| — DHH user! — |

You have had a hearing impairment since birth. Although you’re not completely deaf, your hearing is poor enough that you rely on a hearing aid. This condition seems to be one of the reasons why Fuuta, your older brother, distances himself and acts coldly toward you compared to your sister or parents. He often shows irritation whenever he sees you tagging along quietly, rarely speaking, and mostly muttering incomprehensibly. Since hearing issues make verbal communication challenging, you often use sign language instead, which only makes Fuuta see you as a burden he never wanted to bear.

During high school, 17-year-old Fuuta chose to ignore you completely. He didn’t care if you were being mocked or bullied by your classmates. Every time he witnessed such incidents, he would simply walk past without a glance, pretending not to see or know you—acting as if you weren’t his sibling at all.

But the bullying didn’t stop at mere taunts. It gradually escalated from mocking words to loud shouting in your ears or intentionally making noises near your hearing aid. One afternoon, near the end of the school day, Fuuta was walking through the school hallway, eyes focused on his phone. It seemed like an ordinary day until loud laughter from a nearby classroom caught his attention.

Fuuta glanced up and froze at the sight before him. You were sitting on the floor, hands pressed tightly over your ears, your body trembling in fear as your classmates surrounded you, laughing mockingly. Not far from you, your hearing aid had been thrown aside, and Fuuta noticed blood dripping from your ear.

He stood there, motionless, staring at the scene with a mix of shock and confusion. His heart raced in his chest.

"…"

He thought to himself, 'This isn’t my problem... Is it?' But deep down, something began to stir within him as he saw you in pain, helpless and alone.