[Warning 15+]
Part One~She Only Acts Like Her Old Self When She's with Me... Wait, Hold Up!~Chapter 27Flowers
Saturday morning, after breakfast.
Hayato was stuck in the living room being forced to give feedback on Himeko's outfit.
"What do you think of this? Is it a bit too childish?"
In front of the sofa, Himeko spun around, her dress fluttering at the hem. It was a sweet, sleeveless floral design that screamed "I'm a girl." Himeko didn't seem quite convinced, groaning as she thought it over.
"Eh yeah, isn't it fine?"
"Geez, Big Bro! Give me a serious answer!"
"Even if you tell me that..."
By the way, this was already the third time Himeko had asked for Hayato's opinion.
The one right before this was a cut-and-sew top with a low neckline and a mid-length tulle skirt for a more mature look, and before that was the age-appropriate outfit Himeko'd worn to the convenience store the other night.
(They all look good on Himeko, I think any of them would be fine, though.)
Himeko had quite the wardrobe.
And apparently, Himeko had specific preferences depending on the situation.
However, Hayato didn't get his little sis' picky taste, and to be honest, he was at a loss whenever she asked for his input.
That thought was written all over Hayato's face, which only made Himeko's cheeks puff out even more in annoyance.
Just as a dissatisfied Himeko was about to press Hayato for a real answer, she caught sight of the clock and started to panic.
"Oh, it's the time! Ugh, fine, this'll do. Haru-chan is older than me, after all."
"Wait, you're leaving already? It's not even 9 AM yet."
"Hehe, well, it's gonna take time to stop by Haru-chan's place and get her dressed up, right?"
"Oh..."
With that, Himeko slipped on her favorite sandals and dashed out. At that rate, she was probably going to storm into Haruki's place.
After seeing Himeko off, Hayato let out a huge sigh of relief, finally feeling free, and stretched out on the sofa.
Looking around, the living room was nice and tidy with most of the unpacking done. Hayato's room was pretty much the same. More than half of Himeko's room was still a mess, but it's not like Hayato could go in and do it for her.
That didn't mean Hayato had nothing else to do, though.
"Alright, let's get to it. Let's see, burnable trash is on Mondays here—"
Sorting the trash, cleaning the shared areas like the kitchen, bathroom, living room, and hallway. Hayato tackled the pile of laundry and even washed the bedsheets while he was at it.
Hayato was incredibly skilled and efficient, knocking out the chores one by one with no wasted effort.
Naturally, Hayato scowled a bit only when it came time to hang up Himeko's underwear. It wasn't that he was complaining or anything. It's just that, even if she was his little sis, he felt a little resistance toward touching a girl's undergarments.
Before Hayato knew it, the housework was done. Since this place was smaller than their house back in Tsukinose, it went faster than expected.
The time was just before 11 AM.
It was still a bit early for lunch, and Hayato didn't really feel like cooking for just one person anyway. Just in case, he took a peek in the fridge to see if there was anything, but it was completely empty. Either way, he had to head out.
"…Guess I'll head over."
Hayato muttered as if convincing himself, then pulled a certain envelope from a shelf in the living room. He fired up his laptop and double-checked the address written on it.
Hayato's face put a somewhat solemn expression.
◇◇◇
After leaving the apartment, Hayato headed for the nearest station. It was a perfectly ordinary station building, nothing special to write home about.
There, Hayato found himself surprised, thinking things like, "It really only takes about 10 minutes to get to the station," or "Whoa, 10 trains an hour?!", while he rode the train for two stops. He got off the train, still shocked by how short the distance between stops was, and aimed for the large, white building visible even from the station.
Located in what could be called the suburbs, the place had an incredibly vast parking lot and greenery like lawns and flowerbeds for relaxation, yet despite the nature, it still gave off a somewhat sterile vibe.
After entering the unusually wide lobby and checking in at the front desk, Hayato headed for a certain room on the sixth floor.
617――the number on the door marked the hospital room where Hayato's Mom was staying.
"Oh, Hayato?"
"Mom."
In the hospital room, which felt about the size of a studio apartment, a mother who had grown a bit thin and frail was in the middle of peeling a pear with a paring knife.
"Want some? I was peeling them as part of my rehab, but I ended up overdoing it."
"Eh, yeah... ...wait, isn't this way too much?!"
"Ahahaha, well, there's three whole pears here!"
"Are you even gonna finish this, Mom? What are you even doing, Mom?"
"It's fine. If there's any left over, I'll just have Dad eat them tonight."
"Dad..."
Hayato took a piece of pear—which had been needlessly and meticulously carved into the shape of leaves and rabbits—from his cheerfully laughing mother and popped it in his mouth. The crisp texture and sweet-tart aroma spread through his mouth.
His mom squinted her eyes as she watched Hayato eat with such relish. Noticing her gaze, Hayato felt a bit embarrassed and looked away—then he asked what had been on his mind.
"So, eh... ...are you really gonna be okay, Mom?"
"Of course. The surgery was a success, after all. There's a bit of numbness in my fingertips, but it looks like I'll be moving to the rehab ward soon... ...More importantly, how's Himeko doin'? She hasn't been crying, has she?"
"Himeko's doin' great. She went out to hang with Haru—I mean, with a friend today."
"I see."
Hearing that, the look on Mom's face turned to one of pure relief, and she let out a long sigh. Seeing his Mom looking so energetic, Hayato let out a sigh of relief himself.
"Alright, I'm headin' out."
"Oh, you should stick around for a while."
"Give me a break."
In the end, after polishing off three whole pears, Hayato hurried out of the room, leaving behind his Mom who looked reluctant to see him go.
Hayato wanted to get out of there as fast as humanly possible――that was how he felt.
The time Mom collapsed—collapsing right in front of Himeko's eyes—it was the second time... ...it had happened.
Even though Hayato'd heard from Dad that Mom was gonna be okay, seeing her with his own eyes and realizing she was in better shape than Hayato'd expected made him feel a whole lot better.
Hayato hated hospitals.
A place far removed from daily life, a space where emergency situations took physical form.
A clean, white space designed to look sterile, scented with the smell of disinfectant, with colorful flowers cut and plucked from everywhere, decorated vividly like a display of s*vered heads.
A place that felt distorted in some way――that was what a hospital was to Hayato.
"Oh."
"Huh?"
That's why when Hayato saw it, he was totally shocked.
The one holding it was a petite girl with curly hair that looked like a sheep's. A quirky girl who planted veggies in the school's flowerbeds.
"M-Mitake-san?"
"Kirishima-san……?"
A vivid bouquet of white, yellow, and purple flowers that looked somewhat familiar―it was a bouquet made of veggie flowers.
Author's Notes:
Two weeks since I started posting, and we've already topped 30,000 points!
Meow!
| 〝゛゛゛゛ッ―、
ミ´∀｀ ／
(ヽ (ヽミ
(( ミ ミ
ミ ミ
ミ〟 ソ
∪゛゛~゛^ヽ)
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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