“...It’s huge.”
The next day, I came to the new home with Riran, but... what’s with this size? This scale.
Are we really living in a place like this?
I had heard about it, but I can hardly believe it...
“Come on, Akito, get in.”
“O-Oh.”
I followed behind Riran.
She opened the gate with biometric authentication and we crossed the spacious garden.
It’s wide. Too wide. Even the Straw Millionaire would show a bit more restraint than this.
My brain can’t keep up with the sheer scale. I thought coming here might trigger some memories... but instead, I’m just overwhelmed.
The front door also opens with biometric authentication.
There are even security cameras; it seems the security is perfect.
Riran, who entered the house first, spun around and thrust out both arms with a little “Nn.”
“...What?”
“Nn!”
“No, what do you mean by ‘nn’?”
I don’t understand when you just do that.
“A-Ah, that’s right. Akito’s memories are gone, so you wouldn’t know. A-Akito, it was our daily routine for you to give me a big squeeze when we got home.”
“...Excuse me?”
A big squeeze... wait, do you mean a hug?
No way. Did Riran and I really do that whenever we came home?
I stared intently into Riran’s eyes.
“………… (Pui)”
Hey, don’t look away.
“Is that true? Did I really give you a squeeze every time I came home?”
“I-It’s true. Me no tell lie.”
She’s talking like a broken robot.
And she won’t even meet my eyes.
“...It really happened...”
“Sigh... Well, if you say so... I understand.”
“! Fufu. You should have just nodded obediently from the start! Come on, come here!”
Riran waited for the hug with a beaming smile.
To be honest, this is extremely awkward.
The Riran who used to see me as her natural enemy is now waiting for a hug with such an expectant face... and the target is me. I don’t understand it at all.
But if I say “Actually, I won’t do it” now, Riran will probably explode with rage... I guess I have no choice.
While feeling nervous, I slowly approached Riran.
Riran also accepted me with a nervous expression, and then.
Squeeze—.
!? Th-This is...!
Soft objects changing shape against my solar plexus.
A cheek rubbing against my chest.
A scent like pheromones, a mixture of a citrus fragrance and Riran’s own scent.
She kept smiling, as if she was truly happy to be hugged by me.
W-We were doing this every day...?!
Eh, really? Did we really do this? I have no memory of it. Ah, I literally have no memory...!
“E-Enough already, right?”
“Just a little more.”
“But we can’t get further into the house like this...”
“Usually, we’d squeeze for two hours.”
“That’s definitely a lie.”
Even without my memories, I know that’s a lie.
Riran said “I guess it can’t be helped” with a dissatisfied look and finally let go.
Ah, thank goodness... If we had stayed stuck together like that, I felt like I would’ve gone crazy from the sheer awkwardness.
I took off my shoes and entered the house.
Even so, the entrance hall alone is this huge. It’s going to take time just to explore this place.
“Now, let’s wash our hands and gargle, then go to the living room. This way.”
“O-Oh.”
I headed to the oversized washroom, finished washing my hands and gargling.
Then, the oversized living room. It’s so big I wonder if a living room is even allowed to be this spacious.
I mean, since I got here, I’ve said nothing but ‘huge’ and ‘wide.’
But please understand how I feel.
“Here, Akito. Coffee.”
“A-Ah, thank you.”
Oh, this scent. It’s the coffee from my favorite brand.
“How is it? Do you feel like you can remember anything?”
“No... sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll support you, so take your time.”
...Riran was actually such a good person.
“What was with that Riran who used to be so tsun-tsun then...?”
“Th-That was, well... I just got nervous in front of you and couldn't be honest...”
“Is that so?”
The ‘Riran likes me too much’ problem.
Well, it’s not a problem. In fact, I’m happy to hear the truth.
I see. She liked me so much that she couldn’t be honest when facing me.
............
What kind of embarrassing thing is this girl saying?!
My face heated up from embarrassment.
Riran must have sensed my embarrassment too, as she blushed and looked down.
“W-What, is something wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, but...”
““............””
Ah, this is bad. I can’t look Riran in the face properly because of this strange bashfulness.
How was I able to cohabitate with Riran in this state? It’s amazing, I’m honestly impressed...!
Living together without my memories... I wonder what will happen from here on out.