Vol 3 Chapter 3 (1/2)

On the night that bizarre suan

The stargazing had ended and that Yashi+ro, who somehow ended up under the Touwa's porch and refused to leave, had finally been driven out; the time was eleven o'clock

In tone wasn't short, so it wasn't a text e

I picked up the phone to check the caller ID “Ohoh!” This had to be first phone call we've had

Sitting on the bed, back against the wall, I prepared myself for a war of attrition and accepted the call

The gentle voice that ca

“hello, is it Niwa-kun?”

“Ryuushi+-san is speaking”

“I told ya to call me Ryuuko”

“Oh! Now it's definitely the real Ryuushi+-san” To h

“I told ya to call me Ryuuko~ Say Ryuuko!”

Itthe direction of our conversation

“What about Mifune-san?”

“”

“You don't like it?”

“If ya wanna call ht as well call me Ryuushi+~ But my name is Ryuuko!”

“Got it, got it~ So, uh, what do you need?”

I broke the cycle Ahehed a few times on her end, and I, too, adjusted my pose The insects' cries frotone

“M to sleep, y'know~ So I tried calling ya”

“I don't see how they relate, but… Maybe you just slept toothe day?”

“Wow, your thoughts sure are full of dream… Ah! 'I can't sleep for there is no dream'! Doesn't that sound super cool?”

“Clap, clap, clap”

“Heheh~ Thank you, thank you… Actually, I'm a little nervous, in more ways than one”

“Hm?”

“Like a pun, you peel me?”

“Before I correct your e of pun, I don't 'peel' you”

“I just bit ue a little! A, it hurts~ I can taste the blood!”

The sound of rolling echoed It would appear Ryuushi+-san was lying on her bed as well Ryuushi+-san in her pajama…

I al one last uess it was Erio's pajama

“Phew~ If a blood truck was around, nobody would be too upset”

If you were bleeding so o into the hospital instead of waiting for an ambulance to be around?

“So, what could possibly make you so nervous that your life is on the line?”

“Well~ Cuz… This isyou, Niwa-kun”

“Hht”

“That's enough to make me lose it!”

“I-is that right?” Now that she pointed it out, I' embarrassed too

“Talking on the phone is, y'know, a little bit ht next toto me and stuff, don't ya think?”

“H her say that, even I' conscious of it

“Or like a ha on my shoulder, heheh”

“The fact that that sentence didn't end in a question concerns me”

“Oh yeah, so else too”

“Nice to see you hearing half of what I say as always”

“My basketball club is actually having a game next week”

“Wait, 'your' basket ball club?”

“What I mean is sometimes I feel like it's mine”

“So you're the captain of the team, but only in your head”

“Yep! That's exactly what I mean, Niwa-kun!”

Well, no, it was just a silly joke… Is that a nor for an athlete to dream about?

I guess so, since I too once yearned to become a football captain too

“Then I'll go see you during the game”

“Oh, but there lies the problem, missis! Ah, I mean, Niwa-kun!”

She's s Her pillow?

“Oh, just by the way, sorry about thissuddenly came up”

“No, that's fine” And I felt like it'd be trouble if she and Erio met anyway “So, what is the problem?'

“Monna practice till I was perfect so that I could be in et about this suraduate! That's why I'm nervous”

“Hh”

“Well, y'know, if I'o, isn't that just terrible? That's why I have to be sure”

“So that's how it is… I see”

I had the sa to, I recalled the parents that caot to play in, while helping to take care of other people's kids

“That's what's been keeping me up That's all!”

“Okay, I get it~ I understand now”

But there is still nothing that I could do to help

Even if there is nothing I can do, shouldn't I still say so to comfort her?

“Then I'll pray for you I wish Ryuushi+-san could play in a game”

“Ahaha! If I can choose, I'd rather have you cheer for ht?”

