"So, what exactly are you doing in my room? Don't you have your own room?"
It was late morning, and because the weather outside was bone-chillingly cold, Haruto had been holed up in his room, tagging pages and closing the book he'd been reading. Sitting at the edge of his bed, however, were Mitsuha and Yotsuha... both staring straight at him.
With the two of them in his room, eyes fixed on him without a blink, Haruto felt oddly pressured. Finally, he couldn't resist speaking.
"It's freezing outside. If Yotsuha and I stay in our own rooms, there's nothing to do. At least if we're in here, we can save a little on heating."
"…I never knew you were such a frugal person."
Their stares made it impossible for Haruto to concentrate on his book any longer. The pressure of those two pairs of eyes bored into him until he stood up, craving some private space for himself.
"I'm going out for a short walk. You two can stay here if you like."
He opened the door and stepped out, leaving his sisters blinking at each other in surprise. Neither had expected him to abandon the room so easily.
Mitsuha nearly followed, but then hesitated. She realized she'd already spent much of the day clinging to Haruto, and if she kept following him around, it would start to look like she couldn't leave his side. After a moment of inner conflict, she decided to stay put.
"Ahhh—"
She flopped backward onto Haruto's bed, pulled out her phone, and began scrolling through short romance stories online.
Yotsuha, unsure of what else to do, slipped back to her own room. Soon she returned, this time carrying her schoolwork, and sat down at Haruto's desk to work on her assignments.
—
Meanwhile, Haruto left the house, glancing back once before making his way toward the mountain path.
Not far from the house stood the only shrine in Itomori.
Unsure what to do with himself at home, he decided to visit the shrine... somewhere he hadn't been in a long while. Unlike the grand shrines of Tokyo, Itomori's was all but forgotten. Except for the Miyamizu family, who occasionally came to clear weeds or trim branches, no one really visited. Only during festivals did people remember it even existed.
The Miyamizu Shrine lay deep in the woods east of the house. Following the road eastward, Haruto eventually reached its entrance.
Passing beneath the torii, he started up the stone stairway. The steps stretched endlessly ahead, lined with fallen leaves and silence. Pausing at a pair of stone lanterns halfway up, he brushed the leaves off their tops.
"Figures. No one really comes here anymore."
He continued upward until he reached the shrine gate. Beyond it stood the temizuya—the water pavilion.
Once past the fence and gate, one was officially within the shrine's sacred domain. Haruto wondered briefly if the water had frozen in the cold. Still, he stepped forward, scooped some into the ladle, skipped the mouth-rinse, and simply washed his hands before moving on.
Ahead was the kaguraden, the stage where shrine maidens performed sacred dances during festivals.
Haruto stopped to gaze at it. It had been ages since he last saw the Kagura dance. If he remembered correctly, the last performance had been on December 5th—just ten days ago.
"Too bad…"
Sighing at the missed chance to see Mitsuha and Yotsuha perform, he turned toward the main hall.
To the right of the kaguraden lay the approach to the honden, the main sanctuary. The venerable wooden buildings... the worship hall and the inner hall... stood in quiet dignity. On the left was the shrine office, which was always locked unless his grandmother, Hitoha, came with the key. Haruto, having left the house without asking, couldn't enter.
He stood before the hall, unsure what to pray for.
"Well… I suppose I'll just hope nothing else goes wrong next year."
Once being hit by a car was more than enough. Twice would be pushing his luck.
Fishing a five-yen coin from his wallet, he tossed it into the offering box, rang the bell, clapped twice, and offered a silent prayer.
"That's good enough."
When he opened his eyes, he took one last look around the spotless grounds before turning to leave.
"Haruto-nii?"
He froze. Behind him stood a girl in her winter uniform.
"Sayaka?"
"It really is you! Long time no see. Did you come to pray this early in the morning?"
"Something like that. I hadn't been here in a while, and since I had nothing better to do, I thought I'd stop by. What about you?"
"I…"
Sayaka's eyes flickered uncertainly, her hands slipping behind her back as she avoided his gaze. After a moment's silence, she forced a small smile.
"…I didn't know what else to do, so I came here too."
"I see."
Of course, Haruto could tell that wasn't her real reason, but he didn't press.
"Were you about to leave?" she asked.
"That was the plan. But since we've run into each other, why don't we head back together?"
Sayaka's lips parted as if to speak, but instead she nodded happily and hurried forward to make her own prayer. Haruto waited quietly at her side until she finished, then they descended the steps together.
The path down was the same as the one up.
Along the way, Haruto even spotted a sluggish, two-headed viper sliding through the underbrush. He said nothing, quietly guiding Sayaka past it. Cold-blooded creatures should have been hibernating this time of year... this one must have been an exception. Better not to startle her with it.
At the base of the shrine, he turned.
"Are you heading home, or going to see Mitsuha..."
"There's nothing to do at home. Is Mitsuha awake?"
Sayaka blinked in surprise. Normally, Mitsuha would still be asleep at this hour. Even if she visited the Miyamizu house, Sayaka was used to waiting for Mitsuha to slowly drag herself out of bed.
