Chapter 2: OutputA week after Haruha got caught up in the robbery and kidnapping incident by Paya the Kid.
Kasugai Yuu lacked sleep.
Surviving school while half asleep, he was finally returning home. Walking through the residential area under the early summer sunset, he lets out a yawn with his throat trembling resulting in tears coming out of his eyes.
“That game again? I’m amazed that you can continue without getting tired of it”
The one who said that in an amazed voice was Fuyufu, who walked by his side. Since their houses are in the same residential area and she didn’t have any club, they occasionally return home together like this.
“It’s a good game”
Yuu answered with a downcast face. Although Fuyufu was no longer watching his face, he did that to hide his facial expression.
“Well… of course, since it’s “your game”. But, just be careful. News about people fainting in their houses due to unknown reasons are spreading.”
Once she said that, he remembered Kouta saying the same thing as well. He said, “This is happening throughout j.a.pan, which is bad. Actually I have low blood pressure, I hope I’m okay.” But Yuu doesn"t remember much because of his drowsiness at the time.
But, the parting words left by Fuyufu, under the sunset sounded strangely sharp── which like always── unearths pain to Yuu.
“You’re Yuubocchi, a loner after all, you will die”
(Don’t say stuff like die….)
Fuyufu making him depressed through her words is a usual occurrence, but more so with today’s emphasis on the word die. This is due to the fact that the word reminded him why he lacked sleep and how his anxiety began.
The reason he lacked sleep was Mifa.
Since five days ago, Mifa did not appear in『CtG』for some reason. Every day was then spent to comfort the lonely Haruha.
(What happened…?)
If it was only a day or two, it just might have been that the net-café she frequented was undergoing maintenance, however it pa.s.sed a timeframe which made him worry. The last time she was seen, she acted like her usual self and played with Haruha like any other day, and it didn"t seem like she got tired of the game or anything.
The only logical conclusion was that something must have happened in her private life.
(Could it be that she’s sick…? Maybe bedridden right now?)
It could be something worse than a cold or it could be related to the fainting incidents Fuyufu was talking about… and with that thought in mind, his worries worsened which led to even more negative thoughts. Thinking about it won’t help.
It is a common case in the online community. A person disappears without saying anything and there is no method of learning about their circ.u.mstances. The problem was that Mifa, whom he plays with, was just not a simple acquaintance. But if he were to describe their relationship── it was far too complicated to say.
“Come to think of it, I’ve been meeting with her nearly every day ever since I met her…”
It was about time he arrives home. More often than not, once Yuu reaches home, he usually greets Haruha and then.
“Will Mifa show up today?”
“I’m here daddy!”
He felt something strange when he saw a light grey van parked nearby.
People who come to Yuu’s house are usually those from the postal delivery or courier service, or someone from his father’s side of the family. But their family car is red, and they would normally give an advance notice before coming. There was no new message whatsoever on his mobile terminal when he checked.
The sliding door of the van opens, and a little girl jumps out from it── “I’m here daddy!”
Without even the need to hear her words, he already knew the girl’s name.
“Haru…ha…?
It was Haruha. Even though her hair color was a bit lighter and the clothes she’s wearing was similar to those worn by elementary school children, she was undoubtedly Clamp’s daughter.
Her dazzling smile overflowed his whole body. The little girl nodded with all her might.
“Yes, I’m Haruha”
…. …. …
Aaah, a dream.
Well who can blame him for thinking that? This happened right in front of Yuu’s house, not inside the hotel in『CtG』which Clamp frequently visits. Even more, Haruha who is a resident of 『CtG』, a virtual world, is here in the real world.
Speechless, Yuu was about to place his hand on his forehead, when suddenly Haruha inquired.
“Daddy is daddy right?”
“Errrr. Yeah. That’s right”
“As I thought. You look a bit different, but Haruha knew immediately!”
Nodding with a triumphant look on her face, Haruha clung onto Yuu’s pants. The sensation felt was slightly more awkward as compared to when she did it in 『CtG』.
But it was undoubtedly done by the spoiled hugging mole Haruha.
“…Haruha. Emm, how… did you come here?”
He curiously asked while subconsciously stroking Haruha’s head. Haruha innocently enjoyed the sensation and narrowed her eyes while letting out the sound “nfufufu” with her throat.
“Nn? Haruha doesn’t really know”
“…Is that so. That… is quite troublesome”
“Let us explain about that matter.”
The voice came from the car from which Haruha appeared from. Looking into the car, there were three unfamiliar faces. They exited from the car in order and lined up in front of Yuu.
Two of them wore suits, a man and a woman.
The man was around his thirties. He wore round elongated sungla.s.ses. Combined with a dry all-black attire, he was emitting an aura that didn’t match a person with a respectable occupation.
Meanwhile the woman looked young. She appeared to be around her twenties but also had an air of someone resembling her teens. With long casually tied hair and a smile that reflected her intelligence, she can be cla.s.sified as the “woman secretary” type.
And the last among the three was a girl. Unlike Haruha, she was not a child. She appeared to be of around the same age as Yuu, wearing a sailor uniform with a face of a diligent girl. In contrast with the composed pair of adults in suits, her tension could be clearly seen with the way she was standing.
Looking further, she undoubtedly was a stranger. But there was a feeling of familiarity, which unlike with Haruha, came about due to déjà vu. A feeling which he could not shake off easily.
“Could it be…”
He stared at the girl consciously. Even as the girl’s pupils were shaking like a punching bag, she returned his gaze with upturned eyes. While Yuu felt that doing so was indecent, he continued to stare at the girl.
“The person…is Mifa?”
Unlike Haruha, her face was not exactly the same as in the game. Although she has an appearance of a respectable and diligent individual, however unlike the Mifa in-game, she had too much of a plain and mature image. But what convinced Yuu was that her age and height appeared to be the same and above all, Haruha appeared here. It was those two reasons.
The girl looked away without answering.
Eh, I was wrong? If so, then could it be that my question was upsetting? Thinking like that, Yuu got depressed, however an answer came from the person below.
“That’s right! She’s mommy!”
