I heard a proud snort from the neighboring futon.
"Very real," Tachyon confirmed. "And what about you? Any experience with the opposite sex?"
"...No."
"Hahaha! So, you've been pathetically overtaken by your younger brother."
"I haven't been 'overtaken' yet! If it's just some fleeting youthful fling, I can still pull ahead. Marriage is the only thing that counts. I won't acknowledge anything less! As his older brother, I am officially declaring my opposition to his marriage."
"Could you please change the subject?" Kosuke barked, popping his head out from his blanket. "I'm trying to sleep here!"
Tachyon and I locked eyes. Seeing the sheer exasperation on his face, we both stifled giggles.
"You're the one who got yelled at," I whispered.
"Please, you're the one who brought up the girlfriend in the first place."
"Shut up!" Kosuke hissed again.
Tachyon immediately lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Oh dear. I am a guest in this house, after all. I must mind my manners."
She sounded so much like a mischievous child that I found it incredibly endearing. Without thinking, I reached out and gently ran my fingers through her hair.
"What is it, Trainer-kun?"
"I was just thinking..." I said softly, continuing to stroke her hair. "We don't get many moments like this, just the two of us... and it makes me feel..."
I let the sentence trail off.
"Fumu. Makes you feel... lonely for company?"
I shook my head slowly. "If I say it out loud, it'll spoil the moment."
I closed my eyes, my hand still resting on her head. Tachyon seemed to ponder my words for a moment, glancing up at my closed lids before deciding to let it rest.
"Goodnight," she whispered.
Bathed in the dim orange light, we drifted off. While Tachyon and I fell asleep easily, Kosuke tossed and turned. It wasn't just the light keeping him up; my comment about marriage had struck a nerve. He worried about his own future—his girlfriend was a "modern" girl, always chasing freedom, sometimes at the expense of the bigger picture. He feared that if forced to choose between him and her freedom, she might choose the latter.
Eventually, he sighed, sat up, and killed the light. A single sliver of moonlight filtered through the curtains, tracing a line across the wall behind me. It shifted with the passing cars until the world went silent in the middle of the night, remaining still until dawn.
When I woke up, I was startled to find Tachyon right in front of me, her arms wrapped tightly around mine. Yesterday she had been gone by the time I woke up, but now, faced with her sleeping form, my heart began to hammer against my ribs.
I tried to gently disentangle myself, but it was impossible. The more I pulled away, the tighter she clung to me in her sleep.
"Give me a break..." I muttered, nearly in tears.
Even in the morning light, she was beautiful. There was a childish innocence to her today; the way she buried her face in my chest, refusing to let go, made her look like a vulnerable child—or a beloved partner. If every day was like this, how happy would I be? I caught myself and shook the thought away. Don't get ahead of yourself. She's a world-class horse girl, and I'm just her Trainer. She belongs to the world, not just to me.
That thought brought me back to reality. I tried a different tactic—instead of pulling away, I gently patted her head. "Push when blocked, pull when free," as they say. Sure enough, as I relaxed, her grip loosened. Her hands searched for me briefly but found nothing, and she eventually settled back onto the futon.
Feeling a twinge of guilt, I watched her sleep for a moment longer before heading into the next room.
My father and Kosuke were already there, the TV murmuring in the background. Breakfast wasn't ready yet. A segment was playing about a band called "The Great Serpent."
"The Great Serpent's new album, 'Refresh After Vanishing,' drops today! It's available on all streaming platforms, so be sure to check it out—"
"Wait," I said. "The album comes out today?"
"Yeah," Kosuke said flatly. "They said so on the news yesterday morning too. Were you even listening?"
I laughed sheepishly. "I thought I was, but I guess it slipped my mind."
"They definitely said it," my father added with a nod. I rubbed the back of my neck, wondering how I'd missed it, and went to wash my face.
When I returned, Tachyon was peeking through the sliding door. She looked disgruntled, staring at me with sleepy, narrowed eyes. Without a word, she beckoned me over.
Curious, I followed her back into the guest room. "Did something happen?"
"I'm sleepy," she stated. "You're coming back to bed."
"Ah. I see." I did see, but I wasn't convinced. "Tachyon, I've told you—and I'll keep telling you—I'm not your father. We're both adults. Don't you think this is a bit ridiculous?"
"No. Now, lie down." She flopped back onto the futon and held up the blanket like an invitation.
"Tachyon..." I stood there, hovering, but she glared at me until I compromised by sitting cross-legged beside her. "When are you going to grow up?"
She let out a long yawn. "I don't want to grow up. I want to stay by your side forever. Just keep spoiling me for the rest of eternity."
"There's no such thing as 'forever.'"
Tachyon's eyes sharpened. "Oh? And have you seen the afterlife? Can you prove that eternity doesn't exist there? To dismiss something you haven't even observed... do you have any idea how unscientific that is?"