After finishing dinner, I went upstairs and walked to my room. I lay down on my bed and pulled out my phone, then dialed Touka's number.
…
Not long after, she picked up.
"Hello…?"
"Good evening, Touka," I said.
"Good evening to you too, Himeya."
"How was your day?" I asked.
"Hmm… fun, I guess? I met a lot of people today—mostly because I played with the other girls in my class," she said. I could picture the expression on her face as she spoke.
"Is that so? That's good to hear," I replied.
"What about you? Did you have fun?"
"Fun, huh… I wouldn't call it fun exactly, but I had a few moments worth remembering today."
"Ah, there you go again, sounding like a poet," she teased.
"Eh…"
…
"Himeya…"
"What is it?"
"I want to see your face…"
…
"Me too," I said.
"I miss you…"
"Yeah… it feels like part of my soul is missing. Hehe."
"Geez, I'm being serious, you know."
…
She sounded just like my sister when she said that.
"I see… Haru-nee's way of speaking has rubbed off on you, huh?"
"Ah… hehe, I guess I picked it up."
"Say, Touka…"
"What is it?"
I pressed the video call button. A few seconds later, she accepted.
"I met an old friend today," I said.
"Ah, I heard about that from Haru-nee. Who was it?"
"Her name's Alicia."
"Alicia? That sounds like a foreign name."
"Yep. She's Canadian."
"Hoo… I didn't know you had a foreign childhood friend."
"I honestly thought she'd never come back to Japan," I admitted.
"Well, she did, didn't she?" Touka said as she set her phone down, the screen now showing just her ceiling.
"…You're not jealous, are you?" I asked.
"What would I be jealous of? Himeya-kun loves Touka-chan so much, after all," she said playfully.
"Hahaha, yeah, you're right."
"I also heard about your cousin. I'd like to meet her."
"…Wait, now?"
"Can I?"
"Uh, wait a sec. I'll go get her."
I set my phone down, got up from the bed, and walked out of my room. I made my way to Kei's door and knocked.
"Kei. You still awake?"
Click.
I heard the doorknob turn, and a moment later, she opened the door. She stood there in an oversized hoodie that hung loosely off her frame. The soft hallway lighting made the fabric look even cozier.
…
What am I thinking? She's my cousin, damn it.
"What is it, Nii-san?"
"It's Touka."
"What about your girlfriend?"
"She wants to meet you."
"Huh…?"
…
15 minutes later.
I was lying on the floor while Kei was on my bed, holding my phone. At first, it was just her and Touka chatting, but then Haru-nee joined the call—and before I knew it, it turned into a full-on girls' talk session.
…
What am I even doing here…?
"So that's what Himeya did today?" Touka asked curiously.
"Yep. As usual, Nii-san kept that unfazed expression on his face the whole time," Kei replied.
"Hahaha, I can totally picture that," Touka laughed.
Haru-nee chuckled too. "Haha, see? Even others say you always look so emotionless, Himeya."
…
"Hey, I got this face from our mom!" I protested.
"At least Mom was beautiful," Haru-nee teased.
"And I'm not?"
"Nii-san is handsome," Kei said, giving me a thumbs-up.
"Yep, I agree with Kei-chan," Touka added.
I sighed and rubbed my temples. "You guys are just messing with me now."
Touka giggled. "It's fun teasing you, Himeya."
Haru-nee smirked. "At least we know you're not just a lifeless statue."
I rolled my eyes. "Geez… thanks for the vote of confidence."
We talked a while longer before Touka yawned.
"It's getting late," she murmured. "I should sleep soon."
"Yeah, same here."
"Good night, Himeya."
"Good night, Touka."
The call ended, and I exhaled, staring at the ceiling. Kei was still on my bed, scrolling through my phone.
"You're getting real comfy there, huh?" I said.
"Nii-san's bed is comfy… I wanna sleep here."
"Go back to your room, Kei."
Even if she was joking… I'm still a guy.
"Heeh… but we used to sleep together all the time back then."
"Yeah, back then. We're older now."
"Hmm… alright, you win, Nii-san."
"Yep, that's right."
Kei walked over and stood at my door.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nii-san… I was wrong about Touka-san."
"…Is that so?"
"Yeah. I want to meet her in person someday."
"Hehe, you will. She wants to meet you too."
"I'm looking forward to it. Good night, Nii-san."
"Good night, Kei."
She walked out of my room. I closed the door, lay back on my bed, and closed my eyes.
The next morning.
I woke up to the sound of my alarm blaring. Groaning, I sat up and stretched, then grabbed my phone.
A message from Touka.
Morning, sleepyhead. Did you sleep well?
I smirked and typed back:
[Morning. Yeah, I did. What about you?]
Almost immediately, she replied:
[I had a weird dream… but I don't remember what it was.]
[That sounds ominous.]
[Haha, it probably wasn't anything important.]
I got out of bed and got ready for the day. As I headed downstairs, I saw Mom at the dining table with her usual morning coffee.
"Morning," I greeted.
"Morning, Himeya," she replied with a small smile.
"Kei's not up yet?" I asked, grabbing a glass of water.
"Hmm… Why don't you go wake her up?" she suggested, sipping her coffee.
I let out a sigh. "…Alright."
I walked back upstairs and approached Kei's room. The door was slightly ajar. I knocked softly, but it wasn't locked.
…
I pushed it open gently.
…
Kei was still curled up in bed, sleeping soundly under her blanket. Her breathing was soft and steady—she hadn't stirred at all.
I walked closer and gently shook her shoulder. "Kei, it's morning already."
"Uh…" she mumbled, shifting slightly but keeping her eyes closed.
"Kei, breakfast is ready."
"Ueh… five more minutes, Aunt Marie…"
…
I sighed. "I'm Himeya, not Mom. Wake up, Kei."
…
She slowly opened her eyes, blinking sleepily.
…
"Nii-san?" she murmured, rubbing her eyes.
"Good morning."
"Good morning…? Hmm…" She sat up, keeping the blanket wrapped around her. Then a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. "Nii-san, are you trying to eat me up?"
…
"NO, WAKE UP!" I snapped, my face heating up.
"Hehe, now I'm awake." She giggled, clearly amused.
…
Am I really that easy to tease…?
"Well, I'm heading downstairs," I said, turning to leave.
Just as I reached the door, I felt a tug on my sleeve.
"Hmm? What is it?" I asked.
"Pick up my hoodie, Nii-san."
…
I looked around and spotted her hoodie on the floor near the door.
…
Wait… If her hoodie's on the floor… then…
My eyes slowly drifted back to Kei. Realization hit me like a truck.
…
"Nii-san, if you look at me like that, I'll get embarrassed, you know." She pouted playfully, tightening the blanket around her.
…
"PUT YOUR CLOTHES ON FIRST, DAMN IT!" I yelled, tossing her hoodie at her face and bolting out of the room.
…
Huff… huff…
What the hell is she thinking, sleeping naked at her age…?!