Chapter 15
“T-together? You mean sleep together?”
“Yeah.”
I don’t think I’ve said anything particularly strange.
Isn’t it only natural for newlyweds to sleep together?
We slept together for a little while when I slept in the other day, too.
“You seemed to like using my arm as a pillow, so I thought falling asleep together might be one of the things you want to do.”
“Ah… r-right… I-I thought you meant…”
“…You were just thinking something weird, weren’t you?”
“No! I… I wasn’t!”
“Anyway, do you want to sleep together?”
In the end, what matters most is whether what I’m offering to do is something my sister wants to do.
That doesn’t mean I plan to check with her like this about every little thing.
At least sleeping together isn’t something we should decide lightly.
“You really mean… just sleeping?”
My sister, still in my arms, lifts her head and looks up at me as she asks.
I only meant that we’d sleep, of course, so I can answer without giving it much thought.
“Of course.”
“We’ll just hold hands while we sleep.”
“I’m not even going to hold your hand.”
“R-really?”
“But I’ll let you use my arm as a pillow.”
“Mmm… an arm pillow?”
In her mind, my sister is torn between an arm pillow and holding hands.
It seems hard for her to choose, judging by how long she’s taking.
She could just pick one for tonight and the other for tomorrow.
“Then an arm pillow!”
“All right. An arm pillow.”
“I’ll go wash up before bed.”
“Go ahead.”
While she washes up, I can get things ready for bed.
I should bring over another pillow, and the blanket… We’ll sleep under the same one, right?
Since my sister might sleep in again tomorrow, should I open her morning medicine and leave it by the bed?
…But why is she still here?
“Why?”
“Hm?”
“Why aren’t you going?”
“I can’t go until you let go of me, honey.”
“…Oh.”
My arms were wrapped around my sister’s back, holding her close.
I loosen my arms and finally let her go.
“Honey, are you an idiot?”
“…Hurry up and wash up.”
“Hehe… ‘kay!”
It’s been a while since I hugged anyone, now that I’m an adult.
The last time was… when I got discharged from the military?
Of course, hugging my sister, who’s a little shorter and warmer than me, is much…
Much, um… much better.
***
Even siblings who aren’t close must have slept together at least once when they were kids, right?
At the very least, when they went somewhere with their parents.
Even if they didn’t share a bed, they might’ve slept together on blankets spread out on the floor.
“When was it for us…?”
“When we were kids! Really little.”
The room is dark.
Lying together on one bed beneath the same blanket, we both stare up at the ceiling.
I’d already accepted that I’d lend my sister one arm before we got into bed.
“When you’d just started elementary school, you had a scary dream and came crying to your big sis’s bed—”
“No. That never happened.”
“I-it really did! Your big sis remembers!”
I don’t remember that at all.
Or maybe it was such an embarrassing memory that my brain deleted it on its own?
“But isn’t it cramped? You always slept alone.”
“But you did too, honey.”
“Well… it doesn’t bother me.”
“Really? Then…”
My sister, who’d been lying quietly with her head on my arm, shifts slightly,
then suddenly throws herself against me and clings to my side.
The weight my arm is supporting hasn’t changed much, but now I can feel her pressed against me all over.
“How about now? Still not uncomfortable?”
“…A little?”
“Put up with it! This is… what do you call it, the weight of being the head of the household?”
“It is heavy. Your head, honey.”
“W-what did you say?”
Oh, I just called her honey really naturally, didn’t I?
Once I steeled myself, I really did change, even if only a little.
I know it’s too small a change to feel proud of… but let’s keep it up.
“So, what do you want to do tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow? Mmmmmm…”
“Do you really have to think about it? I thought you had a whole list of things you wanted to do with your husband.”
“I do! There are lots, but it’s hard to choose when you ask me what I want to do tomorrow.”
“Then why don’t you organize them while we’re at it? Buy a notebook or something.”
“Ooh… like a bucket list?”
“Yeah. A bucket list.”
Rather than vaguely listing all the things she wants to do, it’ll be better to make a list and work through it one by one.
She’ll get a sense of accomplishment, and she can have fun choosing what to do next and looking forward to it.
“Then should we go buy a planner tomorrow?”
“Where?”
“The department store where you work! There’s a bookstore downstairs.”
“Oh… right. Okay, then.”
“Should we stop by the shop where you work while we’re there?”
“That…”
I can’t bring myself to say, That might be a little awkward.
Right… I can just introduce her as my girlfriend.
