Haihara touched the mug, then took a small sip.
"...So sweet."
It was almost too sweet.
She was nearly thirty. Would drinking something this sickly sweet in the middle of the night be bad for her teeth?
And it seemed like it could give her high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol.
Kazama Kiriori, though, seemed to love this sort of sickly sweet stuff.
When she was little, the girl had even liked eating honey straight from the jar.
Oh well. The hot cocoa was pretty good, at least.
Her adopted daughter could be a bit of a handful when she got clingy, but most of the time, she was very considerate.
She was much better at cooking than Haihara was.
Kazama leaned closer, resting her face in her hands.
"By the way, Mom, do you remember what you promised me before?"
She looked at Haihara as eagerly as a puppy wagging its tail.
"What?"
"A date. Just the two of us."
"I told you, it's not a date. We can go out and have fun together."
Haihara once again felt how troublesome raising a child could be.
Playing with little kids was exhausting.
Kazama Kiriori smiled brightly, humming a little tune under her breath.
Haihara looked at her helplessly.
"I'm tired. Give me a shoulder massage."
Kazama Kiriori stood up at once, went behind Haihara, and obediently began massaging her shoulders with practiced hands.
Haihara wasn't old enough to need a massage, and she wasn't really tired, either.
It was probably just become a habit.
Once, Kazama Kiriori had eagerly offered to give her a massage. Haihara had let her try, and it had felt pretty nice, so they'd kept it up ever since.
The pressure was just right, neither too light nor too hard. As Haihara drank her hot cocoa and let her daughter massage her, she felt unusually relaxed.
Kazama Kiriori's slender fingertips gently brushed the back of Haihara's exposed neck, grazing her slightly cool skin. She couldn't help wanting to play a little prank.
After a while, Haihara felt a tickle on her neck.
"I asked you to massage me, not bite me. Are you protesting?"
Haihara patted Kazama Kiriori's head in confusion.
The bite had been very gentle, but she didn't like it.
Kazama Kiriori looked a little disappointed. She leaned forward and rested her head on Haihara's shoulder.
"Sleep with me tonight."
"Can't you sleep on the sofa?" Haihara said coolly.
"I hardly ever get to come home," Kazama Kiriori said pitifully.
Haihara looked at her for a while, but in the end, she couldn't bring herself to refuse. She sighed.
"Don't get too close. It'll be hot tonight."
Kazama Kiriori immediately flashed a smug smile and leaned in again, rubbing her cheek against Haihara's. It made Haihara feel like she was raising a puppy.
She really didn't seem like herself...
Haihara wasn't very good at getting close to people.
But Kazama Kiriori was like a clingy, padded coat.
In summer, she made you feel hot.
That night, the two of them slept in the same bed for the first time in a long while. In the middle of the night, Haihara felt a little hot and slowly opened her eyes. She found that her daughter had somehow wrapped her arms around her again.
She'd be going out with this little one tomorrow, too.
Sleepily, Haihara blinked, edged a little closer, and wrapped her arms around Kazama Kiriori, who was wearing pajamas. She gently kissed the girl on the forehead.
Then the little brat, despite still being asleep, snuggled even closer.
"Mmm... Lily..."
"?"
What a cheeky little brat. Why was she calling her by her name in her sleep?
Haihara had no idea what went through this girl's head all day long.
She rubbed her eyes, gently pushed Kazama Kiriori's arm aside, and climbed out of bed to go to the bathroom.
Then she soon heard footsteps. She turned around and saw Sakaki Chika.
The little one seemed to have just woken up in the middle of the night, too. She looked a bit groggy.
Still half asleep, Sakaki Chika spotted Haihara and slowly walked over. Then she threw her arms around Haihara and mumbled, "Teacher... you're back..."
Haihara was a little confused, but she patted Sakaki Chika's head anyway.
"Did you not sleep well?"
Having just woken up, Haihara's voice was gentler than usual.
"I had a nightmare..."
Sakaki Chika seemed upset.
It reminded Haihara a little of Kiriori when she was young. She used to wake up in the middle of the night after having nightmares, too.
It had been soon after Haihara adopted Kiriori. Kiriori often had nightmares about her parents.