'And I told ya to call h the phone, I could sense how relaxed she ith that usual phrase

I've became a hopeless addict to that 'I told ya~'

“If I get to play and kick butts in the game, can I expect some rewards from ya? JK, heheh~”

With assured laughters, she decorate her request for so other than spiritual support

“A reward, huh… Is there so within onna have to look deep to find that bar though

And who'd wish for soative? That's just how it is, hahah

“Mether sound? It's getting a little aard for o on my own~”

“Wouldn't that be a reward for me?”

“Eh?”

I kept my voice down and mumbled, so Ryuushi+-san couldn't hear me

“Oh, it's nothing Not that I care about conveniency, but is the festival you're talking about held in this town?”

Even with theopen like that, I've never heard any festival music come in

“Uust, I think? I reo there with the Onee-san from around, it was so fun~”

“Oh” If it's the thirteenth, then it'd be in three weeks

“Ugh~? Ya were playing baseball without knowing about this, Niwa-kun?”

“Know about what?”

“The last game of the a district gets to conduct the event I don't knoho made the rule either, but apparently it was to avoid conflict or so Dad tolddistrict to go to the festival, and vice versa”

But the city usually wins~ Ryuushi+-san casually added

The real deal in three weeks Maekawa-san was talking about — theto do with the festival?

Ah~ So we're just doing practice ga district has a high chance of losing this year too And if that were the case, can I still go the festival on the thirteenth?

“Oh, soz I knoe're rolling around like a square, but”

“Huess I'm already used to Ryuushi+-speech I didn't even bother asking

“About cheering Touwa-san, would she show up? I'”

“I don't think she will Probably”

Hm~ Ryuushi+-san is oddly concerned with Erio If I try to point this out, things ht become more complicated

And to keep whatever at away from that It isn't easy, but it is what I want to do

“I see~ Then, okay I know it sounds bad to say things like this, uh, u any more”

“Ahaha” It's the wisest to not ask any further, right?

“Oh yeah~ Speaking of baseball, I wanna talk about Nakajima-kun”

The conversation took an L turn right then What we just talked about wasn't going to end up anywhere sunshi+ne and butterfly, so I tried to end it And noe're talking so I was personally very interested about, so I said nothing

But frouessed that Ryuushi+-san would be the one to bring this up

“So what's the matter?” I curled up in preparation for any comment

Perhaps anxious, I heard she s Then…

“Nakajima-kun… I asked him out this March, only he shot me down”

It's one of my predictions, but not one I had betted on

“I see… That is… A shame”

“Eh? For me?”

“No For Nakajima”

This is Ryuushi+-san we're talking about here! She doesn't stand out, yeah, but she's certainly sost all these people

“Ah Wuu… Then, if it was for Niwa-kun… Um, uh…”

“Hah? What did you say?”

“Nothing~! And I thought ere gonna have the best su yet!”

“That's because you're always so busy~ But is that really so bad?”

“Mm~ But still”

Then we talked everything about nothing until one of us finally yawned

We talked about Ryuushi+-san running away from home, and when I met an alien (lol)

Thesefaded, like stars in the dark sky

The nextfollowed

Under the influence of having no baseball ga, I woke up late

Scratching my unkempt head, I walked down the stairs; I circled the entire house once, in case Meme-san was already up Yet, soain sat naturally in the house,me doubt my eyes

In the living room, Yashi+ro choay at her breakfast, rilled eel

Like a bear stuffing itself before hibernation

And instead of the space suit, she wore a shi+rt and skirt that probably belonged to Me me, like 'space shi+p launched! Totes carefree!'?

Whether it's her outfit, skin, or hair, they're of a pale colour expressible in just black and white

Perhaps she took a shower earlier, her hair glistened withthe hotel service too, you little turd?

On the other side of the table, a s the voracious girl “Good ~ Mako-rin!”

“Who's the person even more abnormal than what you just called me?”

“H Yashi+ro with puffed up face turned over The mysteriousness her almost silver hair and face exudes was reduced by sixty percent, while her friendliness increased… I would hope not That aside

I looked over to Meme-san to demand an explanation She blinked crazily with her eyes, probably because dirt got into her eyes In so, but I'd like to ignore this possibility

“Mako-kun, if you don't eat now, soonna eat 'em all~”

“Is it because there is so my food?”

