Part 7 – The Weight He Carries
From across the room, someone asked Mimi gently, "Mimi… if you could have anything in the world, what would you want?"
Mimi paused, thinking for a moment. Then she looked up with a small, earnest smile. "I… I would've wanted a big brother. Like Haruto."
The words hit Haruto like a sharp weight. He turned silently and slipped into a quiet corner of the room, away from the laughter and chatter. His shoulders trembled, and hot tears rolled down his face.
Ayame, noticing him, hurried over. "Haruto… are you okay?" she asked softly.
Kaito followed, concern in his eyes. "What happened?"
Haruto shook his head, trying to steady himself. "Aunt Mikasa… she didn't… say anything to Mimi. She's happy with us… but maybe she would've been even happier… if Kazuki had been here."
Ayame and Kaito shared a glance, understanding immediately. Gently, they both wrapped their arms around Haruto, holding him close.
"It's okay," Ayame whispered. "She's happy, and she has us… and you. That's enough."
Kaito nodded. "Yeah… you're already the big brother she wished for."
Haruto leaned into their hug, slowly letting his tears fall. "I just… I wish Kazuki could've seen her grow up," he murmured.
They stayed like that for a moment, the noise of the party around them, the laughter of children playing drifting through the room. Outside that small corner, Mimi continued to play with Akashi and the others, blissfully unaware of the ache she had stirred in Haruto—but her innocent wish had reached him, reminding him of what was lost, and what he had to cherish now.
Haruto slowly returned from the quiet corner, brushing his sleeves and taking a deep breath. Mimi, still giggling with Akashi and the other children, spotted him immediately and ran over, tugging gently at his hand. "Haruto! Come play with us!" she squealed.
Haruto smiled softly, kneeling to her level. "Alright, alright. Let's see what you're building," he said, letting her guide him to the blocks.
The other children cheered as Haruto joined in, helping steady towers and handing out small toys. Laughter and chatter filled the room once again. The adults, classmates, and older kids mingled nearby—Miri teasingly showing some of the younger children a trick with balloons, Raizen watching over them with a quiet, protective gaze, and Daigo supervising calmly from the side.
Renjiro leaned back against the wall, a smirk on his face. "Looks like Haruto's finally warmed up again," he said, nudging Ayame slightly.
Ayame nodded, watching her brother interact with Mimi and the other kids. "It's good to see him smiling," she said quietly.
Time passed, and the room remained alive with energy. Children ran around, laughter echoed, and little games sprang up spontaneously. But after a while, a small, subtle quiet settled in one corner. Akari noticed something missing.
She scanned the room, her eyes flicking from the laughing children to the adults chatting nearby, and then froze slightly. Haruto wasn't among the group anymore.
Her heart gave a small pang. She felt the urge to go and check on him, to make sure nothing was wrong, but she hesitated. Looking around, everything seemed calm—Mimi was happily playing, the other kids were laughing, and the adults were busy chatting.
Akari took a steadying breath and shook her head slightly. "It's fine," she whispered to herself. "He's probably okay."
She forced a gentle smile and turned back to continue her conversation with Renjiro and Raizen, keeping her worry buried for the moment.
Haruto had slipped quietly upstairs, leaving the laughter of the party behind. In the privacy of the triplets' room, he stood near the window, the soft evening light spilling across the floor. In his hand was a folded letter, edges slightly worn.
He stared at the envelope for a long moment. Slowly, almost reverently, he whispered the name written on it:
"To Haruto… To Haruto… To Haruto…"
He repeated it two, three times, each utterance carrying the weight of fear, worry, and anticipation. His chest tightened with every repetition, and his hands gripped the letter as if holding onto it could prepare him for what came next.
Finally, gathering a deep breath, he carefully opened the letter and began to read. His eyes scanned the lines, the words hidden from view, but the tension and the weight of the message were written plainly on his face.
After a long, heavy moment, he folded the letter carefully and slipped it into his pocket. Smoothing his hair back and taking another deep breath, he descended the stairs.
Emerging into the warm, bustling living room, Mimi waved excitedly. "Haruto! Come play!"
He smiled faintly, kneeling to join the children. Though the letter still lingered in his mind, the laughter around him and Mimi's joy pulled him back into the moment.