Thinking like this is troublesome, but since I’m living in this house, naturally I have some thoughts that can’t be helped.
Ahh…
It’s comfortable.
Yeah, extremely comfortable.
In both my past life and this one, there are definitely benefits to living alone. The fact that I don’t have to think about anyone else’s gaze when I’m at home.
Aside from the fact that I don’t have anyone to casually talk to. I felt a refreshing sense of liberation when I first became independent.
However, there is one fatal flaw to living alone.
I have to manage my own life.
Nobody nags me about taking care of my hygiene, nobody prepares meals for me, and if I don’t take care of the dishes or laundry myself, they’re just left as they are.
If I do nothing, dust piles up in my room, and I either eat poorly or just skip meals altogether.
It’s at times like these that I wish someone would just be there beside me.
…
Well, right now, I don’t have time to feel that way. Still, for the time being, I did most of the work around the house.
Koko has been helping out little by little, but she’s still somewhat clumsy. More than anything, I felt uncomfortable making Koko do this or that. So in the end, almost all the chores fell to me.
But here…
“It’s delicious!”
“…Really.”
Koko and Nakahara both exclaimed in admiration.
That’s right. A Shii lives in this house.
And Shii is, without a doubt, the most ideal younger sister I’ve ever seen.
If I recall Shii’s testimony, Sasaki was also the typical teenage boy who puts off annoying things at home. However, Shii pushed Sasaki to wake up early, prepare meals, and even go to school together.
I guess living with a younger sister like this would make it impossible for your personality not to go off the rails.
“…Am I supposed to endure this environment…?”
Nakahara sighed deeply as she spoke.
I guess so.
In the original story, Sasaki also thought that this was just the way typical girls his age were.
But that doesn’t mean he looked down on other girls; he was merely under a huge misunderstanding.
Originally, after Shii got hospitalized due to the Hacha incident, he realized how much he depended on Shii. But ironically, in this world, that situation never occurred.
…
As I took a bite of grilled salmon, I thought that Sasaki was such a fortunate guy.
I guess it’s a sort of reaction, or maybe it is, but since he has such parents, isn’t it just even? In a way, Shii’s personality might also have something to do with that mother of hers.
While I was enjoying a somewhat awkward but peaceful meal,
Ding—dong.
There was someone ringing the bell rudely during dinner time.
Sasaki, Shii, and I exchanged glances.
“What’s that, what’s that?”
Nakahara, noticing our curious looks, seemed a bit flustered.
“Is there something we agreed upon?”
…
What should we do?
I thought for a moment and then stood up.
As I lifted my bowl and soup pot, Shii and Sasaki quickly followed suit. Both of them grabbed the dishes we were using, along with Koko and Nakahara’s.
“What is it? What’s going on?”
“Nakahara.”
When I spoke, Nakahara looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“…For now, don’t say anything and just come with me.”
“Uh, uh?”
Nakahara looked incredibly flustered at my serious expression, but…
“Please.”
Nakahara nodded without realizing it at Sasaki’s serious tone.
We quickly headed upstairs with the dishes in hand. Then we entered Shii’s room and sat down.
I’m sure Sasaki and Shii took care of our shoes that were by the entrance.
“Mya.”
“Shh.”
Even though Kuro, who was sleeping on Shii’s bed, made a sound, I put a finger up towards Kuro and spoke. Kuro yawned widely as if she had no interest and curled back into a ball.
“What’s going on?”
Nakahara asked the same question for the third time.
This time, the atmosphere felt like she would genuinely get angry if I ignored her, so I answered.
“An uninvited guest has arrived.”
“An uninvited guest?”
“…”
No matter how you look at it, saying that their mother has come was something I felt was awkward. So, I just nodded.
“What kind of uninvited guest? Is she trying to cause trouble for you two?”
“…Similar.”
She came to squeeze money out of them, so if we talk trouble, it’s definitely trouble indeed.
Just for the reference, Koko was still downstairs; she was still barefoot. Koko was the ideal one for the task we needed done.
“Then don’t we have to go help?”
Nakahara exclaimed with a frustrated look, but I picked up the dishes on the floor and began to eat again.
“See, we’re here to help after all.”
“Ah.”
Only then did Nakahara stop trying to stand up and stared at me with wide eyes.
Then she sat back down.
“…I see.”
It’s not like I intended to show Nakahara what we truly are, but I ended up doing just that alongside Koko.
