Harumi's house looked… exactly the same as always.
Way too quiet for someone who had just come back from a "quick visit" to the grandfather's house — which, obviously, had been neither quick, nor productive, nor emotionally stable.
Harumi entered first, dropping her bag on the floor like someone surrendering to life.
— Okay. Now yes. Now it works.
— You said that three times today. — Itsuki commented, walking in behind her.
— This time it's different. The documents ARE here. I can feel it.
She marched straight to the living room table and dumped everything on top: folders, envelopes, loose papers, an old planner, and things that made absolutely no sense being there.
— YOSHI!
She crossed her arms like she had just accomplished something meaningful.
Itsuki blinked.
— …What exactly did you just solve?
— Spiritually. — she answered, completely serious.
He decided not to question it.
With the ease of someone who practically grew up in that house, Itsuki walked to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and grabbed a kids' juice box.
— I'm borrowing this.
— Itsuki, that's for the kids.
— They're not here.
— …Valid argument.
Meanwhile, Harumi had entered full excavation mode.
Papers flying.
Folders opening.
Things falling.
— This isn't…
— Harumi, this is an electricity bill from five years ago.
— I KNOW, but what if—
After a dangerously long time that could not legally be called "organizing," Harumi suddenly froze.
— …Itsuki.
— Hm?
— I FOUND SOMETHING.
She held up a small, slightly worn notebook with simple letters on the cover.
TAKERU
Itsuki stepped closer.
— That looks like maternity stuff.
— It does, right…
Harumi opened it carefully.
First page: tiny footprints stamped in ink.
Small.
Crooked.
Ridiculously cute.
— Oh my GOD… THAT'S SO CUTE!!! — she whispered. — He fit in the palm of a hand…
She flipped the page too fast.
Last name.
Didn't even finish reading.
Went straight to the most feared thing in existence.
The date.
THE DATE OF BIRTH.
— Waiiit. — Harumi covered it with her hand. — Itsuki, look with me.
— Why? It's just a date—
— BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY I'M UNLUCKY ENOUGH FOR HIS BIRTHDAY TO BE THIS MONTH… RIGHT?!
Itsuki laughed.
— Just look.
She took a deep breath and slowly opened her fingers.
Silence.
— …It's far away.
— See? February 27th. Totally safe.
— I KNEW IT! — Harumi slammed the table. — I HAVE luck.
Re-energized, she went back to digging.
— Okay, now Mei's.
— Good luck.
— I WON'T NEED IT.
Five minutes later…
— …Found it.
Another notebook.
Smaller.
More colorful.
With messy drawings on the cover.
Harumi immediately tensed.
— Yeah… now you're gonna have to plan, prepare, buy—
Itsuki kept going just to make her MORE nervous.
— No. No. NO. — she covered the date again. — I do NOT have enough luck for this to go right twice…
After enough tension for Harumi to mentally plan 56,748 scenarios—
— Harumi… this is taking a while…
— Statistically impossible.
She removed her finger.
Tension returned.
— …It's far away too.
She sighed in relief.
Then blinked.
Blinked again.
— Itsuki.
— Hm?
— The dates…
— What about them?
— THEY'RE THE SAME. 27/02.
Silence.
— Same how?
— SAME DAY. SAME MONTH.
Harumi collapsed internally.
— HOW??? THEY WERE BORN ON THE SAME DAY???
— Twins?
— NO!!!
— Coincidence?
— THIS IS A TRAP!!!
She started pacing in circles.
— At least it's not close… BUT IT'S THE SAME DAY!!
Itsuki calmly grabbed both notebooks and compared.
Paused.
— …Harumi.
— WHAT??? CAN IT GET WORSE???
— The date is wrong.
She froze.
— HAHAHA I KNEW I WAS LUCKY! — she jumped — then hit her foot on the shelf. — OW!!
— You still don't get it. Those dates aren't theirs.
— What do you mean not theirs? Did I grab someone else's notebook? Did I break into the wrong house?
— It's their mother's date.
Absolute silence.
— …
— …
— THE COLDEST WOMAN IN JAPAN'S DATE?! — Harumi screamed.
— That one.
They stared at each other.
Then, at the same time, flipped the pages.
Harumi's eyes widened.
— …in a few days.
— Yeah. In a few days. — Itsuki confirmed.
She dropped to the floor.
— HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
— Why are you laughing?
— Because OF COURSE. OF COURSE MEI'S BIRTHDAY IS IN LIKE 20 DAYS.
She stared at the ceiling.
Itsuki gave her the most sarcastic look possible.
— Harumi, you don't know basic math—
— I DO, but 30 days goes by FAST!
— 32.
— Fine, 32… and then when there's 20 left, in a week I'll feel relieved because I'm ahead… HAHAHA—
— That's not a week, that's two. And people who think like that are usually insane, you know?
Harumi, very clearly looking like she had lost control of reality:
— I-Insane?! No… I just help myself…
Silence.
Itsuki stared at her like:
"Yeah. Sure."
— I'm going to have to organize a party.
— Two?
— DO NOT TEST MY SANITY.
Itsuki took another sip of juice.
— At least now you know.
— Knowing doesn't help.
— It does. It gives you time to panic with planning.
Harumi closed her eyes, on the verge of tears.
— I hate documents.
And in Harumi's house, so quiet on the outside…
fate was already preparing the next disaster.