Leaving the theater, the two of them didn't go straight home.
They went to the aquarium to see penguins, rode the carousel at the amusement park, shared a strawberry sundae like all couples.
As the final ray of daylight slowly vanished beyond the distant skyline, the steel-and-concrete outline of the city blurred into the twilight. The streetlights on either side of the road quietly lit up, like a flowing painting, casting soft light and shadows over the smooth asphalt road.
"Today's date was really fun," While walking through a quiet, deserted park, the evening breeze carried moisture, gently brushing across the entire world.
The girl's brown hair swayed slightly in the air. Soyo stopped walking, the soft white incandescent light behind her reflected brilliant specks of light in her sky-blue eyes, like a full moon at ten o'clock, brimming with gentleness.
"I had a great time too," Kaito rubbed her head.
For girls, maintaining long hair is quite troublesome, just daily care takes up a lot of time.
But with loss comes gain. "Long black straight" is practically a killer attribute for most guys. It has an ethereal fairy-like vibe, easily evoking memories of the sweet and innocent first love of youth. It could be called the standard "white moonlight" hairstyle.
'Come to think of it, there really seem to be quite a few long-haired girls around me?'
'Just in the band alone, Bocchi, Kita, and Nijika all meet the criteria. Only Ryou is the odd one out, keeping her short hair.'
'Secretary Sakiko also has long hair, and her childhood friend, Mutsumi wears her green hair down to her waist.'
'Including Yumiko and Soyo, as well as a certain overly friendly pink baby dragon, a rough count brings the total to nearly two hands' worth.'
'But... that's not necessarily a bad thing either.'
Perhaps because she really likes aromatherapy, Soyo's brown hair always carries a faint fragrance. It not only feels great to touch, but also smells refreshing and uplifting.
The two of them sat on a bench under a streetlamp for a moment of warmth, until Soyo broke the silence.
"It's already quite late... Kaito-kun, do you have any plans next?", Her soft, gentle voice seemed to carry a hint of suggestion.
'No, this was more like an outright invitation, right?'
Kaito wasn't exactly a blockhead. He understood what Soyo meant. But thinking of little Mutsumi back home, especially her helpless, fragile sleeping face before he left, he still felt uneasy.
All great practitioners have a sixth sense, the ability to sense fortune and misfortune.
But today's feeling was strange. It wasn't a warning of danger, but something... indescribable and hard to explain.
After some thought, he still turned down Soyo's invitation, "Maybe next time. I still have something to take care of at home tonight."
The brown-haired girl lightly bit her lip, looking a bit disappointed.
'It is the perfect time to indulge, with mom not around, and I could've gone all out without a care, but it ended up like this?'
Still, Soyo didn't want to be seen as a lustful girl, and her personality was inherently understanding. She didn't protest or even show a trace of displeasure. Instead, she asked with concern,."Is it something important? If there's anything I can help with, feel free to say so, Kaito-kun~"
"If I have to say, it's not exactly urgent," Kaito didn't hide anything from her. After all, their relationship was already close enough, "Actually, it's about little Mutsumi. When I left today, I felt like something was off with her, like she had something on her mind. So I'm a little worried."
"L-Little Mutsumi?", The brown-haired girl froze, clearly caught off guard.
'Why does my boyfriend notice Mutsumi's condition is off before going on a date with me?'
'When did their relationship get so close?'
"I didn't tell you?", Kaito was a bit puzzled too. But after thinking carefully, it seemed he really hadn't explained this part to Soyo in detail. Still, it wasn't too late to say now, "At Mori Minami's request, Mutsumi is currently staying at my house for a while."
'Staying over?'
The smile froze on Nagasaki Soyo's face, and her mood suddenly turned dazed.
'So... without me knowing, Mutsumi and my boyfriend has actually been living together this whole time?'
It suddenly felt like something heavy landed on her head, like she was wearing a hat.
Kaito didn't notice her odd reaction. He briefly summarized how he and Mutsumi met in a few sentences.
Of course, due to length constraints, he didn't mention Secretary Sakiko, he only said he had accepted a commission from the Wakaba family.
Hearing that her friend had once been haunted by a nightmare spirit and nearly died, Soyo's expression grew complicated.
Angry? Of course she was.
But Mutsumi's experience... really made it hard for her to say anything harsh.
Having personally experienced being haunted by an evil spirit, Soyo understood that pain and despair all too well.
Mutsumi was already quiet and withdrawn. After going through something like that and developing a psychological shadow, it was understandable that she could only sleep peacefully beside Kaito.
After all, she had once felt the same way too.
'But understanding is one thing... Does that justify freeloading my boyfriend?'
The only good news, if you could call it that, was that Mutsumi really did seem like what she once claimed: having no intention to compete.
Even though she had the natural advantage of being close, Soyo still seized the initiative.
If Mutsumi really had the intention to compete, just living under the same roof with Kaito would've given her way more chances than Soyo.
Thinking of this, Soyo stayed silent for a long time before quietly saying, "Can I... also go with Kaito-kun to visit Mutsumi?"
After receiving this bombshell of news, there was no way the girl could just pretend nothing happened and head home.
Naturally, she had to see the truth for herself, with her own eyes.
"Of course," Kaito didn't think too much about it.
Soyo and Mutsumi were classmates and good friends. Hearing that Mutsumi wasn't doing well and wanting to visit her in person was a perfectly normal reaction.
Besides, they were both girls.
If Mutsumi really had something troubling her that she couldn't tell him, she probably wouldn't hesitate to tell Soyo instead.
'And seeing a friend come to visit, surely, that will make Mutsumi happy too?'
Helping his little sister smile with pure innocence was something any good big brother should do.
The two of them rode the train home together, though the atmosphere was a bit heavy.
Soyo stared blankly out the window the entire ride, lost in thought, no one knew what was on her mind.
———
[Forty-Five Minutes Later]
With a beep, the password authentication passed, and the door opened.
The girl with light green long hair greeted them with a bright smile and happily rushed over.
"Onii-chan, welcome ho—eh?"
Those brilliant golden eyes froze slightly, staring at the brown-haired girl before her. Even time itself seemed to stop.
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