The next morning, Tsushima Kagami drifted slowly back to consciousness with the vague, itching sensation that his lips felt a little... different somehow.
He blinked open his eyes — and found Yukinoshita Shizuku crouched right in front of him, watching him with quiet attention.
"Morning, Shizuku."
Kagami rubbed his eyes and pushed himself upright, absently pressing his lips together. They felt faintly moist.
"It's only eight o'clock."
"Doesn't school start tomorrow? Why are you waking me up already?"
Shizuku, still crouching, smiled and braced her hands on her knees as she stood. She walked to the bedroom doorway and turned back to look at him.
"Come on, get up. Didn't we agree yesterday that we'd go pick up some things for the apartment today?"
Kagami finally remembered. The move yesterday had been so rushed that they'd left behind all the smaller odds and ends they didn't urgently need — the plan was to buy replacements today, the last day of summer break, while they were out shopping.
He gave a single nod.
"Right. Give me a minute."
By the time Kagami had changed and finished washing up, Shizuku had already put together breakfast.
He made his way through the meal in a haze, wiped his mouth, tossed the napkin aside, and shuffled toward the front door — but before his hand could reach the handle, Shizuku caught him by the arm.
"Hey. Where do you think you're going?"
Kagami turned to look at her.
"We're going out, aren't we?"
Shizuku pulled him back and pointed at what he was wearing.
"Honestly. You're seriously planning to go out like that?"
Kagami looked down at himself. A plain grey cotton T-shirt. Plain grey cotton athletic shorts.
"Extremely comfortable. What's wrong with it?"
"Honestly, don't be so sloppy."
Shizuku hauled him back into the bedroom, threw open the wardrobe, and began rummaging through a closet full of outfits that were all, admittedly, variations on the same minimalist theme. After some searching, she finally extracted a navy-blue mid-sleeve shirt and a pair of beige chino trousers, and shoved them into Kagami's arms.
"Hurry up and put these on."
"I'm going to change too."
With that, Shizuku disappeared into her own room.
— — —
Isetan Shinjuku, Main Building.
Kagami had just folded his parasol and was about to walk inside when Shizuku called after him again.
She was wearing a navy-blue T-shirt tucked into high-waisted beige jeans, her hair done up in two buns on either side of her head — and she was holding out one slender, pale hand toward him.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Kagami looked at her hand, genuinely puzzled.
"Holding hands, obviously."
Shizuku gave him the look of someone explaining something to a particularly slow child.
"Huh? Why would we hold hands?"
"Isn't it completely normal for siblings to hold hands while shopping?"
"Is it?"
Kagami looked at her blankly, then thought about it. In the dramas and anime he'd watched, there did seem to be plenty of scenes with older sisters and younger brothers holding hands while out and about.
Then he thought about actual siblings he knew in real life — and he couldn't recall ever seeing any of them do it.
Was his sample size just too small? Or did siblings actually do this all the time, and he'd simply never noticed?
"What are you spacing out about. Honestly."
"You weren't this hesitant when we were sleeping together. Why are you suddenly shy about holding hands?"
"Or are you off in your own little fantasy world again?"
Shizuku watched him standing there lost in thought and laughed.
Kagami gave a small nod.
Shizuku's personality means she wouldn't deliberately deceive me. If this is just how it is between siblings, then I'm the one overthinking it — and hesitating would only make me look like I had something to feel guilty about.
"You're right."
Kagami reached out and took Shizuku's pale hand in his, and together they stepped into the elevator.
The corner of Shizuku's mouth curved up, just slightly, as she fell into step behind him.
— — —
The two of them made their way to the homeware section of Muji.
"Kagami, which one do you want?"
Shizuku held up two ceramic rinse cups — one in each hand, framing her face — and looked at him.
"I'll take the coral-orange one."
Kagami studied them for a moment and pointed to the one in Shizuku's right hand.
"Then I'll have the mint green."
Shizuku lowered her hands and placed both cups into the shopping basket. Then she picked up a sample toothbrush and brushed it lightly across the back of Kagami's hand.
"How does this one feel?"
"This one works."
Kagami took a moment to feel the bristles, then made up his mind on the spot. Shizuku picked up two boxes in the same colors as the cups and set them in the basket as well.
"Alright, let's go find towels and bath towels next."
"Don't we have some already?"
Kagami asked, puzzled.
"Towels and bath towels need to be replaced regularly."
"Oh, I suppose that's true."
Kagami nodded.
"Honestly, Kagami — you have absolutely zero domestic sense. If you actually lived on your own, you'd probably end up dying alone in that apartment."
"Ah — that's what they call 'kodokushi,' right? Dying alone?"
Shizuku pushed the basket along with one hand, the other still loosely holding Kagami's, and glanced back at him with a laugh.
Kagami laughed too.
"'Dying alone' is for lonely old people. I'm not that old yet."
"And I'm hardly alone either — I've still got you and Mother, haven't I?"
"So you'd better be properly grateful, then."
"Otherwise — given how lazy you are, with no one to look after you — you'd absolutely turn into one of those shut-ins who sleeps until noon every day, lives on delivery food and instant noodles, always misses the garbage collection, and ends up rotting in his apartment along with the rubbish."
Shizuku gave his hand a little tug and grinned at him.
"That's terrible. How can you say something like that about me?"
Kagami said it — then thought about it.
Actually... that's not entirely implausible. The pizza delivery and instant noodles part, at least, was pretty much a given.
He looked over at Shizuku again, still smiling.
"Though I have to admit, you're probably not wrong."
"Oh, it's not that bad, really."
"I was exaggerating. Just a little."
Shizuku drifted over to a display counter piled high with towels in every conceivable style, and began browsing while she replied.
"How about this one?"
She picked up an off-white towel, gave it a feel, decided the texture was good, and passed it to Kagami.
Kagami took it and had a feel himself.
"This one's fine."
"Honestly — you have absolutely no opinion of your own."
Shizuku glanced at him sideways.
Kagami thought for a moment and pointed at a different one.
"Then I want that one."
Shizuku looked at it.
Then she put the first towel back on the pile — along with several more of the same style — and placed them all in the basket.
"We'll stick with the first one."
"Then don't ask me."
"Occasionally checking Kagami's opinion is still important, you know."
"Just... only as a reference."
Kagami looked at the towels now sitting in the basket and raised a new concern.
"They're all the same style — won't we end up grabbing each other's by mistake?"
"So what if we do?"
"Family sharing everyday items is completely normal, isn't it?"
Shizuku gave him a mildly reproachful look.
"You're asking so many questions today!"
"Come on, let's just go pay."
She cut off whatever Kagami had been about to say next, took hold of his hand, and marched them both toward the checkout.
____
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