Haruha answered, which then prompted Yuu to switch his gaze back towards the girl. With her clumsy steps, Haruha, who was about to tumble, was caught by the girl. Gently but surely.
──It’s Mifa. No doubt about it.
Even with confidence of their ident.i.ties, it actually left Yuu even more confused. These two girls, whom he met almost every day in 『CtG』 for the past few months, were somehow present in front of his home in real life. Furthermore, one of them is his virtual daughter, which of course shouldn’t exist outside of the game.
These two girls, whom he met almost every day in 『CtG』 for the past few months, were somehow present in front of his home in real life.
Naturally everyone’s gaze turned towards the man in sungla.s.ses who opted to explain the situation.
The man let out a grin which certainly left a terrible impression.
“Well talking while standing is tiring. May we continue this talk inside your house?”
Yuu then led everyone to the living room which was often his sanctuary to connect to『CtG』
Feel free to sit wherever you like, he said, and the three of them sat in front of the table. Excluding the sofa, the number of cushions were barely enough for everyone so they had to line up in an orderly manner.
Along with Haruha who was clinging to him, he brought out iced tea from the refrigerator. Bringing out enough cups for everyone, he then returned to the living room.
“I’m sorry, this is all that I have here.”
With the nuances and formalities of “You don’t have to bother drinking it.” Yuu then placed the tray on the table. The woman in-black then raised her waist and poured the tea into the cups and handed them out to everyone. Meanwhile, Haruha rested herself on Mifa’s knees.
First, let us settle the main matter── the guy with the sungla.s.ses stood up.
“Well then, we will introduce ourselves. My name is Niiro Mansei. I am part of the Yashiko Ministry Subsidiary Organization… well, as an underling, to set things straight.”
As he introduced himself, he presented his business card. On the upper left corner of the card, beside the organization name, it was written there “Human Equilibrium Inst.i.tute” along with “The seventh senior researcher Niiro Mansei” which undoubtedly was suspicious. And there was also the fact that he didn"t take off his sungla.s.ses even inside the room. Was that a new trend?
“Next is… this woman, she’s your mother’s acquaintance.”
While she was being stared at, the woman in-black let out a smile.
“Pleasant to meet you, Kasugai Yuu-kun. My name is Haijme Hidari”
“What do you mean by my mom’s… mother’s acquaintance?”
“I am involved with the Imagine Ekphrasis『Cradle to the Glaive』development. But I was just temporarily transferred from the inst.i.tute so I am not exactly a full-time employee. And I’ve been indebted a lot by chief Kasugai.”
What was then the relationship between this human-something inst.i.tute and the game company? Although the urge to ask such question was undoubtedly strong, he wasn’t able to ask it directly.
For now, he wanted to hear an explanation about a certain “problem” he had always thought of all this time.
Yuu’s gaze turned to this girl. She’s “Mifa”, the girl who has Haruha on her knees.
Once again their eyes met. She seemed to have been watching him for quite a while. But the moment their eyes met, she quickly averted them as well.
Unable to speak for herself, she had Hajime introduce her.
“Her name is Kugimiya Miharu-san. She’s in her first year of high school just like you. And, just as you expected, she’s the girl who played the character named “Mifa in『CtG』.”
“a… nice to meet you, I’m Kugimiya”
When she finally spoke, Miharu quickly covered her face under Haruha’s hair. Looking at her, one can quickly note that she’s pretty shy, especially in front of strangers. It boggles the mind to think that she’s the same person as that Mifa, who talked to Yuu so bluntly when they first met.
“My name is K-Kasugai Yuu…!”
But it was not just her. Yuu stiffened up due to the tension.
Why was he so nervous? To put it simply and of course with Fuyufu’s interpretation, he’s a loner. Honestly speaking, he was sociable enough for a normal high school student. He could crack some light jokes with girls from his cla.s.s, at the very least.
The reason why he was so nervous might have been due to the fact that Mifa, whom he 《Married》, was on the other side or maybe because Miharu’s appearance was breath-taking, or just maybe because the thought of Fuyufu staring deeply at him was floating on his mind.
But before Yuu was able to pinpoint the source of his nervousness, another “problem” raised her hand cheerfully.
“Haruha is… Haruha?”
“Why are you not convinced?”
This time, he was able to answer back normally. Straightforwardly, Haruha let out an “ehehe” laugh like she usually does. She had to politely speak because of the pair of adults present and due to her wanting imitate Miharu’s manner of speaking.
After a feeling of relief, Yuu directed his gaze towards Niiro so could ask questions.
“Stuff about Kugimiya-san and Haruha… you will explain it right? And also the reason why you all came here.”
Niiro smiled and laughed. As serious as he was, only his mouth was smiling.
“That’s for certain. Well then, I will talk first about Kasugai-kun’s cute little girl Haruha. We still haven’t talked about the details to Kugimiya-san as well.”
Miharu nodded seriously.
“To sum it up, Haruha-san is a person born in the world of 『Cradle to the Glaive』and came to this world.
…What the heck was the old man saying? He thought, however Yuu was not a Yuubocchi so he understood the roundabout explanation.
“…No, no. No way, that…”
“Hmm, I wonder how to explain this.”
Responding to Niiro’s gaze, Hajime took out a notebook from her breast pocket. She then ripped off a page to write something quickly on it.
“Listen, Yuu-kun. Imagine it first.
The build engine used to make the world of 『CtG』creates an endless realistic virtual world. It is arranged as a game under the system’s control but once that “control” is taken off, it would be able to perfectly produce the authenticity of the real world.”
Real World ● ≒ ○ CtG
“Did you keep up at this stage?”
It was a well-known fact, he nodded. Hajime smiled and wrote “OK” on the paper.
“Well then, in order to go into 『CtG』, players would have to create an elaborate avatar. An avatar that has an equal or greater bodily function compared to their own."
Real World ● ≒ ○ CtG OK
Player ■ → □ Avatar
“That’s right. There is a function to cut off pain and appet.i.te, but there is an option to have it matched to your real body as well… my Mother once said”
“Yes, exactly. Then, this is OK as well.”
Hajime nodded in satisfaction and wrote the third line on the paper.
“As you can see──naturally this situation can also occur.”
