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A few days after they went shopping, Kou was officially discharged from the hospital.

“Well then, take care Kou.”
“I will, thank you for everything, Ms. Shimazaki.”
“I’m going to miss you though… It’s rare that I get to bond with patients over video games.”
“Ahahah, we’ll be back for therapy in a few days, and we’ll have plenty of time to meet in-game.”

Having exchanged some words with the physiotherapist Shimazaki, they embraced and parted ways. Kou would still have rehabilitation sessions every few days, so it definitely was not farewell for the two.

“I really wish Sara could’ve come too… But her schedule didn’t align for it.”
“That’s a pity… I wouldn’t want to distract her from her duties though.”

There had been only a handful of opportunities during her time at the hospital to meet Sara. And Kou had not been able to meet Sara’s husband and daughter, Ryunosuke and Lycoris, so that was something she felt a bit disheartened about, but there was little she could do about it.

“Kou, are you ready yet?”
“Ah, I’m sorry dad! Well, good bye!”
“Mhm, take care.”

After Shimazaki Hisui, Kou said good bye to all the nurses and doctors that took care of her during the last month or so that she had been awake for, and then she left the hospital to go back home.

◇◇◇

The Mitsuki family’s home was located in the outskirts of the city, which could be considered the quiet suburbs. After a long time away, Kou finally made her way back there…

…Was our house always this big?

Their home was slightly larger than that of a regular family, but it was not luxurious by any means. Somehow it felt even bigger now to Kou, with the door being wider than she remembered, and the ceiling further away.

“Woah… They’ve been piling up a lot.” Kou was standing in a daze at the entrance, but snapped back to reality when she heard Sora’s voice.

Wondering what he was talking about, she went to look at the intercom’s logs together with him.

«67 unseen event logs»

It was almost impossible to rack up such a number unless a house was left unattended for a long time.

“Dad…when was the last time you came back?”
“Hmm… It was right after you were hospitalized and I came back to pick up some stuff I needed, and asked someone to maintain the house.”

In other words, he had not been there in around three months.

“I know I’ve said this a lot, but you and mom really should try to take a break more often.”
“…You’re right, I’ll try to be more careful.”

Hearing Kou’s concerned voice made Sora lower his head and apologize.

They carried all their luggage to the entrance, and then took some time to rest.

“I’ll be registering your voice signature to be recognized by the house. You can rest in your room in the meantime.” Sora let Kou go while he opened the house management application House Keeper and uploaded Kou’s voice data, which he had recorded during their drive there.

Kou had no reason to refuse that offer, so she went to her room on the second floor. It looked just the way she had left it, except that her bedsheets had been straightened over.

Her room consisted of a desk, a bookshelf, and a bed. It was still a rather large room, but it was hardly occupied by furniture. That was a clear influence of the virtual world, as most things could be obtained and used through VR, and there was little reason to own them in the real world.

“I’m finally back…” Three months had passed since she was last there, so a feeling of homecoming welled up inside her as she threw herself on top of her bed, which she had missed dearly.

“…?” But then she felt something odd and began to sniff around.

She could only assume that Amari had gotten the sheets and pillow covers cleaned at some point, but she still felt a foreign but distinct smell.

“…Ah, I guess it’s because my body’s scent is different now.” She quickly put two and two together. She had not noticed until now, but many things had changed the moment she turned into a girl, including her natural body odor.

That was contrasting with her previous smell which still lingered around her room. At the same time, her whole bed felt oddly spacious, highlighting how small Kou’s body was now.

With time, her new scent would override the previous one, and no trace would be left of that past Kou… Such bittersweet thoughts began whirling in her mind, so she shook her head to get rid of them, wanting to think more positively.

That reminded her that Sora mentioned her wardrobe had been renewed.

She would finally be able to try out her school uniform, which she had never worn even though the school year had started nearly two months prior, with half of the first term over. Excited about it, she opened her closet, only to fall on her knees in disappointment.

“Oh yeah, how could’ve I forgotten… I’m a girl now…” The navy blue blazer and beige plaid slacks she had yearned for during the entrance exam were nowhere in sight inside her closet.

Instead, she found the similarly colored blazer and red plaid skirt, the girls’ uniform.

“Do I really have to wear this every day next week…” She had seen that uniform while picking a school the year before, and she thought it was a cute uniform, but it had never crossed her mind that she would end up wearing it herself.

For a while, she just remained still, glancing at the uniform with conflicting emotions.

“Kou! Are you there? Amari said she’ll bring a cake later to celebrate your return, so I’ll invite Hijiri and Subaru over in a bit. I can order pizza while we wait for her, but I’m not sure which type to order!” Sora’s voice rang from downstairs, finally getting Kou to move again.

There was no time to be feeling down, so she got up on her feet and went downstairs while trying to remember what pizza the twins liked.

“Now that I think about it, you probably should try to revise the way you talk before attending school, Kou.”
“Oh right, it’s a bit cute and unique at the moment, but it might stand out in a wrong way.”
“Mghuh…”

It was rare for the Mitsuki and Furuya families, except for the twins’ father as he was working out of the city, to be gathered and share a meal like that.

Kou’s minute mouth was chewing rapidly, trying its best to work its way through a large sized margherita pizza, only to choke when she heard Sora and Akane’s comments.

“Are you okay? Here, drink some water.”