Ch.144Chapter 22. The Beginning of the Year (1)

December 30th.

On the day before the last day of the year, I was completely relaxed.

Neither Koko nor I are particularly lazy by nature. Except for cases where we were unavoidably caught up in major incidents, despite our school being quite far away, neither Koko nor I had ever been late.

In fact, this was somewhat natural when you think about it.

It was like an unwritten rule that students who lived closer to school were more likely to be late than those who were conscious of the long commute.

Even when I was in college, students who lived in dormitories or nearby apartments were more likely to be late or skip classes altogether than those who commuted from distant areas.

It’s like a psychological relaxation, I suppose.

When the pressure of having to wake up early, get ready, and walk to the train station eases, your body tends to become that much more sluggish.

“……”

When I woke up after sleeping for quite a while and checked the clock, it was eleven in the morning.

Today was Thursday, so I had a part-time job, but my work hours on weekdays were in the afternoon.

That didn’t change just because it was vacation, so I still had plenty of time.

Growl.

“Huh?”

Surprised by the sound coming from her own stomach, Koko suddenly sat up.

Her eyes were still half-closed.

“Meow.”

I took Kuro, who had somehow made his way into my blanket and was lying on my stomach, out from under the covers.

…Doesn’t he run out of air in there? Well, he hasn’t died or passed out so far, so I guess it’s not a problem.

It’s not like Kuro is just an ordinary cat anyway.

After removing the blanket and putting Kuro down, he immediately burrowed back under the covers. He seemed to be seeking the warmth I had left behind.

I shivered once.

If we at least had an air conditioner in the house, I could have turned on the heating mode, but unfortunately, there was no such luxury in this house.

The thick winter blanket was enough to withstand the temperature, but I still disliked the chill I felt when getting out of bed in the morning.

I’ve heard that electric heating pads are quite common in Japan too. I should probably get one, I thought as I headed to the kitchen.

Breakfast was nothing special.

It had improved “significantly” since I first came here, but preparing something elaborate in the morning was still too much trouble.

Besides, since we had already woken up at 11 o’clock, this was both breakfast and lunch.

I took out some instant curry and heated it up. Since that alone seemed a bit lacking, I grilled some sausages I had bought on sale at the supermarket to serve as a side dish.

It was far from a “traditional Japanese meal,” but Koko ate it with gusto.

Watching Koko scoop up large spoonfuls of curry and chew them enthusiastically, I slowly moved my own mouth.

When I was at home, I was almost always the one who prepared the meals.

Not that I minded.

“Koko.”

“Yes?”

“When you’re home alone, how do you handle meals?”

“Huh?”

Koko tilted her head, perhaps finding my question a bit out of the blue.

“Like Kotone.”

“Like me?”

“Yes.”

I see.

Well, I had taught her how to use the kitchen.

It might not be ideal, but I often leave Koko alone at home for quite long periods.

With Kuro beside her, and Koko not being as childish in her thinking as she might appear, I wasn’t overly worried, but still, I had never actually seen Koko cook in front of me, so it was hard to completely dismiss my concerns.

After all… someday she might have to live here alone.

“…Why?”

“Hm?”

“Should Koko cook?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Koko asked dejectedly, as if she thought I was criticizing her, so I shook my head.

“It’s enough for me to cook when I’m home. Just…”

“Just?”

“…Never mind, I was just asking.”

I glossed over my words.

I didn’t want to worry Koko at all.

“I’ll be home late today, but I’m off tomorrow.”

“Yes!”

When I quickly changed the subject, Koko’s face brightened.

Tomorrow is the last day of the year.

When I lived alone, I neither received nor gave any special celebration, so it was just another holiday, but this year is different.

I made plans with Yuka. On the last day, we’re going to her house to welcome the new year.

I didn’t need to ask the manager for another day off.

The manager, having reunited with his younger sibling, seemed to want to spend the end of the year with family and informed us that the store would be closed on the last day of this year and the first day of next year.

“Family” probably didn’t mean his entire family. I didn’t know the exact circumstances and had no intention of asking, but the manager never went to see his family during holidays.

Perhaps there were differing views about his younger sibling, Miki.

“What time are we going tomorrow?”

Koko asked with sparkling eyes.

“Hmm…”

After thinking for a moment,

“Yuka said we could come a bit early, so let’s do that.”

That was my answer.

There will be an enormous crowd of people welcoming the new year. Even at a local shrine. In fact, there might be more people who just want to welcome the new year at a nearby shrine rather than traveling far. It was the same during the summer festival.

Conversely, many people will also be traveling far.

While trains from Tokyo to Saitama might not be so bad, trains from Saitama to Tokyo would obviously be packed. I don’t want to be squeezed among crowds of people when I’m not even going to school.

“Yes!”

Koko nodded enthusiastically with a bright smile.

She really loves having fun.

…..

Well, so do I.

It’s not like we rarely meet, and we’ve already stayed overnight together many times, but I always look forward to these planned gatherings.

How should I put it?

It feels like I’ve truly become a teenager again.

