I wonder if it’s because I’m weak-hearted, or if it was just a momentary whim.
Maybe I was just curious about how that situation would play out.
…
No, that’s not it. Not everything, anyway; I probably just wasn’t thinking at all.
Bringing Kuro was definitely to keep an eye on Koko, who was in a state of huge size.
I thought, “What if Kuro chases Koko away if she ever comes into my room?” That’s what I was thinking.
Koko was big, but honestly, I didn’t think she could eat a whole cat. Plus, Kuro’s personality is more assertive than I expected. If Koko got too close, Kuro would probably scratch her. Koko would have run away.
Haaak!
Haaak!
…Or maybe not?
Um, for now, let’s think of it as a good thing that I didn’t grab Kuro and literally bite her head off, like something out of a movie. After observing for about three hours, Koko hasn’t blatantly gone for meat yet.
However, in the time it took me to go to the bathroom and come back, she had broken into Kuro’s food bag in the kitchen and was gobbling away with her hands.
Isn’t that similar to a slime?
Considering that the piece I split off resembles a human body, maybe it originally had bones, flesh, and blood. It could just change its appearance within the confines of that.
Ah!
No way.
No way?
No way.
It sounds like she’s understanding me, but she’s probably just mimicking. I haven’t taught Koko Japanese yet. Nor have I taught her Korean or English.
…Well, that’s true. I have to teach her everything from language to social behavior one by one. And I also need to think of excuses for when others see Koko.
Alright. Let’s pin this on Kagami.
Honestly, this is purely Kagami’s fault. If she hadn’t let Koko out when she was in that big state and kept her rolled up properly in the lab and stored in the fridge, I wouldn’t have even thought about turning Koko back into a human shape.
The responsibility lies with her.
For now, I returned to my room, grabbed some tape, and attempted to patch up the area Koko ripped open, all while stopping Koko from eating what had fallen on the floor.
Thinking about how to explain why she can’t eat food from the floor was already overwhelming.
I seriously considered calling Suzuki-sensei.
She’s a high school teacher, but after all, she’s an educator. At least she should know much more than I do about things like this.
The only piece of knowledge I have about children is to report any bruises on their arms and legs to the police, or something like that.
I do know how to perform CPR.
…But, is there really a chance that she would need CPR?
Haaak!
Anyway, thanks to this, Kuro seems to have formed a very bad impression of Koko. Koko, aware that the food she was gobbling was actually Kuro’s, hissed at her as if to warn her.
Haaak!
Then Koko faced Kuro and hissed back, squatting on all fours with her hands on the ground.
Koko looked like she was having a great time. She probably thought it was the first time in her life that she was playing.
They’re really playing, huh?
I wiped my face.
…Alright.
I truly wasn’t the type of person who enjoyed going out, so I decided to stay home until Wednesday and think things through. Observe Koko’s behavior and try to teach her even a little.
Only then did I start thinking about my schedule.
On Thursday, I have to go to work. But at least Thursdays and Fridays are better. I start work in the late afternoon and only have to work for three hours before coming home. Including commuting, it would still be close to six or seven hours.
The real problem is Saturday and Sunday.
Even if I don’t go to school, considering commuting time, I’ll be out of the house almost all weekend.
“……”
After hissing at Kuro, I couldn’t help but feel my vision darken as I looked at Koko, who was now practically glued to the TV, observing the color changes on the screen in a blank stare.
But how much does she eat?
I can survive on just feeding Kuro and eating sprouts and bread, but would she really be satisfied with that?
One of the biggest reasons Koko followed me was that I fed her. I was the first being who willingly shared food with her in her life, but what if I can’t even provide proper food?
…
Just for a moment, I briefly considered the idea of raising her on cat food just like Kuro.
Of course, I quickly brushed that thought aside.
It just feels wrong for a person to do that. If anyone finds out, it would cause a big problem.
I sat down silently on the blanket.
No, I just fell flat on the blanket.
I felt too lazy to think about anything else now.
I still hadn’t thought of anything, but I just wanted to relax without thinking about anything. Today had just been too hectic.
My school breaks were never this dynamic.
Grumbling inwardly, I stared blankly at the lit ceiling.
*
How long had I been asleep?
As I woke up and stared blankly at the ceiling, I suddenly felt a wave of fear wash over me.
No, it wasn’t that I saw something horrifying.
Haven’t you ever experienced a moment like that?
Setting an alarm to wake up for work, and even though I woke up at the alarm, I’d still roll around in bed hoping that I could lounge until the last possible moment before jumping back into sleep?
Just for a moment, I had closed my eyes and reopened them, only to find shivers running from my crown to my tailbone, making me spring up from bed.
Of course, today isn’t a day I have to go to work, but I had fallen asleep with a child in the room who had a body and intelligence similar to mine yet hadn’t properly learned social norms. What might have happened?
I was about to jump up from my bed when I hesitated briefly at something pressing against my stomach.
Looking down, I saw Kuro curled up and lying on my lower abdomen.
The cat’s body felt slightly warm, so that area was exceedingly hot.
