Uwwaagrr

The sprawling mass that occupied the front porch made that illegible sound. All I did was stand there and stare blankly at it.

What the hell is some black goo that made strange sounds doing in front of Aunt Kobato's house?

Umm… was it just me seeing things? Maybe the setting sun was playing tricks on me? Squeezing my eyes tightly I reopened them. Nope. I'm still seeing that thing. I wonder how Kobato would react to this.

"Kotori-chan, what's wrong? Go ahead and let yourself in first. Kobato poked her head out from the boot and walked over.

A glance at the strange mass at her doorstep and giving a strained smile Kobato dragged the lifeless object down the steps before tossing it near the rubbish pile.

"Ku ku ku. That thing is nothing you should be concerned about. Come on in. I'll get the rest of your luggage later."

"Oi! is this how you treat your childhood friend?" The lump (?) jumped out baring her teeth at Kobato.

On closer inspection, that black mass was a sister's habit. Ruffled and worn in it seemed that it had not been washed in some time. As for the wearer… well let's just say she's well endowed.

Unlike Kobato who was rather lacking in a certain area, this sister had huge assets and was not afraid to flaunt them. It really made me want to pat my slightly modest chest in depression.

"Since when did we consider each other childhood friends! So you got kicked out again huh. Really, go crawl under a rock and die already. Stop leaching off me."

"Uuu! Fine you shitty vampire! I'll just stay right here at your doorstep until you let me in baka!" The sister pulled of a rather childish akanbe. Anyway if I consider her looks she does seem to be around Kobato's age, so I'm guessing forties?

Sighing, Kobato shook her head. "Come on Kotori-chan lets enter from the back. I'll get your stuff after the garbage disposal man has left with the trash."

Leaving the sister at the front entrance we moved to the small back door that had been recently added. I wonder if that back door was really just for this kind of situations… judging from how Kobato had acted, I get the feeling that that might really be the case.

Anyway, with that incident over and done with, I currently sat at the dining table watching Kobato prepare nikugaja. Though tempted to help, I'm sorry to say that I'm not exactly the best in housekeeping skills. Having a butler/ maid (?) is rather convent thing but you kind of miss out on learning the basic skills. Maybe I should ask Kobato for some advice...

"Done." A large vat of nikugaja was placed in front of me.

"Umm Aunt Kobato, Isn't this a little much for the both of us?" I replied cautiously in fear of hurting her feelings.

"Huh? Oh don't worry about that. There should be someone at the front door on her knees by now. Would you mind letting her in. Thanks." Kobato seemed rather happy as she got out wine glasses from the overhead cabinet.

"Ahh. Thank God for letting me in Kobato! I foresaw that your shitty vampire heart would be cleansed by God and bestow mercy on this starving sister." The sister clung to my clothes shoving herself onto me as I opened the door. "Huh? You're not Kobato. Who are you brat?" The sister's voice changed from desperate begging to hateful suspicion.

"That's your savior who has decided to open the door for you Maria. So get on your knees and worship the saint before you. Kukuku. Oh, also get her luggage from the boot of my car." The voice from the kitchen declared.

"AHH, oh great saint I thank you for opening the door. Let me get your luggage immediately… Hey wait. What the hell. YOU SHITTY VAMPIRE! I'll kill you for tricking me!" The sister dashed into the house dropping the luggage in front of a rather bewildered me.

"This is Takayama Maria. She's somewhat of a sister as well as a teacher at your school. She can be annoying at times so feel free to ignore her if she does something stupid."

The three of us were now sitting at the dining table having dinner. Maria having the largest serving was joyfully wolfing down everything leaving her mute throughout dinner. As for Kobato, while she was eating from a smaller plate, she continued to take more from that large vat along with long swings from her wine glass. Just how much can these two eat and still not get fat!

Feeling out of place, I moved my food around hoping to create an illusion that I was still eating.

"Are you ok Kotori-chan?" Kobato's voice broke me out of my trance. "You're spacing out. It's been a long day for you. Here, I'll clean up after we're done so go take a bath first."

Nodding sheepishly, I proceeded to the bath.

So this is what it feels like for someone to have a relaxing meal with family. Though I'm not exactly comfortable with it, it does give a warmer feeling that a mother who would work throughout her meal or a butler/ maid (?) who was watching your every move.

Sighing, I submerged my body into the warm waters letting it take away.