of the Earth.

At first, she eagerly looked forward to when he would grow up and have her back in her childish fights. But as he grew, she found his cuteness unparalleled in the world. She felt it would be a loss if he grew up too quickly, as those moments were precious and irreplaceable.

She loved her brother dearly from that time, and as he continued to grow, she felt her love for him grow even stronger.

She no longer cared much about her childish fights; she just wanted her brother to remain a child so she could continue to adore him. But then their parents died, leaving a deep wound in both of them, even if her brother didn\'t show it. The change and transformation between before and after was apparent after all.

His smile became something rare, and while he now seemed to not care and appeared to have moved past that phase, the shadow their parents left behind was still there.

As she watched her brother, who was once a little introverted, become even more withdrawn, his very few friends dwindling to none, her pure love began to be tainted by a sense of responsibility.

Perhaps because she was young and unsure of how to support him, she felt she could have done better. She wished she had been more dependable.

While she knew she had been childish at that time, and she could no longer tell if her parents\' decision to have Christian, had her nagging one of the reasons. The sense of responsibility she felt was real.

Now, thinking carefully, she realized that her younger brother was taking the only thing she could hold on to in life, providing and taking care of him, and she felt utterly lost.

She was all right with anything he wanted to do as long as he kept her by his side, but she wasn\'t sure if he felt the same way.

So, feeling her emotions choking her, she suddenly said, or rather asked, toward her brother, toward herself.

"W-what s-should I do now?"

Seeing how his sister started crying, her tears falling abundantly after she had been quiet, Christian felt at a loss. Just moments ago, she had been teasing him, so what had happened exactly?

Thinking that he should say something and not stay quiet, he started patting her back with his hand and hurriedly said.

"Sis, you know you can do anything now."

Christian awkwardly started talking, suggesting that she could return to studying and go to university, or even start her own business if she wanted.

He wanted to continue, but apparently that was not what his sister wanted, as she interrupted him and replied vehemently.

"No."

Annabelle, hearing her brother mention how she could return to her studies, felt a wave of sadness wash over her. Had she pushed him too hard toward education, to the point where he was now suggesting it back to her? She had only wanted the best for him, believing that higher education would open up the most possibilities for his future.

But now, she found herself questioning whether she had been wrong.

When she was younger, Annabelle had dreams of attending a prestigious university, studying business management, graduating, and achieving great success. But those aspirations felt distant now; her life had become entirely centered around her brother. She had long since realized that she no longer wanted those ambitions—her focus was solely on supporting him now.

She now just wanted to see him grow up, become more successful, have lots of friends, and maybe, if he could bring a girlfriend to introduce to her, she could ask for nothing more.