Chapter 63 - 11

Chapter 63: Chapter 11

31st of October (Saturday) – Asamura Yuuta

The final day of October was upon us. Since I had no school today, I slept in a bit longer, enjoying a relaxing morning. Once 4 pm rolled around, it was time for me to steel my resolve and head to work. I decided against using my bike, considering the enormous crowd I'd have to fight against, and opted to make my way there on foot. I left the house a bit earlier than usual because of that. Ayase-san did as well, taking a different route to the bookstore than mine.

Once I reached the area around the train station, I was yet again fully reminded of just what day it was today. Tomorrow is the day we thank the saints—All Saints Day. And the day before it is the introduction—Halloween. The streets of Shibuya were crowded with people dressed up as monsters. I saw zombies, vampires, mummies, werewolves...From standard costumes to cosplays of anime characters, the number of people who were dressed up had increased tenfold over yesterday.

"I'm starting to feel dizzy..."

I tried my hardest to avoid the crowd as that mutter escaped my lips. The street was full to the point my shoulder would constantly bump into somebody else's. I think we'll be awfully busy at the bookstore today. After passing through these groups of people for a while, I finally made it to the store. Upon entering, I could already see the chaos unfolding. Around 30% of the people shopping here were wearing costumes. I snuck past all of them, entered the office, and greeted the others.

"Ah, Asamura-kun. You'll be at the cash register today."

The manager handed me the same jester cap as yesterday. He gave me a quick rundown of today's procedure and told me to be mindful of the cash register in particular. I finished changing into my uniform and stepped out to the main store. I spotted a special corner next to the cash register. There were small discount goods there like costumes, candlelights, and even penlights.

They had probably set this up after the store closed yesterday. Basically, that discount section will be here only for today, and will be removed once tomorrow rolls around. Our main business revolved around books, of course, but the store manager's mentality was that the more we sold, the better. This naturally would make handling the cash register a lot more troublesome. Even more so thanks to the wonderful jester cap I was wearing at this very moment.

It ended up being a lot worse than I had anticipated. Murphy's Law was in full force today as well. We were so busy that there wasn't any time for idle talk at the cash register. Shibuya is known as the crowded city that never sleeps, and because Halloween was on the weekend this year, it felt like every single person in Shibuya decided to go out today, which created an endless line in front of my checkout counter.

The flourishing of a business has its pros and cons, but I'd had no experience with the checkout line being this busy before, so I was completely exhausted by the time my shift ended. My legs were hurting from standing at the checkout counter the entire time. I can already tell they'll be killing me tomorrow. For the first time ever, I was genuinely jealous of Maru and his trained body. Then again, I wouldn't know how much training would be necessary to not get muscle pains like this, so I can imagine the world just being unreasonable again if I did.

Even worse was that, right before this hellish shift ended, somebody threw up right in front of the store. It was probably some moron who got drunk early into the evening, but we also couldn't leave it there since it'd just make our store look bad. Somebody would have to clean it up, and since the store manager was irreplaceable during this busy time, I was elected as the lucky guy for the job.

I grabbed a bucket with water and a mop, making my way to the next layer of hell with heavy steps. I passed through the automatic door and was immediately greeted by the crime scene. Naturally, the perpetrator had long vanished, leaving only the evidence behind in the form of gross-looking vomit. These kinds of people only know how to make trouble for people who are trying hard. As the chilly fall breeze blew through my thin clothes, I spent my time gazing at the passersby in their costumes, scrubbing with the mop emotionlessly like a well-oiled machine.

I didn't feel particularly jealous of them and their partying. I've always been bad with that sort of thing. However, when I spotted a boy and girl walking next to each other, my curiosity got the better of me. I saw a couple of what looked like university students standing in front of the movie advertisement on the side of our bookstore, looking at each other with their bodies intertwined. They didn't pay much attention to the gazes of other people around them, instead brazenly making out with each other. It was similar to the sight I'd seen back in Ikebukuro. I guess being a couple means that you have to kiss each other in front of strangers.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, something felt off. Someone crouched down right in front of the couple, staring at them from a close distance. My first impression of that individual was that they were a devil. She had the eyes of a devil. Her hairband had two horns growing from it, and there was a small tail showing from her back. Her black skirt and long sleeves with a matching robe were those of a witch, but it was most likely a costume that was a mixture of the two. On any regular day, she'd stand out pretty conspicuously.

