"Mom, get some rest. Good night."
"Good night, good night." Miyamura Shizuka waved him off casually.
Seeing this, Akira said nothing more, closed his laptop, stood up, and left the living room.
"Shouko, are you asleep?"
Back in his room, Akira hesitated before pulling out his phone to send her a message.
…
Ten minutes passed with no reply. Tossing and turning in bed, he finally gave up, got up, and headed downstairs.
Since she hadn't answered, he might as well check on her directly.
"Didn't you go to bed already?" Miyamura Shizuka, who had just unrolled her yoga mat, looked at him in confusion as he walked past.
"I'm going to Shouko's house. I'll be back soon."
Click.
Shizuka, who still wanted to say something, only heard the sound of the front door closing. Her words were swallowed back.
Knock, knock, knock…
Akira rapped gently on the Nishimiya household door. Hearing Yaeko Nishimiya's voice from inside, he quietly unlocked it with his spare key.
"Excuse me…" He lowered his voice, mindful that Shouko's grandmother was likely already asleep.
"Akira? You're still up this late?" Yaeko stepped out of the living room, surprised.
"I came to check on Shouko. Is she asleep?"
"Hmm… she hasn't left her room since showering. She must be exhausted from the past two days and went to bed early," Yaeko explained. "Did you need her for something urgent?"
"Then I'll see her tomorrow. Auntie Nishimiya, you should rest too. Good night."
"Good night."
Back at his own house, Akira was inevitably questioned by Shizuka. He repeated Yaeko's explanation and returned to his room, resuming work on his laptop.
The indigo night melted into dawn.
Golden sunlight spilled over the horizon like overturned honey, mist in the woods glittered with birdsong, and dew became tiny moons on the grass.
In his sleep, Akira faintly heard his bedroom door open.
But since he hadn't fallen asleep until after one in the morning, and after two exhausting festival days, he had given himself the day off from morning runs. Too tired to stir, his heavy eyelids sank back into dreamland.
The one who had opened the door, of course, was Nishimiya Shouko.
She had woken up early, seen his unanswered messages from the night before, and quickly explained that she had dozed off right after lying down. She'd sent him more messages in the morning, but with no reply and remembering what her mother mentioned, she decided on impulse to come over. Breakfast completely forgotten, she ran straight to his house.
"Shouko, have you eaten yet?" Shizuka's voice carried up from downstairs.
Startled, Shouko glanced at the bed. Seeing that Akira hadn't stirred, she padded quickly to the stairwell.
"Auntie Shizuka, I'll wake Akira and eat with him!" she called back.
Satisfied with that response, Shizuka went back to her own business. Shouko returned to his room, gently closed the door, and tiptoed to the bed.
Her gaze lingered on the face she had kissed yesterday. After hesitating, she slipped off her slippers, lifted the blanket, and climbed in beside him.
November's chill had settled in, but the warmth under the blanket enveloped her instantly. Still unsatisfied, she inched closer into his arms, nestled in, and poked her head out for air before closing her eyes again.
Akira remained motionless, breathing evenly like a sleeping husband in some novel, letting her do as she pleased. Perhaps even in his sleep, the faint familiar scent comforted him.
"Why are those two still not down yet?" Shizuka muttered at the dining table, glancing at the time.
When Shouko had arrived, it was just past eight. Nearly forty minutes had passed. What were they doing upstairs?
"Just go up and check," Daiki Miyamura said calmly, swallowing his food.
Shizuka didn't hesitate. Standing, she climbed the stairs, turned the knob, and quietly opened the door.
There they were: Shouko curled in Akira's arms, both still asleep.
Relieved that nothing untoward had happened, Shizuka couldn't resist snapping a quick photo before closing the door and heading back down.
"What were they doing?" Daiki asked curiously as she returned—without them.
"Sleeping," Shizuka answered flatly, resuming her meal.
Daiki raised an eyebrow, then returned to his newspaper. He had the day off and planned to go fishing with friends, so he chose not to interfere with the children.
As morning deepened, the asphalt outside softened in the light, and silver spires gleamed against the sky.
Akira stirred awake, blinking into the sunlight—and the first thing he saw was Shouko's smiling face hovering inches from his.
"Akira, the sun's already up," she said softly, curling her lips into an uncontrollable smile.
She had only managed an hour's nap after climbing into his bed. Too restless to sleep again, she had simply stayed there, hugging him, enjoying his warmth and scent.
"When did you come? How did I not notice?" he asked groggily, rubbing his eyes.
"Around eight," she recalled.
He reached for his phone on the nightstand, but it was out of reach—and Shouko's arms around him kept him pinned.
"No need to check. It's past eleven, almost lunchtime," she said knowingly.
He sighed, lifting the blanket. "I need to wash up."
Reluctantly, she released him. As he left the bed, she pulled the still-warm blanket back over herself with a small, secret smile.
Akira glanced back, shook his head helplessly, and headed downstairs.
At school she was timid and shy. But alone with him, Shouko was bold, clingy—even mischievous.
Two completely different sides of her.
But no matter how she changed, she was still the Shouko he loved.
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