'I was asleep, how could I answer you?'
Haruto couldn't help but complain.
"Huft~" Sora sighed, a look of contentment on her face, gently stroking the pillow, then closing her eyes and whispering, "Good night."
Moments later, the girl was sound asleep.
Haruto opened his eyes and looked at the sleeping Sora, then closed his eyes again.
Even though he wasn't sure whether what Sora said was true or not, since she was already asleep, he decided to let it go.
❀❀❀
The next day.
Early morning.
Haruto opened the curtains, and the sky outside the window was still clear.
The morning breeze blew softly.
Haruto took a deep breath of the fresh air. Maybe it was because of Sora, but the whole room was filled with a faint aroma.
Haruto looked at the girl curled up under the blanket, only her head visible, sleeping soundly, and couldn't help but smile slightly.
He sighed softly, stepped forward, and gently pulled the blanket over her. "Sora, it's dawn."
Sora opened her sleepy eyes and glanced at him, then turned over, covering her head, and mumbled in confusion, "It's the weekend, I don't want to think about anything."
Haruto raised an eyebrow. "What will Nanako do when she wakes up and finds you're not there?"
"..."
Nanako often got teased and complained a lot, but she didn't like to tattle.
Sometimes Nanako covered for her, and Sora often came over, partly thanks to Nanako.
But there were limits.
That's why Nanako let things slide so easily!
Sora could only obediently get up and return to her room.
She had made gradual progress, and it would be a shame if it was ruined just because she stayed in bed too long.
After breakfast.
Haruto left the apartment and happened to run into Mafuyu as she was heading out. His eyes lit up a bit, and he greeted her cheerfully, "Good morning, Mafuyu-chan~"
Mafuyu put on a serious face, trying hard to maintain her usual dignified and icy queen image that made people afraid to approach her. She looked at him sternly. "Haruto-kun, what did you call me?"
"Kirisu-sensei." Haruto quickly corrected himself, then extended his hand. "Let me carry that for you."
"No need."
Mafuyu shook her head and refused. The trash bag in her hand wasn't heavy. There was no problem carrying it herself.
"Hah."
Mafuyu sighed and looked up at the sky. "This summer, the temperature seems a bit lower. At this time in previous years, it would already be quite warm."
"The impact of environmental pollution."
Haruto said, "Even though the whole world is advocating for and taking action to protect the environment, human activities still pollute it every day."
Emissions, industry, and even food and clothing. They all continuously pollute the environment.
As long as humans exist, it's something that hasn't been completely eliminated.
However, the current situation is much better compared to ten years ago. Even though humans can't prevent environmental pollution, they've worked hard to find ways to protect the environment!
"Mafuyu-chan."
"Hm?"
Haruto coughed lightly. "I just wanted to ask, Miharu will be visiting you soon. Are you ready?"
Mafuyu: "😐"
Miharu.
Kirisu Miharu.
Mafuyu's younger sister.
In Miharu's eyes, Mafuyu was a strong and perfect older sister.
Gentle, beautiful, hardworking, and amazing. From childhood to adulthood, Miharu always admired her.
But Miharu didn't know.
In reality, the perfect older sister in her mind wasn't good at socializing, couldn't cook, was afraid of scary things, and was also clumsy with housework.
She had many flaws!
If Miharu found out, she would be crushed!
This was the preparation Haruto referred to.
Would Mafuyu continue to maintain her flawless image for Miharu and not disappoint her, or would she let Miharu see her flaws and face the harsh truth?
Thinking of her sister, Mafuyu's gaze softened. But then, she became a bit downcast. She also felt torn about this because she didn't want to disappoint Miharu, nor did she want to crush her with the truth.
Thus, it was a difficult situation.
Mafuyu hesitated for a moment, then turned slightly and looked at him. "Haruto-kun, do you have any good ideas?"
"I do." Haruto said seriously, "I have a way to get the best of both worlds. As long as Kirisu-sensei promises me one thing, I'll help."
Mafuyu: "😐"
She knew this guy must have ulterior motives when offering his help.
What a mistake.
If she had known earlier, she wouldn't have brought it up to him.
Mafuyu bit her pink lips hard and glared at Haruto like an ice queen.
Damage assessment was underway.
Haruto said seriously, "Kirisu-sensei, please don't scare me with your eyes. You can choose not to agree. The choice is yours."
Mafuyu gave him a flat look, her eyes full of disdain. "I refuse! Also, go back and write a 10,000-word essay and hand it in tomorrow!"
After receiving the 10,000-word assignment, Haruto promptly said goodbye and left.
❀❀❀
Downstairs at the Nakano family apartment.
The morning sun began to rise, and the warm rays of sunlight were already starting to dispel the morning chill.
Haruto didn't have to wait long. The apartment door opened, and a girl with green bunny-ear headbands quickly stepped out.
"Kuromori-san, good morning."
"Good morning."
The two headed toward the elevator. As it rose, Yotsuba took a deep breath and suddenly bowed. "Kuromori-san, I'm sorry!"
A few question marks appeared in Haruto's mind. "What's wrong?"
Yotsuba hesitated and said, "It's just that I left without saying goodbye yesterday. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have troubled you, Kuromori-san."
"Kuromori-san, are you okay?"
"???"
'Nanako, what did you tell Yotsuba?!'
Haruto's mouth twitched slightly. "Yotsuba, why do you think something's wrong with me?"
"Because..." Yotsuba suddenly covered her mouth and shook her head quickly. "It's a secret, I can't say."
As she said this, the girl looked at him earnestly, with an expression that said, "Kuromori-san, please stop asking."
That's it!
When Haruto got back in the evening, he would confiscate Nanako's allowance!
When they arrived at the quintuplets' apartment, Yotsuba took off her shoes, and after Haruto followed suit, she neatly arranged his shoes.
After doing this, Yotsuba immediately ran to the kitchen to prepare tea.
Haruto drank a cup of tea and ate some biscuits, and more than ten minutes passed.
Then, he asked Yotsuba a few more questions, and another ten minutes went by.
Upstairs, it was still quiet.