The moment Mitsuha finished peeling her tangerine, her hand slipped beneath the warm quilt draped over the kotatsu. With sly intent, she reached toward Sayaka, who was still lost in thought, head lowered, completely unaware of the mischief about to unfold.
Mitsuha's cool fingertips brushed against Sayaka's thigh.
"…"
Noticing the movement under the quilt, Sayaka lowered her head and glanced at Mitsuha beside her.
The way Mitsuha leaned over...half crouched, caught in the act made her look every bit like a culprit. Sayaka's face showed a trace of helpless amusement. She didn't scold or stop her, only shifted her legs away in silence and leaned toward the other side.
"Mitsuha."
Haruto, chewing on a piece of tangerine, caught sight of his sister's mischief beneath the kotatsu and called her name.
"What is it?"
"New Year's is right around the corner. Next spring, you'll be in your third year of middle school, won't you?"
"Isn't that obvious? Even I won't be held back a grade. … Wait, you were in the hospital for three months. Are you going to be okay? Don't tell me you're the one at risk of repeating a year?"
Since scolding Mitsuha never worked, Haruto tried steering the conversation elsewhere. He picked a casual topic at random, but to his surprise, it was Mitsuha who turned the question back on him.
"I was absent for a while, sure, but my grades are fine. I won't be repeating."
"…Ugh."
Hearing that Haruto wouldn't be held back didn't disappoint her much... but the word grades struck a nerve. Mitsuha's mood sank all at once.
"Third year means thinking about high school entrance exams. If you want to study in Tokyo, you'll have to pass the entrance tests. With your current grades..."
Her already sour mood turned downright foul.
Her scores at school weren't terrible, but they were only slightly above average. In a rural place like Itomori, that was fine. But if she wanted to follow her brother's path and get into a school in Tokyo, it would be a real stretch.
"I know, okay? You don't have to keep repeating it."
Anything about grades gave her a headache. Dark-eyed and sulky, she glared at Haruto, losing all interest in teasing Sayaka.
"If I don't remind you, you'll never take it seriously. Running away won't change the facts. If you want to get into Toyosaki where I'm studying, you'll have to work hard. With your current scores, it's a thousand percent impossible."
There were loopholes... donations to the school, special admissions slots... but those weren't easy options.
"In Tokyo, at least you'd have cram schools every day. Out here? Closest would be in Hida or even Nagoya."
The more Haruto lectured, the more Mitsuha's expression soured. She clapped both hands over her ears.
"Ughhh, I don't want to hear it! I don't care about any of that!"
By now, there was no point in pushing further. Haruto let it drop, picking off the white threads from another tangerine segment before popping it into his mouth. After sulking noisily for a bit, Mitsuha finally calmed down.
"Itomori is so boring. I just want to go to the city. Let's go to Nagoya tomorrow!"
"I don't mind, but what exactly do you plan to do there?"
"Isn't New Year's coming? Girls always have this or that reason to go shopping. Right, Sayaka?"
"Eh? I… well, yes, I was planning to go to Nagoya soon anyway."
Caught off guard at being dragged into the conversation, Sayaka could only nod... since she really had been planning a trip.
"See? Sayaka's going too, so we should all go!"
The moment the subject turned to Nagoya, Mitsuha's energy returned.
"I don't mind going, but… is your wallet big enough for a city trip?"
Silence. Mitsuha had no answer.
"…No problem!"
She flashed a thumbs-up. Haruto, however, was deeply suspicious. Most likely, he would end up paying.
"I only brought fifty thousand yen."
"…"
Mitsuha fell quiet. She stared at him strangely, and Haruto, under her gaze, frowned.
"What?"
"Nothing. I just thought… never mind. Fifty thousand it is! I've got plenty of money too!"
"…Huh?"
Realizing his wording might've given her the wrong idea, Haruto quickly added, "I still need to buy New Year's goods, so don't expect much left over. You'd better make a shopping plan first."
"…"
Her brief happiness vanished. She'd hoped to freeload off her brother's wallet. With a long sigh, Mitsuha slumped beneath the kotatsu.
Sayaka wanted to comfort her, but noticing Haruto's sharp glance, she pressed her lips together and fell silent.
That night, Mitsuha pestered her mother, Futaba, about something... likely connected to their outing tomorrow.
While she clung to Futaba, Haruto sat in the living room with Yotsuha in his lap, watching the TV.
"So, you're planning to go to Nagoya tomorrow?" Futaba asked after dinner.
"Yeah. Mitsuha wants to go, and I've got nothing else on, so I'll go with her. Yotsuha too, probably. Why?"
"It's nothing. Just… nothing."
She started to say something, then held it back. Lately she had been evasive like this, hiding things. It only made Haruto more uneasy.
"Are you sure?"
"Mm. Nothing."
He let it go, returned to his room, and locked the door as soon as he got inside. The last thing he wanted was another night like yesterday, when he'd been pushed out of his own bed.
But not long after lying down, footsteps came to his door.
"Eh?" Click, click.
The handle rattled twice. Mitsuha's voice followed, strained with effort.
"Open up!"
Haruto knew the moment he answered, he would lose. So instead, he stayed silent, lying flat on his bed. With a flick of his hand, he switched off the light.