We don’t look all that alike, and our personalities and the way we talk are pretty different, right?
If anything, anyone who suspects us would be the weird one.
“I’ll say you’re my girlfriend, not my wife.”
“No? Say I’m someone you’re going to marry soon.”
“What? What’s the difference?”
“There is~ A girlfriend is someone you share the present with!”
“And someone you’re going to marry soon?”
“Someone you’ve promised a future to!”
…She’s right.
That’s a big difference.
“Got it. So let’s sleep for now. It’s late.”
“…But, is my head… heavy?”
Is that what she’s worried about?
Isn’t it a little late to ask now?
Rather than bothering to say no, I just…
pull my sister, nestled in one of my arms, a little closer and hold her.
“Let’s sleep.”
“…Good night, honey.”
Since she doesn’t ask any more questions and simply wishes me good night, that seems to have been answer enough.
I should sleep now, too. Get a good night’s rest.
I have a feeling I’ll need to put on a thicker layer of shamelessness tomorrow.
***
“......”
I open my eyes.
The first thing I feel is a prickling numbness in my arm.
I turn my head slightly to the side—
“…Kohhoo.”
My sister is still fast asleep, breathing softly.
Even after a whole night, she’s still using my arm as a pillow.
“…Phewhoo.”
That breathing sound is a little fascinating every time I hear it.
For now… it’d be best if I got up first and made breakfast, if I can.
Can I get out of bed without waking her?
If I slowly pull my arm out first…
“Mmm…”
“……”
Just a little more. Just like this, a little…
There.
My sister, who’d been asleep with her head on my arm and her body tilted halfway onto her side,
slowly rolls over once, as if searching for the arm that had been under her head.
But I’m already out of bed. There’s nothing for her to grab onto.
“H-honeeey…”
“Huh?”
“…Mmm.”
Was she talking in her sleep?
But if she used my arm as a pillow all night and then it suddenly disappeared, would she feel a little empty?
Is it my imagination, or does my sister’s face, peaceful until just now, look a little displeased?
At least to me… she looks somewhat unsatisfied.
“…Right. If we fell asleep together, waking up together would look better, too.”
I climb back onto the bed I’d taken such care to get out of.
Careful not to wake my sister, I lie down again and stretch out my arm…
“Mmm…”
I gently lift my sister’s head with one hand, slide my arm underneath, and lower her head back down.
Good. Nothing happened.
“…Kohhoo.”
I hear my sister’s breathing return to its usual rhythm.
Was it a coincidence?
Who knows. What time is it, anyway?
“…Ah.”
I should’ve checked the time on my phone when I woke up.
My phone is on the table a little way from the bed, and I can’t reach it from here.
And I can’t exactly kill time on my phone when I don’t know when my sister will wake up.
“Haaah…”
“…Phewhoo.”
What else can I do?
I might as well take my time looking at my wife’s face as she sleeps peacefully, without a care in the world.
The memory of taking in the sight of my sister from a similar angle a few days ago is still vivid,
“What husband could ever get tired of looking at his wife’s face?”
***
The good thing is that my sister woke up earlier than I expected.
It wasn’t that I was getting bored, but my arm was beginning to reach its limit.
“Mm, mm… Haaaawwwn.”
“If you’re sleepy, go back to sleep while I make breakfast.”
“What time… is it…?”
“A little after nine.”
“Haaaawwwn…”
Still sprawled across the bed, my sister stretches out loooong, then slowly gets up.
I open the medicine I’d prepared last night, pick up the glass of water I’d left beside it, and hand them to her.
My sister’s always been a little slow to wake up in the morning, ever since she was a kid.
“Here. Your medicine to take before eating.”
“Mmmm…”
“For breakfast, we’re having salmon salad, that Greek yogurt you bought last time, and some strawberries.”
“Greens…”
“What, do you want meat first thing in the morning?”
“Mm…”
That’s the sort of strange answer she gives all the time. There’s no need to keep talking to her.
I take the glass back from my sister, who slowly pops her medicine into her mouth and drinks some water, then head to the kitchen.
“Nngh, grrr… g-good…”
I hear my sister stretching behind me.
She’ll make that sound about ten more times before finally getting out of bed.
So I’ll make breakfast in the meantime.
I’m feeling a little nervous for no reason, thinking about introducing my wife… I mean, my sister, to the manager later.
“…I said I’d fix my mindset, but what am I doing getting confused over something like this?”
Maybe I’m still half asleep, too.
I have to head out soon, so I’d better hurry up and make breakfast.