Real World ● ≒ ○ CtG OK
Player ■ → □ Avatar OK!
Human ◆ ← ◇ Avatar OK!! ←It’s here now!
………………?
……Nnn? Eh?
Does it really work… like that?
If human and player characters were considered as equals then an NPC (Non-Player Character) would have the possibility of becoming a human in the real world. Yeah. It’s logical in a way…
………………
Nononononono.
Because the logical was so simple, he was almost convinced by it however it was such a long stretch. And to begin with,
“Then what about the body? In any case when a human goes into their avatar, their body is prepared on the other side, but not the other way around. It’s impossible.”
“It’s not that hard to create actual human flesh you know.”
He said so easily. Taken aback, Yuu glanced at Niiro. He was not even smiling, it was that terrifying. It seemed that it was common sense for them.
It was true that news about how medically creating cells has been advancing and spreading in recent years which might have implications in the future that allows people in the future to breed by reproducing and splitting somatic cells. Emphasizing “in the future”, Yuu never heard of stories or even gossip about people succeeding in creating an artificial human body before.
“……It’s news to me.”
“Yeah, of course, revealing this to the public will incite critics and harsh inquiries. Well, what is important now is that “we can at least prepare a human body” as you can see.”
It was of course an unbelievable tale, but the very presence of Haruha confirms this. No matter what… no matter what, he couldn’t see that the little girl present was fake.
Before he was able to sort out his thoughts, Hajime resumed the talk.
“But, even if we are able to create a body, the “heart” would not be present. And eventually, we formed a partnership with Imagine Ekphrasis, which led to the current project.”
“Project?”
“Yes. The government will be the funder and investor for the new Imagine Ekphrasis generation game development, which on our end, will also lend stuff like computing infrastructures as well. In exchange, we can use their game world to study 『the way to create a new human』── so far that’s our plan.”
And then── Hajime and Niiro’s gaze turned to Haruha. Haruha, on Miharu’s lap, received their stares and somehow still managed to wave at them. She probably didn"t mean anything by that.
“And the first success sample is Haruha. An Artificial Child created in 『CtG』whose mind was transferred to a human body and now is here with us in the real world. That’s her.”
“But I heard that computers didn"t have the capability to create human consciousness…”
Yuu reb.u.t.ted as he recalled the conversation he had with Fuyufu in the past. The mixed feelings of being unable to believe and not wanting to reject Haruha’s existence stole the strength from his throat.
In response, Hajime answers with a smile. At the corner of her eyes, there was an uplifting expression which she showed for the very first time.
“The Nephilim type computer used in 『CtG』 is completely different as compared to any existing ones. It is one of those machines that has the capability to create infinite possibilities and to create a human from within.”
“I don’t really understand, but… why are you entrusting such amazing stuff to a game company?”
“In order to have this system operate with utmost secrecy, we had no choice but to have Imagine Ekphrasis, which is the largest national net game manufacturer, possess it. Under what circ.u.mstance that led to this, unfortunately we cannot answer it now.”
A computer that can only be operated by a game company…what?
There were still lots of questions that remained but before he was able to spit it out, he understood that it would have just been a waste of time. There was no other choice but to believe what they said for the time being and continue on with the conversation.
“Then why do you want us… Clamp and Mifa, to take care of Haruha?”
With all the facts that were presented, in a way it can be said that this was the most absurd doubt he had, and Niiro answered it instantly.
“We tried various ways to create a Hadzar… a new mankind as you can call it, and as one of our attempts, a plan was proposed to create the mind of a baby on its fresh state, pick up the best-fit and suitable couple with the computer, and entrust the baby to them and have them raise it. Technically we could have created her in the adult form right away but the artificially synthesized personality she has is… a bit poor.”
His explanation was subtly convincing, and at the same time it wasn"t. The issue itself was just too vague and Yuu couldn"t come up with anything to respond to it. Finally, the last question was asked.
“Then…… what do you want us to do with Haruha?”
“Anyhow, the same as before.”
Niiro easily answered back but Yuu couldn"t understand what he meant.
“Same as before, you mean… Haruha will return back inside the game?”
“No. Based on the various databases we had, it’s believed that the personality created in 『CtG』in the state of a teen is still relatively unstable, unable to fully adapt to the real world. Hence from now on we will have Haruha live in the real world as a human here alongside the two of you.”
……………………
It took a while
For him to understand.
Haruha would live as a normal human from now on. This left an unsettling feeling but he had no reason to object.
In here──he meant in the Kasugai household.
You──he meant with Yuu, naturally that would have happened if she stays in the Kasugai household.
And the two of you──that would mean, probably……
“W-W-What do you mean!?”
Miharu shouted as soon as she understood the scenario. Her voice was so loud that it echoed throughout the house, and at the same time it was a refined rick voice. Just a little while ago, she only uttered faint sounds which were as quiet as a mosquito. Niiro and Hajime were unsurprisingly shocked as well.
“I-I-I was surprised…… seeing Haruha here in the real world, and then you people suddenly show up saying that you will provide her a place to stay so that’s why I came along the way here……”
Yuu then saw that her mouth was trembling. Her face vividly red.
“IT’S IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO LIVE WITH A GUY!”
It was subtly shocking, being said so frankly.
“Please wait a second. Even I’m troubled being asked to do so suddenly”
Yuu was in his impressionable age. Simply put, it was just too absurd of a request.
To suddenly live together with a girl of his age an also…… with Haruha who was born from a game, just how the heck was he supposed to live with them?
“First of all, how did it become like this?”
Niiro answered the question frankly.
His answer, in contrary to the oddities of topic, was very sensible.
“Isn"t it normal for family members to live together? Especially when the child is still so young.”
“Kugh…………”
It was the final blow for Yuu. He had no right to object.
Yuu turned his gaze towards Haruha. The child, who was born from the game, appeared to be completely clueless, returned his gaze with a blank look. Her pupils’ were── like a mirror.
