When Tetsuya brought Soyo to the front of his apartment building, Soyo subconsciously stopped at the entrance to observe the building, which was full of the feeling of daily life and a sense of age.
"Nagasaki-san, your home is probably in a much more luxurious high-rise apartment building, right?"
Seeing Soyo's slightly dazed look, Tetsuya said:
"I'm not sure if you'll be able to get used to a cramped, ordinary apartment like this."
"...Until I was in the fifth grade, I also lived in an ordinary apartment like this."
Hearing Tetsuya's words, Soyo shook her head slightly.
"To me, this kind of ordinary apartment actually feels more like a 'home'."
"Is that so? That's good."
Tetsuya nodded and then pushed open the main door to the building.
Soyo also pulled back her slightly nostalgic gaze and followed Tetsuya into the apartment building...
...
"Eh..."
When Anon saw the figure behind her brother, her entire body froze in place as if she had been hit by a petrification curse.
"S-Soyo? Huh? Why are you coming home with my brother at this hour..."
"Anon? It's so late, why aren't you asleep yet?"
On the other side, seeing Anon on the living room couch with her tablet, Tetsuya subconsciously frowned and switched to a lecturing tone.
"Didn't I tell you not to wait for me if I come back late?"
"Eh..."
W-What a strong sense of déjà vu!
It's like a wife who hasn't gone to bed on time seeing her husband come home late with another woman, only for the husband to scold her for not sleeping on time instead of answering her questions!
What should I do? Should I obediently go to sleep now? Or should I keep questioning my brother?
If I choose the former, I feel like this household will become even more decadent. But if I choose the latter, it will turn into a cheesy prime-time melodrama...
...
No, no, we're not a married couple in the first place, and the woman he brought home isn't some suspicious stranger. Why am I having such weird thoughts?!
Because the thoughts in her head were too chaotic, Anon's eyes were practically spinning into spirals.
Meanwhile, Soyo, who had taken in the entire interaction between the two, sighed helplessly and then took the initiative to speak.
"Anon, this is what happened..."
She then explained the whole story about adjusting the stage outfit to Anon.
After listening to Soyo's explanation, Anon's incredibly tense expression instantly relaxed.
"I see. If that's the case, then everything makes sense. But speaking of which, Nii-chan!"
Anon turned her head to look at Tetsuya, who had just taken off his suit jacket.
"Where is Soyo going to sleep tonight?"
Hearing this, Soyo quickly cut in to answer.
"Don't worry about it, I can just sleep on the so—"
"Sleep in my room."
Tetsuya interrupted Soyo without a moment's hesitation.
"I'll sleep on the sofa."
"Eh?!"
"Eh!?"
Soyo and Anon cried out in surprise at the same time.
"Hold on, Nii-chan, no matter how you think about it, that's not right!"
Anon was the first to object.
"Making a girl stay in a grown man's room... it will definitely make her feel uneasy!"
"Really? But I just changed the sheets and duvet cover yesterday."
Tetsuya tilted his head.
"And the bedding I use is all good quality stuff, so even a girl shouldn't find it unpleasant..."
"No, Anon, this has nothing to do with whether it's unpleasant or not!"
Soyo also objected.
"I'm only staying for one night because of an emergency situation. To take up someone else's room for that is just too shameless!"
"What's shameless about it? You're my sister's bandmate and Togawa's friend. As the older male, it's natural for me to show some consideration."
Tetsuya said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Besides, I often sleep on the sofa anyway, so it's fine."
"Mmm..."
On the other side, after hearing Tetsuya's explanation, Anon, who had initially been opposed, began to waver.
From this perspective, it seemed her brother didn't see Soyo as an outsider to be wary of, but rather as a guest and a junior to be taken care of, just like when Tomori had come to visit.
If she considered it from that angle, then having Soyo stay in her brother's room didn't seem so strange.
At the same time, although Soyo still wanted to say something in rebuttal, Tetsuya had no intention of giving her the time—
"Alright, it's getting late. Anon, you should go to sleep... You too, Nagasaki-san. You're not the type who's good at staying up late, are you? I saw you yawn several times on the way back. Not to mention you're in an unfamiliar environment. In that case, you should definitely be sleeping properly in a bed."
In a rare display, Tetsuya brought out his adult authority and spoke to them in a serious tone.
"Now, both of you go wash up. Do you understand?"
"I get it."
Having no more objections, Anon nodded obediently.
On the other side, after a moment of internal conflict, Soyo first bowed her head slightly to Tetsuya and said, "Thank you for your hospitality," before following Anon towards the bathroom.
...
"Soyo, these are for you."
As soon as they entered the bathroom, Anon took out a new set of towels and a toothbrush from the cabinet under the sink.
"They're all new, so feel free to use them."
Meanwhile, when Soyo saw the large stack of towels in the cabinet, she said with some surprise:
"Are these all spares?"
"Mhm. Ever since Tomori came over last time, my brother went out and bought a whole bunch of spares to keep here."
Anon said while getting her own toothbrush and squeezing toothpaste onto it.
"Even though my brother is a grown man who's not great at taking care of himself, he does have his thoughtful side... Ah, right, we might have to get Nii-chan to tidy up his room a bit later. He always has a habit of leaving the books he's read lying around... but you don't have to worry too much. His room is messy at most, but it's definitely not dirty! And it absolutely won't have any weird smells! I can guarantee that as his little sister!"
"..."
Is this what you'd call family? Their warm and generous hospitality towards guests is exactly the same.
And... this feeling of constant chatter and having things to say ever since walking in the door is completely different from how it feels when she goes back to her own home.
"I wonder if I'll be able to sleep well tonight..."
Looking at the brand new, soft towel in her hand, Soyo murmured in a voice only she could hear.