With Yoko just outside the door, and Sekai blushing and trying to endure her embarrassment, Haruto—who felt like he had just entered a whole new world—put his clothes back on and glanced at Sekai lying on the bed.
"You okay?"
Sekai buried her face entirely in the pillow, unable to say a word. Her mother was just in the living room, and yet she had just been in the bedroom with Haruto...
"I guess you're fine. Dinner's already over, so I'll be heading out."
"..."
Frustrated, Sekai lay face-down on the bed and gave a small shake of her hips, but Haruto—already turned away—didn't catch it. He walked to the door, opened it, and stepped into the living room, where Yoko was waiting.
He shut the door behind him. As he walked across the room, Yoko's gaze followed him calmly.
"Leaving already?"
"It's getting late. I told Sekai I'd go home after dinner. There are still things I need to take care of, so I won't be staying."
"You just did such unspeakable things to her in the room, and now you're going to walk away like it's nothing? Not taking responsibility?"
"You heard us?"
He wasn't surprised. Even though Sekai had tried her best to stay quiet, the house wasn't exactly soundproof. No matter how much they suppressed their voices, some noise was bound to slip through, and it was only natural Yoko had heard.
He turned his gaze to her. Yoko didn't look upset at all. Haruto didn't rush to leave. He met her eyes, saw the slight upward curl at the corners of her mouth, and remained calm.
"You didn't try to hide anything," she said. "Even if I'd covered my ears, I still would've heard you. Young people really do have more... stamina than adults."
"I'm not great with words. I didn't know how to comfort her, so I resorted to something more... primal, to let her feel how I truly feel."
"Then... could I also feel that 'primal comfort' someday?"
"Not today."
He knew that getting entangled with Yoko would be a huge drain on his energy. If he gave in now, he might not make it home tonight. Her tone was ambiguous—half-teasing, half-suggestive—but he chose to firmly decline.
Yoko raised an eyebrow at his swift refusal. She wasn't particularly surprised. She had sensed from the beginning that Haruto wasn't strongly attracted to her. His answer aligned with her expectations.
"I thought you'd want to sample a more... mature, juicy flavor after tasting a fresh young fruit."
"Too much juice might upset my stomach. Anyway, I've imposed long enough for today. I'll be going now."
"When you have time, come by my restaurant, won't you?"
"If I get the chance, I'll contact Sekai and come with her."
Haruto paused at the door when he heard Yoko's question. Turning to glance at her calmly seated on the sofa, he gave a vague answer, then opened the door and left the Saionji household.
Yoko's gaze remained fixed on the now-closed door, then drifted toward her daughter's room.
"Remaining passive like this will never bring happiness. You have to go after what you want—again and again—until it's yours."
She sighed. Watching her daughter today, the best grade Yoko could give was a mere "average."
If Haruto hadn't shown genuine concern for Sekai's reaction and gone into her room to "comfort" her, Yoko might've even rated her as "poor." "Good" or "excellent" was still far out of reach.
"It's just the beginning of their relationship, so I suppose it's natural not to understand these things yet. But at the very least, she needs to realize—without making a move, she'll never get what she wants."
Haruto, meanwhile, had no complaints about Sekai beyond her awkwardness with romance.
He recalled what had just happened in her room. Sekai's shy expressions and reactions had been incredibly cute and girlish. Though he wasn't particularly young at heart anymore, her bashful gestures—like hiding her face with both hands—still had a strong impact on him.
"Feelings, huh? Always so troublesome."
He reached for his pocket on instinct, but it was empty. A reminder: he was still legally a minor now. A dry laugh formed on his lips.
"Almost forgot—I'm underage. No smoking."
Perhaps it was this young body that made his thoughts and mindset more youthful as well. Maybe it was the influence of those around him.
The fingers of his left hand, which fell next to his trouser pocket, couldn't help but twist lightly. He suppressed the restlessness in his heart and took a deep breath. The stirring thoughts in his heart gradually calmed down.
He didn't have a strong nicotine addiction anyway. He only smoked when he felt lost—just one cigarette to soothe the confusion and pressure inside him.
"…Guess a lollipop might work too."
Back at his apartment door, Haruto mumbled to himself as he opened it and stepped inside.