However, call it the magic of Halloween if you will, the only person who paid this woman any mind at this point was me. It was like she only existed in my reality. Even the couple she was staring at had entered their own world, continuing their passionate kiss.

"Hmm. Do you two have a moment?" The devil called out to them.

Only then did the couple notice that they were being watched, and they quickly pulled their heads apart. Thank goodness she wasn't some sort of hallucination my mind had come up with to make this shift a bit more interesting.

"W-What do you want?" The man stepped in front of his girlfriend.

The devil continued without so much as batting an eye.

"You're fully prepared to commit illicit acts in front of random strangers, I see. Do you two always have your foreplay while being watched by others?"

"Wha...?"

The boyfriend was utterly baffled. I don't blame him. I had trouble following what that weirdo was on about.

"There's no need to give it that much of a thought. I am simply interested to see how much the environment of Halloween urges you to ignore any sort of social and ethical morals, or if this occasion simply gathers those who lack the kind of ethical views to even see problems with their illicit behavior in the first place. Put simply, I am curious about your mindset."

"W-What the hell are you talking about?"

"Come on, let's just go." The girlfriend tugged on the man's arm, urging him to walk away.

"Hold on. Maybe you gain greater excitement by showing yourselves in front of others? If so, shouldn't you be thanking me for assisting you in that regard?"

"We're going. Please don't follow us!"

"Can't you at least answer one question of mine? Were you flirting around like that because of today's magic, or because you are into that sort of stuff? A side comment is fine, just give me some kind of information to record."

"We won't!" The girlfriend grabbed her boyfriend's hand and rushed towards the city center, disappearing into the crowd.

"Much obliged for the precious sample. It will certainly assist my future research." She waved her hand and watched the couple off. "Now then, it's time to look for my next target of observation...Hm?"

"Ah."

Our eyes met. When her eyes, shining like stained gemstones, entered my line of sight, part of my memories were stimulated. Her slightly pigmented skin, her unkempt hair that made it look like she had just woken up, her slumped shoulders, and her dogmatic method of questioning people... There was only one person who came to mind. It's the professor whom Yomiuri-senpai was having a passionate discussion with back at that cafe. I think she called her 'Professor Kudou.'

That reminds me, Yomiuri-senpai mentioned that she'd be meeting up with people from her university after her shift was over. I guess she's part of that group, which is why she came here to our bookstore.

"Have we met before?"

"Ah, I'm sorry for staring."

"Don't fret. I don't mean to reproach you. Many studies begin only after you've been staring at something for too long."

"R-Right..."

"You must have seen that couple's behavior, no? How do you feel about that?"

She's asking me for my opinion now? It was an unexpected answer, but I didn't have to think much.

"I felt embarrassed, to be honest."

"Oh?"

"Intuitively, that is."

"I see. Because you envisioned yourself being seen by total strangers while doing something along those lines, yes?"

"Th-That's not what I..."

"Are you certain? You managed to give me, someone who asked you out of the blue about it, an immediate answer. You must have been having your own feelings towards their behavior way before I asked. And your answer reflected the genuine emotions that you felt. If you didn't care much for it, you would have just called it annoying or an eyesore, but you said it was embarrassing. That's the feeling that you would call fremdsch?men in German. You pictured yourself in their situation and suffered from second-hand embarrassment as a result."

Despite her creepy attitude, she managed to accurately guess how I felt. As you'd expect from the person who had bested Yomiuri-senpai, she's skilled with words.

