Evening hours
I was sitting at home in my pajamas.
I wasn't wearing anything on top.
Or more accurately, I prefer not to.
The doorbell rang, and I got up from the couch.
When I opened the door, there was a loli looking up at me, scanning me from head to toe: "Pervert…"
"Idiot, this is my house. It's more comfortable like this. Come on in, I've prepared food and games," I said.
Koneko held out a small bag to me: "Gift."
She looked a bit embarrassed.
I took the bag and looked inside.
There were a few chocolate cookies: "Thank you. Come on, the food's getting cold."
Koneko took off her shoes and came inside.
On the table in the living room, there were cola and pizza, and the TV was huge.
I lay down on the couch and tossed one controller to Koneko.
I opened Super Smash Bros, grabbed a slice of pizza, and started playing with Koneko while eating.
I was using Kirby, while Koneko was using Snake from Metal Gear.
I could see she was super focused because she was trying hard to beat me, but she kept getting knocked off the edge of the stage.
She took a slice of pizza: "Let's pause for now. You keep beating me up! Shouldn't you go easy on a girl?"
"I believe in gender equality. Whether someone is a woman or a man, they're equal in the face of fists!"
Koneko rolled her eyes: "Jerk…"
"Is it a lie? Ahem, whatever. Let's eat something." We went to the kitchen, and I took out strawberry parfaits from the fridge.
One for Koneko, one for myself: "The house is really big. Where's your family, Arthur?"
"My family died when I was 9. It was an accident. I'm the only survivor," I said.
I took a spoonful of my parfait, but when I looked at Koneko, she had her head down and looked like she was trying to say something.
Finally, she opened her mouth: "I-I'm sorry… for making you remember bad memories."
"Don't worry, it's been 9 years since that happened. What about you? Don't you have family? Isn't it a problem for them that you're here this late at night?" I asked.
Koneko turned her head away: "I had an older sister… but she left me when I was 9."
"Have you talked to your sister? Why did she leave you? What if there's something you don't know? If it were me, I'd investigate because I'd be curious why she left."
Koneko looked like she was thinking: "I… never thought about it like that…"
I wasn't expecting this girl to talk about Kuroka — well, she didn't fully say it, or she covered it up.
But I wasn't going to pressure her.
Just planting a few questions in her head about Kuroka would be enough.
And I felt like I'd managed to do that.
Because she looked thoughtful: "I have to go, Arthur-kun."
I stood up, grabbed the bag from the side table, and handed it to Koneko at the door.
"The game is in there. Don't forget to bring it back when you finish."
Koneko smiled: "I had a lot of fun today. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Take care," I said.
As she walked away, I closed the door and was left alone again in this big house.
I continued playing games by myself on the couch.
I'd have to go to school again tomorrow morning, but whatever.