Shimizu Nayotake wiped away Shizuku's tears with one hand — and with the other, reached over and picked up the phone sitting on the desk beside them.
She held it out to Shizuku.
"Then go find him."
Shizuku took the phone. She held it tightly in both hands, and for a long moment she didn't move. Then, at last, she gave a small nod.
She wiped the last traces of tears from the corners of her eyes, pressed a hand to her chest and steadied her breathing — and then, finally, she raised the phone, found Tsushima Kagami's number, and dialed.
With the soft double-tone of the dial ringing in her ear, Shizuku curled her left hand into a fist, her nerves fluttering. She glanced over at Shimizu Nayotake beside her.
Nayotake smiled and placed both hands gently on Shizuku's shoulders, as if to say: relax.
The ringing stopped. A familiar voice came through.
"Hello? Shizuku — good morning."
"Good morning."
"Hm? Why does your voice sound hoarse again?"
"I might have caught a bit of a chill last night."
"Is that so. Take care of yourself, alright."
"I will."
"So — is there something you needed?"
"By the way — did Nayotake come over last night to keep you company?"
"She's right here with me."
"Nothing in particular. I just wanted to ask — have you found a place yet?"
"Tell her thank you for me."
"As for the apartment — I'm thinking of heading over to Ki... to Hayase-san's place after breakfast and having a look first. I seem to remember she's a landlord of some kind."
"She might have something suitable."
"Be careful on your way there. And say hello to Yamada-kun and his family for me."
"Will do. Alright — I'll hang up now, Kenta's calling me for breakfast."
"Alright. Goodbye."
"Bye."
Click.
— — —
After finishing breakfast at Yamada Kenta's place, Tsushima Kagami played a little longer with him before finally saying his goodbyes to Kenta and his parents and heading out.
Since Yamada Kenta's home was in Shinjuku Ward — and not that far from Hayase Kinue's apartment building — Kagami figured he might as well swing by first and see whether she had anything suitable to rent.
He wasn't sure if Hayase-san would even be home at this hour. Turning the thought over in his mind, he set off in the direction of her apartment building.
About twenty minutes of walking later, he arrived.
He stepped through the gate into the wide courtyard — a courtyard that felt strangely at odds with the modest, unassuming apartment block behind it — and spotted a small figure with her hair loose and disheveled, her back to him, sweeping the yard with a broom.
Something about that silhouette tugged at his memory. Kagami studied her back uncertainly, wondering if he should walk around to confirm before saying anything.
As if sensing someone behind her, the girl turned around. The puzzled little squint on her face shifted — brightened — and then curved into a crescent-moon smile.
"Kagami-kun, are you here to see me?"
"Actually, I did need to speak with Hayase-san about something."
Looking at the overflowing warmth radiating from Hayase Kinue, Kagami found a particular anime title bubbling up in the back of his mind, entirely unbidden...
"Honestly — didn't we agree last time that you'd call me Kinue-nee-san? Why are you back to 'Hayase-san' again?"
Hayase Kinue leaned in toward him, wagging her finger at him with an expression of exaggerated reproach.
"I did have something I needed to discuss with Kinue-nee-san!"
"That's more like it!"
Hayase Kinue pressed her palms together with a satisfied little tilt of her head and beamed at him.
"Well, whatever it is, let's go inside and talk."
"Standing out here isn't very comfortable, is it."
"Heave-ho!"
With that, she launched the broom in a clean arc straight into the storage closet at the base of the stairwell.
She dusted off her hands, then reached out and took hold of Kagami's, pulling him cheerfully toward her room.
"Kinue — did you save me any breakfast?"
Halfway there, both of them looked up toward the voice coming from the second floor.
There was Tsukuyomi Komoe — dressed in a child-sized summer pajama set, a little sleep cap perched on her head, a can of beer in her left hand and a cigarette pinched between the fingers of her right — shuffling out of her room in a bleary haze and draping herself over the corridor railing to call down to the courtyard below.
"...? Who's that next to you?"
Only then did Komoe-sensei seem to register that there was a man standing beside Hayase Kinue.
"Good morning, Moe-sensei."
Kagami smiled and gave her a wave.
Komoe-sensei rubbed her eyes and peered more carefully.
"Ka... Kagami-kun!"
"I'm not — I'm not usually like this!"
"Wait right there!"
Komoe-sensei looked at the beer in her left hand, then at the cigarette in her right, then bolted back into her room.
A beat later — bang — the door next to hers flew open.
"Where's Kagami-kun?!"
Douraku Utage came charging out in a princess-style nightgown, hair wild and loose, barefoot on the corridor floor. She fixed her gaze on the courtyard — and sure enough, there was Tsushima Kagami, standing right beside Hayase Kinue.
"Good morning, Utage-sensei."
Kagami greeted her with a smile. Douraku Utage's cheeks went faintly pink, and she grabbed the hem of her nightgown in both fists.
"W-Wait for me — I'll be ready in just a moment!"
"My, my — what a lively morning this is."
Hayase Kinue looked over at Kagami with a grin.
"Isn't it, Kagami-kun?"
— — —
"Here, Kagami-kun — try this."
Hayase Kinue picked up a piece of tamagoyaki with her chopsticks and held it out to him, cupping her other hand underneath it.
Kagami took it in one clean bite and smiled.
"As expected of Kinue-nee-san — it's delicious~"
"Me too, me too!"
Komoe-sensei immediately picked up a piece of grilled salmon and mimicked Hayase Kinue exactly, offering it out to him.
Kagami accepted that in one bite too, and gave a thumbs-up.
"As expected of Moe-sensei — somehow everything tastes a whole level more delicious when it comes from your hands!"
"Kagami-kun complimented me!"
Komoe-sensei immediately sprang to her feet, bouncing on her heels with uncontained glee.
At that moment, Douraku Utage — sitting to the side and blushing slightly — carefully picked up a bowl of miso soup in both hands and held it out to Kagami.
"Th-This — this is something I made. Please try some too, Kagami-kun."
Kagami accepted the bowl with both hands and took a sip. He picked up the spoon and fished out a piece of daikon and a cube of tofu, bringing them to his mouth. He drank the broth down to the halfway mark before finally setting the bowl down with a satisfied sigh and looking over at Douraku Utage.
Utage-sensei's miso soup really does give you the feeling of coming home.
Douraku Utage propped her face in both hands, her eyes spinning with dreamy stars as she murmured under her breath.
"Home... so Kagami also thinks it would be better if we formed a household together~"
"Oh my, my turn again."
Hayase Kinue, paying absolutely no mind to Douraku Utage's fantasy, simply nudged her out of the way and extended another piece of tamagoyaki.
Komoe-sensei, giggling merrily nearby, held out another piece of salmon.
Douraku Utage snapped back to reality and once again raised the miso soup bowl.
All three spoke in perfect unison.
"Have this, Kagami-kun!"
At that, Kagami finally looked at all three of them with a genuinely pained expression.
"I'm truly sorry."
"Kinue-nee-san, Moe-sensei, Utage-sensei — I really cannot eat another bite."
He'd left Yamada Kenta's place already full from breakfast. Out of politeness he hadn't been able to refuse their offerings, figuring a few polite bites would be enough — but the three of them had gotten thoroughly carried away with feeding him, and now his stomach was straining at the seams.
____
👻🔥Walnut-chan ;)🔥👻
🔥 New history: Re:Zero: Wrath Route Yandere Emilia Watches the Projection
✅ Jump 40 chapters ahead of the public release!
✅ Get access to special perks and news!
Help smash these goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter (for everyone)
👻 P - Walnut-chan