Monaka's All Quiet Today! 192 'The Morning Light Was Shining on a Quiet Back'

It's sunny again today.
The light streaming through the window is no longer the end of spring; it has begun to mix in a slight hint of summer.
From early in the morning, the voices of birds were swaying in the distance.
The white light stretching through the gap in the curtains illuminates the floor in a thin line, and I walk quietly over it.
...Click.
...Click.
The sound of my claws echoes on the flooring.
A time when no one has raised their voice yet.
It was that kind of morning, where only the air seemed to be awake first.
Komachi-senpai was by the window.
Squinting in the sunlight, she didn't move, like an ornament that had been placed there long ago.
I sit down next to her.
The wind outside is gentle.
Every time the leaves on the balcony sway, even the light seems to sway with them.
Beyond that, Miyabi-senpai walked over slowly.
...Click.
...Click.
The sound of her walking with her back straight.
Even though it's quiet, there is a strange sense of presence.
Miyabi-senpai stopped a little behind us and looked outside without saying a word.
But that sense of distance is just like Miyabi-senpai.
Not too close.
Not too far, either.
I don't dislike that atmosphere.
After a while, Papa-san woke up.
He drinks some water with a sleepy face and opens the window.
At that moment, the morning breeze flowed into the room, filling it completely.
The smell of grass.
The smell of soil.
The outside air that had just begun to warm up.
I squint involuntarily.
Mama-san was standing in the kitchen.
The small sound of dishes touching.
The sound of water boiling.
The light rhythm of a kitchen knife.
All of that slowly gives shape to the day that is today.
Nee-chan still looked a bit sleepy, walking over with her hair all messy.
Nii-chan is laughing at that sight.
I pass through the middle of them.
Someone laughs.
Someone moves.
Someone calls a name casually.
Each time, the air in the room softens a little more.
Nothing special happened today either.
But—.
The way the light hits.
The temperature of the wind.
The shape of the shadows falling on the floor.
Those small things are strangely lingering in my heart today.
By the time it was noon, the sunlight had become even stronger.
The window area was white and dazzling, and the sky was blue as far as the eye could see.
I lay on the floor, watching that light blankly.
Laundry is swaying in the distance.
Every time the wind blows, I can faintly hear the sound of fabric rubbing.
It's quiet.
But that quietness isn't empty.
It's a quietness where someone is present.
It's a quietness where life is breathing properly.
I slowly close my eyes.
Today, too, the world was peaceful.
Komachi-senpai, too.
Miyabi-senpai, too.
Papa-san and Mama-san, too.
Nee-chan and Nii-chan, too.
Everyone is spending their time normally in their own places.
That "normal" is somehow a little dazzling.
The wind blowing in from the window tickled my whiskers.
I purr softly.
...Probably nothing unusual today either.