"Hm? What's wrong?"
Seeing Aochi—unable to hear Mamoru—glance at Oomi for help,I nearly clicked my tongue.Damn it, I couldn’t even stay calm for five seconds.
"Mamoru-kun just realized those belong to Aochi-san. He’s happy about it.I guess that room really does bring back things from the past."
"I see. Mamoru-kun, you can use as much of my paint set as you like.Let’s make Ululu’s shirt look nice."
Give me a break—you can’t even see.I had to stop myself from decking Aochi right there.
"Here, Ululu, sit on this round stool."
"Ululululu!"
I watched Mamoru wave his paintbrush wildly around Ululu.
“Hey, where’s Kaori-san?” I asked.
“She said she’s gonna clean the bloody lady,” he replied.
Right.That woman’s dried blood must’ve felt awful—and honestly, she scared me.
“Ululululuuuu…”
Even the red one over here was scary in its own way, now getting impatient and demanding we start painting.
“Oze-san and I will draw on the chest. Mamoru-kun, you do the back with Aochi-san.”
Oomi was taking control again—kind of annoying, but I let it slide.Gotta act like an adult here.Still, couldn’t they have paired Mamoru with someone who could actually see?
I grabbed a black marker, keeping half an eye on Mamoru.
“Oze-san, since we’ve got all these colors, why not use something more cheerful?”
“I’m the type who starts with black outlines.”
I couldn’t help it—I went ahead and started first, like a total child.
“Ulululuu!”
Ululu squirmed, kicking its feet like it was being tickled.
“Hey, stop moving! You’ll mess up the lines.”
“Big bro, what are you drawing?”
Mamoru leaned in with sparkling curiosity. I gently stopped him.
“Not yet. You can look after you’re done. You draw with the other big bro and show me yours later.”
Mamoru nodded eagerly and picked up a yellow paint bottle.I watched as he fumbled with the lid, and—sigh—stepped in to help him.Aochi was completely useless.
I paused for a moment, wondering:This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.Isn’t paint a bit much for a kid this age?
“Hey Mamoru, wanna use a marker instead?”
I handed him a yellow marker just in case.
“Nope, I want the paint!”
Figures. He must’ve been obsessed with Aochi’s stuff or something.
I could feel my grip tightening around the pen.
“Mamoru-kun, remember to dip your brush in water first,” Aochi said, returning from the sink with a cup.
Except… he was talking in the completely wrong direction.Whatever. He’s trying, in his own weird way.
Still, I wondered if this oversized shirt Ululu was wearing could even hold the paint well.Eh. Let’s just let everyone enjoy themselves.
I focused again, pressing my pen to Ululu’s chest.With no bumps or curves to get in the way, the surface was surprisingly easy to draw on.
…Wait a minute.
I said I was outlining in black, but at this rate I’m going to stop there.
“You’re good, Oze-san. Even if it’s all just outlines,” Oomi said.
“You’re good too. And yours has color.”
He was painting a soft pink cosmos flower, beautifully done.I’d drawn my image too big, taking up the center of the shirt, so I had to awkwardly push his aside toward the shoulder area. It was too well-done to crowd.
“Big bro, are you done? Oh! It’s Mii-ko!”
Mamoru peeked over with wide eyes.
“Hey, not yet!” I said, laughing.
Oomi tilted his head curiously.“That’s… a cat? I thought it was—”
“It’s a dog. A neighbor’s dog from where I used to live. It had a real name, but Mamoru always called it Mii-ko. Super friendly little thing. I think it’s fine, right? A dog named Mii-ko.”
“Yeah. Mii-ko the dog. I like it.”
Oomi said it like it was a proper breed.
I looked at my nearly finished Mii-ko.It had fluffy white fur—a mixed breed. With just black outlines and a dot for the eyes and nose, it already looked right.But something was missing.
Right—the collar.
That vivid sky-blue one, like a patch of clear sky breaking through heavy summer clouds.I grabbed a blue pen.
Even though it was just a random pen, the color was exactly like I remembered it.
“…Mii-ko.”
As I whispered the long-dead dog’s name, Ululu gave me the softest look.
“Big bro, we finished ours too!”
“Let’s see.”
Still holding the blue pen, I moved behind Ululu to check.
…Which one’s Mamoru’s?
Oh come on, Aochi, your drawing is terrible.There’s no way Mamoru drew that—he’s way better for his age.The adult here is the real problem.
“How is it? I did my best!” Aochi said, beaming.
Don’t get cocky! Is he messing with us?
Oomi was visibly trying not to laugh.
“I drew Nonno!” Mamoru announced.
“And I drew a fire truck!” said Aochi.
What the hell—why do a parakeet and a fire truck look the same?!Did Aochi also have a bird named “Fire Truck”?I managed to tell by color alone.The yellow and green one was Nonno, and the red blob was the fire truck.
“Great job, Mamoru. I could tell it was Nonno right away.”
“Yay!”
I ruffled his hair.
“Ulululululu!”
Ululu suddenly stood up and started tugging at its shirt.
“You wanna see the drawings too, huh? Here, let’s get this off,” Oomi said, quickly helping Ululu pull off the long T-shirt.
Its whole body was still that raw, red color—like it had been skinned.But somehow, it didn’t look gross. The skin was so smooth and shiny.
“Oze-san, are you seriously staring at Ululu’s naked body like that? That’s creepy.”
“Oh, come on. There’s no way I’d look at it like that.”
Even Ululu looked bashful and tried to hide behind Oomi.Great. Now I look like a total pervert.Mamoru better not get the wrong idea.
I grabbed a big blanket from the lounge shelf and wrapped it around Ululu’s shoulders.It was this deep, calm green color—probably chosen by our ship’s Harvester—and it suited Ululu’s red body surprisingly well.
“Ulululuu…”
Ululu snuggled into the blanket, looking cozy and pleased.
“I just thought you might be cold, that’s all,” I muttered.
“Ululu, you’re lucky!” Mamoru said, petting him through the blanket.Good. I was still his “kind big bro.”
“Look, this is your shirt now,” Oomi said, holding up the now-decorated T-shirt in front of Ululu.
“Ulululululuuu!!”
Ululu lit up like a little red sun, practically singing with joy.You could almost see musical notes floating around it.
“I’m glad you like it.”
Aochi smiled.I was about to say “Except maybe not yours”—but then it happened.
The lounge door creaked open quietly.
And in stepped a man—soaking wet.