Other Part 2: Komaru's Sorrow

Makoto Naegi was terrified. You might be wondering what could possibly scare the boy destined to be responsible for saving the world through a magic book, but you'll probably understand better when I tell you that said boy is currently 3 years old.

"Okay, Mako-kun, are you ready for your first day of kindergarten?"

"N-No..."

"Oh, cheer up! You're scaring Komaru."

Komaru did indeed feel her brother's fear, and she was wondering what could possibly keep her beloved onii-chan from smiling. In their short life together, she'd only see him do so in response to pain. Just then, a small school bus pulled up to them beside the Naegi home.

"Go on, Makoto, there's nothing to be afraid of."

The boy's mother gently nudges him onto the bus before it lurches into gear and goes off to his first day of school.

"Mama, why was onii-chan scared?"

"Oh, don't worry, he was just scared of kindergarten."

"What's kindergarten?"

It was at this moment the more devious side of Mrs. Naegi took control, opting to play a joke on the little girl who routinely worried about monsters under her bed. Sporting what could only be described as a 'ghost story face', the lights seemed to dim around the two, despite the windows being open and the sun being out.

"Well, Komaru, Kindergarten is the name of a big, scary monster that eats little girls' onii-chans when they reach a certain age."

That remark alone was enough to terrify Komaru.

"WHAT!? WE HAVE TO GET ONII-CHAN BACK!"

"We can't, he's already gone."

"NO!! WHY DID HE HAVE TO GO!?"

As Komaru cried, Mrs. Naegi was wondering what to say next.

"Don't worry, Komaru, Kindergarten only eats one onii-chan a year and then falls asleep."

"If he's really a monster, why do people keep feeding him!!?"

"Because if they don't, he'll get really hungry and eat everyone around him, and if there aren't enough around to satisfy him, he'll look for more. This way, only one person has to be eaten."

"BUT WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE ONII-CHAN!!!?"

"Because there aren't that many onii-chans in the world and it was his turn. I'm sorry, Komaru, you can try praying for another onii-chan."

"NOO!"

Komaru storms up to her room and does nothing but cry for hours, seemingly having an endless supply of tears.

'I may have gone too far...'

When Makoto returned from his 5 hour day of kindergarten, he's more relaxed than he was in the morning. He heard strange noises coming from the upstairs bedrooms where he and Komaru slept, but couldn't fathom what they could be with a floor between them.

"Mom, I'm home!"

The noises stopped immediately, and before Mrs. Naegi could respond to her oldest, Makoto was tackled to the floor by a very small missile.

"ONII-CHAN!!"

Komaru was still crying, but now it was beginning to get better.

"Geez, Komaru, what's up with you?"

"I thought Kindergarten ate you!"

"Ate me? Did something happen while I was gone?"

"Mama told me that Kindergarten was a giant monster that eats onii-chans!"

"Kindergarten's not a monster, Komaru; it's a school, a place where you learn things with other kids."

"Really? Then what'd you learn today, onii-chan?"

"Not much. We mostly just learned how to pronounce our teacher's name without fumbling the syllables."

The siblings played until dinner time, with Komaru being seemingly even more attached than normal to her brother.

"So, Mako-kun, did you make any friends today?"

"Yep! There was this one girl named Sayaka with blue hair and a pretty voice that was really nice to me. She sat next to me everywhere!"

At the mention of this, Mrs. Naegi had a mischievous, but not devilish, expression, whereas Komaru's expression could best be described as 'crazy girlfriend anime eye twitch'. Even with different expressions, the two had the same reaction.

"Oh, did she now?"

After this, Komaru remained silent, but the mother had something to say.

"Well, tell Sayaka we'd like to talk to her parents about setting up a playdate. I'm sure you two will great friends."

Makoto blushed, while Komaru was trying to figure out what a 'playdate' was.

A/N: I looked it up, and private kindergarten, which will make sense in a future chapter, do work like this. Here's my research.

https://thewagamamadiaries.com/an-inside-look-at-kindergarten-in-japan/