“Seriously…”
Shidou Itsuka carried the cleaned dishes to the sink, turned on the faucet, and picked up the sponge.
He wasn’t actually that much older himself. Though he had always been mature for his age, ever since their adoptive parents left, he had shouldered the role of house-husband and gradually leaned into it. Seeing Kotori act so age-appropriately cute still made him feel a little relieved.
If he had to give a reason: despite already being a middle-schooler, she had never once brought friends home to play. She always came straight home after school. That kind of routine was certainly reassuring, but occasionally Shidou still worried—would Kotori be bullied at school? Did she have any good friends…?
Normally it was just the two of them at home, and Kotori was always in energetic little-sister mode, so watching her fight over hamburger steak at the table brought a fresh feeling to Shidou, along with the classic “you two really get along~” elder sentiment.
“Little-sister Kotori is definitely cuter, right~?”
“Yeah, she can be a headache sometimes, but little-sister-mode Kotori is really soothing…”
Shidou nodded in agreement and passed a washed plate to the hand reaching out beside him.
“…Huh? Kyoumi?!”
Only then did he realize something was wrong and notice who was next to him. The boy jumped back two steps in shock.
“What~?”
The purple-haired girl naturally took the plate, placed it in the rack, and answered in a drawn-out tone before turning around.
“I can handle cleaning up. You’re the guest—go watch TV with Kotori. Her favorite anime should be starting soon.”
“It’s just putting away plates. It’s not like I’m the one washing them.”
That’s true… but based on the impression he had of her, she didn’t seem like the type who would willingly tidy up dishes. So Shidou was genuinely surprised that Kyoumi had come to help in the kitchen.
“Was the food to your liking?”
Since she was only putting away the clean dishes, Shidou decided not to refuse and kept washing.
“Hm? Do you want praise that badly? Well, I’m no gourmet, so I can’t give a super detailed review~”
“That’s not necessary—”
“Is that so? Service was attentive and meticulous. The omurice was fluffy, the hamburger steak fried just right. You probably adjusted it a little for Kotori~”
“Eh?”
“You know the trick, right? Making fried food a bit heavier on purpose so kids don’t get addicted and feel full faster after a little more?”
“I didn’t do it on purpose… I just followed the recipe for the hamburger steak. I’m not great with deep-frying…”
Shidou looked away, not completely denying it.
“Well, the miso soup was delicious, so it’s normal to have things you’re not good at. Shidou, you could totally work as a restaurant chef.”
“Thanks for the compliment… Cooking is just a hobby, though. I’m still far from professional…”
Shidou wiped the water off the last plate and handed it to the girl. “Besides, I don’t want to be a chef.”
“Why’s that?”
The kitchen wasn’t big; a few steps were enough to reach the rack. Kyoumi casually continued the conversation.
“I think about what to make for the next meal at home every day—what ingredients are left in the fridge, how to pair dishes… It just feels nice.”
Shidou wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead with his elbow.
“So you’re the type who only wants to cook for family? That’s a nice bonus point~”
“…Bonus point…?”
“Snatching half-price items and limited eggs from the housewives feels amazing, right~?”
“Oh, I get that. Limited eggs are basically the glory of the living~ You’re one of us too, Kyoumi?”
“Maybe. My memories are pretty fuzzy,” the girl tilted her head as she took the last dishes, “but at least I know how to slide-tackle through crowds. I’ve also got some experience scouting supermarket discount zones and planning escape routes. All done?”
“That’s actually impressive! Yeah, that’s everything. Thanks for the help.”
“Putting away dishes isn’t hard. You sound like someone used to part-time work.”
“I’ve never really had a part-time job. Our adoptive parents still send living expenses every month, and if we budget well, we have plenty left over.”
Shidou turned off the faucet and flicked the water from his hands. “But somehow…”
Somehow, it felt different from his first impression of her. Honestly, he couldn’t picture her carefully timing discounts and mapping retreat routes in a supermarket. Pulling the entire shelf underground felt far more in character.
“No, it’s just… I was wondering if maybe you’re a spirit who used to be human… Anyone familiar with that battlefield (the discount zone) can’t be ordinary.”
“Who knows? I’m more inclined to believe I lived in this world for a while, then lost my memories in some accident and was forced back to the Neighboring World.”
“…An accident that caused memory loss?”
“That’s one of the reasons I came this time. The reason you and Kotori lost part of your memories might be similar to my situation. That’s why I want you to finish sealing Kotori first.”
“…What does that have to do with sealing?”
At the end of the day, Shidou had zero knowledge about supernatural phenomena. But at the very least, the ability to seal spirits—by common sense—wasn’t something normal humans possessed.
He had asked Kotori about it, but she had no idea why Shidou had this power either. The only thing certain was that he could seal a spirit’s power by building affection and taking that final step. It had been proven with Tohka.
“…It might be unrelated. It’s just a hunch of mine. But trying won’t hurt.”
Surprisingly, Kyoumi shook her head and gave an uncertain answer.
“A hunch?”
“Yeah. Spiritual power is second only to life itself for a spirit. When we first met, the healing flames you could ignite were part of Kotori’s abilities. So I think after sealing, a channel connecting your spiritual power was created.”
“I almost got turned to ash by you back then…”
Every time he recalled that moment, Shidou’s arm ached faintly. “…Come to think of it, when I sealed Tohka… something warm did flow into me…”
“Exactly. Spiritual power can carry many things—flight, compressed energy, manifesting tangible miracles… and even memories.”
“If you seal, the spiritual power channel opens. There’s a chance the memories from the time she became a spirit might surface along with it.”
“But if you’re chasing memories, why do you want me to seal Kotori first instead of—”
“What are you thinking, Shidou? Without the healing flames, you wouldn’t survive me playing around. Besides, it’s only a hypothesis. Until it’s verified on someone else, I’m not volunteering.”
Kotori’s healing ability was the key to keeping the boy alive. Recovering memories was just a side project… and…
“If anything unexpected happens, I’m stronger than Kotori. I can make any troublemakers understand what happens when they touch something they shouldn’t.”
That certain someone watching Shidou from the shadows… I’ll drag them out myself…