Morning light crept through the window as he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the girl still asleep beside him. Staring up at the wooden ceiling, his mind gradually emptied of any particular thought. He simply lay there, quietly resting, waiting for her to wake up.
Half of her body was draped over him. His already lively body, was further stirred by the faint fragrance coming from the girl sleeping next to him. His body instinctively tensed for a moment. Shifting his gaze to Sekai, who lay peacefully at his side, he closed his eyes again.
Soft, even breathing brushed against his neck — her warm breath teasing his skin. The sensation made him squirm slightly, subtly turning his neck to avoid the ticklish airflow.
Although half of his body was pinned down by her weight, his right arm was still free. Carefully reaching toward the pillow, he picked up his phone and glanced at the screen.
7:42 a.m.
It was almost eight. Over at home, Setsuna had probably already woken up by now.
Last night, it was close to midnight when he and Sekai finally fell asleep. After about eight hours of rest, he felt fully recharged — unlike the girl beside him, who was still deep in sleep.
A faint smile played on Sekai's lips, suggesting she was dreaming of something sweet.
Just as he was idly wondering what she might be dreaming about — and whether it involved him — he suddenly heard her mumble softly, her voice barely a whisper.
"Mmh... yeah... Haruto... like this... in the room... just me..."
The words were fragmented and incomplete, but the general meaning was unmistakable. Haruto's expression grew complicated as he looked at the sleeping girl beside him, feeling a dull ache in his jaw, almost as if from biting down too hard.
Ding-dong—
The doorbell rang. Haruto glanced toward the entrance, then back at Sekai.
Her peaceful expression suddenly tensed, her brow furrowing slightly. The hand resting on his chest unconsciously clenched his pajamas — right over a particularly sensitive spot — making him grimace slightly.
Sighing, Haruto slipped his hand under the covers and gently hooked his finger against her hand.
Instantly, Sekai stiffened and snapped open her eyes, her body going rigid as she looked around the unfamiliar surroundings.
And then she saw him.
"Haruto...?"
Still half-lost in dreams, she had been hovering on the edge of waking for a while. It was just that the warmth of the bed had lulled her into staying under longer — until Haruto's playful nudge jolted her fully awake.
Ding-dong—ding, ding, ding-dong—
The doorbell rang again, this time impatiently.
Seeing that Sekai was finally awake, Haruto gave her a small smile before slipping out of bed, leaving her behind — red-faced and flustered — as he made his way to the door.
Opening it, he found Setsuna standing quietly outside, dressed in a gray hoodie. Her gaze fell on Haruto, taking in the disheveled look, and then drifted toward the inside of the room. Spotting the pair of familiar shoes at the entrance, she looked back at him.
"Is that... Sekai?"
"Yeah. Come in."
Without saying much, Setsuna stepped into the apartment. Haruto closed the door behind her. She immediately spotted Sekai sitting up in bed, clearly awake now.
"M-morning, Setsuna."
Normally, there would have been nothing special about greeting her like this, but under the current circumstances, with Sekai still sitting on Haruto's bed, the air was tinged with a palpable awkwardness and a hint of shame.
"It's already eight. You should probably get up soon."
Setsuna's voice was even as she looked calmly at Sekai, then turned toward Haruto, who was casually changing in the living room, unbuttoning his sleepwear and slipping into a white shirt and khaki pants.
"And your mother? She should be home, right? It's the weekend." Haruto asked.
"She's in her room. Still asleep," Setsuna answered, "We had a plan yesterday, but... there was a little change. So she decided to rest today instead."
"A change of plans?" he asked buttoning up his shirt as he met Setsuna's eyes.
Their eyes met briefly. HE seemed to understand without needing any further explanation. Haruto wisely dropped the subject and instead asked casually if she had anything planned for the day.
Glancing at Sekai for just a moment, Setsuna nodded.
"I want to go on a date. Just the two of us."
Sekai, still fixing her tousled hair, heard those words and flicked her gaze toward Setsuna. But she said nothing, quietly pulling on her clothes.
"A date, huh?"
Haruto nodded. "Sure. Let me get ready first. Oh, Sekai..."
"I'll head home," Sekai said, cutting him off with a bright smile. "I didn't check in with my mom at all yesterday. She's probably worried. You two should have fun."
Waving her powered-off phone with a grin, Sekai finished dressing, quickly said goodbye, and disappeared out the door like a gust of wind.
Haruto, who had already put on his clothes, turned back to Setsuna.
"I'll just wash up real quick, you wait for a moment."
