I drifted awake in a daze.
A faint, pleasant aroma wafted through the air—the scent of breakfast, perhaps? My head was still a bit foggy from sleep, but my stomach was already beginning to grumble. I felt someone clinging to me and called out to them.
"Hey, Kuro... it’s morning."
"Mnn... Just five more years..."
"That’s way too long!"
I fired off the retort reflexively. Kuro rubbed her sleepy eyes and slowly sat up. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of her pale skin peeking through the gaps in her adorable sleepwear, but I quickly covered my reaction with an exasperated sigh.
"...You don’t even need to sleep, given your nature. Why are you such a sleepyhead?"
"...It’s your fault, Kaito-kun. You wouldn't let me sleep at all last night."
"...Let’s not talk about that right now."
I cut her off before she could say anything more scandalous, likely still half-asleep as she was. I took her hand and gently pulled her out of the bedroom while she continued to blink away the grogginess.
When we reached the living room, we found that Ein-san had prepared breakfast as usual. The savory scent of miso soup filled the air.
"Good morning, Chrome-sama, Kaito-sama."
"Good morning, Ein-san."
"Ein... Mornin'..."
The moment we appeared, Ein-san finished setting the table with practiced ease. Miso soup, tamagoyaki, grilled fish, and bowls of white rice... She had truly and completely mastered the art of Japanese cuisine.
A significant amount of time had passed since Kuro and Ein-san followed me from the otherworld, and it seemed both of them had grown quite accustomed to living here.
Once we sat down to eat, Kuro finally seemed to wake up fully, returning to her usual cheerful self. She watched me reach for a piece of tamagoyaki with my chopsticks, then turned toward me and opened her mouth expectantly.
"Aahhh."
"...Here."
"Nom... Mmm, Ein’s cooking really is the best."
"You flatter me, Chrome-sama."
Kuro happily munched on the egg I fed her, a radiant smile lighting up her face. Every little thing she did was so naturally cute that I couldn't help but smile back.
"Come to check, Chrome-sama and Kaito-sama are heading out today, are you not?" Ein-san asked.
"Yep! We’re going on a date!"
"We’ll probably be back by evening, so we'll have dinner at home," I added.
"Understood. I shall have everything prepared for your return."
Ein-san bowed politely. Honestly, ever since I returned to this world, I had been constantly indebted to her... well, mostly. She did cause her fair share of headaches, too.
Take this house, for example. I had originally lived in a modest apartment, but Ein-san had insisted that "Chrome-sama cannot be expected to live in such a cramped space." The very next day, she had somehow acquired land and built this mansion in a single night. I still had no idea how she pulled that off.
Naturally, the overnight construction had caused a media frenzy, with news outlets calling it a "modern-day one-night castle." However, the very next day, they all issued public apologies claiming it was a false report. I was certain Ein-san had a hand in that, but I was too terrified to ask for details.
In any case, today was my long-awaited date with Kuro. I decided to put those thoughts aside and just enjoy myself.
"Mmm. These cars really are mysterious. To think a hunk of iron like this can actually move."
"Hey, don't be a dummy. Put the car down—don't lift it with one hand!"
In the garage—which was far too large for someone my age—I scolded Kuro as she curiously hoisted the vehicle into the air to inspect it. She set the car back down, opened the door, and hopped into the passenger seat.
Today, she was wearing a white camisole dress over short pants, topped with a black down vest. It was an active, cute look that suited her perfectly.
"Buckle your seatbelt properly."
"Oka~y!"
Kuro followed my instructions and clicked the belt into place. We’d gone out in the car enough times now that she seemed to have the hang of it. On our first day, she hadn't understood her own strength and had ripped the entire seatbelt out of the frame; I’d been at a complete loss then.
"Alright, let's head out—"
"Ah, wait, Kaito-kun!"
"Eh?"
"What about our goodbye kiss?"
"..."
Wasn't that something you were only supposed to do when one person was leaving? Then again, what was she saying all of a sudden? She’d probably picked up some weird idea from a TV drama again. I sat there in silence for a moment under her expectant gaze before finally giving in and unbuckling my seatbelt.
Seeing my movement, Kuro softly closed her eyes and tilted her chin up.
"...Mnh... chu..."
I embraced her small shoulders as I felt the heat rush to my face. Her lips were soft and meltingly sweet. We shared the kiss for a long moment, lingering in each other's warmth, before I finally sat back and restarted the engine.
"...Alright, let's really go now."
"Yeah!"
Feeling a bit bashful as Kuro nodded with a beaming smile, I pulled the car out of the garage. My house was located in a lush, green area somewhat removed from the city, so it would take about thirty to forty minutes to reach our destination.
"Hey, hey, Kaito-kun. Where are we going today?"
"You sound like you're having a lot of fun."
