Kenma Kotsume always thought Yoriko Arisu was a really strange person.
They weren’t in the same class in kindergarten and didn’t interact much. Even on weekends, when they were both at home, they each did their own thing.
He usually played Game, while Yoriko Arisu would watch cartoons or picture books, though she often fell asleep halfway through.
Every time Kenma Kotsume glanced at Yoriko Arisu while waiting for his Game to load, he’d find her sleeping in a different position each time—her sleeping posture was never good.
Was she really that sleepy? Little Kenma, big doubts in his heart.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to invite Yoriko Arisu to play Game, but playing with her was just too!
Frustrating!
Because she would randomly control the character, running around, eating things, bumping into stuff, and then, completely unaware, fall asleep in the middle of the Game.
Kenma Kotsume still remembered, that was his first time trying a two-player Game.
He had specially asked his dad to pick the most popular and beginner-friendly two-player Game on the market, and nervously invited his little friend to play together.
But the result was a disaster, leaving a deep scar on Kenma Kotsume’s young heart.
This girl! How could she be so reckless!
Watching Yoriko Arisu’s character die again from jumping off a cliff, Kenma Kotsume’s heart broke.
Because it was a two-player Game, as long as one character survived, the other would revive within thirty seconds.
But Yoriko Arisu would fall asleep in that short thirty seconds, sleeping even better than a baby.
And so, they went through a cycle of waking up—playing Game—dying—waking up—playing Game—dying.
After that, Kenma Kotsume swore he would never play Game with her again.
Absolutely not!
Luckily, Yoriko Arisu didn’t mind at all and was perfectly happy entertaining herself.
This peaceful arrangement didn’t change until elementary school.
Because they ended up in the same class.
And as deskmates.
“What a coincidence, Kenma.”
The not-so-close childhood friend greeted him with a smile and even invited him to join her group project.
At that time, Kenma Kotsume wasn’t good at hiding his feelings.
After being pestered into working on the group project together, he finally asked, “Why me?”
They weren’t that close, were they?
Didn’t she have other friends?
Kenma Kotsume saw Yoriko Arisu pause, a puzzled look on her face.
“Kenma, do you hate me?”
Kenma Kotsume really wanted to say, “That’s my line,” but swallowed the words.
He looked away and said softly, “We haven’t really talked that much, have we?”
“But I like you, Kenma.”
The twin-tailed girl answered without hesitation.
Kenma Kotsume’s eyes went cat-like, full of shock: “…What?”
Her answer was so direct and embarrassing, far beyond what he expected.
Kenma Kotsume rubbed his arm, feeling goosebumps all over.
“Because Kenma is quiet. It’s easy to be around you.”
Kenma Kotsume: “…Huh?”
He couldn’t follow her logic.
Yoriko Arisu explained, “Kenma doesn’t force me to play together, and you don’t get mad when I ignore you, so I really like being with you.”
“…Actually, I was really mad back then.”
Kenma Kotsume couldn’t help saying.
“Eh? When?”
Yoriko Arisu looked shocked, her expression showing she’d completely forgotten what she’d done.
The Prompter reminded her: “That time we played Game.”
Yoriko Arisu looked confused for a moment, but since they’d only played together once, she quickly remembered: “But you didn’t show it at all!”
She touched her hair, a bit embarrassed.
“I thought I was just really bad at Game, and I always fell asleep in the middle, so I didn’t want to drag you into playing with me again.”
And so Kenma Kotsume understood.
Turns out, this girl was just a dummy.
Yoriko Arisu apologized sincerely, and Kenma Kotsume accepted that she wasn’t very good at Game.
The two of them shook hands and made up.
Yoriko Arisu’s eyes sparkled as she looked at him: “Then can we play together again next time?”
Kenma Kotsume dodged her sparkling attack: “…If you want to.”
Next time, he’d just find a Game interesting enough to keep her awake.
Their relationship improved from that point on.
He accidentally dreamed about the past, and when Kenma Kotsume woke up, he looked at the head buried in his chest and couldn’t help but feel a wave of sadness.
He felt like he was suffocating.
All because he’d been soft-hearted once, and now he was stuck with a dummy.
Kenma Kotsume struggled to pry off the arm wrapped around his neck, finally able to breathe a little easier.
That was close—he almost got strangled.
He stared at the ceiling for a while, then glanced at his childhood friend who was still sound asleep, realizing he’d lost all sleepiness.
The Alarm Clock on the wall showed it was only five o’clock.
Kenma Kotsume lay on the bed, feeling hopeless for a while, before suddenly realizing this was a great opportunity!
It was still early! He could use this chance to play Game!
***
When Yoriko Arisu woke up, her childhood friend had already changed into his school uniform.
Still groggy, she hit the Alarm Clock and mumbled, “Kenma, you’re up so early.”
Kenma Kotsume, who had already put everything back in place, replied awkwardly, “Yeah, I just woke up a bit early today.”
It was his first time doing something like this. His heart was pounding wildly as he rushed to the bathroom before Yoriko Arisu got up, using tooth-brushing to hide his guilty expression.
Defeating the boss put Kenma Kotsume in such a good mood that even his breakfast appetite improved.
