AGWSF 02

Chapter – 02

“I’m Also 16”

“Geez! Hiroto, how long are you going to sleep? Your breakfast is going to get cold~”

As I stood there dumbfounded, unable to move for a while from the shock, my sister—who must have finally run out of patience—came into my room. She had brown hair, a body type that was basically the male ideal, and a gal-like appearance. The same sister who’d been calling for me this whole time.

“I-I’m coming!”

To calm myself down for the moment, I abandoned all my thoughts and said that.

Contrary to her gal-like appearance, my sister is incredibly kind, and I didn’t want to make her angry. Plus, I get to eat her breakfast for the first time in about eight years.

I need to hurry.

And so, following my sister, I headed to the living room.

…I glanced behind me.

There was no sign of anyone there.

“Sis, this is seriously delicious.”

“Hmm~? What’s up~? You never say stuff like that normally~? I’m happy, but… it’s kinda embarrassing.”

This is exactly what they mean by “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.” Ever since I went to that other world, I’d been longing for this taste.

More than any food I ate over there—well, except for a select few—this is genuinely delicious.

…Crap. I’m seriously about to cry.

But I can’t cry here. If I suddenly started crying, my sister would definitely worry about me. …And even if she worried, I couldn’t tell her why.

“…I realized that the things you take for granted aren’t really guaranteed.”

“I don’t really get it~, but big sis is happy that Hiroto seems to have grown up~. …Okay, this is getting really embarrassing, so I’m gonna head to work a little early~.”

“Yeah. Good luck, sis.”

“You do your best at school too~. I left your lunchbox out for you~.”

And then my sister left the house.

Such ordinary exchanges—that’s exactly why they warmed my heart.

…Okay.

Now that my sister’s gone to work, let’s get back to the topic.

…She was definitely here just now, right? Aira was here, right?

No, wait. I definitely left Aira behind in that other world.

That means it’s impossible for her to be in this world.

So… was it just a hallucination I saw because I kept thinking about Aira?

That might be the most plausible explanation.

Because, like I keep saying, it’s impossible.

“…A-Aira? A-are you there?”

Even so, thinking about the off chance it might be real, I muttered it quietly, really quietly.

“…What?”

And then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Aira appeared right in front of me again.

“Wha-wha-wha-why are you here!?”

“From that day on, it’s been natural for me to be by Hiroto’s side.”

“N-no, that was in that other world, right!?”

“?”

Aira tilted her head slightly, as if to say “What are you talking about?”

She didn’t seem to be playing dumb.

“O-okay. Fine. …No, I don’t get anything, but fine. Just let me ask you one thing.”

“What?”

“How did you follow me?”

Being right here in front of me, having a conversation—does it count as a conversation? It’s a bit iffy, but anyway, since we’re communicating, it’s hard to think this is just a hallucination.

That’s why I asked.

“Normally.”

“I don’t get what ‘normally’ means. …And besides, we even said our goodbyes properly, didn’t we!?”

“?”

Why don’t you understand!?

Huh? Am I the one who’s wrong? I was so sure we’d said goodbye, but did we actually not? …Crap. I’m really starting to lose track.

“More importantly, Hiroto.”

“‘More importantly’… fine. What is it?”

I knew better than anyone that Aira was a girl who went at her own pace, so there’s no point saying anything now.

Honestly, there are a ton of things I want to say and ask, but when it comes down to it, I’m weak when it comes to my daughter.

“…Hiroto, you seem younger?”

“Where did that come from?”

“Sort of… like when we first met.”

…Now that she mentions it, it does kind of feel that way.

Is my mental age being dragged down by my body?

“…I’m happy.”

“Happy?”

“…Yeah. Because, Hiroto, you’re sixteen now, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I am, but so what?”

“…I’m sixteen too.”

“…? I know that, but?”

“…We’re the same age now. …So now, you’ll see me not as a kid, but as a girl of the opposite sex, right?”

Saying that, Aira leaned forward toward me where I sat and pressed her body against me.

“W-wait a sec, Aira, didn’t you see me like a parent or something?”

“Parent…? I never thought of you that way. …I’ve always loved you, Hiroto. …But there was the age gap, and you never saw me as that kind of girl, so I gave up and told myself I’d be fine as long as I could just stay by your side.”

Wait a minute.

I’m already shocked enough that Aira followed me to this world, but Aira loves me as a member of the opposite sex? …No. This is too much information at once.

“But now, there’s no age gap anymore, so it’s okay, right?”

What’s “okay”!?

“N-no, I get how you feel. …B-but, you know? I’ve only ever seen you as a daughter, or rather—”

I knew I’d hurt her.

I knew that, but I figured it’d be less damaging if she gave up sooner, so I opened my mouth—but Aira cut me off.

“Hiroto, your face is red. And your heart’s pounding. …Back in the other world, you never reacted like this, did you?”

“………………That’s not true.”

I gently pushed away Aira, who was pressing her body against me as if to say she was done with breakfast, and stood up from my chair.

“I’m going to school.”

And, in an overly deliberate manner, I said that and headed back to my room to change into my uniform.