The evening air was still cool and quiet when Haruto stepped through the front gate of the old wooden house. The sky had deepened into a velvet black, stars scattered across it like tiny diamonds, and the moon hung high and silver above the roof tiles. Haruto's feet made soft, almost silent footsteps on the tatami as he walked up the narrow stairs. His school uniform felt stiff and heavy, the blazer still slung over his shoulder, the faint scent of strawberry ice cream and Aira's perfume clinging to his skin.
He paused at the top of the stairs for a second, his hand resting on the cool wooden banister. The hallway was dark and quiet, lit only by the faint moonlight that slipped through the small windows at the end. His room was at the far left, but he didn't go there. Something pulled him forward instead.
He turned right, toward Yor's room.
The door was slightly ajar, a sliver of warm lamplight spilling out onto the dark hallway. Haruto pushed it open gently.
