On the morning of the sixth day, knowing it would take time to get home, Mitsuha—reluctant as she was—was woken up early by her mother. The two of them caught the 9 a.m. shinkansen back.
Standing quietly in the station, watching his family disappear into the sea of people, Haruto didn't say a word. His eyes lingered on the direction they vanished until, after a long pause, he turned with the rest of the crowd and headed toward the subway, eventually returning to his apartment.
The moment he stepped inside, the silence hit him. No more Mitsuha's voice echoing in the space—it felt a bit lonely. He wandered into the room and collapsed onto his bed, which still faintly held the scent of home. Burying his face into the sheets, he began recalling his days in Itomori, and an unexpected wave of nostalgia washed over him.
He lay there for a good seven or eight minutes before finally sitting up slowly, dragging himself to his desk. Pulling out his chair and opening the drawer, he muttered to himself:
"Didn't get much writing done this whole break… might as well use today to catch up, since there's nothing else going on."
For lunch, he made some simple udon to fill his stomach, then went right back to his desk, scribbling and thinking endlessly. It wasn't until 2 p.m. when the doorbell rang, snapping him out of his daze.
He walked to the door and opened it—only to find Setsuna standing there. With a long exhale, he stepped aside.
"Come in."
She entered silently. Seeing the empty room, she immediately understood—Mitsuha and his mother had already left Tokyo.
"They left this morning?"
"Yeah, around nine. I forgot to tell you."
"Are they back in Itomori already?"
"Probably not yet. At this time, they're likely passing through Nagoya, transferring trains toward Gifu. Might be a while before they actually get home. If someone's picking them up by car, then maybe sooner."
He mentally calculated the route. They were probably already on the train from Nagoya to Itomori. As for whether they'd arrived in Itomori, he couldn't say for sure—but most likely not yet.
"If they had arrived, they'd have messaged me by now. So… no news means they're still on route."
"Mm."
After hearing his explanation, Setsuna silently stepped closer to him. Without a word, she wrapped her arms around him.
Haruto, still drinking water, felt the impact of her sudden embrace. Looking down, he saw her face—her eyes filled with a quiet yearning. He set the cup down, gently placing a hand on her cheek, stroking it softly.
"What's wrong?"
"I want to."
"Want what?"
Her cheeks flushed red. She looked up at him, and tiptoed closer…
Meanwhile, Sekai had been holed up in her home for three days straight. Other than helping out at her mom's restaurant around noon and dinnertime, she'd spent her hours zoning out in her room, completely unsure of what to do with herself.
"They probably left by now. Even if they were just visiting, they should've gone back. School starts again tomorrow, after all…"
Muttering to herself, Sekai sat on her bed with her arms around her knees, rocking slightly. She glanced toward the window, then crawled over to the edge, kneeling on her bed to look out in the direction of Haruto's apartment.
Today was the last day of break. Starting tomorrow, everything would return to normal.
The next vacation wouldn't come until summer, which still felt ages away. Not to mention, the actual holiday schedule wasn't confirmed yet—and different schools had different timelines. Sekai had no idea how many overlapping days off she and Haruto would even get.
"He'll probably go back to Itomori for summer too. Which means he won't be in Tokyo long. And with Setsuna still around… the time I get to spend with him is going to be even less. I wonder what he's doing right now…"
The loneliness gnawed at her, threatening to consume her entirely. Biting her lip, Sekai felt she couldn't stay home any longer.
She flipped off her bed, strode to her wardrobe, and carefully picked out an outfit—something she thought Haruto would like. Then, without a second thought, she walked out the door.
The empty living room offered no clues about when her mom would be back. She didn't bother leaving a note. She figured she'd definitely return before her mom did.
Bang—
The door shut behind her. She locked it and began walking toward Haruto's apartment.
During the twenty-minute walk, Sekai thought over what to say if she ran into his family. What should she call them? Auntie? Or maybe…
The thought left her slightly flustered. She climbed the stairs slowly, finally stopping at Haruto's door. Hesitating for just a moment, she raised her hand and pressed the doorbell.
Inside, Haruto, who was just catching his breath, glanced at the girl beside him.
Setsuna opened her right eye lazily and looked at him without saying a word.