"Most people have a certain level of resistance towards kissing in front of others, and the statistics around that have varying results that depend on the people asked, namely their sex, marital status, and so forth. However, only approximately 8% of those surveyed have no problem kissing their significant other in public. Interestingly enough, only 20% of those asked have actually had the experience of kissing their significant other in public."

"So what does that mean?"

"Statistics say that the majority of people questioned felt hesitant to share a kiss in public, and only a small portion did so. If so, when and under what circumstances did they indulge in an activity that is considered off-limits? There sadly isn't much research that took this idea and conducted proper investigations from that perspective. I am looking for the conditions during which people deem it to be worth ignoring societal standards and morals that would otherwise prevent them from committing this seemingly illicit activity."

"...I see."

What a profound thought process. And at the same time, what a terrifying one. A single word, or even a sound, is enough to suck me in, wrapped up in her net. Her costume was accurate. I started feeling like I was talking with the actual Mephistopheles.

"Halloween in Shibuya is especially famous for youngsters making mistakes and the like, is it not?"

"Well, I guess."

"By 'making mistakes,' I'm referring to deeds that deviate from society's norms. I am looking into this phenomenon with the hypothesis that this operates in a similar way when it comes to relationships between men and women."

"So you're basically doing a field study? As expected of a university professor. You seem quite passionate about your research."

"Oh? So you do know me after all?"

Ah, crap. All of her high-brow talk must have numbed my thought process. It's true that I know about her, but that's mostly because I listened in on her conversation with Yomiuri-senpai, and I'd rather not reveal that. While I was wondering how I could fumble my way through this, the devil scanned me over from my head to toe.

"I see, so you work here? You're Yomiuri-kun's Junior-kun, I believe."

"Yes, that's right."

"Might you be Asamura-kun?"

"Err, you even know my name?"

"I just remembered."

She couldn't have said it any more politely.

"My name is Kudou Eiha. I'm an assistant professor at Tsukinomiya Womens' University, which Yomiuri-kun is attending. I've met your little sister before."

"So I've heard."

She specifically mentioned how she was practically interrogated by a suspicious professor on the day of the open campus. We've only talked for a few minutes, yet I can already sympathize with Ayase-san for what she went through.

"I shouldn't be getting in the way of your work, so I'll be excusing myself now."

"...That's unexpected."

"What exactly?"

"I had figured you'd continue to question me."

"Hahaha. I'm not particularly fond of obstructing someone else's activities or work. Nor do I have any interest in things that aren't strictly related to my research."

I'm shocked she's got the guts to say that. What terrified me the most was the fact that this Professor Kudou had absolutely no doubts or concerns about how she acted and presented herself to others.

"Then, if you'd excuse me," she said, turning her back towards me.

I felt relieved and returned back to cleaning.

"Ah, that reminds me." She stopped and spoke again. "Let me act like a devil one last time and put a curse on you."

"A curse? That sounds a bit aggressive of you."

"Why would couples that usually hold back in front of others lose their sense of shame on a day like this? The key lies with their short-term loss of IQ."

"...The Halloween mood turns people stupid, is what you're saying?"

"Exactly. And the more we humans turn back into primates, the greater our primitive desires grow... In other words, they seek out sexual contact with a partner."

"You're as blunt and to the point as ever, huh?"

"It's the truth, after all. ...However, turning into an idiot isn't all bad."

"What would be a good side effect of turning into one?"

"You'll be happy."

"What a change of subject. Are we talking about the spiritual level now?"

Weren't we just talking about morals and ethical dilemmas?

"Humans have always coexisted with the spiritual. It's something inseparable from the human society." Professor Kudou pointed off in a direction.

When I looked over, I saw a parade of costumes completely filling an intersection. It reminded me of the night I had walked around with Fujinami-san. Back then, the streets were full of people who made excuses to themselves to get absolutely plastered. They relied on the power of alcohol to forget. Right now, Halloween provided the power of this event, which caused all of these normal human beings to forget that they are supposed to be cognisant.

"So, since you folks are too clever for your own good, I shall put a curse on you that will cause you to turn into monkeys: Happy Halloween."

