Clan
When Clan first heard that Koutarou had helped Nana take a bath, she could scarcely believe her ears. After some time thinking about it, however, a question emerged in her mind.
“Veltlion, about the thing with Nana the other day...”
“Man, you guys sure love bringing that up. But ask all you want—nothing happened.”
“That’s not what I was going to ask about.”
“Oh?”
Koutarou was doing his homework at the tea table, but there, he looked up at Clan. She looked every bit as serious as she sounded.
“I was wondering if Nana’s the reason you suggested making the PAF available to the public.”
“Oh, that...” Koutarou smiled a little.
The Power Assistance Field, or PAF, was an invention of Clan’s that used low-output barriers to enhance and mimic human movement. Koutarou had been looking into making it available in Forthorthe, and Clan had grown curious about whether Nana’s condition had inspired the idea.
“Well?” she prompted him.
“You’re right on the mark. It occurred to me that Nana-san would’ve been able to get in the bath on her own if she had a PAF.”
“You should’ve acted on it sooner, then.”
“You idiot. I couldn’t give a clever fox like you any ideas back then.”
“Which is it? Am I an idiot or am I clever? Either way, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Anyways, that thought kinda stuck with me, so when Kiriha-san said that I should have a reason for returning to Forthorthe, it was the first thing that came to mind.”
“So I was right. Thanks, Veltlion. Sorry for bugging you while you’re doing homework.”
Satisfied with Koutarou’s answer, Clan ended the conversation and began to brew some tea.
“No sweat. But hey, if you’re making tea, make some for me too.”
“Do you really think I’m that cold? I was going to all along.”
“Thanks.”
“Just be patient.”
Koutarou quietly watched Clan as she made tea, but he spoke up when something crossed his mind. “By the way, Clan, make a PAF for Nana-san when you can. She could use it when she removes her prosthetics.”
“I don’t mind, but I think Nana would say that she doesn’t need it.”
“Why?”
“There’s something nice about feeling the warmth of others, like Yurika or Kanae.”
“Huh, yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“Still, it wouldn’t be bad to have one in case of an emergency.”
“True. I’ll leave that to you, then.”
“Certainly.”
After that, the couple sat in silence for a time as Koutarou continued his homework and Clan flipped through the pages of an RC magazine. Though they didn’t speak, the slow passage of time together was pleasant. After half an hour, Koutarou looked up at Clan.
“Say, Clan...”
“Is something the matter?”
“You’re a pretty good girl.”
“What are you on about all of a sudden?”
“I mean, I don’t really know how to say this... but I know you’re not cold.”
“I most certainly was two years ago—and you’re the reason I changed,” Clan said with a smile.
She understood that she was a different person now, and she knew that what had inspired her growth was the boy sitting right in front of her. And more than anything, she was happy that he could rely on her now.
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