My Ex-Girlfriend’s Sister Ran Away to My Room, and We Can’t Stop Making Mistakes. - Chapter 11: Date.

Date.

I woke up the next day well past noon.

I had stirred once around ten, but Mii was still fast asleep. She was curled up tightly against me, her breath falling in a quiet, steady rhythm.

She probably hadn’t slept much last night. I remembered her tossing and turning repeatedly in the narrow bed. Until recently, we’d usually drink ourselves into a stupor before having sex and passing out, so I hadn’t noticed her insomnia.

Thinking I’d let her sleep a bit longer, I decided to drift back off myself; by the time I finally got up, the sun was high in the sky.

“Finally, you’re awake. Morning.”

As I pushed myself up, Mii poked her head out from the bathroom door. She was already dressed and in the middle of running a flat iron through her hair.

“We’re going to Shibuya today, right?”

“Yeah.”

“The shops will start closing, so let’s hurry.”

“They don’t close that early.”

“But I want to go now.”

Hurried along by her urgency, I threw on a shirt and a sweater. Mii, who had mentioned she didn’t have a change of clothes, was wearing the same uniform and duffel coat she’d arrived in. The February wind was chilly, so she had put on a pair of black tights she’d picked up at a convenience store.

We took the subway to Shinjuku Station and transferred to the Yamanote Line. Central Tokyo on a holiday was terrifyingly crowded. The concourse leading to the platforms was so packed our shoulders couldn’t help but brush against the people passing by.

“There are so many people,” Mii said, her eyes darting around restlessly. “I feel like I’m going to get lost.”

Buffeted and nearly crushed by the crowd, she did her best to keep pace with me. She looked so fragile, like a literal lost lamb.

“Mii, this way.”

“Ah, sorry. I went the wrong way again.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m just… not used to these crowds.”

“You can hold onto my arm if you want.”

When I offered my arm, Mii stopped in her tracks and blinked a few times in surprise.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh. Um, well…”

A smile spread across Mii’s face. She looped her hand around my arm and leaned into me with a bashful air.

“Thanks,” she whispered, her eyes cast slightly downward. She looked genuinely shy, a faint, flickering grin on her lips.

“You’re kind of like a kid.”

“I am?”

“Yeah, like back when the three of us would go out together. You were always getting lost.”

“I was not!”

“No, you definitely were. I remember it well.”

“I see… so you remember.”

Mii looked down, murmuring a soft, “That’s a surprise.”

“Is it weird?”

“No. It’s just… Saki-nii, you hate our hometown. I thought you’d chosen to forget everything about it.”

“There’s no way I could. Even if I wanted to forget, I can’t.”

“But you’re trying to forget.”

“Maybe so.”

Until just recently, that had been the truth. In the rush of daily life, I’d taken everything from the past, bundled it together, and shoved it into a corner where it couldn’t be seen.

The goal I’d spent five years pursuing was nothing more than an escape from reality.

“Did it hurt to remember?”

“Not that much. The fun memories from a long time ago… I didn’t necessarily need to forget those.”

“You’re right. It was fun back then. My sister was there, Saki-nii was there, and I was there. The world was perfect.”

Mii smiled, her expression thick with nostalgia.

We headed down to the Yamanote Line platform. Before long, a train pulled in.

The cars were filled with families and couples. Everyone seemed to be in a buoyant mood, chatting away about harmless, everyday things.

Watching them, Mii narrowed her eyes as if the sight were too bright to bear.

“Everyone looks so happy.”

“It’s the weekend.”

“Being like this… it almost feels like we’re on a date, doesn’t it?”

The moment the words left her mouth, Mii’s cheeks flushed a deep crimson. “Ah—sorry.”

She looked down in embarrassment and quietly slipped her hand away from my arm.

“It’s not like we have that kind of relationship.”

She quickly averted her gaze, staring out at the scenery rushing past the window. The reflection of her face in the glass looked incredibly lonely. In her translucent silhouette, she looked no different from the elementary school girl who used to get lost.

“It’s fine.”

I reached out and pulled back the arm she had tried to distance from me.

“Let’s just say today is a date.”

I gently took her hand in mine.

Mii’s eyes went wide as she looked up at my face. As I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, she squeezed back firmly.

“Okay,” she whispered.