And Koko was snugly pressed against my side.
It seemed she was trying to imitate Kuro, but since she was about the same size as me, it didn’t work out too well.
She couldn’t climb onto me but was instead firmly attached to my side.
I didn’t really feel any heat from her body, but she still seemed to have a body temperature close to that of a human’s, about 36 degrees. The warmth was still there.
My side was definitely damp from sweat.
…That’s right.
It was summer. Horribly humid and hot.
These two will probably be like this throughout summer vacation.
“……”
Yeah, still, let’s think positively.
There’s no chance of freezing to death in winter.
*
Koko and Kuro had something in common.
First, neither one of them was very active.
Sometimes they would dart around the room with exaggerated energy, but luckily, the apartment below was just filled with Koko’s body parts, so no one came to complain.
Both liked to hiss and were fond of curling up tight, and they loved warmth.
Considering that Kuro is a cat who originally lived in a hot area, that’s understandable. But why is Koko like that?
This is just a hypothesis, but perhaps Koko remembers her time inside the refrigerator.
She absorbed quite a bit from the body that was in the fridge.
Watching how she changes her form so frequently, it doesn’t seem like she thinks with her brain.
If she’s recalling memories of a cold place, then it would make sense why she likes warm areas.
Whenever Kuro curls up, Koko lies nearby, curling herself up too. They particularly favor the sunny spot by the window.
At least I think that’s a good thing. It’s much more reassuring that they maintain a good relationship than that they fight to the death; even if they squabble occasionally, I feel more at ease if they usually get along.
I haven’t even considered abandoning one of them.
Moreover, Koko is just a being that closely resembles my appearance. Objectively speaking, she looked cute enough that she didn’t appear particularly ugly.
…Yeah, she was definitely much better than a big blob with a big head.
And another of their advantages is that they didn’t feel the need to go outside.
That can be attributed to Kuro being a cat, but Koko also didn’t seem to have much of a desire to go out.
Even if I occasionally lost focus or did something else, she wouldn’t wander off alone.
Maybe she simply thought of me as the one who feeds her, because whenever I bustling around in the kitchen, her face lights up with a smile.
And luckily, she enjoyed eating things like curry rice.
Since the last time Yamashita visited, I had realized the benefits of instant food and stocked up accordingly.
However, that doesn’t mean Koko knew how to use chopsticks. When presented with curry rice, she tried to eat it with her hands, only to be startled by the heat, and when I gave her a spoon, she spilled it everywhere, leaving me to feed her with the spoon at first.
But ever since she observed me eating, she has been using a spoon for her meals. Although she still spills food here and there, it’s better than before.
It doesn’t seem like her intelligence is particularly low.
Thus, I spent Tuesday.
Even now, both Kuro and Koko snuggled up next to me every night while I slept. As a result, every time I turned, I found myself waking up from the heat.
Even when I tried to cleverly move Kuro aside and shove Koko a little to the side to make more space, every time I opened my eyes, they would both be right back against me.
No, it’s summer, isn’t it?
Aren’t you guys hot?
But then again, they aren’t human.
I sighed heavily and got up.
Checking my phone, it was 9 AM.
Since it was Wednesday, I didn’t have anything to worry about.
I scratched my head, got up, entered the bathroom, and washed myself.
“……”
While I was towel-drying my hair, I quietly looked down at Koko, who was sniffing next to me.
She didn’t smell at all.
“Hmm?”
Perhaps the sound of sniffing woke Koko up, as she turned to look at me.
“……”
I felt an exceedingly uneasy feeling.
It was like I’d been caught doing something perverted.
Koko probably wouldn’t understand that at all.
I stood up from my spot and casually tossed the towel into the laundry basket before sitting in front of the TV.
Now that things had stabilized a bit, I thought maybe I could play some games, but as soon as I turned it on, my phone vibrated.
Wow!
And Koko was the first to react to my vibrating phone.
“Ah.”
Before I could even turn around, Koko had already grabbed the phone.
“Wait, Koko—”
And Koko skillfully opened the phone before I could intervene.
In reality, it’s not like she really understood it; she just learned by watching me open my phone from time to time.
[Ah, Kurosawa—]
“Kurosawa?”
[Yeah?]
I could hear the phone conversation quite clearly. The room wasn’t particularly noisy.
Panicking, I rushed to turn off the game console and dashed toward Koko.
[Hello? Is this Kurosawa?]
It was Yuuki’s voice.
“Uh, it’s me!”
“Yeah! Yeah!”
[Kurosawa? What’s going on?]
Trying to snatch the phone back, Koko dodged my hand, moving the phone all around, grinning.
Does she think it’s a game? She’s not some puppy!
Finally managing to get a grip on the phone and pulling it to my side, I spoke into the phone.
“No, nothing’s going on!”
“Work?”
Koko mimicked me as she spoke into the phone.
[Who are you with?]
While Yuuki was talking, I barely managed to wrest the phone away from Koko and quickly put it to my ear.
“Uh… that is…”
I looked at Koko.
“Ah! Ah!”
