Ch.60Chapter 9. It Was Summer. (7)

I wasn’t sure if it was because I was soft-hearted, or if it was just a momentary whim.

Maybe I was just curious about how the situation would unfold.

…..

No. Actually, it wasn’t any of those things. I probably just wasn’t thinking.

I brought Kuro along to keep Koko in check while she was in her giant nose state.

I thought that if Koko tried to come into my room, wouldn’t Kuro chase her away? That was my thinking.

Koko was big, but honestly, I didn’t think she could eat a whole cat. Besides, Kuro has quite a personality. If Koko approached, she’d probably scratch her. Koko would run away.

“Haaak!”

“Haaak!”

…Or not?

Well, let’s just be grateful that Koko hasn’t grabbed Kuro by the head and started eating her, or absorbed her like in some movie. After observing for about three hours, Koko hadn’t openly engaged in carnivorous behavior yet.

However, when I came back from the bathroom, I found her tearing open Kuro’s food bag in the kitchen and shoveling it into her mouth.

Weren’t you supposed to be something like a slime?

Then again, considering the separated pieces of her body resembled human form, maybe she originally had bones, flesh, and blood. She just could change her appearance from within.

“Aah!”

“Tsk, no.”

“No?”

“No.”

Looking at this, it seemed like she understood what I was saying, but in reality, she was probably just mimicking me. I hadn’t taught Koko Japanese yet. Nor had I taught her Korean or English.

…That’s right. I needed to teach her everything from language to social behavior. And I needed to come up with excuses for when other people saw Koko.

Alright. I’ll blame this on Kagami too.

Honestly, this is all Kagami’s fault. If he hadn’t lost the giant nose-state Koko and properly wrapped her in plastic wrap and stored her in the refrigerator, I wouldn’t have even thought about turning Koko back into a human body.

Take responsibility.

I went back to my room, got some tape, and patched up the hole Koko had torn in the bag, while stopping her from eating what had fallen on the floor.

Just thinking about how to explain why she shouldn’t eat food off the floor already felt overwhelming.

I seriously considered calling Teacher Suzuki.

She’s a high school teacher, but she’s still an educator. She’d definitely know more about this kind of thing than I do.

All I know about childcare is that if you see bruises on a child’s arms or legs, you should report it to the police, that sort of thing.

I do know CPR though.

…But would she ever need CPR?

“Haaak!”

Anyway, Kuro seemed to have developed a very bad impression of Koko. Apparently aware that what Koko had been tearing open and gobbling was her own food, she hissed at Koko for touching her things.

“Haaak!”

And Koko would hiss back at Kuro, getting down on all fours like her.

Koko seemed quite happy. She probably thought she was playing for the first time in her life.

She’s really playing, isn’t she?

I rubbed my face.

…Alright.

I wasn’t the type who liked going out anyway, so I’d stay home until Wednesday and think things through. I’d observe Koko’s behavior and try to teach her as much as possible.

And only then did all my scheduled commitments start coming back to me.

I had to go to work on Thursday. Thursday and Friday weren’t so bad. I’d start work late in the afternoon and only work for three hours before coming back. Including commute time, it would still be close to six or seven hours.

The real problem was Saturday and Sunday.

Even though I wouldn’t be going to school, considering commute times, I’d be away from home almost all weekend.

“…”

As I watched Koko, who had lost interest in hissing at Kuro and was now sitting with her nose practically pressed against the TV screen, blankly observing the changing colors on the screen, I felt a darkness descend over me.

And how much would she eat?

I could survive on buying cat food for Kuro and eating bean sprouts and coffee bread with the leftover money, but would she be satisfied with that?

One of the main reasons Koko followed me was probably because I fed her. She followed me because I was the first being in her life to voluntarily share food with her, but what if I couldn’t provide proper food?

…..

For a very brief moment, I considered raising her on cat food just like Kuro.

Of course, I quickly dismissed that thought.

It felt like something a human shouldn’t do, and if anyone found out, it would cause big problems.

I sat silently on the blanket.

No, I just flopped down on the blanket.

I’m too tired to think about anything else now.

I didn’t feel like sleeping yet, but I wanted to rest without thinking about anything. Too much had happened today.

My school vacation breaks were never this dynamic before.

Grumbling to myself, I stared blankly at the lit ceiling.

*

I wonder when I fell asleep.

Opening my eyes and staring blankly at the ceiling, I was suddenly gripped by terror.

No, it’s not like I saw something horrific.

Haven’t you all experienced this?

You set an alarm to wake up in time for work, and even though you wake up to the alarm, you think you can still lounge around in bed for a bit longer, only to fall back asleep. Then when you open your eyes again, you get goosebumps from head to toe and jump out of bed.

Of course, I’m not saying I had to go to work today, but I had fallen asleep leaving a child with a human-like body and similar intelligence but no social norms unattended in my room. Who knows what might have happened?