“You shouldn't be so mean to your friends, Mako-kun Oh and by the way I think your 'tsun' for your aunt has been going on for a little too long Your aunt has been charging for too long, now her power's leaking!”

Are you perhapselse?

“She's just a sketchy kid, not my friend”

“I found her collapsed under the porch when I was doing laundry this ”

“I was sleeping”

“So I brought her in”

“Wahahahah!”

“Ahahahahah!”

Stop laughing! Stop being so chu kids in!

Are you one of those grandmas fro closely, the spacesuit costuhtmare appeared to drift in the breeze

I saw Erio too… Swinging a broo?

“We don't have a baseball bat for her to practice with, so that's the best we got”

“Oh” Baseball practice, huh Does she like amateur baseball that much?

In the front, Erio; in the living rooe sensation

I hope I never get use to it

It is as though we are now forced into the parallel world that 'Yashi+ro is a part of the Touwa family' Is it because she fit so well in here? There's a force not to be reckoned with

Meently at Yashi+ro's symmetrically-split hair

And when she almost chocked, she'd hand her a cup of barely tea like a loving mother

Uap-moe in favour of mother-saint character?

To calht side of the desk while glaring at Meme-san

“So, why did you let some fishy kid into the house?” At least be cautious around so like this!

Well, maybe she's a little o, but still

That's not saying a whole lot if you're coht?

Meen supply for a bit; when her cheeks turned red, she covered her mouth and looked away

“I-I didn't let her in because she called me a Onee-san!”

“…” My head hurts Thisis ruined

“Fufufu, I've hypnotized this women This, too, is thanks to my super power”

Yashi+ro cockily added another lie

“You're just kissing her ass, aren't you?” Don't you have any self respect?

“Ion to me”

“My! What do you mean weird!” Mee was mentioned

“So I had do it 'Good day, Onee-san!'” She squeezed out a super fake cute voice “The entrancing voice was needed She becananimity”

“I could totally see that happen”

“But Meme is a not too bad — at least better than you”

Did she concede because of the food? Skillfully insulting ave was like an abandoned puppy wary of hu close to them because of the food

I thought about this occasionally, but is the interaction between human and alien not too different from that of huht that

Not that I'

Mu the line of 'it takes a smart kid to see my true nature~' Meme-san dazed off

“If it were me, I would extend no mercy to others, unless I have a penchant for them”

Yashi+ro declared decisively and shotthat if she were to find me under the porch, she wouldn't help either?

Meave her the usual smile

“Me too I only helped you because I like you”

“Really”

Timid by her standard, Yashi+ro looked down

Her shutting up otten to her

Erio noticed eratedly at me; I waved back discreetly Frorimace

“Was it due to her growing up here…? She doesn't appear to be aware of her nature as an extraterrestrial Looks like she won't be able to become a comrade with a pure alien such as myself”

That commentary was quite like a certain battle-oriented race! [1]

“What, so you're going to stopwith her?”

“The reason reate… But I find ”

Again, she grumbled with her incomprehensible talk of 'work'

Me the conversation while changing the channel randomly

“It's really hot this ain”

“I won't open it this time” I'll even cover it with a blanket

“Alrighty, tiive me a second”

Given up onconversation, Meme-san left the table I wanted to follow her too, to ask her questions where Yashi+ro isn't nearby, but I didn't want to leave a non-fa room either Yet, once I see her stuffed cheeks and content smile (that disappeared as soon as we made eye contact) I stood up and left

Tailing Me, wavy hair

“Are you actually fine with this?”

“What's the probleirl I don't know, it's just letting her sleep for the day and giving her afriends over”

A nonchalant Me her lack of issues with Yashi+ro

Setting how careless she was aside — if one of those naive girls in children's stories were to grow up to forty years old, I bet she'd be the perfect example

Her character of never doubting anyone; her act of showing the good and bad parts of her in front of anyone Thiskid'

“Plus I felt like I got another little sister”

“Your understanding of the word sister is rather poor” Confusing that with 'daughter'

However

“I can't believe how carefree you are”

Aren't I an idiot for not loosening up?

