The Hitoha Memorial Museum seemed quite close to Senso-ji Temple on the map. But in reality, it was separated by a good portion of Taitō Ward—getting there would take some time.
And the museum closed by 4:30 PM.
Even if they rushed now, they'd probably only catch a glimpse of its exterior walls.
"It's already closed. Even if we head there now, we won't be able to get inside. Let's look for somewhere else. We've already seen Senso-ji… but as for other spots, nothing really stands out. What's wrong, Yotsuha?"
While thinking about where to go next, Haruto noticed a sudden change in Yotsuha, who was still holding his hand.
She suddenly tightened her grip on his fingers, her small frame curling slightly as she gently placed her left hand over her stomach. Her face twisted slightly, a hint of discomfort appearing on her otherwise calm expression.
"I… need to go to the bathroom."
"..."
Haruto still vaguely remembered where the restroom was. He looked toward Mitsuha and pointed in that direction.
"The restroom's over there. Probably drank too many cold drinks just now. Mitsuha, take her, I'll wait outside."
"Mm. Um—tissues?"
She reached out her hand. As she was about to take Yotsuha toward the restroom, Mitsuha turned back toward her older brother. She'd left in a bit of a rush and hadn't come properly prepared in this unfamiliar place, so she didn't bring tissues.
And with Yotsuha being even younger, she clearly hadn't thought of these kinds of city-life necessities.
Fortunately, Haruto had always been a little bit of a clean freak and habitually carried tissues with him. Mitsuha had known that since she was little.
After handing over the tissues, Mitsuha led Yotsuha half-walking, half-running toward the restroom. Haruto followed behind them until the girls had entered, then quietly waited outside, glancing around and thinking once again about where they should head next.
No—what I should really be thinking about is Yotsuha.
She'd had quite a few cold drinks while they were walking around. No wonder she'd gotten an upset stomach.
I let my guard down.
He had forgotten that Yotsuha was still a child, her body more fragile than most. It would be better to return home early tonight so she could rest.
After waiting for nearly thirty minutes, Yotsuha finally emerged from the restroom with Mitsuha, looking a bit pale and exhausted. Haruto looked at her, then turned toward Mitsuha.
"She's got a stomach ache. We should go back early tonight. If there's anywhere else you want to visit, let's leave it for tomorrow and see how Yotsuha feels."
"I don't mind," Mitsuha replied.
She'd already explored a good portion of Tokyo and wasn't in a rush. Now that her little sister wasn't feeling well, there was no way she could enjoy herself by dragging them around.
"Then let's go home."
Once it was decided, the three of them hailed a taxi on the side of the road and got off near Horisaka.
"How are you feeling now?"
"My tummy still hurts a little…"
"There's a small clinic near Koishikawa's Korakuen Station. I'll take Yotsuha there. Mitsuha, do you want to go back to the apartment first, or—"
"There's nothing for me to do alone at home. I'll go with you two."
Before Haruto could finish asking, Mitsuha interrupted with her answer.
Rather than sitting around alone in the apartment not knowing when they'd return, she figured it was better to tag along to the clinic.
"Alright then, let's go together."
After a short wait at the clinic, they finally got their turn. The doctor gave Yotsuha a check-up and confirmed it was just a mild stomach upset. He prescribed some medicine to be mixed with warm water. Nothing serious.
Relieved, Haruto and Mitsuha returned with Yotsuha to the apartment.
Back home, Haruto began preparing dinner. Mitsuha and Yotsuha sat in the living room on the bed. Mitsuha poured her a cup of warm water.
"Should we take the medicine now?"
"Let's wait until after dinner…"
"Yotsuha can sleep on the bed tonight."
"Mm."
Since her stomach was upset, it didn't feel right to have her sleep on the floor. To be safe, she should sleep more comfortably in bed. They even raised the room's AC slightly to make sure it wasn't too chilly.
Dinner was light and bland, especially for Yotsuha's sake. When the food was served, Haruto noticed Mitsuha's subtle expression of disappointment, but she still sat down, closed her eyes, and picked up her bowl with quiet resignation...
Cleanup duty went to Mitsuha. Yotsuha sat at the desk as Haruto opened the laptop and played some anime. Yotsuha got so engrossed that her discomfort seemed forgotten.
Haruto handed her the medicine he'd prepared. "Wait for it to cool down before drinking."
After tidying up, Mitsuha went to the bathroom and started running hot water.
"Yotsuha, the water's ready! You can take your bath now!"
"Wait! I need to drink the medicine first!"
Yotsuha scrunched up her face, mustering all her strength to shout back. She then lifted the now-warm cup and downed the medicine in one gulp. Her face tightened in pain and she let out a muffled "Aaaahhh—" before rushing into the bathroom.
Meanwhile, in the next room, two unfamiliar girl voices echoed through the walls.
Hifumi Takimoto sat on her bed, leaning by the window, glancing toward the wall and sighing.
She had just wrapped up a work assignment recently and finally had time to herself again.
Should I move out?
...No, forget it.
With a faint sigh, Hitomi glanced at her pet hedgehog, Sōjirō.
