Kuro-kun decided to go to his room as well. He felt kinda out of it, somewhat lost, just... empty. He went to bed and quickly fell into a dreamless slumber.
The next morning, Kuro-kun woke up late. He got up and got dressed, still not sure how he felt about what transpired the night before. As he went out into the hallway, he knocked on Ina's door. "Hey Ina, I'm gonna make breakfast, you coming?" He heard a little bit of shuffling from behind the door and a small voice called back. "I'm up. I'll be down soon."
Kuro-kun went downstairs and grabbed some eggs and bacon from the fridge. He lit up the stove top and grabbed a pan to start preparing breakfast. After a little while, he heard soft footsteps coming down the stairs and saw Ina, dressed in a very casual T-shirt and jean shorts. "Morning." She yawned as she rubbed sleep out of her eye with her right hand. "Good morning, Ina." Kuro-kun said in a neutral tone, feeling a bit awkward around her after last night's outburst. Ina made the table for the two of them and silently sat down on her chair.
When the food was ready, Kuro-kun brought it over to the table and served both of them eggs and bacon. They ate their breakfast in silence. When Kuro-kun finished his food, he asked a question that was on his mind since Ina came downstairs. "Are... you okay? I'm sorry if I overstepped last night." Ina's pointy ears perked up in surprise at the comment. She sat there quietly for a while, before answering. "A lot has happened lately. I don't know what's happening anymore and I'm scared." Tears started welling up in her eyes. "I feel so... different, like this body doesn't belong to me. Like... I'm not myself anymore. Who am I? Is this who I always was? What else is gonna happen? Can I continue living a normal life?" The questions flowed from her mouth in tandem with the tears she could no longer hold back. Kuro-kun sat there, silently observing her, just letting her rant for now. Ina buried her face in her hands as her voice cracked. "I'm a monster, I'm not normal, I don't deserve to be here. Why did this happen to me?" Ina sat there, now freely crying to herself.
As Ina's crying subsided, she looked at Kuro-kun with red, tear-stained eyes. "I need some time to sort this out. I could maybe help making dinner. I need to take my mind off of things for now." "Sure, but dinner is a way's away. It just past noon". Kuro-kun said. "We can just chill today. How about you lie on the couch and watch me play video games? You know, like your 'lazy days'." Kuro-kun looked at her curiously. Ina's ears perked up in delight at the idea of spending a lazy day with Kuro-kun. "That sounds perfect, Kuro-kun," she said enthusiastically. Her entire form seemed to
She walked towards the living room, her steps light as a feather on the carpeted floor. She settled down on the couch, curling up under a blanket as he turned on his gaming console. She picked up the remote control and changed the channel to a cozy anime show playing on TV, the soothing background music filling the otherwise silent room. "Oh, you wanna watch anime today?" Kuro-kun asked, slight surprise evident in his voice. Ina's fluffy ears twitched in excitement, her eyes lighting up at his question. "I-I love anime, Kuro-kun!" She confessed shyly, turning her head to look at him over the backrest of the couch. "It's something I enjoy watching alone, but it feels nice to share it with someone else."
She grabbed a pillow from the nearby ottoman and tucked it behind her back for support as she leaned against the armrest, resting her head on the cushion. "Very well. You make yourself comfortable while I get you some snacks. Enjoy your lazy day today!" Kuro-kun said triumphantly. Ina's pointy ears perked up in anticipation, her eyes gleaming with happiness. "Thanks, Kuro-kun!" she called out as he left the room, already settling back into the familiar routine of sharing their downtime together. A short while later Kuro-kun appeared from the kitchen with two mugs of steaming hot cocoa topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream. "Here you go, Ina." He said as he handed her her own mug and took his place on the other end of the couch. Ina's pointy ears perked up in joy at the sight of the steaming mugs of cocoa, her eyes lighting up at the sight of her favorite drink. She carefully accepted the offering, wrapping her cold fingers around the warm cup gratefully. "Thank you, Kuro-kun," she murmured softly, taking a contented sip of the sweet goodness inside. She settled back into her comfortable position on the couch, closing her eyes as the warmth of the cocoa and the cozy atmosphere surrounding her began to calm her. Ahh, nothing beats a cup of hot cocoa on a dreary autumn afternoon. Kuro-kun said as he also made himself comfortable on the other end of the couch. Ina's ears wiggled in agreement as he spoke, his voice carrying a hint of contentment that matched her own. She sipped more of her cocoa, humming softly to the soothing sounds of the anime playing on TV. The peaceful silence between bites and sips was broken only by occasional laughter or gasps of delight from both of them as they enjoyed their leisurely afternoon together. Before they knew it, night had fallen and it was time for dinner. Kuro-kun stood up from the couch and stretched himself before turning to Ina. "Damn, it's late. You good with ordering take-out today?" He asked her nonchalantly. Ina nodded in agreement, her eyes staring at him lazily as he spoke. "Yes, that sounds perfect, Kuro-kun," she yawned softly, stretching her own arms above her head before sitting upright on the couch.