"Turn into monkeys? I'm not too fond of jokes like that."

Ayase-san and I are supposed to be acting like them? There's no way. I was getting annoyed with Professor Kudou's nonsense, so I turned toward her to tell her off, but she was nowhere to be found. She had said what she wanted to say and had just vanished afterwards.

"She's not... actually the devil, right?"

There's no way, yeah? Haha... With the feeling that I had experienced something supernatural, I returned to cleaning the ground and headed back inside once I was done.

Finally, my shift ended. I entered the office and ran into the manager, who handed me a plastic bag with a ribbon on it.

"Here's one for you, Asamura-kun. Thanks for helping us on this busy day," he said as he handed me the plastic bag, which seemed to be full of sweets.

It seems to be an extra reward to the people who had offered to work during the busy Halloween period. Naturally, I accepted it with gratitude.

"And here you go, Ayase-san."

"Thank you very much."

Ayase-san showed up a bit later, receiving a bag of her own. Same for Yomiuri-senpai who came in behind her. All three of us had finished our shift at around the same time, which was fairly rare for us. After this, Yomiuri-senpai will be going to a costume party with friends from her university. When I told her that I ran into her professor, she seemed really worried, being all "Are you okay?! She didn't do anything weird to you, right?!", which was oddly amusing to me. I said I was fine, but that she had apparently cursed me. That made Yomiuri-senpai stare at me in shock.

I headed to the men's changing room and changed out of my uniform. When I stepped back into the office, I met up with Ayase-san and Yomiuri-senpai. Ayase-san was wearing the same casual outfit as earlier, but Senpai had already changed into her costume. She was wearing a large witch's hat and a matching black witch dress. It looked terrifically good on her, to the point I forgot she was normally dressed in Japanese-style fashion.

It wasn't the revealing type of witch costume either. It was more like one you'd encounter deep in the forest, hidden from society. The brooch on her chest was made from a special stone that had runes engraved on it, which made her costume all that much more genuine. She wasn't carrying a broom, opting instead for a small wand she had apparently bought at an amusement park.

"He he he he! What do you think of this, hm?" She flashed me an arrogant grin as she showed off her appearance.

"I think it looks great on you. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I had run into an actual witch."

Since she clearly wanted my impression, I didn't bother hiding how I truly felt. I can tell she's looking forward to partying some more after this.

"Though I bet you would have preferred to see Saki-chan cosplaying, right?"

I won't deny that, but I know she'd never do it.

"I won't," said Ayase-san bluntly as she stood next to me.

See, told ya.

"It'll feel pretty good once you get used to it, you know?"

"No thank you."

"Just a bit. C'mon. It isn't anything major." She looked through her bag which apparently had her costume in it. "Cat ears, appear!" She spoke with the tone of a certain blue robot. "Try 'em on."

"Again, I'd rather not."

"So dry! Boring! I know you'll look cute! And Junior-kun will be happy! Right?"

"Don't drag me into this."

She may look different now, but on the inside, it's the same old Yomiuri-senpai. She's like a middle-aged man. Go any further and Ayase-san will sue you for workplace harassment.

"I think it's for the best if we just head home."

"Huuuuuuh? ...Well, fine. I'll have plenty more chances, after all."

You will?

"You won't."

"But you'd love to dress up to look cute, right?"

Ayase-san hesitated for a second.

"Anyway, that's enough for today." She looked away.

"Awww. Okay, Junior-kun. It's pretty late, so I'm counting on you to be her escort."

"Yes, yes, leave it to me."

The witch of the forest waved at us and slung the sports bag over her shoulder. What a surreal sight. She's probably going to put that in a public locker so that she won't have to carry it around all night. Will she even be able to find any open this late? Or maybe she already has another place secured. Knowing how resourceful she is, I wouldn't be surprised if she has everything prepared to the last detail.

"Catch you later~"

"Ah, Senpai." I stopped her right as she was about to leave the office.

"Hmmm? Wassup, wassup?"

"Here you go." I placed a small object wrapped in plastic on her palm.

