The rain outside was coming down too hard—there was no reason for Mitsuha and Yotsuha to accompany him and get drenched too. After staying at home for a short while, Haruto waited until the rainfall eased slightly before grabbing his clear umbrella and heading out to the shopping street to buy groceries.
"Alright!"
Mitsuha, who had just finished organizing her luggage, stood up energetically not long after Haruto left. She turned toward Yotsuha, who sat idly in the room, unsure of what to do, and began to glance around the apartment with determined eyes.
"I didn't find anything the last time I came, but this time… I will find those magazines in his room!"
"Magazines?"
Yotsuha looked puzzled, but Mitsuha had already strode to Haruto's desk.
She pulled open the desk drawer with confidence. Since Haruto's apartment barely had any furniture, there weren't many hiding spots to begin with. If there was a place to stash magazines, the desk was the only logical choice!
Meanwhile, as Haruto walked away from his apartment into the rain, he suddenly had a strange feeling and glanced back over his shoulder.
For some reason… leaving Mitsuha alone at home like that didn't sit right with him.
Still, since he was already out, there was no point in wasting time going back to check what she might be doing in his absence.
"Still ended up getting wet, huh…"
He glanced at the damp spot forming on his shoulder where the rain had managed to sneak in under the umbrella. Shrugging it off, he turned his gaze forward and made his way toward the shopping district.
"I'm back in Tokyo. But the rain is too heavy today, so I won't come see you. I'll visit after it clears up, okay?"
"Wasn't it supposed to be two weeks? Why are you back so soon?"
"Something came up. I had to return to Tokyo to take care of it, so I couldn't stay in my hometown any longer. I ended up coming back in a rush today."
In her own room, Mito Yuka sat cross-legged in a chair at her desk, phone in hand, staring out the window at the pouring rain. It had been a week since she'd last seen Haruto, and the loneliness in her heart was undeniable—but with weather like this, meeting up was out of the question.
"It's really loud over there. You're still outside?"
"I already went home. But before I left for the countryside, I cleared out all the food from the fridge. There's nothing left at the apartment, so I went out to buy some groceries."
"You're out there all alone?"
Hearing that Haruto was in the shopping district, Yuka felt a sudden impulse—she wanted to go there, to see him in person.
"It's fine. I'll be heading back soon. Besides… I've got two little sisters waiting for me at home."
"Sisters…?"
"Yeah, my two little sisters came to Tokyo with me from Itomori. Leaving them alone at home would be boring for them, so once I'm done shopping, I'll head back."
Haruto pointed to a few items in front of him, raising his fingers to signal the quantity to the shopkeeper. He glanced outside at the pouring rain. It hadn't been long since he left home, but the rain had already intensified again.
Getting drenched… was inevitable.
"I'll leave it like this for now. Once the weather clears, I'll come see you," he said.
"Okay. Take care of yourself," Yuka replied.
"I will."
Ending the call with Yuka, Haruto took out his wallet, paid the bill, and found his hands completely full. Both arms were loaded with groceries—it was impossible to carry it all in one hand. If he tried, he might lose circulation in his fingers. But using both hands meant he couldn't hold the umbrella.
So, he went back to the supermarket and bought a cheap backpack, loaded some of the groceries into it, and headed back toward his apartment under his transparent umbrella, trudging through the relentless rain.
Ding-dong—
The doorbell rang suddenly. Inside the apartment, Mitsuha jumped as if electrocuted, dropping the item in her hand. As she scrambled to pick it up, the sound of the door unlocking reached her ears.
Click—
"Mitsuha, come here."
Yotsuha, who had been standing nearby, glanced at her sister and—pretending not to notice anything—walked calmly toward the door.
Taking this chance, Mitsuha quickly shoved the thing back into the drawer and slammed it shut before rushing toward the entrance.
"What is it?" she asked, cheeks slightly flushed.
Haruto immediately noticed something strange.
"Help me sort this stuff by the door. I'm going to take a shower."
Drenched from the rain, Haruto dropped the backpack and shopping bags at the entrance, wiped the water from his forehead, and sighed before heading to the bathroom.
"Put the food in the fridge, drinks too. I'll handle the rest later. Oh, and those desserts—split them between you and Yotsuha."
With that, the bathroom door closed.
Looking at the soggy bags and backpack, Mitsuha turned to Yotsuha.
The younger girl crouched down and unzipped the backpack, starting to sort the groceries. Mitsuha, still a little rattled from earlier, eventually joined her sister and began helping just as Haruto had instructed.
About thirty minutes later, Haruto stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist, drying his hair.
Mitsuha, munching on a cookie beside Yotsuha in the living room, froze the moment she saw him.
"All sorted?" Haruto asked.
"Yeah... but why are you only wearing a towel?"
"Because I forgot to bring clothes into the bathroom."
Without much care, he walked over to the wardrobe, grabbed a change of clothes, and returned to the bathroom. A moment later, he emerged again—this time wearing shorts and a shirt.
"Better now?"
"..."
