Saturday mornings were sacred.
For Reiji, that usually meant sleeping in until noon, ignoring the world, and pretending responsibilities didn't exist. Unfortunately, fate—or rather, his five-year-old little brother—had other plans.
"Onii-chan, wake up!"
Reiji groaned as something small and energetic climbed onto his bed, jumping up and down.
"Five more minutes…"
"No! You promised to play with me today!"
*Did I?* Reiji tried to recall, but his half-asleep brain wasn't functioning.
Before he could negotiate a peace treaty, Haruto dramatically flopped onto his stomach. "If you don't wake up, I'm telling misaki-neechan!"
Reiji immediately opened his eyes. "Alright, alright, I'm up."
A smug grin spread across Haruto's face. "Victory."
Reiji sighed, sitting up. "You're getting too smart for your own good."
—
After breakfast and an hour of playing some kid-friendly video game with Haruto, Reiji finally earned his freedom.
Since it was a nice day, he decided to head out—more to clear his mind than for any real purpose.
*Just a normal weekend. No drama. No unnecessary encounters. Just peace.*
And for a while, that's exactly what he got.
—
That peace, however, didn't last.
As Reiji walked through town, he felt a familiar presence before he even saw him.
"REIJI!"
*Oh, here we go.*
Kaito practically tackled him, throwing an arm around his shoulder.
"Dude, I was *just* talking about you!"
"Great. I'll assume it was nothing but good things."
"Of course! I was telling Yuna how much of a loser you are."
Reiji sighed. "Glad to know my best friend supports me."
Yuna, who was standing beside Kaito with an amused expression, chuckled. "You two have a strange way of showing friendship."
Reiji smirked. "Nah, this is just Kaito's way of compensating for all the times I beat him in games."
Kaito gasped, placing a hand over his heart. "Lies and slander."
"Accept reality, my friend."
Yuna giggled. "Why don't you two settle it over a game?"
Kaito nodded dramatically. "A duel to the death. I like it."
"That's *not* what she said."
"Details."
—
Reiji spent the next hour at the arcade, battling Kaito in a series of increasingly ridiculous games. Kaito, of course, lost most of them, but that didn't stop him from bragging about the few wins he did get.
"At least *I* have a girlfriend," Kaito said smugly after one particularly close match.
Reiji rolled his eyes. "And yet, here you are, spending time with *me* instead of her."
Kaito clicked his tongue. "Tch. Low blow."
Yuna laughed. "I *did* invite him out, you know. But I guess you're the main attraction now, Reiji."
"I'm honored," Reiji said dryly.
After another round of playful banter, they finally decided to call it a day.
—
As Reiji walked home, he felt… relaxed.
No unnecessary drama. No random encounters. Just a simple, normal day.
He nodded to himself. *See? This is how weekends are supposed to be.*
Then, just as he turned the corner—
*SMACK.*
Reiji stumbled back, catching himself before he could fall.
The person he had bumped into, however, wasn't so lucky.
A familiar voice, sharp and irritated, cut through the air.
"The hell, Tsukishima?!"
*…Oh, you've gotta be kidding me.*
Sena stood before him, scowling as she dusted herself off.
Reiji sighed, mentally preparing himself.
So much for a peaceful weekend.
—