Another Tomorrow

"...I don't believe this to be true." Standing at the front of Kiara-chan's house, I could only stare at the door that led inside.

"Well, son, you're going to have to believe it. I owe her a lot of things for what she did for you. Now, this is going to be another of many things that I will offer to pay her back." My dad spoke while sitting in his car.

"But still, you're just... going to let me stay here for the time being?" Turning back, I could see his cocky grin.

"Well, it doesn't matter if I'm basically forcing you to do so. Just make sure that everything is in nice order when she returns you hear? I'll be seeing you, son." As he drives off, I could only sigh as I edged closer to the door, eventually knocking on it.

Soon enough, the door opened to reveal Ookami Mio wearing an apron over her black and white hoodie.

"Haru-kun? What are you doing here?" I raised my open hand and showed a gentle smile. The best I could manage.

"Kiara-chan..." Upon hearing that, Mio-chan could only nod her head as she hummed.

"So I'm guessing you're the one that Kiara-chan said who will be watching over her house?" I nodded my head.

"Well, I doubt that I was necessary to watch over her house since you, Fubiki-chan, and Sakura-chan is here." Mio-chan giggled lightly as she closed her eyes.

"Well, it's still good that you're going to accompany us. I was in the middle of cooking breakfast." Having breakfast after yesterday sounds good. But something isn't right here.

"If you're cooking, then, who's at the stove right now?" Mio-chan only waved her hand dismissively.

"Oh, I had Fubuki..." She had paused for some reason, before her eyes widened. "Wait, I haven't taught her how to-" I was starting to see smoke come out from a room that might possibly be the kitchen.

"Mio-chan~!" I could hear Fubuki-chan's cry as she was most noticeably struggling.

"Fubuki-chan, I'm coming! Just turn the stove off!" As she ran to the kitchen, I could hear Mio-chan's and Fubuki-chan's cries of panick. It looks like I'm going to have to deal with this.

-Holonatural-

"Sakura-chan, what exactly are you doing?" I heard noises that were coming from her room after making sure that the house didn't burn down.

"Huh? Oh, wait! Why are you here?!" Upon entering the room, I had noticed that she was on the her bed laid down on her stomach with a controller in her hand.

"Kiara-chan wanted me to watch over her house with her sudden problem she had to deal with, so I guess you're going to have to deal with me for now." As she had her casual shrine outfit on, she turned her entire body to look at me.

"Kiara-chan left out? When did she leave?" I had noticed that her room was a bit messy, with snacks, clothes and... game cartridges everywhere.

"Probably this morning. How come she didn't tell you that she was leaving?" She had placed her controller next to her on her bed. Strangely enough, she started to divert her eyes away from me with a nervous smile.

"W-well... I... I've been playing this game for the past few days. While it was fun at first, I found myself... kind of wanting to complete it and get the best ending possible." Huh, is that so?

"And...? What does that have to do with you not hearing about Kiara-chan's situation?" She then started to sweat for some reason.

"Well... I... don't remember the last time I've talked to her since... starting this  game." I was at first shocked to even hear that she became addicted to this game. I had then turned my head to the screen to see what game she was playing, and I... Okay, I'm going to pretend that I am not seeing an Eroge event on the screen. 

"You... got addicted to... a Eroge?" Before I knew it, she was at my face with an... threatening glare? She didn't really have the face to even do so...

"I am not addicted! And what's wrong with these types of games?!" Her aggressiveness had taken me off guard. I wasn't one for these types of games as... NSFW aspects was never of my interest.

"Nothing! I was just... not expecting you to even think about this kind of stuff! Like... this kind of-" My nose had been pinched by Miko-chan.

"Are you saying that their is something wrong with me playing this game?" I could hear the hostility in her voice, which was... very different. How did Kiara-chan manage to change her this much?

"I'm not saying that there's something wrong with it, Sakura-chan. I wasn't expecting you to like to this kind of stuff." As much as I loved to explain myself, Sakura-chan didn't appear to care as she tried to cover her mouth with her other hand. In my eyes, she looks like she was trying to restrain something.

"I'm... sorry, I should....n't be laughing at your voice!" Some hints of laughter was coming out of her mouth even though she was trying to maintain it.

"I can't help it if your keep your hand on my nose!" Couldn't maintain it any longer, her laughs became free to hear. Taking her hand off my nose, I sighed. As she fell on her bed and continued laughing, I couldn't but stare blankly.

I think I'll leave her here.

             -Holonatural-

"So no breakfast?" I could handle no breakfast for a Saturday. As much as I would like to enjoy this free day, I knew in the back of my head that something was bound to happen to me today.

"Ah, sorry, Haru-kun! It's going to take a bit before it's ready!" Hearing Mio-chan, I sat down on the seat opposite to the depressed Fubuki-chan who had head on the table and arms sprayed out on the wooden surface.

