The shop owner watched the two drunks drive away while cursing. He took a deep breath, adjusted his demeanor, and turned to Nishimiya Yaeko behind him. "Nishimiya, you can clock out now. There's nothing else to do."
Nishimiya Yaeko nodded with a smile. Who wouldn't be happy to get off work early?
"Boom boom boom…!"
"Akira, go get the door," Shizuka Miyamura said as the family of three was watching TV in the living room. She gave Akira a light kick on the butt from where she sat on the sofa.
Akira groaned, stood up, and gave her a look before jogging to the front door. "I'm coming, I'm coming!"
"Woof..."
Even before he opened it, Akira recognized the familiar bark of a dog.
Sure enough, when he pulled open the door, there stood the Nishimiya sisters with Hachiko. Yuzuru's hand was still in mid-air, mid-knock.
"Look, Akira! I brought everything for folding little stars!" Shouko beamed, waving a pack of colorful paper in one hand and a small glass jar in the other.
Akira couldn't help but smile. She looked too cute like that. Instinctively, he reached out to ruffle her hair. Shouko closed her eyes slightly, enjoying the touch, which made her look even more adorable.
Akira felt his heart skip a beat. Even though I'm not into this kind of thing… right?
From the side, Yuzuru, who had been completely ignored, groaned in frustration. "I said—can we go inside already!?"
"Woof!" barked Hachiko in agreement.
Snapping out of it, Akira quickly pulled his hand away and laughed awkwardly. "Come on in, come on in."
Once everyone had entered, he closed the door behind them.
"Come here, let Auntie hug you!" Shizuka Miyamura smiled and opened her arms wide when she saw Yuzuru. She raised her eyebrows as if to say: You know the drill.
At one point, she had even considered adopting another daughter. That feeling hadn't completely gone away.
"Hachiko, use 'Lick Attack' on Auntie Miyamura!" Yuzuru commanded with a grin.
"Stand aside."
Without hesitation, Shizuka moved past the dog and scooped Yuzuru into a big hug. She playfully rubbed her cheek against Yuzuru's, making the girl burst into giggles and beg for mercy.
"Hachiko's really getting smarter," Daiki Miyamura chuckled as the dog obediently wagged his tail by his side.
Akira, now holding the glass jar in his right hand and Shouko's hand in his left, entered the living room just in time to see his mom pretend to eat Yuzuru's cheek while she squirmed in her grasp. Daiki was on the tatami chatting with Hachiko, who occasionally nodded or let out a soft bark as if replying.
Akira blinked at the sight, sighed, then turned to Shouko and said, "Shouko, wanna fold stars in my room instead?"
Though he said it quietly, the entire living room turned their heads at once.
Yuzuru, still caught in Shizuka's arms, stretched out her little hand in a silent plea for rescue.
But Shouko didn't mind. As long as Akira was with her, she was happy. "Okay!"
She noticed her sister's outstretched hand but assumed Aunt Shizuka was just playing with her and didn't think much of it.
"Sister…!" Yuzuru pouted, mentally subtracting points from Akira's future "marriage score." He's not passing my test that easily.
Too bad Akira couldn't hear her thoughts. He would've burst out laughing.
At the stairs, Akira let go of Shouko's hand and said, "Go up and wait in my room. I'll grab us some snacks."
He handed her the glass jar.
"Mm!" Shouko carefully carried the jar as she climbed the wooden stairs.
A short while later, Akira returned with a tray and placed it on the table. He handed her a warm glass of water. "Here, Shouko. Take a break first."
Shouko happily accepted the water and drank deeply. Then, with a bit of water still on her lips, she offered it back. "Akira, you drink too."
"I have my own." Akira chuckled and held up his glass to show her.
"Oh…" Shouko nodded, a little disappointed, but quickly bounced back and picked up the colored paper. "Okay! Let's fold stars!"
Akira sat beside her and joined in. Shouko did most of the talking while he listened and replied from time to time.
When they got to the last step, Akira looked around. "No glue?"
"I forgot to bring it..." Shouko said, flustered.
"It's okay. I'll go get it." Akira ruffled her hair again and left the room.
"Mom, where's the glue?" he called from the hallway.
"Check the storage cabinet in the dining room," Shizuka replied without looking away from the TV.
After searching for a bit, Akira found a half-empty bottle of glue. It seemed like enough, so he brought it upstairs.
"Alright, let's finish it." He handed the glue to Shouko, who tried to squeeze it out but frowned.
"It's no use, Akira. Nothing's coming out…"
He tried as well and sighed. "Guess I'll go buy a new one."
"No, I'll go home and get it!" Shouko jumped up, waving her hands. Without waiting for a reply, she darted down the stairs.
"Be careful! Don't rush!" Akira called after her.
—
"Knock knock knock—!"
Nishimiya Kei opened the door to find a breathless Shouko.
"Grandma, do we have glue at home?" she asked anxiously.
Kei stepped aside to let her in. "Try the storage cabinet. I'm not sure if we still have any…"
"Okay!" Shouko quickly took off her shoes and ran to check.
After several minutes of fruitless searching, she gave up and decided to go to the convenience store nearby.
"Grandma, I'm going out for a bit!" she shouted before running off.
Meanwhile, the two drunk men had driven a fair distance.
The bald man in the driver's seat blinked at the red and blue lights flashing ahead. He nudged his passenger. "Bro, I think there's a checkpoint up ahead."
"Then turn." The tattooed man was half-asleep, nauseous, and annoyed.
"Oh." The driver nodded, slowly turned the wheel, and pressed on the gas.
The passenger cracked his eyes open, frowning at how fast they were going. "Slow down!"
When the driver didn't respond, he turned to look—and saw him dozing off.
"Hey, wake up! You're driving!" he shouted, slapping the man's arm.
Just then, he spotted a small figure darting across the street.
"HEY! THERE'S A KID—!!"
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Coma Shouko!? FK! OMG!!!! NOOO!!!!