They stay up all night talking.
Sometimes, they talk about their deepest, most profound feelings. Sometimes, they talk about days long gone. And sometimes, they just talk about silly, insubstantial things. But they always talk the night out until they fall asleep in each other's arms, regardless of whether they are in his room or hers.
Grandpa doesn't seem to notice this, or if he does, he chooses not to comment on this. Until the day before they have to go back to their universities to start a new year.
"Why don't you just move in to the same room?" he asks them over breakfast, as though picking up where he left off from a previous conversation.
Tsumugu merely blinks at him in surprise, while Chisaki almost spits out her tea in surprise, going bright red.
"G-grandpa!" she manages to say eventually, once she recovers somewhat.
The older Kihara simply gives her a look.
"It'd make a lot more sense than moving from room to room each night." He says simply.
"He has a point, Chisaki." Tsumugu says eventually, after thinking for a moment. Chisaki finds herself agreeing. It does make sense, after all. Still, she can't help but feel her cheeks go redder.
They eat the rest of their breakfast in silence, before going to clear away their things.
"Anything in particular you're doing today?" Tsumugu asks her.
"Hmm…I'm thinking of going to Shioshishio today. The second year is meant to be busier than the first, so once I've started I may not have time to visit as often as I'd want to. "
"Maybe I'll come with you. " Tsumugu offers. "I didn't plan anything in particular for today."
"That's fine by me." She says.
They say nothing more as they leave the house, but their hands still manage to find each other. And once they do, they don't let go.
…
Tsumugu finds it fascinating to see the friends who were once his age go through everything that he has already gone through. Sometimes he feels a little regretful, thinking that his high-school years would have been more interesting with Hikari, Kaname and Manaka, and occasionally he is stunned by how easily he and Chisaki had been replaced with Miuna, Sayu and the transfer-student Shiori.
But for the most part, it is fascinating. And sometimes amusing. Like now, while he is attempting to help them with their biology homework. They are sitting at a table in the office he sometimes shares with Professor Mihashi when they do research, attempting to write a few paragraphs about the presence of Ena in those descended from ocean people, and the relevant genetics. Sayu, Shiori and Kaname seem to be having little trouble with it, only asking him to check the occasional sentence here and there, but Hikari is grumpy, and Miuna and Manaka are questioning everything. He doesn't blame them, to be honest. A lot of the truth cannot be explained away by mere biology. Even while studying Oceanography, he knows that there is more reality in the folk tales than anyone would ever give credit for.
But of course, high-school biology homework doesn't care for those details.
So he ends up reading through Manaka's work again, and carefully pointing out the things she should change. He does the same with Hikari, but apart from that he just sits back and watches them squabble and work.
Occasionally, Miuna would ask him an interesting question, and they would spend a few minutes debating in a way similar to how he would discuss matters with Professor Mihashi. But for the most part he watches them, and thinks of his own high school days.
Eventually, as always, they seem to decide collectively that they are enough for the day.
"Did you guys even do any work?" Sayu asks as she sweeps up her items and puts them into her bag.
"Of course we did!" Hikari protests. Manaka backs him up, resulting in a short but circular argument, which Tsumugu cannot resist laughing at. Eventually, Kaname is the one to stop(or at least pause) the argument by indicating that Hikari had actually written on two sides of paper, while Miuna and Manaka had done slightly more than that.
"Thanks for helping us, Tsumugu-san." Miuna says , pausing at the door.
"Not a problem." He says, smiling at them.
"Hey, hey, Tsumugu-kun! Say hi to Chii-Chan for me!" Manaka calls from the corridor.
"I will." He replies.
He can hear their laughter and banter as they head down the corridor, and he listens to it until he no longer hears it. Then, he pulls a stack of work towards him and begins to tackle it, smiling all the while.
…
Chisaki enjoys working at the hospital, now that she is qualified as a junior nurse. It is long, and nowhere near easy, and she is often very tired when she gets back home. But it is enjoyable, and she is happy there.
One afternoon when she catches a break, she decides to go chat with her friend Eri, who works in the maternity department of the hospital. She enjoys looking at all those little babies, imagining what her own potential children may look like, despite the fact that neither she nor Tsumugu are in any particular rush for that to happen.
"Hello, Eri-Chan."
"Chisaki-Chan!On a break?"
"Yep. Who've you got there?" Chisaki goes over to see the babies Eri is currently tending to, and notices that they both have Ena, and eyes the same colour as her own.
