On Sunday, I went ahead and got my driver's license.
Since I didn't have an appointment, it took the whole day to finish, but the process itself was simple enough.
When I finally got home, a LINE message popped up from Kotoha. She sent a sticker of a rabbit peeking shyly over an edge.
[Are you home?]
[Just came home.]
[Dinner at my house?]
[Okay.]
After changing into something comfortable, I crossed the short distance between our houses and knocked on the Minase door.
"Souta-kun. Welcome!"
Kotoha greeted me with her usual brightness, her smile lighting up her whole face. Perhaps it was because we'd become more intimate, but just seeing her expression filled me with joy now.
Kotoha was someone I truly loved.
Inside, Hikari was in the kitchen. She carried the same motherly charm as always, greeting me with a warm smile.
"I've been seeing you so often, it's like you live here."
"This is my vacation home."
"A vacation home 10 steps away?"
"Well, it feels like a vacation when I come here."
"Ufufu."
My interactions with Hikari had become smoother lately, though no real progress yet. I knew she was someone I needed to have a real, heartfelt talk with before we could grow closer.
That night's dinner was curry. Comfort food at its finest. The savory fragrance filled the room, wrapping us in homeliness. Sharing a meal like this, laughter weaving between bites, it felt less like I was a guest and more like we were a family.
If only Hiyori could be here too.
By the way, I loved Hikari's cooking. It was my favorite thing in the world.
As we ate, Kotoha slipped her hand under the table and grasped mine, her expression blissful.
I laced my fingers with hers and held them gently.
I had already decided on the next step of Kotoha's sensitivity training. With handholding, I would split it into two patterns: gentle and affectionate when we were being couple-like, firm and forceful when things turned lewd. Little subconscious cues like this would slowly teach her body to associate the mood with the type of touch.
"Souta-kun. Do you want to go to my room?"
"Sure. To study, right?"
"Y-yeah."
We both knew it wasn't to study.
"I'll bring you some fruits later," Hikari said with a cheerful hum.
"Thank you, Hikari-san. Should I help you cut up the peaches?"
"No, no. It's okay. Just relax and focus on studying."
We went upstairs to Kotoha's room.
It was clean, girly, and unmistakably hers. The faint fragrance of her filled the air, sweet and soft, and just one whiff was enough to send blood rushing through me.
Her desk was neatly organized, notes and doodles pinned to the wall. Little reminders, sketches, even her latest track times. On the floor was a low desk for studying, and her bed was made with a pink comforter.
Bookshelves lined with shojo manga and textbooks stood against the wall, decorated with small knickknacks and framed polaroid pictures. Most of them were of us when we were kids. Looking at them reminded me how deeply our lives were tied together. In my case, it was even deeper. I've had known her across two lifetimes.
"I haven't been here in a long time."
"Right?"
After my parents' deaths in junior high, I had isolated myself, and we grew more distant. But before then, we were inseparable. We would enter each other's houses without hesitation.
I remembered times when my parents weren't home so I'd come to her home and Hikari would cut fruit for us as I watched TV. Other times, I'd return home to find Kotoha already in my room, waiting for me.
"I'll come by more often. Like back in the old days."
"Yeah!"
I scanned her bookshelf and pulled out a familiar children's book.
"You still have this? This is so nostalgic."
"I love this story. We used to sit and read it together."
"I remember. I couldn't read some of the words, so you had to teach me."
"Hehe. Right?" She looked proud.
I sat cross-legged on the floor with the book.
"Do you want to read it again together?"
"Souta-kun wants to read a children's book~"
"Let me have my fun."
"Okay~"
After teasing me, Kotoha joined me on the floor. She hesitated for a moment before shyly scooting closer and leaning her head against my shoulder. Cute.
I began to read aloud, line by line.
It was even more nostalgic than I expected. The simple, heartwarming story of a pig and an elephant becoming friends carried me back to a time I had nearly forgotten.
A time when everything was warm and colorful.
When my parents were still alive.
When we had big family dinners and Kotoha read this story to me as we snuggled under a blanket.
The memory filled me with a bittersweet warmth. It was a strange sensation. Like touching a part of myself I had lost.
Now, in this second life, I was nothing more than a husk carrying regrets. And yet, there were still three things that could stir my heart back to life: Kotoha, Hikari, and Hiyori.
That's why I love them.