[Warning 15+]
Author's Notes:
December 26, Reiwa 2 (2020), around 4 PM.
I changed it so that Haruki is actually pretty cr*p at tutoring.
Part One
~She Only Acts Like Her Old Self When She's with Me... Wait, Hold Up!~Chapter 35Ain't Letting You Go Home
"Just kidding!"
Total 180 from the vibe just a second ago—Haruki suddenly cranked up the cheerfulness.
"…I see."
Hayato could only squeeze out a response, his voice barely a mumble.
Maybe because the tension had snapped, the grip on their joined hands started to loosen up.
"Man, we've actually walked a ton. I've seen this place from the train window before, but walking it is a first… …feels like we're on an expedition or something."
"Everything's a first for me… …wait, are we even going the right way?"
"Haha, if we get lost, just pull up the map. You got the app, right?"
"…Ugh, yeah, but what the heck is this? Looks more like a maze than a map."
"I mean, compared to the countryside of Tsukinose―whoa, what is up with that shop?!"
"A bakery called 'Don't You Dare Stop'?! And 'Arayashiki Bread' for 980 yen for two loaves? That makes zero sense, and it's freakin' expensive!"
As they kept talking, things started to feel like they were back to normal.
Just like how they used to explore the woods and mountains looking for new spots as kids, they were now finding weird shops and signs among the skyscrapers instead of trees, and their random convos was in full swing. Totally business as usual.
But it was obvious that Haruki was just faking it.
Haruki was refusing to let Hayato get any closer to the vulnerability she'd just shown. It was a wall called "reserve," built up during those seven blank years between Hayato and Haruki.
Looking over at her, Haruki was smiling just like always.
And that just messed with Hayato's head even more.
Who knows how long they'd been walking and talking?
Before they knew it, they'd reached the station nearest to their house.
"Oh, we're finally at our station."
"Yeah."
"Hmm, maybe it's too early for dinner? Besides, the hem of this skirt is kinda bugging me, so I'm gonna head home for a sec to―"
"No way!"
"Hayato…? Eh, I gotta change… …oh, it's fine, I already asked Hime-chan to help me out with some casual clothes and stuff―"
"No."
"U-Um…"
"Nope."
Hayato was being way too pushy. He completely shut Haruki out.
Without giving Haruki a chance to argue, Hayato just dragged her along while she stood there looking totally fed up and confused.
It was just Hayato being stubborn. There wasn't even a shred of logic behind what he was doing.
So, Hayato squeezed out the best excuse his brain could come up with at the last second.
"…I mean, it's just that... ...I haven't had enough fun with you yet, Haruki."
"O-Oh, I see."
Bottom line: Hayato didn't want Haruki going back to that house. Without even looking back, he just kept leading her straight to his place.
Because of that, Hayato had zero clue just how suggestive he was being, and he totally missed the look on Haruki's face as he pulled her along.
◇◇◇
It was just before 4 PM in the summer, with the sun still too high up to really call it evening. A totally awkward in-between time.
By the end of the afternoon like this, it's only natural to feel like letting your hair down and just chilling out.
"…Oh."
"Himeko…"
Himeko spun around so stiffly it was like you could hear her neck creaking as she greeted Hayato and Haruki back home.
Looking totally busted, Himeko was clutching a ring-shaped controller while a game was running on the TV screen. To be fair, she did have her notebooks and workbooks spread out on the table, so there was at least some proof she'd tried to study.
"I-I mean, look, muscles are like, a partner for life, ya know?"
Himeko tried to talk her way out of it using some cheesy line from the game, but Hayato just gave her the "are you serious?" look.
"Yeah, same goes for knowledge and studying."
"Ugh... W-well, you can't just study all day, you need a breather, and like, being out of shape is bad for you too, so yeah."
"Sigh…"
Even though Himeko actually had been studying, it looked like Hayato and Haruki just happened to walk in at the worst possible time.
The Kirishima Siblings just stared each other down with these weird-*ss looks on their faces.
Watching those two, combined with the total 180 in the vibe from earlier, Haruki found the whole thing so hilarious she started shaking from holding back laughs.
"Ahaha, Hime-chan, you've got High School Entrance Exams this year, right? Yeah, you definitely need to blow off some steam."
"R-Right?! I mean, I've totally been hitting the books until just now!"
"Wait, is that the game where you move your whole body? I've actually been kind of interested in that. I'll help you with your studies later, so let's all just play together."
"Haru-chan, you totally get me! Right, Big Bro?"
"…Good grief."
Thanks to that back-and-forth with Himeko, the heavy tension that had been hanging between Hayato and Haruki just vanished into thin air.
Haruki, and even Hayato, got seriously into the game.
Since only one person could play at a time and it was a full-body workout, taking turns between the three of them was the perfect setup. Whoever was waiting their turn would heckle or cheer, making the whole room get super hyped. Haruki in particular was going absolutely wild.