I may have only shown her a really hard look when I was bleeding, but Koko clearly revealed herself as something other than a person.
After I explained what happened when I woke up in the hospital, Nakahara didn’t feel the need to pry into our identities. It was likely a courtesy on her part. After all, we didn’t need those horrifying memories resurfacing again.
Plus, normally, Koko just looks like a cute schoolgirl. When you think about it, she’s somewhat pitiful and adorable.
“So, that means Koko… seems to act like that, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
When I said that, Nakahara wore a puzzled expression.
“Why?”
As I stirred the soybean paste soup with my chopsticks, Nakahara spoke with that puzzled look still on her face.
“Uh…”
Nakahara hesitated before speaking.
“Is it concerning?”
“…”
Upon hearing that, Nakahara considered then nodded her head.
Hmm.
How should I articulate this?
When it comes to being concerned or not, I’m in the same boat as well.
As Yuka once told me, Koko is satisfied with her current life.
Her not changing her appearance in front of others was due to her fear of my words and that life being shattered.
“…Do you know why Koko looks like me?”
“…Is it because we’re twins?”
“No.”
At my response, Nakahara frowned.
After thinking for a while, Nakahara’s face lit up with understanding.
That’s right.
Koko isn’t something that originally looked like this. Just like with what was in the fridge, and like when I first met her, Koko’s original form is close to being amorphous.
Koko just imitates my appearance.
Because it’s useful for her. It’s more comfortable when she’s with me, and if she’s like that in front of others, there’s less chance of being attacked, and everyone likes it.
Whether Koko wants that or not, I think it’s the former. But the concept of “wanting” is somewhat different from “needing.” Koko has shown that she can immediately revert to her original form when she thinks she really needs to.
“Wanting to” and “having to” are not always overlapping concepts.
“Koko doesn’t want her current life to be disrupted.”
I said that and finished my meal.
Nakahara didn’t ask anymore detailed questions.
She merely followed along with my chopsticks.
I couldn’t continue eating, though.
*
Sasaki was putting in much effort to ignore Koko, who had turned their home into a theme park haunted house.
Isn’t that so?
It takes tremendous effort not to look at a child who’s hanging from the ceiling by her thin hair.
Sasaki knew what kind of existence Koko was. She and Shii had been there then.
But even so, seeing a girl who looks just like a classmate dangling from the ceiling and looking down silently is another problem.
“A, ah…”
The woman who fell on her bottom at the entrance pointed her finger at Koko and said that.
“What’s going on?”
Shii asked in a worried voice.
To this woman who knows nothing about the situation, it probably looks completely nonsensical. Never seen a ghost in her life.
Of course, Koko wasn’t a ghost, but…
However, Shii’s concern was not about their mother. She was simply worried about whether this situation would be understood.
“Um, um! That…!”
The woman yelled.
Sasaki deliberately turned around.
For just a moment, she made eye contact with Koko and felt some hesitation, but forcibly pulled her gaze away and looked around as if there was nothing there before turning back to the woman.
To hide her expression, she frowned as much as she could.
“What do you mean there is something here?”
“Can’t you see? Are you blind!?”
The woman yelled as if screaming, but Sasaki and Shii gritted their teeth and ignored Koko.
In reality, they were starting to reach their limit.
Slowly, the black hair that dominated the ceiling was extending its grasp, and by now, it had reached the entrance door.
If a little more time passes, there will be a thin curtain of hair forming at the entrance.
What might have been just an ordinary scene in a movie was entirely different when seen in reality. Instead of awkward CGI, it was real hair slowly growing.
“Why the—”
“Eek!”
As Sasaki moved forward with a blank expression, the woman screamed and jumped up, opening the door and bolting out.
Knock, knock, knock…
The result was mundane.
Sasaki and Shii stared blankly at the woman’s retreating figure.
“Did I do well?”
And then, suddenly, they both jumped at the voice coming from behind them.
Oh, Koko was back down on the floor again.
“Shii quickly closed the door, and Sasaki put one finger in front of her mouth.*
“Koko, shh!”
“Got it!”
At Sasaki’s words, Koko swiftly covered her mouth with both hands.
Just looking at her, she was nothing more than a cute girl drawn in a picture. Maybe because she looked like Kurosawa, her usual look blended seamlessly with Kuro who rarely showed this kind of appearance, making her look even cuter.
Of course, her hair was in disarray.
If Koko had changed her facial appearance, Sasaki and Shii would not have been able to show relatively calm reactions either.
