"Back in Tokyo now, Haruto?"
"Yeah, I'm back. Why? Something up?"
Haruto was lounging at home when he suddenly got a call from Akihisa Yoshii.
"Don't tell me you forgot?"
"Forgot what?"
"The beach, man! The beach! We talked about it at school—remember? That we'd go together during summer break to search for our own little slices of happiness!"
On the other end of the line, Akihisa's voice swelled with dramatic outrage, like he'd just been betrayed by a comrade in arms. If Haruto had been standing in front of him right then, he might've been met with a tearful speech... or a not-so-friendly punch.
Haruto paused, trying to recall. Come to think of it… there was something like that mentioned back then.
"But my little sisters staying with me right now. I don't think I can just go off on my own."
"Is she cute?"
The shift in Akihisa's tone was immediate. Just seconds ago, he'd been bursting with righteous passion. Now, he sounded almost sheepish, his voice lowered as if treading dangerous waters.
"She's an elementary schooler."
"Uh... r-right. Yeah, that's... that's totally fine! I mean, not fine, obviously, but… not impossible either… maybe?"
"You guys are planning to hit the beach and flirt with girls, aren't you?"
"Yeah, obviously."
"Then I guess there's no problem if I bring my sisters along too. If I'm with them, it's not like I'll get in your way."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.
It was as if Akihisa's worldview had just expanded. He thought about how popular Haruto was at school—how girls naturally gravitated toward him. Now, hearing Haruto say something like that, Akihisa's eyes welled up with tears.
"H-Haruto... You're such a good guy... Uuuuuh!"
Haruto had grown pretty numb to Akihisa's emotional roller coasters by now.
"What about Yuuji ?"
"No idea what he's up to, but I reached out to him earlier. He's free tomorrow. I also invited a few others—shouldn't be an issue. Tomorrow's good for you?"
"Yeah, works for me. I'll need to go pick up some swimwear anyway."
"Alright! Then it's settled! We're going to the beach tomorrow!"
"Which beach?"
"How about Shonan Beach in Kanagawa?"
"That's kind of far. We'll have to leave pretty early. You okay with that?"
"Totally fine! I'll be up at the crack of dawn!"
Haruto actually believed him. Even if Akihisa overslept, he'd still have his two sisters with him. It wasn't like he'd be alone.
"Alright, then. I'll call you in the morning. Don't forget to notify everyone else."
"Already done!"
"Good. Talk tomorrow."
As Haruto ended the call, he turned to find Mitsuha leaning in, her curious fox-like smile shining on her face, eyes glinting with mischief.
"Was that a call from a friend just now?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Beach?"
"Mm-hmm."
"I'm coming too!"
Staring at her for a second, Haruto chuckled softly and glanced toward Yotsuha, who was reading a book nearby.
"Get ready, Yotsuha. We're going out to buy swimsuits."
"Swimsuits?"
"We're going to the beach tomorrow."
"The beach?"
Having lived her whole life inland, Yotsuha had never seen the ocean before. Hearing that made her eyes light up with wonder. She jumped to her feet and ran over to Haruto.
"The sea?"
"Yep."
"Tomorrow?"
"We leave tomorrow. We're buying swimsuits today."
"Right now?"
"Right now."
"Awesome!"
Haruto hadn't seen her this excited in a while. Turning to Mitsuha, he nodded.
"Go get ready. Once you're done, we'll head out."
"You're not inviting Setsuna and the others?"
"It's mostly a hangout with my classmates. Wouldn't be the best time to invite Setsuna's group."
"I see."
Mitsuha nodded without pressing further, grabbed her wallet, and followed Haruto out the door.
As they walked, a thought crossed Haruto's mind. He pulled out his phone and made another call.
_ _ _ _
Meanwhile, in a dim bathroom across town, Ryuuji Takasu was furiously scrubbing at stubborn mold in the corners.
"Damn it! If only that new apartment building across the street hadn't blocked all the sunlight, this place wouldn't be crawling with mold."
Ever since the tall complex had gone up next door, Ryuuji's bathroom—already windowless—had turned into a breeding ground for mold. Only now, with clear weather, had he finally gotten it under control.
Sweating, tired, but meticulous, Ryuuji peeled off his gloves, hat, and mask, washed his hands, and slumped onto the couch.
"Who even lives in that building anyway…?"
He muttered bitterly as he stared out the window, mildly jealous. But that feeling passed quickly, and he turned his thoughts toward the rest of the afternoon.
"Mom's out again… probably working. Guess I'll just read a bit."
He realized their pantry was running low too. Maybe he'd check for discounted veggies and fruit later in the evening. It had been a while since he brought any home.
Yasuko's job had unpredictable hours, her meals were all over the place, and Ryuuji worried about the toll it might take on her body.
"Wonder if those bean sprouts are ready to harvest…"
He had been growing them in a pot at home. It wasn't much, but a simple bean sprout dish with soy sauce was enough to pass for dinner sometimes. That was just how things were now.
Since Yasuko didn't want him jumping into work too early, all he could really do was take care of the house.
"Wonder what that guy's up to now… Last time I saw him, he was with some girl I didn't recognize. Wait, no—none of my business. Focus on your own life, Ryuuji."
Lying on the floor, staring at the yellowing ceiling, Ryuuji felt his mind go blank.