"She's up. Woke earlier than usual today. Probably just lazing around the house."
Smiling, Haruto gestured for her to follow. Sayaka, cheeks faintly pink, quietly trailed behind him.
—
Elsewhere, Ogiwara Sayu slowly woke, her eyes fluttering open in the stillness of her room. Propping herself up on the warm bed, she stared at the empty space around her before collapsing back onto her pillow, closing her eyes again.
Pulling the covers close, she let the warmth lull her mind into a haze, peeling away reason and restraint.
If only Haruto were here right now…
She longed to be held in his arms, to be treated gently, to be loved—
The yearning swelled until it was impossible to sleep again. With a restless sigh, she rolled over, slid her hand under the pillow, and pulled out her phone. Opening her inbox, she quickly found his contact.
What should I even write?
She wanted to send him something... anything... to express how much she missed him. Yet her pride as a girl held her back. If she sounded too eager, too desperate, he might only pull away.
Finally, she typed:
"It's sunny here in Tokyo. How's the weather over there?"
Rereading it carefully, she pressed her lips together, decided it was safe enough, and hit send.
Then she shut her eyes and waited, heart pounding, for his reply.
She had no idea how much time had passed when she finally opened her eyes again. Staring at her inbox with no new messages, Sayu let out a long breath, pulled the blanket over her head, and curled into its warmth.
"Mmm—ahh—ugh…"
Gripping the quilt, she rolled around on her bed in frustration before slowly poking her head back out.
"Haah…"
Her face fell as she glanced at her phone once more. Still no reply.
"He hasn't written back yet… What should I even do today? There's nothing to do at home. Hinami and Sawamura haven't contacted me either, they must be busy. I think Hinami said she was going back to her family's place?"
Her connection with Sawamura wasn't strong; they had only met through Hinami, and their friendship was bound by her. To ask Sawamura directly to go shopping together would feel… unnatural.
"Mito-san might be free today, though. With New Year's so close, she's probably resting already, right?"
The thought of another friend, Mito Yuka, crossed her mind. Sayu glanced at her phone again, hovering over her contacts list, wondering whether Yuka was awake or if she'd even have the time.
Biting her lip, she hesitated, but finally decided she'd ask Yuka.
If she was free—
Ping!
Before she could tap Yuuka's name, a message suddenly popped up.
Just one word: "Sunny."
It was short, almost abrupt, but it lit up Sayu's face with delight.
"So it's sunny in Itomori too? That's wonderful! But it's still cold outside, so make sure you stay warm."
She quickly typed back: "Mm."
"He replied… He really replied! He must care about me… yes, I know he does!"
Clutching her phone tightly to her chest, Sayu closed her eyes, her earlier plans to reach out to Yuka completely forgotten. She lay back down with the sweetest expression on her face, her whole body glowing with happiness.
—
"Is it something important?"
"No, not really. Just replying to a friend's message."
Haruto gently pushed Mitsuha's face aside when she tried to peek at his phone. His exchanges with Sayu weren't particularly dangerous or suspicious, but he didn't want Mitsuha seeing them. He knew she'd make a fuss if she did.
Sayaka watched the little sibling squabble with quiet envy.
The three of them sat around the kotatsu in the living room. Yotsuha was still upstairs in Haruto's room, furiously working on her homework with the determination of someone who refused to quit until every page was finished. None of them dared disturb her.
Haruto picked up a tangerine, peeling away the skin. Mitsuha, eyeing it curiously, looked like she had something in mind.
Sayaka, however, wasn't sure what to say. She sat awkwardly across from Haruto, cradling a tangerine of her own, her gaze unfocused and distant.
"Give me that."
"You're even trying to steal my tangerines? Peel your own!"
"What does it matter? Don't be stingy!"
As soon as Haruto finished peeling his fruit, Mitsuha reached out to snatch it, but Haruto casually flicked his hand away, dodging her attempt with ease.
Usually, she was the one taking advantage of him. Rarely did Haruto get the upper hand. He had no intention of commenting on it.
When she realized she wasn't going to win, Mitsuha gave up, peeled one for herself, and sat back. She looked innocent enough... until she stretched out her foot beneath the table and brushed it lightly against Sayaka's leg.
"!"
Startled, Sayaka glanced down, then quickly looked up... first at Mitsuha beside her, then at Haruto across from her.
"What's wrong, Sayaka?" Haruto asked, tilting his head.
"N-no, it's nothing."
Meeting his eyes made her cheeks flush. She lowered her gaze, sneaking a sidelong glance at Mitsuha, who was feigning innocence with suspicious determination.
Sayaka's suspicions were confirmed. It was Mitsuha.
She sighed softly, resigned, and said nothing in return. Instead, she stared down at her half-peeled tangerine, a faint melancholy clouding her thoughts.
"…"
Mitsuha frowned, slightly disappointed by her friend's non-reaction. Casting a sideways glance at Haruto, she smirked inwardly. Now she had an idea what was going on.
Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she plotted something far more entertaining.
~~~~~~~~~~
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