Maybe Sakaki Chika was going through something similar.
She'd been quiet while staying at Haihara's house these past few days, but she probably still didn't feel very secure.
"If you're feeling down, you can talk to me."
Haihara patted her back.
"Mmm..."
Sakaki Chika seemed to be saying something, but Haihara couldn't make it out. She bent down a little closer, then felt a quick peck on her cheek.
Haihara froze, then looked at Sakaki Chika and saw the girl's face turning faintly red.
Was this little girl clingy, too?
Sakaki Chika didn't say anything else. She just lowered her head and continued hugging Haihara.
Haihara thought she heard Sakaki Chika whisper, "Teacher... I'll repay your kindness just like your daughter does..."
"Uh... okay?"
Haihara thought the girl was quite good at repaying kindness.
Kirishima Hina
On Sundays, Kirishima Ai usually went out alone to do odd jobs. But today was different. She didn't go to work; instead, she went by herself to a hospital far from home.
It was a private hospital in Maple Plain City, established with funding from the Kougami Foundation. It had world-class medical equipment and technology.
After locking up her bicycle, she entered the hospital alone with practiced ease and took the elevator to the fourth floor.
It was nine in the morning. Sunlight streamed through the windows into the hospital corridor, which was fairly quiet, with the occasional nurse passing by.
Kirishima Ai carried a bag of snacks in one hand and a small bag in the other as she walked toward the end of the corridor.
She stopped at the very last door and gently pushed it open.
At some point, the curtains in the hospital room had been drawn. The room was dim, with only a narrow gap letting in the light. Through it, she could just make out a glass bottle holding a withered daffodil.
In the corner of the room, a petite girl sat quietly on a pure white hospital bed, without saying a word. Her black hair partly covered her eyes as she stared calmly at the dead flower on the windowsill.
The room felt a little cold. Kirishima Ai was wearing short sleeves, and it had been a little warm outside, but in here she felt chilly.
She looked up. It didn't seem like the air conditioner was on, either.
The girl on the bed didn't seem to have noticed Kirishima Ai's arrival.
"Hina."
Kirishima Ai spoke softly.
The girl reacted and slowly turned her head. Her expression didn't change; she simply gazed quietly at Kirishima Ai.
She wore a hospital gown and was extremely thin, her skin unnaturally pale. She gave the impression of being fragile and delicate. Her long black hair framed a face beneath her bangs that looked very much like Kirishima Ai's.
She was Kirishima Ai's younger sister, Kirishima Hina.
Kirishima Ai had come to visit her today.
Every so often, her younger sister had to be admitted here for treatment. Otherwise, she wouldn't just be unable to walk; she wouldn't be able to move at all.
Even now, though, nobody knew what illness she had.
It was caused by the Monster incident.
Whether they asked Doctor Kougami or Dean Roland, the answer was always the same: there was no way to cure her completely.
The room stayed quiet for a while before Kirishima Ai spoke again.
"Your big sister's here to see you."
Hina nodded.
Kirishima Ai walked over and sat beside her bed. She put the bag of snacks on the chair nearby and set the small bag on the table.
"You haven't opened the curtains. Did you just wake up?"
She reached out and gently stroked Hina's hair.
Hina shook her head.
"I'm not in a good mood... I don't want to open them."
Lately, Hina seemed to have grown a little quiet.
She was getting worse. She used to need to be hospitalized once every two and a half months, but now it had been only half a month since her last stay.
Her family had no idea what to do.
"Did you eat properly yesterday?"
"I ate dinner."
"Are you feeling unwell?"
"I threw up last night."
Kirishima Ai fell silent for a moment, then opened the bag on the table. Inside was a small cake.
She'd bought everything in the bag with the money she'd earned from her odd jobs.
"Your big sister bought the strawberry cake you said you wanted last time. Would you like to try some now?"
Kirishima Ai patted Hina's head.
Hina nodded. Kirishima Ai opened the plastic container and handed her a small fork. Hina studied the cake curiously, then slowly began scooping at it.
She didn't eat it right away. She just divided it into little pieces and arranged them in the small plastic container.
Before you continue