"Okay."
Spending about ten minutes freshening up and tidying his hair, Haruto returned to the living room, only to find Setsuna standing by the bed, staring into the trash bin with a complicated look on her face.
"What are you looking at?" he asked.
"Nothing."
Setsuna turned her head slightly, her eyes darting away. She casually tossed a tissue into the bin, then walked toward the bathroom to wash her hands.
When she returned, she glanced at Haruto — now in a crisp white shirt, green hoodie, and khaki pants — then looked down at her own simple gray hoodie.
Her fingers fidgeted slightly.
"I want to buy clothes."
"Huh?"
"Clothes... matching yours."
"You mean... couple outfits?"
"...Yeah."
Her eyes stayed steady, but there was a faint tremor in them that made Haruto pause thoughtfully.
"Alright. Let's go shopping for clothes today," he said with a soft smile. "How about Harajuku? There should be a lot of good options there."
Shinjuku had some places too, but Harajuku was the trendier choice — filled with stores popular among younger crowds.
Setsuna gave a small nod.
"Okay."
Setsuna didn't think much about the suggestion Haruto made — she simply agreed. Whether or not they could actually find clothes that suited them both wasn't something she was particularly concerned about. Her main goal today was just to go on a date with him, spending time alone together.
Once they were ready, the two of them left the apartment.
As soon as they stepped out the door, Haruto locked it behind him. Just as he slipped the keys into his pocket, he felt a slender hand wrap around his arm.
Turning his head slightly, he caught sight of Setsuna beside him, clinging to him a little shyly. Haruto gave her a gentle smile, and together they made their way toward the subway station...
_ _ _ _
When Mai woke up, it was already close to noon. Feeling satisfied after a deep sleep, she slowly opened her eyes. The room was dim, the curtains still drawn. She rolled over lazily, stretching her arms and twisting her neck a little before finally sitting up.
"Sigh—"
She let out a long sigh, blinking sleepily as she climbed out of bed. Shuffling over to the window, she pulled the curtain open just a crack and peeked outside at the bright, cloudless sky.
"The weather's really nice today... but it's already so late, huh?"
Seeing the sun high up in the sky, Mai couldn't help but feel a little regretful. If she had woken up earlier, she might have gone out — maybe even joined Setsuna for a walk somewhere. It wasn't like it was too late to leave now, but somehow, it just didn't feel right anymore.
"Not like I have anything I have to do today anyway."
Muttering to herself, she turned away from the window and headed to the door. Stepping out of her room into the quiet living room, she glanced around.
"Setsuna?"
"Setsuna—?"
"Are you home, Setsuna?"
She called out three times but got no response. Walking over to the dining table, she noticed a breakfast plate neatly covered to keep it warm. Then her eyes drifted to the clock on the wall, and a numb expression spread across her face.
It was already well past breakfast time — closer to lunch, really.
"...There's a note too. What's on it?"
Noticing a small orange sticky note next to the plate, Mai picked it up and read it casually.
"Out on a date with Haruto. Please don't disturb."
"..."
Just moments ago, she had been thinking that today's beautiful weather would have been perfect for a little outing — maybe even daydreaming about sitting side by side with Haruto at a shrine, watching a wedding ceremony in white kimono and black formal wear.
But now that fantasy was completely shattered.
And the one who shattered it... was none other than her adorable daughter.
"Gone on a date with Haruto, huh...? Must be nice..."
Sighing, Mai placed the sticky note back on the table. She reheated the breakfast Setsuna had left for her, ate quickly to fill her stomach, and was just about to head back to her room to sleep the day away again.
It felt a little pathetic, but honestly, she couldn't think of anything else to do.
Dragging herself back to her room, she sat on the edge of her bed. But no matter what, she just couldn't seem to lie down. Images of her daughter and Haruto happily walking together kept floating up in her mind, making her feel restless and a little bitter.
She glanced over at her wardrobe.
After a moment of hesitation, Mai stood up, quickly threw on some clothes, tidied up her appearance a bit, and left the house.
Meanwhile, at a small restaurant downtown...
"Mm? You're already home? Okay, got it. I'm working at the shop right now, but if you need help with anything, come by later. Talk to you soon."
Yoko Saionji, busy at work, answered a sudden phone call from her daughter, who said she had already returned home.
Still, Yoko was already busy handling the restaurant, so there wasn't much she could do at the moment. She decided she'd sit down and have a serious talk with her daughter after work — she was curious to know exactly how far things had progressed between her daughter and her little boyfriend.