Could it be that Koko has some reluctance to change her appearance?
“…I don’t hear anything anymore.”
After Shii said that while pressing her ear against the door, Sasaki sighed deeply.
“…Let’s go upstairs and call Kurosawa and Nanami.”
“I’ll go!”
Koko shouted and then raced up the stairs with a do-do-do sound.
Sasaki and Shii exchanged glances.
And without anyone taking the lead, they shrugged their shoulders.
*
“If that woman comes back, let me know. I’ll help again.”
“I’ll help!”
Upon hearing that, Koko raised her hand high as she said that.
The ‘haunted house operation’ had yielded short-term success.
But I couldn’t shake the thought that that persistent woman wouldn’t visit again.
Isn’t it said that there’s nothing scarier than a human? A distant ghost can’t hurt me, but a nearby creditor can snap my fingers.
If I hurry up and grab the money, then it would be a different story when an opportunity comes.
“I can’t keep getting help like this…”
“It’s okay.”
At my words, Sasaki fell silent.
“Thank you, Senpai.”
“It’s nothing.”
Thanks to that, I also got to sit comfortably and enjoy some delicious food.
…
For reference, Nakahara wanted to stay here a few more days by making various excuses, but when I said I’d leave today, she seemed at a loss for words.
“The food was good.”
“You can come again next time!”
Shii said with a bright smile.
“Eh, what about me?”
“Um… if you come, we’ll welcome you.”
“…Why is the response so different?”
Nakahara pouted but soon sighed softly.
“See you tomorrow.”
“Yes! Kuro, bye!”
“Mya.”
The only thing I did was curl up on Shii’s bed and sleep.
Well, she’s cute, so I can’t help it.
Although I had a lot of baggage, my heart felt satisfied. We exchanged farewells once more and could part ways with a refreshed feeling.
Let’s think about teasing that woman periodically from now on.
Isn’t there a way to do that? Something like “the ghost has transferred.” I wonder how she would react when that happens.
*
“What the hell? Is there really a ghost in this world?”
“I’m serious! I saw it!”
The careless-looking man with his hands shoved deep in his pants pocket yawned.
And alongside him, the carefree woman who looked kind of lost. Passersby made a point to sidestep them when seeing the two.
They were the type of individuals you could find occasionally even in expensive neighborhoods. Just because someone has a lot of money doesn’t mean they have culture.
And the two of them arrived at the neighborhood, right in the middle of those luxurious homes.
It was right before a two-story house that looked like it wasn’t just a few dollars.
“Isn’t there nobody home? You said your daughter lives here?”
“…”
The man muttered in response to the woman’s words.
Even though it was already dark due to the sunset, the lights in the house remained off as if no one was home.
Maybe it wasn’t particularly spooky, but strangely a feeling of chill settled in that area.
The man didn’t seem to pay it much heed. Well, it was slowly getting to the time when nighttime temperatures became chilly.
“L, let’s just go.”
The woman said, wrapping her arms around herself.
If there was a person in there, they would surely be their grandchildren. But for some reason, the way they stared at that girl hanging from the ceiling yesterday felt strange—
It was as if something there was entirely natural.
Of course, it might just have been that they didn’t find anything at all. Those children were long gone—
In fact, sometimes she regretted having given birth to them.
“Hey, look. The door is opening.”
The man said as he grasped the doorknob.
Click.
The door opened effortlessly.
Inside was dark, but as he opened it, the streetlight from the alley lit up the entrance with a rough view of the house.
Whistling, the man called out, “Can’t I just move in here? How do I deal with that kid? What’s her name? Shii—she wouldn’t say anything while she was with you.”
While he turned away, the woman’s face had turned pale.
Her gaze was focused on the open house.
“Why are you like this?”
The woman moved her jaw, as if trying to say something, but no sound came out.
She merely pointed a trembling fingertip at the house.
“Huh?”
The man turned his head.
From the hallway, at the end of the entrance where you could somewhat glimpse into the kitchen corner, a human shadow was slightly visible.
White legs and a skirt hem.
“Oh, what? She was inside after all. Hey, Shii, long time no see!”
Hadn’t she grown quite nicely since the last time he saw her? The woman’s youthful self came to mind at that recollection.
The child whose nose was always running was now annoying, but looking at her now…
Nevertheless, the man’s body abruptly froze as he was about to casually enter the house.
“…”
Something felt off.
Had that girl really grown so big?