"Yo, hup, hiyah!"
Shouting out as she moved, Haruki threw her whole body into these massive, over-the-top motions. At a glance, it looked like she was doing way too much, but she was raking in points like a pro. Her movements were so smooth you couldn't look away. Every now and then, Haruki'd shoot a smug look at Hayato or Himeko. Haruki was totally showing off and she knew it.
Problem was, Haruki's outfit today was this white one-piece summer dress that, while classy, showed off a lot of skin around her shoulders and thighs.
Going ham with the exercise meant certain parts were playing peek-a-boo all over the place. And the kicker? Haruki probably didn't even realize it.
"Heh, Haru-chan is looking lowkey sexy with all those flashes, don'tcha think, Big Bro?"
"Himeko, you sound like a total creep."
"Hehehe, so, Big Bro? What do you think of Haru-chan's look today?"
"I mean, Haruki looks pretty cute, I guess? …But well, she's Haruki."
"Oho, I see how it is, I see."
"Wh-What's that supposed to mean?"
Even from Hayato's objective POV, Haruki definitely fell into the "beauty" type. He had his moments where he'd get all flustered. Actually, even right now, she was putting on a pretty provocative show.
But Hayato told himself he was looking at Haruki with the same kind of "unfortunate" feeling he had for his little sis, Himeko. Or at least, that's what he wanted to believe.
"How's that! You see that?! I've got the high score now!"
"Oh! D*mmit, next time I'm definitely…!"
"Don't overdo it, okay? Don't come crying to me if you're sore as heck tomorrow."
Himeko bit at Haruki's bait, and the room just kept getting louder and more hyped.
Dinner was katsu curry.
Hayato's secret move was prepping the pork by trimming the fat and sinew, then seasoning it up with salt, pepper, and grated ginger. He'd slow-fry it at a low temp first, then crank it up at the end to get that perfect crunch while keeping the inside juicy as heck.
Tonkatsu goes with basically anything, but it hit different with the leftover summer veggie curry from yesterday. Everyone pigged out so much that Haruki and Himeko cleaned their plates and started complaining about "getting fat" all over again.
Himeko tried to sneak back to the game, claiming she needed to burn off the calories, but that wasn't gonna fly. Like they promised, they sat down for a study session with Haruki taking the lead.
"Okay, so you just plug in 4 for y right there."
"Wait a sec, Haru-chan! Where the heck did that 4 come from?! It's literally nowhere in the problem!"
"Well, it says x + y = 12 at the start, right? So, obviously from there."
"How do you even know that without doing the math?! And why is it actually right!?"
Haruki's tutoring style was pure instinct—honestly, it sucked and they weren't getting much done. But still, they kept at it, having a blast even with Himeko calling out her "magic" math.
Hayato watched them in the background while doing the dishes and wrestling with the manual for his new smartphone, thinking back on everything that went down today.
If you just looked at this moment, you'd think things were back to normal.
But yeah, a whole lot of cr*p definitely happened today.
(…There's no way I can just act like I didn't see that.)
That look on Haruki's face back then was just too intense to forget.
"Mnh, it's getting pretty late. I should probably get going."
"It's already past 9 PM. Big Bro, make sure you walk Haru-chan home."
"Yeah…"
Something was nagging at Hayato.
Hayato'd dragged Haruki here against her will, but he still hadn't said what he needed to say—it was like this heavy, unsettled feeling stuck in his gut.
But since he didn't have a clue how to handle it, Hayato just did what Himeko told him and followed Haruki out to the front door.
"Whoa, look at that rain!"
"It's totally pouring out there."
The second they cracked the door open, the roar of the rain hit them like a physical blow to the ears.
They hadn't noticed while they were inside, but it was absolutely dumping outside.
The phrase "raining buckets" didn't even do it justice—it was so bad you'd wonder if an umbrella would even do a d*mn thing.
If Haruki tried to walk through this, that brand-new summer dress she just put on today would be totally trashed.
"Well, nothing we can do about it. Can I borrow an umbrella?"
"Mnh, oh, yeah…"
They headed down the hallway together and hopped into the elevator, aiming for the main entrance.
"…"
"…"
Dead silence.
The vibe they had back at Hayato's place was long gone, replaced by something heavy and serious.
But neither of them could find anything to talk about. It felt exactly like that hollow feeling after a festival ends, and that awkwardness stuck around right up until the moment Haruki geared up to bolt out into the downpour.
"Ahaha, maybe I don't even need an umbrella. I'm just gonna run for it!"
"Hold on!"
"Huh?"
Before he even knew it, Hayato had snatched Haruki's arm just as she was about to take off. He looked dead serious.
"Don't go home. Just stay over at my place."
"…Wait, what?"
Haruki just froze, her face going totally blank at the sudden invite.
Haruki's gasp of surprise was instantly swallowed up by the sound of the midnight rain relentlessly hammering against the ground and the roofs.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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