Playing until sunset, I somehow found myself wandering around and ended up in Minato Ward, feeling an urge to see the sea.
I’ve never lived here before. I actually live in Saitama, not Tokyo.
However, I always go to school in Minato Ward and all my friends are in Tokyo, so it felt strangely like Tokyo was my hometown.
After thinking about it quietly, I realized it must be because I never spent my childhood in Saitama in the first place.
If I had gone to elementary and middle school there, I probably would have friends in the neighborhood, and I wouldn’t have ended up knowing Tokyo better than Saitama.
Well, I’m not too upset about it. To be honest, it seems like it will take a bit more time before I think of Japan itself as my hometown.
What if? By chance, I end up living in Osaka or even on a different island that’s not Honshu and start thinking of that place as home. The possibility is extremely low, but, well, that’s what it is.
I leisurely walked along Odaiba Beach Park, a place I’ve been to a few times before.
In fact, I walked all the way to the park. Passing through the bustling streets and then taking some quieter backroads to get there.
Maybe it’s because it’s the last day of the year. The mood was strange. Very different from last year, that kind of feeling.
“Ah.”
I see. It felt that way because I was with family, not friends.
Since coming to this world… no, even before that, I lost the existence of family a long time ago.
It was only this year that I started recognizing Kagami as family.
“Why?”
Maybe my voice sounded a bit weird, Koko tilted her head and asked.
“It’s nothing special. It’s just a bit amazing to be walking with both of you.”
“Uh-oh?”
“Is it amazing?”
Kagami asked as if she was curious.
“I thought we’ve walked together fairly often by now.”
And indeed we have.
We’ve traveled a lot with just the two of us, and even if it wasn’t a trip, we wandered here and there.
Ever since Kagami started taking us around, I’ve gotten to know my neighborhood better. Of course, I still mostly interact with Kagami and Koko, and lately, I haven’t seen the neighbor uncle at all. For now, Tokyo, especially around Tamachi Station in Minato Ward, was still more familiar to me.
Still, I can say that I’m a bit more familiar with that neighborhood thanks to Kagami. It’s not like I hadn’t been around there, but before, I didn’t care much about places like restaurants, just memorizing spots I needed to go when necessary.
No, maybe that’s not the only reason.
Until last year, that place was a bit painful for me.
At first, I lived in an empty room with nothing to eat, just my body. Even after getting something like a blanket, I was alone for a while.
I even almost faced some bad things. I had often shed blood.
So, if I hadn’t experienced any changes, that place would still be painful. I would have probably just gone there because I had nowhere else to lie down.
But now, thanks to people filling that house, I can think of it as ‘home.’ Koko, and my friends.
And such an unexpected person, Kagami.
Strange, isn’t it? It hasn’t even been a year since we recognized each other as family.
The fact that there’s someone who will enter that house with me instead of being alone,
The fact that there’s someone waiting for me at home, and when I open the door, they say ‘Welcome back,’
The fact that I can say ‘I’m home’ when opening the house door.
That previous pain got overlaid with warmth, allowing me to think of that place as ‘home.’
So, it’s different.
Even if I’ve wandered around with both Kagami and Koko, it felt a bit different.
The two of them were truly my family now.
Reflecting on that again made spending the last day of the year with them feel— a bit special.
“No, it’s different.”
But I couldn’t share all that just yet, my pride wouldn’t allow it, so I just smiled and looked up at Kagami.
Kagami and Koko tilting their heads. Koko even let out an “Uh?”
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
When I unexpectedly called out, Kagami blinked and answered.
“Try saying ‘Uh?'”
“Y-yes?”
With my meaningless words, Kagami tilted her head the other way.
“Uh?”
Similarly, Koko tilted her head. Watching the two move simultaneously, they really were the very definition of ‘mother and daughter.’
Do I look like that too?
“Try it once, okay?”
“…Uh?”
Sure enough, it’s not the same.
How should I put it? The intonation is subtly different from when Koko says it.
Maybe it’s because Kagami’s body is an adult, or perhaps it’s the different atmosphere due to Koko’s upbringing.
“Then, Koto Ne, you try too.”
With a somewhat smug look, Kagami said that, and I couldn’t help but break into a bright smile.
“Uh?”
As I tilted my head intentionally to mimic, Kagami’s face looked a bit dazed.
“…Koto Ne, is there anything weird in the food you ate today?”
“Nope. I’m perfectly fine.”
It seems she thinks I’ve eaten some toxic mushroom by looking at my behavior.
“Why are you acting so cute today? Do you want something? Should I get it for you, mom?”
Oh?
So, if I act cutely to get something, Kagami will give it to me?
I’ll need to remember that for when I become a college student and ask Kagami to buy me a drink.
“It’s just, it’s the last day of the year.”
I said after laughing while glancing between the two of them.
“I thought it wouldn’t be bad to change things up a bit.”
“Is that so?”
Kagami blinking was a bit amusing.
A cold wind blew. The smell of the sea was mixed with the air.
“That doesn’t mean I’ll keep living like this.”
I said.
“Today is the last day.”
“Tomorrow is a new day, so it would make sense to change, right?”
“Do you like it?”
“Um.”
At my question, Kagami seemed to ponder seriously for a moment before tilting her head.
“If it’s something you have to put on, then there’s no need to go out of your way. Just be Koto Ne, because I like that.”
“Really?”
I laughed.
“Then, let’s just do this today.”
“That wasn’t a warning to not do it in the future.”
I shrugged.
Well then, I can just live how I want to.
After walking for a while, more people started to appear. There didn’t seem to be a shrine nearby, so I figured people just wanted to spend the last day of the year with others.
I saw a lot of couples around.
There were families walking together, holding hands with a child between the husband and wife. Some even had grandparents joining them.
Seeing that, I reached out and grabbed Kagami’s hand.
Kagami smiled at me before holding my hand tightly.
Neither of us was wearing gloves. No matter how much Japan is a country south of where I used to live, it’s still chilly during winter.
But holding hands tightly like this made me forget about that.
“Hey, Koko too.”
“Uh!”
Kagami took Koko’s hand as well.
Since there was a height difference between Kagami and us, the three of us standing together looked like a character from a mountain drawing.
And so, we walked for quite a while.
All the way until the new year.
…
“…I should have come home early yesterday.”
We didn’t sleep at the Kurosawa family home but instead at our old one in Saitama, but honestly, waking up early was a bit tough.
Kagami seemed to wake up earlier than Koko and me.
“Koko.”
“Uh… Ah?”
When I slightly shook her shoulder, Koko rubbed her eyes and sat up. That look of not fully waking up was a bit cute.
“Let’s go help too.”
“Uh?”
“…Um, should we wash up first?”
It seems washing up should come before helping. Other deities would also come to assist, after all.
I didn’t know if we’d take over from here, but no matter what, the daughters of the highest authority shouldn’t appear too disheveled.
When I pulled her hand to get her up, Koko seemed to wake up a bit in the process.
“Happy New Year.”
“You too, Koto Ne! Happy New Year!”
As we exchanged the first greetings of the new year, we started the first day.
We have a lot to do today. There are also appointments.
First, I needed to help Kagami with the family tasks, and once that was done, we’d quickly change into kimonos and head to the shrine.
If I needed to do everything, I’d probably need some stamina, so I should eat a hearty breakfast.
Thinking about that made me smile for no reason. It was a busy schedule, but rather than feeling annoyed, my heart was pounding.
Let’s give it our all today.
Let’s give it our all this year too.
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