She picked up the remote control and turned off the TV, setting it down gently beside her on the coffee table. "What do you fancy tonight?" she asked sleepily, rubbing her tired eyes with a free hand. "I'm feeling pasta. I could do with a good lasagna tonight. How about you?" Ina perked up in enthusiasm, her eyes lighting up at the mention of her favorite Italian dish. "That sounds delicious, Kuro-kun!" she said, already rising from the couch to retrieve their phone. She scrolled through various dishes on the food delivery app before setting up an order for a large portion of homemade lasagna with extra garlic bread and vegetables on the side. As she waited eagerly for confirmation, her body began to yawn widely, stretching her arms above her head again. Kuro-kun looked over the list and gave her an approving nod. "All seems in order. Go right ahead." Ina's ears perked up in satisfaction, her eyes returning to the screen as she tapped 'confirm order.' A notification popped up on the screen, indicating that their food would arrive within 30 minutes. She set down the phone and stretched once more before walking over to the nearby coffee table where a stack of board games was stored.
"How about we play a game while we wait for our food? I brought back this new one from work," she said, holding up a brightly colored box with cartoon characters on it.
"Oh, you know me. Always ready to try and beat you in a new game." Kuro-kun said enthusiastically. Ina smiled in excitement at his eager response, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. She opened the box carefully, revealing a family-friendly board game called 'Candy Land Express.' Setting it down on the coffee table, she shuffled through the instructions and began to set up the game pieces while humming softly to herself. "So, I haven't played this before. Is it difficult? Does it take long? Because food will be here soon and I hate interrupting a game when you've got a good flow going." Kuro-kun asked inquisitively. Ina's eyes sparkled in amusement as she met his gaze. "It's not too complicated, Kuro-kun," she said. "Just roll the dice and move your train pieces along the tracks to collect candies." She giggled softly, her cheeks turning rosy pink at his concern about interrupting their game. "Don't worry, it won't take long. We can always finish later if we need more time." "Okay. Get ready to lose, Ina. What's the current win-loss record again?" He asked, referring to the list they kept of who had won each game they played. Ina's fluffy ears perked up in mock indignation, her eyes rolling playfully. "I refuse to acknowledge that list exists," she teased back, chuckling lightly. "Besides, we both know I'm the better player." She cleared her throat and took a seat across from him, arranging the game board properly before picking up one of the colorful trains representing each player. "Your turn first, Kuro-kun," she said, tossing him the dice playfully. "Very well, here goes." Kuro-kun said confidently as they started playing the game. Ina's fluffy ears perked up in anticipation as the dice rolled across the table, landing on a six. "Good luck, Kuro-kun!" she cheered him on, her fingers lightly tapping the edge of the table nervously as she waited for his turn to end. Throughout the game, they laughed and bantered playfully, their competitive spirits fueling each move. Ina's fluffy ears perked up in delight as she landed on a double candy square, earning two extra pieces for herself. Kuro-kun groaned in frustration but graciously accepted it, rolling another six to his advantage.
The doorbell rang sharply, signaling their food had arrived. Pausing the game, they both stood up from the table, stretching their legs before heading towards the front door. Opening it, Ina accepted the hot bag of greasy goodness from the delivery guy, thanked him, and shut the door behind her. Turning around, she gave Kuro-kun a satisfied smile. "Dinner is ready!" "Oh great. I'll grab us some plates." Kuro-kun said excitedly.