Breakfast time.
In the living room, no one spoke.
Yuu ate his breakfast with a grim expression, as if the toast and freshly cooked bacon in front of him were a Riemann hypothesis proof essay. Each bite felt as heavy as lead. His chewing was slower and more cautious than the sound of writing.
As for Sora, sitting across from him, she swayed her head in confusion. She seemed to shove food into her mouth purely on instinct. Her eyes narrowed into thin slits, like a kitten not yet fully awake. She was completely oblivious to her brother's odd demeanor.
And so, one brooded intensely while the other was half-conscious. The siblings slowly finished their breakfast and parted at the entrance as usual.
"See you later~"
Clutching a stuffed bunny in her arms, Sora mumbled a dazed farewell. Then she prepared to head upstairs to sleep again.
Yesterday, she had discovered a shooting game called Nadona Nadona. Since it took time to level up her character, and the CGs and story animations were so captivating, she kept unlocking one after another. She stayed up all night, completely engrossed.
As a result, she accidentally pulled an all-nighter. The moment she left the computer in the morning, she slipped into a dazed state. Now, her mind held only four words: Wanna Sleep So Bad—she didn't even notice the significant fact that she'd stayed up all night again and wasn't scolded by her brother. She just wanted to crawl into her blankets and sleep until evening.
But before she could turn and head upstairs, Yuu called out to her at the entrance.
"Sora, I have a question."
"Mm, what's up~"
Her body swayed unsteadily. Suddenly, Sora tilted, her head leaning against the wall as if she might fall asleep right there.
She answered lazily without turning back, struggling to lift her feet and inch her way upstairs.
"It's just a hypothetical scenario—if someone you used to be close with, but now have some friction with, suddenly sent you a text saying [You're Done]… Do you know what they might be planning?"
The issue seemed crucial to him. Even though his sister looked like she wasn't listening at all, Yuu still asked with a grim expression, a sense of desperation as if he'd been cornered and was even seeking help from a cat's paw.
Though her brain was barely awake, Sora forced it to function in response to her brother's question. She said, bewildered:
"Isn't that… a threat? Telling me to wash my neck and wait, then doing something extreme to me… Like deleting my game saves or exposing my browser history… Haaah~"
"Makes sense…" Yuu's lips twitched. He gave an awkward laugh with an unpleasant expression. Turning, he opened the front door. "It's fine. Go back to sleep."
"Oh~" Sora didn't say much. With permission to leave, she kept shaking her head and shuffled upstairs.
Behind her was Yukinon, walking with her chest puffed out. She seemed worried her master might fall, following closely and nudging her legs bit by bit.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Today, Yuu still went to school with Yuigahama.
The pink-haired girl with dango buns arrived a bit late, but only by a few minutes. For Yuu, who was frantically analyzing the truth and danger behind that text message, the wait barely registered.
"Sorry, did I keep you long?"
"Not long. Let's go." Yuu nodded at Yuigahama.
Though it was early December winter, Yuigahama was full of energy and warmth. Her smile was like a sunflower blooming in summer.
The two walked toward the station. Yuigahama leaned against his shoulder and suddenly stretched her hand forward.
"Look, I'm not wearing gloves!"
Yuu snapped out of his thoughts, slightly distracted. He asked, confused, "Why not?"
"Hm? Why does Yuu-kun seem a bit slow today?" From that single sentence, Yuigahama already sensed something was off.
But she didn't dwell on it for now. Lowering her hand, she slipped it into his open coat pocket, their hands brushing against each other.
The winter wind blew mercilessly through her unprotected hair and ears. But the hands that slowly intertwined and finally clasped tightly were like spring budding inside the pocket.
"Hehe, this is for now~"
She looked up, smiling proudly like that.
Her face was flushed from the tip of her nose to her cheeks, whether from the cold or embarrassment. The color was a tempting pink, like an apple.
Even so, their clasped hands didn't relax at all. Her soft, warm body seemed ready to pounce on Yuu, pressing close to the boy beside her, as if trying to banish all the winter's chill.
Yuu froze for a moment. Then, he said with a hint of amusement, "Is this your new way of flirting? Yui, how many times are you planning to make me fall for you?"
Yuigahama huffed dismissively twice. "Stupid question. Do you count how many slices of bread you've eaten?"
"Eight slices. I'm a home-cooked meal guy, and breakfast is always homemade."
"Liar! I'll call Sora-chan right now and ask what you ate this morning!"
Despite saying that, she couldn't bear to pull her hand out of the pocket. Yuigahama rubbed her shoulder against him twice in protest.
As a couple flaunting their affection without a care for others since morning, they drew plenty of attention on the long hill toward the station—half disdainful, half exasperated. Only a few older folks gave approving looks.
On the train, Yuigahama didn't hold the strap. She used Yuu's arm as her support, standing steadily despite the train's gentle swaying.
She seemed to hope the train would get crowded. At least, when Yuu noticed the carriage wasn't too packed, he saw a hint of regret in her eyes.
This also proved that when with her, even if he was preoccupied, Yuu shouldn't look so lost in thought.
"Yuu-kun, is there something you want to tell me?"
Yuigahama asked like that, like a wife with evidence of her husband's affair, subtly urging him to confess.
Her cheeks puffed out, but there wasn't much worry—maybe her intuition told her it wasn't a big deal, or maybe she was just big-hearted?
Yuu sighed lightly. "There is… I'll ask you one thing."
"Mm mm, go ahead." Yuigahama nodded obediently. Then she added, "Is this about Yukinon? Or does Yuu-kun want another girlfriend?"
"No, having a girlfriend isn't like catching Pokémon. That comment…" Yuu's lips twitched. He felt a few shocked stares nearby. Seeing him nagged by his clingy girlfriend, their eyes slowly spelled out: Jerk.
He cleared his throat, pretending not to care, and asked nearly the same question he'd posed to Sora that morning.
"Yui, if it were you, under what circumstances would you send me a text in the middle of the night with no warning, just four words—'You're Done'?"
"Eh? Sending a text like that, isn't it basically a threat?" Yuigahama blinked in surprise. Then she pursed her lips, pondering. She said uncertainly, "If it were me… maybe I'd only send you a text like that if Yuu-kun decided to break up with me and got cozy with another girl besides Yukinon, and I was completely desperate?"
She concluded as if realizing something. "Right, like I'd want to go down with you or something!"
Yuu: "…"
"What's wrong, Yuu-kun? Why's your face suddenly so grim?"
"N-nothing. Just thinking of something not funny."