Miwako Kotsume was surprised to see Kenma Kotsume eat two slices of bread in one go and asked, “Did the sun rise in the west today?”
Kenma Kotsume froze for a moment. As a child, he wasn’t good at hiding his feelings, but Yoriko Arisu quickly jumped in, “Maybe it’s because we have Handicraft Class today!”
Still just kids. Miwako Kotsume didn’t suspect anything, smiling as she reminded them to check their bags carefully so they wouldn’t forget anything.
Then she sent the two little students, both wearing their yellow hats, out the door.
Kenma Kotsume let out a sigh of relief.
Luckily, he’d gotten away with it.
If Mom found out he got up early to play Game, he’d be dead!
Most kids went to the nearest elementary school, and the walk only took about ten minutes, so there weren’t many parents dropping kids off.
Students usually walked themselves, to build independence.
So, the closer they got to the school gate, the more little kids there were.
After getting up early to play Game, the excitement left Kenma Kotsume tired, and he yawned.
Yoriko Arisu grabbed his hand, stopping him from almost walking into a lamppost.
It was rare to see Kenma Kotsume out of sorts. Yoriko Arisu asked with concern, “What’s wrong, Kenma? Didn’t sleep well?”
Thinking of a possibility, she gasped, “Could it be… because of me…”
“No, it’s my problem.” Kenma Kotsume quickly cut her off, “You didn’t bother me at all, so you can keep sleeping with me these days.”
Sleeping with Yoriko Arisu meant less sleep time, but more Game time!
That was Kenma Kotsume’s simple worldview.
“Oh…” Yoriko Arisu nodded, half understanding.
For the next few days, Kenma Kotsume kept up the routine of being woken by a human Alarm Clock and sneaking out of bed to play Game.
When someone wakes up and the person next to them is always gone, even the slowest person would notice.
So one night, while doing homework, Yoriko Arisu looked thoughtfully at Kenma Kotsume, who was yawning across from her.
Yawning while doing homework was usually her thing.
Thinking that, she couldn’t help but yawn too.
The burning gaze was impossible to ignore, but the tired Kenma Kotsume didn’t notice until much later.
He paused his math problem, looked up at Yoriko Arisu sitting opposite him, and asked, “What is it? Why are you staring at me?”
Yoriko Arisu stopped writing her last word, propped her chin on her hand, and asked, “Kenma, are you hiding something from me?”
Kenma Kotsume didn’t get it. “What do you mean?”
Yoriko Arisu dragged out her words, frowning in confusion, “Lately, you’ve been yawning…”
She yawned again, then, after closing her mouth, slowly said, “More and more often.”
Kenma Kotsume, as if infected by her, yawned too.
You yawn, I yawn, it was like they were caught in some mysterious loop.
“So yawning really is contagious.” Yoriko Arisu wiped the tears from her eyes, her words a little muffled.
“Wait a second!”
Suddenly struck by a thought, Yoriko Arisu hit her left palm with her right fist, “Kenma, did you catch it from me?”
Kenma Kotsume: “…Are you an idiot?”
If anything, he was the one infecting her.
After yawning, Yoriko Arisu forgot what she was going to say.
The next morning, when the Alarm Clock woke her, she saw Kenma Kotsume getting hacked to death by the boss.
Caught in the act.
Kenma Kotsume, startled by the Alarm Clock while playing Game: “……”
They stared at each other for a moment. Yoriko Arisu’s expression slowly turned to shock.
She pointed at Kenma Kotsume, just about to say something, when Kenma Kotsume reflexively lunged forward and covered her mouth.
“Don’t tell Mom about this.” He lowered his voice.
“Mmm mmm mmm.”
Yoriko Arisu’s eyes showed disapproval as she tried to pry his hand away.
The Alarm Clock rang again. Kenma Kotsume pressed Yoriko Arisu down with one hand while frantically thinking up a plan: “We’re friends, right?”
He had a sudden inspiration: “This is our Secret!”
Yoriko Arisu stopped struggling, her eyes lighting up.
When Kenma Kotsume let go, she couldn’t wait to ask, “Secret?”
“Yeah!” Kenma Kotsume nodded vigorously.
Kids are naturally drawn to Secrets, because they make people feel closer.
Yoriko Arisu nodded seriously, “It’s a promise then!”
“Mm.”
Kenma Kotsume handed her the Wind Chime he’d made in Handicraft Class yesterday, “This is…”
A symbol?
A witness?
He got stuck, not sure what to call it.
Yoriko Arisu looked at his face, then at the Cat Wind Chime, and suddenly remembered a line from the TV drama she’d watched yesterday with Miwako Kotsume.
She dashed to her bag, pulled out the Fish Wind Chime, and shoved it into Kenma Kotsume’s arms.
“I know! This is a Token of Affection!”
Yoriko Arisu said proudly.
Kenma Kotsume was puzzled: “Is it called that?”
It felt a little off.
Yoriko Arisu was adamant: “That’s what it is! I just saw it on TV yesterday!”
She raised her Wind Chime high, looking very serious: “This is the Wind Chime that witnesses our friendship!”
Kids have a natural trust in things they see on TV, and Yoriko Arisu’s explanation made sense, so Kenma Kotsume quickly accepted it.
“Then it’s a Token of Affection,” he said.