The car drove into the underground parking garage.
"Alright, you two get out first. It'll be hard for you to open the doors once I've parked."
Haruno said with a charming smile.
At her words, Chisato gave a simple nod in response, and Yukino stopped pretending to sleep. Once the car came to a stop, she unbuckled her seatbelt and got out.
Chisato got out from the other side. He noticed Yukino looking over at him, her gaze signaling him to leave first.
However, since he had been given a lift out of kindness, it would've been somewhat impolite to just walk off on his own.
That didn't align with Chisato's personal social code.
So even though he knew that Haruno could be a handful, he subtly shook his head at Yukino's hint.
Yukino sighed and lowered her gaze, saying no more.
After parking the car, Haruno got out and walked to the trunk, waving at Chisato to come help carry things.
"I've got it. Sis, what did you buy this time?"
Chisato had just started moving when Yukino hurried ahead of him in a few quick steps.
"What do you mean 'this time'? I went shopping with Mom the other day and saw some nice things, so I picked up a few clothes for you.
Dad also got you a Christmas present in advance and asked me to bring it to you. Grandma too — she knitted some gloves and a scarf while staying at home…"
As she spoke, Haruno kept piling all kinds of things into Yukino's hands. In moments, her hands were full of bags, big and small.
"So jealous~ Little Yukino-chan is just showered in love from the whole family."
Knowing her sister couldn't fight back right now, Haruno shamelessly pinched her cheeks.
"Sis, stop being so childish."
That behavior earned her a sharp glare from Yukino, but Haruno just laughed without a care.
She struggled to lift out the remaining items before finally shutting the trunk.
Chisato stepped forward to help, receiving a bright and cheerful thanks from Haruno.
However, when he actually picked up the bags, he realized they barely weighed anything — practically light enough for an elementary school kid to carry.
Watching Haruno walk ahead while pretending to lighten her sister's burden, Chisato knew he'd been lightly teased again.
Once they got into the elevator and reached the apartment entrance, Yukino freed one hand to unlock the door.
Chisato was just about to hand the bags back to Haruno and head home.
Just then, Yukino opened the door, and Haruno cheerfully pointed at the living room inside.
"Might as well go all the way — just set it down on the coffee table."
One thing after another — she was trying to trick him into coming inside again.
Chisato was just thinking of how to decline when Yukino placed her things inside the entryway, turned back to accept the bags from him, and gave a slight nod.
"Thanks for the help. This is enough."
Since she did that, Chisato naturally took the chance to slip away.
"It's nothing. See you."
Before turning to leave, he looked at Haruno and thanked her for the ride.
Then, he turned cleanly and walked into his own apartment.
Haruno lingered briefly where she stood. When Chisato opened his door just now, the apartment wasn't dark — it was brightly lit.
So someone was home…
"Big sis?"
A questioning voice interrupted Haruno's thoughts.
She looked back. Her sister had already changed into indoor slippers and was standing inside looking at her.
"Coming."
Haruno smiled and stepped inside, closing the door behind her.
After the two sisters returned home, Yukino tidied up the things Haruno had brought over while listening to her talk about recent events in the family.
Their maternal and paternal grandparents were still in good health. Lately, they'd been gathering to discuss going mountain climbing again — which sounded like a great plan.
Their father apparently made another mistake at work, so he had been working overtime these past few days to make up for it.
Because of that, he also stood up their mother on their wedding anniversary.
Though their mother didn't show it outwardly and seemed understanding, she was clearly not happy about it.
As a result, their father had been sleeping in the guest room lately, and the warm, hearty dinners that usually greeted his return home had also disappeared.
Things like this had happened more times than Yukino could count, so as she listened to her sister talk about it, she didn't even show a flicker of emotion.
That was, until Haruno mentioned she'd be staying over for a while.
"!"
Yukino froze mid-motion while sorting the bags.
She looked at her sister, who was resting her chin in her palm with a faint smile, and tried to detect that familiar teasing glint in her expression.
But disappointingly, Haruno just maintained that smile and stared back at her without moving.
At that, Yukino let out a long sigh. She understood—Haruno wasn't joking. She really intended to stay here for a while.
"Why do you want to stay here, specifically? What's your reason?"
"I just told you, didn't I? Mom and Dad are on bad terms again.
At first, it was kind of funny seeing Dad make Mom mad, but after a few times, it just got old. I'm tired of it, so I figured I'd get away from the drama for a bit."
Haruno kicked off her slippers and plopped down heavily on the sofa, picking up the remote to turn on the TV.
"But you have your own apartment."
Yukino opened one of the bags her sister had brought. Inside were several sets of women's sleepwear and underwear.
Although they were both Yukinoshitas and sisters, the fabric of Haruno's underwear was clearly more luxurious than Yukino's.
Yukino recalled that her sister had started developing significantly back in middle school.
At that time, their mother was often busy supporting their father and would get home late.
So most days, when Yukino was still in elementary school, Haruno was the one who bathed with her.
Back then, being held in the tub with her head resting against her sister's chest, she remembered being troubled by one peculiar thought:
If I grow up to be like my sister, won't it be exhausting?
Her school bag already got heavier each year—if she had to carry something like that on her chest too, wouldn't that be way too much?
At the time, she had no awareness of what it truly meant and didn't realize that what troubled her then would one day become nothing more than a pipe dream.
Why was she even remembering that now!?
Annoyed, Yukino closed the bag and set it aside.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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