After raining all day, the sky finally calmed down by evening.
Still, the clouds hung heavy and dark, leaving people reluctant to close their umbrellas.
Water in the roadside drains ran clear, carrying along the last scattered petals of cherry blossoms toward the vast underground channels of Tokyo.
'That must be the last of the sakura this year,' Kyousuke thought as he paused in front of the Ruyi Dorm's gate.
Watching the petals swirl down the drain, he suddenly had the whimsical thought:
'What if I could shrink down and float along with the leaves and blossoms?'
It might be fun.
Of course, he'd need a big, sturdy leaf to carry everyone—maybe a loquat leaf would do.
Smiling at the idea, he waved goodbye to Hirata, the driver, and opened the door.
"I'm ho—"
"Welcome home, Onii~~!"
Before he could even finish, a tiny voice cut him off.
At the entrance stood his little sister, Kasuko.
Catching her brother's gaze, she lifted her short arms and spun in a circle, proudly showing off her brand-new outfit.
Though still just a child, she already had a natural love for looking cute.
She wore a red-and-white kimono.
It wasn't particularly fine in detail, but it was adorable.
Red and white—such a timeless, classic pairing—made her look like a little fairy.
As she twirled, the hem of her round-collared over-robe fluttered, doubling the charm.
"Well, well—who's this little fairy? Such a pretty outfit! I'll have to buy one just like it for my Kasuko too."
Kyousuke crouched down, deliberately overacting his praise.
For a grown-up girl, you had to be thoughtful, careful with compliments.
But for a silly yet sharp little one, all it took was matching her level of silliness to make her happy.
"Ehehe~~ It's me, Onii! I'm Kasuko! I'm the one wearing the pretty new clothes!"
She giggled even harder, then flung herself into her brother's arms.
Truly, her brother was the best in the world—even if he hadn't recognized her because she'd become too pretty, at least the first thing he thought of was buying her beautiful clothes.
"Wha—?! Sorry, sorry! You've gotten so cute I didn't even recognize you! Did Naoka-nee make this for you?" Kyousuke asked as he scooped her up, kicked off his shoes, and stepped inside.
"Mhm! Mitsuha-nee, Yukino-nee, and Miki-nee all helped too!" Kasuko nodded enthusiastically against his chest.
Kyousuke chuckled.
'As expected… if you call the pretty onee-sans "big sisters" enough times, you'll reap all sorts of rewards. And today's outfit is the proof.'
But in her head, Kasuko was thinking something else:
'Eriri really is so dumb.'
'Other than fighting me for snacks, she's useless.'
'Hmph. Good thing I never called her "big sis."'
"At lunch I wanted to go show Onii my new clothes, but Mama said you were busy with something important. So Kasuko waited and waited, so hard… The heavy rain turned light, the light rain stopped, and only then did Onii come home…"
Her little voice carried a faint trace of complaint as she hugged her brother's neck.
"Ahh, sorry, sorry. You really worked hard waiting for me! Poor Kasuko!" Kyousuke cooed, slipping into that tone people use only with adorable little animals.
"Hehe~ It's fine! After all, besides waiting for Onii, Kasuko didn't know what else to do"
"Oh? But did you at least cheer for me while waiting?"
"Of course! When Eriri was watching anime, I cheered for Onii. When Eriri drooled over my new outfit, I cheered for Onii. When Eriri was sleeping and dreaming, I cheered for Onii. And when Eriri yelled that she was hungry, I cheered for Onii-chan too…"
Like reciting a poem, she bobbed her head and listed them one by one.
On the sofa nearby, Eriri had been sneaking glances their way.
At those words, her eyes nearly popped out, and her jaw dropped wide enough to swallow two eggs whole.
'Did I just hear that right?'
'Did Kasuko really keep repeating my name? No, no—that can't be it.'
'She must be reporting my achievements to Kyousuke!'
'After all, when everyone else was busy making her clothes, I was the one who stayed with her.'
'I watched anime with her, napped with her, found her snacks, even held the umbrella in the rain while she fed the koi.'
'I even let her rename one of them! I'm practically the best big sister in the world!'
Just as Eriri convinced herself of this, the little girl in Kyousuke's arms let out a deep sigh.
"Sigh~~"
"But… Eriri is very cute, though…"
Such kindness—two years old and already understanding the truths of life: if a boy is hopeless, call him "honest." If a girl is indescribable, just call her "cute."
Sure enough, the once-furious blonde immediately beamed.
'See? She's right! I knew being so good to her would pay off!'
Eriri flashed a sweet smile at Kyousuke and called out, "Welcome home, Kyousuke~~"
"Yeah, I'm back." Kyousuke, sweating a little at the scene, smiled in return.
Looking between Kasuko and Eriri, he couldn't help but see faint traces of Sakura and his mother in them both.
From the kitchen, Yukino and Miki emerged—one taking his bag, the other his coat.
The rest were lounging on the living room sofas, some watching TV, some on their phones, some reading. The atmosphere was warm and harmonious.
What struck him was that, though everyone had been worried earlier about how his day would turn out, not a single person asked now.
Only Mitsuha spoke, asking if it was cold outside.
She remembered vividly how biting Tokyo's spring rain could be.
Even knowing how tough his body was, she couldn't help worrying.
After all, back when they used to swap bodies, she'd seen it firsthand: the moment winter arrived, Kyousuke was always one of the first in Tokyo to don a down jacket.