"What's this?"

"Candy. Throat candy, to be exact. You said you'd be heading off to some karaoke later, right?"

"Oh, I didn't expect you to remember. Good boy!"

"I'd rather not have you play tricks on me."

"Hehe, much appreciated." She pressed the candy against her cheek and grinned. "As thanks, I shall grant you with my magic that will make you happy! Huah!" She waved her wand. "Happy Halloween! Catch you around!" She said and left the office.

"Bye~"

"Be careful." Ayase-san waved as Yomiuri-senpai left.

"I guess it's time for us to head out as well," I said. Ayase-san nodded and grabbed her bag.

I took a step toward her and offered her something from my own bag. Ayase-san's eyes opened wide.

"What's this?"

"For you."

It was another small wrapper.

"Candy?"

"No...this one's chocolate."

"But I didn't get you anything."

"There's no need to worry about it. It's just a small piece of kindness. Happy Halloween."

"Happy Halloween, and thanks."

Before we left the store, Ayase-san asked me to wait a moment and ran back inside. I wonder what that was about? Maybe she forgot something? I moved a bit away from the entrance so that I wouldn't block the front door, waiting for Ayase-san. After a few minutes, she jogged back toward me, but I didn't see her holding anything in particular.

"Sorry for making you wait."

"Forget something?"

"Something like that," she said and started walking next to me.

"All right... then let's head home."

"Yep."

When we stepped out onto the street, both Ayase-san and I were bewildered. Everywhere we looked, we saw people wearing costumes. There was practically no room to walk. I knew it'd end up this way. Thankfully, my decision to not take my bike was the right one.

"I didn't think it'd be this bad..."

"This is quite a crowd."

"Yeah. At least we won't have to worry about anybody from school seeing us."

It's practically impossible to recognize anybody in this sea of endless costumes. I feel like it'll take us quite a while to make our way through this dense crowd of foreigners and university party-goers. We're not that far from the train station, and yet this feels like Meiji Shrine... That might be a bit much of a comparison, but that's just how messy this is.

"Eeek!"

Ayase-san let out a shriek, presumably after bumping into someone. I immediately went to support her. This is pretty bad.

"The sidewalk along the roadway should be less crowded. Let's walk there."

"O-Okay."

I thought we had chosen a corner of the street with fewer people, and yet the wave was so dangerous that it seemed we might get separated at any second. Since we're heading in the same direction, there's no danger of either of us getting lost, especially since we're old enough, but...

"Here, Ayase-san." I offered her my hand, and she took it immediately.

The warmth being conveyed on my palm made my heart race faster. Her hand was quite a bit smaller than mine, making me fear that I might hurt her if I gripped it too strongly. But even so, letting go and losing her terrified me even more, so I held onto it tightly.

"Be careful where you step."

"I'm fine." She said and moved closer toward me so that the crowd wouldn't carry her away.

It feels like it's been ages since we confirmed each other's warmth like this. When I looked up ahead, I saw what felt like an iron wall of flesh that not even an ant could fit through, all walking up the Dogenzaka. Beyond that, I could see a cluster of buildings shining brightly against the dark sky. It felt like the dark of night had covered Shibuya like a velvet curtain. And there were the two of us, trying to weave our way through the sea of costumes.

We made it through the twilight, which was already well past nightfall. The night had progressed quite a bit, and all of the young children were most likely asleep by now. The ones dancing through the night were the clowns with their excessive makeup, the witches holding brooms in their hands, and the vampires with their extended canines. Along with them was the sound of pop music.

It was like a group of monsters. Even if a real creature hid in this crowd, nobody would know. Each time a street light switched from red to green, the mass of monsters moved in one direction, like wild beasts that were cursed to move following someone else's will. A red balloon floated through the air, disappearing up into the sky. Car horns blared in one corner, a boy and a girl wrapped up in bandages laughing like idiots in another. The bright red lights of cars passed us. The welcome tone played each time the door to a convenience store opened. All of this filled my ears.

