Reuniting after some time apart, Sayu felt a twinge of loneliness in her new, sparsely furnished apartment. That night, she hadn't returned to her own room but stayed at Haruto's, resting in his room until morning.
When Haruto woke up, he saw her still asleep. He prepared breakfast, set it on the table, ate his own portion, wrapped the rest for later, and left the room to go to school.
By the time Sayu awoke, the room was empty—she was alone.
"Already up and gone?"
She stretched her pale arms, letting them fall gently onto the light blue bedsheet. Her body unwound as she shifted, legs wriggling beneath the thin blanket like chopsticks. She rolled over, burying her face in the pillow, inhaling the lingering scent of Haruto.
Her chestnut hair slid across her cheek, soft and silky. She pressed her face deeper into the pillow, struggling to breathe, but every inhale carried Haruto's scent, thick and intoxicating. Her mind went blank, and she felt as if she were floating above the clouds.
Clutching the pillow tightly, her body arched involuntarily. Sayu loved Haruto's scent—just smelling him brought an overwhelming sense of contentment. Unaware that she was alone in the apartment, she hugged the pillow with complete satisfaction.
_ _ _ _
At school, Haruto set his bag down as he entered the classroom. He had barely sat when Nino walked toward him.
The pure white of her stockings traced a faint line along her thighs, and her presence was striking. She stopped in front of him, hands folded in front, subtly resting over her figure in a way that blocked his view.
'Itsuki isn't this large, is she? Maybe a little, but Nino's impact is stronger. Her child wouldn't have to worry about feeding.'
For some reason, Haruto had been thinking about children more and more lately. He stared at Nino for a moment, and noticing his gaze, she felt a flicker of embarrassment.
"What are you looking at?"
"About… kids later… no, it's nothing. Anything you needed?"
Haruto answered instinctively, blurting out his thoughts, then quickly changed the subject.
"Kids?"
Nino froze, caught off guard by his sudden mention. But realizing where he had been staring earlier, her face flushed crimson. She clenched her teeth, glaring at him.
Still, seeing his calm expression, she bit back her irritation, took a deep breath, and regained control of her emotions.
"Itsuki has been sticking close to you lately. I want you to keep some distance from her."
"I'm trying my best."
Looking at Nino, Haruto silently hoped she would guide Itsuki to maintain boundaries.
"I don't see much effort. Last night, you were the one who walked Itsuki home, right?"
"It's dangerous for a girl alone. If you think what I did was unnecessary, I suggest all five of you sisters escort her. Even though it's not late, eight o'clock at night can be risky."
Nino went silent, realizing that Itsuki's safety walking home was indeed a concern.
But having her join Itsuki for evening cram school, returning only around eight at night, and sacrificing her own rest and free time just to study—it made her shudder even imagining it.
Her eyes returned to Haruto's sharp features. She didn't think this guy was exactly a good person, yet thinking of her sister's initiative and recalling that Ichika who seemed to have given up…
"…I understand. I'll figure something out."
She turned away without saying more.
"When's the next test? I haven't really studied much yet."
"Rather than the test, I'm more curious—how many times have you actually opened your books?"
Glancing at Yoshii and Yuji, who were apparently arguing about something, Haruto leaned on his desk, squinting at the blue sky outside. Sunlight spilled across him, carrying the last warmth of his first-year summer.
For ordinary students, high school life meant worrying about lunch and dinner, aside from schoolwork.
For Haruto, survival required planning far in advance. Sitting at his desk with a distant expression, he went unnoticed by most teachers, who chose to pretend not to see him staring into the sunlight.
Haruto's grades were excellent—not quite first in his grade, but securely within the top twenty. Combined with his status as a published author, he suddenly gained privileges that set him apart from the others. As long as he didn't go too far, no teacher would intentionally make things difficult for him.
Boring.
During lunch break, he headed toward the lab and found Rio Futaba. Without a word, he walked up to her and pulled her into his arms.
"What are you doing?"
"Recharging my mental energy. Sitting still in class makes me feel like I'm turning into a scarecrow… ah—so good."
Rio, buried in his embrace and his scent, felt a tickle on the back of her neck and tried to wriggle away. But she realized Haruto's arms around her waist only tightened.
"Isn't it hot with summer still here?"
"No, it feels warm. Your scent… delicate, soft. I used to think it was cheesy to describe a girl as a treasure, but when you meet the right person, it suddenly makes sense."