He'd even made strict rules for those around him—insisting they wear sweatpants under their skirts in winter, with thermal leggings beneath if necessary.
Warmth above all.
Of course, most girls refused.
Beauty before comfort.
But Kyousuke never budged.
"Didn't feel that cold today. Maybe because everything went so smoothly, I'm in a good mood—and that warmed me up," Kyousuke said with a smile.
"Hmph. So, certain someone can stop worrying now, right?"
Hearing his words, Utaha let out a soft sigh of relief before covering it up with her usual sharp tone.
"Who was worrying?! You're the one who couldn't wait to ask him the moment he walked in!" Eriri snapped back, then quickly turned to Kyousuke.
"Tell us, tell us—what did Editor Shimomura say when he saw the manuscript?"
Sakura watched with amusement.
As Mitsuha had said, when it came to trusting Hojou, Eriri really wasn't behind anyone.
The moment Kyousuke returned, all her unease vanished.
Blind faith at its finest.
"Egoist and Lily teaming up again—how could that possibly go wrong?"
Kyousuke had been planning to change clothes, but instead he sat down at the dining table, accepted a glass of water from Senior Shiwa, and began recounting the day's events.
He didn't find it troublesome at all—having people genuinely care about what you've been through outside was one of the most comforting things in the world.
"…True. If we're talking about romance manga, Kashiwagi's gorgeous, delicate art style is definitely an advantage. That's pretty much the only redeeming quality she has, though."
Utaha Kasumigaoka folded her arms, speaking thoughtfully.
She had carefully read every one of Eriri's works since her debut.
While the later doujins had improved somewhat in story, the real draw had always been the stunning art and details.
Her words sounded mocking, but there was genuine respect beneath them.
After all, the world was full of artists who couldn't draw but won readers with their storytelling.
Very few could rely on art alone to make readers happily hand over their money.
As a genius herself, Utaha knew well that to master even one thing in life was already an incredible fortune.
Eriri was walking a straight, unwavering path toward that peak.
"Hmph! Unlike certain people who trick readers into crying with cheap literary gimmicks, pictures never lie!
A kiss is a kiss, that's all there is to it! Honest living, honest art—that's the way of Eriri!"
The blonde princess puffed herself up proudly, voice ringing with arrogance.
"Only you could make drawing those kinds of things sound so noble. No wonder you're destined to become the Queen of Doujins."
That little exchange instantly filled the air with laughter.
"What's this? Eriri, are you saying you're going to take the same last name as 'No Wonder It's Me'?"
The sudden milky-sweet voice came from the little girl curled up in her brother's lap—Hojou Kasuko.
"Uh…"
Eriri's triumphant expression froze on the spot, and Utaha wasn't faring any better.
Damn it. We forgot about the kid.
Luckily, Miki stepped in to save the moment.
"How about we go call Naoka and invite her to eat? She's been working hard all day."
"Okay!!"
Though reluctant to leave her brother's warm embrace, Kasuko didn't want to neglect Ueno Naoka, the day's biggest contributor.
Kyousuke followed along to check on their "royal tailor."
As soon as they opened the door, the whir of a sewing machine filled the room, accompanied by a constant chant:
"Sewing, sewing, sewing…"
Naoka sat hunched over, pressing down bright fabric as it slipped beneath the machine's needle, muttering as though she were cramming for finals.
"Mitsuha remembered that next year Kasuko will be celebrating her first Girls' Day," Miki explained, "so Naoka said it was the perfect chance to make her an outfit. Everyone pitched in, and they've been busy all day."
That explained it.
Girls' Day—Hinamatsuri, March 3rd.
On that day, families with daughters display finely crafted court-doll sets to pray for the girl's health and happiness.
For Kasuko, next year would mark her very first Girls' Day.
And since children's kimonos were simpler than adults', with the combined efforts of the sewing-savvy girls, it had been finished in just a single day.
Kyousuke stepped into the workshop, rousing Naoka from what looked like "divine inspiration" but was more like a sewing trance.
He reassured her she wouldn't be locked in a dark closet if she failed to finish tonight.
After a few light punches of protest from her, he honestly reported on the feel of today's tailored suit.
"Perfect. The thickness is just right, and even in this damp weather it never clings—flawless. I think it's time you start taking more orders!" He gave her a big thumbs up.
Ever since he wore Naoka's suit to the Bookstore Awards ceremony—and thanks to Kisaki Tetta's networking—word of her clothing shop had begun to spread.
"As if! I can barely keep up with the online orders already."
Naoka grumbled, but her radiant smile betrayed her joy.
From rushing to part-time jobs after school to now earning steadily from doing what she loved, this was the best kind of problem to have.
Kyousuke couldn't help but smile too.
After dinner, the whole household went out for a walk.
The adults had been cooped up indoors with books and electronics, perfectly content, but Kasuko had grown restless.
Once outside, breathing the earthy scent of the rain-washed air, she perked right up—coughing twice, but brimming with energy.
They strolled past cram schools where anxious exam students still pored over textbooks.
They wandered by the sports park, watching scruffy kids rolling in the muddy grass.
They passed Mitsuha's family home, where they said goodbye to her and comforted Yotsuba, who longed to skip class and play with them too.
Kyousuke promised her a new kimono of her own—and that next time, he'd help her build a virtual shrine.
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