I’m not sure which side of Kagami’s usual fashion is the right one.
When I see her wearing simple clothes, it seems like the revealing outfits she wears in front of others are for ‘showing off.’
Rather than wanting to look pretty, it’s more about wanting to appear as ‘that kind of girl.’
The woman passing in front of me, who I assume is Shii’s mother… is dressed in such a way.
It wasn’t a miniskirt, but the shorts were incredibly short, and the top she wore had cutouts around the chest area.
It’s a little extreme to judge a person just by their outfit, but given the stories I’ve heard, that’s the impression I’m getting.
The woman, swinging a long bag in one hand, stopped in front of the house where Sasaki and Shii live, resting her chin in one hand as she quietly gazed up.
And then she chuckled.
Though she resembled Shii and was beautiful, she didn’t look as ‘young’ as Kagami. If I had to guess, she was around the same age as Fukuda or Mako’s father. Well, this lady looks more regular, while Kagami’s impression might actually be considered overly childish.
“Kotone?”
“Yeah.”
Fortunately, it seemed that Shii’s mother didn’t recognize us.
Of course, why would she? She didn’t care much about her daughter and was only here to siphon off money now.
The smile while looking at the house was probably because she thought those two were well-supported by their father or living here for free.
So, what should I do?
My intended action is actually very simple.
Scare her away.
Initially, the idea I came up with when I was ‘alone’ was to cover myself in blood.
Like, slicing my wrist right in front of her… What was I thinking? I thought maybe if I acted like a Menhera, she might run away. My existence isn’t something so easily reported to the police.
Of course, I couldn’t do that in front of Shii and Sasaki. I was thinking of yelling something like, “Don’t get close to Sasaki!” while stalking her.
But Koko is right beside me.
“Koko.”
“Yeah.”
As I called Koko’s name, she nodded.
“Can you make a scary face?”
“A scary face?”
Koko tilted her head at my words, puffing her cheeks and glaring at me.
No, that’s just cute.
Looks like she’s been influenced by the manga she’s been reading lately. Those cute girls in early morning cartoons often pull such faces when they’re angry.
“Um, not like that.”
I thought for a moment and spoke.
“Imagine that woman… hit me.”
“…She hit Kotone?”
Koko’s face turned blank in an instant.
Then her hair began to stand on end. At first glance, it looked like static made her hair slightly lift off, but if you think about it, each strand was filled with murderous intent, and you could easily imagine how devastating it would be for the other person.
“Yes, just like that expression.”
As I gently brushed down Koko’s hair with my hand, she seemed to notice and let her hair fall back down. No, her hair wasn’t in that state to begin with, so calling it ‘original’ would be a bit difficult.
“And it’s not that I got hit. I’m seeing her for the first time. But that woman… um, seems like she intends to bully Sasaki’s kids.”
“Uuu?”
Koko tilted her head.
“Koko, what do we need if we want to buy something?”
“Money.”
“Right. And to earn that money?”
“We have to work.”
“That’s correct. But what happens if someone takes the money we’ve earned without permission?”
“Bad.”
Koko’s brows furrowed. Would she make that kind of face when I get mad? Well, at least I don’t think Koko could pull off that murderous expression she just had.
“That’s right. It’s bad. But we can’t just get rid of people either.”
“Then?”
“I’ll show her I have the strength not to hand over my money easily.”
I peered around the corner of the alley at the woman.
The one presumed to be Shii’s mother was still gazing up at the building.
“Let’s scare her off.”
Of course, it wouldn’t do to rely on temporary measures. I have to firmly engrave it in her mind that there will be beings she shouldn’t touch alongside Shii or Sasaki for at least the next few years.
“Make the expression you just showed me.”
“Like this?”
Koko once again pulled off that creepy expression. I nodded.
“And….”
I turned my head again and saw the woman slowly approaching the front door.
Good.
“Remember when you brought Yuka over to me after that fire incident?”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s do it like that. Okay, hold my hand like this.”
I took Koko’s hand.
“We’ll appear right in front of her like this. And our expression—”
“Okay!”
Before I could finish what I was saying, Koko nodded vigorously and immediately took action.
*
Honestly, I had no idea what it felt like to move with Koko.
I had only seen her come near me; we had never moved together.
To sum it up, it felt very weird.
So, um…
I’ve heard that if a person runs at a speed where there shouldn’t be anyone, you might catch fire from the friction with the air or even get torn to shreds if you run too fast.
Of course, no human could ever reach such speeds unless they fell from outer space.
But I felt as if I had moved at that speed with Koko.
My body felt weightless, as if gravity had temporarily turned off, and then it suddenly felt like I was plummeting somewhere, and by the time I came to my senses, I was staring at Shii’s mother.
That moment was so brief that there was no time to scream or react.
…My hair was a complete mess.
While the ends were tied up, particularly my bangs, which typically frame my face, had gone wild and obscured my vision a little.
