Chapter Text
Shinonome Akito has a twin. They don’t talk often, but he knows a few things about her.
For one, he knows about their appearance as twins.
He knows they look different. He knows her hair is lighter than his or Ena’s, and that she never inherited their father’s short patience and sharp words. And he knows that she’s shorter than him. This has always been a known fact since they were kids, and little has changed since then. This never stopped Minori from trying to get taller than him though, futile as her efforts may be.
He knows about her dream and her passion. They’ve been making more of an attempt at reconnecting – and by that, he means him. Mostly him, ‘cause Minori’s always been more active at reaching out to him – and lately he’s been finding out more and more about what she’s been up to. He knows now about the fifty or so auditions she’s been rejected from, and he knows now about the independent idol group she’s a part of, consisting of her and her idols-now-friends.
And the knowledge is mutual, too. He knows about her dreams now, and so does she about his.
Minori knows about his friends and the partner he shares the stage with. She knows about his dream of surpassing – in Akito’s honest opinion to be – the best singing performance ever put on stage. He’s aware that she disagrees, very much aware of her admiration for a certain blue haired idol. (he can’t relate, Akito can’t imagine being so devoted to someone the way she is, but he supposes that’s just another difference of theirs. He can’t relate, he can’t.)
And that’s… fine. They’ll agree to disagree. Yep. Totally fine that someone isn’t aware of the greatness that was RAD WEEKEND. Uh huh. Totally. Totes, even.
Things aren’t very simple between them, but he knows this much at least.
Shinonome Akito and Hanasato Minori were never close as twins, not since they were separated. Not since the differences between them got more obvious over time, and certainly not since the invisible wall separating them seemed to get thicker and thicker over the years.
It hurt, at first. Getting separated like that all of a sudden. Despite the major differences in interests even back then, they were close. She was the salted caramel to his cheesecake, and he was the roasted asparagus to her salmon steak (her words, not his).
And it still hurts sometimes. Sometimes Akito misses the late night snacks he’d sneak back into their shared bedroom while Minori sets up the blankets and pillow fort they’d set up base in for the night, he misses how Minori would somehow always knock over a pillow and collapse the fortress she’d spent oh so long building, misses how Ena would peek into their bedroom to see two toddlers crying about their fallen castle, misses how in the end they’d get caught anyways and Ena had to help them rebuild the whole thing. They ended up having movie night that night, him and Ena had argued about what movie to put on while Minori just sat there with her Disney movie DVD in hand.
They ended up watching Cinderella for the 100th time that night. Perks of being the good kid, he supposes.
Sometimes he’d see Minori. Not in an agreed meetup or anything, just coincidentally. On the streets, at Scramble Crossing, sometimes even the Mall. Sometimes she’d notice and wave, other times Akito would glance at her and continue about his day, forgetting about the chance encounter.
(He didn’t run away. He wasn’t trying to hide from her, he wasn’t.)
It was hard at first, to have that warm presence always next to him suddenly be replaced by the cold empty air. To go from having two sisters to just one.
It was hard, but he got used to it eventually.
(Had to. He stamped down the ugly green monster that likes to rear its head anytime he sees two kids laughing in the playground.)
But once a twin is always a twin, and they’ve been making an effort to close the gap between them. They’re not close, not like they were before. But it’s definitely better than what they were just a few months ago. Maybe Minori’s efforts were more appreciated than he’d like to admit. And maybe he likes it better like this.
—-
Hanasato Minori has a twin. They don’t talk often, but she knows a few things about him.
His name is Shinonome Akito. He likes singing, just like her. He’s got a close group of friends and a partner to call his that he performs with, just like her. He has a dream that he gained sometime during elementary school – just a few years after they were separated, – and a strong passion to achieve said dream, just like her. The person they admire even looks similar! It’s a sign!
She knows he’s afraid of dogs. And he knows she’s got a dog, too. She and Honami helped him get over it, though! Mostly!
Things are simple to her like this. She and Akito may not be close, and there’s a lot of differences between them, but twins will be twins and it’s only inevitable that they’ll always be similar to each other in a lot of ways.
They don’t talk or see each other often, but she knows they’ll have that twin bond forever. Like the red string of a soulmate bond or a stain clinging to your skin, they will always have that title of being twins chained to them forever. No matter how long the gap between them grows, she can always keep on building back that bridge to his side.
(It didn't matter that sometimes it seemed like Akito wasn’t interested in seeing her again, let alone talking to her. It doesn’t matter, it didn’t. It was fine, she was fine. They were twins, they can’t just drift apart like that. They can’t.)
