After that attempt at comforting her, things didn't get better—in fact, it only made Eriri feel even sadder.
Her tears began to fall one after another.
For the first time in her life, she had been accepted by someone, gained not just one but two best friends with whom she had promised a lifelong bond.
That was supposed to be a dreamlike happiness… but after only a few short years, it was already coming to an end.
Why did it have to turn out this way?
Yukinoshita Yukino was never good at consoling others, and after several minutes Eriri's emotions had only become more miserable.
Thankfully, Eriri wasn't completely unreasonable. She understood that studying abroad wasn't Yukino's choice—it was her family's decision.
She knew she shouldn't throw a tantrum and drag Yukino into her sadness as well.
"I… I'm going to the restroom for a bit. You two go ahead and eat first."
Eriri wiped her face with a tissue and walked off.
Yukino immediately turned her cold gaze on Minamoto Senya, her expression sharp, almost as if she were sulking.
"So you were just going to sit there and watch, huh? You couldn't even try to cheer her up?"
Senya handed her bento back to her. "What's the point? She has to let it out somehow. She doesn't want to be separated from you, and if she bottled that up inside, it would only be worse."
Yukino had no comeback. What he said… wasn't exactly wrong.
But for some reason, seeing Senya's usual calm, unruffled expression only made her feel faintly irritated.
…Unhappy.
When Eriri returned, she had already tidied up her emotions.
She thought about what Yukino had said. It was true—these days, there were so many ways to stay connected. Even if they ended up far apart, even if they weren't in the same school anymore, they could still see each other whenever they wanted through video calls.
Besides, Yukino wasn't leaving right away—there was still almost an entire year left.
Thinking of it that way, the bad news about their separation didn't seem quite as unbearable anymore.
Yukino felt relieved at Eriri's change in mood—but the relief didn't last long.
Because starting that very afternoon, Eriri clung to her even more than before. She wouldn't let her out of her sight, not even when going to the restroom—she had quite literally turned into a little shadow that followed her everywhere.
Meanwhile, on Senya's side, a sudden incident brought an unexpected change to his relationship with the Takanashi sisters.
Late April.
Without belonging to any clubs, Minamoto Senya returned home early as usual.
The storage room had already been cleared out and turned into his new bedroom. It was definitely smaller than his original one, but for him alone, it was just right—enough space for a single bed, a desk, and a wardrobe, with a little over two square meters left over. Not exactly spacious, but not too cramped either.
He was leaning over his desk, reading, when the house phone rang a little after four.
"Hello, is this the Takanashi residence? I'm Homeroom Teacher for Takanashi Touka."
Senya immediately realized something had happened, his expression turning serious.
"Hello, sensei. I'm Touka's younger brother. The adults aren't home right now, but if you tell me what's going on, I'll pass it on to them."
"Well, earlier this afternoon, Takanashi Touka had an accident during gymnastics club practice and twisted her ankle. Her ankle is badly swollen. The school nurse has already bandaged it for now, so it's not urgent, but she absolutely can't walk on it. If she forces it, the injury will get worse and her recovery will be delayed.
Right now, she's resting in the infirmary. Could you please ask your parents to come pick her up as soon as possible?"
"I understand, sensei. Thank you very much for letting me know."
Senya hung up.
Without thinking too much about it, he went back to his room to change clothes.
His father had recently found work again, this time as a bartender. The hours were much the same as before. Normally, he would have been home around now, but earlier that afternoon the bar owner had called him in early—some VIP customer was dropping by, and there was overtime pay on the table.
As for Miss Junko Takanashi, she worked in the beauty industry, running a small cosmetics shop of her own. Her hours were usually flexible… but unfortunately, she had gone on a business trip just the day before.
A group of young women had hired her to travel with them, applying makeup for their trip so that their photos would look flawless. Expenses and travel were all covered by the client, plus she got paid a daily rate. There was no reason to refuse such a job.
By now, she should have been in Kyoto, and even if everything went smoothly, she wouldn't be back for at least a week.
Which meant… there was no one else. Senya would have to go pick Touka up himself.
He was only in sixth grade, but already stood at 170 centimeters, towering over his peers. Broad-shouldered and solidly built, he figured that even if he went up against second or third-year middle schoolers, he wouldn't exactly be at a disadvantage physically.
But carrying Touka all the way back home on his back? That was unrealistic.
A taxi? With a twisted ankle, getting in and out of the car would still be painful and troublesome.
Senya quickly came up with a plan.
After changing, he went next door to the elderly couple who lived beside them, explained the situation, and without hesitation, the kindly retired neighbors lent him their bicycle.
Pedaling fast, Senya reached Touka's middle school in less than twenty minutes.
After asking the gate guard for directions, he headed straight for the infirmary.
The door was ajar, and there was no teacher in sight. On the bed near the window, Takanashi Touka sat leaning back, staring blankly outside.
Hearing footsteps, she turned—and was surprised to see that it was Senya.
He walked to her bedside. The first thing he noticed was her ankle, wrapped in layers of bandages and resting on top of the blanket.
Before Touka could speak, he asked with concern, "How is it? Does it still hurt?"
"The nurse already treated it. It doesn't hurt that much anymore."
Not that much… which meant it still hurt.
"Should we go to the hospital?"
"No need. The nurse gave me some medicine for it and said as long as I rest properly and don't move around too much, it'll heal within a week."
Hearing that, Senya finally relaxed.
Then Touka asked, puzzled, "But… why are you the one who came?"
"Dad had to leave early for work, so I came instead. Don't worry—I'm pretty strong. Let's get you home."
He stepped forward, reaching out to help her sit up so he could carry her on his back.
But Touka looked troubled. "Um… right now, it's kind of inconvenient."
"Inconvenient?"
Seeing he didn't understand, she lifted the blanket covering her legs.
She was wearing a close-fitting gymnastics uniform. Her body, already beginning to show signs of development, was outlined clearly.
Having practiced gymnastics for years, Touka herself didn't think much of it. And since she thought of Senya as her little brother, she didn't see anything inappropriate.
But standing so close, Senya couldn't ignore how obviously feminine she looked now. Without a word, he politely averted his gaze.
Touka didn't notice. She explained, "My bag's here with me, but I left my school uniform in the changing room. I need to get it… so maybe you should just help me walk there."
"Forget it. You stay here. Where's the changing room? I'll get it for you."
Touka shook her head. "It's the girls' locker room. You can't just go in."
"Don't worry. I've got a sweet tongue. I'll ask one of the upperclassman girls passing by to help me. You just stay put."
At that moment, Senya—several years younger than Touka—seemed every bit the dependable "man of the house."
Reliable. Steady. Someone she could trust.