Ch.242Epilogue. Hello (3)

It’s been a while since I was mistaken for a ghost.

Having spent about two years at that school already, there’s no one in my grade who’s afraid of me anymore.

If anything, always hanging around with the energetic and cute Koko seems to dilute my aura even more.

Still, people who don’t know me are sometimes startled by my appearance.

But this time, it’s been quite a while. I guess being in a dark corner made the misunderstanding worse.

“…What are you doing here?”

I heard a voice from above and looked up to see Kagami looking down at me through an open window.

“…Just came back from the bathroom.”

“Did you crawl from the bathroom to your room?”

“…”

I had no response to Kagami’s question.

I slowly got up from my spot.

And I looked at the yakuza man who was still standing there awkwardly.

What’s my position in this household? Of course, I’m not part of the yakuza hierarchy, but I am the boss’s niece.

And I’m also the daughter of the head of the religion that people in this yakuza organization most fervently believe in.

Though I don’t think my position is so high that they need to grovel before me.

When Kagami gave the man a look, he quickly turned and hurriedly left.

Maybe he thought Kagami and Mr. Fukuda were having a secret rendezvous.

Well, he probably found Kagami scarier than me.

“So, why were you hiding there? You could have just greeted us comfortably.”

Um…

It seemed Kagami had no intention of saying “Please go to your room now.”

“Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?”

Kagami asked with a bright smile.

Is she angry?

Hmm, I don’t think so. Even with how I look, I can recognize Kagami’s smiling face to some extent.

At least that face isn’t an angry one. Rather, it looked like she was teasing me.

Her usual sly smile seemed even more sly.

“Why didn’t you go back right away and instead eavesdropped? Were you worried about how the conversation would go? Afraid something might happen between Mr. Fukuda and me?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

I answered firmly, trying to sound resolute, but Kagami didn’t believe me at all.

That’s right. Just as I could read emotions from Kagami’s face, Kagami knew well how to read emotions from mine.

“Were you worried your mom might get a boyfriend?”

“…”

No.

No…

How should I explain this?

If I had to say, I was just worried about the human relationships that would get complicated in the future.

But before I could answer, Kagami had already pulled me into a tight hug through the window.

“You don’t need to worry about that. Mom will always be Mom.”

“…Well, if she really wants to date someone, it’s not my place to object.”

But despite my excuse-like words, Kagami just held me tight without saying anything.

After holding me tightly for a while, Kagami let me go with a slightly regretful expression.

The winter wind blew where our bodies had touched, making it a bit cold.

“It’s cold, so go inside quickly.”

“Okay.”

I glanced slightly to look at Mr. Fukuda.

Mr. Fukuda waved at me with a bitter smile.

I gave a slight bow to both of them and turned away, almost like I was running away.

*

My body was shivering after being in the corridor with the window open for quite a while without an outer coat.

I quickly burrowed into the futon, and Harumi asked,

“Why are you so late?”

What a coincidence.

“…Just, somehow ended up that way.”

When I answered with a slightly flushed face, the girls accepted my explanation without saying anything.

Unfortunately, because I took so long in the bathroom, they seemed to have imagined something that would make me feel extremely wronged.

Fortunately, no one asked “Are you okay?” which was a relief.

If they had, I might not have been able to bear the injustice and would have spilled about the conversation between Kagami and Mr. Fukuda. Harumi would have been extremely embarrassed.

Usually, people wouldn’t want their father to have a girlfriend. Whether family relationships are good or bad, changes to those relationships themselves aren’t very pleasant.

Even if they were independent, they might not care who lives with whom in that house, but high school students are still at an age where they live with their parents.

Having another adult they’re not close with move into the house isn’t something to be happily accepted.

“…”

The girls who had been chatting quite happily before I went to the bathroom were now a bit quiet.

Rather than the atmosphere becoming serious, everyone just seemed a bit tired and their energy had dropped. Well, they had been talking enthusiastically for hours until just now, so it’s natural to feel sleepy.

We already exchanged gifts earlier, so it seems like it’s time to sleep.

Anyway, we won’t be parting ways in the morning tomorrow, but after playing for a while.

There was no need for goodnight greetings before falling asleep.

Everyone was chatting quietly with the girls next to them while wrapped in their blankets, and one by one, they fell silent. Soon, regular breathing sounds could be heard, and the voices of the girls became even quieter.

“Today was fun,” Tsuneda said very softly.

“Yes, it was really fun…” Shii added in a somewhat sleepy voice. Well, Shii probably has a regular lifestyle normally. It’s natural for her to be getting sleepy.

“Wow…”

And Koko, who also has a regular lifestyle thanks to Kagami.

And me too.

“Yuka, Merry Christmas.”

I said quietly to Yuka who was next to me.

Yuka, who was lying down with her eyes closed, chuckled softly.

*

Waking up in the middle of the night was probably because I heard footsteps.

Actually, I don’t usually have such sharp ears when sleeping. Maybe I was a bit sensitive because the sleeping place was different and there were many people sleeping around me.

But I wasn’t annoyed. Well, I could just go back to sleep. It’s not like I have to go to work tomorrow.

The footsteps… could it be Santa? Did that Santa Claus yakuza man come again today?

Wanting to check, I turned to my side and lifted my head.

It was someone wearing a red Santa outfit, but the silhouette was different from that man.

Much more slender, and a bit shorter.

It looked more like a young woman than a middle-aged man.

“…Kagami?”

I called out her name without thinking.

Hearing my slightly cracked voice, Kagami turned toward me, put a finger to her lips, and smiled.

On her shoulder was a large bag like one Santa Claus would carry.

Kagami took gift boxes from the bag and placed one at each girl’s head.

Honestly, seeing that made me feel a bit more awake.

Christmas gifts? From Kagami?

Ah, of course, I expected her to give something to me and Koko.

But I never thought she would give one to each of the other girls too.

After placing a gift at each girl’s head, Kagami came toward me and Koko.

And she placed a gift at each of our heads.

“Open them when you wake up tomorrow morning.”

She said in a very small voice, and I almost laughed.

“You don’t need to tell me that…”

Kagami smiled at me slightly and then did something I didn’t expect.

She bent down and lightly kissed my forehead.

“Oh.”

And then, she went to Koko who was sleeping soundly and did the same.

“Merry Christmas.”

Kagami whispered softly, lightly touched my cheek, and then carefully walked out of the room.

“…”

For a while, I just lay there blankly.

When did Kagami’s gaze toward us two change a bit? Was it around last Christmas?

To be precise, it changed more definitely after that, but the atmosphere was noticeably different then.

When I gave Kagami a Christmas present.

And today was exactly one year after that.

I see.

Already, it’s been a year.

No, has it only been a year?

Is it because of the teenage sense of time? Does it feel like a short time because there are still many days left to live here?

Probably not just that.

It’s probably because the past year has simply been enjoyable.

Purely enjoying time with the girls. Going to school together, watching birds on different paths after school, making plans to meet and play on weekends, doing club activities, enjoying festivals…

All of those things, each day’s routine was so enjoyable that I forgot about the passing of time.

I closed my eyes again.

When I open them, it will be Christmas. Winter vacation.

And five days later will be next year.

Even though we’re exam students—I know.

Surely, next year’s time will also flow very quickly.

Because I’ll spend that time with these girls too.

Feeling the corners of my mouth slowly rising, I drifted back into deep sleep.