In the end, we didn’t go very far. Not only was it a school night, it was also getting quite late. After some fooling around, I now found myself walking her back home. She had protested, but I insisted, saying that I wanted to spend just a little more time with her.

     In truth, that wasn’t a lie.

     I honestly had wanted her to stay the night, but especially because of her worries about her family at the moment, I didn’t want her to be out for too long.

     After arriving at the station nearest to her house, we began to walk the rest of the way side by side. It hadn’t snowed since the new year, but I hoped it would soon. I wanted a chance to play with Kurumi in the snow at some point. The last time I had the opportunity to, I didn’t invite her because she seemed like she was freezing cold.

     「Kurumi, do you have any favorite foods? Mizuki-chan likes Hamburg steak, right?」

     「Yeah. Well, I don’t have any. I’ve never really given any thought to what I liked.」

     「I see. Then, next time, let’s go looking for your favorite food together,」

     「Sure thing. Next time…」

     As soon as her house came into view, she stopped dead in her tracks.

     She seemed to be staring intently at something. I followed her gaze to see someone walking towards us. Illuminated by the streetlights, I could tell that they were about my height and looked a bit unhappy.

     She seemed to brighten up the moment she spotted Kurumi, but then, her sulky expression quickly returned. I thought it might have been because she saw me next to her, but that probably wasn’t the case. Her gaze wasn’t directed at me.

     「You coming home, Kurumi?」

     Her black hair swayed in the air. Her gaze was sharp and she wore the same hairstyle as Kurumi. Although this person gave off a different impression from her, I could tell at a glance that she was Kurumi’s younger sister, Mizuki-chan.

     When she approached us, something startled me.

     Stronger than before, I could smell that scent similar to lemon tea.

     I had a realization. That scent belonged to the perfume that Mizuki-chan was wearing. If that same scent was coming from Kurumi’s scarf, then Mizuki must have been the one deliberately spraying her perfume onto it.

     That was something I did too, so I felt a tiny bit of affinity with her.

     Putting my scent on someone close to me satisfied my sense of possessiveness a little, or perhaps it fulfilled a desire for mischief. In any case, it was certainly fun.

     「Yeah. What about you, Mizuki?」

     「Convenience store. I bought ice cream. For you, too.」

     「Thank you. Are you okay? You didn’t get hit by any cars or run into anybody weird, did you?」

     「I’m good. You worry too much. In the first place, Kurumi, you’re the one—」

     Noticing me for the first time, her eyes widened.

     I flashed a broad smile at her. For some reason, I felt like we were alike. I hoped we could get along well.

     「Long, golden hair…」

     She seemed to be confirming something.

     That time that I was at Kurumi’s house, I had jumped onto a table quite energetically. It wouldn’t have been strange if a few strands of hair had been left behind. Still, it was a shrewd observation.

     As our eyes met, she forced a smile in my direction.

     「Might you be Sorahashi-san? Onee-chan’s told me lot about you. You seem like you’re very close.」

     「Yes, Sorahashi Sera. That would be me. Kurumi’s been very kind to me, in all sorts of ways. Ah, may I call you Mizuki-chan?」

     「Go ahead. I’m Nabana Mizuki. Pleased to meet you,」

     「The pleasure is mine.」

     I recalled what Kurumi had said about how she essentially used to live alone with Mizuki.

     It seemed that Kurumi had been very doting towards her. I could tell just from Mizuki’s eyes. She was trying to hide it, but her hostility was far too strong to be contained.

     Did she think that I was going to steal her Onee-chan away from her?

     Well, I supposed that was the truth. I had no intention of giving Kurumi to anyone else, whether or not they were her family. She was my master now, mine and mine alone.

     「Since you’re already here, would you like to come in for some tea?」

     Kurumi spoke. I shook my head.

     「No, I’ll have to decline. I wouldn’t want to intrude at this hour. I’ll see you tomorrow, Kurumi.」

     「…Alright.」

      She nodded, looking a little disappointed.

     I gently brought my lips up close to her ear.

     「Tomorrow, let’s do something that feels even better.」

     She jumped, and I giggled and walked away, heading back to the station.

     I hoped to learn even more about her in the future.

     I wanted to do all sorts of things, see all sorts of expressions, exchange all sorts of words. I was sure that I’d be very happy if I came to know everything about her.

     While walking, I brought my hand to my chest.

     It was beating terribly fast, and my face was hot. The afterglow of what I was doing with her still lingered, and it left me agitated. Somehow, though, I found this turbulent state of mind to be dear to my heart.

     Tomorrow, what would we do? What would she do to me? Those thoughts continued to swirl around in my head, and before I knew it, I found myself back home.

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