The class reunion went smoothly. After dinner and a bit of fun at KTV, Ichin and Utaha wrapped up their outing and returned home.
That day, Haruno and Yukino had gone out with Ichin's mom.
Her personality was the complete opposite of the sisters' mother—warm, gentle, and easygoing. Even Haruno, who usually carried a sharp edge, enjoyed sticking close to Ichin's mom, free from any complicated worries.
The moment Ichin and Utaha stepped through the door, Haruno sprang up from the sofa and bounced over with a mischievous grin.
"Hey, Ichin, hurry up and call me 'big sis!'"
"…Hah?"
Ichin froze, utterly bewildered. "What are you talking about?"
"Let me explain."
Ichin's mom walked over just then, holding the hand of Yukino, whose cheeks were faintly flushed.
"This afternoon, I officially took Haruno and Yukino as my goddaughters. From now on, she's your big sister, and this one's your little sister. Treat them like real family, okay?"
"…What?"
Not only Ichin, even Utaha was completely dumbfounded. Both of them stared blankly at the trio in front of them.
At that moment, Ichin's dad came over too, chuckling.
"I was surprised at first as well, but isn't this a good thing? Your mom always wanted a daughter, but we never had one. Now, besides Utaha, she's got Haruno and Yukino too. That's wonderful, isn't it?"
Ichin adjusted quickly, though, and turned to his mother. "I don't have a problem with this, but did you at least check with their mother first?"
"Of course I did. I called her right away. She didn't object at all—in fact, she happily agreed."
With that cleared up, Haruno smirked and reached up to pat Ichin's head.
"Well? Time to call me sis, isn't it?"
Ichin rolled his eyes and muttered, "Haruno."
"Pfft, boring."
Shaking his head, Ichin then looked at the clearly nervous Yukino and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Our relationship might've shifted a little, but it's still the same as before. Don't overthink it, Yukino."
"…Mm, I understand."
She opened her mouth as if to speak, but in the end, couldn't bring herself to say the new title.
Ichin didn't mind—getting used to something like this took time. Not everyone could be as loud and carefree as Haruno.
Over the next two days, Ichin took Utaha, Haruno, and Yukino on a trip to Hangzhou before flying back to Tokyo.
On the plane, Haruno stretched lazily.
"Ahh, it was only five days, but so much happened."
Yukino nodded in agreement. What had started as a simple trip to relax had ended with her unexpectedly gaining godparents—and even an older brother.
The old her would've thought it impossible, but now she found herself quite happy to accept it.
After collecting their luggage, Ichin asked, "Haruno, are you two heading back to Chiba today, or staying in Tokyo?"
"Back to Chiba, of course!" Haruno smiled. "We've been away for several days. I already told Mom we'd go back together tonight."
Yukino added, "Senpai, I'll leave the cats in your care for one more day. I'll come pick them up tomorrow."
"No problem," Ichin said with a grin. "We'll take good care of them."
Outside the airport, Haruno got into her car with Yukino, said their goodbyes, and drove off toward Chiba.
Once on the highway, Haruno chuckled. "Yukino, you still haven't gotten used to calling Ichin differently, huh?"
Yukino's lips twitched as she replied quietly, "Not everyone can adapt so quickly. Besides, senpai said we should just keep things the same. A title won't change our relationship. And didn't he keep calling you 'Haruno' like before?"
"…Well, yeah."
Haruno couldn't help feeling a little sulky. She'd been hoping to tease Ichin over this whole situation, but he never gave her the satisfaction—his form of address remained the same as always.
But Yukino was right. Titles were just words. Their relationship was already what it was—family.
"Hah, gaining a little brother really is strange."
Hands on the wheel, Haruno sighed before breaking into laughter.
"Say, since I'm officially the big sister now, does that mean I can drop by Ichin's place for meals anytime I want?"
Yukino shot her a look, wordlessly rolling her eyes. She didn't bother to object—after all, it wouldn't make a difference. If Haruno wanted to, she'd go regardless… and most likely drag Yukino along too.
After spending one night in Chiba, the sisters returned to Tokyo the next day.
It was Saturday, and Haruno had nothing pressing to do. So when she drove Yukino back to Ichin's place, she came fully intending to freeload another meal.
Of course, she wasn't about to show up empty-handed. On the way, she bought a bunch of things—including two huge watermelons.
They'd eaten loads of them back in China—big, sweet, and cheap. But after coming back here, she was shocked at the prices.
She'd always known Japanese fruit was expensive, but having just felt the contrast firsthand, the difference was even more glaring.
Hauling the melons from the trunk, Haruno muttered, "Ugh, how are those guys at JA (Japan Agriculture) still not bankrupt?"
Yukino calmly picked up the other bags and said, "Complaining won't change anything. This isn't something you or I can fix."
"Oh? Has Yukino given up on chasing justice now?"
"That's not it. I just clearly understand my own limits. To change things like that, it takes more than just words and wishes." Entering the apartment building, Yukino added, "Right now, I can't achieve something so big. Not even with the Yukinoshita family's influence. But I'll work toward it."
"Impressive as always, Yukino. Amazing."
Her sister's praise drew no reaction from Yukino. Who knew if it was genuine admiration or just sarcasm.
They took the elevator up and reached Ichin's apartment.
When they rang the bell, the one who answered wasn't Ichin or Utaha, but Eriri.
She'd come over early that day, happily spending the whole morning playing with her little orange kitten.
The moment she saw Haruno and Yukino, Eriri blurted out in shock:
"Haruno-nee, Yukino—you two actually became Ichin's parents' goddaughters?!"
For Eriri, this was hands down the most shocking news of the entire summer vacation so far.
*
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