Saionji Sekai: Walk with me for a while

"Sekai, I'm going to take a bath first."

"Go ahead."

Watching her mother casually unbutton her blouse and head toward the bathroom, Sekai sat in the living room, absentmindedly staring at the TV screen.

Ever since she had helped out at the restaurant and overheard the conversation outside the office door, she couldn't stop thinking about it. From what she had gathered, it seemed like Haruto and Setsuna's relationship had already reached a critical point—just one more step, and they would officially be together.

An inexplicable frustration welled up inside her. Even her favorite TV show couldn't hold her attention. She sat in silence on the sofa, lost in thought about the two of them.

After a long while, she couldn't take it anymore. She got up and walked to her room, picking up her telescope again. Crouching by the window, she looked toward Haruto's apartment, where the lights were still on. Across from him, the Kiyoura family's home was also illuminated.

Sekai bit her lip as she gazed at the glowing windows, then slowly leaned back onto her bed. In her mind, Haruto's face appeared—followed by Setsuna's.

She tossed and turned, unable to shake the heavy feeling in her chest. It was suffocating.

Sitting up, Sekai glanced around her room before quietly stepping out. Dressed in simple loungewear, she walked to the bathroom door and gently knocked on the glass.

"Mom, I'm going out for a bit."

"Hmm?"

"I'm going out for a bit!"

"It's late. Isn't it dangerous to go out now? Can't you wait until morning?"

"I'm just going to the convenience store. I'll be back soon!"

Saionji Yoko, who was sitting under the warm shower, rinsing her long hair, knew her daughter's personality well. There was no stopping her once she had made up her mind. Since the convenience store wasn't far from their house, there wasn't much danger.

"Alright, but come back soon. Oh, and pick up some sanitary pads for me while you're there."

"Got it."

Sekai returned to her room and considered what to wear. It wouldn't be appropriate to dress up too much—if Haruto noticed, it would seem suspicious. After some thought, she settled on a simple lavender dress, grabbed her wallet, and left the house.

Click.

The door closed behind her. Stepping outside, Sekai took a deep breath of the cool night air. The gentle breeze brushed against her face, but it did little to ease her conflicted feelings. Biting her lip, she slowly made her way down the stairs…

At the convenience store, she wandered among the shelves, making no move to pick up the items her mother had asked for. Instead, she reached for two identical bottles of iced tea and walked to the counter.

"That'll be 160 yen."

She pulled some coins from her wallet, handed them to the cashier, and took the two bottles in her hands. As she stepped out of the store, she glanced up at the streetlights overhead. Then, without hesitation, she walked forward, vanishing into the darkness…

Meanwhile, back at his apartment, Haruto sat alone in his room, flipping through the textbooks that had been distributed earlier.

He let out a sigh.

Most of the content had completely slipped from his memory. Some parts, thanks to his past efforts in studying, were still somewhat familiar. But as he skimmed through the material, the thought of having to relearn everything from scratch weighed heavily on him.

"This is necessary if I want to avoid a bad ending," he muttered under his breath, trying to motivate himself.

Determined, he refocused on the textbook, but after just three pages, drowsiness crept in.

"…"

Closing the book, Haruto let out a deep sigh.

The passing marks of 60—that was going to be a tough challenge.

He set the textbook aside and decided to take a short break. Just as he was about to get a glass of water, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Surprised, he glanced toward the door.

Who would come looking for him this late at night?

His first thought was Setsuna, or maybe even Mai.

Curious, he made his way to the door and opened it—only to find Saionji Sekai standing there in a simple dress, quietly looking up at him.

"Good evening, Miyamizu-kun," she greeted with a smile. "Is Setsuna not here?"

Peeking past him into the apartment, Sekai's gaze eventually settled on Haruto himself.

He blinked in surprise. She was the last person he expected to see tonight.

"Setsuna's at home," he replied after a pause. "If you're looking for her, you're in the wrong place."

"I thought she might be here," Sekai said lightly. "But if she's not, that's fine. Can I come in and sit for a bit?"

Haruto hesitated, then shook his head.

"It's already late. It's not safe for a girl to be in a guy's room at this hour. Where do you live?"

Sekai tilted her head slightly, her smile unchanged.

"Oh? Are you saying Miyamizu-kun would do something to me?"

Haruto wasn't sure why she had come, but given the time of night, there was no way he was letting her in. It just didn't seem like the right thing to do.

"It's not about whether I'd do something to you, Saionji-san. It's just that, at this hour, it's not appropriate for me to let you into my room. You know about my relationship with Setsuna—she wouldn't be happy if she found out."

Sekai smiled faintly. "Setsuna is lucky to have such a thoughtful boyfriend. I understand. In that case, would you take a short walk with me instead?"

She held out a bottle of iced tea toward Haruto.

He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking it over.

She wasn't asking to come inside—just for him to walk with her for a while before taking her home. That didn't seem like a problem.

"Alright. Give me a moment."

He stepped back inside, closing the door behind him. While Sekai waited quietly outside, Haruto changed into something more suitable, threw on a jacket, and grabbed some loose change and his student ID from his wallet. Then, he returned to the door.

When he stepped out, Sekai was still waiting patiently. He locked the door behind him before turning to her.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"No, I was the one making an unreasonable request. Sorry for the trouble, Miyamizu-kun. Now then, shall we take a little stroll together?"

She once again offered him the bottle of tea.

This time, Haruto hesitated only briefly before accepting it.

And with that, the two of them descended the stairs, stepping into the quiet night.