Hikarigaoka, Nerima Ward—the Yagami family's small bedroom.
"How did you lose to a cat?"
Covering the fresh claw marks on his face, Tai looked at the equally scratched Koromon, his expression full of helpless disbelief.
It was clearly more than twice the size of a cat—and yet it couldn't beat one. Tai was seriously starting to doubt the origins of this "little monster."
When it first hatched, it had been a black, fluffy ball. Now it had turned into some kind of pink creature he couldn't identify.
What worried him even more was its appetite.
After devouring all the siblings' snack stash in one go, it even went after the cat food—leading to Tai getting attacked by Miko the cat, who thought he was trying to steal her meal.
Tai conveniently ignored the fact that the cat bowl had been brought over by Kari.
If this little monster hadn't been such a glutton, his little sister never would've grabbed cat food to feed it. So at the end of the day, it was still the creature's fault.
Maybe… he really should confess everything to their parents once they came home.
Creatures like this—unknown, unexplained—weren't something that should stay in the house before they figured out how dangerous it might be.
"Shuu-shuu!"
Just then, after watching Miko drag her bowl back to her bed, Kari quietly closed the door and turned around.
"Shuu-shuu!"
Still whistling softly, she glanced worriedly at Tai and Koromon's injuries. She clearly realized that sneaking Miko's bowl earlier truly hadn't been the best idea.
"It's fine. Just a little scratch."
Seeing her worried expression, Tai immediately dropped the hand covering his injury and thumped his chest confidently to reassure her.
"But what are we going to do with this little monster?"
Deep down, Tai absolutely did not want Kari raising this bottomless-pit-of-a-mystery-creature, but he also knew there was no way to pull his little sister away from her "new friend."
"And if you do keep it, how are you going to explain it to Mom and Dad?"
Unlike a normal kitten, Tai had personally witnessed this creature crawl out of the computer—and then transform into its current form in less than a morning.
Who knew what this strange organism really was, or what it might become in the future?
If their parents found out about Koromon, there was no doubt—they'd definitely forbid the siblings from going near it again.
But Kari… seemed focused on something else entirely.
"It's not called 'little monster.' Its name is Koromon."
She put down the whistle in her mouth and pointed at the trembling Koromon, still shaken from Miko's wrath.
"Why Koromon? Is that a name you gave it?"
Scratching his head, Tai felt a headache creeping in as he listened to his sister's soft voice.
From the moment they'd found the egg last night, Kari had been acting unusually.
Sneaking into the study in the middle of the night… then somehow knowing exactly what this unknown creature was, giving it those specific names—Botamon, then Koromon.
Tai didn't believe for a second she'd made those names up randomly.
"My name has always been Koromon."
Sensing the siblings were talking about him, Koromon peeked around the room—confirming the cat was gone—then spoke in a cheerful, squeaky voice.
"Ah?"
Tai's eyes widened as he whipped his head around to stare at the creature beside him, as if he really were staring at an actual monster.
Did this thing… just talk?
"Sorry about earlier. Miko was too rude."
Before Tai even processed what had happened, Kari had already crouched down beside Koromon, gently caressing the scratches on its face.
"It's okay! But it was really scary!"
Enjoying the comforting touch, Koromon shivered a little as it recalled the earlier fiasco, continuing to whine adorably.
"Kari… this thing…"
Watching Koromon continue talking, Tai suddenly became absolutely certain—this wasn't his imagination.
"My name is Kari. And this is my big brother, Tai."
Right before Tai could say anything, Kari had already introduced them both.
"Tai? And Kari?"
As if receiving some kind of confirmation, Koromon began bouncing excitedly, the pain from his injuries seemingly forgotten.
"This little guy… speaks human?"
Watching Koromon hop around with renewed energy, Tai felt his legs go weak—he dropped to his knees instantly.
Being older, Tai understood perfectly well what it meant for an unknown creature to speak human language.
"Is this the secret code for becoming friends?"
Koromon, on the other hand, clearly didn't understand the concept of "names." He simply interpreted it as some kind of ritual humans used to become friends.
"Secret… code?"
Tilting her head, Kari stared at Koromon with innocent curiosity, as if trying to decipher his meaning.
But before either sibling could react—
Koromon suddenly leapt straight onto Kari's face, wrapping his two ribbon-like ears tightly around her head.
"This is the friend secret code!"
By the time Tai realized what was happening and rushed forward to rescue his sister from Koromon's grasp, the creature had already released Kari, speaking rapidly in delight.
"Thank you for saving me, Tai!"
Before Tai could brace himself or even step back, Koromon jumped again—and clamped tightly around Tai's head, stealing his very first kiss.
"Mmmf—mmmmm—!"
Just as Tai thought he was going to suffocate, Koromon let go again, still wiggling with overflowing joy.
"Now we're friends!"
Dazed beyond belief, Tai stared at the bouncing Koromon, then at the wide-eyed, dazed Kari, and sank into existential despair.
"Friend… secret code…?"
He had barely gotten the words out when a very familiar plop echoed through the room.
"…"
Looking down at the now-motionless Koromon, Tai let out a sigh in a tone that was hard to classify—somewhere between disgust and resignation.
"…Did you poop again?"
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T/N: LMAOOO