I Thought I Was Dead After Getting Stabbed While Protecting a Girl From a Random Attacker, but a Goddess Gave Me a Special Reward and Brought Me Back to Life in My Original Body—Now, All These Girls Are Coming on to Me!?

Chapter 2: Making up With My Sister

Suddenly, I wanted to explain my family structure here.

I had no memories of my biological mother. That was because she passed away before I became aware of the world.

According to my father, my mother was frail from the start. Despite that, she desperately wanted a child. However, when she consulted the hospital, they opposed it, saying her body couldn’t withstand childbirth, and the chances of both mother and child surviving were extremely low.

Naturally, my father and relatives strongly objected.

But her resolve didn’t waver.

Looking back, perhaps my mother sensed her life would be short. Maybe that’s why she wanted to leave a child as proof of her love with my father… It’s just a guess.

In the end, my mother’s condition worsened after childbirth, and she passed away.

This turned into a somber mood, but I didn’t have any particular feelings about it.

I had only respect for the mother who brought me into this world, and I couldn’t thank my father enough for raising me single-handedly in an unfamiliar environment.

Now, onto the main topic.

When I entered fifth grade, my father remarried.

Apparently, at a local moms’ group meeting, my father met my current stepmother, who lost her husband in an accident. They bonded over the struggles of single parenthood.

My stepmother had a daughter.

That was my stepsister, Sakuya Minase.

She stood about 150 cm tall, with a slender build and bright brown hair styled in a bob, a cute-looking girl. She was one year younger than me.

Back then, as a fourth-grader, Sakuya called me “Big Brother!” and followed me around everywhere. I was smitten with my adorable sister (and still was, of course), so I often played with her, as I recalled.

However, as puberty hit us both, gauging the right distance became difficult. Living together as a brother and sister of opposite genders was tougher than I imagined, and I racked my brain over it back then.

Especially after Sakuya entered the same middle school as me, she glared at me, saying, “Don’t talk to me casually at school.” At home, we only exchanged minimal necessary communication.

Now, why did I suddenly start talking about family?

“Big Brotheeeer!!!”

My sister, who supposedly despised me, clung to my waist, her face a mess from crying harder than I ever saw in the five years since we met.

How did this situation happen? It went back about an hour ago.

…Where… was this…?

When I opened my eyes, I saw a pure white ceiling and fluorescent lights.

I slowly turned my head and noticed a large window with faint sunlight streaming through. I recognized this kind of room.

(Oh… this was a hospital.)

Normally, waking up in an unfamiliar room in such a confusing situation would cause panic.

(Thanks to talking with the goddess, I naturally sorted out the situation.)

It seemed the goddess’s words were true, and I successfully returned to the real world. But…

(My body was covered in tubes.)

When I looked down, various tubes connected to my arms and torso.

There was a needle for an IV drip, wires likely for an ECG monitor, and a tube taped to my nose for oxygen.

Judging from the sensation before I lost consciousness after being stabbed, I figured I was in critical condition, and it seemed my guess wasn’t far off.

In times like this, I needed to press the nurse call button to summon a nurse.

Careful not to dislodge the IV tube in my arm, I reached for the nurse call button by my pillow when it happened.

“I’m back~”

“The hospital cafeteria wasn’t half bad.”

“When Big Brother wakes up, we’ll all eat together…”

My parents and my sister Sakuya entered the hospital room.

When my family saw me with my eyes open, they froze with their mouths agape. Wait, their sudden freeze with those faces made this super awkward.

“Uh… good morning?”

Smooth communication between people started with greetings.

I said that, but for some reason, no one responded.

“Um… everyone…?”

“Ryu… Ryu, right? This isn’t some prank where my son wakes up, is it…?”

Mom, that kind of prank was impossible to pull off.

“Is he really awake…? Or am I the one dreaming?”

There was no mix-up with sleep, Dad.

And Sakuya, the plastic bottle in your hand fell to the floor. That was carbonated juice, right? Be careful when you open it next time.

“B-Big Brother…? Really Big Brother…?”

“I don’t think there’s any real or fake here, but I’m probably the Big Brother you’re imagining, Sakuya.”

“…Bweh.”

“Bweh?”

“Bweeeehhh!! Big Brotheeeer!!!”

“Saku… guh!”

And that led to the scene at the start.

Afterward, the nurses rushed in, scolding Sakuya, saying, “What if you reopen his wound!” She reluctantly let go of my waist.

But seeing her stick to my bedside, holding my hand and muttering, “I’m so glad… so glad…,” I deeply regretted worrying her so much.

Then, my attending doctor explained my condition, which was apparently worse than I imagined.

The wound was deep, but the excessive blood loss caused my heart to stop at one point.

Thanks to immediate first aid by the paramedics, my heart started beating again quickly, but I remained unconscious, sleeping for three whole days.

Due to the massive blood loss, the doctors told my family I might end up in a vegetative state or, even if I regained consciousness, I’d likely have severe disabilities.

No wonder my family reacted like that when I woke up. I sincerely apologized for causing them such worry…

They conducted a simple test on the spot to check for paralysis or other issues, but no major abnormalities appeared. The doctor said, “It’s a miracle you regained consciousness with all your faculties intact from that state.”

That was the goddess’s miracle, after all. Without her help, I might have actually died, so I couldn’t sleep facing her direction anymore.

Detailed tests would come later, so for now, only my family remained in the room. As soon as the staff left, my parents, for the first time ever, hugged me with tears in their eyes. They did it gently to avoid my wounds but firmly, as if confirming my existence.

“…Sorry for worrying you both.”

“It’s okay… as long as you’re alive, Ryu.”

“Exactly. We knew our son would definitely come back!”

Both lost their beloved partners once before.

If they lost their son too, the scars on their hearts would have been unimaginable. In that sense, I was glad I made it back.

“Sakuya, I worried you too.”

“No… I kept being mean to Big Brother all this time… If you were gone before we made up, I… I’m really sorry…”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s no one’s fault.”

Puberty and rebellion came regardless of one’s will. If anything, it was proof of healthy mental growth.

“If we can be close again like before, that’s more than enough.”

“Big Brother…”

My words made Sakuya tear up again.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry. I love seeing you smile, Sakuya.”

“I love you so much, Big Brother…”

It wasn’t exactly “rain falls, ground hardens,” but…

Getting injured was undeniably a negative event, but thanks to it, I could talk with my sister like this again. Maybe it was a silver lining.

Or so I thought.

“Here, Big Brother. Say ‘ahh~’”

“Uh, ahh~”

“Hehe. Is it yummy?”

“Y-Yeah, it’s yummy. Eat your portion too, Sakuya.”

“I’m fine. Feeding you like this fills me up!”

“I see…”

I thought making up with my sister was great, but that moment of relief was short-lived.

Sakuya’s affection level seemed to have skyrocketed beyond the heavens.

“It started with that incident, but seeing you and Sakuya get along again was nice~”

“Exactly. Siblings should be close, after all.”

Dad, Mom, it’s fine to watch with those relaxed expressions, but…

Your son was freaking out because Sakuya’s expressions, gestures, and words changed so much from before!

“Why don’t you two just get married~?”

“We’ll support you, you know~”

“Dad! Mom! Stop it! It’s too early for that!”

Sakuya, what did you mean by “too early”?

Dad, Mom, could you stop smirking?

No brother would be unhappy being loved by his sister.

Sakuya was still in middle school, and she was probably hyped up from the excitement of me surviving a near-death experience. In a year, she’d be in high school. She’d probably find someone she liked eventually.

When that happened, I’d support her to the max.

That said, I wouldn’t let anyone who didn’t meet my standards near my sister!