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Chucking down a bottle of water is the first thing on my mind when the cooled air of my home greets me like an old friend after hours spent outside in the boiling august heat. Koyori helps herself to a glass of water herself, the sweat on her forehead telling a tale of a huge summer fun time.

Mom enters the kitchen the moment she picks up on our return, immediately recruiting Koyori for a shopping tour of the local store. I don't really know why she'd take the girl along but, as far as I'm concerned, I have no reason to pry into the affairs of two women - especially if both of them have literal power over me.

Regardless, as I wave Koyori goodbye, it does strike me as enough of an oddity to spare a thought on my way back to my room.

First she tried to knit us together and now she takes Koyori out for grocery shopping. I'm not really following here..

Koyori didn't seem to mind though. Perhaps she has food allergies and Mom's just making sure that Yori wouldn't accidentally eat something she couldn't eat? Although a voice in my head tries to convince me otherwise, I can't help but ponder the question if Koyori is secretly being adopted into our family behind my back.

I mean, she didn't even tell me why she's here, Mom doesn't tell me why she's here either. Sooner or later I'll have to investigate…

As I reach the wooden stairs leading up to my place, my eyes fall on a heavy load of baggage that still hasn't been carried into the second story.

Ah damn it, and here I thought the sweating would finally be over…

I grab the bag of luggage by the handle, mentally preparing for a tug-of-war against gravity. Several stickers, ranging from flowery themes to animals and smilies are glued to the otherwise plain-looking object, bestowing upon it a sense of Koyori's personality.

This is so 'her' but this won't make this any easier…

For a short moment, I'm contemplating the option of just leaving it there for Koyori to unpack later. Somehow, though, the idea leaves a stale taste on my tongue that has nothing to do with the tasteless tap water I drank in a hurry. My entire life is defined by lazying around, doing only those things convenient for me while avoiding everything else like the most recent viral outbreak. The moment something seems too hard to pull off, I turtle up or escape. Doesn't matter if it's a game I can't clear, a bully I can't outwit or a childhood friend I can't run away from.

As my eyes linger on the cutely decorated bag, a holographic image of her pops up out of thin air, marvelous as always. When I try to get a better look at the graceful girl, her vista escapes me as abruptly as it had appeared.

Guess the heat has cooked my brain a little too well…

The brief imaginary encounter supplies me with newfound energy regardless. The mental picture of Koyori rejoicing at the accomplishment refuels my resolve to carry her belongings into my room - our room. Right, it's no longer my room alone.

My arms feel like twigs when I embrace the heavy object, attempting to get a good grip on it. Koyori's cheering calls that I'm hearing for some reason, prompt me to heave it up, storing it on my shoulders before making the upward trip. I'm praying to the unfortunate angel who's on watch duty over me right now. The additional weight - easily more than half my weight, threatens to unbalance me. My legs feel shaky under the additional stress, each ascending step more straining than the other.

In the end, though, the angel on duty keeps me safe and sound, the baggage finally crashing onto the floor along with my exhausted body.

I should really start working out…

Lamenting about the renewed heat rising from my battered limbs, I remain still like this, catching my heavy breath for a brief moment.

Seriously, she must have stuffed her entire belongings into this thing. There's no way she's just randomly visiting me. I'll have to confirm this with Mom later.

I've read enough doujins to know that I shouldn't take my suspicions too lightly.

Speaking of which…

I feel some strength return to my legs as the thought of those things brushes my mind. Koyori has found them once already; I don't want her to find them again by accident.

Powered by those fleeting fears, I retrieve them from the random drawer I stuffed them into. One by one, I'm sorting them back into the correct ones, occasionally blushing at lewd cover artwork. I hone in on a particular story, revitalizing my underlying worries.

The story is about a light novel author taking care of his shut-in adopted younger sister until one day he finds out she's his Mysterious lewd artist. Eventually, they fall in love and do the thing which is where this thin book is taking over the story. If it turns out that Koyori got adopted…

Yori fits that imouto troupe for sure. She's adorable and childlike, and seems to like me unconditionally... Dang, I wonder if she'd call me 'Onii-chan'. 

The mere thought of it makes me kneel over as I lose my balance.

No! A-anything but that!

Hastily, I return to my work to flush those embarrassing thoughts out of my system though the underlying cause continues to linger. My inability to explain Koyori's sudden visit gnaws at me and, although I've made some good progress earlier, I still don't feel like I've got everything figured out.

Once my secret stash is properly stored and hidden away, I begin my quest to look for the drawing she gifted me back then. There's noise from below, the distinct sound of cooking interwoven with Koyori's laughter telling me that the two women have returned, preparing dinner for the family. Koyori doesn't seem to return to me so I continue to search.

After a few luckless attempts, I discover a stash of hand-drawn comics I did a while back, drawing manga until people on the internet told me that art and story were utter crap. The discouragement made me bury my ambitions but I didn't throw a single page away. Digging deeper, I find drawings of dinosaurs and other things I doodled out of sheer boredom during grade school. Eventually, the item I'm looking for surfaces much to my delight.

My friend Keiichi…

A sneaky smile distorts my face as I read the poorly written words. Two children are holding hands while laughing, although the resemblance to Yori and me is questionable at best. The background is pretty detailed for a 6-year-old girl's drawing and the coloring was done with great care.

I forgot what mine looks like but it was probably worse. But hey, really glad I kept this stored up somewhere.

I gaze at the piece of paper before a trampling noise precedes the return of the artist. Hastily, I store it back where I found it before Koyori storms in, inviting me for dinner and kindly informing me that I'm on table-prepping duty.