“…….”
While I was staring blankly at the presumed Shii’s mother, trying to comprehend the situation,
“Gya!?”
The woman stepped back, scared, after a beat.
“Wh-what!?”
Well, that would be the usual reaction.
Two girls suddenly sprang into view with their hair covering their faces out of nowhere.
Physically thinking, there should have been something like a sonic boom, but there was none of that with Koko’s movements.
The woman stood frozen in place, unable to do anything but stare at us.
I left that as it is and slowly turned to walk away.
Halfway through, I forgot I was holding Koko’s hand and had to let go to turn around, but thankfully the woman didn’t burst out laughing at the scene.
I slowly raised my hand and rang the doorbell.
Ding—Dong.
After a moment of waiting, the front door opened.
“……Huh?”
Sasaki and Shii must have come home not long ago. We arrived right after school ended.
“…….”
“…….”
What should I say?
To be honest, I had thought the woman would run away in a hurry when she saw us, and I hadn’t really considered what we would talk about here.
While I remained silent, I could hear Sasaki’s gaze turning to her own mother behind her.
Sasaki’s eyes widened.
I turned around too. Koko followed suit.
Well, Sasaki’s gaze wasn’t really important, but at least our two gazes seemed to have had some effect.
After a while of standing there stiff, the woman suddenly turned and quickly left.
Sasaki looked at us silently.
“……What happened?”
Her expression was quite serious.
What, um…
I came to scare your mom away.
I couldn’t bring myself to say that, so I hesitated,
“Hey, brother, who is she?”
I heard that from inside, and Shii peeked out from behind Sasaki.
“Kotone-senpai?”
Then Shii’s eyes widened as she saw my face.
Um.
“Uuu?”
Koko tilted her head, looking at me.
…..
“…I just came to visit.”
I gave an excuse that didn’t even feel like an excuse.
*
In truth, I had acted too hastily.
I had definitely seen that woman, presumed to be Shii’s mother, but I hadn’t thought much about what would happen next.
Initially, I wanted to follow her to see where she lived and then take my time to mess with her.
But…
I just didn’t want to see her entering Sasaki siblings’ house.
“…So you did that?”
Sasaki looked at me in disbelief, and I had no words left.
It seems like we’re much closer than I had initially thought. Especially Shii, who has already made it onto my list of beloved underclassmen. After all, she’s the only junior I have in this world.
“Senpai…”
“I’m sorry.”
As I heard Shii talking, I immediately apologized.
I had planned not to mention it to others.
Especially not to Sasaki.
“…It’s okay.”
But kind-hearted Shii didn’t blame me.
“Thinking about it, the first person I should have told was brother.”
“Shii?”
Sasaki made a questioning expression as Shii said that, seemingly feeling relieved.
“…Brother, there’s something I need to tell you.”
And finally, Shii stated,
“Bad.”
The first person to react to the story was Koko.
Seeing Koko’s indignant face, Sasaki smiled bitterly at me and shifted her gaze.
“There’s really no need to worry. We’ll handle our problems. As for money… we’ve got some saved up.”
“……”
I looked at Sasaki.
“Are you planning to give that person money?”
“…I don’t really want to give it to her.”
Sasaki said after pondering for a bit.
“If there’s no way to deal with it, we might have to. No matter what… she is our mom.”
“Brother.”
“But if we give her money this time, she’ll definitely come back again. She might come back every time she’s short on cash.”
“That… is something we can’t do for now.”
Sasaki seemed to have a troubled expression, so she must be aware of the legal issues. If children are left unattended without parents, that side will definitely view it as a ‘case.’
But that’s why,
“Next time, she might want this house.”
At my words, both Sasaki and Shii reacted at the same time.
Shii, who had been looking down, suddenly looked up at me, while Sasaki had a face that seemed to ask what I was talking about.
This house is registered under Sasaki’s father’s name.
However, it’s also the place where Sasaki lives.
They wouldn’t be able to swallow the whole house, but it’s entirely possible that they could consider living in this house as tenants.
Of course, I didn’t think Sasaki would willingly let them have it. No matter how kind-hearted she is, there’s no way she’d hand over the house she shares with her younger sister to some scumbag who’s living with their mother.
But the problem is, Shii’s custody is with that mother. Moreover, judging from the background story, Sasaki’s father doesn’t seem to actively protect Shii.
So, they would probably use that as leverage.
“…Oh.”
Shii’s face went pale after hearing what I had said. Sasaki’s face flushed red with anger.
I could think of a few methods that I could suggest right here.
The simplest would be to hide Shii.
In fact, I had hidden Yamashita before.
The problem here is Shii’s situation.
In Yamashita’s case, the other party was someone who had a connection with Kagami, so it wasn’t a big deal.
Given the circumstances, Yamashita Yuuki’s guardian, Mr. Yamashita, didn’t seem inclined to make a big fuss about it.
