Chapter 35: An Invitation from Kato Megumi
"I'll be heading back now."
"Then, Aragaki-nii, you must bring Moeha to play with me often~"
"Oh, okay, no problem."
At nine in the evening, Aragaki Takiya had finished his visit to the Shiina Family. After Shiina Kaede's reluctant farewell, he finally had some time for himself.
"Sigh, it's finally over..."
Walking out of the Apartment building, Aragaki Takiya stretched. Although this was just a normal visit and he hadn't really done much, he still felt very tired. How should he put it? Was it because he had to deal with the overly enthusiastic Shiina Kaede?
After thinking about it, Aragaki Takiya shook his head. He probably couldn't even explain why he was so tired, but now wasn't the time to dwell on such things; he had more important things to do.
Forty minutes later... "Whew, finally relaxed."
Lying in the bathtub, Aragaki Takiya breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, he was relaxing his body and enjoying this brief moment of silence. Studying, working, socializing, living, and taking care of a child—these events coming one after another left him a bit overwhelmed.
How should he put it? After all, he was just an ordinary High School Student now, without amazing physical strength or an outstanding brain. All he had was everything that was perfectly ordinary.
Turning his head, Aragaki Takiya's gaze fell upon a cute rabbit-themed toothbrush cup on the vanity; it was the cup Aragaki Moeha used for brushing.
That's right, I still have Moeha, that cute Little one... Thinking of Aragaki Moeha, who was staying overnight at Eriri's house, Aragaki Takiya, who was originally relaxing, felt a sense of loss at this moment. If possible, he hoped even more that Aragaki Moeha was his sister and had nothing to do with Eriri. After all, people with that kind of family background were, to be honest, not someone he should be in contact with.
"But speaking of a sister, I wonder how she's doing..."
Thinking of that Little Girl with white hair in his memory, Aragaki Takiya went silent for a moment, but he quickly shook off that state of mind.
"After all, she was adopted by that family. No matter what, she must be living better than me."
Aragaki Takiya smiled, then began to dry himself off, preparing to read for a while. But when he walked into the Living Room, the phone charging in the Bedroom started ringing.
"Who could it be?"
Aragaki Takiya went to the Bedroom, but the name displayed on the phone was someone he hadn't expected.
"Kato? Why would she call at this time?"
Although he had some doubts in his heart, Aragaki Takiya didn't hesitate to pick up the call. With a "beep," the girl's soft voice came through the phone.
"Hello, is this Aragaki?"
"Yeah, it's me. Why did you call, Kato? Is something the matter?"
"It's nothing much, really. It's just, could you accompany me to buy some things tomorrow morning, Aragaki?"
"Shopping?"
Hearing what Kato Megumi said, Aragaki Takiya couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled. If it was just shopping, wouldn't it be better to ask a female friend? Taking him along might be inconvenient... "Wait? I remember Kato saying she had almost no friends."
Aragaki Takiya suddenly remembered that Kato Megumi seemed to have told him once that because of her low presence, she had almost no friends.
"Aragaki, are you listening?"
Since there was no response, another voice came from the phone.
"Shopping? No problem. I happen to have time tomorrow morning. Kato, just tell me the location, and I'll meet you there."
After a few seconds of thought, Aragaki Takiya chose to agree directly. It was just shopping anyway, so there was no loss for him. Besides, Kato Megumi was the first friend he had made since starting high school; he could fulfill this small request.
"Great, then let's meet at the Rokutenma Shopping Center. It's at..."
Kato Megumi's happy voice came through the phone. Actually, calling it "happy" was just Aragaki Takiya's subconscious assumption, because Kato Megumi's voice hadn't changed noticeably from the beginning. The so-called happiness might just be his imagination... After the call ended, the girl in white pajamas couldn't help but lie down on the bed. Her brown eyes stared at the ceiling, her mind on something else entirely.
"Aragaki... has he really not remembered?"
The Short-haired Girl stared quietly at the ceiling, her thoughts pulled back to the past... "Hey, are you the only one on duty today?"
It was after school, and the other students had already left the classroom, leaving only a short-haired Little Girl behind to clean.
"Yeah..."
"Where are the others? I remember there should be three people on duty."
"They all left."
"Huh? Why?"
The girl didn't answer, only subconsciously tightening her grip on the broom in her hand.
"Forget it, I've finished my duty anyway, so I'll help you. But next time this happens, you should tell the teacher..."
As for what the boy said afterward, the Short-haired Girl couldn't remember very clearly. But she knew that it was because of his help that day that she learned how to refuse and how to seek out a teacher to solve problems.
"So... Aragaki, when exactly will you recognize me?"
The girl's voice drifted out faintly, and then the Bedroom light was extinguished.
Another sweet dream.
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