"The future, huh…"
Just then, the landline rang. He groaned, dragged himself up, and shuffled over to answer.
"Takasu residence. May I ask who's calling?"
"It's me—Haruto. Is Yasuko-san home?"
"Haruto?"
Ryuuji blinked. He'd just been wondering about him, and now he was on the line. What timing.
"She went out. Don't know where. But Haruto, man… it's been ages since I heard from you. Haven't even seen you in the shopping district. What've you been up to? Calling for Mom?"
"Not really. I just got back from my hometown—spent a bit of time in Gifu. I'm back in Tokyo now. Was wondering if you were free tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
Ryuuji, whose schedule was usually wide open, hesitated.
"What's up?"
"A few of us are heading to Shonan Beach tomorrow. Just to relax. Wanna come?"
"There'll be others?"
"Yeah, a few classmates you know. And my sisters."
Tempted, Ryuuji considered it... but ultimately declined.
"Think I'll pass. I'd probably just be a buzzkill. Plus, Mom might need me around. Sorry, maybe next time."
Haruto wasn't surprised by Ryuuji's answer. After a brief pause, he nodded.
"Alright. Let's go together when we both have time."
"Sorry again."
"No need to apologize."
After hanging up, Ryuuji stood silently by the phone and let out a long sigh.
"…Man, I really wanted to go too."
_ _ _ _
Back at the shop, Mitsuha had inched over to Haruto's side, her eyes brimming with curiosity as always.
"Was that a friend?"
"Yeah, a very good one."
"He turned you down?"
"Probably had something important to deal with. Anyway, instead of worrying about that—have you decided what swimsuit you're wearing?"
"This one."
Mitsuha pulled out a bikini from behind her back.
Haruto's face darkened.
"Mitsuha… you wouldn't want Mom to see the image of you wearing that, do you?"
"…"
Without a word, Mitsuha stiffened, visibly shivered, and returned to pick out another swimsuit.
Meanwhile, Yotsuha had already chosen a modest, black children's swimsuit and held it up to Haruto.
Children's swimsuits rarely varied much, and this one looked fine. Haruto nodded.
"This one works."
Properly 'disciplined,' Mitsuha returned with a more modest option—a light green one-piece with a ruffled skirt.
"This'll do."
Seeing Haruto approve, she sighed with slight disappointment but didn't argue. The three paid for their swimwear and wandered around the shopping district a bit longer. With the atmosphere lively and light, Mitsuha soon forgot her earlier regret, happily trailing Haruto from shop to shop.
—That evening, Haruto left the apartment for a while and headed alone to the Kiyoura residence.
Mitsuha crouched by the window, watching him disappear into the house across the way. She let out a soft sigh and turned toward Yotsuha, who was still munching happily on a slice of cream cake, seemingly unconcerned about where Haruto had gone.
"You're not the least bit curious about what he's doing at Setsuna's place?"
"Hm? Whatever it is, it's none of my business. If there's something important, Onii-chan would tell us."
"This could be about our future, you know! If he ends up marrying Setsuna, she'll be our sister-in-law!"
"Yeah, but he's gonna get married eventually, right? And that Setsuna-nee doesn't seem bad. If they do get married, it's not like he'll stop liking me."
Yotsuha's utterly calm attitude frustrated Mitsuha. She rolled her eyes, then had another idea.
"But if he gets married, they'll have kids. And once that happens, he'll be focused on his own children! He won't be buying you cake like this anymore!"
Yotsuha glanced sideways at her sister with the kind of expression reserved for clueless idiots.
"…Ugh."
Mitsuha widened her eyes in frustration, trying to stare her little sister down.
"You're in middle school now. Can you not act like a child? You're older than me and still act like the kids in my class—getting sulky over little things."
With a sigh that made her sound years older than she was, Yotsuha shook her head and returned to her cake, a blissful look spreading across her face.
"Big brother would never hate me because of a woman. You, on the other hand, he might."
That final jab made Mitsuha freeze, the words hitting her square in the chest. She glared at Yotsuha, who simply smiled and handed her a piece of cake in apology.
"Hmph."
Snatching it from her, Mitsuha sat down beside her sister in silence.
— — —
Later that evening, at the Kiyoura home,
"I bought some desserts while shopping today."
Haruto handed over a bag of sweets to Mai and immediately found himself with Setsuna clinging to him, arms wrapped tightly around his waist.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly.
"I missed you."
With her face buried in Haruto's chest, Setsuna inhaled deeply, taking in his scent. Her honest reply caught him a little off guard, but he hugged her back gently, letting her stay there, quietly breathing him in.
Haruto glanced over at Mai, who had placed the desserts on the table and stood by silently.
"Back from work early today?" he asked.
"'Early'?"
Mai blinked. Clearly, she didn't think she was home early at all.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, Haruto noticed it was well past the usual end of the workday. At this hour, most people would already be winding down, getting ready for bed.
"It's still bright outside, so I guess I instinctively treated it like winter—when nightfall marks the end of the day," Mai said with a wry smile.
"But even in summer, if you wait until it's dark to finish work, that's a ridiculously long shift. No one could keep that up."
She looked at her daughter, still nestled comfortably in Haruto's arms, and sighed with faint exasperation.
"Setsuna, that's enough now, don't you think?"
~~~~~~~~~~
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