At the foot of the bed, a pink ribbon could be vaguely seen. The three people in the room turned their eyes toward the direction where Setsuna pointed.
"Pink? I'm not really into pink, so I shouldn't have anything of that color. Most of my stuff is black or white... Pink, huh..."
Haruto furrowed his brow as he noticed the pink ribbon hanging from the end of his bed. He slowly walked over, stopped at the foot of the bed, and reached out to check what it was—
"Stop!"
Bang—
The sliding door was flung open, and with a loud shout, Mitsuha rushed into Haruto's room. Under his stunned gaze, she sat right on the edge of the bed, covering the pink object with her body.
As Haruto reached out, a figure suddenly blocked his way and sat directly on the ribbon. His hand froze midair. He stared at Mitsuha, who had crossed her arms and was glaring at him defensively.
"Mitsuha?"
"No way!" she snapped.
Glaring at her brother with intense wariness, Mitsuha shielded the object from view. Setsuna and Sekai, surprised by her sudden appearance, glanced toward the doorway, wondering when she had started eavesdropping.
Their hearts skipped a beat. If Mitsuha had overheard anything sensitive, their relationship dynamics could be exposed in an instant.
Good thing we didn't say anything incriminating just now...
As Setsuna eyed Mitsuha's tense expression and the little bit of pink peeking out, a realization dawned on her. She had a vague idea of what it might be—though why something like that would be in Haruto's room was a different question.
"Haruto," Setsuna called out.
"Hm?"
"Come over here for a second."
Haruto turned to her, puzzled. "What is it?"
"Just step out of the room for a while."
"What?"
"Come back in when we say it's okay."
Haruto glanced at Mitsuha—her face flushed red—and sighed. He rubbed his face with his palm before quietly stepping out of the room.
Once the door slid shut, Mitsuha looked nervously at Setsuna and Sekai. Sekai, now aware of the item's... private nature, turned away toward the window. Setsuna, her back still facing Mitsuha, subtly moved.
She quickly snatched the pink undergarment from under the bed, stuffed it into her clothes, stood up, and dashed to the door.
Haruto, waiting outside, barely registered her blur of motion as she passed him by.
"…."
Back in the room, the two girls looked at Haruto.
Raising both his hands in a helpless gesture, Haruto sighed. "I seriously don't know what just happened."
"Probably underwear," Setsuna muttered, holding her hands over her chest as a vague gesture.
Haruto massaged his temple, then looked toward the bed where the sheet had been lifted. He went over and tidied it up.
"She probably snuck into my room to nap while I was away," he said, trying to rationalize it.
That was likely true. Still, why Mitsuha's underwear was left behind was something Setsuna quietly made a note of. She didn't ask further—but in her heart, she now had a new curiosity she intended to pursue during their stay in Itomori.
Sekai, unaware of Setsuna's thoughts, was simply surprised. She had thought Haruto and Mitsuha didn't get along well—but clearly, that wasn't the whole story. If she really disliked him, there's no way she'd be sleeping in his room while he was away.
At least, in Sekai's mind, if she disliked someone, she wouldn't go anywhere near their room, let alone rest inside it.
"Let's not worry about Mitsuha for now," Haruto said. "There's not much to do tonight anyway. We've only got a TV in the house. You okay with that?"
The mobile network in Itomori was unreliable. Internet browsing was slow, and there was no home Wi-Fi. His laptop could only run offline.
"I'm fine. I usually just zone out or nap when I'm at home anyway," Sekai replied. Just being with Haruto made her happy—she didn't care about entertainment.
Setsuna was even less concerned. She glanced at the bookshelf on Haruto's desk, full of titles she hadn't read yet. Reading would easily pass the time.
"I did buy a few movies before coming here," Haruto said, digging into his bag.
He preferred owning rather than renting, so he'd bought DVDs outright. His computer and the living room TV both had disc drives, so they wouldn't have any playback issues.
"You two pick something you like. I'll go get some tea."
As he left, the two girls leaned in to look at the DVD titles.