Outside, Mitsuha frowned at the sudden darkness seeping through the crack beneath the door. She bit down on her lip in frustration, then turned with a muffled huff and trudged back to her room.
Being locked out left her no choice. No matter how annoyed she felt, she wasn't reckless enough to start kicking the door down... that would only earn her a lecture from their mother, Futaba.
Her attempt to break in thwarted, Mitsuha could only return to her own bed.
Haruto, meanwhile, whispered a few goodnight messages to the girls he knew in Tokyo, then closed his eyes and let sleep claim him. He'd woken early that morning, so drowsiness tugged at him easily. With no Mitsuha to disturb him, he sank into dreams without resistance.
"Is it morning already…?"
When he finally opened his eyes, the world outside was still wrapped in a dim, gray haze. Dawn had yet to break. Not wanting to get up, Haruto pulled the quilt tighter around himself and reached for the phone beside his pillow.
Smartphones weren't as powerful yet as they would be five or six years later, but they were still good enough to pass the time.
He opened the browser lazily, scrolling through the recommended sites. A thoughtful look crossed his face.
"…No, I don't have the talent for this, and I'm no good at that kind of thing. Better not get involved."
Even if something online caught his interest, it was only surface-level curiosity. He was an outsider to those industries... no connections, no expertise. For someone like him, stepping into that world had no benefits whatsoever. Unless he had real capital, even trying would be pointless. And he didn't even have his own livelihood secured yet. Starting a business was out of the question.
After dozing and scrolling for a while, a knock came at his door around six o'clock.
Thump, thump!
"Are you awake?! The sun's up! Hurry up, we need to get ready!"
Mitsuha's voice rang out, brimming with excitement. She'd probably been too wound up to sleep properly, waiting for their trip to Nagoya.
Thud, thud.
Her small frame bumped against the sturdy door. Haruto, staring at the wood, couldn't help but silently admire its quality.
"I'm awake already. Stop banging... I'll be out soon."
"Then hurry up!"
Haruto sighed. He had no way of dealing with such a willful sister. Rubbing his temples, he climbed out of bed, dressed, and opened the door. After a quick wash, he found Mitsuha waiting in the living room.
"Where's Yotsuha?"
"She's still asleep. She'll be up soon."
"It's too early."
"Now's the perfect time! By the time we get to Nagoya, the stores will just be opening. If we leave later, what... do you want to spend the night there?"
"You seem way too excited about this."
Taking a seat beside her, Haruto cast her a sideways glance, then lifted a cup of tea.
Cold.
He set it down again and stood.
"What are you doing?"
"Making breakfast. We're not just leaving for Nagoya on an empty stomach, are we?"
"…"
Mitsuha blinked, caught off guard. She hadn't expected Haruto to bother. After hesitating, she rose to her feet.
"I'll help."
"…."
Surprised, Haruto gave her a quick look, then nodded. The two of them worked together in the kitchen. By the time Futaba entered the living room, breakfast was already laid out.
"Breakfast?" she asked.
"Already made. We had time, so we put something together," Haruto replied.
"Thank you. That's a big help."
"Not just me... Mitsuha helped too."
Futaba's eyes flicked toward her daughter. Mitsuha met her gaze, sighed, and dropped into her seat without a word. She didn't bother explaining herself, only ate in silence, a little deflated. But knowing her, the mood wouldn't last.
Sure enough, Yotsuha woke soon after, and the family shared their meal together before getting ready to leave for Nagoya.
Mitsuha darted back to her room to change clothes, while Yotsuha didn't care much. Haruto, as usual, settled for anything warm enough.
A little later, Mitsuha reemerged dressed for the trip, and the three prepared to head out.
"Haruto," Futaba said, "take good care of Mitsuha and Yotsuha."
"Of course."
"I don't need looking after!" Mitsuha shot back instantly.
Futaba only gave her a tender, doting look, which silenced her daughter more effectively than any scolding.
As they left the house and walked along the road, Mitsuha still pouted quietly... until they met Sayaka. At once, a smile returned to her face.
The four of them gathered around eight in the morning, boarded a bus, and began their journey to Nagoya.
"Um… we might not be able to get back tonight."
"I know I messed up, but there's no helping it. Father doesn't have time to pick us up either, does he?"
"He's… sitting right next to me."
Mitsuha mumbled excuses into her phone, then handed it to Haruto.
"Service is suspended already?"
"Yeah. Winter schedules end earlier. Looks like we won't make it back."
"Then we'll have to stay overnight in Nagoya?"
With Futaba asking over the line, Mitsuha practically glowing with excitement beside him, Haruto could only fall silent for a moment.
"…Yeah. Looks that way."
"Sayaka's with you too, isn't she?"
"She is."
"Alright. I'll call her family in a while. Just make sure you take good care of them."
"Mm."
Because Mitsuha insisted on watching a movie before heading back, by the time the four of them stepped out of the theater, the last bus home had already stopped running.
The trains were done for the night too. Which meant… they had no choice but to stay in Nagoya until tomorrow.
Technically, there were ways to get back... but the cost was outrageous. And with Mitsuha's sharp eyes on him, half a glare, half a threat, Haruto found himself without the heart or courage to argue.
~~~~~~~~~~
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