29

                                    

                                          

                            

                                
                            
                              
                                  
                              
                              
                                
                                  
                                  
                                
                              
                             
                            
                            
                          
                          
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Fuyumi was tapping her foot relentlessly as Kota kept tugging on her pants. "Nee-san, Kota's sleepy." the child uttered with a yawn, which made the girl tap her foot faster.

"I know, I know it's a lot of money, but isn't there anyway that we can expedite this whole process? You heard the child—he's sleepy." she tried her best not to sound rude to the bank teller in front of her, but alas, the teller just rolled her eyes.

"With all due respect, ma'am, you're withdrawing every penny in your account. Of course it's going to take a while." the teller answered in an irritated tone. All she could do was sigh and drop her head, praying to every god to speed up their business so that she could drive herself and her brother away from the mess before it even started.

"Nee-san," Kota called out, rubbing his little eyes. "Are my big brothers coming to live with us in our new home?"

She could practically hear her heart cracking.

"I'm sorry, bud. But they're not coming with us." she answered, her fingernails digging into the skin of her palms as she tried her best not to cry in front of her innocent brother.

"But they'll surely visit, right?"

That was the last straw for her. She knelt down and hugged her brother like her life depended on it, like it would make him understand without her having to tell him.

"I know it's sad, and I know it's a lot to take in. Nee-san's sad about it to, but it's for the best, baby. I never wanted to do this, believe me. But I have to." she couldn't even hide her tears. All Kota did was nod his head as he wrapped his tiny arms around her sister. "Kota understands."

Her heart broke as she felt her brother's body lightly shaking against hers. The fabric on her shoulder began to feel damp, and suddenly, all life started to drain from her.

It wasn't fair to her, and it was most certainly not fair to Kota. He's just a child, and yet he has to experience the mess that she's been trying so hard to avoid.

"Excuse me, ma'am." the teller spoke. "Unfortunately, we do not have enough cash for you in our vault to accommodate your request. We have hundreds of clients and we can't just fulfill yours. The best we can do is give you two-thirds of the amount in your account."