"Isn't the size a little big? It looks kind of loose on you. Don't they have a smaller one?"
"I'm still in middle school. I'm going to grow. Give it two months and it'll fit just right."
Mitsuha replied casually to Haruto's comment, unfazed. Her reasoning made him glance at her twice—she had a point. After all, she was still just a regular middle schooler, and she'd keep growing even through high school.
"You sure this is the one you want? Is there anything else you had your eye on?"
"For now, not really."
Her ears twitched slightly—she'd caught on to his implication. It seemed he didn't intend to just buy her one piece of clothing. So, she left her answer a bit open-ended and quietly handed the outfit to Haruto.
He looked at the clothes she had stuffed into his arms and fell silent for a moment.
"You could at least take it to the counter yourself, you know."
"I could. It's not like I can't."
She promptly took the clothes back from his arms and headed toward the cashier. Haruto silently followed behind her, glancing at Setsuna who was walking beside him.
"Nothing caught your eye?"
"Not at the moment."
The same answer Mitsuha had given earlier. Hearing it from Setsuna didn't surprise him, and he didn't press further. He simply walked with them to the counter, where he pulled out his wallet and paid for Mitsuha's clothes.
As Mitsuha took the shopping bag, he smiled softly and said:
"You'll be in charge of all the house chores this week."
Mitsuha's cheerful expression froze on her face. She turned stiffly to look at Haruto, whose calm expression made it clear—he wasn't joking.
"Well… if it's just for one week."
"Do your best."
With that, he smiled and walked out of the shop. The group of four continued on to the next store.
By the end of the afternoon, Haruto had bought two outfits for each of the three girls. As evening approached, they stopped by the food court for dinner. It was already dark by the time they made their way home...
"Haruto."
"Yeah?"
Smooch—
Rising up on her toes, Setsuna lightly planted a kiss on his cheek. Mitsuha and Yotsuba, watching from the side, blushed instantly—Yotsuba covered her eyes in shock, while Mitsuha's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Good night."
With that soft farewell, the girl turned and walked toward her apartment. Standing by the roadside, Haruto watched her silhouette disappear into the distance. He touched his cheek where her lips had landed, then glanced back at his two sisters.
"Alright, let's go home."
"Ehhh~"
Haruto gave Mitsuha a calm, unreadable look as he headed for the apartment. Mitsuha had been hoping to tease her brother a little, to see him flustered, but seeing him act so composed left her mildly disappointed. She pouted and followed him up the stairs.
Yotsuba, still red-faced, silently trailed behind the two of them.
—
"Did you go out with Haruto again today?"
Inside the apartment, Mai sat on the couch, looking at her daughter with a faint trace of loneliness in her eyes.
"Mm."
"I was home all by myself again... during dinner, too."
"Mm."
"Could you show just a little concern for your mother, maybe?"
"Mm."
"Sigh... honestly."
Mai let out a sigh of helplessness. It wasn't like she didn't understand her daughter—but the loneliness was real. With Haruto's sisters still staying over, there was no excuse to drop by his place. All she could do was swallow the loneliness in silence.
Still... it was so lonely.
—
After a bath, Haruto returned to the bedroom to find Mitsuha sitting on his bed, her legs swinging slightly. Yotsuba was already in the futon, eyes fluttering but not yet asleep.
"You contacted home already?" Haruto asked.
"Yeah. I updated Mom on everything. She didn't say much—just told us to stay close to you and not wander too far."
"No message for me?"
"Nope. Ah—wait! She did say to treat us really well, and preferably take us to a fancy restaurant!"
"I can do that."
Clearly a lie Mitsuha had slipped in, pretending it was from their mom. But he didn't object.
"Wha—seriously?"
"But only if you get into a university with a deviation score of... let's say 50 or above."
"...That won't happen for years! At least four or more until I graduate high school. You'll totally forget about it by then."
She tried to think seriously about the time it would take her to reach university. By then, Haruto would surely forget his promise.
"True. By the time you do, we'll all probably forget it was even a score of 50. Just seeing you make it to college would be worth a celebration."
"You jerk!"
Mitsuha threw herself at him, dragging him onto the bed and punching his stomach with her small fists—not that it hurt. Haruto just closed his eyes, but then Mitsuha suddenly collapsed onto his chest.
"Ugh—too heavy. Maybe it's time you thought about losing weight?"
"You're not allowed to call a girl heavy!"
She sat up for a second, then deliberately flopped back down on him. Haruto rolled his eyes and reached up to squish her cheeks, causing her to groan in protest as he pushed her off.
"This is so boring!"
"Then read something. Maybe preview some high school textbooks?"
"That actually sounds kinda interesting. What are high school books like?"
"You could just look for yourself."
Curious, Mitsuha stood up and rummaged through Haruto's backpack, pulling out one of his textbooks. After running her fingers over its smooth, clean surface, she frowned.
"Why is your textbook so clean?"
"Hm?"
"You're spacing out during class, aren't you?"
"Wanna check my class ranking?"
"Ugh!"