“……”

Throughout the meal, I had to struggle to keep the corners of my mouth from curling up into a smile.

*

“Good work this year.”

As I was leaving after finishing work, I heard that from behind me.

When I turned around, the manager was looking in our direction.

His non-interference policy—not meddling in the personal lives of his part-timers and not caring much about whether we took time off or what we did as long as it wasn’t a major inconvenience—remained unchanged, but in other aspects, the manager seemed somewhat different.

Less rigid, perhaps. That face that once seemed indifferent to whatever happened in the world now showed a bit more vitality.

Probably because of Miki standing beside him now.

The manager would also be welcoming the new year with his sibling tomorrow.

Shii and I briefly looked at each other, then bowed to the manager together.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Yes. Get home safely. See you next year.”

“See you next year~”

The manager and Miki greeted us in turn after my farewell.

Leaving the store, I headed to the ramen shop we always went to with Shii.

There were exactly two seats available.

Though I had often seen Japanese manga, I didn’t know much about everyday cultural practices, so I only recently learned about eating noodles on December 31st.

Apparently, people also eat other noodle dishes if not soba. Since I had been living in this culture for less than a year, I still didn’t have a good sense of what was “normal.”

Having thought that far, I realized that time doesn’t pass as quickly as one might think.

That’s right. Despite experiencing so much and feeling like I’ve been here for so long, it hasn’t even been a full year yet.

I wonder how we managed to become such close friends in that time. Perhaps it’s because we’re teenagers. In a workplace, simply sitting next to someone wouldn’t make you close enough to risk your life for them.

The explanation that it’s merely a business relationship didn’t fully resolve my question.

Because, after all, Shii sitting beside me now also started as a business relationship.

Although there’s a story behind how we opened up to each other, the longest-running relationship between us is still that of part-time coworkers, isn’t it?

Alright.

Let’s consider this ramen with Shii as our year-end noodle meal.

Shii tilted her head when she saw me looking up at the menu, but she didn’t ask anything, so I didn’t explain either.

I just probably looked happy. That must have been it.

Feeling somehow hungrier than usual, I ordered the large size.

The ramen, filled with hot broth, came out surprisingly quickly.

“Phew…”

After taking a spoonful of broth, we both exhaled deeply at the same time.

Enjoying our meal slowly, we engaged in meaningless conversation. Not that meaningless is bad. Talk about what we saw on TV, what movie was coming out that seemed interesting.

Most of the topics were brought up by Shii.

“How are things with Sasaki? Are you getting along well?”

“What? Oh, yes.”

Shii’s face turned slightly red at my question. She probably remembered how she had pouted to her “big brother” in front of us.

…Or maybe it was for a slightly different reason. Either way, what did it matter?

By the way, what kind of brother must he be to be able to tell his little sister that he’ll spend time with her? I wonder how kind and gentle he must be for his sister not to get angry and grab him by the collar when he says such things.

If I had said something like that to my little sister, I would have gotten a fist to the solar plexus.

Without voicing that thought, I blew on the noodles to cool them down a bit before putting them in my mouth.

It was delicious.

I’ve often seen people who say they want to live a short but intense life.

My thoughts are a bit different. Even if I live a thin and long life, even if not everyone in the world knows my name, there will be enough evidence that I existed in this world.

Even if my fate is already determined, like the noodles I’m eating now, I prayed that the remaining time would stretch out as long as possible.

*

Today, too, I woke up late.

Like yesterday, Koko sat dazed for quite a while, unable to gather her wits.

After sitting blankly for about 10 minutes, we got up and finished a simple meal.

I did the dishes in advance, completed a quick room cleaning, and took a bath.

While bathing, I also washed Kuro. Kuro obviously hated it terribly, but it was impossible to escape from Koko’s determined hands.

After thoroughly drying Koko’s hair, my hair, and Kuro’s fur, I put Kuro in his cage with his special blanket, then stood up with a bag containing overnight necessities.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes!”

Koko nodded vigorously in response to my question.

When we stepped outside, the cold air penetrated deep into my lungs.

It was clean air so transparent that I felt I could see its clarity even with my eyes closed.

To spend the last day of the year, I left home together with Koko.

*

“Welcome!”

The person who greeted us with a bright smile on her face was none other than Yuka.

And she was wearing a shrine maiden outfit commonly seen in subculture.

In other words, a 100% genuine shrine maiden. And a light novel-style one at that.

While I was feeling a bit moved inside, Yuka looked at the cage in my hand and said,

“Since it’s cold outside, would you like to bring Kuro inside first? I still have things to do.”

“Is that okay?”

“Kuro has never caused any trouble while staying at our house.”

“Thank you.”

“You can unpack your things while you’re at it.”

I nodded, then went with Koko to the house on the opposite side of the shrine.

There was no one inside.

That was to be expected. There were already quite a few people outside, so both grandfather and father must be working outside.

“Here.”

I put the cage down near the entrance and opened the door, but Kuro didn’t seem particularly interested in coming out.

I wondered if he was still upset about the bath I gave him earlier today, so I peered inside, but it seemed the cage felt like a box to him.