"The Pianist, The Shawshank Redemption, The Teacher, The Lives of Others, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring…"
They glanced at each other, unsure of how to react.
Meanwhile, Haruto returned to a nearly empty living room. His grandmother and mother had probably retired to their rooms. Mitsuha had run off earlier, likely to hers, and Yotsuha was probably with her.
He poured three cups of tea and carried them back on a tray.
Later, Haruto found himself squeezed between two dozing girls. Sekai leaned against him, clearly losing the battle with sleep. Setsuna had ended up right in his lap, barely keeping her eyes open.
By the time the second movie finished, Sekai was fast asleep, her breathing soft and even. Setsuna was yawning uncontrollably.
"Tired?" he asked, whispering near her ear.
Setsuna nodded, gazing at him sleepily. "I'm exhausted, Haruto."
"Go ahead and sleep. You and Sekai take the bed—I'll sleep on the floor."
Looking at Sekai, already slumped in dreamland, Haruto gently nudged Setsuna aside, then lifted Sekai in his arms.
"Mmm… huh?" she murmured.
"I'm putting you to bed. You and Setsuna sleep there."
"What about you?"
"I'll grab a futon. Don't worry."
He tucked Sekai into bed. Setsuna, still yawning, lay down beside her and closed her eyes. Haruto quietly left the room.
From the girls' assigned room, he grabbed one futon, carried it back, and laid it out on the floor. After turning off the light and sliding the door shut, he lay down and began to relax.
Surprisingly, Mitsuha didn't sneak in during the night. That alone was a small relief.
Back home in this familiar environment, Haruto felt a sense of calm he hadn't known in Tokyo. The comfort lulled him into deep sleep.
Morning
Haruto remained lazy in bed well past his usual wake-up time. It wasn't until footsteps approached his door that he finally opened his eyes.
Slide—
The door opened. Soft footsteps came closer. The small, pale feet made it obvious—it was Mitsuha.
She crouched beside him, stared at him for a while, then reached out and pinched his nose.
Opening his eyes, Haruto gave her a flat look.
"Are you stupid?"
"Are you lazy?"
They whispered their barbs, not knowing if the girls on the bed were awake.
"What time is it?"
"Eight already. Yotsuha's been up for a while. Grandma's finished breakfast too."
"Grandma always wakes up early, doesn't she? She's not like us. Probably up at four or five."
He remembered how she usually went to bed by eight and woke before dawn. The light from the living room before sunrise always felt eerie when he got up to use the bathroom.
"So, how long do you plan to sleep?"
"A bit longer."
He glanced at the two sleeping girls. Yesterday's travel must've drained them—they were still sound asleep.
"I'm heading to the living room with Yotsuha. Not waiting for you guys."
"You're in middle school now, right?"
"Huh?"
"Try purple."
Mitsuha blinked. "What are you talking about?"
Then she glanced down—and froze.
Realizing what he meant, her face flushed, and she stomped on Haruto's face with her bare foot.
"Ow, that hurts!"
Even though she held back, it still stung. Haruto winced and sighed as she stormed out of the room.
"Is everyone in Itomori this careless?" he muttered. "Wearing safety shorts is basic city etiquette these days…"
Of course, not all girls wore them—but as her brother, he wanted Mitsuha to at least be cautious around men.
"Haruto."
A soft voice called him. Haruto turned, rubbing his cheek, and met Setsuna's gaze.
"Looking at your sister like that... this kind of thing is too much."
"..."
Haruto didn't expect she'd woken up. He hesitated, sighed, and tried to defend himself.
"She squatted down on her own. I was just trying to remind her not to be so careless around guys."
"..."
Setsuna sort of bought that explanation. She looked at Sekai, still fast asleep beside her.
It was understandable—Sekai hadn't slept well before the trip, and she only got brief rest on the way here. She was likely more exhausted than either of them.
Wearing her pajamas, Setsuna quietly left the bed and slipped under the blanket beside Haruto, her body pressing against his as she gazed into his eyes.
"Hey, Haruto."
"Hmm?"
"If I called you Onii-chan... would that make you happy?"
"Huh? HUH?!"