It felt like I was walking on top of the clouds. Amidst this supernatural scenery, I was holding hands with a single girl, my little sister—or step-sister. And we had both confirmed that we held a certain level of affection for each other. This felt more distanced from reality than anything. Is this actually happening? All I knew for sure was the warmth coming from her palm. We passed by a man wearing a wolf mask, and it felt like he was smiling at us from beneath it. Maybe he was one of our classmates and had just seen Ayase-san and I holding hands, shoulder to shoulder. The possibility was astronomically slim, but that didn't mean it was zero.

We made our way away from the train station, and the closer we got to our flat, the fewer people we encountered. The number of street lights we passed by grew fewer in number, as well. By the time we saw the building in the distance, it was just Ayase-san and I. After we made it through a nearby park, walking along the wide road, we both let go of each other's hands. One of us sighed.

"If..."

"Huh?"

"If we both had been wearing costumes, we could have gone home without having to worry about the eyes of the people around us."

"I guess you're right."

At first, we didn't plan on holding hands all the way home like that. However, now that we had tasted the warmth of that sensation, we both couldn't let go until we reached our home. We both craved each other's presence. If we had joined everyone around us and dressed up in some way, we surely would've been able to hold hands the entire time without a worry in the world. However, to her, costumes and makeup are two different things, and I doubt we would've been able to actually go through with that sort of plan.

"Someday," I said.

Will we be able to stop thinking about every small little detail and simply hold hands because we want to? Like lovers would? But it isn't just us two. For the sake of other people precious to us, we couldn't afford to destroy our relationship as siblings.

"Someday what?"

"No... it's nothing."

Where we stood beneath a streetlight, our silhouettes were still holding hands. I want to keep having more fun like this. To chase after her shadow like a small child would. However, the lights in the apartment buildings were still on, each of them belonging to a family. And I'm sure some of them must be new families, too. We just stayed silent and walked back home, neither of us able to ask to hold hands once more.

I opened the front door and turned on the lights.

"We're back~"

We both called out at the same time, but no response came. Weird. I knew that Akiko-san would be at work, but my old man should be home at least. Ayase-san stepped inside the living room ahead of me, raising a surprised voice.

"Oh?"

"What's wrong?"

"This." She held up a small written note.

It was a note from my old man. 'I'm heading over to visit Akiko-san.'

I took out my phone and checked my messages. I hadn't even realized that I'd gotten a LINE message from him. When I checked it, I saw that he mentioned that since tomorrow is Sunday, they'd be eating dinner at a fancy restaurant tonight. He probably left this note since I didn't respond or read the message.

"It seems like the two of them are going to come home together."

"Apparently so."

Ayase-san checked Akiko-san's LINE message while responding. It's funny how neither of us had checked our messages up to this point. But that means both of them will be getting home late at night. I expected him to be here and hungry, which was why we had hurried home. But it looks like it'll be a few more hours until they get back.

"Well, he's been incredibly busy until a while ago..."

Despite being newlyweds, their differences in working hours meant that they didn't get much time to spend together, and I totally understood their desire to have a few hours to themselves. However, that would mean...

"So it's just us until they get home?"

"Seems like it."

"I see. What should we do about dinner? I wanted to make hot pot since I thought it'd be the four of us... but if it's just us two, I ought to make it something a bit more simple and light. Any requests?"

I started thinking. That question came out of nowhere. However, saying 'Anything is fine' would not be appropriate here, that much I knew.

"Well..."

Hmm, what should I ask for?

"Sorry, I guess that was too abrupt of a question," Ayase-san commented after seeing me think for a moment.

It showed that she herself wasn't too sure what to eat, either. After all, she wouldn't have had any need to ask me if she did. She would have decided to make something she herself wanted to eat.

"I just wouldn't want to waste too much money on something like this. I'm sorry that I couldn't be of much help."

However, it's true that I don't think about menus and dishes enough to come up with anything right away. That's why I came up with another idea.

"There's a trick you can use for situations like these."

"What kind of trick?"

