Ch.314IF Side Story: Seems I’ve Arrived a Bit Early (11)

What was I like when I was young?

I mean, in my previous life.

It seems that my mother started working after I entered elementary school.

And at that age, I was old enough to play outside with friends, and above all, there were many things I could do after school.

Even children who didn’t go to academies could attend after-school programs, or there were services at local community centers that looked after children.

It was possible because the country I lived in had decent enough public safety.

Japan is probably similar in that regard, but the problem is that I’m not yet old enough to be an elementary school student.

No parent would tell even a first or second grader to cook ramen by themselves, and I was much younger than that.

I’ve actually thought about it a bit. Since my mind was still “me,” couldn’t I manage meals on my own?

The conclusion came quickly. It’s still a bit difficult.

My arms are short, my legs are short. Even my fingers are short. I can run without falling, but how freely and naturally I can move this body is another matter entirely.

Above all, I don’t think I could safely lift and move a pot of boiling water for ramen.

The fact that I had these thoughts myself shows how much greater Kagami’s concerns must be, without having to think too deeply about it.

Kindergarten vacations aren’t that long, but leaving me alone at home during that time is another issue altogether.

Kagami had to go to work to put food in our mouths.

I might think it’s fine to skip meals or eat cold rice, but from an adult’s perspective, that’s simply child abuse.

“Kotone.”

After much deliberation, Kagami seemed to have made a big decision.

“How about… just during the vacation, staying at someone else’s house during the day? Would that be okay?”

Would there be someone who could take care of me?

There might be relevant government agencies for this sort of thing.

Since I couldn’t say no in this situation, I nodded.

Kagami looked somewhat relieved at my response.

So, at the time when I would normally have gone to catch the kindergarten bus, I left the house with Kagami.

I wondered briefly if a neighbor would be looking after me like where I used to live, but Kagami took me farther than I expected.

Sitting in Kagami’s arms on the swaying bus, I thought about where we might be going.

For a very brief moment, I had a chilling thought, but I quickly dismissed it. Kagami would never be the kind of mother to abandon me—

And so, the place we arrived at after taking the bus was an area filled with houses very different from where we lived.

Unlike our home, where we rented a small space in an old two-story apartment building, the houses here were all large two-story or taller residences.

Kagami, carrying me in her arms, looked somewhat intimidated. She held a notepad with an address written on it, looking around nervously.

I understand.

Even for someone in their late teens—or perhaps especially at that age—dealing with people can be difficult. Especially when having to face adults in society, rather than neighborhood or school friends.

“Ah.”

After walking for a while, Kagami seemed to have found our destination.

She looked back and forth between the notepad and the name written at the entrance of the wall, then carefully set me down.

[Fukuda]

That was the name written next to the gate.

Ah, I see.

Only then did I understand a bit. And I felt somewhat relieved.

Kagami took a slightly trembling breath, then pressed the doorbell.

Ding-dong.

A clear, cheerful sound rang out, and shortly after, the door opened.

The man with hair sticking up on one side, wearing comfortable workout clothes, was someone I had seen once before.

“Ah, Ms. Kagawa.”

Mr. Fukuda called Kagami by her alias.

“…I’m sorry to ask this of you.”

Kagami immediately bowed her head to Mr. Fukuda.

“Not at all. This is what fellow kindergarten parents do to help each other. Harumi was very happy when she heard about it.”

Except for his dyed yellow hair, he somehow looked like just a regular middle-aged man up close. Was that yakuza-like atmosphere I felt before just because of the suit?

And I could somewhat understand why Kagami chose Mr. Fukuda rather than Mr. Yamashita.

Did Mr. Yamashita have children? The conversation was a while ago so my memory is hazy, but even if he did have children, they would be complete strangers to me.

From Kagami’s perspective, she would want me to be as comfortable as possible in someone else’s home, so she probably asked Harumi’s family since I was friends with her.

“Well then…”

Kagami hesitantly responded to Mr. Fukuda’s answer.

“You don’t need to worry too much. Harumi loves going to kindergarten. She’s been whining so much about not being able to see her friends. Having Kotone here will make it much better.”

“Thank you, really.”

Kagami expressed her gratitude for what must have been the umpteenth time.

Seeing this scene made me feel a bit uncomfortable again.

Maybe I should have spoken up first? Said I could stay home alone. That I could manage.

“Well…”

Kagami opened her mouth with great hesitation.

“Kotone.”

Kagami crouched down again to look at me.

“I’ll come back when kindergarten ends. Don’t worry too much, okay?”

As if afraid I might misunderstand something, Kagami said this while placing her hand on my shoulder.

“Okay.”

When I nodded and replied, Kagami hugged me tightly.

Even though it was the middle of winter and we were outside, just that embrace made me feel warm.

I stayed in Kagami’s arms for a while.

Not even thinking about pulling away first.

*

“Nooooo~~~~~!”

Harumi whined.

It seemed she didn’t want to let me go when it was time for me to return home. She had waved goodbye just fine at kindergarten, but meeting me at home seemed to evoke different emotions.

“Kotone, don’t go!”

Seeing Harumi grabbing my arm and refusing to let go while saying that, Mr. Fukuda sighed deeply.

“Harumi, don’t be like that. She said she’ll come back tomorrow.”

“No!”

Maybe she wanted me to stay permanently now that I was at her house.

Well, Harumi did seem to like me particularly. Today too, when she woke up late and found me at her house, her face immediately brightened.

She took me all around her spacious house, showing me which toys we could play with and what her room was like, full of energy.

Some of her stories were still hard to follow—why she jumped from topic to topic—but well, she’s a child.

By the way, Mr. Fukuda wasn’t home the whole time; he soon left for work. Instead, a housekeeper came to look after us, which showed just how well-off this family was.

To be honest, the house was comfortable. They had so many things we didn’t have at our home.

But still, I preferred our home.

“Harumi, you have to let her go. Kotone has a mother too.”

Mr. Fukuda tried to coax her gently, but Harumi shook her head.

“Then Kotone’s mom can live with us too!”

Mr. Fukuda looked extremely embarrassed at Harumi’s words. Well, Harumi probably didn’t know what she was saying. She was just being stubborn to keep me at her house.

“Harumi, I’ll come back soon.”

When I said that, Harumi, who had been pulling on my arm, blinked.

“Really?”

“Yes. Tomorrow too.”

“Tomorrow too? Promise?”

“Yes.”

Harumi only let me go after we linked pinkies.

Kagami, who had been wondering when to intervene, let out a sigh of relief only after I came into her arms.

“Thank you so much for today.”

“No, as I said, it’s not a difficult thing.”

Mr. Fukuda replied with a slightly embarrassed expression, perhaps because of Harumi’s behavior just now.

The two adults exchanged polite goodbyes and parted. Harumi waved her hand enthusiastically toward us, so I waved back from within Kagami’s arms.

“Did you have fun today?”

Kagami asked.

“Yes.”

It was less uncomfortable than I had expected. Mostly because Harumi acted exactly the same as she did at kindergarten.

“I’m glad.”

On the way to the bus stop, Kagami didn’t say anything, as if she was contemplating something.

Then, only after we got on the bus did she carefully speak again.

“Would you… prefer a bigger house?”

Wondering what meaning was behind those words, I shook my head.

“No.”

I answered while burying my face in Kagami’s shoulder.

“I like our home.”

Kagami hugged me tightly after hearing my answer.

On the bus, I don’t remember much after that.

I must have fallen asleep in Kagami’s arms.