High school had only just started. While having a boyfriend wasn't exactly forbidden, Yoko still thought it was a bit too early to get serious. She'd need to give her daughter a little reminder.
With that thought in mind, Yoko instructed the restaurant staff to do a thorough cleaning and prep for the lunchtime rush.
As soon as the restaurant opened for lunch, the place became a whirlwind of activity.
"Table 17 ordered steak! Has the seafood fried rice for table 7 finished yet?"
"Almost done! Also, prepping the order for table 21—"
The bustling atmosphere of the restaurant kept Yoko busy, and with that, she had no time to think about anything else. It wasn't until the busy lunchtime rush started winding down that she saw a familiar figure quietly seated in the corner, leisurely sipping coffee.
It was a bit unexpected for her to appear in front of Yoko, but once she remembered that today was the weekend, Yoko understood. With no urgent tasks left to attend to and feeling that she could leave the rest to the staff, she walked over toward her.
"Well, well, what a cute lady. Here alone?"
Yoko addressed the woman and sat down across from her, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Are you alone too?"
"Ah, not really. I have a lovely daughter."
"I do too. In fact, my daughter has an excellent boyfriend now."
If it had been any other day, Yoko would have probably let the conversation end here and asked about Mai's reason for coming to the restaurant. But today...
"Funny thing, my daughter has a boyfriend now too. She even stayed at his house last night. If she graduates from high school, maybe they'll get married soon~"
With a wide smile on her face, Yoko looked directly at Mai, who was staring at her in surprise. There was no sign of hesitation in Yoko's demeanor.
"Your daughter has a boyfriend too?"
"Of course. Do you think I'd joke around about something like this?"
Yoko waved to her staff, asking them to bring her a cup of coffee, and then refocused her attention on Mai with a soft smile.
"I haven't heard Setsuna mention anything about it."
"I only found out by chance. If I hadn't happened to overhear... I probably wouldn't have even known about her boyfriend."
"Mm?"
Mai noticed something odd. It felt like Yoko had deliberately omitted something important. She looked at the woman across from her, whose face was lit with an almost mischievous smile.
"Don't tell me you misunderstood something?" Mai asked.
"What's there to misunderstand? Sekai herself admitted it. She even stayed over at his house last night."
"They're still in high school… isn't that a little dangerous?"
Mai's tone sharpened slightly as she spoke. She and Yoko had both learned the hard way what trusting too easily could lead to — almost losing everything. Hearing that Sekai had not only gotten a boyfriend but stayed the night at his house made Mai deeply worried.
Blood ties aside, Sekai and her own daughter had been inseparable since childhood. Mai had watched her grow up, and the idea of Sekai following in their own reckless footsteps was unbearable.
"I know," Yoko said with a soft sigh. "That's why, when I get home tonight, I plan to have a serious talk with her."
A waitress approached, setting a fresh cup of coffee in front of Yoko. Both women fell silent, knowing better than to discuss such private matters in front of others.
Once the waitress moved away, Yoko leaned in slightly and changed the subject.
"So? It's your day off. What brings you here today?"
"Nothing in particular. Sekai and her boyfriend are out shopping, so I had the house to myself. I figured I'd drop by and see you."
"There's not much to see," Yoko said, chuckling. "Every day's pretty much the same for me. I don't even get proper holidays anymore."
"Couldn't you leave things to your staff?" Mai asked.
"I wish. But there are still things they can't handle on their own. Sometimes troublesome customers show up too. If something goes wrong and I'm not here to manage it, it could turn into a real mess."
It had taken Yoko a long time to build her restaurant up to where it was now. The thought of something ruining it was unbearable.
"That's why I have to stay here and keep an eye on things," she said firmly.
"Sounds exhausting."
Mai sipped her coffee with a sympathetic smile.
After the lunch rush, the restaurant had gradually quieted down. Yoko glanced around the room, then back at Mai, her tone turning casual.
"By the way... that boyfriend you once mentioned. Did you give up?"
It was a question asked almost absentmindedly, but Yoko still remembered a conversation from long ago. Back then, she hadn't taken it seriously. Just the idea alone — considering their ages, and the fact that their daughters were already romantically involved with the same boy — was beyond absurd.
This wasn't some ridiculous romance novel where such messy mother-daughter drama could happen.
The moment the question left her lips, Mai paused mid-sip. She lifted her gaze and met Yoko's eyes. Calm, almost indifferent, she smiled softly and said:
"Yeah, I gave up."