Knock knock...

"Coming, coming," called out Nishimiya Yaeko, making her way from the dining room toward the front door.

"Who knocks this early in the morning? Don't tell me it's another salesperson," she muttered, already preparing to give them a stern word or two.

But before the door was fully open, a familiar voice rang out clearly from outside:

"Good morning, Auntie Nishimiya!"

The moment she recognized Akira's voice, any lingering irritation vanished. She smiled as she opened the door wider.

"Oh, Akira. What brings you here so early? Don't you have a key?"

Akira stepped inside and began changing his shoes. "I forgot it today. I saw Shouko wasn't out yet and figured I'd check on her."

Click. Yaeko closed the door and watched him with mild curiosity.

"Isn't today your graduation photo day? Do you even need to go in at the usual time?"

Akira paused. Judging by her tone, it seemed Yaeko had misunderstood.

Normally, Shouko woke up on her own with the alarm clock. Yaeko would only go knock if she didn't show up for breakfast. But today, assuming Shouko could sleep in, she hadn't gone to check.

Realizing the situation, Akira gave a small nod and stepped onto the hallway.

"I'll go wake her up," he offered. "You haven't finished breakfast yet, right?"

"Mm." Yaeko nodded, not thinking much of it. The two had been close since childhood. Waking her daughter up wasn't anything strange to her.

Knock knock...

Akira stood outside Shouko's bedroom door, hand on the knob. Just before opening it, he hesitated.

He knocked lightly and called out, "Shouko, are you awake?"

No answer.

He asked again, but still received no reply. After a brief pause and hearing nothing that sounded like changing clothes, he slowly opened the door.

What he wasn't prepared for was the sight on the other side—a very flustered Shouko in sleepwear.

"Ahhh!! Akira, you perv!!!"

Bang! The door slammed shut.

Akira's heart skipped a beat as his brain scrambled to reset. He hadn't meant to barge in like that. A faint blush rose to his ears as the image of a white-pink pajama set with cartoon bear prints flashed through his mind.

He cursed himself—of course Shouko couldn't hear him without her hearing aids in.

Just then, Yuzuru, still half-asleep, shuffled out of the dining room, rubbing her eyes.

"What's going on, Akira?"

Startled, Akira spun around. "N-nothing! Just... just checking if you were done with breakfast."

Yuzuru blinked at him groggily. "Nope. I'm going to finish now."

With that, she turned and wandered back into the dining room, barely awake.

Akira followed shortly after, needing to get away from the door and, more importantly, the embarrassment.

"Akira, have you had breakfast?" Yaeko asked as he sat down at the table.

"Yeah, I've eaten," he replied, eyes down, trying to compose himself.

Not seeing Grandma Nishimiya, he assumed she was still sleeping and didn't ask.

"You sure? Want a little something more?"

He shook his head.

"What about Shouko? Is she awake now?"

Akira nodded, a bit too fast. Yaeko found his behavior strange this morning, but didn't press further.

After a few minutes, still no sign of Shouko.

Just as Yaeko was about to go check herself, she heard the door to Shouko's room open. She let it go for now but made a mental note to speak with her daughter later.

"Hurry up and get ready," she called. "You're running late!"

"Okay," Shouko replied, keeping her eyes downcast and quickly heading for the washroom—cold water would help calm her nerves.

"We're heading out."

"We're heading out."

"We're heading out."

"Be safe," Yaeko called from the hallway, watching the three of them leave.

As they walked together, Yuzuru finally noticed the odd silence between Akira and Shouko.

"Sis, what's wrong? Did you two have a fight or something?"

They hadn't exchanged a word since leaving the house. Normally, they'd at least tease each other a bit.

Akira raised his hand and waved off the concern. "No way. We didn't fight."

Shouko nodded too, confirming it.

Yuzuru looked at both of them carefully before relaxing. If they had fought, there'd be a problem—she still wanted Akira to bring Hachiko over to play, and that plan relied heavily on good relations.

In the past, she often used her sister's presence as a trade-off to get playtime with Hachiko, and Shouko liked spending time with Akira anyway, so it worked out.

But now, the silence made her nervous.

Akira noticed her unease and said gently, "Don't worry. Even if you and Hachiko ever fight, Shouko and I won't fall out."

He reached out to pat Yuzuru's head, but just as his hand got close, Shouko reached over and gently slapped it away.

Then she rubbed Yuzuru's head herself, casting a sly glance at Akira and letting out a playful "hmph."

Akira looked at her, amused, and tried again. This time, she let him pat her head.

He froze for a moment.

Was she jealous just now?

No, no way… he shook the thought out of his head immediately.

"See you at noon!" Yuzuru waved and turned down her street, leaving the other two alone.

"I really am sorry about this morning," Akira said, turning to Shouko with sincerity.

"Hmph-hmph." Shouko snorted twice and started walking up the stairs without a word.

She had already forgiven him over breakfast, but since he'd seen, acting a little annoyed was only fair... right?

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POWER STONE!!!

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