“After countless number of failures, Haruha is a child who finally obtained a human body. Her personality, information or data, is impossible to reproduce. We wish to cherish her as well. And for that, we think that it’s best to provide her with the most familiar environment from the game. And the most important factor of her life is the two of you, her 『Parents』”
He couldn"t say anything against that argument. Not to brag, but Haruha was yearning for Clamp and Mifa wholeheartedly. Was it really okay to betray her feelings?
“Fortunately, we didn"t have to provide a new house since the Kasugai household has a lot of vacant rooms and it’s quite far from the neighborhood. And since it’s the house of a developer, it has all equipment required to use 『CtG』.
That’s why we wish for all of you to live here together. Can you understand that?”
“But that……”
Miharu who let out a loud voice earlier lowered her head. No wonder. She appears to be an extremely shy girl, to live together with a person of the opposite s.e.x she just met today, was out of the question.
But.
“……I got it. I, don’t mind”
Yuu voiced his acceptance. Niiro probably examined what relationship Yuu had with his mother and used that to his favor. If you had to call it despicable, it’s despicable indeed, but more than that, his pride of not wanting to run away worn him out.
“That part of you, you must have inherited that from your mother”
“Because of that I ended up playing a game filled with bugs though”
Hajime was just flattering him──he simply thought──and he coldly replied. In fact, the game his mother made so far had large amounts of bugs in exchange for an abnormal degree of freedom it provides. There were also some internet urban legends that said that several deb.u.g.g.e.rs were sent to the hospital because of it, but as a matter of fact, Yuu knows that many of the staffs collapsed in the middle of debugging the previous installments of 『CtG』.
Ultimately, there were also some that collapsed and never woke up…… with that in mind, he turned and faced Miharu.
“……But Kugimiya-san, you don’t have to force yourself. Your family won’t allow that right?”
He tried his best to be as gentle as possible, but Miharu’s shoulders trembled in shock.
And then everyone’s gaze faced Miharu. Since Yuu, the master of the house──but to be exact, it is managed by his uncle──had accepted, everything depended entirely on her answer.
Haruha, who didn"t understand the conversation at all, turned her body happily on Miharu’s lap. Yuu didn"t see her face, but he could easily guess the expression she made. It was that. That clingy upturned eyes she shows when Miharu was about to log out from 『CtG』.
“Won’t Mommy want to be with us?”
Miharu abruptly turned her head away, after Haruha hugged her chest tightly.
…………
……Looking at it now he noticed that Miharu’s b.r.e.a.s.t.s are bigger than “Mifa’s” and it didn"t seemed as if his eyes were fooling him or whatever, but normally won’t girls usually enhance part of their bodies when creating an Avatar (provisional figure) but it might just be his selfish a.s.sumption.
“Eh? Mommy, your b.o.o.bs are bigger than the usual.”
……Yup, it was just a false a.s.sumption. Thanks to Haruha’s chattering, he was able to break free from the infinite chain of delusion based on pre-notions. Once again, thanks Haruha.
Attaining new wisdom, Yuu’s eyes started to sparkle──which had warmth── and that gaze was quickly spotted by Miharu.
It was enough to have her almost crying face flushed even more, but her lips started to tremble as well.
“a…………”
If this was a manga, this would be the scene where cold sweat starts to flow out, but for starters, he would be able to recognize that he felt a chill on his spine.
“No, that, I mean, this is just a misunderstanding──”
It turned bad at this rate. As Haruha’s beloved daddy, he couldn"t let Miharu scorn him……well, it’d be awkward. As a normal high school boy, Yuu has something that resides in the center of his body, known as a beast shouting the word “love”, and it would do various things regardless of his will, which he needed Miharu to understand……no, impossible. Yup, impossible indeed.
Yuu was frustrated, unable to express anything, not even an unsightly excuse, but the words Miharu said next, was beyond his expectations.
“I-I will live with Haruha too!”
“Ee? Are… are you sure?”
Not only did she appear to be forcing herself, she also said that right after Yuu’s disgraceful behavior, her action was unmistakably a strange one.
However, with Miharu’s next words, the wall of misunderstanding was taken down in one fell swoop.
“Because I cannot let Haruha live together with Kasugai-kun! Friends from my school said that men are lascivious beasts screaming “love” from the center of their body all year long! It will surely be a bad influence to this girl!”
Saying all that she wanted, she held Haruha tightly, then glared fiercely at Yuu. That stare of her was honed as sharp as an owl, letting out an aggressive aura of distrust.
“Well~, it seems you have made up your mind.”
“I’m glad it was solved quicker than I thought.”
“Haruha……Mommy will protect you, alright?”
“Mommy, it’s a little painful……”
In the lively living room, the visitors started commenting what they had in mind.
Yuu felt like crying a little.
After that, they began talking in detail about the “life” they will have after this. What they"ve discussed were as follows.
First, Haruha and Miharu"s living expenses will be covered by Niiro and his people, to the extent of them not having any inconvenience. It counts as part reward and payment for partic.i.p.ating in the program, so they don"t need to hold back on anything.
First, while Yuu and Miharu were at school, Hajime will be present in the Kasugai household to care for Haruha.
Next, Yuu is Haruha’s father and Miharu is Haruha’s mother, but even so both of them are mere strangers, so please discern to what is known as “moderation.” (Miharu’s demand)
And lastly.
“Lastly, for the sake of having Haruha to live in the house, we must give her a j.a.panese name.”
“How about this?”
Hajime took the memo sheet from before and wrote the name on the other side of it.
『Kasugai Haruha (春日井 春羽) 』
Yuu and Miharu, and then Haruha peeked at the paper and looked at each other.
“I think it’s good. It matches her image……What do you think, Kugimiya-san?”
Yuu wondered a bit if, she was going to say something like “I don’t like it! using Yuu’s last name!” however,
“I think it’s good too, it sounds cute and nice.”
She liked it. He felt relieved, especially because there was a foul atmosphere a while ago.
“This is Haruha? Is it cute?”
Meanwhile Haruha herself didn"t understand it. Much less the word “Wing”, Haruha who didn"t have an idea of what seasons are, was unable to see the word “Spring” as anything other than a symbol.
Yuu was wondering how to explain it to her, but without thinking so hard, Miharu talked to the “daughter” while embracing her.