He reached over to grab his shirt, throwing it on casually. After pulling on his pants, he made his way to the door, slid the security chain into place, and cracked it open to peek outside.
"Haruto?"
"...Sekai? Come in."
He unlatched the chain and opened the door fully to let her in.
As Sekai bent down to take off her shoes, she spotted something—another pair of shoes at the door. Not Haruto's.
She glanced up into the room, and there they were—two pale, slender feet, playfully kicking back and forth on his bed.
"…"
She instantly knew who they belonged to.
Still standing at the entrance, Sekai looked down at her carefully chosen outfit, then back into the room at Haruto and Setsuna. Her lips pressed tightly together.
And then, with eyes full of resolve, she walked inside.
If Setsuna could accept this and do these things—then she had no reason to back down either.
Thirty minutes later—
"W-Wait! Hold on, stop for a second!!"
"What's wrong?"
"I-I need a break. Setsuna, can you… take over…"
"I'm still resting."
"B-But, I already… No! Wait, wait!"
As dusk approached, Haruto turned on the light in his room. Sekai lay on the bed, silently glancing at the girl beside her—Setsuna. Their eyes met, and for a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Sekai averted her gaze, slowly sat up, and looked toward Haruto, who was sitting at his desk.
"School starts tomorrow. From this month on, things are going to get a lot busier, right?"
"Hm?"
Haruto turned around upon hearing the voice. Setsuna hadn't spoken in a while, so he assumed the question had come from Sekai—and he was right. After a short pause, he nodded.
The month of April had been something of an adjustment period. But now that May was here, things were about to ramp up. Studies would get more demanding, and free time would shrink.
"It definitely won't be as easy as April. We've got May and June, then the summer break starts in July—just two months away."
Watching Haruto work at his desk, Sekai slipped on her clothes and quietly walked over to him. Her eyes fell on the pages spread out before him, but she couldn't make much sense of them. Without saying a word, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind.
Setsuna, still lying on the bed, narrowed her eyes. She stared coldly at Sekai's arms wrapped around Haruto, sharp as needles—but she said nothing. After a moment, she simply closed her eyes again, as if choosing peace over pettiness.
Haruto glanced to the side at the girl clinging to him. He wasn't sure what was going through her mind, but understanding how emotional girls could be, he didn't interrupt her either.
"I'll head home. My mom's probably going to be back soon."
"Mm."
Sekai loosened her arms and glanced back.
Hearing her get ready to leave, Setsuna opened her eyes and locked eyes with Sekai. Sekai suddenly smiled.
"See you tomorrow morning, Setsuna."
"…Yeah."
Sekai walked to the door, fully dressed. The sound of the door opening, then closing, echoed through the room. Silence returned.
Haruto looked toward the door briefly, then resumed his writing. Setsuna also closed her eyes again, resting in the quiet room.
_ _ _ _
After some time, the bedroom door slowly creaked open. Haruto stepped out of Mai's room, feeling completely drained once again. As he spotted Setsuna calmly sitting in the living room, he dragged himself over and took a seat beside her.
"Your family probably won't be visiting Tokyo again before summer break, right?"
Mai stepped out of the room, her long hair tied up, and looked at Haruto already seated in the living room.
"Not unless there's something urgent. Why? Planning to have another heart-to-heart with my mom?"
"If I wanted to chat, we wouldn't need to meet in person. I already exchanged email addresses with her. We can keep in touch that way. Meeting in person... well, I doubt you'd want your mom to find out what her son's been up to, right?"
Mai shot a glance at Setsuna sitting beside him. She didn't spell it out, not wanting to stir up unnecessary tension with her daughter.
Haruto hadn't expected Mai to bring up the topic so openly. But she wasn't wrong—he didn't want his family finding out either. If Setsuna hadn't discovered it herself, he and Mai probably would've taken this secret to their graves.
"You're right. Let's drop the subject. My family likely won't come to Tokyo before summer. And once summer comes, I'll head back to Itomori for a while. No need to worry about them bumping into us."
"Going back home, huh?"
Mai's gaze lingered on him. Haruto responded with a faintly exasperated look.
"If you'd like, you can come visit. My family home's way bigger than my apartment—having a few more people around wouldn't be an issue."
