"Hey?"
Mayu, in her striped pajamas, tilted her head with a smile. Then, noticing the blood streaming from my fingers, she wiped it with her pajama sleeve.
"It's okay, you'll get it dirty!"
"It's fine, it's fine. Your blood is clean."
A part of her blue and white striped pajamas now had a third color stain. Seeing that, Mayu smiled innocently with moist eyes, as if in ecstasy.
Feeling chills down my spine and breaking out in cold sweat, I tried to confirm my feelings. "… How long have you been standing at the door?"
"Since yesterday."
"Since when yesterday?"
"Since you ran away and took a bath."
I left this room just before 7 pm yesterday.
"Were you waiting in front of the door the whole time?"
"Yes."
"Doing what?"
"Sleeping."
Either I see her as a devoted girl and feel touched or I tremble in fear in the hallway corner. This might decide our relationship. Without even thinking, the contrarian in me chose neither.
"I should have come earlier, I’m sorry."
I chose a safe opinion to stay neutral. Mayu responded with a casual attitude and immediately hugged me.
"Mi-kun~"
With a sweet voice, she nestled her soft cheek against my chest.
Wait... Wasn't there something I wanted to ask this clingy cohabitant of mine?
"Hmm? You smell like soap."
A sweet scent emanated from Mayu. That fragrance made me completely forget my question. "I love morning baths."
Although today was the first time I took one. I didn't have time to bathe yesterday.
I entered the room with Mayu still clinging to me. She never checked if I was going to live with her. It's probably something that goes without saying. And it's not a big deal, so it's correct.
I entered the living room, which was the same as yesterday, and placed my school bag and a sports bag packed with clothes on the floor. Looking at the Japanese-style room, the sliding doors were firmly shut. I was impressed, thinking how someone could spend all day in that room without going insane.
"What about breakfast?" Mayu asked, clinging to my arm.
"I haven’t eaten."
"Not that. Do you want bread or rice?"
Oh, so eating is a given. If I don't eat, will she feed me with chopsticks like yesterday? Such nonsensical thoughts crossed my mind.
"Then, bread. It's a Western-style room after all."
I shared an opinion that had no correlation. Mayu said, "Okay," in acknowledgment but didn't take any concrete action. Judging by her satisfied expression, I seemed to have passed as her "cuddle pillow."
We sat on the sofa as if we were lying down and turned on the 32-inch TV.
"It’s my first time watching TV in the morning."
Isn't that rare or has it just been a long time?
The screen displayed a familiar landscape: our town. A predictable caption appeared, stating "Serial Murder Incident."
"Another person was killed last night."
"It's dangerous. But people are dying every day. There’s no need to make such a big deal about it."
I played dumb. I knew about it as of yesterday.
The victim was the chairman of the neighborhood association, killed during a brief period when he was alone after finishing his patrol. The cause of death was a stab wound from a blade. There was a gaping hole in his temple. The crime occurred around 8 pm near an elementary school. There were no eyewitnesses. Some residents even began to doubt whether there was a real murderer at all, speculating that it might be the work of the occult or supernatural phenomena. The town had been peaceful, without any murders, until six months ago.
"It's really scary... Mayu?"
In response to my shallow comment, Mayu didn't react. She had discarded her smile and was staring at the television with clear, unclouded eyes.
"... It's been a while."
She murmured to herself and began reminiscing. The feeling was more revolting than imagining plunging one's bare feet into a swarm of maggots, filling me with disgust and shivers. "Hey."
Suddenly, Mayu looked up at me. Her inorganic eyes gazed deeply into mine.
"Did you do that, Mi-kun?"
Her question was casual, without any evidence or context. The doubt in her voice was weak.
"No," I lied.
"Mayu hates murderers, right?"
"Yes, I hate them the most in the world."
Mayu's face shaped into a smile again, and she sat on my lap, snuggling up to me.
"And I love Mi-kun the most in the world."
"…Thanks."
Of course, I shouldn't be embarrassed by this.
"Oh? Mi-kun's cheeks are getting hot. And there's a rash..."
She was lying.
"I... I'm hungry. I feel like having some grain."
I was so flustered that I felt like a complete loser. Mayu smirked triumphantly and said, "Okay, okay," as if to placate me. Being treated like a child by a child was humiliating. Even though I'm fine with physical contact, translating love overtly is my weakness. I tried to keep a straight face to avoid further embarrassment.
Mayu pulled away and headed for the kitchen. She wasn't rushing today, just walking slowly, as if sleepwalking. As I watched her back, I asked,
"Let's say, hypothetically, if I was the perpetrator, what would you do?"
Mayu turned and tilted her head quizzically.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, like, would you turn me into the police? Or call me a scary, creepy pervert? Or just yell 'Die, idiot!'...?"
I was exasperated by my own poor imagination. Those were just insults, and childish ones at that.
"Hmm... I don't know."
Mayu responded with a regional accent and tilted her head further. Then she just walked off.
"For example, Mi-kun, what would you do if I died now?"
Her voice echoed from the kitchen. Despite its low volume, it resonated clearly in my ears.
"I wouldn't think about such things, so I don't know."
"Yes! That's it!"
I see, so that's what she meant!
I may not have understood her words, but I was inspired by Mayu's confidence and decided to understand her sentiment. It wasn't a loaded question anyway, and this was good enough.
Before I got bored, I gently opened the sliding doors to the Japanese-style room. The same repulsive smell wafted out. I covered my nose with my hand and noticed that my nosebleed had stopped. I entered the room.
Kota and Anzuko were lying close together in the corner of the room. Kota seemed to be sleeping while holding Anzuko protectively. Anzuko curled up like a cat basking in sunlight.
"...Huh."
It did seem adorable, but my facial muscles didn't move. They wouldn't relax unless it was genuinely funny. Of course, that means I can only smile when something's actually funny. But that's a lie.
I exited and headed to what I assumed was Mayu's bedroom, which I hadn't entered yet. After crossing the hallway and opening the door, the sight inside made me want to cover my eyes rather than my nose. Textbooks were stacked on the floor, the bedsheet was rolled up and left in a corner, and the desk was piled with fancy and funky trinkets, rendering it useless. However, since Mayu never reads, there were no magazines or books scattered around, and there was no bookshelf.
I sighed, stepped over the textbooks, and opened the closet. The clothes inside were carelessly stashed without any regard for wrinkles. I rummaged through Mayu's clothes, found a simple blanket, and dusted it off. Holding the blanket, I left the room. "It seems she doesn't use the living room since it's not messy..."
Despite it being the living room, there was no sign of life. Annoyed by this rather lame joke, I returned to the Japanese-style room. As I spread out the blanket to cover the two, Anzuko's sharp eyes reacted.
"I don't really need it..."
Half-asleep, Anzuko looked up at me with half-lidded eyes.
"I don't need any charity..."
She knew the nuanced meaning of the word "charity."
Unlike yesterday's meal, she wasn't driven by physiological needs, so she showed resistance. Still...
"It's a pity, but right now, the only one offering you kindness is a kidnapper. It'd be good to accept it graciously," I said, covering her with the blanket. Anzuko, her face half-hidden, protested in a muffled voice, "I told you I don't want it!"
"If you have it your way, your brother might catch a cold. Is that okay?"