“Here you go, Himari. Careful, it’s hot.” Kanba looked like the lively owner of a roadside stall as he handily skewered a takoyaki and set it on a plate.
Himari happily accepted the takoyaki, well-garnished with sauce and nori and katsuobushi, giving hearty thanks for the food before gobbling it down. Her eyes lit up with delight. “It’s hot, but it’s really good! Eating takoyaki with your family is the best.” She separated some out on the plate to feed to the penguins. The three of them were all lined up, their mouths open in waiting. They looked like fat, round baby birds.
“We figured you must be getting sick of hospital food. Eat up,” said Kanba with a satisfied grin.
“Hey, leave some for me, too,” I called from my station in the doorway, just in case.
“Yeah, these are good.” He pretended not to hear me.
“Hey, Aniki!”
“I’ve got it, Sho-chan. You like lots of nori, right? It’s hot, so be careful.” Himari swiftly handed a plate over to me. I returned her guileless smile with a reflexively goofy grin.
“Thanks, Himari.” Our little sister truly was the sweetest person in the world. I took the plate and closed the door. It didn’t seem as though anyone was onto us.
“He should be fine with just the leftover bits, Himari,” Kanba joked.
“So you’re good with just sipping the last bit of juice from the ginger, right, Aniki?!” I theatrically stuck out my tongue at Kanba as he glared at me.
A bit of air spurted from Himari’s mouth before she broke out laughing. “Goodness, you two shouldn’t be fighting over things like that. You’re such children.”
I glanced at Kanba, who looked back at me. Himari seemed to be having fun. She was laughing heartily, and eating takoyaki. What we were truly after was nothing special. And yet, this sort of “normal” was something truly “special” to us.
“I’m glad. You just keep getting better, Himari,” I said quietly, sitting on the floor.
“Yeah, I’ve been feeling a lot better lately! Wonder if it’s because of that medicine,” she said with a smile, kneading No. 3’s cheeks. “Dr. Sanetoshi said that I might even be able to leave the hospital soon!”
“Really?!” I shouted, my face full of takoyaki.
“Yeah. Dr. Sanetoshi said so; I’m sure everything’s gonna be fine.”
That’s great, I started to say, when I looked at Kanba. He was flipping takoyaki, the corners of his mouth downturned. I decided not to pry in front of Himari. “Well then, maybe next time we’ll have sukiyaki to celebrate your release!”
“Whoa, really? Yay!” Himari cheered, not seeming to notice how Kanba was acting.
“You’re gonna have to build up your nutrition anyway, right?!”
“Oh, that reminds me. There was something I wanted to ask you two.” She set down her plate and went over to the paper bag on the bedside table, pulling out a half-knitted project. “Ta-da!” she said, spreading it out.
“Oh, what’re you making this time?”
“A sweater!”
“Sounds pretty challenging.” Himari’s handicrafts were largely cute little accessories and embroidery or appliqué. Soon she would probably even be good enough to make things that she could wear herself.
It was clear to me now that Himari was going to live.
“So, um, what do you think about this color?” she asked a bit nervously, holding the unfinished sweater up to her chest. It was a surprisingly subdued choice of color for Himari, made of purple yarn with gray in it.
“That looks nice. I think it’s a bit plain for you though, Himari,” I replied.
“It’s not for me, actually.” Her gaze wavered ever so slightly, her cheeks reddening. “Um, it’s for an adult. A thank-you gift.”
“Huh? An adult?” That was unexpected. Still, whoever it was for, she said it was a thank-you present, so there couldn’t be any ulterior motive to it. Besides, Himari’s world was largely limited to our family home and the hospital. Oginome-san and Himari probably wouldn’t be seeing very much of each other from now on. I’m not really good at thinking about complicated things, but it seemed important for Himari to have human connections and broader horizons.
“What do you think, Kan-chan?”
“It’s fine, I guess. Not my taste, but I’m sure that guy’ll love it.” I was surprised at the relatively cold tone in which he said “that guy.” Did he know who it was? Himari looked a bit shocked as well.
“Say, Himari, who is that sweater for?” I asked as cheerfully as possible. “Anyone we know?”
“Hee hee, it’s a secret,” she laughed softly, a little embarrassed.
“Yeah, right,” I said, a teasing grin spreading across my face.
“It’s a secret! A secret!” Himari collapsed onto the bed, cradling the sweater to her chest, and then slid it back into the paper bag.
“She does seem better,” I said to my brother, quietly.
“Yeah.”
“The three of us will be able to live together again soon.” I let out a deep sigh. “Maybe now we can finally get back to normal. We won’t have to take orders from that weird hat, or go running around after that pointless diary anymore.”
“No, it remains necessary!”
I knew the voice that came piercing through. I knew it well. After all, it was the voice that was issuing us commands up until recently. We both looked up to the bed to see Himari, the penguin hat atop her head, eyes glinting red.
“Survival Tactiiiiiic!”
Before we could even shout in surprise, we were assailed by the formerly tattered and shorn waves of frills and lace. There was a sweet scent, and a white shining warm sensation. The sparkling world stretched endlessly in every direction.
Himari, in her penguin hat, was back to her usual impeccable form, blowing the white frills away with her lips, billowing the lace with a single fingertip as she appeared. The whole world shook in time with the clacking of her boots.
She walked right up to us as we sat there, stunned, and sneered. “Surely, you worthless nothings have been told!”