Hakuto didn't rush to the airport. Instead, without realizing it, he drove the car to the base of a luxurious apartment building.
It was 11 PM outside the Five Sisters' apartment.
Excluding the traffic on the road and the time needed for check-in, Hakuto still had a little over an hour to explain things to the Five Sisters.
Hakuto parked the car at the intersection, and the streetlights stretched his shadow long across the road.
For some reason, even though he had already turned off the engine and removed his helmet, Hakuto remained sitting on the motorcycle, not moving for a long while.
He had every reason to explain things. As a boyfriend, it would be too disappointing to leave without a word.
However, Hakuto hated the thought of farewells...
Staring at the lights of the Five Sisters' home, Hakuto hesitated for a moment before stepping forward.
"I didn't bring the key..." At the apartment entrance, Hakuto checked his pockets and the bag he was carrying.
Perhaps because he was in a hurry, he had forgotten to bring the key to the Five Sisters' apartment.
Without the key, Hakuto couldn't even enter the apartment, unless he forcibly broke in.
But that wasn't necessary. Hakuto entered the apartment's door number into the control device at the entrance.
Before long, a familiar voice came through the device.
"Hello? Who's there?"
"Your boyfriend..."
"Hakuto-sensei?!!" Yotsuba was clearly shocked, and her tone held a trace of excitement. "Wait... doesn't Hakuto-sensei have a key?"
Hakuto smiled. Her fraud prevention instincts were quite strong; at least she didn't open the door just because of a voice.
Yotsuba had grown up...
Hakuto felt a sense of relief and then opened the camera on the touch control device to reveal his face.
"Do you believe me now?"
"Eh? It really is Hakuto-sensei! Wait, I'll come down to get you!"
"No need, just open the door."
"Got it!"
Hearing Yotsuba's energetic voice, Hakuto felt a lot of his other emotions dissipate.
On the other side, Yotsuba, after hanging up the call, seemed even more excited.
"La la~ (￣▽￣) Hakuto-sensei is coming~"
Meanwhile, Itsuki and Ichika, sitting on the couch, looked at Yotsuba dancing and raised their eyebrows.
"Why is Yotsuba so excited? Who just pressed our doorbell?"
"I think she said Hakuto-sensei is coming?"
The two exchanged glances. Itsuki put down the chips in her hand and pulled Yotsuba over to ask.
"Yotsuba, did you just say Hakuto-sensei is coming?"
"Yeah, the one at the apartment entrance just now was Hakuto-sensei."
Itsuki glanced at the excited Yotsuba, took a deep breath, and continued asking.
"What did Hakuto-sensei say?"
"He didn't say anything... I think Hakuto-sensei is probably on his way upstairs now..."
"Then what was Hakuto-sensei wearing?"
"Let me think..." Yotsuba frowned. "It seems like he was just wearing ordinary black clothes, but this time he was carrying a brown backpack..."
As soon as she finished speaking, Yotsuba could clearly feel Itsuki tremble.
Meanwhile, Ichika, who was listening nearby, shook her head and said,
"I was just with Miku and the others..."
Yotsuba didn't understand why Itsuki suddenly trembled, so she asked.
"Itsuki, what's wrong?"
"It's... nothing..."
"If it's nothing, then I can just hug Hakuto-sensei and sleep~ (￣▽￣)!"
After a while, Miku and Ichika walked downstairs, and the doorbell was slowly rung at that moment.
"They're here!" Yotsuba, barefoot, dashed to the door and opened it.
"Hehe~ Hakuto-sensei, you're here!"
"Hm... why are you barefoot?"
"I just wanted to open the door for Hakuto-sensei quickly."
Yotsuba smiled and then squatted down to get slippers for Hakuto. Hakuto hugged her and placed her on the couch, then sat down next to her.
Each of the Five Sisters had a strong "wife" attribute, very much like the traditional housewife personality often seen in Japan.
Perhaps it was due to this trait, or maybe for some other reason, but as soon as the door opened, the bag Hakuto was carrying was taken away.
"Hakuto... let me help you with that..." Miku spoke up, though she didn't even know herself; she wasn't good at lying.
However, Hakuto didn't refuse, and handed the bag to Miku. He wasn't afraid of anything being discovered, as his goal was precisely this.
"Thanks, Miku..."
"No problem..."
Miku took Hakuto's bag without opening it but instinctively squeezed it with her hand.
There wasn't much in Hakuto's bag—a folding fan, a portable music player, some medicine, and the rest were things like a bank card, ID card, and passport.
To be honest, when she touched something that felt like a small booklet, Miku felt a chill. She nearly dropped the bag on the floor.
Noticing that something was wrong with Miku, Ichika quickly stepped forward to support her, asking, "Miku... what's wrong?"
Miku shook her head and handed Hakuto's bag to Ichika.
Ichika, seeing this, mimicked Miku's actions and squeezed the contents of the bag with her hand.
After confirming that Hakuto, sitting on the couch, wasn't looking this way, Ichika carefully unzipped the bag.
"Passport..."
She didn't look any further. Just seeing the passport was enough.
"Of course..."
Meanwhile, Itsuki, sitting next to Hakuto in her pajamas, spoke up.
"Did you come by bike?"
"Yeah, the bike's parked downstairs."
"I can't believe you've been riding a motorcycle for so long without a license..."
"I'll take the test when I get back, no rush now."
Yotsuba paused, feeling confused.
"Eh? What are you guys talking about?" Yotsuba scratched her head. "Never mind, never mind, Hakuto-sensei, have you taken a bath yet..."
Before Yotsuba could finish her sentence, Hakuto interjected.
"Yotsuba, I have a flight at four o'clock. I'm heading to Finland, and I should arrive before noon tomorrow."
"Eh?"