At 10 a.m., at the Yukinoshita family residence.
Lately, maybe because it's winter and animals tend to bulk up, the two cats, Shirayuki and Haigen, had noticeably grown bigger—especially the former.
Ragdoll cats are already large, and with Shirayuki's long, thick, snow-white fur, plus the extra weight gain, she now completely overshadowed Haigen, the American Shorthair.
Even though Haigen had put on some weight too, it was nothing compared to Shirayuki.
The two chubby cats lay lazily in the living room, occasionally flicking their tails.
Yukinoshita Haruno was stretched out on the couch, holding a novel in her hands. The morning TV show was playing in the background, but no one was paying attention to it.
With a relaxed motion, the short-haired beauty reached to the side, grabbed a washed grape, and popped it into her mouth. She looked every bit like a homebody enjoying a lazy day.
Her mother was out at a gathering, and her father was at work, so with no one else home, Yukinoshita Haruno was even more carefree than usual.
Just as she was getting to an exciting part of her book, a sudden sharp screech sounded from outside, followed by the frantic flapping of wings.
Both cats instantly lifted their heads.
Yukinoshita Haruno felt a small stir in her chest. She sat up from the couch and looked out the window.
An owl shikigami soared over the Yukinoshita estate, circling once before spreading its wings to slow down for a landing.
When it was just a few meters above the ground, a black-haired girl leaped off Nue's back, landing lightly. Her long skirt swayed slightly with her movement, fluttering like a butterfly.
Just as Yukinoshita Yukino turned around, she locked eyes with a pair of pale red irises through the window.
The moment she saw her younger sister, Yukinoshita Haruno's eyes lit up. She casually tossed her novel aside, waved eagerly through the window, and smiled, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
Yukinoshita Yukino's lips parted slightly, and the warm breath she exhaled turned into a misty cloud in the cold, dry air.
As she dispelled the Ten Shadows Technique, the black-haired girl made her way toward the main house.
Pushing open the entrance door, she saw her sister, Haruno, standing there, waiting to greet her with a bright smile.
"Welcome home, Yukino-chan~," Yukinoshita Haruno said cheerfully.
"Yeah, I'm back, sister."
Yukinoshita Yukino wasn't sure why her sister was being so unusually warm this time, but she still nodded slightly in response.
"Are Mom and Dad not home?"
After changing into indoor slippers, Yukinoshita Yukino scanned the living room but didn't see their mother. Even the tea room was empty—only neatly arranged teaware and a clean tea tray remained.
The black-and-white cats, already drawn by the noise of her arrival, perked up the moment they saw the black-haired girl. They immediately sprang to their feet and dashed toward their little owner.
"Yep. Mom's at a ladies' gathering, and Dad's at work," Yukinoshita Haruno said as she flopped back onto the soft couch. "So, it's just the two of us at home all day."
"Oh! Now that I think about it, it's been ages since I've had one of Yukino-chan's home-cooked meals. I'm really looking forward to lunch today!"
"You mean I finally come home after all this time, and I still have to cook lunch?"
Yukinoshita Yukino sighed but didn't argue further. Instead, she crouched down and opened her arms to welcome the two charging cats. "Alright, alright, come here, you little rascals!"
As she petted both Shirayuki and Haigen, she could clearly feel their increased weight. A bit worried, she frowned and asked, "Have you been overfeeding them? They're getting fat way too fast."
How long has it been?
Not even a month, and these two little ones have gone from kittens to little piggies. It's clearly a case of overeating and not getting enough exercise.
With such a big house, why don't they ever go outside for a walk?
"Chubby kittens might look cute, but being overweight isn't good for their health," Yukinoshita Yukino said seriously. "We need to start controlling their food intake."
"You should talk to Mother about that," Yukinoshita Haruno said, lying on the couch with a playful smile as she watched her sister pet the cats. "She's the one in charge of feeding these two pigs— I mean, cats."
"At first, for the first couple of days after you left, Father or the housekeeper took care of their food. But before long, Mother started making their meals herself."
Yukinoshita Yukino was a little surprised. She hadn't expected their mother to be so invested in these two cats.
"I see. I'll talk to her when she gets back."
As she spoke, the dark-haired girl reached out and poked the heads of the two cats, who had flopped onto their backs, exposing their bellies without a care. "You two need to exercise more too."
As if they actually understood her words, Shiroyuki and Kurogen suddenly rolled over and started chasing each other around the living room.
After running two laps, they flopped right back onto the floor in front of Yukinoshita Yukino.
She couldn't help but smile helplessly.
The sisters each picked up a cat and sat on the couch, chatting idly.
Yukino talked about recent events, including the sudden attack she had experienced last time. When she mentioned that she had mastered the Reverse Cursed Technique, Yukinoshita Haruno's eyes lit up.
"Oh! I know about that! It's the one that lets you heal yourself, right?" she asked excitedly.
"Huh?" Yukinoshita Yukino was briefly stunned before nodding slightly. "That's right, but… how do you know about it?"
"Hehe, it's a secret!" Haruno grinned mischievously, lightly tapping her sister's lips with a finger. "You'll find out soon enough."
"Now, go make lunch, Yukino-chan! Once we've eaten, I'll tell you how I know about the Reverse Cursed Technique!"
She probably found out through her dreams.
Yukinoshita Yukino immediately guessed the answer—after all, she had already exposed herself in front of her sister once before.
But the dark-haired girl didn't point it out. It was rare for Haruno to be in the mood to tease her like this, and even rarer that she happened to have the upper hand this time.
Opportunities like this didn't come often.
Urged by Haruno, Yukinoshita Yukino had no choice but to put down the cat in her arms and head to the kitchen.
But in the end, Haruno didn't get to sit back and wait for food—Yukino dragged her along to help.
