Per Haruno's request, today was all about her. Where Haruno wanted to go, they went. However, her date plan was anything but simple.
"Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea? Go!"
The seabed was pitch-black; only the Wings of Salvation cast a sacred glow across the water. With not much to see, Haruno quickly lost interest.
"Mount Everest? Go!"
The two of them got a true taste of standing high and looking far.
"Watch polar bears in Antarctica? Watch!"
Tatsuki simply teleported an entire polar bear family over—then, of course, safely returned them home.
At the end, Haruno said she wanted to go to the moon.
She didn't really need Tatsuki for that; with the body of an Angel of Salvation, her wings could carry her there. But with Tatsuki present, it was faster—one thought, a spatial jump.
"So that's Earth…" Haruno murmured.
The lunar wasteland did nothing to dampen her fascination with the blue planet.
Suddenly, she curled her lips into a smile, eyes burning as she looked at Tatsuki. "Tell me—if we do that on the moon, wouldn't that be a moment worthy of commemoration?"
"You mean… do…?"
Haruno pressed herself into his arms, fingers wandering as her lips parted. "What do you think?"
…
Probably no one in the world would have imagined anyone doing that on the moon.
Afterward, Tatsuki had to admit—it was a uniquely memorable experience.
And thanks to this lunar trip, they discovered a new use of the Wings of Salvation: even on the moon, where gravity differs from Earth, he and Haruno could move on the surface as if they were on Earth—or they could modulate their personal gravity and drift naturally.
Because Tatsuki and Haruno tried… floating motions. Curious. Novel.
…
Weekends are both delightful and short.
They ended the day hand in hand, strolling a street bright with city lights.
"Haruno, are you really moving in?" Tatsuki asked again.
He figured the Yukinoshita household had plenty on its plate.
Haruno nodded, serious: "Yes. I've already been handing duties back to my mother, step by step~"
"That… might not be great. Won't my mother-in-law be overworked?" Tatsuki did have a conscience—he worried a little.
"..."
Haruno paused for a beat, then asked, "Tatsuki, do you think we can survive an apocalypse? How long do we even have?"
It sounded heavy.
"I can't promise I can solve the apocalypse."
That was the truth.
With what was almost certainly SCP-085 appearing, this world's end might involve Crimson King, The Pale King, and other supreme divinities. There was no way to guarantee he could resolve that.
"But I can promise I'll take all of you out of this world. At the very least, avoiding this world's apocalypse is no problem."
Running isn't shameful.
It's the worst of last resorts—and the best choice when you have no other options.
"As for lifespan—you can feel it too. With your Angel of Salvation body, your life right now can't be estimated."
Tatsuki couldn't estimate his own lifespan either; he was still growing. Haruno and the others would change along with him.
"..."
Haruno was happy—she understood how deeply he cared. But she also sighed. "Tatsuki, I don't want to watch my mother wear herself out. Honestly, I don't care about the Yukinoshita family's future at all."
"Right now, wherever you, Yukino, and Mother are—that's my real home."
For the first time, she wore a pleading look. "Tatsuki, if it's possible, could you let my mother be with us too?"
"She's one of my only two relatives—and Yukino's mother. Could you help free her from the Yukinoshita chain like you did for us?"
She, Yukino, and their mother had all been bound by the Yukinoshita name. With Tatsuki, she and Yukino had slipped free. Naturally, she didn't want to watch their mother remain trapped.
"Don't worry. Mother-in-law will live with us," Tatsuki promised gently.
He wasn't going to let his mother-in-law grow old alone.
"Thank you, Tatsuki."
Haruno gave him a kiss full of gratitude.
They parted in the end—but only for now.
When Tatsuki got home, Yukino was sitting primly on the sofa.
Seeing Tatsuki return, Kanae and the others quietly retreated to their rooms.
"Meow!" (Tatsuki-kun, careful with Yukino!) Haru waved a paw in warning, then followed Kanae into the bedroom.
Under the bright lights, the big living room held only two people.
But Tatsuki didn't sense any killing intent from Yukino.
He openly sat beside her and naturally lifted her into his lap.
Yukino didn't struggle—if anything, she blushed and yielded. Cheek brushing cheek, breath mingled with breath.
"Why wait for me here this late?" Tatsuki asked, nuzzling lightly.
"..." Yukino said nothing.
"Want to ask about Haruno?" Tatsuki prodded.
Only then did Yukino give a tiny nod.
"Want to see Haruno's memories? Today's date was very happy."
Tatsuki narrowed his eyes, tempting her.
"..."
When it came to Haruno, Yukino inevitably lost her cool. Lips pressed together, after a few seconds of hesitation she nodded a soft "mm."
"Hehe." A sly grin tugged Tatsuki's mouth: plan, successful.
He transmitted carefully selected fragments of Haruno's memories straight into Yukino's mind.
At once, Yukino experienced the whole date first-hand—as Haruno.
The deep sea made her afraid.
The high mountain made her gasp.
The icefield piqued her curiosity.
The moon left her shaken.
Then she realized something was off—on the moon… those two!!!
Because she was sharing Haruno's full sensory experience, Yukino's body started reacting.
Just before her consciousness went hazy, Yukino whispered, mortified, "Turn… turn off the lights…"
Tatsuki smiled and obliged.
They didn't bother heading to a bedroom.
A sofa was perfectly fine.
…
There was no rush.
They weren't in a hurry to move, either. Winter break was two weeks away; they could move before then. With his spatial ability, moving would be easy.
On Monday, the three still went to class as usual.
All the way there—and at school—Yukino avoided Tatsuki's eyes. After last night, she truly didn't know how to speak; experiencing her sister's feelings on top of her own had stacked things in a way she couldn't describe.
She only knew she was ruined in the best and worst ways. If not for Tatsuki's recovery, she'd probably be a dried-out husk on the sofa.
Tatsuki could only shrug. That had pushed thin-skinned Yukino to her absolute limit. She'd need time to cool off.
Yukino went to work in the student council on her own.
The Paranormal Research Club continued training inside the parallel space as usual.
....
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