She’ll always keep trying to reach out to him. And hey! It worked! Eventually! They’re twins, it was just a matter of time, really.
Now they meet up at a cafe every few weeks, with Ena or Honami tagging along sometimes. Most times, it’s just the two of them, and she likes it that way. She likes that they can share secrets again, no matter how few. She likes that they can talk and tease each other again, she missed this. Missed him, the literal other part of her. Her twin, Shinonome Akito.
Shinonome Akito and Hanasato Minori are twins. It may not be obvious at first, or even at any time after the first, but it will forever be a tried and true fact. Minori wouldn’t have it any other way.
—
The twins have an older sister. Her name is Shinonome Ena. Ena loves to draw, and has loved it since she was little; Minori knew this. Through the ocean tides of life, for someone like Ena, art will always still be there, waiting for her like the light house in the middle of a stormy sea or an oasis in the cruel sweltering desert. No matter what hits her way in life, she will never stop drawing. It’s as much of a fact of life as the grass is green and the sky is blue to Minori.
Akito knows this. He knows about the arguments between her and their father, knows about the way she spirals and locks herself in her room. He’s lived through her bouts of anger, scratching at his skin and picking blood. He knows the way it strained their relationship, thinning the rope till it was just a mess of threads just barely holding itself together. Thinning, but never snapping, not truly.
It seemed so silly to Akito at first, how something as simple as art could split their family so much. It seemed ridiculous how something as easy as drawing lines on a paper could cause so many arguments, how it could raise voices and blood pressure. It seemed absurd to him, he couldn’t understand it.
But then he got into music, he experienced that fateful day where he watched history be made at that festival and got a dream out of it.
He met Toya, he met An, met Kohane. He fought, argued, punched. He clawed through shit and mud and everything else in between to get to where he is now. Where he’s happy with his fellow singers, with his partner and teammates. He discovered what passion feels like and how it can look like paired with the drive he has. It wasn’t like soccer, where if he failed once it’d be like he failed everyone. When he felt like he was failing, he didn’t want to quit yet, not so quickly. Instead, that fire burned brighter inside him, pure spite and will pushing him through until he got to that stage and sang with everything he’s got out.
He understands now, how something so seemingly simple and insignificant could cause such a big ruckus. He understands how Ena feels now – to a certain extent, when their father disapproves of her dreams so heavily and so easily. He doesn’t get it; Ena’s art is amazing, even if he’ll never admit it (not without some bribery and offering of desserts, of course). How can someone look at that and go, “yeah, that’s not going places in life”.
It’s bullshit.
So yeah, even if she pulls at his skin and throws brushes and pens and pencils and books alike at him, he can’t blame her for it. Not much, at least; Anger runs in the Shinonome family like a hereditary disease.
(He always thought Minori was lucky to not have inherited it. She’s told him about her terrible luck before and he can’t help but think she used it all to escape the Shinonome family curse.)
“Akito, I’m going to go see Minori! Are you coming or not?!” Ena’s voice yells out to him from the living room, already dressed and ready.
He yells back, one arm halfway through his jacket and back hitting the door of his bedroom in his hurry, “Yeah, yeah, give me a second will ya?!”
Something magical has been happening lately though, a miracle, he would think. Ena’s been getting better. He’s not sure what did it, specifically. Maybe it wasn’t just one thing, either.
The scratching stopped, the throwing stopped, the yelling and fighting stopped. Her sleep schedule sure hasn’t been getting any better but at least she’s getting out of her room more.
Maybe it was those friends of hers that she met online, the ones he’d hear her talk to so late into the night whenever he’s passing by her room to get a late night snack. Maybe it was the fact that Akito’s been getting better, too. Whatever it was though, it’s been helping them fix their relationship. She seems happier now, even.
It’s nice. He’s glad to see her happy.
He walks out the door with his jacket still haphazardly thrown on, stumbling as he approaches her by the door. “Jeez, have a bit more patience, will ya?” He sneers at her. “Usually you’re the one who takes so long to get ready, and then I'm the one who’s forced to wait for your ass. You can’t be bothered to even give me the same decency?”
Ena scoffs, waving him away as she opens the door. “Well that’s different. I’m a girl, it’s normal for a girl to take hours to get ready.”
“Wow, sexist much?”
“Shut up.”
Yeah, Akito thinks, he likes it better this way.