"When humans are put in situations where they can choose from anything they can think of, they usually struggle to come up with something."

It's similar to the problem with streaming services and the huge libraries they have which leave people unsure of what to watch. The same goes for menus in restaurants. Giving the customer the ability to choose too freely is limiting, as ironic as that may sound. You might be hungry and want to eat something, but you can't think of exactly what you want to eat. It's a normal reaction.

"We should do it with a process of elimination. Since it's food, we should decide what we don't want to eat right now."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"It's simple. That makes it easier to choose. Or at least that's how I usually do it. Eating the same thing over and over again will make you tired of it pretty quickly, right? That's why I usually think about what I've recently eaten."

"We had a classic Japanese breakfast, and at lunchtime I made instant ramen to save myself some work."

"Then those two are out of the picture. Now we can say that you've already had Japanese style so you'd rather not have it again. If you had ramen, too, then that's out, as well. Easy as that."

"What about western food, then?"

"Now our choice has become a lot easier to make, right?"

"Now that you mention it..."

"Also, your ability to make it or not is also important. There's no reason to consider dishes or meals you can't even make with the ingredients you have available. So you can think about the ingredients you do have."

"Eggs, I guess?"

"Then a western meal that's made from eggs. Omurice, rolled omelet... Well, I can only think of the stuff we regularly eat."

"How about French toast, then?"

"That sounds great. I'm all for it."

Ayase-san had made it before, which allowed me to enjoy a dish I'd usually only read about in novels.

"It's easy to make and light on the stomach, too."

"It's like cake, right? Feels like a good match for today."

Once you've decided on the general menu, the rest is extremely easy. Since it's western food, we'll have actual soup instead of miso soup. Thankfully, we still have some leftover soup broth. And since we have a lot of vegetables available, we can even make a salad. The two of us split up to prepare everything, and once the food was ready, we lined it up on the dining table and sat down ourselves. It had barely taken thirty minutes to prepare, and now the two of us could eat our French toast with a side salad and corn soup.

"When it comes to cooking, it can take thirty minutes to an hour to prepare something, but the time you take to eat the food is much smaller in comparison, huh?" I said.

"That is a good point. But that's how it is with about everything, right? Whatever we use in our daily lives, we only get to use it for a moment despite the excessive amount of time it took to make it."

She's not wrong. I like books, and I can read a paperback in an hour or a two, but I wonder how many days it actually takes to write the whole thing. Or how many months. Maybe not that long. But when I think about it that way, I feel like I should never forget my gratitude for the people who create something for the sake of others.

"Ayase-san, thank you for always cooking such delicious food." I bowed slightly and Ayase-san averted her eyes.

She's flustered. I can tell.

"You're exaggerating. I'm just doing what I can, nothing more."

That excuse of hers hasn't changed since we first met, huh?

"That doesn't matter. I'm still grateful."

"You've been picking up a few dishes here and there as of late, right?"

"It'll still take me time to catch up with you. Even this French toast was amazing."

"...You're welcome." She averted her gaze even further.

"Would you like some coffee?" I asked her.

"Coffee will just keep me up all night, so I'd rather not..."

Oh yeah, it'd be bad if she lost sleep despite there being no exams.

"That reminds me..." I stood up and checked the box on top of the cupboard.

Inside was coffee without caffeine, which my old man had gotten from one of his coworkers. It's the type that comes in packs that you put on top of the cup while pouring steaming water through it.

"How about this, then? It's caffeine-free."

Since Ayase-san nodded and gave me her approval, I turned on the electric kettle and prepared two cups for both of us. In the meantime, Ayase-san washed the dishes. A few minutes later, the water was boiling, so I prepared two cups of coffee. I felt the intense heat wafting upwards, and a distinct scent drifted up to my nose. I was just about to take a sip from it when Ayase-san suddenly spoke up.

"Ah! Wait a second, Asamura-kun."

"Hm?"

Ayase-san opened her bag which she had placed on the chair next to her, taking out some kind of wrapped object.

"Huh? Isn't that from our place?"