"We're not entirely sure, to be honest." Eri says. "They were found washed up on the beach this morning, near to Shiroimachi. It seems they have just woken up from hibernation."
Chisaki wasn't entirely surprised to hear that. Although most ocean-dwellers had woken up a long time ago, there were the occasional few that were still asleep due to old or young age, and the occasional case of illness.
"Where are their parents?"
"That's the thing. They don't seem to have any, and according to the police, nobody has come forward to claim the twins. The injuries complicate things too."
Chisaki looks closer, and notices the swathe of bandages each twin is wrapped up in. It makes her shudder-who would be so cruel to someone so young? Then, she looks at the labels on each crib, and sees that they are both girls, each without a name.
"Twins, huh?" she murmurs, a thought beginning to take ahold in her mind. She chats to Eri about other things for a few moments more, then goes down to her lockers so that she can use her phone to call Tsumugu.
…
Over the next week, she continues to visit the maternity department and pester Eri about the twins, and Tsumugu comes over to see them too. They both talk to the police and social workers responsible for them, and seek advice from Grandpa and her parents.
By the end of the week, they know what they have to do. They have to adopt the girls.
…
The next few months are a whirlwind, as they adjust the home for the impending arrival of the twins, sort out paperwork and juggle daily life on top of this. The only lull comes when they loan out their house to Hikari and the others to have a graduation party, and go to visit Shioshishio.
Chisaki's parents are pleasantly surprised to see Chisaki, Tsumugu and Grandpa at the door. They usher them in, and serve snacks, and make small talk. Eventually, the conversation topic steers around to the twins.
"So, how long do you think it'll be before you can bring them home?" Chisaki's father asks.
"Maybe a few more months. We've actually gone through a good amount of the adoption process, but they're both very weak. Especially Yume." Tsumugu replies.
"Yume?" Chisaki is just as surprised as Grandpa and her parents are. Tsumugu looks sheepish, a rare look for him.
"Yes. I've kind of been thinking of them as Mugen and Yume. "He says. "They need names, in any case. "
"You are right. And those are nice names. Mugen and Yume…" Chisaki smiles at him, her way of telling him it is fine.
"I can't believe someone would even think about hurting a baby! They're what, two, three months old now?" Chisaki's mother exclaims. "At least they'll have you two soon. Make sure you bring them down to visit as soon as possible, okay. I want to meet my granddaughters." She pauses, and then adds. "And don't forget a wedding. I've always dreamed of being able to attend Chisaki's wedding."
"Mum!" Chisaki laughs. "We've been through this already. We barely had time to get married, let alone a wedding, and we'll be super-busy once we bring them home."
"I know, I know. A mother can dream though, can't she?"
Chisaki laughs again, and they change the subject once again.
They go home the next morning, ready to start another busy day, when Chisaki suddenly feels nauseous.
"Are you OK?" Tsumugu asks with concern.
"Yeah…I'll be fine." She yawns, and then goes slightly green. As soon as she reaches the house(Which, surprisingly, is still somehow very tidy), she rushes straight to the bathroom and throws up.
"Perhaps you should stay home today."
"Hmmm….."
"I'll phone for you, if you want?"
"Please." Gratefully, she goes to their room and sleeps the whole day. When she wakes up, it is evening, and she feels a little better.
Perhaps it was just something I ate…She thinks.
…
Unfortunately for her, she ends up feeling ill for the next few days after that. She stays home, and finds that she misses not being able to see the twins.
In between short periods of sleep, she thinks of the twins.
The twins.
She sits up suddenly. All of a sudden, it's obvious. She face-palms for a moment, and wonders what Tsumugu would say. Wonders whether or not this will end up being too much for them to deal with.
She gets up and goes to make herself some tea, waiting for Tsumugu to come back. When he does, the first thing he does is to check up on her.
"Are you OK now?"
"Yeah…and actually, I think I know why I've been so ill every morning."
"Oh?"
"Morning sickness." She says, watching his face carefully. He seems confused at first, processing what she just said. Then, suddenly, he gets is, and his face lights up, despite the fact his expression seems unchanged.
"Are you sure?"
Chisaki nods, thrown off by h
They stay up all night talking.
Sometimes, they talk about their deepest, most profound feelings. Sometimes, they talk about days long gone. And sometimes, they just talk about silly, insubstantial things. But they always talk the night out until they fall asleep in each other's arms, regardless of whether they are in his room or hers.
