The sun rose bright and clear on Saturday, spilling golden light into the Fushiguro home. Tsumiki was the first to wake, stretching as she peeked out the window. The thought of spending the whole day outside with her brother—and with Arata—felt unusual, but not unwelcome.
By the time she came downstairs, Arata was already waiting by the door, casual clothes and calm expression in place.
"Morning," he greeted.
"Good morning," Tsumiki replied politely. "You're… early."
Arata nodded once. "Better to start before the crowds pile up."
Megumi trudged down a moment later, yawning. "So what's the plan today?."
Arata smirked slightly. "We are going out today and do some fun activities. I have not explored the city even though I have been living here for 15 years." The last part was false of course because he has been from another country in his past life – he thought in his head.
Their first stop was the shopping district. Bright banners, open storefronts, and the hum of people made the place lively. Tsumiki hesitated as Arata guided them into a clothing store.
"You really don't have to buy us anything," she said softly, tugging at her sleeves.
"I told you," Arata replied, pulling a casual jacket from the rack and holding it up. "This is Gojo's money. He's rich enough to buy out the whole store if he wanted. Don't think too much about it."
Tsumiki hesitated, but the way Arata said it—with that calm seriousness—made it hard to argue. She finally nodded, cheeks faintly pink.
Megumi stood stiff as a clerk tried to hand him a shirt. "I don't need new clothes."
"You do," Tsumiki countered, putting the shirt back in his hands.
Arata chuckled under his breath. "She wins."
After shopping, they moved on to an arcade. The flashing lights and game sounds filled the air. Megumi looked unimpressed, but Arata dropped a coin into a claw machine, his calm expression unchanging as the claw grabbed a small stuffed wolf.
He handed it to Tsumiki without a word.
Her eyes lit up. "For me?"
Arata nodded. "Matches you better than me."
Megumi muttered, "This is embarrassing," but when Arata later won a toy fox and dropped it in front of him, Megumi didn't throw it away.
Lunch came at a ramen shop tucked between buildings. Steam curled from bowls, the smell rich and savory. Tsumiki ate politely, smiling as Arata quietly pushed an extra egg into her bowl.
"You need it more," he said simply when she blinked at him.
Megumi slurped his noodles, sighing. "You two are weird."
"You're included," Arata said smoothly, making Tsumiki laugh.
The afternoon was filled with smaller adventures:
A park stroll, where Tsumiki stopped to feed pigeons while Arata leaned on a bench, Megumi pretending not to care but quietly watching.
A bookstore visit, where Megumi actually showed interest, pulling a dog-eared volume from the shelf. Arata bought it for him without asking.
Street food stalls, where Arata tried takoyaki for the first time, Tsumiki patiently cooling each piece before passing it to him with chopsticks.
The café was cozy, its warm lights spilling across the rooftop terrace. The three of them sat around a small table, the smell of coffee and baked goods drifting through the air. Tsumiki had ordered a slice of strawberry shortcake, Megumi had stuck to iced tea, and Arata had quietly picked a sandwich and coffee.
For a while, they ate in silence, just enjoying the city lights below. But Tsumiki broke it with a quiet laugh.
"You know, Megumi used to hate going out like this," she said, glancing at her brother.
Megumi frowned. "Still do."
"Mm, not true," Arata cut in calmly, sipping his coffee. "I saw you smile when you found that book earlier."
Megumi's ears went faintly pink. "That wasn't—"
Tsumiki giggled. "He did! He even hugged it a little before putting it on the counter."
"I didn't hug it," Megumi muttered, looking away.
Arata smirked. "Sure."
Tsumiki leaned closer across the table. "And when Arata gave you the stuffed fox, you kept it. That's basically the same as hugging."
Megumi groaned, covering his face with one hand. "You two are unbearable."
Arata calmly pushed the plate of shortcake a little closer to Tsumiki. "Ignore him. He's just embarrassed."
Tsumiki's smile softened as she took another bite. "I'm not ignoring him. I think it's cute."
Megumi looked horrified. "Don't call me cute."
"You are," she said, not missing a beat.
Arata stirred his coffee lazily. "Cute and grumpy. Dangerous combo potential man."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing"
For a second, Megumi looked like he might actually throw his iced tea, but Tsumiki's laugh broke through his irritation. The tension slipped away, replaced with a faint, reluctant smile on his lips.
Tsumiki set her fork down. "You know… it's been a long time since we had a day like this. Just… normal."
Megumi nodded, his voice low. "Yeah."
Arata leaned back in his chair, gaze steady. "You both should have more of them. Only studying and living a routine life becomes mundane quickly. Days like this matter too."
There was a short silence, but not uncomfortable. Just warm.
Then Tsumiki tilted her head at Arata. "What about you? You don't really talk about yourself."
Arata blinked. "There's nothing much to say."
"That's what people say when there's too much to say," she teased lightly.
Megumi eyed him. "She's right. You're way too calm for someone our age."
Arata let out a small breath that could've been a laugh. "Maybe I've just seen a lot already."
Tsumiki leaned her chin on her hands, studying him curiously. "You don't act like most people we know. But… I think that's why it's easy to trust you."
Arata met her gaze, then gave a faint nod. "Trust goes both ways."
Megumi shifted, uncomfortable with the sudden sincerity. "Alright, enough of that. Tsumiki, finish your cake before he steals it."
Arata arched a brow. "I wouldn't steal cake."
"You stole my extra egg at lunch," Megumi shot back.
"It went to your sister. That's called redistribution," Arata replied smoothly.
Tsumiki nearly choked on her laughter. "Redistribution! You sound like a politician."
Megumi muttered, "A thief in disguise."
Arata sipped his coffee, unbothered. "Better than wasting food."
The teasing carried on for a while, the rooftop filled with the sound of their quiet laughter. The weight of curses and battles felt far away. They were just three people at a café, sharing food, jokes, and the kind of warmth that was rare in the world, be it any.