Afraid of waking the two others resting nearby, Haruto tried not to make too much noise with his suddenly mischievous little sister. Gently, he placed a hand on Mitsuha's waist and lightly tickled.
Realizing what he intended, Mitsuha quickly released his nose and shifted her body slightly to maintain some distance. She placed her hands on his chest, signaling that they should keep a safe space.
"Do you want to sleep inside?"
Leaning close to her ear, Haruto suggested it might be better for her to sleep on the inner side, away from Yotsuha and Natori Saeyaka at the other end of the bed. That way, even if she were fidgety, nothing too wild would happen.
Mitsuha, pressing her hands against his chest, rejected the suggestion. Silently, she climbed out of the blanket, put on her shoes, and quietly made her way to the bathroom in the dark.
"…."
Even though she had rinsed her mouth before bed, Haruto still felt a bit gross from having his nose nibbled. He followed her to the bathroom.
Click.
He fumbled for the light switch, illuminating the room. Mitsuha picked up a cup and began rinsing her mouth, while Haruto splashed water on his face and nose. Mitsuha watched him quietly, letting out a soft hum.
"It's already late. Go to bed early... you still have to get up tomorrow morning."
"Why rush? It doesn't really matter what time we go back tomorrow morning, does it?"
In the bathroom, they didn't need to lower their voices as much as in the bedroom. Mitsuha seemed particularly indifferent to Haruto's gentle reminders.
"You don't want Mom to worry, right?"
"…."
He dabbed his wet face with a towel, hung it back, and looked at Mitsuha, who had fallen silent. Haruto gently ruffled her smooth hair. Letting her long hair loose for bed, Mitsuha bore a striking resemblance to her mother, Miyamizu Futaba.
"Get some rest," he murmured.
She was so immature, so unlike her mother in temperament.
He exited the bathroom first and returned to the bedroom. Yotsuha was still quietly asleep, while Sayaka squinted her eyes slightly, seemingly roused by the commotion.
Haruto lay back down on the bed and closed his eyes.
After a while, Mitsuha returned from the bathroom and saw the three others on the bed. She sat on the edge for a moment before slipping back under the blanket. She pressed close to Haruto, lying flat on her back, her body warm against his.
She rested her hand on his chest, lying sideways against him like a little sloth, burying her face in his shoulder. It was cozy, and she gradually drifted to sleep.
When Haruto woke up, his chest felt heavy, and warm breath brushed against his face. Opening his eyes, she saw Mitsuha's sleeping face so close to his... lying atop him, unmoving. Haruto couldn't help but feel a bit helpless.
"…."
Haruto quietly reached under his pillow, found his phone, and snapped a photo of her sleeping face while she was still dozing.
Looking at the photo in the gallery, he thought, 'She looks so cute while sleeping… If only she stayed quiet like this all the time.'
He slipped the phone back under the pillow and glanced at Yotsuha, who was silently watching him.
Awake?
He hadn't noticed she'd woken up. Yotsuha nodded and looked at the still-sleeping Mitsuha. Normally, when she slept in the same room as her sister, she would casually observe Mitsuha's face without much thought but today, something about Mitsuha's sleeping expression seemed unusually happy.
Yotsuha propped herself up, pouted, and glanced at Mitsuha. Still, she lay back down, content. The warmth of the blanket made it easy to stay put.
After some time, Sayaka softly stirred awake. She sat up, realizing the surroundings were unfamiliar. Confused, she pieced together that she wasn't at home but at a hotel. The memories of last night gradually came back to her.
"Am I the only one awake?"
She peeked around, noticing Mitsuha was gone. Across the bed, two others stared at her.
Her face flushed red. She quickly lay back down, hiding under the blanket, avoiding their gaze.
The room fell silent.
Around eight o'clock, Mitsuha stirred in Haruto's arms. Her sleepy eyes met his affectionate gaze, and she froze, silent for a long moment. She glanced down at her body lying on his chest…
Because others were present, she didn't shout. Instead, she lightly pounded Haruto and slipped off, glancing at Sayaka, who was pretending to sleep, before quietly heading to the bathroom.
The rest, already awake, got out of bed, dressed, and began washing up, preparing to return to Itomori.
Mitsuha remained unusually quiet all the way back. After saying goodbye to Sayaka, she finally looked toward Haruto.
"When…?"
"Hm?"
They were almost home, and Mitsuha's question confused Haruto.
"Don't play dumb! You must have woken up early this morning!"
"Not really early. Just while you were still asleep. I didn't disturb you because you were sleeping so soundly. Why?"
