Sometimes, even as someone living with Koko, I find myself mistaking her consciousness.
Thanks to her somewhat youthful appearance and slightly childish way of speaking, I can’t help but think that her tastes must also be like that of a little kid.
Of course, that doesn’t mean Koko’s tastes are particularly grown-up.
To be precise, it’s more accurate to say she doesn’t have any dislikes.
She even enjoys eating cat food as if it were a delicacy. Sometimes, when Kuro is eating, Koko looks on with envy.
Unlike before, she doesn’t pounce on Kuro to steal the food, but every time it happens, I end up worrying and quickly bring out something for her to eat.
“Oh, drinking bitter coffee and sweet treats together? Seems you’ve already learned how to do it.”
So when Kagami muttered that, I pondered whether I should correct her assumptions or not.
At a café we visited after the meal, Koko had ordered a coffee and dessert set and was happily diving in.
There was no particular reason for the choice; I had simply suggested going there after glancing at the price list posted outside the café.
The coffee was hand-brewed and, I didn’t add any sugar.
People who don’t usually enjoy coffee can still find it delicious, maybe like canned coffee, but those same people are often surprised when they taste coffee without any sugar. Often, it doesn’t match their imagined taste as it has no sweetness at all.
Koko’s somewhat childish personality seemed to suggest that she’d dislike it just as much.
Rather than bringing it up and potentially ruining the mood, I decided to just sip my coffee quietly, while Kagami was staring at me intently.
“Kotone drinks well too.”
“Well, yeah.”
I used to drink it frequently in my previous life.
Feeling a bit awkward from Kagami’s intense gaze, I tried to shrug it off.
There was no longer any suspicion between us. We had come to see each other as a kind of family. However, we still didn’t fully understand each other.
Yet I felt like Yuka would catch on to something if Kagami got like this, but with Kagami, it was a bit harder to grasp what was happening.
“…Want some?”
I cautiously slid my cake towards Kagami, just in case.
“We should travel.”
But the answer that came back was completely unrelated.
Suddenly?
“Oh, not that we should leave tomorrow or anything.”
Kagami said, with a rather serious expression.
So, it seemed she had just thought of it out of the blue.
Koko looked up at Kagami with her eyes slightly widened.
“How about during the vacation?”
I briefly considered it.
The next vacation was at the end of March. Unlike Korea, which has two semesters, Japan has a three-term system, so after the spring break, one changes grades at the beginning of April.
The spring break period isn’t that long—less than two weeks until April 7th.
“There’s nothing wrong with that.”
I nodded in agreement.
While I may have some plans with friends, there’s no way I’d spend the entire ten days solely with them.
Koko, who was enthusiastically stuffing cake into her mouth, sparkled at the mention of travel.
It seemed like any distance she had felt toward Kagami was completely gone, and she even looked a bit excited at the prospect of us three going on a trip together.
“Do you have a place in mind?”
At my words, Kagami fell silent for a moment, contemplating.
Her serious expression was kind of amusing.
“Should we go see cherry blossoms?”
By that time, it would be the height of cherry blossom season.
“As a trip?”
“Well, since I live in Saitama, going to play in Tokyo counts as a trip too.”
It seems like they don’t have anything too extravagant planned.
Well, I figured that if it were Kagami, she probably hadn’t had a proper trip before.
Reserving a hotel in Tokyo, wandering around, and seeing the cherry blossoms should definitely count as a proper trip.
“Sounds good.”
I nodded my head.
Koko was also nodding along, looking happier than I was.
Kagami broke into a bright smile.
There was something about that smile directed at me that made me feel a little shy.
*
After finishing our outing, we returned home quite late.
Having decided to stop by a barbecue place for dinner, it was well past eight o’clock when we got home.
After filling the bathtub with water and determining the bathing order,
Kagami had started dressing comfortably at home these days. At first, I found it a little embarrassing, but as time went on, it became quite okay.
Short shorts and a white t-shirt.
Had she worn that before living with us? It’s hard to imagine.
Kagami, stumbling in tired from work, washing herself quickly, and lounging in light attire while tossing peanuts into her mouth was quite a stretch of my imagination.
How should I put it, I would have expected her to be adorning herself all day long.
Although, she wasn’t quite that comfortable yet.
“Not sitting?”
I asked Kagami, who was awkwardly lingering at the door leading from the room to the kitchen, while my lower half was snuggled inside the kotatsu.
Kagami seemed restless, shifting from one foot to the other.
“Um, it’s just that I want to do something.”
Kagami replied, sounding a little shy to my question.
Does she want to go to the bathroom?
Even though we have been living together for about two weeks now, it felt a little weird to talk about such things openly.
In the past, I thought of Kagami as someone at a separate level, but now I just see her as a person. Although the word “normal” doesn’t quite fit either.
Of course she goes to the bathroom like everyone else.
I decided to ignore it and turned my gaze back to the TV. Kuro, who was in the kotatsu with me, climbed up and tapped my hand with her paw. I gently stroked Kuro’s fur.
