“I told you it wasn’t me.”

“Is that so?”

My brother’s eyes shook wildly, as if he had been caught.

“But I said I wasn’t sticking my head out.”
“Oh? You did?”

“How do you know that someone did that when it wasn’t me?”

My brother’s lips curled up and opened repeatedly, as if he had a lot to say.

I stretched out my pointer finger towards him as if I had caught the killer.

“What do you think? My reasoning is perfect! My brother stuck his head out and is now lying to me! You’re lying!”

My brother’s face, which was already pale, became paler. Just like bread that was freshly baked in the morning, his cheeks gradually swelled.

Then, my brother jumped up from his seat to make his own protest.

“Well, I’m not lying… I mean… I mean…”

“You lied!”

“I was sitting here because I want to look reliable but… I was curious! When is Bebe coming? I didn’t know if you were coming. I was wondering if something’s wrong. I thought about whether I should go and protect you.”
“What?”

I blinked when I tried teasing my brother for being a liar.

‘Ah, that’s not it…’

Rather, my brother pouted his lips as if he were falsely accused.

“But I know you’ll be disappointed if I get out here. I have to protect this place… but I’m worried about you.”

“Is that so?”
“I’m… I’m not a liar. It’s just… It’s just…”

Maybe it was because I just found out why my brother did it, but his lips were pursed together like a fish, which looked cute. As my father said, I think my brother looked like a fool.

My fool, to be exact.

Before I contradicted my brother, my mom smiled and patted my brother’s head.

“Bebe, don’t be too harsh on your brother. But he did continue to be here and protect your mom.”

“Well, I’m not saying anything. It’s just… I thought it was a lie… No! I knew it too! I knew it.”

“Really?”
“Oh, I was just trying to tell you that you did a good job.”

Not wanting to lose for some reason, I rolled my eyes. Then, while chewing on the cookies on the table, I hugged Sylvie.
“Ah, I’ll go for a walk.”

“Can I come with you this time?”

The day I was about to go out in shame because I didn’t know my brother’s feelings, my brother caught me.”

“Huh?”

“Or do I have to stay here?”
“Uh… I mean…”

Meanwhile, my mother slowly got up from her seat. She walked a little slower because she had been lying down for so long, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t walk.

Suddenly, my mother came over to me and stroked my hair.

“It’s not like that. Let’s all go out together.”

“Huh?”
“I want to take a walk too. Can I join you? Mom wants to go out with Bebe and Allen.”

When I saw my mother talking with a big smile, somewhere in my heart trembled.

After losing her memory, she didn’t use the word ‘Mom’ when referring to herself, whether it was conscious or not. There have been times when she looked into my eyes and said so consciously, but it was the first time she had said it as naturally as before.

“Huh? Can I?”

Meanwhile, my mother leaned over and gently stroked my cheek. I don’t know if it’s because I want to feel that way, but…

‘She’s like how Mom used to be.’

The Mom I remembered was the Mom who lived with me in that hellish place and did everything for me. She was that kind of mother.

I didn’t think about it all the time, but today, I suddenly thought of it.

My mother’s memories may have returned, and in the meantime, my colt-like brother held my mother’s hand.

“If Bebe says no, we can go together.”

Then, I came to my senses and intervened between the two of them.

“No! Let’s go together. I want to go with my mom and brother.”

“I will stand in the middle. I’ll take Bebe’s hand and Mother’s hand.”

Then he hurriedly approached and grabbed my mother’s hand and mine at the same time.

“Tch… I’m standing in the middle.”

“Bebe, you have to stand like this so I can protect you two.”

“Is that so?”

“Sure, so let’s go now.”
My brother led the two of us like that, as if he were in a pretty good mood. In the meantime, maybe he was worried about my mother’s walking pace, but my brother deliberately slowed down by saying this and that alone.

Thanks to that, it took quite a long time to get to the garden.