"Fubuki-chan?" It came out low, but I was able to hear something in response to her name being called. "How... are you doing right now?" It doesn't take a scientist to understand that she's bummed out, Haru.

"Not good..." Raising her head to allow her chin to sit on the table, her ears had drooped to signify her sadness. Oh no, I don't think I'm the perfect candidate to try to cheer someone up. I don't even know that much about her, so how would I even be able to do this?

"W-well... don't be sad! People make their mistakes!" I tried my best to not think about the past as to how I felt about mistakes that people made. Compared to how I am now, I would cringe at my past self that was so dependant on conveying his thoughts merely on assignments to rant about life.

Ouch. To myself.

"Unnn...." She didn't appear to care what I said. Maybe she was too much in her head to even notice my voice. I might not know her that much, but her moans of sadness is making me feel too bad for her.

"Fubuki-chan... is there anything that can cheer you up?" Immediately, her fox ears twitched upwards before becoming still. Looking in her eyes, I could see some happiness expressing it's way through.

"Burga..." I hear her mutter a bit while her chin was on the table.

"Bur...ga? You mean... burger?" If I remember correctly, that's more of a English pronunciation than Japanese.

"It's been a while since I had one. Mio-chan used to go out and come back with burgers, but she stopped since she said that too many is bad for me." Her ears drooped a bit more.

"...If you like, I can take you to get one." A sudden sound of clanking hitting a wall behind me made me turn my head.

"Fubuki-chan, I hope you're not trying to play Haru-kun..." With a spatula in hand, and her other on her hip, she shares a disappointed look at Fubuki-chan, who looks away.

"N-no..." I could see a blush of embarrassment on her face as she began to shift around in her seat.

"Fubuki-chan, I told you that too many is bad for you. It's bad for your health." Fubuki-chan only sighed as she shifted her position to the way I first saw her here.

"But why~? If it's bad for my health, then why is it so good?!" She started a tantrum like a child. Well, take sweets away from a child, and this is what you get.

"Not all things tasty is good for your health, Fubuki-chan. Medicine is good for you, and it tastes nasty. Candy tastes good, and it's bad for your health."

Mio-chan seemed way too used to this. She's like a sitter for Fubuki-chan. Sadly, I believe that Fubuki-chan is a bit... introverted. Wait, coming from me, I'm not surprised.

"Mio-chan, I think it's okay if we just get one. I mean, just one would be enough, right?" I was able to see Fubuki-chan's tail slowly beginning to wag a bit.

"Then that'll be the excuse that she'll use to keep getting one. I appreciate your generosity to try to cheer Fubuki-chan up, but I think there are better methods than just allowing her to eat burgers." With that, she turned back to the kitchen.

"Oooon~." I could feel her misery coming across the table. Well, I don't know of anything else to make her feel better.

Unless...

"Fubuki-chan," I whispered. To this, she raised her head to look at me with saddened eyes. Reaching over the table, I raised my hand to cover my mouth a bit. "For lunch, what kind of burger do you like?" Her eyes widened as her tail wagged a bit more.

"Are you-!" Before she said anymore, I covered her mouth.

"Try not to be too loud okay? I don't want to Mio-chan hearing about this. Nodding her head, she smiled widely. Well, at least this was a way to cheer her up.

As of now, this seems like a good morning. Not that much happened, other than the house almost burning down, but it was quickly resolved so it's fine.

As of everything that had happened, I don't think I was able to come up with a plan with the artifacts. It's not going to be easy to find them if they represent normal objects. But come to think of it, that butterfly... maybe that could be considered as one.

And if so, then did that mean living things can count as them? As much as I don't like this game that I'm playing, I have to ask Ina-chan some more information about artifacts and where to find them.

Kiara-chan and Amelia-chan can wait. What Mio-chan had told me might not be on the same level as Amelia and Kiara-chan, but it's best to not hold expectations.

"Fubuki-chan, do you..." Upon hearing her named being called, she blinked a few times at me cutely. To think I could be affected by such a thing. I shook my head to negate whatever I had to say.

Asking her about the artifacts might bring up unwanted memories of her time imprisoned, so I shouldn't dare to do so.

"Mio-chan, is it ready yet~?!" I hear Fubuki-chan cutely yelled out.

"Hold on, Fubuki-chan, remember what I told you about impatience!" Even after being imprisoned, they still continue about their lives.

But for me, I hadn't gotten over it and allowed it to change me.

"There are no rewards to those who greedily hunger for it! I remember!" She slumped on the table as she began to become more impatient.

I don't know what else to expect today, but I'm happy for what is happening now. Even when these supernatural people are strange and different, they are still people.

Not the annoying kind, though.

And I think I can get used to this company.