By the time Reiji made it home, the sky had shifted into hues of deep orange, casting a warm glow over the neighborhood. He stepped through the front door, kicking off his shoes with a sigh.
"I'm home."
From the living room, a familiar voice called out. "Welcome back, Reiji~!"
Before he could react, a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind in a tight embrace.
"Ugh, seriously?" Reiji groaned. "Ane, get off me."
His older sister, Misaki Tsukishima, only laughed, ruffling his hair before finally letting go. "What? I can't even greet my little brother properly?"
"You call that 'properly'?" Reiji muttered, straightening his hair.
Misaki was three years older than him, but she acted like she was ten years older whenever she was in a teasing mood. Which, unfortunately, was most of the time.
Before he could escape, another tiny voice piped up.
"Onii-chan!"
A blur of energy rushed toward him—his five-year-old brother, Haruto, practically launching himself at Reiji's legs.
Reiji caught him effortlessly, lifting him up with one arm. "Yo, Haru. Been good today?"
Haruto nodded enthusiastically. "I drew a dinosaur at kindergarten!"
"Nice. What kind?"
Haruto's face scrunched up in thought before proudly declaring, "The big one!"
Reiji chuckled, setting him down. "Sounds awesome. Show me later, yeah?"
"Okay!" Haruto beamed before dashing off to continue whatever chaos he was causing before Reiji got home.
Misaki leaned against the wall, smirking. "You act all cool outside, but you're such a softie with Haru."
Reiji clicked his tongue. "Tch. Whatever."
She laughed and walked off, leaving him to finally head to his room.
—
Reiji lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Today had been… exhausting.
Running into Sena *twice* in one day had been annoying enough, but the way she acted—it irritated him in ways he couldn't quite explain.
And yet…
Reiji sighed, rubbing his temples.
He wasn't supposed to be thinking about her.
Aoi was the one he liked. Aoi was the one he wanted to be closer to.
Sena? She was just an obstacle. An unavoidable one, sure, but nothing more than that.
At least, that's what he told himself.
—
Dinner was a typical affair. Their mother had made a simple home-cooked meal, and as always, Misaki kept the conversation lively, switching between teasing Reiji and doting on Haruto.
"You should bring a girl home sometime, Reiji," Misaki said casually between bites.
Reiji nearly choked on his rice. "What the hell?"
Their mother laughed softly. "Misaki , don't tease him too much."
"But I'm serious! Reiji's at that age, right?" She wiggled her eyebrows. "Or do you already have someone in mind~?"
Reiji sighed. "No. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell *you* first."
Misaki gasped dramatically. "You wound me, dear brother."
Haruto, not fully understanding the conversation, just giggled.
Reiji shook his head, deciding to ignore her. He was used to this.
Despite the chaos, his home life was… normal. Comfortably so.
And for now, that was enough.
—