Chapter 6: What's This Development?

The sun hadn’t risen yet. The cool summer morning air was pleasant, the chirping of birds signalling the approaching dawn.

Together with our supplies and equipment, we gathered at the bus stop outside our house, intending to catch the first bus. Sachi nearly made us late, and we clambered on just in time.

Maybe I can sit beside Yuki-chan. It’s a long ride — it might help things along.

The bus was empty except for Yuki. She was already seated near the window. Sachi went up next, taking the seat in front of her. I followed.

As I made my way up, Yuki looked at me, shifted to make room beside her, and smiled faintly. My heart thumped. She wants me to sit with her? I started toward her — until Sachi caught my arm as I passed her seat.

"Onii-chan, sit with me." Sachi looked up at me with pleading eyes.

"What? Why? Don’t you want to sit with Kenji?"

"My onii-chan is only here for a month. I can sit with Kenji after that." She tugged at my arm.

I glanced back at Yuki. She was smiling at Sachi’s antics. “Just let her, Ryo-kun. It’s rare that she actually wants to be near you.”

I sighed. "Alright. Just this once." I moved to sit beside Sachi, but she immediately pushed me toward the window.

"I want you on the inside, onii-chan." She made way, looking far too pleased about the arrangement.

I rolled my eyes and obliged. Kenji came up next, shot Sachi a funny look, and made his way to the seat behind Yuki, settling beside the window. Sachi smiled at him innocently.

Hana was last. As she came up, she looked at the seating arrangement and started toward Yuki’s direction — but the moment she passed Sachi, Sachi suddenly announced, “Ah. Actually, I’d rather sit with Kenji. Onii-chan is boring.” She stood up and pulled Hana down into her vacated seat beside me in one smooth motion.

Hana didn’t have time to react. She’d been half-asleep right up until the moment she found herself sitting beside me. She visibly woke up and went rigid.

"Sachi, you can’t just do that. You didn’t even ask Hana-chan." I frowned at her.

Sachi turned with a bright look. "Hana-chan, are you okay sitting beside him?"

Hana flushed noticeably and managed a nod. "Yes… I’m fine."

"See. No problem." Sachi settled happily beside Kenji, looking insufferably smug.

Kenji glanced at Sachi with an expression that said he had questions. Yuki looked mildly puzzled. But everyone settled in their seats.

Under any other circumstances, years ago, there would have been endless chatter between us. But it was different now. Awkward in a way that hadn’t existed before. The only noise came from Kenji and Sachi at the back. I was more conscious of Yuki than I wanted to be.

I looked out the window.

"Ryo-kun. Is it boring to sit beside me?" Hana asked, her voice quiet.

"Hmm? No, not at all. I thought you wanted to sleep, that’s all."

"Oh… I’m awake now." She tucked her hands under her jacket.

"Did you sleep late? You looked half-gone just now."

"Yeah… I was excited for the trip."

Our conversation was brief and a little formal. We’d never really spoken much directly, even in the old days. But I’d always had a good impression of Hana. She was quiet, and she was kind.

The bus wound its way up into the mountains. Not many people used this route, and before long we were the only passengers left. Hana was nodding off beside me.

Bump. A weight settled against my arm. I looked down.

Hana was asleep, her head leaning on my shoulder. One hand had found the sleeve of my jacket, her fingers curled around it without her knowing.

Huh… She’s actually pretty cute. Wait. No. Yuki-chan is the one for me. Get your priorities straight, Ryo. You’re going to ask her to the fireworks.

Behind me, Yuki had noticed. She looked at us for a moment, then turned to look out her own window.

Sunlight flashed through the glass, flooding the bus briefly. I found myself looking at Hana again. A small glint caught my eye — earrings, half-hidden beneath her hair. The pair I had given her back in elementary school, because Yuki hadn’t pierced her ears yet and Hana had asked for them instead.

She kept them all this time. My eyes drifted to her face. The sunlight caught her eyelashes, and the shadows from her fringe fell softly across her features. For a moment she looked almost ethereal.

From the back of the bus, I could feel two pairs of eyes. I didn’t need to look. Sachi and Kenji were almost certainly nodding at each other with the quiet triumph of people who believe they have orchestrated something. They were not subtle. I slowly pulled my gaze back to the window, but shifted slightly to let her sit more comfortably.

The movement and the light woke her. Hana squinted, opened her eyes, and in the next second understood exactly what had happened. She went completely still, her face slowly going the colour of a ripe tomato.

Then, quietly, a small smile crept onto her lips. She closed her eyes again. Her fingers tightened once around my sleeve, as if grounding herself, and stayed there.

A few minutes passed. We were nearly at the campsite. I looked down at her again and brushed her fringe aside gently, trying to wake her.

She snuggled closer. My heart did something inconvenient.

The Inoue sisters are bad for my heart.

"Hana-chan. We’re almost there," I said softly.

That had a pronounced effect. Her fingers curled tight around my sleeve — and then released it all at once. Colour flooded back into her face. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up straight.

"I—I’m sorry, Ryo-kun! It was so comfortable — I mean, the bus ride was comfortable, and I was sleepy, and I…" She trailed off into a small, mortified spiral.

"You certainly looked comfortable," Yuki said from behind, sounding amused. "How was Ryo-kun’s shoulder?"

"Onee-san!" Hana twisted around, scandalized, as laughter broke out across the bus.

"It’s alright, Hana-chan. I really didn’t mind." My heart was still doing its thing. "Come on. Let’s get off."

One by one we stepped off with our bags — Hana quieter than usual, Yuki looking somewhere else, Sachi and Kenji bickering cheerfully about who had been funnier.

Time for the most eventful part of the summer.