As I tried to jump up, I hesitated for a moment due to something pressing on my stomach.

Looking down, I saw Kuro curled up on my lower abdomen.

A cat’s body is somewhat warm, so that area felt very hot.

And Koko was pressed right up against my side.

It was as if she was trying to imitate Kuro, but since she was about my size, it didn’t quite work.

She couldn’t climb on top of me, so she was pressed tightly against my side.

I didn’t particularly feel that her body was hotter, but her body temperature seemed to be around 36 degrees, like a human’s. She was warm too.

My side was definitely damp with sweat.

…That’s right.

It was summer. Disgustingly humid and hot.

These two would probably be like this all summer vacation.

“…”

Well, let’s think positively.

At least we won’t freeze to death in winter.

*

Koko and Kuro had something in common.

Neither of them was particularly active.

Sometimes they’d have strange bursts of energy and run around the room, but fortunately, only Koko’s severed flesh pieces were in the apartment below, so no one came to complain.

They both hissed, liked to curl up, and enjoyed warm things.

Cats naturally prefer warm places because of where they evolved, but why did Koko?

This is just a hypothesis, but maybe Koko was remembering her time in the refrigerator.

She had absorbed a lot of the body that was in the refrigerator.

Seeing how she could change her body this way and that, she probably doesn’t think with a brain.

If she remembers being in such a cold place, it makes sense that she’d prefer warm places.

When Kuro curled up, Koko would lie nearby, curling up too. They especially liked the area under the window where sunlight came in.

I think that’s fortunate. It’s more reassuring to see them getting along most of the time, even with occasional squabbles, than fighting to the death.

And I don’t even consider abandoning either of them.

Besides, Koko had copied my appearance. Objectively speaking, she had a cute appearance, so she didn’t look particularly ugly.

…Yes, at least she was much better than a giant, squishy nose.

And the second advantage of the two was that they didn’t particularly want to go outside.

Kuro was a cat, so that made sense, but Koko didn’t seem to think about going out either.

Even when I occasionally took my eyes off her or did other things, she didn’t go out on her own.

She seemed to think of me as the food provider; whenever I rustled around in the kitchen, she would smile broadly.

And fortunately, she ate things like curry rice well.

The instant foods I had stocked up on after realizing their benefits when Yamashita visited last time were the answer.

However, that didn’t mean Koko knew how to use chopsticks. She tried to eat curry rice with her hands, got surprised because it was hot, and when I gave her a spoon, she spilled food everywhere. In the end, I had to feed her with a spoon at first.

But after observing how I ate, she did eat with a spoon. She still spilled here and there, but it was better than before.

It seems her intelligence isn’t particularly lacking.

That’s how I spent Tuesday.

Kuro and Koko still slept pressed against me at night. Because of this, I had to wake up intermittently due to the heat.

Even if I gently put the sleeping Kuro aside, pushed Koko away slightly, and moved closer to the wall to create space, when I opened my eyes again, they would both be pressed right against me.

Come on, it’s summer.

Aren’t you two hot?

Well, neither of them is human.

I sighed deeply as I got up.

Checking my phone, it was nine in the morning.

Today is Wednesday, so there’s nothing particularly to worry about.

Scratching my head, I got up, went to the bathroom, and washed up.

“…”

As I dried my hair with a towel, I stared at Koko for a moment, then squatted down beside her and sniffed.

No smell.

“Hmm?”

Woken by the sniffing sound, Koko turned to look up at me.

“…”

I felt very, very uncomfortable.

It felt like being caught doing something perverted.

Though Koko probably wouldn’t understand.

I got up again, tossed the towel into the laundry basket, and sat in front of the TV.

Now that the situation had stabilized somewhat, I was thinking of playing a game and turned on the power when my phone vibrated.

“Whoa!”

And Koko reacted to the vibrating phone first.

“Ah.”

Before I could turn around, Koko had picked up the phone.

“Hey, wait, Koko—”

And Koko skillfully flipped open the phone.

Actually, rather than knowing what to do, she had probably just seen me flip open the phone often.

[Ah, Kurosawa—]

“Kurosawa?”

[Huh?]

The call was very audible in the room. The room wasn’t particularly noisy.

I quickly turned off the game console and rushed toward Koko.

[Hello? Is this Kurosawa?]

It was Yuuki’s voice.

“Yes, it’s me!”

“Me! Me!”

[Kurosawa? What’s going on?]

When I tried to take the phone away, Koko moved it around with a happy expression, avoiding my hands.

Does she think this is a game? She’s not a puppy!

Finally grabbing the phone and pulling it toward me, I spoke into it.

“Nothing, nothing at all!”

“At all?”

Koko said the same thing into the phone, just like me.

[Who are you with?]

As Yuuki was speaking, I finally managed to take the phone from Koko’s hand and quickly put it to my ear.

“Um… well…”

I looked at Koko.

“Ah! Ah!”