The plastic wrapping was the same we used at our bookstore.

"Yep, they were selling this today," she said while removing the wrapping, revealing a small square box.

Inside was an object that was shaped like a pumpkin.

"...Is this a light?"

"Yep." She placed it on the table.

The box read 'LED candlelight', so guessing what it was wasn't hard. The pumpkin had its contents removed and was now equipped with an LED light in the shape of a candle. If you connected it to an outlet and turned on the switch, it immediately created a pleasant source of light.

"I'll turn off the lights."

Once the ceiling lights were turned off, only the faint light from the pumpkin lantern shining on top of the table illuminated the room. When I looked inside, I could see the candle burning brightly despite the fact that it wasn't an actual candle.

"What a weird time this is. Normally you'd have to use genuine fire to get such a shaking and flickering flame, and yet we can even artificially recreate that nowadays." Ayase-san commented as she sat back down. n-(o.-v.-ε-.l-/b-)I))n

That's thanks to the artificial illumination of the LED. Just as she said, it really does look like a flickering flame. With the room completely dark except for the pumpkin light, Ayase-san and I looked at each other.

"A long time ago..."

"Hm?"

"Well, it was similar to this. This is the same kind of pumpkin lantern I got from Mom years and years ago. But back then there was an actual candle inside of it."

"Maybe it's from the same manufacturer?"

"Might be. On Halloween nights, I was always alone because Mom had to work at the bar. There was a time in grade school when I lit the candle and fell asleep... Mom scolded me so much after that."

If I had to guess, Ayase-san herself must have known how dangerous that was. But even so, light is the symbol of life. Proof that someone exists here and now. It's the same experience you get when coming home to the lights already turned on in your home.

"When I saw that light, it made me feel like I had come home."

"I totally get you."

"We rarely got to see each other because of her job. I think I was really lonely when I was a child," Ayase-san said and continued. "But... I'm happy I can spend Halloween with you this year, Asamura-kun."

With the faint light coming from the lantern, only our faces stood out from the darkness surrounding us. When I looked at her radiating eyes, reflecting the light of the candle, I found my heart shaking, like it was urging me forward.

"Hey."

"Hm?"

"Um..."

I gently moved my body towards hers, and she responded in the same way. Just like the LED light's artificial flame, her eyes swayed left and right with uncertainty. Without intending to do so, I found myself reaching for her cheek with my right hand. I gently caressed the hair strands that ran along her face.

"Your hair's gotten longer."

"It's still way shorter than it used to be."

"I think you look great with it like that."

"...Thanks."

Let's stay as siblings that simply get along really well. We both swore this a month ago. But right now, I'm trying to break that promise out of my own desire. But do I have the determination to stand strong against everything that I'll have to face as a result? I asked myself and my heart, but...

'So, since you folks are too clever for your own good, I shall put a curse on you that'll turn you into monkeys.'

The devil's whispers reached my ears. Since we're not just any normal boy and girl, this is a line that we really shouldn't cross without being prepared for whatever awaits us. However, if you asked me... asked me if I wanted to spend more time with her, and share my happiness with her... then my answer was already written in stone. I want to touch her, I want her to accept me. It was nothing but selfishness, and just as that devil said, an idiotic emotion.

When our small silhouettes held hands beneath that street light, it reflected my own feelings and desires. After Ayase-san and I had gazed into each other's eyes for a few moments, I could see that she had relaxed her eyes—closing them. I had no idea she had such long eyelashes...That pointless observation popped up in my mind, but the very next moment, I also closed my eyes.

I felt a soft sensation pressed on my lips. I kissed her. Not as my little sister, but as the girl Ayase Saki.

Nobody saw us right then, except whoever might have been watching us from the heavens above. Or maybe even God had his view stolen from the parade of demons on this Halloween night. That faint glimmer of hope filled my chest. This was our single moment where no blame would befall us.

"This truly feels like the witching hour. The Halloween light must have some sort of power."

We moved away from each other as Ayase-san uttered these words under her breath.