"I am! Every single day is just so much fun... Since I came to this world, I’ve been constantly amazed by cars and televisions, but honestly, it’s only fun because Kaito-kun is with me."
"...It really feels like our roles have reversed since we first met."
"Ahaha, I guess so!"
When I had first been summoned to the otherworld knowing absolutely nothing, I remembered being shocked by everything I saw and heard. Kuro had been the one to teach me everything back then. Now, in this world, Kuro was the one who knew nothing, and I was the one playing teacher. Explaining the world to her as she listened with wide-eyed interest was... well, it was a special kind of happiness.
"I heard a new crepe shop opened up, so I thought we’d start there. After that, we can just walk around and snack on whatever looks good."
"Crepes? I know those! The thin, fluffy ones, right? They’re delicious!"
"...Hehe, I think you’re in for a surprise."
"A surprise? From a crepe?"
I smiled as Kuro tilted her head in wonder, and I continued driving toward our destination.
"Waaaah... Th-This is incredible! It's amazing, Kaito-kun! There are so many kinds!"
"See? I told you you’d be surprised."
"Yeah! Oh man, which one should I get? That one looks good, but that one over there does too... Mmm..."
Kuro’s eyes sparkled as she stared at the plastic food samples in the shop window. She looked like a child in a candy store, and her genuine excitement was infectious. After agonizing over the menu for a while, she finally nodded and turned to me.
"...I’ll go with the chocolate cream one!"
"Got it. By the way, Kuro, what was your second choice?"
"Hmm? Probably the one with strawberry sauce. Why?"
In response, I ordered both the chocolate cream crepe and the strawberry sauce crepe. There was a park across from the shop, so we headed that way. I carried a crepe in one hand while interlacing my fingers with Kuro’s free hand.
"Uwaah, it’s so good! Kaito-kun, this is amazing!"
"You really do love chocolate, don't you?"
"Yeah! Chocolate is wonderful! It’s sweet and it just melts away..."
"Ahaha. In that case, should we go to a chocolate fountain sometime?"
"A chocolate fountain?"
Kuro still ate baby castella every day even in this world, but lately, she’d developed a serious obsession with chocolate. She frequently ate the versions of baby castella that were filled with it. She’d told me that while chocolate had been introduced to her world by a past hero, the stuff here was on an entirely different level.
"A chocolate fountain is... well, it's like a waterfall of chocolate. You dip different fruits and things into it."
"A-A waterfall?! Does chocolate just gush out of the ground in this world?!"
"Ah, no, not quite... but it feels like that. Well, you can look forward to seeing it for yourself."
"Phew... this world really is something. Especially the food. I was so shocked when I saw the supermarkets—there were just rows and rows of sweets!"
Kuro’s energy was through the roof, her expressions shifting rapidly as she chatted away. The warmth of her hand in mine and the sight of her enjoying herself so much... I thought to myself that this was exactly what happiness looked like. I held out the second crepe to her.
"Here, you wanted to try this one too, right?"
"Eh? Is that okay?"
"Of course."
"Thank you, Kaito-kun! I’ll just have one bite then."
"Go ahead."
"Aahhh, nom."
Kuro flashed a smile as bright as a blooming flower as she took a bite of my crepe. To return the favor, she held hers up to my mouth, and I took a bite of hers as well. We spent the rest of the day wandering the city, enjoying the slow pace of time and sampling everything that caught our eyes.
"Ugh... maybe I ate a bit too much..."
"Ahaha, are you okay, Kaito-kun?"
After returning home and finishing the delicious dinner Ein-san had prepared, the cumulative effect of the day's snacking finally caught up with me. I was currently resting with my head in Kuro's lap while she gently stroked my hair with a wry smile.
"Mmm. Even though I’m used to it now, this is still a little embarrassing..."
"Really? I love having your head in my lap."
"You do?"
I’d lost count of how many times we’d been in this position on the sofa, but the bashfulness never quite went away. Kuro looked down at me with a serene, gentle expression.
"I can feel your warmth and stroke your hair... it makes me realize all over again that you're really here with me. It makes me so, so happy."
"...Kuro."
"...Kaito-kun. I love you. Please stay with me forever."
"...Yeah."
Sometimes she was as innocent as a child, and other times as serene as a holy mother. She was the person I loved more than anyone in the world.
I shifted my gaze slightly and saw the photo frame on the living room mantel. Set against the backdrop of a small church, the photo showed Kuro in a pure white dress, smiling with pure joy, and me standing right beside her.
The ring sparkling on Kuro’s left hand was the symbol of our blissful days.
It was a life that was noisy, fun, and occasionally exhausting—but above all, it was happy. I knew with absolute certainty that the future I would walk with Kuro would be filled with just as much joy as the present.