The festival and sour lemons

His family was extremely happy about this his sister currently 18 was radiating joy at finally getting to go out with her brother again

"Brother! Brother! You need to go to the festival with me, it's been years since I've missed going out with you"

Yumiko has exclaimed brightly dragging her brother with her, her long black hair and deep blue eyes glowed brightly under the festival lanterns as they passed stall after stall.

"Careful Yumi, I am still recovering"

"I know! But I am so excited!"

They had spent the whole evening going from stall to stall and he bought her a hair ornament. One with white roses and a gold comb.

He had put it on her that night and said

" To the brightest soul I've ever known. You always kept hope for me"

She giggled at that night and pushed him playfully with her elbow

"I knew you would be cured! Now come here. I want you to see something"

She had taken him to another jewellery stall one with beaded jewelry. The owner said he had handcrafted each one.

"Ahaha, see these beautiful pieces of art? I had made them by hand. All of it. Pick what you like"

Yumiko had picked a bracelet, made with blue and black beads and subtle silver charms.

She had put it on her brother's wrist and paid the owner with her own allowance

"From me, to my "I am still recovering. Please don't pull" brother"

He chuckled loudly, leaning down to flick her forehead.

"It's true though, you keep pulling me"

Yumiko held her forehead with a pout, puffing her cheeks like a puffer fish.

"OW! You're so rude! ರ⁠╭⁠╮⁠ರ"

She pushed him harder, making him stumble back as he laughed even louder

"Oh you little gremlin"

A few days passed. He spent most of his time in the kitchen with his mother and the other servants, learning how to cook, something he had always wanted to learn but never could. Now after being at the very edge of death he had finally built the courage to learn cooking. Yumiko would always try to trick him into putting the wrong stuff, which would either turn up to be an absolute disaster or a new dish that tasted awfully good. The siblings would taste each other's food and make the most dramatic reviews known to mankind. Both were getting great at cooking or making a completely new dish via sabotage. The days were going peacefully until one day...

Yasuo had taken a bite of food and suddenly realized he couldn't quite satisfy his stomach or his taste buds.

"Hm? That's weird."

He fed dumplings to his sister, who immediately commented on the taste of the tender filling. He didn't quite understand why he couldn't taste it properly. But just shrugged it off, thinking it would just fix itself. He was healthy, he didn't need to worry much. Until it got worse, he started losing his taste buds and food wouldn't sit well in his stomach but he still forced it down. To keep himself full, even though most of the time he would either vomit it out or feel hungry even though he had eaten. His sister noticed too. One time when she had deliberately put in lemon in a sweet desert just to mess with him. She giggled imagining his reaction to the sour taste.

"Brother, here I have made you these delicious sweets made by me ✨"

He had taken a bite, no reaction, nothing. Not even a hint of discomfort.

"It's good, did you put something new in it?"

he asked her, oblivious to the sour taste.

"twenty lemons..."

She said looking horrified that he felt literally nothing, she expected him to Cough like a man dying. He was completely fine

"..."

Yasuo had gone completely silent after hearing that, realizing something was terribly wrong

"twenty... Lemons?"

"yes.."

"are you seriously trying to kill me?"

"I- that- HEY— DON'T REDIRECT."