Clicking her tongue in frustration, Mitsuha flipped through the book. Yotsuha, intrigued, crawled out of bed to join her.
Seeing the two girls huddled around his desk, he couldn't help but feel a strange fondness. At least they had some curiosity for learning—though he knew full well it never lasted. Mitsuha's grades had always been middling for a reason.
Sure enough, her interest faded as quickly as it had come. She shut the book after a few minutes. Yotsuha, who couldn't understand much of the advanced content, soon lost interest too. She yawned, returned the books neatly to Haruto's bag, and crawled back into bed.
"We're in Tokyo, but there's nothing to do at night. Don't you ever feel lonely?"
Mitsuha sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at Haruto who lay on the futon below—calm and unbothered. She sighed. Despite his calm demeanor, her brother's apartment was almost too clean and simple.
"School during the day, then writing once I get home. Do you think I even have time to feel lonely?"
"Writing... oh right, your manuscript. Where do you get your ideas? You just stay home all day—can you really write something people enjoy?"
Lying on her side, Mitsuha looked at his face, her curiosity piqued.
"Something people enjoy?"
Haruto didn't think her wording was quite right, but he didn't correct her. He glanced at his computer for a moment.
"Who knows? Either way, it's better to get some rest."
He lay down again, pulling the thin blanket over himself and closing his eyes. Yotsuha thoughtfully turned off the lights. In the soft glow of the outside streetlamp, she quietly nestled into Haruto's arms.
Outside it was warm and humid, but thanks to the dehumidifier, the room remained cool and comfortable—even lying beside him, it wasn't too hot.
"Mmgh—"
Watching Haruto from her bed, Mitsuha bit her lip in frustration. With a muffled grunt, she turned away and faced the wall.
—
The next morning, the sky had cleared.
Even early in the day, bright sunlight slipped through the curtains, filling the entire room with light. The rays touched Mitsuha's face, waking her from her dreams.
Her sleep had improved dramatically since arriving in Tokyo. Now that she went to bed earlier each night, it was natural for her to wake with the morning sun.
Sitting up, she looked around, brushed her long hair from her face, and glanced down at her loose pajamas.
"Ugh—"
She sighed and stared at the still-sleeping Haruto and Yotsuba curled up in his arm.
"Tch."
With a slight scowl at Yotsuha, she clicked her tongue, then quietly got out of bed, slipped into her sandals, and walked past them to the fridge.
Inside: two bottles of milk, three cans of juice, and some tea.
"It's kinda warm..."
She pulled out a can of juice and shut the fridge, then went to the window and lifted the curtain slightly. Sunlight poured in, landing squarely on Haruto's face.
He frowned.
Seeing his reaction, Mitsuha quickly let the curtain drop.
She looked toward the desk and noticed it was only 6 a.m.—yet outside, it was as bright as noon.
Sitting cross-legged beside Haruto, she sipped her juice and studied his sleeping face.Somehow, just watching her brother like this felt oddly fun.
What a dummy...
His face, as handsome as any idol's, was framed by fair skin and soft pink lips. His closed eyes gave off a peaceful, serene vibe. It made her wonder—when he opened those eyes, would he see her reflected in them?
He'd always been like this. She'd seen his face countless times, but never once grown tired of it.
And just as she was staring—
His eyes slowly opened.
The first thing Haruto saw was a pair of fair feet. His dazed mind tried to process it. Tracing up from the pink strawberry-print pajamas, he saw Mitsuha looking at him, straw in her mouth, watching silently.
Still waking up, his thoughts sluggish, he stared blankly at her.
Then he closed his eyes, took a slow breath, and opened them again—returning to his usual calm demeanor.
Looking down, he saw Yotsuha still peacefully sleeping in his arms.
Not getting up?
Mitsuha tilted her head slightly, clearly posing the question with her eyes.
Haruto gently lowered his gaze, silently answering: Not yet.
Seeing his response, Mitsuha let out a quiet sigh and made her way to the desk, settling into the chair.
—
Yotsuba woke around seven. She was still young and needed more sleep than the other two. After she stirred awake, Haruto also sat up and began preparing breakfast.
"So, any plans for today?" he asked.
"Not really. Where do you guys want to go?"
"Yotsuha hasn't been to Tokyo Tower yet."
"I want to see the Imperial Palace!"
Yotsuba's answer was unexpected but not unreasonable. Growing up in Itomori, she had often listened to their mom's stories about the past. Naturally, she was curious about the Imperial Palace.
Historical dramas on TV frequently depicted it. Yotsuba, still a child, was fascinated by old things. Mitsuha, on the other hand, was now more drawn to the vibrant modern world.
"Then let's head to the Imperial Palace first. Though only the East Gardens are open to the public."
Bunkyō Ward wasn't too far from Chiyoda. With a little preparation, they could head over quickly. The morning entrance started at 9 a.m., and the afternoon entry began at 12:30. Only 300 people were allowed per session.
If they left now, they'd make it in time.
"Let's get ready—then we'll head out."
~~~~~~~~~~
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