"I exchanged it!"
"Oh, welcome back."
As I was refreshing my palate with some warm black coffee, Riran returned from the convenience store.
In her hand was a Gorigori-kun Soda flavor.
Opening it triumphantly, she bit into it with her small mouth.
"Mmm, so cold~♪ As I thought, when it comes to ice cream, it has to be Gorigori-kun."
"You really love Gorigori-kun, don't you?"
"Yes. I love it so much that I even get into fights with my older sister over it."
Doesn't she like it a bit too much?
I walked alongside Riran as she ate her Gorigori-kun.
To think that Kuonji Riran was smiling here right next to me... I'm still not used to this sense of distance.
As I looked at Riran out of the corner of my eye, she noticed my gaze and tilted her head.
"What is it, Akito? Is there something on my face?"
"No, I was just thinking you look like you're enjoying it."
"I'm not giving you any!"
"I don't want it."
Just how greedy does she think I am?
"...Being told that you don't want my leftovers makes me annoyed in its own way."
"What am I supposed to do then?"
She was surprisingly unreasonable.
Riran huffed and turned away, crunching down on the ice.
Hey, hey, if you eat it all at once like that...
"!? ~~~~! ~~!!"
"I knew it... you ate it too fast, you dummy."
She held her head, enduring the headache. Good grief, is she a child?
"Here, have some black coffee. It's warm."
"Ugh, I want sweet cocoa..."
"Don't be selfish."
"...*sip*. Nngh... it's bitter..."
Riran's eyes were tearing up. So Riran isn't good with coffee, huh.
She pushed the can back to me and went back to her Gorigori-kun, her face instantly becoming happy again.
I see, so Riran likes sweet things.
"So, what are we doing now?"
"My mom asked me to do some shopping, so I was thinking of getting the groceries. Apparently, it's curry tonight."
"Curry...!"
Suddenly, Riran's eyes began to sparkle.
"...Do you like curry?"
"Mm-hm."
"...Want to come over to eat?"
"Is it okay...!?"
"Yeah. I'll have to ask my mom first, though."
I sent a message through the app asking if I could invite Riran.
An 'OK' stamp was sent back almost instantly.
"She said it's fine."
"Yay! Eating alone is really lonely after all!"
"Now that you mention it, are you staying in the new home by yourself right now?"
"Yes. I'll protect the house until you come back. You can rest easy."
Wait, this girl is super devoted.
From what I've heard, our house is supposed to be quite large.
Thinking about Riran being left all alone in such a big house made my chest ache slightly for some reason.
"...Aren't you lonely? You know... waiting all by yourself."
"I am lonely. But since you're the one going through the hardest time, I can't be the one whining about it."
Sorry, I'm not actually suffering that much.
But it's true that I do get anxious sometimes, wondering what will happen if my memories never return.
Riran has opened her heart to me this much. It's not hard to imagine how dense those past six months must have been.
Things are fine as they are, but they can't stay this way.
I can't let these six months with Riran go to waste.
I secretly braced myself, and after buying the curry ingredients with Riran, we headed home.
◆
"Dad, Mom. I'm thinking of moving back to the new home tomorrow."
During dinner, I announced what I had been thinking about during the day.
My father listened with a smile, and my mother listened seriously.
However, Kotono and Riran looked at me with concern.
"Eh, you're going already!? Onii-chan, you should stay a bit longer..."
"That's right, Akito. Right now, it might be better to stay with your family..."
"Now, now, you two. Let's hear Akito's reasoning first."
Father calmed the two of them down.
Thanks, Dad.
"It's true that if I stay in this house, I'll be able to live without any inconveniences. But if I do that, I'll just be spending every day with no change."
"Hmm... in other words, you're saying that if you spend stimulating days with Riran-san, your memories might return... is that what you mean?"
"Stimulating is a bit of a distorted way to put it, but yeah, that's the gist of it."
After lazing around the house for the past few days, I realized I couldn't keep going like this.
"I want to get my memories back. I think if I'm with Riran, who I'm connected to by this Dark Scarlet Thread, something might trigger my memory to return."
The Dark Scarlet Thread.
A miracle of miracles, a color that has only been confirmed in a few cases worldwide.
Since I'm connected by such a thread, there's no way I shouldn't make use of it.
As if my feelings reached them, my father and mother both nodded.
"I think it's fine. There's certainly a much higher possibility than just staying here at home."
"I'm fine with it too. But if you need any help, tell us anytime, okay?"
"...Thank you."
I bowed my head at their warm words.
Then, Kotono shook her head with a sigh.
"Onii-chan is stubborn about these things... don't push yourself too hard, okay?"
"Yeah, I know."
When I gave Kotono's head a firm pat, she laughed as if it tickled.
"So that's how it is. Riran, I'll be in your care again starting tomorrow."
"Good grief... fine. You can count on me."
Riran puffed out her chest and answered with full confidence.
I have no basis for it, but I felt like as long as I was with Riran, everything would be okay.
With that premonition, the night grew late.