—
Shinonome Ena has younger siblings. There's four Shinonome-Hanasato siblings in total, two pairs each — although, one came after they've been seperated. Of course, that doesn't make him any less of her sibling. All annoying little piece of shits, except her sweet, sweet younger sister Minori.
That's now. Back then, before the divorce — she had two younger siblings. Akito and Minori, two twins of the same tree bark.
Then, after the divorce, she still has her little brother with her. Minori went with their mom, but she and Akito ended up staying with their dad.
She and Akito were close — they all were. She remembers then, how the two twins would follow little her around like lost ducklings.
(Even though she, too — at the end of the day, was also but a lost duckling, just like them. She was just like them.)
They used to build shitty pillow forts together that couldn't hold itself together for longer than 5 seconds, bake a cake for their mother's birthday only to end up with a sorry burnt piece of black square and a trip to the bakery (courtesy of their mother, of course), and watch her draw when playing balls or soccer or play pretend wasn't keeping their attention long enough.
Yes, they were close. Ena loved her younger siblings and her siblings loved her back. They were one big happy family.
Yet, something happened between sometime after the divorce between her father and biological mother.
She's not sure what it was, exactly. What one specific event had managed to sour things so bad between her and Akito that it would continue to snowball for years to come.
Maybe it was her dad; her father, the man who helped raise her yet at the same time denied her of the acknowledgement she oh so wanted; needed.
Maybe it was how seeing Akito walk out of the house every day with a drive that was no longer familiar to her pissed her off sometimes. Don't get her wrong, she loves Akito. They were siblings, they could never wish true harm upon the other.
Not most of the time, at least, she thinks every time she remembers the countless stolen cheesecakes he's robbed of her.
(She conveniently ignores the countless times she's stolen his cheesecakes as well.)
But something about seeing that expression on him every day, hardened and ready and seeming to say: “hey, I don't care what you say or do; if you'll throw tomatoes or rocks at me. I'm gonna be the best of the best there is, and fuck everyone who disagrees.”
She's glad to see him happy. She's glad to see him have that same resolve he used to have.
(The same resolve she used to have.)
But it was mocking her, at times.
That same chubby cheeks and determined smile of her brother's turned to sharp jaws and a scornful frown; orange hair turned to brown, the look of a brother looking up to his older sister turned to that of a father looking down at his daughter.
She hated it.
Hated it, hated it, hated it.
But when the fog in her brain clears and the fires of her anguish dim just enough for her to see past the smoke again — she sees that same head of orange hair, olive eyes, and not the face of a teenager determined to prove others wrong, no.
She sees Akito. Her little brother, chubby cheeks and all, a little taller but still that same lost child following her around.
(She tries not to think about how the twin ducklings became just one. She tries not to think about how their parents could seperate their happy little family like that.)
Oh, she'll think. Oh, she'll realize.
I'm sorry, she'll think but won't say. I'm sorry I hurt you, she'll say in the private corners of her mind, never to be seen and never to be remembered.
I love you, she'll think as he leaves her room with scratches all over his arms. I'm sorry I hurt you. I love you. I'm sorry.
Years passed, things are slowly getting better. Slowly, but surely, at least.
She keeps contact with Minori. She keeps her only sister close, tucked near her chest just beside to Akito, where they belong next to each other — with her friend Airi and N25 admittedly just close by.
(Even if she'll never admit it, even if she'll never say it to them directly. She hopes they know, she thinks. She hopes she'll never have to say it out loud.)
She hates to say that she can also see that same drive in Minori’s eyes.
That same drive pushing them to prove others wrong, to prove themselves wrong, even. Ena hates it.
She hates the fact that she's losing that same drive they still have. She hates the fact that they even need that drive in the first place.
(Who hurt them, who hurt them? Ena wants to ask; to yell and scream at the whole world, who hurt my siblings? Who hurt my sister, my brother?)
But a combination of seeing her little siblings grow and thrive in their own environments and her own activities with her own group at night has been helping her quiet her thoughts more and more.
Akito and her are fighting less and less — and if they do, they hardly ever escalate to the level they did before.
The sun is bright above them as they walk to the cafe the siblings had agreed on meeting at. The dress she's wearing is comfortable and pretty and she's walking alongside Akito.
They're both dressed fashionably, she has to admit the shared refined fashion senses they both have — as much as Ena loves to make fun of his stupidly big pile of jackets. Unfortunately, she's not sure she could say the same for Minori later on when they see her.
Hopefully Airi helped her dress up or something. She's trusting her best friend to her with her little sister's hit-or-miss fashion senses.