He probably thought it was safer for her to stay at our place than in some strange place.
But in Shii’s case…
If her parents start looking for her, I would have to give Shii back. Shii is technically in a state of running away from home as of now.
If I were to protect her beyond that, I would get involved with the social services or Yamashita again.
Temporary fixes wouldn’t solve anything.
Then the next method is…
“Shii.”
“Yes, Kotone-senpai.”
Shii responded in a listless manner to my call.
“I have a proposal.”
“A proposal?”
I nodded.
“It might take a little time, is that okay?”
Upon hearing that, the Sasaki siblings exchanged glances but then nodded toward me.
*
I don’t know when Shii’s mother will come back again. After all, who would come to threaten someone with a set schedule?
Therefore, obviously, the methods are—
“—Hold on a minute.”
Nakahara pressed her fingers against her forehead and spoke.
“So you mean, you are planning to live here?”
“……”
Indeed.
Koko and I decided to stay here for some time. The Sasaki siblings also allowed it.
If Nakahara or Hagiwara were here, the story might have been different. Shii really couldn’t trust those two for various reasons.
No, it’s not that she doesn’t trust them as people… but that’s how it is. They were probably eyeing her brother’s innocence.
At least I think that I wouldn’t be a target for Sasaki. And Koko is still too young in many ways to be interested in boys.
However, there’s something we hadn’t considered.
This childhood friend character also appears randomly in front of Sasaki’s house, just like Shii’s mother.
Today she came with the concept of a ‘childhood friend who brought too much side dish from home.’
But this isn’t even next door.
Isn’t it just a few subway stations away to bring something like this? Wouldn’t that be a bit scary? I’d think it was scary.
I mean, even in the 2000s, yandere characters were pretty popular, so I just hope Nakahara isn’t taking on that role.
“What’s the reason?”
“……”
I looked at the Sasaki siblings.
It appeared they also didn’t have much to say and kept their mouths shut.
Well, after all, they wouldn’t want such stories to circulate. No matter how close friends we are, there are a lot of things one wouldn’t want to talk about.
And honestly, Nakahara moving in felt like it wouldn’t go over well.
…On the other hand, I’m grateful that they haven’t shared any stories about Koko here and there. But that’s completely different from this.
No one would believe them if they said stories about Koko anywhere.
“Why? Can’t you tell me?”
When Nakahara said that with a slightly hurt expression, Sasaki looked at me with a face full of guilt, but still held back from saying anything.
“…It’s okay, we’ll just use another room.”
“No, that’s just expected.”
I tried to give an excuse, but it clearly didn’t work.
Well, saying I would sleep in the same room as Sasaki would also be a problem.
Last time I came, I had slept in Shii’s room because Nakahara and Hagiwara were in the guest room.
This time, Koko and I were supposed to use the guest room.
“Mya.”
“Look, even the cat I raised is here! There’s a litter box for the cat too!”
“……”
Um, well…
To anyone, it would look like we’re planning to stay for an extended period, huh?
I didn’t really have an excuse for that. Koko and I just came by on the same day we packed our bags to go home, intending to head to school early the next morning with Sasaki and Shii.
Perhaps Nakahara’s sudden appearance today was also due to that suspicion we had shown by showing up together?
“Mya!”
Kuro leapt onto Nakahara’s lap as if to check her out, but,
“Is that how it’s going to be?”
Nakahara said, thoroughly enraged.
“……Hmph!”
Then she let out that sound and spun around, disappearing outside.
But the sound of the door closing wasn’t too loud. She really doesn’t know how to get angry properly.
“…What now?”
“No, even if you say that….”
When I asked while looking up at Sasaki, she scratched her head and said,
No, it was your fault for leading her on.
What is the deal here? This situation was indeed created by me, but…
*
What a hassle, Nakahara reappeared at Sasaki’s house that night.
She was carrying a huge backpack on her back.
On top of the backpack, there was a thick sleeping bag. I had no idea why a schoolgirl would buy such a sleeping bag.
“I’m going to sleep too.”
Nakahara declared very firmly.
“……”
I stared at Nakahara with a bit of sympathy, and her face reddened immensely.
“Nana, no matter what….”
“If they can, why can’t I?”
“Because there are certain circumstances….”
“What circumstances?”
“……”
Seeing Sasaki hesitate to speak clearly seemed to trigger an alarm in Nakahara’s head again.
“In any case, I’m going to stay, too!”
She sounded so childlike.
“…Sasaki.”
“Uh, yeah.”
As I called out to Sasaki, she looked back at me awkwardly.
“It might be okay.”
“……”
At my words, Sasaki glanced at Nakahara with a contemplative expression, then exhaled softly.
“Okay, come in.”
“…I-I’ll pay for the living expenses.”
Having thought of that late, Nakahara said as she hurriedly entered the house.
No, that’s not the problem.
…Well, having more people might open up avenues for use.
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