Adachi to Shimamura - Volume 2 - Chapter 6.2

Bonus chapter: "Yashiro: The Visitor - Part 3" 

"Next, to the right!" 
"Spin, spin." 
"..." 
"Next, to the left!" 
"Roll, roll." 
"...Hey, you, the self-proclaimed 600-and-something-year-old alien. That's my futon", Sis stated, staring at us dumbfounded from the side. I hadn't noticed it before, but she was right: This was her futon. 
It was once again cold in our room, which is why I had decided to stuff my body inside the rolled-up futon, with only my head sticking out. Yachii's body was sticking out from the other end. It was really fun, rolling around like that. 
Speaking of Yachii, I didn't remember exactly when she'd come here. She always just kinda showed up. Her leaving also happened in a similar fashion; one second she was here, and the next, she was gone. 
"Are you having fun?" 
"Certainly", Yachii answered while bouncing up and down. Her feet also jumped about inside the futon, and it kinda hurt. 
Still looking as dumbfounded as ever, Sis turned towards the TV. 
"Well, that's good, I guess." 
"Join us, Shimamura." 
"I know it might not look like it, but I'm actually very busy." 
Busy? What was she talking about? How did sitting around lazily while watching TV count as being busy? 
If anyone here was busy, it was us. Rolling around wasn't as simple as you might have first thought, nuh-uh. 
The two of us needed to be in perfect sync if we wanted to get anywhere. There was another important factor as well. That was, keeping track of which way was up and which down. Let me tell you, that wasn't easy when they constantly kept switching. 
Roll, roll, roll. Roll behind Sis. Roll, roll, roll. Change direction before hitting the wall. Roll, roll, roll. Roll all the way to the window-side. Roll, roll, roll. 
"That's enough!" Sis yelled. She then pinched the futon between her legs, effectively stopping us in place. Both Yachii and I tried our best to hop up and down, but to no avail. 
"What are you doing?" 
"That's what I want to ask you. What're you doing?" 
"Warming ourselves." 
"Yeah, warming ourselves", I repeated. Sis sighed and slumped her shoulders, looking exhausted. 
A sound then played, a sound far more high-pitched than anything we could produce. 
"Oh? My phone's ringing." 
Crawling on all fours, Sis moved to her desk and grabbed the phone she'd left there. Then, after quickly checking who it was, she answered. Next thing I knew, she'd crawled out of the room. 
"Hm!" 
"Hmph!" 
With Sis no longer here, there was no reason for me to be inside the futon. I got out, and Yachii followed shortly after. We then sat on Sis's futon. I glanced at Yachii, and noticed that she had taken off her muffler. Had it gotten too warm for her? 
"The muffler is warm, but it also makes my neck tingle." 
"Oh, does it?" 
Now that she mentioned it, Yachii's neck was indeed red. Was her skin perhaps sensitive? 
Particles of dust and light fluttered in the air, having likely been scattered around while Yachii had been hopping up and down. Even now, those particles were floating off her blue hair, like the scales of a butterfly. The way they landed on my finger as I brought it close certainly made them seem like small insects. I slowly pulled back my hand, trying not to drop them, only for all of them to vanish in an instant. One more time I brought my finger close to Yachii's hair, scooping up that blue light. 
All the while, Yachii followed my finger intensely, her eyes wide open. 
"What is this, Yachii?" I asked, referring to the particle of light that had fallen on my finger. Yachii tilted her head, clearly puzzled. 

In the next moment, the particle had already disappeared into the cold winter air. 
"I'm not really sure myself. I'd need to ask the person who I was modelled after." 
"'Modelled... after'?" 
Sometimes, I had no idea what Yachii was talking about. Did she perhaps mean asking her mom and dad? 
"Does your dad have the same kind of hair you do?" 
"He doesn't have hair." 
"Hmm. Is he a monk?" 
"A monk?" Yachii asked back. Seemed that he wasn't. Maybe he was just bald? 
"What about your mother?" 
"No." 
Her mom was bald too? That seemed unlikely. Hmm... There was a lot about Yachii that I didn't understand. 
I didn't get the feeling that she was someone who told lies, though. 
So then, why didn't I understand her? Hmm... Was it because she was an alien? 
Even so, what was happening in front of me was happening on Earth. Thinking about it that way, it couldn't have been something beyond my understanding. 
"Alright. I'll solve this mystery for you." 
"Mystery?" Yachii asked, spinning her head. As she did, more particles shot out. Those particles were exactly what I was talking about. 
"Yes. I'll investigate the mystery behind this light", I stated, brimming with confidence. I even placed my hand on my chest to emphasize my point, although that turned out to be a bad idea; my finger slipped between two bones, causing me to choke slightly. Yachii stared intensely at the particles of light falling from her head, all the while slowly shaking it. As she did, more came out, and I got the feeling they were never going to stop. 
Having perhaps gotten bored, Yachii soon crossed her arms in a bold manner. 
"Is that really something you're capable of, Shou?" 
"Well, I did get full points on my science test, if that counts for anything." 
"Ooh", Yachii nodded, sounding impressed. I didn't get the impression that she really understood what I was talking about, though. 
Why did I feel that way? Probably because she kept wobbling her head from side to side. 
"In that case, allow me to give you these", Yachii said before plucking out two strands of hair, followed by a shriek of pain. The lustrous hairs she held up—more closely resembling pieces of yarn than hair—danced in the current of air generated by the indoor heater. Still holding them, Yachii suddenly took my hand, causing me to jolt a little. 
She then extended my index finger and wrapped the strands of blue hair she'd plucked out around it. 
The way she had tied them was similar to the knot in her hair, and as I bent my finger back and forth, the loose ends moved like the wings of a butterfly. 
The butterfly was then caught by Yachii's finger. 
"The only way you can get this off is if you solve the mystery." 
"Wait, for real?" 
"Hehehe", she laughed boldly. Wanting to test if what she'd said was true, I came really close to pulling on the ends of the butterfly. Yet, I had a feeling that it would no longer stay there if I were to unravel it, so I stopped. 
That would simply be a waste. I drew back my extended finger. 
As if delighted by my choice, the butterfly flapped its wings. 
"Alright then. I'll solve it real quick and say bye-bye to the butterfly", I said before pushing my finger against the tip of Yachii's nose. Naturally, the butterfly came with it. 
The scales fluttering off its wings shone with the same colour as Yachii's eyes. 
"Get ready, Yachii." 
"Hohoho. By the way, who is 'Yachii'?" 
And so, my attempt to challenge her began. 
It had been pretty reckless of me, but who cared.