[Warning 15+]
Author's Notes:
Startin' from here is Part 6 Sub-Part 3.
Tenbin Volumes 1, 4, and 5 got a reprint!
Startin' from here is Part 6 Sub-Part 3.
Tenbin Volumes 1, 4, and 5 got a reprint!
Part Six
―With the Same Energy as Before, Wearin' a Smile
Chapter 223
Pale Complexion
―With the Same Energy as Before, Wearin' a Smile
Chapter 223
Pale Complexion
Monday, right after the weekend.
Most people passin' by on the way to school had a somewhat gloomy air about them at the start of a new week, yet contrary to them, Hayato was in a remarkably good mood.
The topic Hayato was talkin' about was his Mom, who had suddenly been discharged from the hospital.
"—And so Mom, the second she heard the door open when Dad came home last night, stuffed the booze into the fridge and tried to play it completely cool. In the end, Dad spotted a glass filled to the brim and grumbled at her to keep it in moderation."
"Ahaha, that sounds just like Auntie. Wait, did Auntie always like drinkin' that much?"
"At Tsukinose family gatherings and stuff, I never really got the impression that Auntie drank all that much, though..."
"Well, Mom was stuck in the hospital for a long time, so it's probably rebound from that. I'm not gonna complain as long as she doesn't overdo it."
Hayato's voice sounded upbeat.
There was certainly surprise and bewilderment.
Even so, Hayato's joy at havin' his family back in its proper shape was impossible to hide.
It was the same for both Haruki and Saki, whose cheeks softened into smiles, caught up in Hayato's mood.
Yet amidst all that, Himeko alone was wrapped in a weirdly gloomy atmosphere.
"...Well, I'm headin' this way."
"Oh, Hime-chan, wait up!"
""...""
Before long, they reached the fork in the road, and Himeko dropped a curt farewell before heading off toward the middle school. Saki hurried after Himeko.
Watchin' Saki's retreatin' back as she kept tryin' to chat with Himeko despite gettin' the cold shoulder, Hayato scratched his head and muttered, lookin' a bit troubled.
"What to do, huh...?"
"Hmm..."
Himeko had been like that ever since last night when their Mom came back home. She seemingly didn't know how to act around her Mom.
It wasn't like Hayato couldn't understand how Himeko felt, at least a little. She had witnessed their Mom collapsin' right in front of her eyes twice, after all. Himeko's feelin's on the matter had to be complicated.
Hayato himself was also at a loss on how to approach his little sis like this.
Just then, Haruki briskly slapped Hayato's back while he was groanin' with a troubled look on his face.
"C'mon, Hayato, don't make such a gloomy face!"
"Ow, what's the big idea all of a sudden?"
"It'll be fine, I'm sure Hime-chan just hasn't caught the right timin' yet. Just a tiny spark will get her actin' spoiled around Auntie like she always used to, so until then, you just gotta stand firm and play it cool as her Big Bro."
"Haruki..."
Sayin' that, Haruki flashed a big, toothy grin.
Strangely enough, Hayato started feelin' like that might actually be true.
"If it helps, I'll toss out some convo topics to help create that kind of openin' too."
"I see."
Caught up in the mood, Hayato smiled back.
◇
Arrivin' at school, both Hayato and Haruki headed straight for the flowerbed.
Along the way, they spotted Minamo from behind headin' toward the same spot, and Hayato called out, "Mornin'," while raisin' one hand.
Noticin' them, Minamo turned around and blinked rapidly in surprise when she saw Hayato.
"G-Good mornin'! Hayato-san, your whole vibe changed so much! You really surprised me."
"Oh, well, I kinda took the plunge yesterday, y'know..."
"Hehe, I think it looks great on you."
"Though it seems Auntie thought Hayato was just tryin' to look good to impress a girl."
"Aha, that sounds so like Auntie!"
"H-Hey, Haruki! ...Good grief."
Sayin' that to tease Hayato, Haruki exchanged glances with Minamo and laughed together.
With a slightly sulky look on his face, Hayato said, "I'm gonna mound the soil," and headed over to the garden beds.
With the Cultural Festival right around the corner, the entire high school was already buzzin' with preparations even before mornin' classes started.
Across the school buildin's and grounds, students could be seen buildin' food stalls, haulin' materials, and makin' posters and signs.
Listenin' to that unusually lively commotion, Hayato and co tended to the veggies just like always.
"Btw, Haruki, you went to check out costume stuff and had a meetin' yesterday, right? How'd that go?"