"…I'll think about it."
She glanced at her daughter, not giving a straight answer.
If Haruto planned to return to Itomori, there was a high chance Setsuna would go with him. Left home alone, Mai figured it might not be such a bad idea to take time off and join them.
Seeing Mai fall into thought, he turned to Setsuna beside him.
"Want to come with me to Itomori for summer break?"
"…Mm."
She nodded without a second's hesitation.
"Then it's settled. You'll come with me. For now, let's just wait a bit longer."
Two months—it wasn't long, but it wasn't exactly short either.
After confirming their plans, Haruto rested in the living room a little longer before heading back to his apartment. Once inside, he took a shower and lay down on his bed—only for his phone to buzz almost immediately.
He glanced at it, then picked up.
"Asleep?"
"Just about to. You home?"
It was Mitsuha's voice—lively and spirited. He couldn't help but suspect she'd taken a nap after getting home and only just remembered to call.
"Yeah, been home since this afternoon. Forgot to call you. Oh, I left some stuff at your place—handle it however you want."
"What stuff?"
Haruto glanced around but didn't notice anything out of place.
"In the bathroom... actually, just let your girlfriend use it. No point in wasting it."
"…"
He had a pretty good idea of what she meant. Her sense of humor was, apparently, still going strong.
"Whatever. I'm going to sleep. Don't waste my time."
"Oh, and Yotsuha loved the gift you got her. Grandma got hers too—she wanted to know when you'll be back."
"I've got school. The only time I can go back is during summer. I'll head home then."
"Got it. I'll let them know."
"Anything else?"
"Good night."
"…Yeah. Good night."
It caught him off guard that Mitsuha would say good night—but he replied anyway before ending the call. Staring at the faint glow of the ceiling, he slowly closed his eyes.
"I'm heading to Tokyo for school. I probably won't be back in Itomori for a long time. If anything happens, write me a letter, okay? Just… whether I will reply depends on whether I have time.."
The face in front of him was blurry, like a smudge in his memory. Haruto tried to focus, to remember what she looked like. But the closer he got, the more her figure dissolved into mist.
"I get it. Life in Tokyo's probably going to be intense. School comes first, that's fair."
"Hmm… I usually appreciate how mature and calm you are, but at times like this, it's a little frustrating, you know?"
The face leaned in closer—only to reveal nothing but pitch blackness. A hollow void.
Haruto jolted awake.
Hiss—
He stared out the window at the bright morning sun and chirping birds. Rubbing his temples, he sat up with a long, heavy sigh.
"That dream… it's from way back, isn't it?"
It had been more than ten years. Her face had faded into the blur of time. Only her name remained crystal clear—Fujika Nono.
She was the older girl who used to live next door—cheerful, outgoing, completely different from him in every way. And yet, somehow, they'd always gotten along.
After graduating high school, she had moved to Tokyo for university. They had promised to keep in touch through letters, but not long after she left, the letters he sent started coming back, marked as undeliverable.
"It's been quite a while since then… What, three years? Yeah… she left right after graduating, so that must've been…"
As he recalled the details, a complex expression surfaced on his face. He fell silent for a while, then let out another quiet sigh before getting out of bed. After slipping into his clothes, he made his way to the bathroom.
A quick wash-up, a bit of grooming, and he was already preparing breakfast.
He went through his morning routine in silence, tidying his room with practiced ease. Once the simple breakfast was ready, he ate alone, wordlessly. Then he left the used dishes in the sink, slung his bag over his shoulder, and stepped out of the apartment—choosing not to think about that dream any further.
"Your family came to Tokyo over the break, didn't they?"
He had just arrived at school and taken his seat when Eriri approached him. She leaned casually on his desk with one hand, throwing him an unexpectedly pointed question.
He had thought Eriri helped the lost Miyamizu Futaba because she recognized his mother. But now, it didn't seem like that was the case.
"You've met them before, haven't you?"
"Huh?"
"My mom. And my little sister. You've seen them, right?"
"Well… I have. But that was, what, seven or eight years in the future? No way I'd remember exactly what they looked like now..."
Her eyes widened slightly. "So that woman the other day… that was your mom?"