Chapter 1: Two Highschool Girls

One day in May, 10:38 in the evening, after the Golden Week past and the bustling atmosphere of the holiday has completely calmed down.

I was standing with my smartphone as I pressed my phone against my ear.

The other end of the line was my dad.

He seemed to have said something unbelievable thing, but because it was so sudden, my brain didn't process it.

"...... Dad, I didn't hear you clearly, can you say it again?" I nervously asked.

"Huh? Hear me out. Do you remember your cousin Kanon-chan? your mother's sister, Shoko's daughter. I hope you'll let her stay at your house for a while."

"...."

I couldn't get a word out of my mouth.

The TV, which is on, was dominating the room with the usual laughing sound of a variety show.

Dad's request came like out of the blue.

"......"

After I hung up the phone, a heavy sigh came out naturally.

With the sound of the news broadcast going in my left ear and out of my right ear as a backdrop, I leaned weakly against the back of the sofa and drank down the beer I had just drunk halfway.

The beer had lost all of it's bubbles, and it was very hard to drink.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the clock on the wall, the time was just after 11:00 pm.

Thinking back, the conversation earlier, since Dad never calls at this time, around. I immediately thought, could it be that my mother's condition had deteriorated in the hospital?

However, the content was beyond my imagination.

Understanding the situation. I already know why he calls me this time around.

So I agreed to my father's request.

Because I had no reason to refuse.

However, deep down inside, I'm still not okay with it.

"Do really you want me to live with a high school girl......?"

Kurachi Kanon.

Although she is my cousin, I have hardly met her.

Her mother--Aunt Shoko--is a so-called single mother, and perhaps because of her busy schedule, she hardly ever visit me.

Therefore, I don't remember much about Kanon, and all I remember is when she hides on my mother back and whisper her greetings.

The last time I saw Kanon was during the New Year's Eve of my High school. That was eight years ago.

I remember that my aunt gave me a red envelope to congratulate me on my high school graduation.

I remember hearing that Kanon was in third grade of elementary school. ...... Well, In short she's a high school student now.

"Actually, Kanon suddenly came to our place today...... and asked me about her mother, that seemed suddenly disappeared and had not come home for three days."

"Aunt always been free-spirited person, and doesn't seem worried about Kanon- but in this day and age, there are too many problems for a high school girl to live alone...."

"Yeah, but right now, your mom is in hospital. I visit her frequently after work, so frankly, I don't have that much energy to take care of a highschooler. So I'd like you to take care of her for now, and since she has to go to school, the distance from your place to the school seems much closer than my place."

I was replaying in my head what Dad had just told me.

Auntie had suddenly disappeared.

Many questions came to my mind, such as why she disappeared? and whether Kanon ever reported her disappearance to the police? but I didn't even got chance to ask a single question. No, should say I was so shocked that I forgotten to ask.

"Anyway, I have to clean the room first ......"

The words "living with a high school girl" brought an urge to clean the room late night.

I wasn't expecting anyone else to come, but the room was in a terrible state right now.

It was too late to do a big cleanup, but at least I had to clean up the empty cans and trash that were on the table and near the gas stove.

I flattened the empty cans one by one and put them into a plastic bag.

The containers of ready-made groceries take up a lot of space and are distracting.

The big garbage bag ran out a few days ago, and I was a little annoyed that I hadn't bought some sooner. ◇◇◇

The next morning, While I was wearing my tie when the intercom rang.

Because I spent about an hour cleaning my room after getting the call last night, I was a little short on sleep compared to normal.

I tried to suppress my sleepiness and answered the intercom:

"Hello?"

"Is this...... Komamura's house...?"

Probably because I hadn't given my first name, the tone of the question seemed rather hesitant.

"Yes. And you are....?"

"I'm Kanon."

Although it had changed a bit from when she was a kid, it was really Kanon's voice.

I was a little suspicious that my dad's request last night was just maybe a hallucination of my drunken brain, but, she's really at my door right now...

Incidentally, the intercom in my apartment doesn't have a camera, so it's completely conversational communication.

"My dad already told me. I'll open the door now, just a minute."

I turned off the intercom and went to the entrance.

I took a deep breath and then turned the lock.

'It's okay. I cleaned the dust off the floor last night, so it should be fine.'

I don't know why I started to wonder, if anyone could see my room until then, but it was too late to worry about it.

I made up my mind and open the door.

Standing in front of me was a small high school girl with lightly dyed hair and a petite figure.

The dark green blazer uniform made the bright hair color look even more striking.

Woahh, highschool girl's really something this days.

I can't help but feel a little panicky because there is a big gap difference between her appearance in my memory of her childhood and now.

After all, they are high school students, so naturally they want to dress up, right?

By the way, this uniform ......

I can't help but be attracted to the uniforms of high school girls, I wonder why though?

"This the first time I will meet you, I was very nervous." As her eyes wandered around as she greeted me awkwardly.

When I see someone in front of me who is nervous, I calm down.

This is a good time to show the calmness of an adult.

Incidentally, I had never realized this in the past.

"Anyway, come on in." I'm glad I didn't sound out of tune.

Kanon listened to what I said and walked through the entrance door.

She seemed to frown for a moment, but I don't know what that means.

After taking off her shoes, she aligned them.

"Just find a place to put your luggage for now.

"......Okay."

Kanon murmured softly and followed me.

Is the greeting you gave just earlier was just an act?

The moment she entered my place, I suddenly stopped using polite words, which made me feel a little shaky inside.

It's really worth it to talk on a high school girl....