Once dinner was prepped, I sat down on the couch and tossed a light blanket over Yashiro, who lay next to me. One side of my body felt oddly heavy, as if all my fatigue had migrated there, and I tilted sideways onto the armrest. With my mouth dangling half-open, I zoned out and admired the slanted view of the sunset through the window. The slightest change in perspective sent our ordinary town soaring into space—like a game I was playing with nothing but my own two eyes.
“That looks like the color of curry, doesn’t it?” Yashiro remarked. I wasn’t sure what she was looking at, considering that her eyes were closed.
“Curry?” I repeated wryly. The kid wasn’t beating the “glutton” allegations anytime soon. More importantly, the sky wasn’t quite as dark as curry, so I offered an alternative. “That’s what they call a ‘caramel-colored’ sky.” Or sometimes “candy-colored,” although I wasn’t sure why. Maybe as a reference to cotton candy, if I had to guess.
“Really?”
“Really really.”
“Very well. Caramel is tasty too.”
“Is that all you ever think about?”
I poked the sole of her tiny little foot. Squish.
“Zzzzrrrggg…” Now even her snores were starting to sound weird. Was her imitation of a human really this bad, or was that weirdness simply her default state?
With the setting of the sun, I inevitably ran out of things to do. How would my younger self have spent this time…? After a moment of reflection, I decided I might as well take a nap myself. The moment I started lifting my feet onto the couch, however, it occurred to me that I was acting like a 1950s housewife waiting for her husband to come home. The thought didn’t sit well with me. But if I wanted to stay awake until Adachi got home, then I couldn’t stay seated.
Rising to my feet, I started doing whatever random radio-calisthenics exercises I could remember. Before I knew it, Yashiro had joined me, matching my movements with her eyes still closed.
“One, two, three, four…”
“How do you have these memorized?”
“I do them with Little all the time.”
“Oh, wait, I think I remember that.”
When we were kids, there had been times during summer break when my sister came home from the radio-calisthenics venue dragging Yashiro with her. Of course, these days, she clearly didn’t need to be dragged. As I watched her strange, floaty motions, I felt like a refreshing drop of cold, crisp water was trickling into my chest.
Later that night, after I’d killed enough time (and my drowsiness to boot)…
“Ah. She’s returned,” Yashiro announced, interrupting her umpteenth nap to open one eye.
“Wait. Really?”
At this point, I didn’t bother questioning how Yashiro could possibly sense such things; past experience had taught me that she simply could. Sure enough, as I rose to my feet, the doorbell rang. If only Yashiro could learn to do the same thing, I thought, heading to the entryway.
“Welcome home!”
“Thanks.”
It was nearly eight o’clock by the time my hus—er, Adachi—came home. She was much earlier than she had been the previous night, however, and seemed much less exhausted. Swatting her bangs out of her face, she let out a breath.
“You had a long day today, huh?”
“What, like you didn’t?”
Smiling faintly, she took her shoes off and lined them up next to mine. Only when our shoes were side by side did I realize that hers were slightly larger. It’s not like any part of my body is bigger than Adachi’s, though, right? Ha ha ha. Well, except maybe my heart. Considering all those years I’d spent caring for my younger sibling, I hoped that was one area where I beat her by a landslide, but…
“Hmmm… Not sure…”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Oh, nothing!” Forcefully changing the subject, I took Adachi’s briefcase. Dang, this thing’s heavy. “Are you tired?”
“Yeah.” She nodded without hesitation. Then she froze for a moment, her eyes darting. At last, she looked back at me, blinking rapidly.
“What…?”
“Er, I mean…! I-I’ll never get tired of coming home to…you…!”
It was clearly a line she’d thought up on the spot, then gotten too embarrassed to finish. I found it oddly energizing. “Oh yeah? Then let’s hear your catchphrase.”
“Huh?!”
Was that really such a surprising request when, by my estimation, we repeated this exchange on a near-weekly basis? Adachi stared down at the floor, processing. Then, finally, she looked up…and put her arms around me.
“Wha—?”
“Upsy-daisy!”
“Whoa!”
“I’m doing just peachy, girlfriendo!”
Grinning from ear to ear, she’d hoisted me up into the air. I felt her firm muscles against my back and giggled, kicking my dangling feet. At this point in our relationship, it only took a scant few words to make us smile.
After setting me back down, she laughed weakly. “See? Just peachy.”
“Gee, sorry to tucker you out like that,” I replied, pretending to pout as I felt her energy rejuvenate me. “Am I really that heavy?”
“N-no! At least, I don’t think so! I don’t know!” she blurted out, then turned and strode away. When I gave chase, she broke into a run; to prove I was no slouch, I followed suit. Really, I was just relieved to know that she wasn’t completely drained.
“Welcome home,” Yashiro greeted her from the couch.
Adachi stopped short. “Oh. You again.”
“Yes. Good evening.”
She eyed the little girl’s bright-blue hair. “Were you eavesdropping on us?”
“‘Just peachy, girlfriendo’!” Yashiro responded. Then I heard a lunging sound, followed by, “Ho ho ho! You may lift me too if you like.”
“Pass.”
Despite Adachi pinching her cheeks, Yashiro was still smiling. Meanwhile, I set Adachi’s briefcase down. I was glad to see that she and Yashiro were on better terms lately. “Go get changed while I make dinner.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
She walked off to the bedroom, leaving Yashiro standing there with her face all stretched out like a drawstring bag. The little alien toddled to the dining table, took a chopstick in each hand, and posed. “Shing! I am prepared.”
“Fix your face while you wait.”
“Oops.”