"COPY BOY" My Clone is an Elementary Schooler ⑫ [Neko-chan]

<Summer, Episode 12>

Ever since then, Neko-chan visited our house often to observe us.
Grandma even prepared special chopsticks and a rice bowl for her.

It feels strange to have someone else, let alone such a young woman, step into this gloomy house that used to be just Grandma and me. Even the drafty, poverty-stricken gaps in the sliding doors turn into a refreshing breeze with the scent of her swaying short hair.
Still, this person laughs a lot. It gets lively when Chibi and Neko-chan are around.

I thought at first that living with a child would be a hassle, but this might not be so bad after all.

I felt a bit bothered by the way "little me" was happily clinging to Neko-chan.
But it's not good to stare. I'd be embarrassed if I got caught, so I sneak a glance at the reflection in the glass of the turned-off TV.
Chibi is clinging to her and won't let go. You're me, for heaven's sake. You'll be misunderstood.
Even if you are a kid, you're being too clingy to Neko-chan. Hey, back off a little. Damn, it's hard to see in the reflection of the glass...

“Yu-chan, the TV isn't even on, why are you looking at it?”
Everyone laughed at Grandma's voice.

I made eye contact with Neko-chan and gave a sheepish, awkward smile.
But I realized I like this time we spend laughing together.
I wonder if Neko-chan thinks so too.

After finishing lunch, when I was about to go to the restroom, I noticed Neko-chan, wearing garden sandals, talking on the phone while fiddling with the leaves of a plant with her fingertips.
Is the person on the other end her boss, Inumaki? She seemed to be pleading for something emotionally,
“Is it really okay to leave it like this? I don't think so. Please let me talk...”

It's the same as last time. What on earth could be going on?
Invited by the sign that she was about to end the call,
“Are you okay?” the words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them.
She turned around. I flinched at her direct gaze and felt guilty. No, I wasn't eavesdropping. I'm sorry.
“Yes.”
Neko-chan tried to act natural while wiping away tears from her glasses. Her usual soft smile looked a little lonely.

I felt like something was wrong, so,
“If you'd like...”
“Yes?”
“...Um, could you let me hear it?”
“Eh?”
“If you'd like... I mean, if you'd like... oh, if you don't want to, that's fine... but, if you'd like.”
Perhaps she found my fidgeting funny, as her expression softened a little.
“It's alright now. I'm sorry. Anyway...”
She changed the subject.
“Anyway?”
“It's great, isn't it.”
“Eh?”
“...You and little Chibi have become such good friends.”
“I suppose so.”
“Like real brothers.”
“We are the same person, though.”
“Ah, that's right.”
“He's annoying sometimes, though. We're getting along well enough.”
“Indeed. I'm having fun too,” she said, as if savoring the words.
“Indeed.”
“I wish I could stay like this forever.” She stretched innocently toward the sky.

I wish I could stay like this forever...

That stuck with me a little. Maybe it didn't have a deep meaning.
I felt like I shouldn't pry, so the words I squeezed out were a pathetic response.
“...Indeed.”

A whimsical breeze blew, swaying her shoulder-length hair, and Neko-chan turned and smiled gently at me.

(To be continued)

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