"Alright, time to split up," Mika announced, checking her watch again. "We will meet at the entrance to the soba restaurant at 1:00 PM. Be on time. Ayane, you're with me. We have some shopping to do."
"Aww, do I have to?" Ayane whined. "Fine. But only if we can look at game shops too."
"Yuna," Mika turned to Yuna, who was already clutching his arm possessively. "The trailhead is that way. Don't get lost or fall off the mountain. And be back by one."
"As if I'd get lost," Yuna sniffed. "Come on, big bro. Time for our romantic date." She started pulling him away.
"Have fun, you two!" Mafuyu called out and turned to Makoto. "I'll just look around the shops here. The little craft stores look so lovely. I'll meet you at the restaurant, okay?"
"Alright, darling," Mika said, her voice dropping to a purr for his ears alone as Yuna pulled him away. "Have fun on your little hike. Don't wear yourself out too much. Remember, you and I have unfinished business tonight."
She gave him a look that was both a promise and a threat before turning and leading a still-complaining Ayane down the street in the opposite direction, leaving Makoto to be dragged into the woods by a very demanding and pregnant tsundere.
===
"Phew, been a while since we were together, just the two of us, right, Yuna?" Makoto chuckled as they walked on the hiking trail in the forest behind the shrine.
Yuna tightened her grip on his arm, nearly cutting off the circulation. She didn't look at him, instead staring straight ahead at the forest path. "Don't say such disgusting things, idiot!" she snapped, her voice a little too loud in the quiet woods. "I'm just making sure you don't wander off and get lured in by some random shrine maiden with big boobs."
Her face was turned away, but he could see that the tips of her ears were bright red. "Besides, it's not like it's my fault we're never alone," she grumbled, kicking a loose stone. "Certain perverted sluts are always clinging to you like parasites. I have to fight for my own damn quality time with my stepbrother."
The path got a little steeper there, and Yuna's breathing hitched slightly. She tried to hide it by talking more, her voice growing strained.
"Hurry up. I want to get to the scenic overlook before a bunch of other idiots show up and ruin it. And you're carrying me back down if I get tired. That's what husbands are for. Right?"
"Come on, you can just act honestly and ask your loving brother to carry you." Makoto lifted Yuna onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Yuna let out a surprised squeak as he lifted her, but her arms immediately wrapped securely around his neck. Her legs locked around his waist. For a moment, she just hung there.
"Better? I used to be able to carry you onto my shoulders back then… too bad you're big and heavy now." He giggled.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING BIG AND HEAVY, YOU GIANT FAT PIG?!" she shrieked and smacked the back of his head. It was a weak, playful slap. "I'm pregnant! It's not fat, it's your future child! You should be honored to carry us!"
Despite her protests, she snuggled deeper into his back, her chin resting on his shoulder. Her body was soft and warm against his. "And I wouldn't ask you for anything! You should have known I wanted to be carried! You're the husband, you're supposed to read my mind, idiot!"
She huffed, but her next words were softer. "This is better. My feet were starting to hurt."
As they walked, the rhythmic crunch of their footsteps on the forest path filled the silence.
"Besides," Yuna mumbled into Makoto's shoulder, her voice barely audible. "It's been a long time since you carried me like this, big bro." She tightened her grip, letting the affection slip through for once. "Even if you were a clumsy idiot who always tripped and almost dropped me."
She kept quiet for a minute as they continued up the trail, her weight a familiar burden. "You used to give me shoulder rides all the time," she murmured, her voice suddenly soft and distant. "To the park. To the festival. You never complained then."
She tightened her grip on him, possessive and almost desperate. "…Don't ever drop me."
"Of course. Despite how clumsy I was, I never dropped or complained while carrying my cute little stepsister." Makoto grinned as they slowly walked up the trail, enjoying the sight and sound of Yuna's breath and heartbeat.
Yuna buried her burning face in his shoulder, her arms tightening around his neck. "Shut up! Idiot!" she squeaked, her voice muffled by his shirt. "Who are you calling cute?! Don't say weird things like that! It's gross! You're a gross pervert for thinking your little stepsister is cute!"
Despite her angry words, she nuzzled her cheek against his back, her body relaxing completely into his. She was heavy, but it was a comfortable, familiar weight. "It's only because I'm carrying your baby," she mumbled, her excuse flimsy and weak. "That's the only reason you're being so nice to me."
The trail narrowed, and the trees got thicker, filtering the sunlight into dappled patterns on the ground. The air was cool and smelled of damp earth and pine.
"Is that 'couples only' overlook much further?" Yuna asked, her voice a little softer now. "This stupid romantic walk better be worth it. It better be the most amazing view in the whole damn country!"
She was quiet for a moment, her breath warm against his ear. "If I see even one other couple there, I'm pushing them off the cliff." She sounded only half-joking. "This is our spot. Just for my brother and me."
"Don't push them, I wouldn't want to help you dispose of their corpses," Makoto chuckled dryly as they neared the top.
"Tch! I wouldn't need your help," Yuna huffed, her voice a weak attempt at her usual bravado. "I'm smart. I'd make it look like an accident."
"Even if the view is decent, I think our time together was worth it, though…" Makoto replied. Yuna's breath was caught in her throat. She buried her face so deep into the back of his neck that he could feel her eyelashes fluttering against his skin.
"Don't say things like that, you idiot!" she squeaked, her voice muffled with something she was clearly fighting. "It's embarrassing and gross! It sounds like something out of a cheap romance webnovel!"
Her arms and legs tightened around Makoto until he could barely breathe. She was trying to be intimidating, but it just felt like a clinging hug. "You're such a dumbass, pig bro," she whispered, the insult coming out warm and fond instead.