“This “Spring” you see, is something warm, soft and pink colored, just like Haruha. I will teach you about it eventually.”
……When talking to Yuu, her att.i.tude was so cold and hard which shook his beliefs, but Miharu’s expression when talking to Haruha was unmistakably Mifa’s.
Yuu somehow became a little happy.
It was the status quo filled with anxiety and embarra.s.sment, but somehow he felt that this will turn out well──
“Nee, Mommy.”
While holding her stomach, Haruha looked at Miharu. Miharu’s face stiffened.
“W-what is it? Is your stomach in pain or something?”
“No. It feels cold.”
“Aa, that must be because she drank the tea earlier.”
Come to think about it, Haruha was still not accustomed to eating and drinking in her human body. There were senses in 『CtG』but not the sense of digestion──It was possible to eat food and drink but it will instantly disappear once it enters the stomach──,that’s why the sensation of “having something in the stomach” didn"t exist.
“In here, when eating or drinking something will directly acc.u.mulate in your stomach. That’s why drinking something cold will make your stomach cold.”
“Hmmm…… but somehow my legs are tingling.”
“Legs?”
Behind Miharu was showing a blank look, Hajime started to shout in a hurry.
“This is bad! That"s maybe because, she wants to go to the toilet!”
It appears as if an angel pa.s.sed.
Yuu and Miharu held Haruha on both sides and rushed to the toilet.
And so, the girl named Kasugai Haruha arrived in the real world.
At the same time, Kasugai Yuu’s carefree and lonely single life came to an end.
And Kugimiya Miharu’s gloomy daily life was noisily blown away as well.
The story of the most bizarre family in this world finally started.
“……Now you are finally able to go to the toilet alone”
”Yes, I’ve mastered it!”
“Excellent. Then lastly wash your hands”
A training session is being held in the Kasugai household"s absolutely normal toilet. After helping Haruha wear her skirt, Kugimiya Miharu praised her.
”For the next time and after, go in by yourself okay”
After she said that, she once again looked around the toilet. She was a bit worried about the place where a boy lives by himself, but it’s surprisingly well taken care of and she was able to use it without hesitating.
(In game he’s a person of logic, could it be that he is a meticulous person?)
While thinking that, she let go of her hand from Haruha’s and opened the toilet door. And── right outside, Kasugai Yuu is waiting. *Gulp* as if something is stuck in his throat.
Involuntarily, she observed him from the head to the tip of his feet.
He doesn’t appear to be a boy with any special features on him. It might be because he is wearing a school uniform, but he’s not the type of person who wears any accessories or anything to begin with. His form (Clamp) in 『CtG』 where you can easily change appearances, excluding gender and height, he doesn’t have that much differences compared to his real self.
“……What?”
It can’t be helped, but the voice she tried so hard to speak with was really stiff.
“Well, I was wondering do you know how to you it … you see…”
In contrary, Yuu let out a troubled voice. This part of him is different from when in the game. He’s shaking from waist down, something completely unthinkable coming from the always calm and composed ‘Clamp of Scarabaeus’.
“It’s fine. It appears to be from the same maker used in my house”
“Haruha has mastered it too! Since its embarra.s.sing if Haruha still don’t know 『Pee』 and 『Toilet』 after all!”
Haruha’s innocence when she happily reported to her “daddy” makes Miharu’s head hurts. She knows that it can’t be helped, but should she teach her to be embarra.s.sed first……?
And her eyes met Yuu’s who was thinking the same thing. He is Haruha’s “father”, and also the man she first met.
“…………Kuh……”
Diverting her eyes, she looks towards the living room. Then she realized.
“Eh? Where is Niiro-san and Hajime-san?”
“Saying that they have some paper work to do they hurriedly left. Hajime said she will return at night though”
“They left us with Haruha that soon!? What will happen if she got sick and──”
“Well. The thing on Haruha’s neck….. a choker? They said they monitor her health condition through it. And they have other people from the inst.i.tute on standby in case of an emergency as well”
“I-Is that so. Well if that is the case……”
The conversation stops there.
They don’t know what to talk about. Even though in game they are close friends who often talk about stuff like how to raise Haruha and often had light quarrels when deciding the destination they are going to.
Even so, the person in front of her is undoubtedly a stranger. And probably the same goes for him.
Furthermore, this stranger is a man.
Since she was originally a shy person, under her mother’s policy, Miharu was enrolled to an all-girls school and for this several months Miharu hardly interacts with men of his age in real life. In middle school she had the opportunity to talk with men, but recalling back the conversations she had were mostly for business and formal matters.
Just, how to deal with this somewhat hard and stiff creature? She agreed to live here under the momentum she had a little while ago, but it seems that she should’ve been a little more cautious about it.
“? What is it, mommy daddy?”
“Ah, I was just thinking what we should do from now on.”
The scene where Miharu gently pats the confused Haruha looks familiar. It was the scene he has grown accustomed to within the past two months. Just a little his nervousness lessens. Even though it"s just a little.
“……Aa, that’s right. Haruha, do you want to watch TV?”
“Teevee?”
Haruha’s eyes turned round.
After that, the round eyes of hers, became captivated by the TV.
The first thing that showed up was a broadcast of a news program of street interviews in a major city. Surprisingly or not, it did not impress Haruha much. In 『CtG』, that kind of scenery is not nil after all.
But then, the anime that shows up after that instantly caught her attention.
The proud and hugely popular show for girls from kindergarten to teenagers, a magical girl anime 『Revive! Mystical Priest Girl Rasupu-chan 5』. The original『Mystical Priest Girl Rasupu-chan』 is a cla.s.sic girl anime that has aired for over 15 years, when she was little, Miharu also often watched the series.
The setting for each characters changes every year, but the important established atmosphere never changes. Ah that’s right, there was that moment where Resupu-chan seduced a handsome male guest character with Shiberia Magic, but then he was stolen by a love rival and then they had a magic battle to fight for him, and after that they reconciled under the sunset by the riverside…… even though Rasupu-chan already has a boyfriend.
Like that, while looking at the screen over Haruha’s shoulder, Miharu was immersed in nostalgic feelings.
