The atmosphere at the table was awkward. The three of them sat around, eating in silence, not sure what to say.
Neither Yuka nor Haruto were the type to casually spark conversation. Once seated, they simply fell into quietness. Sayu, as the guest, wanted to say something but seeing the other two remain wordless, her own words got stuck in her throat.
Occasionally, their eyes would meet... only for them to quickly look away again. Silence clung to the air.
"You… and Yuka… work part-time together?" Haruto finally asked.
"Um."
He had suspected as much when Sayu showed up with Yuka at work. Hearing her confirm it, he gave a small nod, his expression easing. His eyes shifted toward Yuka, prompting her to explain further.
"Since it's the holiday break, Sayu was feeling a little lonely at home. She thought a part-time job might help pass the time, so she asked me about it."
"And then you brought her to the same place where you work?"
"Yes." Yuka nodded.
Haruto's doubt vanished. With the situation clear, the tension at the table softened slightly.
After dinner, Yuka naturally took the lead in cleaning up... something Haruto never really needed to worry about when she was around. Sayu glanced at Yuka's graceful movements, then at Haruto sipping warm tea in the living room. Her chest tightened with a complicated mix of emotions.
Still, she got up to help. Together, she and Yuka tidied everything quickly. Soon, the three found themselves back in the living room, facing one another.
"You..." Sayu began.
"Are you staying the night?" Haruto interrupted, cutting her off.
"…Huh?"
Sayu froze, staring blankly at him.
"I wasn't planning on heading back tonight anyway. So why don't you stay over? The bed's a little small, but if we squeeze in, it should be fine."
He glanced at Yuka's single bed. She had once considered buying an even cheaper one, but now, in this situation, Haruto's foresight and his eye for quality seemed justified.
"…Huh?" Sayu blinked again.
"It's already dark outside," Haruto continued. "Were you planning to walk home alone?"
"No, I… you... what? Huh?"
Her brain stalled, failing to process what he meant. Sayu turned toward Yuka in disbelief, only to find her expression calm, as if none of this were surprising. That shocked her even more.
"What… does that mean?" she stammered.
"It means you can stay here tonight. Unless you'd rather go home in the dark," Haruto replied plainly.
"…Why are you staying over?"
"Why shouldn't I?"
His puzzled tone made Sayu falter. She opened her mouth to argue, but all her words clogged in her chest.
Taking a deep breath, she turned back to Yuka and asked awkwardly, "Is that… really okay?"
"Hmm? I don't mind," Yuka said with a faint smile. "Though the bed is a bit small, it'll be cramped. Still… I always thought it might be nice, like a girls' sleepover. I used to imagine something like that."
Her wistful tone silenced Sayu. From Yuka's words and from conversations before, she knew how much Yuka had been through... no stable home, constant part-time jobs just to scrape by, barely any time to rest. A sleepover, or a simple "girls' night," was a dream she had never been able to realize.
If not for meeting her so-called "angel," who knew what kind of life Yuka would be leading now.
The thought of that "angel" made Sayu glance at Haruto. He sat there calmly, sipping his tea. Her heart tightened again.
"You even wrote yourself as an 'angel' in your novel. Seriously…" she muttered.
"Oh, that?" Haruto chuckled lightly. "The 'angel' in the story is just a beautified version of my 'self.' It's not really me. You could say it isn't me at all."
"Isn't your 'self' still you?" Sayu frowned.
"Not in the same sense," Haruto replied, but gave up explaining further.
"For me, that's you," Yuka said softly, her gaze warm and gentle.
Her words silenced Haruto. He closed his lips and quietly drank his tea instead.
Sayu watched the tender exchange, and her chest tightened once more. Their bond seemed… even deeper than what she had seen between Haruto and Setsuna.
Sayu shifted uncomfortably, then muttered, "So… are you asking if I'm going back tonight?"
"Yes."
"…No. I'll stay. I still have lots I want to talk about with Yuka. And you... hmph."
Her heart ached as she thought of all the tangled feelings she carried toward Haruto. She was annoyed with him, but there was more than annoyance buried deep inside. Unable to voice it, she simply gave a little huff.
Haruto tilted his head, unsure what was going on in her heart. Girls' emotions were like the sea, like the weather... unpredictable. When his gaze drifted toward Yuka, she only responded with a soft, knowing smile.
"…."
Haruto stood, returning to the desk.
"Then you and Yuka can talk. I'll think about what to write next."
"A new book?"
"Yes."
Sayu felt a surge of curiosity. She wanted to stay and chat with Yuka about everyday things, but she also wanted to peek at Haruto's manuscript. After a short struggle, she chose conversation with Yuka instead. His book would eventually be published anyway.