Mitsuha wanted to say something, but realized there was no stopping him. Resigned, she simply averted her gaze and continued nibbling on her cookie like a hamster.
Haruto went over to the fridge and checked how the groceries had been stored.
It was surprisingly neat and orderly—far better than he had expected.
"Any meal requests? If not, I'll get started."
"Just like at home is fine," Mitsuha answered, glancing at him.
Yotsuha nodded in agreement.
"Got it."
He began cooking: washed rice, set it to cook, and started prepping the ingredients.
Yotsuha wanted to help, but the long, bumpy trip had worn her out. She just didn't have the energy.
Mitsuha was in slightly better shape but still tired. She sat quietly, watching Haruto cook, knowing full well that once dinner was over, she'd probably pass out.
No, I can't fall asleep just yet!
"I'll go take a bath now, okay?"
"Huh? Sure. You're bathing now?"
"I'm tired. I just want to rest after dinner, so I'll shower first."
Being honest about her exhaustion, Mitsuha no longer had the energy to act tough. Yotsuha chimed in, saying she was tired too.
"Alright. You two can bathe together. Toss your clothes into the washing machine, and check the pockets first. If there's anything in them, just leave it in the living room."
Haruto continued cooking without looking away.
Mitsuha and Yotsuha got up and headed for the bathroom.
Inside, Mitsuha glanced at the laundry hamper—and the black boxer briefs resting atop it. She hesitated, but surprisingly didn't make a disgusted face. She crouched down, picked up the pants, checked the pockets, then did the same for Haruto's jacket. Finding nothing inside, she dumped everything into the washer and closed the lid before joining Yotsuha in the bath.
"Where are the clothes?"
"Outside. We forgot to bring them in."
After about thirty, almost forty minutes, the two sat in the bathroom and exchanged a look.
They were exhausted. And being in a different place had thrown off their routine—they'd forgotten to bring a change of clothes.
They looked at each other, then at the single bath towel between them.
"You go out with the towel and grab our clothes?" Mitsuha suggested.
"Why me?"
"The towel clearly won't cover me…"
"Well, yeah, but I'm still not going."
"Why not?"
"No reason."
Yotsuha approached the bathroom door, knocked twice, and called out.
"Onii-chan!"
Haruto, who had just finished preparing dinner and was resting in the living room, snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the knock.
"What is it?"
"Can you bring us some clothes? We forgot to grab them."
"Clothes?"
"Yotsuha!"
Mitsuha panicked. She didn't want Haruto to bring her clothes. She wasn't sure why, but the thought made her feel strangely embarrassed. After all, they weren't little kids anymore.
"You both forgot?"
"Yep!" Yotsuha answered instantly, cutting off Mitsuha before she could protest.
"Wait a moment."
About five minutes later, just as Mitsuha's mental anguish reached its peak, the bathroom door opened slightly.
"Here you go."
The bathroom door wasn't locked. Haruto opened it just enough to extend his hand inside, holding out their clothes. Mitsuha's eyes widened in shock, while Yotsuha calmly took the clothes and shut the door again. She sorted the garments and handed Mitsuha's clothes to her.
Mitsuha accepted them mechanically, her mind spiraling into grayscale.
Yotsuha shot a quick glance at her overreacting sister, then slipped into her clothes and walked out of the bathroom. Mitsuha, on the other hand, sat there for a long time, paralyzed by shame before finally mustering the will to get dressed and leave the bathroom.
Haruto, already seated at the dining table, looked up as Mitsuha came out. Noticing her bright red cheeks, he wisely kept quiet. Anything he said at this point might just trigger her further. So he stayed silent, picked up his chopsticks, and began eating his dinner.
Yotsuha glanced between Mitsuha and Haruto, then clapped her hands lightly.
"I'm digging in," she said politely and started eating.
Mitsuha, who had been planning to wallow a bit longer in her embarrassment, saw the two of them ignoring her completely and starting to eat. She hurriedly sat down at the table and grabbed her chopsticks.
"I'm digging in!" she said quickly.
After dinner, it was mostly Haruto who handled the cleanup. Mitsuha wiped the table halfheartedly before slumping into a seat, clearly too drained to do anything else.
"You two can sleep on the bed tonight," Haruto said. "Same as back in Itomori. I'll take the floor."
He pulled out the futon from under the bed—one he had bought during their last visit. This time, he'd even gotten himself a pillow.
"Going to bed already?" Mitsuha asked.
"What else is there to do?" Haruto replied, glancing around the apartment and then at Mitsuha, who seemed to be perking up a bit and not quite ready to sleep.
"It's just... kinda early. It's only seven."
She looked at the clock. Even though she was mentally tired, Mitsuha didn't want to go to bed so early.
"What about you, Yotsuha?"
"I wanna sleep," Yotsuha yawned.
"Well then, that's two votes to one. Time to sleep!"
Without giving Mitsuha another glance, Haruto lay down and closed his eyes.
Yotsuha stood by the bed for a moment, then turned toward Haruto and quietly lay down beside him.
Compared to sleeping with her big sister, she still preferred curling up next to her big brother.
~~~~~~~~~~
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