Rio paused, touched by his words, and stopped struggling.
By the afternoon, he had regained some energy and returned to class. Haruto, uninterested in chatting with anyone, went straight to his desk, pulled out a workbook, and began flipping through it.
When the semester began, he had left a decent impression in class. But after the first term, opinions about him had become mixed. He didn't talk much, rarely joined group activities, and often remained at his desk. His tangled relationships with several girls in class made some students keep their distance.
Haruto, who had once cared about maintaining good relations, grew indifferent after one semester.
He spent the afternoon quietly at his desk. When school ended, he grabbed his bag and left the classroom.
Itsuki, after informing her sisters, hurried to follow him. Their quick departure left the remaining four students exchanging glances.
"I have other things to do, so I won't be going home right away. You all can head home first. You should be back in time for dinner."
Ichika gave a small smile to the others and left the classroom, leaving three students exchanging glances before grabbing their bags and leaving together.
"Itsuki and Ichika… something feels off. Are you sure it's fine?"
Yotsuba Nakano looked at Nino.
"Why ask me? Anyone interested in that Miyamizu seems to act strange. Ichika was fine at first, but lately… she disappears and comes back by evening."
"Itsuki goes to the same cram school as Miyamizu-kun, so it's fine. But Ichika… that's strange," said Miku, removing her right earphone.
"Ichika is odd, but you can't keep up with her. She walks so fast, by the time she reaches the school gate, she's already out of sight. How can you follow her?"
The three exchanged glances, unsure of what to do.
"Let's go home."
"Yeah."
"I want soda!"
On the way to the cram school, Haruto noticed the quiet girl walking closely beside him. Their eyes met, and she blushed and looked away.
Her subtle reaction clearly indicated feelings for him, which gave Haruto a slight headache. He recalled Nino talking earlier, clearly uncomfortable with how close he was getting to Itsuki.
"Have you decided on your target university yet?"
Itsuki's sudden question brought him back to the present. He glanced at her curious face.
"Nino seems really concerned about me getting close to you. She even told me to keep my distance this morning. Didn't she tell you?"
It almost felt like she was trying to provoke a sibling rivalry. Haruto looked at Itsuki.
"Your sister might get really mad if we walk together."
Itsuki's expression changed slightly, surprised. She hadn't known about the conversation between Nino and Haruto that morning. She frowned.
"This is my own business; it has nothing to do with Nino."
"So she didn't mention it to you?"
"…"
"It Seems not."
Seeing Itsuki's reaction, Haruto realized Nino had only spoken to him about the issue, and Itsuki had no idea.
The two walked in silence to the cram school. Inside, they didn't speak, each going about their own tasks. Haruto didn't need to do a new test that day, so he reviewed yesterday's mistakes, while Itsuki appeared distracted.
At eight o'clock in the evening, Haruto packed up and prepared to leave. As he stepped outside, two familiar figures stood at the entrance.
"Ah~ Miyamizu-kun."
Ichika greeted him cheerfully. Standing beside her was Nino.
"Did you two come to pick up Itsuki?"
"Yeah. Miku didn't want to go out, and Yotsuba is already asleep, so it's just the two of us," Nino explained.
"Yotsuba's already asleep?"
"That's just her personality—always so carefree," Nino added.
She noticed Itsuki walking behind Haruto and raised her arm in a small wave.
"Here."
"Ichika, Nino… why are you here?" Itsuki asked.
"We were worried it wouldn't be safe for you to go home alone tonight, so we decided to wait for you here," Ichika explained.
Haruto glanced at the three sisters, then continued walking, not lingering any longer.
"I'll head home now. See you at school tomorrow."
"Uh… okay."
Watching his retreating figure, Ichika's expression grew slightly complicated. Nino remained impassive, while Itsuki simply responded with a small "uh-huh." She followed his silhouette with her eyes until he disappeared around the corner of the alley, then turned to Nino.
"What did you tell Haruto this morning?"
Nino, nonchalant as ever, frowned slightly at Itsuki's question and cast a glance toward the direction Haruto had gone.
"He said anything to you?"
"What do you think?"
"Not really. He already has a girlfriend. You should just keep some distance."
"I already knew that, so no need to remind me," Itsuki replied firmly, her mood souring further at Nino's advice. She glared at her older sister and spoke deliberately, word by word.
~~~~~~~~~~
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