Outside, the sky had only just turned dark. He walked out to the balcony and looked across at the lit-up windows of the Kiyoura residence. After a moment's hesitation, he closed the curtains.
Five minutes later, he was at the Kiyoura front door, pressing the doorbell.
When Mai opened the door and saw Haruto, surprise flashed across her face. She had just gotten off the phone with Yoko, discussing Haruto—and knew full well he'd been at her place earlier.
She wasn't the only one surprised. When Haruto stepped inside, Setsuna also stared at him in disbelief.
"Is it that strange for me to show up here? Should I leave?"
"No, I just thought… you'd be spending the night at Sekai's. It's not even that late yet."
Setsuna, sitting in the living room, studied Haruto for a while before confirming he was real and not a hallucination. The realization surprised her even more.
"I just stopped by for a bit. Something happened, so after dinner I came straight here."
"You've already had dinner?"
"Didn't fill me up. So I thought I'd bother you two for a bit."
Mai gave him a strange look but still fetched him a bowl and chopsticks. Dinner had just been prepared, and his timing was oddly perfect—so much so that she wondered if he'd planned it.
Setsuna pursed her lips, glanced at Haruto, and silently took her seat at the table. Haruto scooped himself some rice and joined the mother and daughter for dinner.
Late at night, a fierce wind howled outside. The windows thudded with muffled impact, gradually rousing Haruto from sleep. He opened his eyes in the dark, listening to the pounding rain, the wind slamming power lines against the walls, and the rattling of the storm.
He inhaled deeply in the warmth of his bed, then shut his eyes again and drifted back to sleep.
Strangely, the wild weather seemed to make his sleep even more restful. Within moments, he returned to his interrupted dream—
Morning.
Haruto stood on the balcony, watching the rain and wind rage under a gloomy sky. He checked the clock on his desk, then walked to the door and looked at his folding umbrella.
"If I go out with that, it'll get torn to shreds. I'll be left holding just the frame. A sturdier one might carry me into the sky."
Returning to the balcony, he sighed. No way this was suitable weather for going out.
A flash of white fluttered past his eyes before he could identify it—it vanished into the storm. Haruto sighed again and sat down on the bed, pulled out his phone, and called Fukuhara Shin.
"Miyamizu-kun, didn't you know? School's canceled today because of the rain."
"I see."
"Take care of yourself, okay? Don't go out in this weather."
"Got it."
Haruto turned on the lights in his dim room. The power was still on, so no problems there.
There was food in the fridge—he'd just restocked a few days ago.
"…I wonder if they have enough food...."
He glanced toward the Kiyoura apartment, then sat at his desk and opened his laptop, checking how long the rain would last.
"Three days…?"
That seemed excessive. His own supplies would last, but barely.
Meanwhile, Sekai had woken early due to the howling wind. But since it wasn't time for school yet, she stayed in bed until 6:30, then came out to the living room, where her mother was on the phone.
"Yes, we'll stay closed today. I'll inform everyone once the rain clears up."
After hanging up, Yoko smiled at her daughter in pajamas.
"If Haruto had stayed last night, you'd be spending the whole day together now."
"It's really raining that hard?"
"You haven't looked outside?"
Sekai poured herself some barley tea, took a sip, and peeked through the curtain. All she saw was foggy glass and darkness.
"This is crazy…"
"School called. You don't need to go to school today. Just rest at home."
"It was sunny yesterday."
"The rain started suddenly last night. My restaurant had to close. With visibility this bad, even driving isn't safe."
They had just taken a break yesterday, and now were forced to again. Yoko sighed, elegantly crossing her legs. Sekai stared out the window, thinking about last night.
If only I had clung to him and made him stay...
_ _ _ _ _
"Ah—!"
He quickly grabbed a tissue and sneezed loudly.
Someone must've been talking about him. Haruto, meanwhile, sneezed and frowned. Picking up his phone, he dialed home.
"It's me, Haruto. There's heavy rain in Tokyo, so I wanted to check how things are in Itomori."
"It's raining here too? Got it. I'll take care. Thanks."
He hung up. His mother, had said it was raining in Itomori as well, though not as heavily. Mitsuha and Yotsuha were also notified by the school that classes were suspend and to rest at home.
"What a heavy rain..."
_ _ _ _ _