Her face flushed at his gentle smile. She bit her lip, stomped her foot, and hurried home, leaving Haruto and Yotsuha exchanging glances as they quietly followed behind.
"I thought you'd come back in the afternoon," Futaba murmured.
Back at home, entering the living room, they found Futaba preparing lunch. Surprised to see them home so early, she noted that Mitsuha would likely have eaten out otherwise.
"We've spent the night in Nagoya, so it's good you're back early... Sayaka's family would have worried otherwise."
Pouring himself a cup of tea, Haruto sat in the living room to take a short rest. Yotsuha followed him over, staring at him for a moment before deciding to climb onto his lap.
Being still so small and light, Yotsuha didn't place any significant weight on Haruto, making it easy for him to support her.
"Where's Mitsuha?"
"She went straight to her room when we got back. She's probably already there."
"Her room?"
"Did something happen?"
"No, nothing."
Haruto placed his hands on Yotsuha's shoulders, gently rubbing them as she leaned into his chest. His hands naturally settled on her front, resting lightly on her small belly, patting it gently... almost as if tapping a watermelon.
For a moment, the living room fell into silence.
When lunch was ready, Haruto had planned to call Mitsuha, but Yotsuha volunteered herself. She jumped out of Haruto's lap and hurried off to her sister's room before he could even get up.
In the afternoon, back in his own room, Haruto sat at his desk and opened the textbooks and reference books he had purchased at the bookstore before returning to Itomori. He intended to use this time to deepen his knowledge and experience a little more in those areas.
"Do I really need to rush so much? Even this short time has to be used for studying?"
As he opened a book, a wave of laziness washed over him.
"…."
With no one to disturb him, Haruto spent the afternoon reading. Only around evening did he close the book, rub his tired eyes, and return to the living room.
"Hmph!"
Mitsuha emerged from her room at the same time and let out a small huff before walking toward the living room.
Haruto, puzzled by her apparent irritation, followed quietly. He didn't understand what could have upset her... surely the morning's events weren't worth dwelling on? For past incidents, he often forgot them in the blink of an eye.
The morning's events were minor compared to what had happened before, and Haruto couldn't understand why Mitsuha was so fixated on them. Shrugging inwardly at his own confusion, he followed her to the living room.
"Your father won't be back until New Year's Eve. Before then, he'll hardly have any time."
The sudden mention of Miyamizu Toshiki didn't elicit much reaction from Haruto, Mitsuha, or Yotsuha.
For Haruto and Mitsuha, who were a bit older, the father was only a vague memory. For little Yotsuha, he was almost nonexistent... rarely home, stern-faced, and emanating a "keep your distance" aura.
Compared to a father who was hardly ever home, it was difficult for the three of them to summon any sense of shared empathy or gratitude for his hardships.
"Haruto, can't you wait until after New Year's to go to Tokyo?"
Futaba glanced at him. With the New Year approaching, she hoped he might stay and spend the holiday with the family.
"You want to spend New Year's in Tokyo?"
Mitsuha's eyes narrowed sharply, her gaze fixed on Haruto. Even Yotsuha looked surprised. This reaction sharply contrasted with their earlier conversation about Toshiki.
"Others are waiting for me in Tokyo too. I've always spent New Year's in Itomori before, but this year… I want to be with them in Tokyo."
"Them?"
Mitsuha's gaze sharpened with curiosity, her thoughts turning slightly uneasy.
Futaba, knowing more of the situation, looked at her son and couldn't help but feel a small pang of emotion.
"I see. Then when you leave, I'll prepare some specialties from Itomori for you to take back. You forgot during summer vacation, after all."
"Mm."
The topic ended there. Futaba and Haruto didn't discuss it further. Mitsuha, puzzled and unsure how to bring it up, remained silent.
Late at night, after everyone had finished washing up and was nearly ready for bed, Mitsuha glanced at the now-sleeping Yotsuha. She quietly sat up and crept toward the room's door.
Rustle—
Click—
Opening the door and then closing it quietly, Mitsuha made her way through the dark to Haruto's room.
Seeing the faint light inside, she reached for the door and gently pushed it open.
Haruto, sitting at his desk, engrossed in a book and unsure what to do with himself, heard the door open behind him. He turned and saw Mitsuha stepping inside.
"I knew you'd come."
"Hmph. I just went to the wrong room. I happened to see someone still awake, so I came in… don't get the wrong idea."
The stubborn girl walked over and glanced at the book in Haruto's hands—"The Rules of Writing Essay."
She didn't understand a word of it.
~~~~~~~~~~
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