“What was it called again...?” Akito asks absentmindedly next to her glancing at the sky to try and remember the name of that new cafe they were walking to. “The Happy Days Cafe, was it…?”
Ena looks up from her phone to look at him and sighs, the exasperated expression falling on her face as naturally as leaves scattering across the pavement they walk on. “It's The Happy Hi Cafe, idiot. Didn't I tell you already, or did you already forget already with your bum head?”
He gawks at her, offended at the sudden provocation. “Wow. Okay, what the fuck, rude. I didn't even do shit yet.”
Easily, Ena shoots back. “Yet.”
“Witch.”
“Idiot.”
“Shut-in.”
“Twink.”
“What the fuck even is that?”
“Oh, don't worry about it.”
Their banter keeps flowing from there, the two easily responding back and forth with each other.
It's nice, Ena can't help but think. It's nice to stay like this.
Foolishly, she hopes. Ena hopes at the Miku of her Sekai and the Miku she can't see and any other Mikus or Meikos or whoever out there may be listening in on her thoughts.
Shinonome Ena hopes this moment could last longer.
—-
Hanasato Minori has an older sister, her name is Shinonome Ena.
Minori has always admired Ena.
When they were younger, it was because she was always the one defending her, always.
Someone ate the cookies? Well it couldn't have been Minori, she was with Ena in her room last night! It must've been Akito!
Someone broke mom's favorite vase again? Akito probably did it. Minori has never come close to such a precious heirloom, Ena saw. She would never.
(It wasn't Akito. It really was Minori that broke it; she was trying to do a little dance to the imaginary song playing in her head and she accidentally bumped into it. Again.)
But even after they'd outgrown their childhood days and the divorce and everything else that came after happened, she never stopped admiring her older sister.
Ena, who was denied by the world when she told it she wanted to be an artist; Ena, who didn't give up on her dream even when the odds seemed against her; Ena, who was known for her beauty but yearned to be known for her art instead; Ena, who managed to find a way to keep doing art her way and get it out to the world independently with just her and her friends.
Ena, Minori's older sister who still tried to keep in close contact with her — even if time did manage to split them apart eventually. It didn't last very long though, so!
Minori's reflection looks back at her from her black phone screen. She yelps, having forgotten to charge it for the 15th time that week.
She rushes around her room in search of her cables, wherever she may have misplaced it last time.
Ena and her had planned to meet up at this new cafe that just opened recently. Neither Ena nor Akito could resist the offer of a pancake of cheesecake, she knew that. Luckily, she already discussed most of the important parts with Ena. Hopefully she invited Akito, she's not sure if she remembered to mention that in their chat or not. It'd be really awkward if Minori forgot and Akito didn't come, um…
Eh, it's probably fine!
For now, she's gotta get ready! More and more, come on!
(Later on, when her battery's not completely dead and barely hanging on for dear life, she'll see Ena’s messages accurately predicting her predicament and why she'd suddenly disappeared all of a sudden — she'll see that Ena did in fact invite Akito over as well, and that she'll make sure they get there on the time they agreed on.)
(Later on, Minori will be reminded again as to why she admires her cool older sister. Later on, she'll remember why she loves her siblings; each and every single one.)
(Every single one.)
—
Shinonome Ena and ex-Shinonome Minori had always had a special relationship with each other. No, not in a weird way, gross.
But being sisters of the same gender definitely came with its perks.
For one, Ena definitely didn't have a favorite sibling back then (and even now). And it definitely wasn't Minori. Absolutely not, why ever would Ena pick favorites? What a truly incorrigible thought.
But hypothetically if that were true, could you blame her?
She loved Akito, she really did, but as an older sister with a younger brother and a younger sister, it was her responsibility to pick a favorite to always defend and a least-favorite to bully relentlessly. Affectionately, of course; obviously.
Even after the divorce, as the twins — Akito and Minori grew distant over time, Ena had made more of an effort to keep in touch with her favorite — and only — adorable little sister. Ena would even visit every few months, checking in on Minori’s bett– new family. Just to see how she was doing, right?
But Shinonome Ena and the newly-Hanasato Minori were humans, Ena was human; keeping a long distance relationship with your sister while everything else around your life was going to shit was — to say the least — very hard.
They kept trying, both of them. When the visits happened less and less they tried talking more on the phone, then when the calls started to become less frequent they began to text each other more often; yet despite their efforts, it seemed like one day Minori had to get her number changed and they’d lost contact since.
She must've broken her phone or something, Ena thought at the time with a shake to her head. Classic Minori, that idiot, Ena scolded her little sister with affection in her head.