A person who lives in a town that's more like a town than where I came from has a much broader interaction with people There's a silly, laughable part in that fact — that is, people back home actually understand the rudimentary

In the country side, there aren't many people When there aren't people, you become more disinclined to interact with them

Me her niece's complaints of 'no, that's too rin It's that special smile that only appears when she reminisces

“There is indeed a personal reason”

“Which is?” Because she wasn't called an old lady? No way

Suddenly bashful like a young girl, and with a voice that see sun, Meme-san quietly spelled out the truth

“She looks just like Elliot when he was young Of course I'd be nice to her”

Okay, after the costume was dried

I had to send Yashi+ro home for some reason

Where does she live?

I get that I was going to get Erio to work anyway, but…

“Not trying to disappoint you, but my bicycle doesn't fly”

The one that fle sleeps with the fishes I wonder if the original is preserved somewhere Namu Amida Butsu [2]

“Why would I expect you to accoh-level act of kindness? I suppose I will allow you to find me a place of abode”

“Place of abode?” What about your house? And then she iarded her previous sentence

“Under the eave, that is I must remain on this planet till my job is done”

“Does that involve you putting it together?” [3]

Purposefully being incongruent, I prevented her fro on

As I headed toward the shed, a sight that flashed by my eyes ceased me

“So hot~” Seeing us off, Meme-san, as cooked theher head It's a strange expression unusual for her With the space costume under her arm, she pinched and pulled her shi+rt forward

“Are you sure I can have this?”

“Okay~” Meme-san's eyes looked bleary; the forty-year-old who proposed to her air conditioner appeared to have no resistance to heat

“I won't give it back though”

“It's fine, just take it~ Ugh” Her tongue's

“And you won't get anything in return”

“If I wanted soiven it to someone else~”

“What are you trying saying?”

“Exactly what I just said”

“…Then I won't use my power on you”

“Ahahah! Thank you very much”

Yashi+ro turned abruptly away froaze

“The hell are you looking at?!”

“Oh, oops My bad” I just couldn't help but eavesdrop on this rare exchange

“The day when you see the sun in the ht will be your last!”

“Hoould that even be the ht?”

My conored To vent her frustration and eround and paced around the entrance Looks just like a zoo monkey

“Anyhere is Erio?”

“Isn't she right there?” Meme-san pointed behind me

“Hm?” I merely turned my head “Hm” There she was

She seemed to have snuck up on me

“I tried to get the cousin's back” [4]

“You're not being literal enough, sadly”

Erio bafflingly tilted her head There's no way you can everon with her?

Last night, she iotten into her head?

At the sight of the bicycle being carried out of the shed, Yashi+ro hureat esper had complaints about the plebeian vehicle, but she did not open her ain

Alright, Erio in the basket, and Yashi+ro… Behinda self-titled esper — the day I get another hu behind me aside from my own aunt “Came” I' as fortunate

Before getting on, Yashi+ro donned her space helirl onto my bike? Well, below her head were an everyday shi+rt and skirt, so I guess I' the helmet clan (?), her and Ryuushi+-san's cuteness couldn't be any more different In just an instant, I'd been sandwiched by two suspicious characters

In the front a basket girl, the back a helame of Reversi, even I would become the abnormal bicyclist

“Careful~ Around Mako-kun!”

“Why don't you send the to warn them?”

“The rest is up to you young folks, sniffle… My youth… My dearest AC~!” The forty-year-old covered her face and retreated back into the house to heal her et her back here if I yell 'Mereat of a liar

Checking Erio's seated properly and hearing Yashi+ro's jeer of 'hured Xenomrph mimicry?' I released the bike lock and straddled onto the seat Fro on

For so a ride on the way to Erio's work, she's quite an imprudent one

Yashi+ro's thin arms choked my stomach, like I was so into ulation

I even moaned fro The rigid rim I felt on my back seemed to kill off the rest

When Yashi+ro is around, et suck away