“When I was little, I was as innocently pa.s.sionate with this, just like Haruha right now”
“Eh……? This is innocent? Lastly the boyfriend Rasupu-chan kept came to pick her up at the riverside saying 『L-Let’s go home. I-I made delicious borsht. Okay? 』it was somewhat swelling my heart, it made me cry a bit……”
Yuu, who also watching somehow pulled out a painful face. That was supposedly the sweet part, but he doesn’t understand girls’ subtleties at all.
“By the way…… is it fine if you don’t go home, Kugimiya-san?”
“Am I a bother?”
She unintentionally let out a worried voice, and Yuu quickly denied it in a hurry.
“N-No! I don’t mean that. I just wondered if your parents will get worried. Even though you said okay, you will still need preparations right? Like a change of clothes…… and such”
“Then no problem”
Miharu then exits to the hallway and returns to the room along with the luggage that she left at the corner.
“Guitar case?”
She placed the oversized guitar case in front of the confused Yuu. It has a quite old dull brownish-yellow color, the metal part of it still seems to be fine, but the corners are already worn-out and the fibers are exposed.
“The insides do not contain a guitar. I put my clothes and personal belongings in here”
Although she wasn"t being suspected, she still opened the lid to show the insides.
Inside contains a mobile terminal, charger, Ramiel (『CtG』 terminal), dairies, laptop, detective novels, and a toothpaste set wrapped with clothes and a towel as replacement of the cushion.
And somehow inside, her underwear that she folded randomly are put on plain sight.
*SLAM!*
The lid was closed at near lightning speed, and instantly blew wind to his face.
“Ee, errmm….”
“Please…… don’t, say anything……!”
Yuu was probably trying to give some kind of follow up but he was stopped by Miharu. Naturally this time, Yuu isn’t the one at fault, but being comforted by him will just makes her feel miserable.
(……I was planning to show him my good side, but I made a mistake instead…… as I thought, living together with a boy might be impossible)
The feelings of shame and self-loathing made her go silent.
“Well…… but, why do you put your stuff inside a guitar case?”
Luckily she still has energy to respond to Yuu who kindly changed the topic for her.
“……Because it was sudden, I could not get a proper bag when leaving the house. Then I found this in the storeroom”
“I see. So Kugimiya-san got taken by Niiro and his man too”
“No──”
Miharu hesitated. It’s not something that could be easily said to a stranger. It might change the way he sees her right now.
However, she cannot afford to keep secrets from the resident of the house she will be living in. As a matter of fact, it’s related to the situation they’re having right now.
That’s why Miharu honestly told her current situation.
“Actually, I ran away from home not long ago”
Because they didn"t have time and energy to prepare food, they got dinner through the neighboring family restaurant"s delivery service.
Unexpectedly, Haruha was okay in eating anything. She’s fine with most vegetables. But somehow she ended up leaving the asparagus, well that part might just be her preference. At least they won’t have to worry about food from now on.
However, her eating manner doesn’t go so well, she cannot handle a fork and spoon well and would often spill her food. Her clothes ended up having sauce stains.
Miharu who take care of Haruha from the side appeared to be a little troubled.
Although she was very skillful in game, the same could not be said in here. Compared to a normal elementary school student, her movement is like that of a robot. Because of that,
“Ouh!” ──*Crash*
Somehow along with a shout, with the fork she was holding, she hit an iced tea cup and spilled it. Although Haruha herself was safe, along with Miharu both of them were soaked wet. Yuu quickly went to the washroom in a hurry. He was probably looking for a towel or something.
Haruha, with blank eyes, looks at Miharu who was standing next to her and spreading the light sweet smell of straight tea[1].
“Eh? Mommy is under 《Wet Status》. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine but…… my clothes are soaked”
She’s all wet from her shirt down to her skirt, the muddy feeling on her lower chest feels disgusting. Fortunately or not, she didn’t take off her water-repellent sailor uniform.
“It will get pretty in three minutes”
Haruha was trying to cheer her up by telling her about the rule of 《Wet Status》 in 『CtG』, in respose Miharu let out a troubled laugh and stands up.
“Ahaha…… In here (reality), we must wash this before it becomes a stain”
She spreads the folds of her skirt, took out a paper napkin and let it absorb the tea. I wonder does this goes under normal laundry…… while thinking that and raising her head, her eyes met with Yuu who just returned from the washroom.
While holding a brand new towel, he shows an expression of being taken aback as if seeing something unbelievable. Wondering what he saw, Miharu looked at her own appearance── her hand that was holding the hem of her skirt quickly stops. She stopped. And froze like a stone.
While holding a brand new towel, he shows expression of being taken aback as if seeing something unbelievable.
Realizing that the part of her Y-shirt that got stained by the tea became transparent she stiffly stopped moving, her body convulsed into spasms, and her face turned red as if stained by blood.
While both Miharu and Yuu were unsure of the next following behavior each other will make, the culprit of the entire thing Haruha stood up. She looked up at Miharu’s body from below, and then stretched out her small hands, and *puff, puff* hit Miharu’s breast with it and excitedly reports.
“Mommy, as expected, Mommy’s b.o.o.bs are bigger in here compared to there (game)!”
Yuu just silently saw off Miharu take the change of clothes and went to the washroom. Later he hears a wallow scream from the other side of the door, but Yuu understands her feelings and just let it be.
Shortly after, the figure of Miharu wearing a gym uniform ── because it appears to be “a clothes that is fine dirty” ── returned to the table. She didn’t try to look at Yuu’s face directly, but with a very quiet voice she said “Thank you very much for the towel”.
Haruha was eating right beside Yuu while Miharu was not present, but when she returned Haruha instantly went to her side. It felt a bit lonely, but in game Mifa was more actively taking care of Haruha so it can’t be helped.
And Miharu herself, even though being ashamed like that, she unconsciously took care of Haruha’s sticky mouth that was busy munching on the food.
──Kugimiya Miharu. Without any ulterior motive, she’s a good kid, maybe.
She was a bit harsh towards Yuu, but rather than because of Yuu himself, it’s more like her vigilance towards males in general. He begins to think of her as a kind and diligent girl. The gap between her personality and Mifa (Avatar)’s was quite confusing, but it is just another case of a quiet person suddenly becoming bold on the net, such a typical story.