(She tried not to think about the other possibility; that Minori could've done this on purpose — to cut things off with her cleanly, that Ena unknowingly did something so wrong to warrant such a thing. She's already losing her father and brother; already lost her mother. Please don't leave her. She's so sorry, please, little sister.)
For a while, that was it. It was back to just them two: Ena and Akito. They went from three to two, then four and then back to two.
Ena and Akito, Akito and Ena; the two siblings who were a little too alike to ever get along very well.
She thought that was it. She'll never know what Minori could be doing at any given time, never get the random text messages of a cool looking bird she found or an idol Ena doesn't recognize eating their latest lunch in a local diner.
And that was fine. Ena was fine with that. She's made her peace with it, there's nothing she could do about it; it was simply another misfortune that befell them. She's fine.
(She wasn't. She missed her ducklings. She could see her little brother, but where was the other one? Where was her little sister?)
So imagine her surprise when she meets her again at a local festival Airi was performing at. Not just that, no; that Minori was also an idol and in the same group as her best friend.
Was this God’s way of punishing her for not paying much attention to Minori's idol rambles…?
When Ena saw that familiar patch of lighter, slightly ginger hair next to the bouncy pink’s of her best friend — Airi herself reintroducing and uttering the name of her own sister to Ena — it was– well…
It was quite a shock for her, to say the least. It wasn't just Ena either, the same could be said for everyone involved, including Airi (who didn't know about their shared relation, apparently).
Despite that small shock, Ena was happy after that. Really happy.
Seeing Minori look so confident on stage, talking and chatting and bouncing around the stage like she belonged there — like she was finally one of the idols she's admired from afar for so long — it… it made her proud. So proud.
Her little sister, her younger sibling whom she used to defend with all her heart and all the might a 6 year old had; her little sister, who she had to hear from second hand had been denied of her birth-born rights to be an idol from Miku knows how many agencies; Her little sister, who's now happily and confidently dancing on stage in front of her — looking every bit like the idol she was always meant to be, shining among the darkness of life like the singular burning star among the cosmos.
Hanasato Minori, her little sister as well as the idol she aspired to be; both at the same time.
Ena opens the door to the cafe, Akito pausing behind her as she stops to scan her eyes across the crowd of customers sitting around with their food and drinks. From a booth near the window — close to the back, she spots Minori eagerly waving them over, nearly wacking off a nearby furniture at the wall in her enthusiasm.
Fondly, Ena smiles and she shakes her head.
She grabs Akito by the arm and drags him over, ignoring the surprise yelp from him in favor of arriving at their destination quickly.
“Ena! Akito! You came!!” Minori smiles and greets them, her grin full of teeth and pure innocent brightness.
Ena sighs at this, easily feigns mock disappointment in her implied lack of faith in them, “Of course we did! We'd never leave you hanging, silly.”
That got Minori to giggle. Quickly, before Akito could get his word in, Ena added: “I mean, I can't be too sure about Akito but I know I wouldn't.”
An offended “Hey!” comes from beside her, Ena easily ignores it as she slides into the booth to take her seat.
She watches as the two share their greetings and take the time to banter with each other. She watches as the two sit and talk about things in their life and useless things. She watches as the two twins interact more comfortably with each other as compared to how they did just a few months ago. Ena watches, and she smiles.
Right then and there Ena finds herself happy to be surrounded by her little siblings again. She finds herself happy as she surrounds herself with her little family once more, all there and complete.
Shinonome Ena is happy there.
—
Hanasato Minori has four siblings: an older sister and a twin.
But Hanasato Minori also has a little brother, too. Hanasato Fuuma. He's young and bright and a little rascal more than sometimes but she loves him nonetheless and he loves her. Where Minori was the black sheep of the Shinonome family back then for looking very different at best and severely out of place at worst — his birth shortly after the divorce completely changed that.
He looks like her. Not just that — he even acts like her sometimes!
Only sometimes, though. But hey, it's something!
They have the same shade of hair, same texture; a similar shade of monotone in their eyes, the same bright-eyed look; the same excitable enthusiasm lurking underneath that well-mannered exterior.
They're siblings, through and through. No DNA tests needed, no more “are you sure she's your sister?” Or “are you sure you guys are related?” from random strangers in their class or at the street. No more doubting looks from aunties they don't know, no more subtle regret from forgetting how she is– was a Shinonome sibling too.
They're siblings. Just like how the falling leaves are a sign of autumn; just like how the fiery shade of the once lush green leaves are still came from the tree, they're siblings. No one can tell them otherwise; not doubt nor question them again.
