Sorry, I Didn’t Hear Anything

"I'm back."

Yotsuba said as she bent down to change her shoes.

On the living room sofa, Ichika, Nino, Miku, and Itsuki all turned their eyes toward Yotsuba.

"Yotsuba, why are you late?"

"Yeah, I thought you got lost."

"We almost had to come down to look for you."

"Glad you're back."

Yotsuba entered the living room, handing them milk tea one by one, and casually said, "I just met a friend outside, so I was delayed for a bit."

She had coincidentally met Haruto, went to an unfamiliar place with him, and even held hands with him.

She had no intention of mentioning it.

"A boyfriend?" Ichika lay on the sofa, raising her hand to cover her mouth in surprise. "I didn't expect Yotsuba to be the first among us sisters."

Yotsuba panicked but tried to remain calm. "It's a female classmate. I just happened to run into her, and we chatted for a bit."

Nino pushed Ichika away and gritted her teeth. "Ichika, you're messing up my hair."

She had the longest hair, reaching all the way to her waist, but she also faced many problems with it daily.

For instance, at that moment, Ichika's hair was scattered everywhere.

When they were kids, they all had the same hair length, but when they entered middle school, everyone's preferences changed, so except for Nino, the other girls changed their hairstyles.

Ichika stood up, muttering, "Such a hassle, Nino's hair is way too long."

Nino unsatisfied and said, "You're the problem! Stop moving around on the sofa!"

Ichika turned her eyes toward Miku. "Miku, what do you think?"

"Don't ask me."

Miku was playing with her phone and replied without even lifting her head.

"Fine… I'm going to take a bath."

Yotsuba used this chance to slip away quietly.

Beside her, Itsuki's ahoge (hair strand) twitched, and she was reading a book seriously, but soon, she showed a puzzled expression.

❀❀❀

"How strange. I know every symbol, so why can't I put them together?"

Haruto returned to his apartment and knocked on the door next door. Mafuyu opened the door and looked at him. "What are you doing?"

Haruto said seriously, "I'm tired and hungry. I don't want to move. I want instant noodles!"

"... Insult!"

Mafuyu glared at him, embarrassed.

"Come in!"

"Yes!"

When he entered the room, he noticed it had become messy again, and Haruto couldn't help but sigh.

Mafuyu blushed, feeling embarrassed inside. She explained, "I initially wanted to clean up."

As a result, the more she cleaned, the messier it became.

Haruto covered his forehead and softly said, "Sensei, please make me some tea. I'll take care of this."

"..."

Seeing her silence from embarrassment, Haruto continued, "In any case, I don't plan to let you become a housewife in the future."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"... Insult."

Mafuyu glared at Haruto, embarrassed, thinking that helping him wouldn't lead to anything.

Teacher-student relationships are strictly forbidden!

Don't ever think about it!

Mafuyu turned and walked to the kitchen to start making tea.

"What do you want to drink?"

"Green tea."

"Mm."

Mafuyu made two cups of tea and came out of the kitchen. She saw the room was now tidy and neat.

Haruto was holding something black and pressing it to his nose.

Mafuyu's cheeks suddenly flushed when she realized what it was. "Haruto-kun, what are you doing!"

"..."

Haruto calmly set the black cloth aside and said seriously, "I was just sniffing..."

'Are you really going to say that out loud?'

"… You pervert!"

"Sensei, please don't slander me."

Haruto said sincerely, "I was just checking if the stockings had been worn."

"Shut up!" Mafuyu's cheeks flushed, and even the roots of her ears turned pink.

"Yes!"

After drinking the tea, Haruto said goodbye and left.

Although he really wanted to stay, Mafuyu would definitely not agree. Some things are better done gradually.

❀❀❀

The next day.

Early morning.

Under Mafuyu's cold voice, Haruto got up and dressed.

Because of last night's stocking incident, Mafuyu was too embarrassed to come over, so she went straight to Sobu High School.

After eating some bread, Haruto felt most of his strength had returned.

This was thanks to the 'stamina recovery' buff.

But the price was eating a lot of energy-rich food for breakfast.

Haruto checked the time and headed to Sobu High School. When he passed the first intersection, he saw the little girl ghost again.

When the little girl ghost saw him, her eyes lit up, and she looked at him expectantly.

Haruto sighed and walked over.

"Good morning, Onii-chan."

The little girl ghost's soft voice came out.

"Mm, good morning."

Haruto leaned against the wall, dropped his school bag to the ground, and asked, "Why are you still here?"

"I'm waiting for my mom..."

The little girl ghost said happily, "Mom said she would come to pick me up soon."

'Sorry, your mom won't be coming anymore.'

"Onii-chan, can you help Rikka find her mom?"

The little girl ghost looked hopeful, her big eyes sparkling.

"Sorry."

The sparkle in the little girl ghost's eyes slowly faded. She held back her tears, hugging her knees miserably, and lowered her head.

"But Rikka can't find mom..."

"Rikka listened to mom and waited here, but mom never came back."

"Is it because Rikka was bad, so mom didn't want Rikka anymore?"

Before she could touch the ground, she had already disappeared.

Until now, this little girl ghost didn't realize that she was dead, and her mom would never come.

Waiting was only despair.

A hand fell on her head, and Rikka unconsciously rubbed it, then looked up at Haruto with tearful eyes.

"Onii-chan..."

Haruto sighed and said, "Rikka, did you forget? You've already..."

It was a bit cruel to say, but if he didn't, letting her wait like this would only be more cruel.

But before Haruto could finish speaking, a charming voice suddenly interrupted.

"Good morning, Kuromori-san."

Following the voice, a girl wearing Sobu High School's uniform and a green bunny ear headband ran over.

The smile on her face was bright and heartwarming.

"Good morning, Yotsuba."

Haruto greeted her and asked curiously, "Yotsuba, are you alone today?"

Yotsuba responded in a sharp voice, "I have training today, so I left early."

After saying that, she bent over with her hands on her knees, looking at Haruto with wide eyes. Her gaze was clear and beautiful like a pristine lake.

*JIII*

Haruto was silent for a moment and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I just saw Kuromori-san talking."

Yotsuba said this and glanced beside Haruto, but saw nothing except the chrysanthemums in the corner.

"That's strange, does Kuromori-san have a habit of talking to himself?"

Haruto calmly replied, "It was actually a ghost."

"Huh?"

Yotsuba's eyes widened.

Haruto softly said, "If it's Yotsuba, I don't need to hide it. Yes, I was talking to a ghost."

"..."

In an instant, Yotsuba backed away, hesitating as she said, "Well... I have something to do, so I'll be going now. See you, Kuromori-san."

"Wait."

Haruto stopped her and said seriously, "Yotsuba, I need your help with something!"

There it was again, that sentence.

Yotsuba covered her ears.

"Sorry! I didn't hear anything!"