By why is such a kid, running away from home? Even though she went as far as to tell that she’s running away from home she still hasn"t told Yuu anything in detail.
──A “daughter” who came from inside a game and her “mother” a diligent-looking girl who ran away from home.
(Two women with various circ.u.mstances, both are harboring in my house. Quite hard-boiled…… I would like to say but it feels something is missing)
Leaving that worthless delusion inside his head, Yuu rests his chin with his hand. And then, he throws the fried egg hamburger into his mouth. It was soft-boiled.
“May I use the bath? And if possible, the washing machine too”
“Eh…… yeah, of course”
After than exchange, Miharu and Haruha entered the bathroom prepared by Yuu.
Haruha who doesn’t understand the concept of a bath ── After all, inside the game, no matter how dirty you become it will get clean in a mere three minutes ── raised a question “By bath you mean that? The thing with Goemon-san?” eagerly with her eyes, in cases like this it’s better to let her experience it head first so Miharu went in with her.
Right before they closed the sliding door in the dressing room, Miharu said with the sharpest eyes she ever showed.
“……If you dare to peek, I’ll drag Haruha away and leave this house immediately”
“Really I won’t”
The moment Yuu returned to the living room after he annoyingly replied so ── His heart became hard to control.
Just now he realized that he’s too late to notice this peculiar situation, of which a girl whom he first met is taking a bath in his house. By no other than Miharu herself, their consciousness of each other is rapidly emerging.
While he sits on the sofa in the living room and randomly watches TV, he heard the sounds of “running water” from the bathroom. And mixed along with it was the cheerful voice of Haruha who’s having fun, and occasionally the sound of Miharu raising her voice.
It’s that hugging mole Haruha after all; she probably tried to hug Miharu in the bathroom and troubled her.
……………… Yeah. ……………………This is awkward.
It’s not like he had any desire to do anything blameworthy that would make Miharu worry, but even so to be composed in this situation, is an entirely different case. Even Yuu, who was always playing 『CtG』 outside school, still has interest in the opposite s.e.x like a normal guy would.
He thought he might as well wait in his room on the second floor until they finish taking their bath, but it will be inconvenient if anything were to happen in the bathroom and he could not deal with it as fast as possible.
While worrying endlessly on the sofa, Hajime Hidari returned.
“Hee, Haruha-chan already went to the bath huh. I should’ve bring her a change of clothes”
What Hajime, who just arrived in the living room, was wearing wasn’t a suit from the afternoon, but a summer sweater and a skirt under a lab coat; it was questionable to say the least. Moreover she’s wearing gla.s.ses she didn’t wear back at the afternoon. Not only that, the atmosphere around her had completely changed judging from her gestures and way of speaking.
Being anxious by the older woman"s sudden frank changes, Yuu decided to ask.
“I’m sorry……. could it be, it’s bad to put her in water?”
Hajime lightly laugh and shook her hand.
“Of course not. I said it right? Haruha-chan is a human. She’s made from very similar genes to ours and was composed of a similar composition, that’s why her color, voice, taste, and smell are very familiar right?”
Certainly, whether it’s eating or watching TV, Haruha was able to properly react to it. She did say that it feels tingling when eating pepper, it means that her tastes are pretty much that of a human.
“To put it in another way, just like a human, if her body is dirty and not washed it will be bad for her health. Ah, but for now don’t leave her alone for most of the time, especially when walking on stairs or taking a bath.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Haruha’s mind still hasn"t gotten used to that body. No matter how great a gamer is, it’s normal to be confused when playing a new game for the first time. For that kid, her body here (reality) is her avatar (incarnation). Her awareness to her own muscles and nerves are still not linked well yet.”
Indeed. So that was the reason why Haruha’s movement here felt so awkward compared when she’s in game. It might be close to the feeling of having to walk after spending long time bedridden at hospital.
“Well, she should be able to adjust after several months. She’s human after all”
The smile Hajime made after feeing a.s.sured was── very charming.
He averted his eyes for some reason as if to hide his embarra.s.sment and to relieve his sense of discomfort he asked.
“…… Somehow Hajime-san’s personality changed from before”
“Well of course, I’ll have to put on a mask in front my boss. To put in other word, it’s a facade”
Hajime mischievously smiled and suddenly pressed her face close.
“If you have any request, I’ll put on any face you like”
“Eee…. eh….!? No, err──”
He unconsciously lost his balance and his breathing becomes rigid. It was suffocating.
But then, Hajime easily pulled back, and raises one finger with a straight face.
“Well a reaction from a high school student might be like that, but Yuu-kun is a papa, so I expect you to be more firm”
“I, I will keep that in mind……”
Exhausted, he sat down on the sofa, and muttered weakly.
That’s right…… at any rate he is Haruha’s guardian, he should behave as one, both physically and mentally. While putting that determination he directs his gaze towards the bathroom.
And, there was…
Miharu who appears to be watching that conversation midway, and in contrary of her soft warm skin that just came out of the bath her eyes were very cold.
And then, next to her was Haruha wearing Miharu’s one-piece shirt, delivering an innocent gaze and completely having no idea of the situation.
In that very moment, for the first time of his life, Kasugai Yuu felt a sudden impulse to commit suicide.
What Hajime brought for Haruha wasn’t just a change of clothes.
It was Haruha’s personal Ramiel (『CtG』 Terminal).
That was completely different from Yuu’s. Miharu’s was also different but it was beyond that.
When talking about normal Ramiel, regardless of its version, the specification is always that, of a visor that covers the upper half of the user"s face. But this thing is a capsule about the size of a small bed. Unlike normal Ramiel you do not wear it to use it, but rather go inside the device, lie down, and close the top cover, it’s reminiscent of some kind of medical equipment.
The word “Yotsura Artifactual Laboratory” and “Anthropic Code Transfer System” were printed on top of the eyeball-like red lens front cover. The “for HAL/Ha” at the end might be referring to Haruha’s name.
