How long had I slept?

　I suddenly woke up with my eyelids closed and that question was the first thing that went through my mind.
　Perhaps because I slept soundly for the first time in a long time, my thoughts feel surprisingly clear.

　I'm pretty sure I was lent Amari's knee as a pillow.
　Even through the skirt, it was insanely soft, and the sweet scent of a woman's unique fragrance relieved all the tension in your body to the extent that it seemed to have an inducing effect on your sleep.

　But the softness you feel in your head when you wake up is different.

　The softness of my knees feels different than before I went to sleep.
　But it's not uncomfortably hard, in fact it's warmer than before... as far as the scent goes, it's ongoing.

　No, it's not my imagination, this is totally different.
　I slowly open my eyes to see what's going on....

''Ah, Onii-san. Good morning.
Oh....

　Before I knew it, my eyes met with Amana, who was looking at me from above, when I was lying on my back.
　Moreover, I was upside down.
　It's not so difficult to understand what this is all about, judging by the feel of the back of your head.

　It's just that the person who's knee-buckling me has changed from Amari to Amana.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　It's a problematic picture, but it's not without its problems.

　More importantly, Amana-chan hugged me yesterday, crying and telling me not to go to work.
　If she hadn't stopped me there, it would have been too late, both physically and mentally, and if that hadn't happened, I would have been even more worried.
　Even without such guilt, I was worried that it might be awkward for her, but the way she is taking over the lap pillow like this doesn't seem to have turned into a tail.

''Amana-chan. Thanks.

　For worrying about me, for stopping me from trying to pass recklessly, even with my little body, for kneeling in my lap like this with no remorse, for healing me so many times before, they have helped me too much to mention.
　It's not enough to repay you for all of that, but I wanted to say those words to you.

　When Amana-chan was suddenly thanked, she rolled her lapis lazuli eyes and then.....

''──Eheheh, you're welcome!

　He returned it with a big smile on his face.

　= = = = = = =.

　It felt like she slept for a long time, but in reality, only about two hours had passed.
　According to Amana, she and Amanashi took over the knee pillow after about an hour or so.

　The fact that I must have moved my head during the changeover and that it didn't wake me up means that Amana and Amana's knee pillow gave me an excellent night's sleep.

　And how is this Amari doing.....

─ ─ Good morning, Kazu-san.
Oh, oh. Morning....

　When I thought I smelled something awfully good, I saw her standing in the kitchen, preparing lunch.
　Her dark brown hair, which had grown to her waist, was tied up near the nape of her neck so that it wouldn't get in the way, and she was wearing a yellow-green apron, which made my heart skip a beat.

　No, I've seen her cooking before, but her parents were there at the time, so I didn't watch her that carefully.
　But now that I'm face to face with her like this I get irresistibly nervous.
　It's bad, the gap in the apron........

　Whether she knows or not she knows how I'm feeling or not, Amari gives a soft smile.

''Lunch will be ready soon, so please take a seat and wait for me.
'What?　No, I don't think I'm going to go that easy on you...
I've already made it for three people, and I thought I'd prepare it from the moment I invited them over. And I made the ginger pork with ginger to nourish and tonicize your tired body and help you recover as quickly as possible. In fact, I'd rather you didn't eat it.
Ggh...!

　I didn't expect him to not only let me sleep on his lap, but also to prepare lunch for me.
　Moreover, it was for me, and of all things, it was too foul to make pork grilled with ginger.
　And then, as if to say tome, he said, 'You have to eat it.

　.........Well, if you think about it, he said he was going to question the main source of his fatigue, so if the way of escape is blocked so generously, there is no choice but to talk.
　With that in mind, I sat down in front of the table.

　The ginger-grilled pork, which was finished shortly afterwards, was cooked to an appetizing degree and had a mellow aroma.
　The vegetables, such as bean sprouts, lettuce and onions, also soak up the flavors, and go perfectly with the white rice and miso soup.
　I've eaten Amanashi's food many times before, but since it was for me, it was even better than usual.

　It's the same with Amana-chan, who chews on it with a cute smile on her face and a smile on her face.

　Eventually I finished the meal and took a breath before turning to Amana.

'Thanks, that was really good.'
Thanks for the food!
''Hmm. It's been a long time since I've put a lot of effort into making it, so I'm glad to hear you say that.

　The praise that Amana and I have given together, Amanashi accepts it with a smile that would make me fawn over it.
　I suggested that we wash the dishes to at least give something back, but he softly refuses because I am a customer.

　I can't argue with the landlord when he says so, so I have no choice but to back down and have a conversation with Amana until I finish washing the dishes.

　I was cringing when he asked me to join him, but I was so grateful to be provided with a good night's sleep and a good meal that I couldn't sleep with my feet up.

　All of this would never have happened without the interactions we've had.
　More than anything else, Amana-chan's presence was a big part of what kept me together.

　I've always been saved by her.
　How am I going to repay the debt of gratitude I've received so much?
　Even if I were to venture a question, I'm sure the two of them might return it as their usual thanks.

　Rather, it's my line, but I can't help it........

''──Namu-san.''

　Eventually, she called out to Amari, who had finished washing the dishes.
　Just by making eye contact with her serious gaze, I could roughly guess what she was trying to say.

　To question her as to why I was sick.
　I wouldn't be able to hide it anymore.

　With that in mind, I decided to tell her everything.

　The apartment I was living in caught fire, the fact that I was forced to stay in the car because I refused temporary housing, the fact that I couldn't get proper sleep and rest because of it, the fact that I was looking for a new place to live on my days off and in my free time.
　The cause of his fatigue was revealed without hiding it.

　After listening to the whole thing, Amari........

''Aren't you an idiot?''
Yes, you're right...
'I can't think of a word other than foolish to stubbornly refuse to rely on others in such a situation.

　He was clearly angry.
　I actually caused him quite a bit of concern, and he seems to be quite angry at me for not talking about the cause of it at all until today.
　I'm not going to argue with him at all, since I'm totally at fault for that.

I'm not going to argue with that, because it's my fault.
'Yes, I'm really sorry...'
If you do something like that again, I'll bury you, okay?

　On top of that, Amana would get angry at me.
　

In other words, Kaz-san's current situation is that she is homeless in her car, and it will still take her a while to find a new place to live, right?
''Oh. I'm going to put that to rest as far as staying in the car, and I'm going to stay in a capsule hotel tonight...

　It's obvious that if you continue to do that, you're going to get sick.
　Even if it's difficult to find a temporary home, I can at least manage to arrange a sleeping environment.

　Although I told her so implicitly, Amari's expression did not clear.
　In any case, it's because nothing has been done to solve the fundamental problem.
　But I can't think of any other way.

''Thank you for the knee pillow and food. I'll take care of the rest, so it's time to go--
Wait....

　I was about to stand up, not wanting to cause any more trouble, but before I could do so, Tenashi shouted a restraining order.

''Regarding your temporary residence...''

　She took a deep breath and looked straight at me with a tense expression, perhaps because of her nervousness.
　I have no idea what she's planning to say, so I can only wait for her to say more, and Amana-chan just listens quietly.

　Eventually, Amari opens her mouth.....









''──How about using the spare room in this house?''

　He rattled off a suggestion that hadn't even occurred to him.