Ch.402IF Side Story: Seems I’ve Arrived a Bit Early (99)

After school, I returned home as quickly as possible.

Normally, I would have gone back with Souta, but today I had something urgent to take care of at home.

Kagami and Koko were together at home.

Koko didn’t seem to think badly of Kagami.

There’s a possibility that Koko might be acting, but at least when she’s with me, she’s never shown any signs of that. She’s not completely stupid, though she does seem quite naive, which actually makes me a bit worried.

I can trust Kagami. She definitely won’t act hostile toward Koko without reason.

But even if I knew this theoretically, it wasn’t easy for my heart to follow along.

“Mom!”

I shouted as I flung open the front door.

A bit belatedly, I realized that Kagami hadn’t come out to wait for me. For a brief moment, cold sweat ran down my back. Could something have happened at home that prevented Kagami from coming out?

However, my worries didn’t last long.

“Kotone.”

Kagami was sitting on the living room sofa.

And Koko was there too.

Koko was lying down with her head on Kagami’s lap, sleeping, while Kagami gently stroked her head.

Koko’s hairstyle had changed since the last time I saw her.

Originally, she had straight hair that hung down like mine. Perhaps because she had absorbed quite a bit of flesh, unlike me whose hair didn’t quite drag on the floor, Koko’s hair was long enough to completely trail on the ground.

But we couldn’t just cut her hair carelessly. For Koko, her hair wasn’t much different from her skin. …Actually, I don’t know for sure. I just assumed that since it’s part of her body, cutting it would hurt her, but I didn’t actually know how it would be.

That hair was now neatly gathered and braided.

Even her long bangs had been tidied up with hairpins like mine.

She would probably make an “Woah!” sound when she woke up, but seeing her lying down quietly like this made her look very calm.

“…Was everything okay today?” I asked quietly.

Kagami nodded with a smile.

“It was fine.”

I let out a small sigh at those words.

I had been worried that Kagami might reject Koko after learning about her true identity.

I still don’t know much about that time. Whether I was truly born from Kagami’s body. Whether Koko is really my older sister. Judging by Kagami’s reaction, it seems that might be the truth, but I still feel somewhat troubled.

For now, it seems their first impressions of each other weren’t too bad.

I sat down next to Kagami. Although Koko was curled up tightly, she was still lying on the sofa, so it was a bit cramped.

I also reached out my hand and gently stroked Koko’s hair.

It didn’t feel much different from touching my own hair.

“It’s probably exactly the same as Kotone’s hair.”

“…”

I sensed something in Kagami’s voice.

When I turned to look, Kagami was looking at me with a bitter smile.

“It’s probably not just mimicking the appearance. Of course, internally they’re connected. If something cuts it, it would revert to a flesh-like form, but for now, it’s not just imitating the appearance.”

“I see.”

Kagami had never explained these things in such detail before. Occasionally, when it was impossible to hide or when I absolutely needed to know, Kagami would reveal such information.

For the sake of a normal daily life.

After coming here, Kagami had looked like someone who had lost everything for a while. On the surface she appeared peaceful, but her attitude was actually that of someone who had given up on everything.

I wondered if by bringing Koko here, I had once again broken Kagami’s resolve.

“And the fact that Kotone is… Koko’s younger sister, that’s probably true as well.”

Kagami continued speaking in a calm voice.

“…Mom.”

“I gave birth to Koko.”

“…”

How exactly? It was difficult to ask such a question out loud. At the very least, I could easily imagine that it wasn’t through a normal relationship with someone.

“What if I say, giving birth to a child of god? Who comes to mind first for Kotone?”

Kagami asked.

I was silent for a moment.

“Right? That person would come to mind first. A figure who was crucified for the people as a child of god. My sister, the woman Kotone probably met, Kosuzu Kurosawa, seems to have wanted to create such a being. Though her purpose was completely twisted.”

That’s… well.

Wait, this story is getting a bit strange.

“…Can you continue listening? If you don’t want to, I can stop.”

Kagami’s expression was pained. Her previously calm face was slightly contorted. But that expression also seemed to reflect a sense of duty.

I looked toward Koko.

Would it be okay for Koko to hear this?

Kagami seemed to think so.

“…”

After contemplating, I nodded.

Kagami closed her eyes and then opened them again. Then, she continued speaking in a calm tone.

“Immortality.”

“Huh?”

“Kosuzu wants immortality. Not simply longevity. She doesn’t want a lifespan of hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of years, but literally eternal life. A world where the concept of death itself collapses, where everyone lives together forever.”

“…”

It was truly a cult-like plan.

The problem was that part of the plan was theoretically executable somehow. Koko existed, and I existed. I don’t know how important our existence was to that plan, but at least that woman Kosuzu had implemented it.

And children who were somewhat detached from the laws of the world were born.

Kagami took me and ran away.

How difficult it must have been.

I’ve never been religious, but from what I’ve heard, the more extreme such people are, the more fierce their pursuit would be. Kagami had truly risked her life.

Not simply because of abuse, but truly to save me. Perhaps she could have lived safely in a fairly high position within that organization, but she took me and ran away.

“…Ah.”

And a bit belatedly, something occurred to me.

Yuu had said he was my cousin.

“Mom, then…”

“Yes, that’s right. Kosuzu is also Yuu’s mother. His biological mother.”

It was truly a tangled family in many ways. The Kurosawa family.

We were both silent for a moment. We both needed some time to think.

For almost 30 minutes, we sat side by side on the sofa without saying a word. Throughout this time, Koko remained soundly asleep without making a sound, and Kagami continued to gently stroke her head.

“…Mom.”

“Yes.”

When I called out to Mom, she answered with a resolute voice, as if she had made some great decision.

Perhaps she thought I would be too shocked by that story. Or maybe she thought I would come to dislike her.

No. There’s no reason for that.

Rather, I just feel grateful. Because in such an abnormal place, after enduring such things, Kagami tried to save her daughter.

Instead, she must be feeling heartache now, seeing Koko in front of her.

Although at first glance she doesn’t look human—in reality, Koko was my older sister, and Kagami had essentially abandoned her first daughter.

But at least Koko doesn’t resent Kagami.

I can’t easily say whether it was the right choice now that I know the truth. But if anyone were to blame her, I would say that Kagami had no choice.

Rather, it’s a miracle that Kagami loves me so much.

The two of us, by our very existence, were evidence of Kagami’s misfortune.

How could a person be like this?

Even after losing everything—no, even when she had nothing in her hands, how could she care for her daughter?

I slipped my arm through Kagami’s arm. And I gently rested my head on her shoulder.

I could feel Kagami inhale.

“…Thank you.”

I was already grateful. Even before knowing all this truth, Kagami raising me was nothing short of a miracle.

But after hearing the story, just being grateful doesn’t seem enough.

How can I repay her?

How on earth can I make Kagami happy?

Kagami made a small sobbing sound. I decided to pretend I didn’t hear it.

Kagami’s hand came to rest on mine. That hand was warm. Whenever Kagami held my hand, I always felt warmth.

“Thank you, Kotone.”

Kagami replied softly.

I didn’t know how to respond to those words, so I just remained quietly leaning on Kagami’s shoulder.

Until a little later when Koko’s mouth made a “Woah?” sound.