In contrast to its appearance that seemed to be packed with lots of metal parts, it was quite light, but even so, it took the combined strength of Hajime, two researchers (maybe) she brought, and Yuu to lift it all the way to the corner of the living room. When it was finally over, Yuu and Hajime’s shoulders were drenched from their sweat.
“Actually I must teach you how to use this by today but…… I’m tired so let’s do it tomorrow”
Is it okay to be so loose, he thought but,
“And, the important Haruha-chan herself seems to be sleepy”
Come to think of it, Haruha who got bored waiting was now resting her small head above Miharu’s lap.
Yuu and Miharu looked at each other.
It seems Haruha, who came out of the virtual world, can sleep too.
......Well, like that Haruha happily started her first time sleeping, but…
This is problematic.
“……………………………………”
“……Zzzz~……Nnyaa~……”
“………………………………”
Within the dark room illuminated by the pale light of night-light.[2]
Above Yuu’s not so poor or gorgeous bed that he has used ever since elementary school.
Along with Haruha who lets out cat-like voices while sleeping in the middle, Yuu and Miharu were silently conscious about each other’s presences.
To put it in another way, they cannot concentrate on sleeping because of the other person’s breathing, motion, the close distance between them, and the rustling sound their clothes made when they move.
As it was early summer, they’re using a towel blanket instead of a Futon[3], so even though they “sleep on the same bed” it’s ultimately not “sharing a bed”. But, besides Haruha who’s a child, it’s surely not a normal situation for two high school students of the opposite s.e.x to be in.
Even though they carefully made sure not to see each other’s eyes, the desire to see Haruha’s sleeping face won, thus repeating the circle of accidentally seeing each other, averting their eyes in a hurry, and repeat. And to make it worse, the desire to do it again gets stronger each time.
Even their thoughts to peek through their half-open eyes were the same.
((Just why this happens……!?))
After Hajime and the others left, Yuu was planning to sleep in the living room after taking a bath. As the only usable bed in the Kasugai household at the time was just the one in Yuu’s room. There is also one in his mother’s room, but it’s in the same state before her death ── which was buried under tons of books and doc.u.ments ── so it cannot be used unless they spent the whole day cleaning it.
……Although, he planned to keep his mother’s room as it is, so tomorrow maybe they will just order a bed or a futon, and clean up the spare room that’s currently used as a storage room and use it.
Anyway, there’s no way he would have Haruha and of course Miharu as well to sleep on the sofa. For today the two girls shall sleep in Yuu’s room instead, and he will do his best to delicately do the bedding for them.
On the other hand, Miharu was regretful.
“I’m sorry. To have Kasugai-kun to sleep on the sofa and all……”
“It’s fine. It’s not like we can have Haruha to sleep by herself”
“But then Kasugai-kun will……”
But she cut her own words, because saying that would mean to show her distrust towards Yuu himself. And within such a subtle atmosphere.
“Neee, nee……”
The one who raised her voice while tightly hugging Yuu’s leg was none other than their beloved princess Haruha. She’s wearing the summer pajamas she received from Hajime, and now she was rubbing her own sleepy face. Her appearance was unduly cat-like.
Haruha who was puzzled by the sensation of being sleepy for the first time obediently listened to Miharu’s explanation “It’s okay. To sleep is a very good thing” and loosened her mouth. Suddenly wanting to, Yuu stroke Haruha’s head.
“Sorry to make you wait Haruha. The bed is ready, you can sleep now”
“Let’s sleep together daddy”
Miharu tried to talk to her out of it, but unexpectedly Haruha shook her head.
“Haruha wants to sleep with daddy too!”
The place.
Is frozen.
“N-No, no, that is a bit…”
“Tha, that’s right Haruha. We are, not like that, so things like that──”
In a hurry the two of them tried to answer[4], but their words were unexpectedly broken.
On Haruha’s face, a certain emotion was shown within her drowsiness. Right below the shades of her eyes was the color of despair, the kind of feeling that a normal child shouldn’t have known.
“But…… 『Sleep』 is the thing where Haruha can’t see, feel, or understand anything right?
Daddy and mommy might…… disappears when sleeping”
──That’s right. Yuu and Miharu faced each other. For Haruha, to experience sleep is both fun but also an anxious thing. It’s different from Yuu and Miharu who accept it as a normal occurrence. Everything is the first time for her, the only thing she can unconditionally trust are just her daddy and mommy.
Once they’ve understood that, there was no option to refuse.
Thus, on the absolutely not wide bed they formed the word river[5]
………………
An hour had pa.s.sed since they turned off the light. There was Yuu lying right besides Haruha who was letting out a proper sleeping voice, but he couldn’t sleep at all. Even though he was so tired, he still hasn’t reached the entrance of sleep.
The reason was simple. Because he knew that Miharu is awake. Every one minute she would move slightly, and every thirty seconds she would let out a sigh. But even so it’s not like he could do anything about it, because his heart beats fast as he felt their body heat transmitted through the mat.
First of all, Miharu who appear to distrust man that much is lightly dressed. Since this is early summer, it can’t be helped that she gets hot, but why a tank top and short pants. Just by moving a little, that plump exposed legs of her would enter his field of vision.
Maybe because she was in the middle of running away, thus she doesn’t own any bulkier pajamas but…… seeing how low her guard is sure is worrisome.
(This is bad…… the more I think about sleeping the sleepier I get)
Like this, Haruha who had fallen asleep so peacefully sure is envious. The moment he glanced at her, Haruha rolled over and clung onto him.
“……Nyuu……”
Not sure whether she’s awake or not, maybe she’s having a dream, while repeatedly moved her mouth she buried her face tightly into Yuu’s chest.
The presumptuous pet.i.te angel who knocked his belly was just like a doll, but, the certain warmth she has was pretty hot. She’s a human after all, recalls Hajime’s words.
It’s such a weird story. Even though they’re all human, there was a man like Yuu, a woman like Miharu, and a kid like Haruha. Furthermore, even Yuu himself who had become like this, was once just like Haruha who’s small, doll-like, and very dependent of her beloved parents.
……It might be not much of a difference now. Yuu let out a bitter smile and stroked Haruha’s hair. Haruha pulled her lips as if getting tickled.
“……daddy……”
Un