"Why not stay?" Sis was sitting across the table from Makoto with her laptop open and a cup of tea by her right hand. "We never meant to drive you away."
"You didn't," Makoto assured her. It wasn't the first time. "I had been thinking of moving out on my own for a while."
Not thinking very hard about it, but it wasn't exactly a lie.
"It'd be much more economical to stay," Sis took a sip of her tea. "You'd be doing us a favor by contributing rent."
Not much of a favor. Sis had covered rent by herself back when Makoto was in high school and through most of her university studies. While her income had dipped when she first went into defense practice, she had made up for lost ground.
Makoto supposed it was only fair that Sis could also say things that weren't exactly lies.
"It would be safer too," Sis's girlfriend called over from the kitchen. "There are a lot of creeps out there targeting women living by themselves."
It was nice that Sis's partner cared for Makoto, enough to suggest she remain as the live-in third wheel. Since effectively moving in, she... rather, both women... seemed to baby her when they noticed she was around. Makoto wasn't sure if this was out of guilt or if they were using her as a surrogate for...
They might not realize it yet.
"I'll be careful," Makoto said, loud enough to be heard in both rooms. "Also, Ren is looking in the same area, so I'll know someone close by."
"Ren?" Sis looked at her with renewed scrutiny. "Kurusu Ren?"
Makoto nodded.
"I didn't know he was back in town."
"He moved back fairly recently," Makoto explained. She wondered when to tell Sis about their relationship.
Perhaps after a long enough time that Sis might not make the connection to the fact that Makoto didn't come home on Christmas Eve.
Sis's intense stare did not let up even when she took another sip of her tea. "We should all meet up for dinner sometime then."