Soon the sound of water splashing from the bathroom could be heard. I noticed Kagami moving a bit from the corner of my eye; it seemed like Koko was about to emerge.
Since Kagami was flustered and acting hurriedly, I felt a slight urge to steal a glance at what was happening.
Kagami appeared in my line of sight—
“Whoa!?”
She suddenly hugged Koko, who had come out of the bathroom wearing light clothes.
“……”
Was that what she wanted to try?
Perhaps she had been thinking about this ever since she suggested going out today.
If I or Koko had shown any aversion, Kagami wouldn’t have dared to hope for it, but since the three of us had established a pretty decent relationship,
It doesn’t feel like we are getting any closer. So maybe she felt a sense of urgency.
“Uu?”
Koko looked up at Kagami, who was hugging her strangely, and then snuggled into her arms.
Koko doesn’t just like hugging anyone. In fact, there hasn’t been a person to test that. She may seem like an innocent child, but she possesses quite a dangerous ability, so trying it recklessly could lead to trouble.
At least up until now, everyone who has hugged Koko has been close friends of mine.
So……
“Aah……”
The way Kagami was clutching Koko, looking as if she would melt away, meant she is considered within the category of those who can hug Koko.
Did she notice me staring?
Kagami slightly opened one arm and turned partially towards me.
“……”
I silently shifted my gaze to Kuro.
Kuro was dozing off, making purring sounds.
I felt a hint of disappointment from Kagami’s posture glimpsed in my sight, but…… I don’t know why.
It feels a bit embarrassing.
In the end, that day Kagami failed to hug me.
*
“……”
“……Why?”
While Mako, who sits behind me, had briefly left her seat, Fukuda stared at me intently, and I couldn’t hold back anymore to ask her.
“Lately, um… how’s that person, Kagami doing?”
It seems Fukuda is still unsure of how to address Kagami.
Using a term like ‘that woman’ would be awkward since she knows Kagami lives with me, and referring to her as ‘mom’ isn’t quite right either given our relationship.
Fukuda knows that she and Kagami are acquainted.
“……She’s doing really well.”
I relayed as it is.
Kagami, living with her daughters, seemed to finally be enjoying the pleasures of life. Sometimes it even made me feel awkward how joyfully she reacted to even the littlest things I did for her.
“Really? Is that so?”
Fukuda crossed her arms and sank into thought.
That expression of hers looked quite serious. Well, I didn’t really believe it, as Fukuda usually throws such serious faces away in no time.
“Why?”
But then again, I felt a bit uneasy not addressing it properly now that Kagami’s name had come up.
“Oh, that’s…”
Fukuda sighed deeply before continuing.
“My dad asked me to convey his regards.”
“……”
Not just me; Yuu, who sits behind Fukuda, also showed a slightly strange expression.
I could tell he was thinking the same thing as I was.
It was indeed my side that would get into real trouble if that thought became a reality.
I racked my brain, wondering what on earth I should say so that things wouldn’t take a weird turn here.
If it were the old Fukuda, she wouldn’t have gotten flustered like this. She had jokingly suggested, “What if I became your older sister?” after hearing about her father.
But the current Fukuda looked genuinely serious. More so than usual.
“Let’s talk during lunchtime a bit later.”
Besides, it was rare for Fukuda to say something like that too.
I felt curious about what considerable awkward talk might come up, but I couldn’t help but nod my head in agreement.
*
Lunchtime.
As Yuka entered the literature club room, she looked slightly startled.
Unlike usual, there were about five people in the room.
Myself, Koko, Mako, Fukuda, and Yuu—these five were present.
It felt a bit odd for Fukuda and Yuu to come together with only Mako left behind, so I thought it wouldn’t be too bad for them all to know a little about each other’s family situation.
After all, we would continue to know each other for a long while.
“Hello.”
I was the first to greet.
“Hi.”
Yuka looked a bit flustered but accepted my greeting without much awkwardness, as we definitely knew each other well enough for that.
“So, as I was saying earlier…”
For some reason, Fukuda didn’t sit on a chair but perched herself on the table instead.
“You two are cousins.”
Fukuda pointed between Yuu and me with her fingers.
“And your dad seems to have an interest in, um, Kagami.”
I nodded my head.
“Does that mean if they get married, we’ll also be relatives?”
When Fukuda said this while looking at Yuu, his expression turned a bit peculiar.
Being close friends, we are rather like sisters in a way, but becoming real family upon marriage would mean something entirely different.
While it might not be a bad thing, it’s still a complicated feeling to accept.
I am still unable to call Kagami ‘mom’ after all.
“So… can we say that’s a good thing?”
Mako thought seriously about it.
And no one was able to answer.
Yuka’s expression became a bit uncertain. Meanwhile, Koko totally ignored our discussion and accepted the bread Yuka offered her.
I also accepted the bread from Yuka and pulled out a chair to create space; Yuka sat beside me and glanced around cautiously.
Having jumped halfway into this topic, it seemed she was trying to follow along.
“No, rather, how do you both feel about this?”