The sisters spent nearly an hour preparing lunch before finally bringing the dishes to the table.
After the meal, Yukinoshita Yukino cleaned up and then sat on the couch, picking up the novel Haruno had been reading earlier.
However, as soon as she glanced at the cover, she instinctively frowned.
A light novel…?
Has Haruno started reading these kinds of books now?
She couldn't help but recall the time Zaimokuza brought a novel to the Service Club. Just thinking about it made her head hurt.
Setting the book aside, Yukinoshita Yukino waited quietly for the prank her sister was about to pull so she could turn the tables on her.
Just imagining Haruno's disappointed reaction made the corners of her lips curl up slightly.
But instead of teasing or messing with her, what she got was… an invitation to take a nap?
" Yukino, let's take a nap together~"
Haruno took her sister's soft hand and started pulling her toward her room.
"Wait… Why a nap?"
A look of resistance appeared on Yukino's face. This wasn't what she had been expecting at all!
"It's winter, and beds are cold," Haruno said matter-of-factly. "It's warmer if two people sleep together."
"Isn't there a heater?"
"Ah, but a heater isn't as warm as Yukino-chan! You're warm, you smell nice, and you're so comfy to hug."
"Haruno, please stop saying things that make you sound like a creep. If someone hears you, they might call the police."
Although the black-haired girl resisted, she didn't fight back. She could easily pull her hand away from her sister, but she was afraid of accidentally hurting her. So, with a reluctant look, she let Haruno drag her into her room.
Yukinoshita Haruno took off her warm coat and slipped under the covers in an instant. The cold made her shiver, but she still lifted the blanket and patted the spot next to her, motioning for her sister to hurry up and get in.
Yukinoshita Yukino let out a sigh and walked out of the room.
A moment later, she returned, now dressed in pajamas and holding a pillow with a cat design stitched onto it.
As soon as she lay down, the short-haired woman eagerly hugged her, pulling her into her arms and rubbing her cheek against hers with a satisfied sigh. "Just as I thought, Yukino-chan is so warm."
"If you're taking a nap, then just sleep. Stop moving around."
Muttering under her breath, Yukinoshita Yukino slowly closed her eyes.
There had been a lot of missions lately. Not long after the attack on Jujutsu High ended, curses kept appearing like swarms of insects. And with Tengen's barrier destroyed, missions had become even more difficult.
Gojo Satoru had gone overseas, leaving Yukinoshita Yukino as the only special-grade sorcerer in Japan. As a result, many missions had fallen onto her shoulders, leaving her with little time to rest.
It was only after things started to settle down and the sorcerers and supervisors adjusted to working without Tengen's barrier that she finally got a break and returned home for a few days.
Haruno's invitation to nap had distracted her, making her forget about the so-called "secret" she had mentioned earlier.
The warmth between them quickly spread under the blanket. As the comfort grew, so did the drowsiness, and Yukino slowly drifted into sleep.
Haruno, who had already gotten used to taking afternoon naps recently, fell asleep even faster than Yukino.
As their minds sank into slumber, information started flowing through the glowing blue threads that connected them.
Somewhere in the vast universe, a blue sphere of light seemed to sense something. It floated closer to one of the threads, paused for a moment, then settled onto it.
Suddenly, dazzling festival lights and a lively shrine scene appeared before Yukino and Haruno's eyes.
…
"You know, our conversation just now… we've had it before," Hayashizaki said with a smile.
"Huh?" Yukinoshita Haruno tilted her head.
"When I went to the fireworks festival with Yukino before, we had this exact same conversation. The only difference is that back then, I was the one who said what Yukino just said, and you responded the way I did."
"Pfft! Hahaha! What, are you trying to say that you and I are a perfect match?" The short-haired girl teased, nudging the black-haired young man with her elbow.
"Wrong. I just thought it was interesting."
They had visited almost every stall at the festival.
Haruno's arms were now full of snacks, while Hayashizaki had two fox plushies—one red, one blue—tied to the sash of his yukata.
They had won them at a balloon-popping game earlier.
With a toy rifle in hand, Haruno had popped every balloon on the display board, even the ones the shop owner had just inflated and put up. She only stopped after using up all her bullets from a 1,000-yen ticket.
But in the end, she only took the two matching fox plushies, making the shop owner sigh in relief.
For a moment, he had thought this couple was trying to wipe out his inventory. Turns out, she just wanted to show off in front of her partner.
As the night went on, the festival-goers gathered by the seawall, waiting for the fireworks display.
Meanwhile, Hayashizaki pulled Yukinoshita Haruno into a quiet alley.
In the next moment, a giant owl shikigami silently rose into the night sky, carrying both of them high above the crowd.
As they left the bustling festival behind, the noise faded into the distance. The only sound left was the soft wind brushing against their ears.
Haruno looked down at the glowing festival lights stretching like a river below them, her eyes gradually turning hazy.
Then, the silence was broken by the crackling sound of fireworks.
One after another, brilliant fireworks shot up like reversed shooting stars, leaving trails of light before bursting into dazzling colors in the night sky.
The fireworks exploded right in front of Yukinoshita Haruno.
In the girl's clear eyes, the colorful lights reflected brilliantly.
"..."
Yukinoshita Yukino fell silent.
Yukinoshita Haruno, on the other hand, smiled happily.
Both of them experienced the festival and fireworks from two different perspectives—Hayashizaki's and their own.
For the latter, the immersion was perfect. After all, the protagonist was their younger self, and experiencing it from a first-person view made it feel even more real.
But for the former, the experience wasn't as enjoyable.
A mix of complicated emotions surged inside, just like the fireworks bursting in another time and place, leaving a strange and bittersweet feeling.
So this was where my sister's teasing was leading?
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