If only the neighbors were as quiet as you are.
Hugging her knees, she turned back to her anime and stopped worrying about the strange sounds from next door.
Later that night, after bathing—
"Get to bed early," Mitsuha said.
Haruto looked over at the already-dozing Yotsuha on the bed, then at Mitsuha lying reluctantly on the futon. He reached up and rubbed his temples.
"You're not going to sleep on the bed?"
"It's not very big. If I sleep next to Yotsuha, I might roll off in the night. Might as well sleep on the floor."
"..."
That sounded reasonable… but something about it felt off. Haruto looked at her, but she wouldn't even meet his eyes. He turned and sat down at his desk.
"You two go ahead and sleep. It's been a while—I should get some writing done."
Mitsuha didn't say a word. She just quietly closed her eyes.
Yotsuha, likely tired from the day's outing and weakened from her stomach issues, had already drifted off the moment her head hit the pillow.
Haruto looked at his open manuscript. He felt complicated emotions but remained silent. His fingers slowly started tapping away at the keyboard. At this slower pace, he wouldn't disturb the girls sleeping behind him…
Eventually, he saved the file, rubbed his brow, and stared at the white glow of the laptop screen. Then he shut the lid, walked softly toward the bed, and looked at the two sleeping girls.
He lay down beside Mitsuha.
Goodnight, he thought silently, closing his eyes to rest.
…But the moment he shut his eyes, Mitsuha slowly opened hers.
She lay still, not moving, listening quietly to his breathing. After a long while, once she was sure he was truly asleep, she turned to look at him.
"..."
In the dim, shadowed room, she could just barely make out the contours of Haruto's face.
She stared quietly.
Then, as if drawn by a subconscious pull, she inched closer to him—until their bodies were softly touching. Realizing this, she snapped out of her daze and stopped.
Why?
Just seeing that familiar face made her feel an indescribable sense of peace.
Before she knew it, she'd closed the distance between them. Her heart murmured:
I thought I hated him… No. Not quite hate. I was just upset… that he left Itomori alone.
She recalled the days when he used to carry her in his arms, walking together on those narrow concrete roads, plucking grass and blowing it through their fingers, wandering beneath the orange glow of sunset.
But they weren't children anymore. They'd grown up.
He had come alone to Tokyo. She still lived in Itomori. And soon, that distance between them would only widen. He already had a girlfriend—and their relationship seemed serious.
Even if she did come to Tokyo for school, she'd likely be living alone. He'd be busy spending time with his girlfriend. Then they'd both go off to university. She'd still be alone…
I can't keep up with him anymore.
From now on, they would only drift further apart—until one day, he'd build a family of his own.
She bit her lip.
Thinking of that future filled her heart with sorrow.
Shff—
The sound of hair brushing the pillow caught her off guard. Before she could react, she saw a pair of sleepy eyes glimmering faintly in the dark.
"Mm—"
She pressed her lips together, barely holding back a startled sound. Her mind went blank when she realized Haruto wasn't asleep.
"You weren't pretending to sleep just now, were you?" he whispered playfully.
He leaned close, his voice soft and teasing.
So close, she could feel his breath, smell the faint scent of him.
"Of course not."
"Really?"
"...I was asleep."
She quickly shut her eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest. Haruto stared for a moment, then turned over, facing away.
When Mitsuha cautiously opened her eyes again, all she saw was the back of his head.
"....."
She turned too—and this time, truly fell asleep.
_ _ _ _
Meanwhile, in another apartment:
Sekai sat by her bedroom window, eyes glued to the telescope aimed toward Haruto's place. But she couldn't see anything.
It had already been two days since she got back from Itomori, and he hadn't contacted her once. The only news she'd heard was that he'd spoken to Setsuna and had gone out with his two sisters.
"Haa… Spending time with his sisters."
She knew it was normal—but watching him being monopolized by his sisters still left a weird pang of jealousy in her heart.
If only I were his sister…
"Wait, what am I even thinking? That'd be hopeless… If we were siblings, then we couldn't be together… right?"
She sighed into the darkness outside the window, her mind tangled with uncertain thoughts.
I need to start thinking seriously about the future. If I keep going like this, I'll just become someone he can take or leave…
Resolved to re-evaluate her place in his life, Sekai left the telescope, flopped onto her bed, and closed her eyes.
_ _ _ _
The next morning, when Yotsuha woke up, Haruto checked how she was feeling. She seemed much better—recovered after taking the medicine.
Relieved, he turned to the other side of the room.
"Time to get up."
"Mmm… What time is it?"
"Eight o'clock."
"Ugh…"
Still curled up on the futon, Mitsuha showed no sign of getting up. Haruto sighed and looked at Yotsuha, who was already dressed. He went to the kitchen to start preparing breakfast.
Waking Mitsuha was Yotsuha's job anyway.
Yotsuha walked over to her sister, leaned down, and took a deep breath beside her ear—
"Wait!"
Before Yotsuha could even speak, Mitsuha's eyes flew open and she turned away, covering her ears.
"I'm up!"
Yotsuba pouted with disappointment, then silently began folding up the bedding.
~~~~~~~~~~
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