Waking up, Haruto blinked at the sight of the two girls lying beside and in his arms. He glanced toward the window—thick curtains blocked out the morning sunlight.
"Morning already?"
He lowered his eyes to the still-sleeping girls and chose not to get up, simply resting quietly on the bed. He wasn't sure what time they had finally gone to sleep last night. The memory was vague—he vaguely remembered watching the Nagoya nightscape, then returning to the hotel and closing the door…
Even just remembering it made his body feel exhausted again. He shut his eyes.
At some point, the head resting on his arm began to move slightly.
"Mmm… ngh… Morning?"
Setsuna woke up. As she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the familiar chest before her. Slowly, she lifted her head, looking at the Haruto as last night's memories surfaced.
Burying her face back under the covers again for a while, she then peeked back up and looked at Haruto's sleeping face. Propping herself up a little, she glanced to her side and saw that Sekai was still sound asleep.
Seeing the two weren't awake yet, Setsuna lay back down and closed her eyes again, resting her cheek against Haruto's arm. Even after a night's rest, her body still felt sore and weary.
As for Sekai, she was nestled beside them and hadn't woken. She unconsciously leaned closer to Haruto's hand—
"Ahm—"
—And took his finger in her mouth.
The damp, soft sensation startled Haruto, who cracked his eyes open, looking over Setsuna's head—only to see Sekai gently mouthing his finger.
"..."
She wasn't biting down, probably unaware of what she was doing in her sleep. The sticky warmth at his fingertip left him with complicated feelings.
But he didn't move, choosing instead to close his eyes and pretend to sleep.
By the time late morning arrived, Haruto—who had accidentally drifted back to sleep—was awakened by the soft sounds of the two girls talking beside him.
"I don't know either… but being with Haruto is enough for me."
"Let's leave the future to the future."
He wasn't sure what they had been talking about before he woke up, but as he opened his eyes, he reached out and gently tapped Setsuna, who looked over at him.
"You're awake?"
"Yeah. Since everyone's up, let's start getting ready. Anywhere you want to go this afternoon?"
"Me...? I'll go wherever you decide, Haruto."
He turned to Sekai.
"You choose. I don't know the area well."
"Then let's just walk around a bit. After lunch, we'll head back to Itomori."
With no objections, they got up and took turns washing up. Haruto stayed on the bed for a while longer before finally rising to get dressed.
After packing up and leaving the hotel, the three of them strolled through Nagoya, picking up some local specialties. He even bought gifts for Mai and Yoko. After lunch and some final shopping, the trio headed home.
Back at the house—
Slide—
The door opened. Haruto stepped inside and took off his shoes before heading into the living room. The two girls offered a polite "We're back," while he walked in and saw Mitsuha napping on the floor.
He placed the gifts on the table and crouched beside her.
Reaching out, he pinched her petite nose.
"Nnngh—"
Half-asleep, Mitsuha slowly realized something was off. Her mouth opened for air as she blinked awake, seeing Haruto looming over her. Her sleepy eyes sharpened instantly.
Smack!
She slapped his hand away and sat up, rubbing her nose.
"What date is it today?"
"You've forgotten the date after just one day away? The gifts are on the table. I'm heading to my room—see you at dinner."
Haruto cupped her cheeks briefly, then stood up and left for his room. The girls also handed over their gifts—some were for Mitsuha, others for Yotsuha, and they asked Mitsuha to pass them along.
"These are all for me?"
"Yeah. Since we'll be staying here for a while, consider them thank-you gifts."
Sekai placed hers on the table, and Setsuna followed. Mitsuha looked at them, a bit flustered.
But as Sekai leaned in to place her gift down, Mitsuha caught a glimpse of a red mark on her neck.
Before she could look more closely, Sekai stood back up.
Blinking in confusion, Mitsuha stared at her. Sekai noticed and tilted her head.
"Is something wrong?"
"Huh? N-No… nothing."
Mitsuha waved her hands, brushing it off. But inside, she couldn't stop thinking—
What happened while they were away?
Why did Sekai have that red mark on her neck?
Her gaze drifted toward Setsuna, only to find Setsuna staring back. Mitsuha panicked and quickly looked away.
Sekai didn't notice. She just stared curiously at Mitsuha and then at Setsuna, who looked uneasy.
"Well, we'll go rest in our room. If anything comes up, let us know."
Setsuna had sensed something was off in Mitsuha's gaze and didn't linger. Taking Sekai's hand, she quickly left the living room.
"Please rest well."
Mitsuha's eyes lingered on their linked hands. A suspicion formed… but she shook her head.
No way… That's impossible.
At the door to Haruto's room, Setsuna stopped. Without warning, she pulled open Sekai's collar slightly—revealing the mark again.
Biting her lip, she stared.
Sekai, startled by the reaction and her own memory, quickly covered her neck.
"Did she see it?"
"Probably."
Conflicting feelings churned inside Sekai. She didn't know whether to feel happy… or anxious.
"What should we do?"
"Pretend nothing happened. As long as no one says anything, it's just a guess. Worst case, say I left it—it was a game punishment or something between friends. No one will question it."
"…Okay."
Sekai forced a smile and nodded.
Setsuna broke eye contact first and stepped into Haruto's room. Sekai followed quietly.
Haruto, now lying under the cool breeze of the AC in his room, heard the approaching footsteps. The door opened, and the girls entered.
"Aren't you going to rest in the living room?"
Sekai sat on the bed's edge, hand over her collar.
"We're a bit tired. Didn't sleep well last night, so we wanted to rest here a while."
They didn't mention the incident in the living room. There was no need. Setsuna glanced at Sekai, then sat down beside her.
Haruto looked at them both, took a deep breath, pulled up a light blanket, and closed his eyes again.
Seeing his reaction, the two girls exchanged glances—then laid down beside him.
They really were exhausted. Last night had drained them, and the trip didn't help. As evening came, all three were still sleeping.
At around 7 PM, Yotsuha knocked and entered.
"Dinner's ready."
Haruto, half-asleep, sighed and sat up. The girls also stirred.
"You go first, Yotsuha. We'll come in a bit."
"Okay."
She closed the door. Mitsuha was the type to fall back asleep—Haruto wasn't.
The girls sat up, hair messy and sleepy-eyed.
In Tokyo, they could sleep all day. But here, they had to join for dinner.
Whether they could sleep afterward… well, Haruto wasn't sure himself.
"Go wash your faces and wake up. I'm going to the living room first. You guys should get ready as well."
Haruto washed up and went to the living room. The girls followed after quickly fixing their hair and faces.
Seven people around one table was a bit tight—but manageable. Everyone ate quietly.
With Grandma present, no one really talked much.
After dinner, once the elder had left and their mom went to care for her, the atmosphere eased up.
Mitsuha turned to Haruto with a spark in her eyes:
"Where did you go in those two days?"
"Nothing special. Ōsu, Nagoya Castle, Shikemichi, and Nagoya TV Tower."
"Just four?"
"Time was limited. We just browsed around."
"Aah—I wanted to go too…"
She collapsed onto the table, pouting, her eyes never leaving her brother.
While eating, Haruto understood what Mitsuha was getting at, but he simply continued his meal in silence.
Mitsuha, seeing that he was giving no reaction at all, couldn't hold back. She gritted her teeth and gave him a kick under the table.
But Haruto, having long anticipated such a move, calmly clamped her leg between his own!
——
~~~~~~~~~~
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