For Kaya's plan to work, we needed an adult who would follow our lead. It had to be someone who knew enough about our situation. With that in mind, there was only one person who came to mind. A troublesome person, but there was no choice. I contacted the number I remembered and arranged a meeting.
On the appointed day, I took Kaya to that café we hadn't visited in a long time. It looked slightly newer compared to my memories, which made sense since the last time I came here was in the winter of my first year of middle school. When we opened the door, the light sound of a bell chimed. Looking around, the place was as empty as ever, with no customers or staff in sight. After a moment, a small, familiar girl hurriedly emerged from the back.
"Hi there! Welcome! I never thought I'd see customers here! Please, sit wherever you like. I'll bring you the menu and some water right away."
Her energy was overwhelming. I had to drag Kaya, who looked dizzy from it all, to a seat in the back. No one was likely to come here, but just in case.
"Here's the menu! Have you decided on your order?"
"Um, not yet."
"The menu just arrived, so of course we haven't decided. Don't worry, Kaya. Take your time. I'll have an iced coffee. Instant is fine."
"Certainly! Wait, how did you know our coffee is instant? Ah—"
"What? It's instant?"
"N-no, no, of course not! Anyway, one iced coffee coming right up. Please wait just a moment!"
With that, Sorane Koizumi rushed back to the kitchen. Honestly, given the circumstances, you'd think she'd at least learn how to brew a proper cup of coffee.
"Don't worry, Kaya. Take your time choosing. Just so you know, the coffee here is either instant or a very bitter and poorly made espresso, so I wouldn't recommend it."
"Really? —Well then, I'll have orange juice. I'll order when she comes back."
Not long after, Sorane returned with my coffee, and Kaya ordered her orange juice. As I watched, I took a sip of the coffee. It was definitely better when I made it myself. As these thoughts crossed my mind, the orange juice was quickly brought to our table, though I pretended not to notice the empty juice carton peeking from the back. Kaya was about to order something else when a voice interrupted us.
"Well, isn't this a first-time meeting and a long time no see? The Mayoi sisters, right? I've been wanting to meet you."
Still as irritating as ever. Though I knew it was inevitable, dealing with this person again was such a hassle.
"Uh, nice to meet you. Um, what's your name?"
"Oh, right. My name is Shinobu Shirochi. Feel free to call me 'big sis Shinobu'—or anything you like, really, as long as it's not my last name."
"I see. Then I'll call you Shinobu-san."
"'Hey you' would be sufficient for someone like this."
"Come on, it's been ages since we last met. You could at least be a bit more friendly, right?"
"She's right, Sis. We're asking her for a favor, so you shouldn't be rude."
With Kaya saying that, I had no choice but to stay silent. Emboldened by this, the fool in front of me started acting up.
"Exactly! If you keep treating me like this, I might not help at all. And after you were so confident that you wouldn't need to come back in the last timeline, here you are again. You even had me—ouch!"
I stomped hard on Shinobu's foot before she could say anything more. She glared at me in protest, but I ignored her. How dare she try to reveal things to Kaya?
"Sis?"
"It's nothing. And let me correct you—it's not a request. It's an order."
"Okay, okay, I get it. I was just joking, no need to stomp so hard. So, what's the plan? I'd love to grant cute Kaya-chan's request, but I can't do what's impossible."
"Don't worry, it's nothing unreasonable. We just need you to become our guardian."
"Oh, I see—wait, what? No, no, that's impossible. I'm only twenty, you know. And you're not saying you killed your parents ag—ouch! Time out, time out!"
Why does this idiot always say the worst possible things?
"Are you okay?"
"Don't worry about it, Kaya. It's fine. You're twenty, so you can legally adopt us. You don't have a choice in the matter. Besides, you won't have to worry about finances like before. If anything, you'll need us to help you out."
There was a time when I covered most of the living expenses, and even in the previous timeline, I had given her financial aid several times.
"That may be true, but… You're right; I agree. Considering what you've told me, it's probably best to get away from those parents. But can this really be done? Won't there be investigations for abuse or something?"
"You're thinking of special adoptions. Those are more complicated and require a supervision period. They're also not possible for a single person. But for regular adoptions, none of that applies. The downside is that our legal ties with our biological parents won't be severed."
"Please, we're asking for your help."
Despite Kaya bowing her head, Shinobu took her time to answer. After a long pause, she finally spoke.