♥Futarigurashi♥Kotarou lives Alone♥

Chapter 20 - Children thrown under the bus 1

"How is Ruri holding up? She's been down since Mizuki-san left the apartment." Karino was accompanied by Rio and a sleeping Ruri in his room right now. Ruri was sleepy more often these days because of crying too much from missing Mizuki and Rio was helping him with his manga.

"She's not good at dealing with changes, I think." 

"Did she ask you why Mizuki-san have to go?" 

"No, but she did ask me to kill the bad man who made Mizuki go." 

"What the-" Karino looked at Rio. "And you let her say that?" 

"Well she's not wrong about the man being a bad man. I would happily kill him if he comes here again." Rio looked at Ruri who was hugging a plushie while sleeping with a blanket on her, "If it wasn't for him, Ruri will always have a kind onee-san who gives her treat behind my back." 

"So you know about it?" 

"Of course I do. She doesn't wipe her mouth properly and Mizuki is a bad liar when it comes to covering for her." Mizuki will be missed by her little sister. Rio hope when she settled down, she could go visit. She will need to wait for Mizuki to give her a call first because who knows? Maybe her ex boyfriend's still hanging around the area in hopes to find clues where his now ex girlfriend went. Rio hope the man's smart enough to not be seen by her because she will catch him...and she really will kill him. "By the way, Kana-chan is coming over often, huh?" Rio notice a lot of things and little Kana coming round to play was one of the new things as of recently.

"Oh? Sawaguchi-san's daughter? Yeah. Sawaguchi-san said her daughter wants to play with the little guy. She comes pick her up later in the day." 

"Isn't that great? Good for Kotarou. It's good to have many friends." 

"Is Sawaguchi-san's daughter and Ruri close?" Karino asked. 

"We're close~." Ruri was awake and she's eyeing the mochi in the middle of the table that's still in a packet. 

"When did you wake up?!" Karino got spooked by her! She made no noise whatsoever!

"Kana doesn't play with Kotarou in school." Ruri opened the mochi packet herself and she helped herself to it by taking a bite of it. "Ahh-mmph~ red bean paste~." 

"What? She doesn't? What do you usually play with her?" 

"Hmm~ we play with dollies, ball, tag- oh! Oh! I made a shiny mud ball with her just today!" 

"Is...is that so? Sounds like a lot of fun." Karino was about to leave it that but Ruri's next sentence will make him look at her again.

"But Kana said we can only play in school. When she's here, she can only play with Kotarou." 

"Eh? Why?" 

Ruri suddenly looked smug, "Why don't you ask her mother?" Ruri did not say that like it's an insult. She genuinely meant for Karino to ask Kana's mother but because the little girl often hear Rio say somewhere along the lines of 'Why don't you ask your mother?' with the same smug look to rude people and she thought it was something okay to do and say.

Karino sweatdropped; the things this kid learn was amazing in a weird way. Karino was confused now; if little Kana and Ruri usually play with one another in school, why was Kana's mother insisting on her daughter to play with Kotarou instead? Karino looked at Rio as if she had all the answers in her hand. 

"Maybe her mother's trying to get with you?"

"What the-?! I-I mean the fact there is such a chance is...hehehe...but no, she's married and such a forbidden romance won't have long lasting happiness..."