Ch.361IF Side Story: Seems I’ve Arrived a Bit Early (58)

In truth, that might not have been the best thing to do.

It’s not that I’ve never brought friends home, but helping someone is a different matter.

No other child has ever stayed overnight at our house, and while kids have been to my room, they’ve never explored the entire second floor. If they had, they would have quickly noticed something strange.

Dad, who should be a couple with Kagami, uses a separate room. No matter how convincingly we decorate the master bedroom, a close inspection would reveal the truth.

One might think using separate bedrooms isn’t that unusual… but for us who live in hiding, even the slightest oddity being discovered would be problematic.

So bringing a complete stranger home was actually more troublesome—

“Kotone, welcome home— Oh.”

As soon as I rang the doorbell, Kagami quickly opened the door.

And she looked surprised seeing me beyond the doorway.

“Kotone? That child is…”

But her question seemed to be answered immediately upon seeing the child’s knee. Blood was flowing from it.

Looking again, the pants were also baggy. They were shorts, but they seemed to be the kind that should normally appear shorter than they did, not reaching the knees.

More importantly, it wasn’t normal for a child to be in short sleeves and shorts in this weather.

Perhaps having heard the conversation between Kagami and me, Dad, who had finished work early and come home today, came downstairs.

Kagami and Dad’s expressions quickly changed.

Neither of them thought about sending the child away in this situation; both helped bring the child to the living room.

“My goodness.”

Perhaps because she’s a mother.

Kagami seemed somewhat shocked by the child’s appearance. Not just the legs, but the arms also had clear bruises.

Moreover, the child wasn’t fully conscious. The child who had enough energy to resist me just a little while ago now seemed unable to do even that.

Could they have hit their head when falling? That worried me. I had tried to clear away the stones, but the child had tripped over them anyway.

Kagami quickly took out the first aid kit, disinfected the child’s knee, applied medicine, and put a rather large bandage on it.

During this time, the child stared blankly at the ceiling with half-open eyes. Even Dad, who had probably seen many harsh sights, couldn’t find words to say about a child several years younger than me being in this state.

“The police—”

As Kagami said this, the child suddenly grabbed her arm.

“No… way.”

Kagami’s eyes blinked.

Meeting Kagami’s gaze, the child said:

“I’m… going to meet… my brother.”

The girl said that.

Kagami seemed shocked by those words and had a blank expression.

Perhaps she was reminded once more of our situation? If she recalled my childhood, it would be understandable—

I quickly went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

I had promised to give the child candy, but somehow I felt that if I gave something hard to eat now, they might choke on it.

In the refrigerator— there was one custard pudding. Kagami had bought it recently. I would take one out each day when I came home, and fortunately, there was exactly one left.

I quickly took it out and ran back to the child with a small spoon.

“Here, eat this.”

When I handed it to the child with the lid removed and the spoon, the child looked at me with a blank expression.

Then looking down at it again, as if drawn to it, the child scooped up a spoonful and put it in their mouth.

Sparkle.

In the depths of those eyes that had almost no light, a small light appeared.

The child finished the entire pudding in an instant. After eating so hurriedly that I worried it might be too fast, the child even licked the plastic container clean.

“…”

Finally realizing there was nothing more to eat in it, the child looked up at me again with a blank face.

Was the child asking for more?

Before I could react, Kagami quickly headed toward the kitchen.

*

Though the pudding was gone, there were more snacks that had been bought for me. Naturally, most were sweet.

Only after eating a bag of snacks and strawberry milk did the child return somewhat to normal.

“…”

And the three of us—myself, Kagami, and Dad—became even more troubled.

We didn’t call the police or an ambulance because the child said no, but as a result, the situation became more awkward.

We weren’t trying to kidnap the child, but we couldn’t keep them for long without parental permission either. Even if we considered how bad those parents might be.

No, more than that, if we reported to the police, would regular officers even come? That thought occurred to me a bit late.

Still, the first person to gather courage was Kagami.

Though her life experiences had been rough, Kagami’s appearance was certainly gentle and kind compared to other women. I may have inherited some of Kagami’s looks, but I can’t speak with a voice as gentle as hers.

Squatting down in front of the child to meet their eyes, Kagami asked in a gentle voice:

“You said you want to see your brother?”

“…Yes.”

The child seemed to finally understand their situation after regaining consciousness.

Though sharp from hunger and pain, once able to grasp the surroundings, the child realized they were surrounded by adults.

The child fidgeted, playing with the hem of their clothes.

They were still in those old clothes. We hadn’t yet decided if we could change the child’s clothes or take them in for a bath.

“Do you know where your brother lives?”

The child nodded at that question.

“A little bit…”

Pointing at the wall with a finger, it seemed this was indeed the right neighborhood.

“Where did you come from?”

The child answered. I’m not sure exactly where that neighborhood is, but it’s definitely not nearby.

“How?”

“By car…”

“By car? Do you mean a bus?”

Kagami tilted her head.

Would adults really pay no attention to such a young child riding a bus alone?

If they had walked, that would be different. Not many people would pay attention to the physical condition of a passing child. It’s not uncommon for children this age to be walking around the neighborhood.

But something like a bus is different. If you’re in a confined space together for a long time.

But the child shook their head.

Both Kagami and Dad made slightly strange expressions.

A taxi… probably not. It wasn’t easy to imagine a child who was clearly being abused carrying enough money to take a taxi.

The child hesitantly said:

“Pachinko parlor…”

“…”

At those words, Dad froze.

When Kagami looked up, Dad frowned deeply and said:

“…There are people who say leaving a child in the car while gambling brings good luck.”

Kagami’s face went blank for a moment.

I had heard of this too. Though I wasn’t Japanese, in my previous life I did enjoy manga and such.

I had read about pachinko by following links while searching various things on wikis.

There are pachinko parlors known as “lucky spots,” and even specific machines within those parlors that are said to pay out well. People line up to play newly installed machines.

So perhaps the adults who brought this child here… deliberately came looking for a lucky pachinko machine.

Or maybe they originally lived around here.

“…What’s your name?”

At Kagami’s gentle question, the child shrank even more. Having regained some consciousness, they seemed unsure if they should be here.

They might not have been scared when it was just me beside them, but it’s understandable to be frightened when unfamiliar adults keep asking questions.

“…Shii.”

“Shii-chan.”

Kagami smiled gently and lightly took Shii’s hand.

Though Shii flinched, she didn’t pull her hand away, which made Kagami smile slightly.

“You said you came to see your brother? If you know where he lives, shall I take you there?”

“!”

Shii suddenly raised her head and looked up at Kagami.

Her eyes were slightly shining. Not the lifeless eyes unlike a child’s, but eyes that seemed to have found some hope.

Those eyes were heartbreaking.

“I’ll go too.”

Dad said that as he stood up.

“Kotone, could you wait here for a bit? We’ll be back soon.”

I nodded.

There are matters that adults need to handle.

…Actually, I wanted to know more about the child’s situation, but if I pushed too much, Kagami would surely become anxious.

I decided to wait quietly at home.