No, something about the very shape of that human figure—
It only took a slight push of his body inside to realize just how bizarre it was. The outline was stretching both upwards and downwards.
Above the hem of a skirt, a waist was visible. It was as if they hadn’t expected the size they had bought for a school uniform.
Yet, the white skin didn’t look sexual in any way.
Rather, it appeared as if a person had been forcibly stretched out vertically in a weird shape.
Hair was visible.
After hearing the man’s voice, she slowly pulled her head from around the corner.
Fingers appeared. One by one, those fingers touched the corner, just like pressing piano keys starting with the long pinky.
Then she slowly turned her body, revealing only her head peeking around the corner.
Even though he had only seen Shii’s last appearance in photographs, the man could clearly tell that this was not her.
In the first place, she wasn’t even a person.
As its head that had been facing the ground gradually turned to the man’s location, it could only be described as deformed.
A three-year-old child had drawn themselves for the first time in crayon, giving shape to a person but failing miserably.
The positions of the eyes were incorrect. The nose was merely a dot. The mouth stretched too wide, almost running up to the nose as if there were no philtrum at all.
Its skin was as white as a blank sheet of paper. It should have shown at least some vein, but there was none, resembling a mannequin.
However, that outer appearance certainly wasn’t plastic but rather flesh of some sort.
The lopsided eyes slowly gazed at the man. The two excessively black, large, painted eyes stared straight at him.
The mouth opened.
Inside, there were no teeth, just pointed, red gums that couldn’t properly align with one another, stabbing into each other.
Without any blood to show, crimson liquid was flowing down from those gums. It looked like the same flesh that formed teeth.
And that being moved.
“Ugh, AAAAGH!?”
The man fell backward, hitting the ground on his bottom, then scrambled to turn around and crawl off.
“I told you, I told you!?”
The woman screamed.
Those passing by on the street turned to look, but the pair didn’t pay attention to such trivialities.
Unlike when they arrived, they both dashed away from each other in absolute fright.
There wasn’t the slightest hint of loyalty as cohabiting individuals.
*
“Huh?”
“Older brother?”
“No, the door was open.”
Today, both Sasaki and Shii had part-time jobs.
By coincidence, they met at the station, smiled, and returned home together, only to find the door that should have been locked laying wide open.
Sasaki and Shii’s expressions simultaneously stiffened.
“…Stay close behind me.”
Sasaki said as Shii clung tightly to her back.
As they cautiously opened the door—
“Mya.”
They heard a sound from inside.
“Kuro?”
Shii mumbled, recognizing that distinctive sound.
“Mya.”
As they opened the door, Kuro was sitting in the entrance.
“But Kuro was taken by Kurosawa yesterday?”
“…Could it have fallen somewhere?”
Shii entered and picked Kuro up.
“Myaah.”
When she lifted her, Kuro made a pouty sound.
“Thank goodness. What would we have done if you weren’t inside our home?”
“…Could it be that the window was open?”
“For now, let’s check the house and contact Kurosawa.”
“Yes, older brother.”
And so, they surveyed the house.
Fortunately, nothing had disappeared.
*
“Kuro is there?”
I scratched my head after receiving Sasaki’s call.
Even I, had been rummaging around with Koko here and there, even with Kuro not being home.
“How did it even get there?”
Saitama and Tokyo. While they are bordering on a map, the reality is a vast distance like that between Gyeonggi Province and Seoul. In fact, considering that the Tokyo 23 wards are actually larger than Seoul, you could say the actual distance is even further than that.
Kuro made it all the way there?
…Walking all day long may not be impossible, but still strange. After all, both Koko and I definitely saw it in the house this morning.
Or was it possible that I mistook bringing it along yesterday? No, that can’t be true!
[What if it’s just lost in between?]
Sasaki cautiously speculated, but I could only tilt my head in confusion.
“…All right. I’ll head out to look for it.”
[You can come tomorrow since it’s late today.]
“…There’s probably no bathroom there, right?”
I looked at the bathroom in my house and said.
[Uh… that could be arranged somehow?]
“…”
I exhaled and wiped my face.
“…Fine, I’ll go tomorrow.”
“Are you going to Shii’s house tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I think that’s what will happen.”
Koko, who had been listening to the conversation, asked, and I nodded.
“Then, will Shii be able to eat?*”
She answered from the receiver.
“Of course!”
“…Why are you so excited?”
I thought to myself.
…Have I been eating bean sprouts way too much lately? Should I start adding more variety to the menu soon?
I thought about it seriously.
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