“Fun!”
I was so excited after watching a fun movie for the first time in a while that I couldn’t stop waving my hands. Maru, responding to my excitement, waved along with me.
“Really fun, huh?”
As expected, the movie I picked was great. I was about to watch another one, but sleepiness started creeping in. My body, which gets drowsy as soon as it hits 10 PM, had managed to stay awake until midnight, so it was only natural that I felt sleepy.
With my eyes closed, I snuggled into Maru’s arms. Maru didn’t seem to mind my clinginess and hugged me tightly. Then, she got up from the chair.
“Hana, are you tired? Should we go to bed?”
“Yeah!”
Too lazy to move, I stayed still in Maru’s arms. It was like autopilot. Maru carried me step by step to my room. Feeling content, I lay down on the bed. Maru sat beside me, gently stroking my head.
“Hana, sleep well.”
But I didn’t want Maru to leave, so I grabbed her sleeve and said, “Stay with me until I fall asleep, Maru!”
Seeing me like this, Maru smiled and sat back down on the bed. She stroked my face and said, “If Hana asks me to stay, I have to stay.”
We spent time talking about the fun things that happened today—playing hide-and-seek, getting a massage… We talked without realizing how much time had passed. I even felt more awake. Just a while ago, I was about to collapse from sleepiness.
Maru lay next to me, chatting with me. Well, not fully lying down, but leaning back with her hand on her head, looking at me as we talked.
Suddenly, I had a great idea. It was a bit embarrassing for my age, but I thought of asking Maru to sing me a lullaby. I felt like I’d sleep better with a good lullaby. So, I asked Maru to sing one. After all, I’m only in the third grade of elementary school, so this was totally fine!
“A lullaby? Hmm… okay!”
Maru rolled her eyes for a moment, thinking, and then started singing a lullaby.
I pulled the blanket up to my chin, expecting a sweet and soothing lullaby to fill my ears. But I soon regretted my decision.
Maru was a terrible singer, and her voice was far from what you’d call a lullaby. It was as if she was proving that no one is perfect. Her usual voice was nice, but… I opened my eyes wide and said, “Maru, stop!”
“Huh? What’s wrong, Hana?”
Maru seemed oblivious to the fact that she was a terrible singer. She was belting out the song like a chubby character from an anime, and I couldn’t help but cringe.
Compared to Haru and Bora, it was like night and day. Who knew there could be such a difference in singing ability between people? If I had known, I wouldn’t have asked her to sing.
But people can improve, right? I sat up and looked at Maru, saying, “Maru! I’ll sing for you!”
I thought it was a genius idea to show her how to sing properly. With a smug smile, I demonstrated how to sing.
“Mom in the shade~”
As I closed my eyes and poured my heart into the lullaby, I realized something big. People who listen to my singing deeply tend to fall asleep.
I quickly opened my eyes and stopped singing. But it was too late. Maru was already lying on the bed, fast asleep.
“Ahh!”
I realized I had made a huge mistake. I tried shaking Maru to wake her up, but she was so deeply tired that she didn’t wake up. So, I gave up and instead clung to her like a koala.
Maru’s warm embrace was the coziest and warmest thing ever. Her softness pressed against my face. The sleepiness that had vanished earlier came rushing back. I fell asleep just like that.
I hope Maru has sweet dreams.
—
“Ha…hah!”
Maru woke up. The sun was already up outside. How long had she slept? If anyone caught her, a new employee, sleeping in bed like this, she’d definitely get scolded. She felt a bit guilty.
She quickly looked around, but…
Hana’s figure was nowhere to be seen. Maru, her face pale, quickly got up from the bed. When she checked her mobile phone, it was already 8 o’clock. She had slept soundly for a whopping 7 hours.
Her body felt incredibly refreshed. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had slept so well. If she had slept like this at home, she would have laughed lightly and prepared for work. But this was the company.
Hana had disappeared, and a flustered Maru went outside to look for her. Running to the office, Maru saw that some people had already arrived for work and clutched her sinking heart. Fortunately, Hana was inside the office.
Wearing dinosaur pajamas, Hana was being petted in Haru’s arms. Since Maru wasn’t in the office, Haru must have already noticed her absence. And in the worst-case scenario, Haru might have seen her sleeping in Hana’s bed.
Maru, admitting that she had been caught, bowed her head deeply. If her superior had seen her, they would have been furious. The company paid her to be on duty, and here she was, neglecting her responsibilities…
But she was also curious about why she had suddenly fallen asleep. It wasn’t like she was that tired… And she had gone to bed really early the night before because she was on duty.
However, such excuses wouldn’t be tolerated. Maru, barely holding back her tears, apologized to Haru. For now, only Haru was in the office. Though rumors would surely spread soon.
“I’m so sorry, senior! I didn’t mean to fall asleep…”
Maru, bowing almost 90 degrees, apologized to Haru. How panicked must Haru have been when she didn’t see Maru in the office in the morning? And then, when looking for her junior, she must have seen Maru boldly sleeping in Hana’s room.
Hana, oblivious, was smiling brightly, but Maru had really messed up. However, Haru, her senior, seemed to have already heard something from Hana.
“Are you really sorry, Maru?”
With a stern expression, Haru spoke to Maru. If Haru didn’t say anything, it wouldn’t spread within the company. Hana was fine, and only Haru was in the office now.
“Yes! I won’t do it again!”
Maru spoke with as much sincerity as possible. She didn’t want to be the newbie who got fired after just a week. But seeing Maru like this, Haru smiled and said,
“It’s not your fault, Maru.”
“Huh?”
“Hana’s singing has the ability to make listeners fall asleep.”
“Really…?”
Maru, feeling uneasy, responded as if Haru was teasing her. Falling asleep from a song… It wasn’t like some singing monster from the next neighborhood. It was hard to believe that just a song could make someone fall asleep.
But seeing Haru speak so seriously, maybe it was true?
Fortunately, Hana in Haru’s arms confirmed it, and Maru felt the tension ease.
“Don’t we have a file compiling Hana’s abilities?”
“Ah, that one’s password-protected…”
“Ah, I guess the confidentiality agreement hasn’t been approved by the higher-ups yet?”
“Yes, senior, it seems it hasn’t been approved yet.”
Haru, holding onto a squirming Hana, spoke.
“Well, since you’re up, take care of Hana. She’s been squirming because she’s bored. And it seems she hasn’t been washed yet.”
“I’ll do as you say, senior!”
Maru quickly took Hana from Haru, held her, and went into the room. Just a while ago, when she woke up, her heart was sinking, and it felt like her life was over. But seeing Haru’s reaction just now, it seemed like she would let it slide.
And since it was Hana’s ability that made her fall asleep, it was hard to blame her. They hadn’t taught her all of Hana’s abilities yet.
Thinking this, Maru took the whining Hana to the bathroom.