Cats do like boxes that fit their bodies perfectly.

Plus, it was filled with a blanket.

Well, if that’s how he wants it.

I shrugged and went up to Yuka’s room to put down my bag.

So this is the room where I’ll spend the last day of the year.

The feeling that comes with a “special day” is definitely different.

As for me, I haven’t even spent a full year in this world, and the time I spent in my original world was during a different period.

The “current year” in that world probably passed a long time ago.

Still, I keep being conscious of the fact that it’s the last day of the year.

Maybe it’s because I’m Korean and used to the Korean age system.

Whether you were born on January 1st or December 31st, in Korea, you would turn two years old on January 1st.

Even though the law has changed, people seemed to continue using that age system.

So… by that logic, I’m turning one year old in this world.

“Huh?”

As I was laughing to myself, Koko tilted her head.

“Let’s go ask Yuka if there’s anything we can help with.”

“Yes!”

It seems I’m not the only one in high spirits.

Well, Yuka also looked very happy just now.

It’s really a wonderful feeling to know that someone can smile so happily just by meeting me.

After coming to this side, I was able to realize that once again through Yuka.

*

“So, would you like to try on a shrine maiden outfit?”

When we asked if there was anything we could help with, Yuka immediately asked that, as if she had been waiting for it.

“Shrine maiden outfit?”

I looked at Yuka.

Yuka would probably look good in almost any outfit. She is a beautiful girl, after all.

Even the shrine maiden outfit, which she wasn’t wearing to dress up but simply for work, looked so good on her that I couldn’t say anything other than how well it suited her.

If I wore it… well, I’d probably look good too. After all, I’m also originally a beautiful girl.

Though I don’t think it would suit me as well as it does Yuka.

While thinking about that, I turned my gaze and saw Koko’s eyes sparkling.

“…I’ll try it on.”

I wear a maid outfit for work regularly anyway.

A shrine maiden outfit could be considered traditional Japanese clothing, couldn’t it?

*

“Wow, it really suits you both!”

Yuka, who exclaimed that while looking at the two of us standing side by side, really looked like an energetic high school girl her age.

In light novels, at least in the ones I had read, she still had quite a haughty side. She was in competition with the other girls over the male protagonist.

In that novel, there was no Kaoru or Izumi, and of course, no Mako trio. In other words, all the female characters who appeared were Yuka’s rivals.

She probably couldn’t show such a girlish side in front of those girls.

Well, she did show a girlish side in a different sense, but still, I preferred this version of Yuka.

Click.

Yuka took a picture of us standing side by side and showed it to us.

…We’re smiling.

Not just Koko, but me too. Though Koko’s smile was much brighter.

I unconsciously raised my hand to touch around my mouth.

Indeed, I was wearing a faint smile.

It wasn’t a forced smile. Rather, it was closer to my inner feelings leaking out, making it impossible to hide my smile.

This is troubling, my character is breaking down.

Though it’s not like I was particularly trying to maintain it anyway.

Belatedly realizing that Yuka was staring at me, I hastily lowered my hand.

“Alright. Now I’ll tell you what you two need to do.”

Thankfully, Yuka didn’t point out that fact and just smiled as she spoke.

“Come, come this way.”

Even at the time we arrived, shortly after lunch, there were quite a few people, but now, a little while later, there were even more.

It hadn’t even taken 30 minutes to unpack and change clothes, yet the crowd had grown this much.

“Just stand around here. If your legs get tired, you can go somewhere out of sight to rest, and if you feel you can’t continue, you can just go back to the house and wait.”

Since I had come out to see Yuka and asked about helping, I had no intention of doing that.

Although the weather was cold, we wore warm clothes under our shrine maiden outfits. The fabric was thicker than expected, perhaps designed for winter, so it wasn’t unbearably cold.

If it got too cold, we could always warm up somewhere.

“I’ll be standing over there, so come and ask me if you have any questions. Oh, right.”

Yuka clapped her hands once and said,

“And I’ll make sure to pay you properly. Both grandfather and father have already agreed.”

Just as I thought.

Yuka wouldn’t make us work for free.

“If people ask for directions, guide them to our area, and if anything happens, let us know. We’ll handle it.”

Well, they couldn’t entrust important matters to part-timers.

“Then, let’s talk again when I have some time!”

Yuka waved as she moved away from us.

Koko also waved enthusiastically beside me.

“…I’m truly grateful.”

As I was quietly watching Yuka walk away, someone suddenly spoke to me from the side.

It was a familiar voice.

It was Yuka’s grandfather.

“That child… I don’t know how long it’s been since she smiled so brightly. She was always a child who struggled to follow the family’s ways.”

“……”

The grandfather smiled at me once, gave a slight bow, and then moved in the direction Yuka had gone.

It’s not just Yuka who’s smiling.

If anything, I should be the one who’s grateful. I’ve received so much help.

And I’m not just talking about material assistance.

“……”

And only after having that thought did the prophecy suddenly come back to me.

When I become like that… will Yuka be able to smile again?

I could only hope that my existence wouldn’t become a lifelong wound for her.