"Hmm, we've settled on the main Vampire Princess (Buri-tan) outfit, includin' a few variations. Right now, we're finalizin' the designs for her attendants—the ones actually servin' customers. Focusin' on practicality and stuff like that."
"Gotcha, it'd definitely be a problem if it's hard to move around in."
"Exactly. Btw, has Minamo-chan's class decided on what you guys are doin'?"
"Our class decided on a homemade planetarium."
""A planetarium!?""
Hearin' such an unexpected word, both Hayato and Haruki instinctively stopped what they were doin' and let out overlappin' cries of surprise.
"Whoa, that's pretty unique—or rather, a planetarium is somethin' you can actually build?"
"Does that mean you're not just makin' the projector, but also buildin' the dome and everythin' so it projects clearly?"
"Yeah, there are how-to videos uploaded online, and JAXA* even has a guide for making a dome out of cardboard."
(TL Note: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Japan's national aeronautics research agency, like NASA in the US, or LAPAN, now ORPA BRIN in Indonesia.)
""For real!?""
Both Hayato and Haruki let out overlappin' cries of surprise once again.
Wastin' no time, Haruki immediately looked it up on her smartphone, her voice jumpin' excitedly with a, "Whoa, it's real!?" Then Hayato, shown the screen, leaned in to peek alongside her and let out an amazed, "Awesome!" as he stared captivated.
Findin' their honest reactions amusin', Minamo giggled softly.
That laugh snapped both Hayato and Haruki back to their senses.
"Oops, dangerous. Watchin' this stuff makes time totally melt away."
"Yeah. Honestly though, I think a planetarium is a great idea. It's got novelty value, so it probably won't clash with what other classes are doin'."
"Hehe, I think so too. Actually, I'm already lookin' forward to seein' how it turns out."
"I'm definitely comin' to see it on the day of!"
"Yeah, me too!"
"Yeah, I'll be waitin' for you guys!"
Before they knew it, the chores were all wrapped up.
Just like usual, as soon as Minamo briskly gathered and tidied up the tools, Hayato casually swooped in from the side and took them off her hands.
"Here, I'll put these back for you."
"Huh? Oh, I can totally—"
"Oh my, oh my~, look at Hayato tryin' to act all cool. What's the deal, are you switchin' up your whole persona along with your new haircut or somethin'~?"
"Wha—!? That's not it!"
"Hehe, well, if that's the case, I suppose I have no choice. I'll leave it to you, okay?"
"Even you, Minamo-san!?"
Endin' up gettin' teased by Haruki once again, Hayato headed toward the equipment shed near the Club Buildin' with a slightly sulky look on his face.
Right then, Haruki chased after Hayato callin' out, "Oh, I said I'm sorry!" Watchin' the two of them, Minamo let out another warm, amused giggle.
Then, walkin' along while trading playful banter like "C'mon, don't get mad" and "I'm not even mad," Hayato waited until he saw Minamo step inside the School Buildin' before his voice suddenly turned serious and he muttered.
"...Minamo-san didn't look too great today, huh."
"...Yeah, Minamo-chan couldn't even hide the dark circles under her eyes."
Haruki replied with a tinge of genuine concern in her voice.
Hayato thought back to how Minamo looked at the flowerbed earlier. Haruki had said she might just be overthinkin' it, but compared to last week, Minamo's complexion was pale and her cheeks looked a little hollow—she was clearly worn out. On top of bein' sleep-deprived, something had to be weighin' on Minamo's mind.
Still, Hayato had no idea what it could be.
"...I wonder what we can do."
"Hayato?"
"Well, Minamo-san's helped us out in a lot of ways, right? I want to do somethin' for her, but I don't even know what's botherin' her, so I'm at a loss on what to do."
"I see. Yeah, you're right..."
As Hayato furrowed his brow while sayin' that, Haruki let out a wry smile along with him. Then she placed her index finger against her chin and let out a low, "Hmm."
"Alright, standin' around overthinkin' it here won't get us anywhere, so next time I see Minamo-chan, I'll ask her directly what's goin' on!"
"Sorry, can I leave that to you? Of course, if there's anythin' I can do, I'll do whatever it takes."
"Leave it to me!"
Sayin' that, Haruki flashed a confident grin and thumped her own chest. Hayato's expression softened as well.
Then Haruki spun around and muttered in a quiet voice too soft for Hayato to hear.
"Slippin' in a casual 'We' at a moment like this is so typical of Hayato."
"Haruki?"
"Nope, nothin' at all~"
The voice that came back from Haruki sounded remarkably cheerful.