You Only Came Twice, Didn't You?

"Haa... I'm so full. You two aren't still hungry, are you?"

"...Yeah."

"Ah, yes. I'm moderately full."

"Really? That's good then. Hoo...!"

Then Mom stretched. Her long arms reached straight up high. Her loose clothes, especially those even looser sleeves, slid downward.

"I'll handle the cleanup, so you two make sure to brush your teeth properly. Got it?"

With that, Mom sprang up from her seat. She started clearing the dining table.

"Aw, no. We'll help clean up."

"Nah, it's fine. I'm grateful enough that you both ate with me. So, Son, go brush your teeth already."

Then Mom's hand came toward my side. It felt like slow motion, every movement crystal clear in my eyes.

Pat—pat— Mom tapped my backside as if praising me. A bright, sunny smile spread across her face.

"Got it?"

Was it thanks to her snowy white skin? She somehow seemed to glow. A radiant person. She'd always been like this.

"...Yes. I got it."

And because I couldn't defy Mom's words—and because she'd definitely want that even more—I simply nodded my head quickly.

"Good boy. Our daughter, go brush your teeth too."

"...Yeah."

Mom ushered us both away and diligently cleared the table. I felt a little awkward hanging around, so I quickly slipped out of the kitchen.

"Whew...."

I opened the bathroom door. The strong scent of body wash still hung thick in the air. I casually slipped on some slippers, stepped inside, and stood in front of the sink.

"......"

My blue toothbrush, with the sister's purple one right beside it. And now a yellow toothbrush had been added to the mix. It felt strangely new, but seeing those three toothbrushes scattered together really drove home the fact that the three of us were living together.

"Whewww...."

There was nothing uncomfortable about Mom herself. It was just uncomfortable that ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠there were things we had to hide. And I was still a little scared to face her directly. On top of that, her many thoughtful considerations made me feel even more guilty.

"Haaaa...."

My sigh only grew deeper. I squeezed toothpaste onto my brush and stuck it in my mouth. The sharp mint refreshed my entire oral cavity.

BANG—!

"Urk, cough!"

Was it because I'd been lost in thought? The sudden noise made me inhale sharply. I hacked and coughed repeatedly as the toothpaste slid down my throat.

"Cough! Hack... Ouch, that scared me."

"...What are you getting so startled about again?"

My sister standing in the doorway made a briefly embarrassed face. Then she slipped on her own slippers and strode right up to me.

"Khhm... Ah, I swallowed it all."

"...Who said I was startled? Jeez."

Grumbling, my sister grabbed her toothbrush. She planted herself beside me and started brushing.

The bathroom filled with the sound of bristles scrubbing.

The mirror reflected the two of us. It was nothing out of the ordinary, yet I kept glancing at my sister. My eyes kept drifting over to her, unable to help it.

"...Why do you keep sneaking looks?"

"No, it's just... never mind."

She looked upset, so I figured it really was because I'd acted too close with Mom.

"...Ptoo."

She spat out the foam in her mouth with clear irritation. After rinsing several times, my sister glared at me and spoke.

"Hey. You looked really happy earlier, didn't you?"

"...Me?"

"Yeah."

Just as expected. My sister was radiating pure displeasure.

"...Ha! What? No way."

"You used to hate it so much before."

"......What era are you even talking about? You know exactly what I mean."

"I really don't know shit about it?"

It felt awkwardly embarrassing. I quietly spat out my foam and rinsed my mouth.

"...I'm going."

It was a pointless goodbye. When had I ever said something like that?

"Hey, wait."

My sister caught me as I tried to leave.

"...Why?"

If it was about the past, I had nothing much to say. ...And I didn't really want to talk about it either. It was obvious I'd lose the exchange without getting a single point back.