Even if he is still a little sh– punk to Minori only.
He's still too busy playing and having fun with his friends to find a dream to chase like the rest of the Shinonome-Hanasato siblings yet, but that's okay. She'd rather he just enjoy his childhood first before diving firsthand into grueling idol auditions or the like. Not like Minori would know anything about that, obviously.
He's loud and rambunctious whenever it's just them two yet at the same time he's quiet and timid when there’s anyone else. His attention span is the equivalent to that of a gnat and it's very clear he has a favorite twin — coughs, Akito — he looks up to way way more but despite all that — he still admires and loves his older sisters and his older brother (especially his older brother) with just as much passion; even if he does only show it to Akito, that traitor.
She's also pretty sure he stole all her luck from her. He's very lucky: like, “hey Fuuma what do you mean you got all shiny Pokemon cards on the first pokemon card set you picked?!” lucky.
She's watched him grow up alongside Samo, her mind still being able to easily recall how her Samoan not-so-puppy used to easily tower over his baby form. Now, they're relatively the same height, more or less (Samo’s a growing girl, and quite a big one, at that).
Hanasato Minori loves her little brother — everyone does. He's too cute not to love, even despite his two-faced nature against her and only her.
She loves her sister and she loves her twin, too. But Fuuma and her will always be the closest with each other. It was only a given, truly — with him being born only after the divorce and not having a single speck of Shinonome blood in him.
But even Ena and Akito love him. She knows they do, they always seem more than happy to see him anytime they visit, sometimes even going as far to play with him for hours.
What was Akito, Minori, and Ena against the world changed to Fuuma and Minori against the world. It made her sad, at first. But Minori grew used to it and grew to appreciate what she still has anyways.
However, the Sekais above must have heard her wishes and decided to take pity on her. Because eventually, Akito and Ena came back to the big, bright picture that is her life. What was Fuuma and Minori grew to be Fuuma, Akito, Minori and Ena, and Minori couldn't be any more grateful.
“Fuuma, I'm gonna go see big sister and big brother! Akito-kun’s gonna be there!” Minori yells to the closed door of Fuuma’s bedroom. It was 9 AM already and he's still asleep. Minori can't really fault him too much, though. It is the weekend. Still, it was surprising to see that not even the Akito Baiting tactic worked this time, and it usually works 99% of the time!
Minori sighs, and accepts the fact that her little brother is probably still too deep in his sleep to even hear her.
She leans against the door and yells out again — more gently, “Alright then. I'll tell Akito you said hi, okay?”
She paused, considering her next words. “If there's cheesecakes there, I'll bring it back for you, okay?” She offers him, aware that the Shinonome Achilles heel was passed down to him. “Okayyy! I'll see you when I'm home!”
Hanasato Minori has four siblings. Her older sister, Ena; her twin, Akito; and her little brother, Fuuma. And despite the world’s seeming desire to tear them apart from each other, they will always have each other's backs, one way or another.
—
Akito catches Minori’s attention back to the present as he talks about his partner and their recent adventures, a certain half-tone blue haired boy he calls Toya he admires. She loves hearing him talk about this peculiar partner of his, it reminds her of another shared trait they have. It's like her with Haruka, kinda!!
Though he does seem a little, um… passionate in his so-called “respect for his partner”.
She can see Ena making knowing side glances at them two as he keeps talking, too distracted in happily sharing his topic to notice her. She doesn't quite get what it's implying, did he and Akito have a thing going on that she's not picking up on?
Ena’s phone let out a notification noise shortly after though, and Minori watches as her stubborn, hot-headed older sister smiles so fondly at her phone it makes Minori wonder if all four of the Shinonome siblings have that special someone for them.
Does Fuuma have that special someone yet? Minori wonders. He's getting closer to the age I was when I first saw Haruka-chan.
A call from her phone next interrupted her thoughts, as well as the argument that was about to ensue from the other two Shinonome siblings while she wasn't paying attention.
Minori looks at the contact name and quickly notices that it's her mom. Minori wonders as she reaches for it: Oh, did I forget to turn off the washing machine again?
(Unfortunately, the answer her mother is about to tell her was much worse than a simple forgotten task.)
She put the phone to her ear, the other two quickly quietening their argument so as to not disturb the call.
“Hello? Yes, mom?”
—
Shinonome Akito and Shinonome Ena watch as Hanasato Minori drops her phone and begins to grieve over a loss they will soon be aware of.