Koko happily lunged toward me, reaching for the phone. I quickly moved my feet, walking around the room. Koko chased after me, and Kuro, who seemed to have woken up from the noise, got up with a big yawn.

Then, seeing us moving chaotically around the room, she meowed with an annoyed expression, “Meow,” and jumped up onto the TV.

“…A relative is staying with me.”

[…..]

I could guess what kind of silence this was on the other end of the phone.

This was a ‘silence of disbelief.’

[I was going to ask if I could come over today, would that be okay?]

The voice that had been extremely flustered just a moment ago had become calm.

And I could also guess what kind of calmness this was.

This was the ‘calmness of someone who had made up their mind.’

Even if I refused, Yuuki would definitely come here. Just like when I was stalked last time.

“…”

I hesitated for a very brief moment.

I didn’t want to refuse Yuuki’s request.

Revealing Koko’s existence was quite a big issue, but I also wanted to show off Kuro whom I had started raising, and above all, having a friend come over to play was quite enjoyable.

“Whoa?”

When I stared at Koko, she tilted her head.

“…Okay.”

Oh well, whatever.

Koko’s existence would eventually be discovered by someone anyway. She’s not a small animal that can be hidden somewhere; she’s a person of the same size as me.

And I’m not brave enough to cut her up and store her in the refrigerator at this point.

…..

Come to think of it, she doesn’t die even if cut up like that. As long as there’s one piece, she can roam around outside and survive on her own.

I can understand why she was kept in the refrigerator.

[Alright, I’ll be right there.]

Yuuki seemed to be getting up, making rustling sounds as she spoke.

[You’re not in any serious trouble, are you?]

“…”

I hesitated again, looking at Koko.

[I’m coming. Right now.]

…..

What kind of person am I in Yuuki’s mind?

Probably someone who’s left alone, treated as a failure by my only guardian, my mother, whenever we meet, almost got raped, and cuts my wrist with a knife and bleeds whenever I fight, ending up in the hospital covered in blood—a pitiful child.

Even I can’t think of any reason not to feel sorry for me.

Click.

The call ended, and I closed the phone with a snap.

Then I sat down on the floor with a thud, and just flopped down.

Since I hadn’t properly dried my hair, lying like this would probably create some weird kinks.

But at the moment, I didn’t feel like doing anything.

Life + life seems to be too heavy a burden for me.

*

“Um… Kurosawa?”

Entering the room, Yuuki looked back and forth between me and Koko with a blank expression.

Of course she would. We looked identical. If I had any moles on my body, even those would probably be exactly the same.

For a moment, I considered playing a prank—pretending that I was Koko and Koko was me, that I had regressed due to shock and my younger sister was taking care of me instead—but thinking that Yuuki might not forgive me when she learned the truth, I told the truth.

“She’s my twin.”

Well. I didn’t actually tell the truth.

We were similar to sisters, but not exactly twins. Well, in the sense that we were both failures, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

“…Twins?”

Yuuki blankly repeated my words.

Yuuki had come prepared, with a fairly large bag on her right shoulder. It probably contained enough things to stay overnight. Maybe she had even bought some snacks.

“…Recently, …I rescued her.”

That’s what I said for now.

Even in front of Yuuki the yokai hunter, it didn’t seem like a good introduction to say that she was also something born between god and human, and that she was actually closer to a monster than a human.

“Rescued her?”

I’m sorry, Kagami.

I nodded.

Even without further explanation, Yuuki seemed to be piecing together the story in her head.

Still, there was no lie in that explanation. I had ‘recently’ confirmed her existence in the neighbor’s room, and although I had initially intended to kill her, my heart softened and I did ‘rescue’ her.

I just abbreviated the facts a bit.

Gulp.

After taking some time to imagine the situation in her head, Yuuki covered her mouth with both hands.

The tears glistening in her eyes were probably not my imagination.

…Right.

I honestly admit it.

If I had heard the explanation, I would have been really angry at Kagami too.

Once again, I apologized to Kagami in my heart.

*

“No!”

“Ah! Ah!”

As I tried to stop Koko from stealing Kuro’s food bowl and held it high, Yuuki watched with a somewhat empty expression. Seeing her mouth hanging open, she seemed to be taking the situation very seriously.

“Food is separately—”

Thump.

Unable to watch our struggle any longer, Yuuki grabbed Koko.

She gently pulled her back and then held her tightly in her arms.

“Whoa?”

Koko didn’t understand the sensation at first.

Initially, she trembled. Perhaps she thought it was predatory behavior.

But soon, not finding any signs of aggression from Yuuki, she burst into laughter.

“How… how… could this… such a thing…”

Yuuki made a nasally sound.

“…”

Um…

Well…

…..

No.

Somehow, I have nothing to say.

With a feeling of experiencing both the bitterness and emptiness of life simultaneously, I stared into space with my mouth hanging open.

Only Kuro was jumping up and down trying to reach the food bowl in my hand.

Right.

How could this be?

Such a thing?