I shrugged, and she sat. Not next to me, but one stone step down, so that when she tilted her head back to look at me, her face was a pale moon in the shade of my shadow.
Deconstructing the meme for the uninitiated. oniisan… ohitori desu ka?
“I’m scared my mom will work herself into nothing,” Hana said, not looking at me. “And then I’ll be really alone. Not just ‘ohitori.’ The other one.” I shrugged, and she sat
Would you like me to respond as the oniisan (older brother)? “I’m scared my mom will work herself into
“My grandmother used to say,” she started, rolling the lollipop between her fingers, “that when you say ‘ohitori desu ka’ to someone, you’re not really asking if they’re alone. You’re asking if they’re lonely.”
In Japanese, onii-san does not always mean a blood-related older brother. It is a common, polite way to address a young adult male.