Koko joyfully dashed over towards me and reached for the phone. I quickly moved my feet around the room. Koko followed closely behind, and Kuro, awakened by the commotion, let out a big yawn and got up.
Seeing the chaos in our room, she gave us a look of annoyance and meowed, then leaped onto the TV.
“…My relative is here.”
[…….]
I understood the silence over the phone.
This silence was an ‘unbelieving silence.’
[Today, I was going to ask if I could come over, is that alright?]
The voice that had been flustered moments earlier was now calm.
And I quickly recognized what type of calm that was.
That was the ‘calm of someone who had made up their mind.’
Even if I rejected him, Yuuki would definitely come over here, just like last time when I had that stalker incident.
“……”
I hesitated for a moment in my response.
No matter how you look at it, I didn’t want to reject Yuuki’s invitation.
It was a significant issue to reveal Koko’s existence, but I still wanted to show off that I had raised Kuro, and most importantly, it was quite enjoyable to spend time with friends.
“Wow?”
As I quietly observed Koko, she tilted her head.
“…Yeah.”
Ugh, I really don’t know.
After all, Koko’s existence is bound to come to light someday for someone. There’s no way something that’s not a small animal can be hidden, especially with her being nearly the same size as me.
But at this point, I couldn’t possibly chop her up and store her in the fridge.
…
Now that I think about it, it seems like she wouldn’t die even if I cut her up. But quitting on that would mean she could still wander around and fend for herself, which becomes an issue in itself, doesn’t it?
I finally understood why I had kept her in the fridge.
[Alright, I’ll come over soon.]
I heard Yuuki moving around, preparing to head out.
[Is there something big going on?]
“……”
I looked back at Koko and hesitated again before answering.
[I’m going. Right now.]
…
What kind of existence am I to Yuuki?
I can picture it: a poor, neglected child being treated like a failure every time they met their only protector, their mother, nearly escaping from a stranger who almost assaulted them, ending up self-harming with a knife in fits of blood and hospitalization, seen as a pathetic case.
Even I can’t think of any scenario that wouldn’t evoke pity.
Thud.
The call ended, and I closed the phone with a thud.
Then I plopped down on the floor, rolling onto my back.
I hadn’t dried my hair properly, so the wet parts would likely get frizzy while I lay here.
But right now, I felt no urge to do anything.
It seemed that managing life + life was a burden too heavy for me.
*
“Uh… Kurosawa?”
As Yuuki entered the room, he looked back and forth at me and Koko with a blank expression.
Naturally, he would react that way. We looked identical. If I had a mole on my body, it probably would have matched perfectly too.
For a moment, I considered joking that Koko was my younger sibling, and I was so shocked we were so similar that I was reverting back to childlike behavior while letting my younger sibling take care of the situation, but if he learned the truth later, I didn’t think he’d forgive me, so I explained it straight.
“She’s my twin.”
Yeah. I didn’t quite tell the whole truth.
While she is a being similar to a sister, it’s unlikely she qualifies as a twin. Well, in terms of both being failed projects, I suppose that’s not entirely wrong.
“…Twin?”
Yuuki repeated, dumbfounded.
He seemed to have prepared himself, bringing a pretty large bag over his shoulder. Inside, there might be things he’d use to stay the night. Perhaps some snacks too.
“…Recently, …I rescued her.”
I said that much for now.
After all, to mention that she was something born between a god and a human in front of a yokai hunter like Yuuki isn’t the best introduction.
“Rescued, you say?”
Sorry, Kagami.
I nodded.
Even without me elaborating, Yuuki seemed to put the pieces together in his mind.
Still, there was no lie in that explanation. I had ‘recently’ confirmed her existence in the room of the guy next door and intended to kill her, but my heart softening led to me ‘rescuing’ her.
I only condensed the facts a bit.
With the passage of time, Yuuki connected the dots in his mind and covered his mouth with both hands.
I could see tears glistening in his eyes; it wasn’t just a coincidence.
…Right.
I can honestly admit that.
If I were in his shoes hearing this story, I’d be furious at Kagami too.
Once more, I quietly apologized to Kagami in my heart.
*
“Don’t!”
“Ah! Ah!”
While I tried to stop Koko from stealing the food bowl meant for Kuro and raised it high, Yuuki gazed on with a somewhat pained expression, mouth agape as if completely shocked by what was happening.
“The food is separate—”
Thud.
Then, unable to bear watching our scuffle, Yuuki caught Koko gently, pulling her back before embracing her tightly against him.
“Wow?”
Koko seemed momentarily confused by the sensation.
At first, she trembled. She might have thought it was the action of a predator.
But soon, realizing there were no signs of attack from Yuuki, she let out a delightful giggle.
“How… how… is this… happening… What is…”
Yuuki said with a blend of excitement and confusion.
“……”
Uh…
That…
…
Nope.
I found myself at a loss for words.
It felt like I was simultaneously experiencing the bittersweetness and futility of life as I stared blankly into the air.
Only Kuro was bouncing up and down, trying to reach the bowl of food in my hand.
Really.
How could this happen?
What even is this?
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