Haruto sat at his desk for a while, staring at his screen in silence, then saved his document and closed the laptop. When he returned to the table, the girls were chatting about nearby clothing shops.
"Done already?" Sayu asked.
"I'm not AI," Haruto muttered, picking up his tea. "No way I can finish a whole book that fast."
Sayu blinked. "What is AI?"
"Artificial Intelligence," he explained.
"…Like a robot?"
"That's the only thing you can think of?"
"Or… the Austro-Hungarian Empire?"
Sayu's reply... "The Austro-Hungarian Empire?" was so off-track that Haruto couldn't help pressing a hand to his forehead. He wore a troubled expression, while Yuka only looked confused. Clearly, she didn't know much about this subject either.
Haruto had just sat back down, but now he felt the urge to stand up again and retreat to his laptop rather than attempt to explain all this.
"'Artificial Intelligence' is shortened to 'AI,'" he said finally. "I'm no expert, but the basic idea is simple. Things people can do, AI can often do faster and with fewer mistakes.... since it doesn't get tired like humans do."
"That sounds… impressive," Sayu admitted.
"It is, in a way. But for example, when it comes to writing, AI gathers tons of information from the internet, then spits out content that looks coherent but feels strangely hollow."
Sayu's curiosity deepened. "So… it writes weird things?"
"Exactly. Imagine plain white rice... nutritious and simple. That's like a good novel. Now compare that to current 'AI writing.' It's like rice that's been boiled into mush... bloated with water, no substance at all. Even cold porridge would have more nutrition than the stuff it churns out."
The imagery made Sayu nod; she could picture it perfectly.
"What about music?" Yuka asked suddenly, her curiosity piqued.
"There's AI for that too. I don't know much about it, but you could probably find plenty of material to read. Using AI for music composition might actually make an interesting study topic for you."
"I see." Yuka nodded thoughtfully, already making a mental note to look into it when she had the time.
The three of them continued chatting for a while. Eventually, Yuka's eyelids grew heavy. After spending nearly the whole day working, finally resting in a warm room made drowsiness inevitable.
"I'm getting a little sleepy," she murmured.
"Then rest," Haruto said. "Do you have work tomorrow?"
"Yes. It's Christmas Eve, but not an official holiday. I still have to go to the yakiniku restaurant."
Sayu nodded as well. "I'll be working too."
Haruto let them be. He sat quietly in the living room while the two girls took turns in the bathroom. Once they were finished and tucked into bed, he finally got up himself, washed, and returned.
When he stepped back into the room, both girls were already lying down, huddled close together. The bed was hardly big enough for three. After a moment of hesitation, Haruto climbed in anyway, squeezing in beside them.
"…Isn't this cramped?" Sayu muttered.
"A little," Yuka admitted. She was caught in the middle, Sayu on the inside and Haruto on the outside. The blanket barely covered them. Pressed so close, Haruto unconsciously wrapped an arm around Yuka, his hand brushing against Sayu by accident.
"…It'll do," Haruto said. He closed his eyes, the room dim except for the warm glow of a small lamp. None of them spoke. Slowly, silence settled over them.
Nothing happened. The cramped conditions simply weren't conducive to anything more.
Morning came. Yuka rose early to prepare breakfast. Sayu, having gone to bed later, was still asleep until Haruto shook her awake.
"What time do you work?" he asked.
"Closer to noon. I'll leave around nine, get to the restaurant by ten, and stay until the afternoon. Are you staying here again tonight?" Yuka asked, glancing at him.
"Yeah, one more night. I'll head back tomorrow. What about you, Sayu? Going home tonight?"
"Why not stay?!" Sayu blurted, her tone sharper than she meant it to be. She was tired, and though she hadn't slept well, she couldn't admit she wanted to stay.
Haruto only smiled faintly.
Sayu felt a sudden unease curl in her chest... though she couldn't explain why.
By nine, Sayu and Yuka left together for work. Left alone, Haruto didn't linger long. Not long after, he headed out to a home goods store and bought a few more items for the apartment. After organizing them, he went out again for lunch.
Should I visit their yakiniku restaurant? he wondered briefly. No… that would only trouble them.
So, he chose a Western-style restaurant instead. But just as he sat down, a familiar figure appeared... Koharu. She slid into the seat across from him without hesitation.
"…Do I have a GPS tracker on me or something?" Haruto asked dryly.
"Yes," she said without the slightest pause.
Haruto was speechless.
~~~~~~~~~~
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