Fukuda suddenly turned her question towards Yuu and me.
We exchanged glances.
I’m close to Yuu. How close, you ask? Well, I’d be totally fine if he suddenly came over to my house and crashed for a night. In simple terms, I’d say we’re as close as Fukuda and Mako.
However, it feels a bit strange now.
With another person now living in that cramped house, it makes it a little awkward— not just because it’s small, but having a friend and someone expected to fill a ‘mother’ role in the same space is challenging. Who wants to go visiting a friend’s house and be stuck in the parents’ company all the time?
Plus, Kagami is, to put it bluntly, in a position of being Yuu’s aunt.
“Um… friend.”
Yuu was the first to come to a conclusion.
I’ve had discussions with Yuu about this.
It’s not easy to find time for just the two of us due to how busy our schedules are, but we’ve exchanged emails and settled this in our minds.
The conclusion was to continue existing just like we have until now.
While cousins may use family terms in Korean culture, in Japan, cousins are technically allowed to marry. Furthermore, if we lived not knowing each other until now, in Korea as well, we would be treated as nothing more than strangers.
Let’s treat each other like the close friends we have been.
There will be other chances to see each other during family events, but for now, this is how our relationship stands.
So I nodded along with Yuu’s words.
“Um… Is that so? Well then, for the next question.”
Fukuda looked at me.
“So um… Kagami won’t be working at that place anymore, right?”
This could be a slightly embarrassing question, but no one here really didn’t know what Kagami did for work.
No one would be unaware of where she met Kagami either. While we didn’t talk about it openly, it was clear.
“I think she won’t.”
I answered as honestly as I felt it.
“Then… does that mean our dad won’t have an opportunity to meet Kagami?”
Fukuda’s words bore some seriousness.
I stared at Fukuda silently for a moment before gently prompting her.
“Do you want to make them meet?”
“Oh, well…”
Fukuda frowned slightly before responding.
“To be honest, no. How about you? What do you think about our dad meeting Kagami?”
“I don’t care.”
“It’s possible they could get married though?”
“……I wouldn’t like that.”
“Right? Me neither.”
Fukuda cut off decisively.
“It’d be weird to have another mom show up now.”
Well, that’s true.
While it’s clear that Kagami has been doing her role as a mother somewhat well, I’m still acutely aware that, relationship-wise, I consider her my mother. So I can just brush it aside. From Fukuda’s perspective, it’s someone entirely different coming into their home to take the place of a mother, so it shows everything can be weird.
“However, it doesn’t bother me if Dad dates or anything. Just as long as I don’t get a little sibling.”
Mako’s face turned a little red as she listened to this.
She had been quiet in the conversation just taking it in, and I guess it’s hard for her to openly express interest even though it’s about something her friend is going through.
But I guess regardless, this conversation was too interesting for her not to be intrigued.
Yuka was slightly gaping, her mouth open.
“And right now, Dad’s been incredibly gloomy about it! I think he’s nearing depression stage or early stages of it!”
“……”
We all fell momentarily silent.
“And I feel like that root cause might be… Kagami.”
Fukuda looked at me.
A hint of worry was evident on her face.
“That’s why I asked.”
“……I see.”
All I could manage to say was that.
What more could I say?
In silence, we began eating the food each of us had brought along.
Fukuda is… my friend. Just like Yuu, when someone finds themselves in a difficult situation, it’s only natural to want to jump in and help.
However, talking about this felt a bit hard to take seriously. I hadn’t ever seen him looking gloomy, and even if I did, taking someone’s romantic issues seriously is a tall order.
Perhaps Fukuda was frustrated by my silence and kept thinking to herself.
“Kagami is… just staying at home, right?”
Yuka asked.
“Yeah.”
“……”
Yuka soon fell into a contemplative silence.
“Well then, how about we all go see her together?”
Yuka cautiously suggested.
Everyone looked at Yuka, then at me.
“Well, it wouldn’t bother me….”
If Fukuda were to ask Kagami directly, I suppose that would save me some trouble. But… um.
For the time being, having all of us sleep over in my room is quite impossible. There simply isn’t enough space.
However.
“……We’ve made some fixes to the other rooms.”
While I had repurposed other rooms, I still hadn’t completely fixed the ceiling that was torn down, but at least I had managed to save one room adjacent to where my family sleeps.
It was the result of me wishing for a place for my friends to stay during their visits.
I think the rest of the rooms will get fixed gradually too. Although I don’t see us lowering rent just yet, if we get to occupy an entire apartment, space would surely become much easier to handle.
By the way, the guy next door still lives there. Since then, I think he’s become something like a researcher for a government agency in Korea, but he almost never returns home from what I can see.
Looking around, I noticed Mako’s eyes sparkling. Yuka had a thoroughly expectant expression, to be honest. I suspect that’s why she had brought it up.
“Well then, should we?”
I spoke, glancing at Fukuda to see if she would feel alright about this.
“Oh, really? That sounds great! We haven’t even had a revival party yet.”
And at Fukuda’s response, I nearly spat out the pastry I had in my mouth.
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