What was it like when I was young?
So I’m talking about my previous life.
My mom must have gone to work before I became an elementary school student.
And at that age, it was the time when I could play outside with friends, and most importantly, there were plenty of things to do after school.
Even kids who didn’t go to private academies could attend after-school classes, or there were services at the neighborhood welfare center to look after children.
It was possible because, at least in the country I lived in, things were running fairly smoothly.
Japan could probably say something similar, but the problem was that I had not yet reached the age of being an elementary school student.
No parent would make a first or second grader cook by themselves; I was much younger than that.
Honestly, I did think about it for a moment. Since my mind was still “me,” isn’t it possible that I could handle a meal by myself?
The conclusion came quickly. Not quite yet.
My arms are short, my legs are short. Even my fingers are short. I can jump without falling, but how freely and naturally I can move my body is a different story.
Most importantly, I didn’t think I could carry a pot filled with boiling water by myself.
The fact that I had such thoughts shows how much worry Kagami must have had.
The kindergarten vacation isn’t that long, but leaving me at home alone for that time is another story.
To put food in our mouths, Kagami had to go to work.
I might think it’s fine to live on bread or cold rice, but in the eyes of adults, that’s just child abuse.
“Koto Ne.”
After much thought, it seemed Kagami made a big decision.
“Uh… How about going to another house during the day just for the vacation? Is that okay?”
Would there be someone to take care of me?
Maybe there are government-run institutions for that kind of thing.
I couldn’t answer no here, so I nodded my head.
Kagami looked a little relieved at my answer.
So, we set out just when I would usually be taking the kindergarten bus.
I thought about whether a neighbor might have taken care of me like before, but Kagami took me farther than I expected.
On the shaking bus, I snuggled closely into Kagami’s arms and thought about where we were going.
For a brief moment, I had a slightly creepy thought, but soon brushed it off. Kagami was definitely not a mom who would abandon me—
And so, we arrived at a place filled with houses very different from the one we lived in.
Unlike our home, a little worn-out two-story apartment, every house here was a large home of at least two stories.
Kagami, carrying me, looked a bit anxious. She held a memo with the address written on it and was glancing around nervously.
I understand.
Even if she’s in her late teens, especially at that age, it would be hard to deal with people. It’s one thing to handle neighborhood friends or schoolmates, but another to encounter adults in society.
“Ah.”
After some walking, Kagami seemed to have found our destination.
She looked back and forth between the memo and the name written on the entrance wall, and carefully set me down on the ground.
[Fukuda]
That was the name written next to the gate.
Ah.
Only then did I start to understand a little, and my mind felt a bit at ease.
Kagami took a trembling breath, then pressed the doorbell.
Ding dong.
A clear, cheerful sound rang out, and it wasn’t long before the door opened.
A man with hair sticking out on one side and wearing comfortable exercise clothes greeted us. I recognized him from before.
“Ah, Mr. Fukuda.”
Mr. Fukuda called out Kagami’s alias.
“…I’m sorry for making such a request.”
Kagami immediately bowed her head to Mr. Fukuda.
“No, it’s nothing. As fellow kindergarten parents, we help each other out. Harumi said she was really happy to hear stories.”
Except for his dyed yellow hair, he looked just like a regular uncle. I wonder if it’s the suit that gives off that yakuza vibe.
And now I understood a little why Kagami chose Mr. Fukuda over Yamashita.
Did Yamashita have kids? My memory of that conversation is a bit hazy since it was a while ago, but even if he does, I wouldn’t know him at all.
From Kagami’s perspective, she’d want me to be somewhat comfortable in someone else’s home, so she asked Harumi’s family.
“Right,” Kagami replied hesitantly to Mr. Fukuda’s response.
“No need to worry too much. Harumi loves going to kindergarten. She’s been whining about not being able to meet the kids already. With Koto Ne here, it should be much better.”
“Really, thank you so much.”
Kagami expressed her gratitude for what felt like the hundredth time.
And watching this scene, I felt a bit uncomfortable again.
Should I have said something first? That I’d be okay being home alone.
“Well….”
Kagami hesitated a lot before speaking.
“Koto Ne.”
Kagami squatted down again and looked at me.
“I’ll be back when kindergarten is over. Don’t worry too much.”
She put her hand on my shoulder, as if afraid I might misunderstand.
“Okay.”
As I nodded, Kagami hugged me tightly.
It was the middle of winter, but even being outside felt warm from that hug.
I stayed in Kagami’s embrace for a while, without even thinking about breaking away.
“I don’t want to~~~~~!”
Harumi whined.
Since it was getting time for me to go home, it seemed she didn’t want to say goodbye. At kindergarten, she waved goodbye so easily, but now that we met at home, it felt a little different.
“Koto Ne, don’t go!”
Seeing Harumi hold onto my arm and not let go, Mr. Fukuda sighed deeply.
“Harumi, don’t do that. We said you’d see each other again tomorrow.”
“I don’t want to!”
Now that I was home, it seemed she wanted to keep me here.
Well, it did seem like Harumi had a special liking for me. Today, when she woke up late and found me at home, her face lit up immediately.
As we moved around this big house, Harumi was full of energy, talking about which toy she’d take to play with and how her room was.
A few of her stories still made it hard to comprehend why she was going off on a tangent, but hey, she’s a kid.
By the way, Mr. Fukuda didn’t stay home the whole time; he went out shortly after. Instead, the housekeeper came to take care of us, so I could tell how wealthy this family was.
To be honest, this house was comfortable. There were so many things we didn’t have at my home.
But still, I preferred my own home.
“Harumi, you have to let me go. Koto Ne also has a mom waiting for her.”
Mr. Fukuda tried to persuade Harumi gently, but she shook her head.
“Then, let Koto Ne’s mom live here too!”
Hearing that, Mr. Fukuda looked thoroughly flabbergasted. Well, Harumi probably wouldn’t be aware of what she was saying. She was just throwing a tantrum to keep me at her house.
“Harumi, I’ll come back again soon.”
When I said that, Harumi blinked, still holding onto my arm.
“Really?”
“Yeah. Tomorrow too.”
“Tomorrow too? Is that a promise?”
“Yep.”
After I hooked my pinky with hers, she finally let go of me.
Kagami, who had been pondering when to jump in, let out a sigh of relief only after I got back into her arms.
“Thank you so much for today.”
“No, as I said, it’s not difficult at all.”
Mr. Fukuda said with a somewhat embarrassed expression, possibly due to what happened with Harumi moments ago.
The two exchanged polite farewells and parted ways. Harumi waved enthusiastically at us, and I waved back from Kagami’s arms.
“Did you have fun today?” Kagami asked.
“Yeah.”
It wasn’t as uncomfortable as I expected. It was all because Harumi acted just like she did at kindergarten.
“I’m glad.”
On the way to the bus stop, Kagami seemed like she was pondering something and didn’t say a word.
Then, after we boarded the bus, she cautiously opened her mouth again.
“Um, would you prefer a bigger house?”
As I pondered what that could mean, I shook my head.
“No.”
I replied, burying my face against Kagami’s shoulder.
“I like our house.”
Kagami pulled me into a warm hug like that.
After that, I had no particular memories on the bus.
I must have fallen asleep in Kagami’s arms.
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