Grandpa doesn't seem to notice this, or if he does, he chooses not to comment on this. Until the day before they have to go back to their universities to start a new year.
"Why don't you just move in to the same room?" he asks them over breakfast, as though picking up where he left off from a previous conversation.
Tsumugu merely blinks at him in surprise, while Chisaki almost spits out her tea in surprise, going bright red.
"G-grandpa!" she manages to say eventually, once she recovers somewhat.
The older Kihara simply gives her a look.
"It'd make a lot more sense than moving from room to room each night." He says simply.
"He has a point, Chisaki." Tsumugu says eventually, after thinking for a moment. Chisaki finds herself agreeing. It does make sense, after all. Still, she can't help but feel her cheeks go redder.
They eat the rest of their breakfast in silence, before going to clear away their things.
"Anything in particular you're doing today?" Tsumugu asks her.
"Hmm…I'm thinking of going to Shioshishio today. The second year is meant to be busier than the first, so once I've started I may not have time to visit as often as I'd want to. "
"Maybe I'll come with you. " Tsumugu offers. "I didn't plan anything in particular for today."
"That's fine by me." She says.
They say nothing more as they leave the house, but their hands still manage to find each other. And once they do, they don't let go.
…
Tsumugu finds it fascinating to see the friends who were once his age go through everything that he has already gone through. Sometimes he feels a little regretful, thinking that his high-school years would have been more interesting with Hikari, Kaname and Manaka, and occasionally he is stunned by how easily he and Chisaki had been replaced with Miuna, Sayu and the transfer-student Shiori.
But for the most part, it is fascinating. And sometimes amusing. Like now, while he is attempting to help them with their biology homework. They are sitting at a table in the office he sometimes shares with Professor Mihashi when they do research, attempting to write a few paragraphs about the presence of Ena in those descended from ocean people, and the relevant genetics. Sayu, Shiori and Kaname seem to be having little trouble with it, only asking him to check the occasional sentence here and there, but Hikari is grumpy, and Miuna and Manaka are questioning everything. He doesn't blame them, to be honest. A lot of the truth cannot be explained away by mere biology. Even while studying Oceanography, he knows that there is more reality in the folk tales than anyone would ever give credit for.
But of course, high-school biology homework doesn't care for those details.
So he ends up reading through Manaka's work again, and carefully pointing out the things she should change. He does the same with Hikari, but apart from that he just sits back and watches them squabble and work.
Occasionally, Miuna would ask him an interesting question, and they would spend a few minutes debating in a way similar to how he would discuss matters with Professor Mihashi. But for the most part he watches them, and thinks of his own high school days.
Eventually, as always, they seem to decide collectively that they are enough for the day.
"Did you guys even do any work?" Sayu asks as she sweeps up her items and puts them into her bag.
"Of course we did!" Hikari protests. Manaka backs him up, resulting in a short but circular argument, which Tsumugu cannot resist laughing at. Eventually, Kaname is the one to stop(or at least pause) the argument by indicating that Hikari had actually written on two sides of paper, while Miuna and Manaka had done slightly more than that.
"Thanks for helping us, Tsumugu-san." Miuna says , pausing at the door.
"Not a problem." He says, smiling at them.
"Hey, hey, Tsumugu-kun! Say hi to Chii-Chan for me!" Manaka calls from the corridor.
"I will." He replies.
He can hear their laughter and banter as they head down the corridor, and he listens to it until he no longer hears it. Then, he pulls a stack of work towards him and begins to tackle it, smiling all the while.
…
Chisaki enjoys working at the hospital, now that she is qualified as a junior nurse. It is long, and nowhere near easy, and she is often very tired when she gets back home. But it is enjoyable, and she is happy there.
One afternoon when she catches a break, she decides to go chat with her friend Eri, who works in the maternity department of the hospital. She enjoys looking at all those little babies, imagining what her own potential children may look like, despite the fact that neither she nor Tsumugu are in any particular rush for that to happen.
"Hello, Eri-Chan."
"Chisaki-Chan!On a break?"
"Yep. Who've you got there?" Chisaki goes over to see the babies Eri is currently tending to, and notices that they both have Ena, and eyes the same colour as her own.
"We're not entirely sure, to be honest." Eri says. "They were found washed up on the beach this morning, near to Shiroimachi. It seems they have just woken up from hibernation."
Chisaki wasn't entirely surprised to hear that. Although most ocean-dwellers had woken up a long time ago, there were the occasional few that were still asleep due to old or young age, and the occasional case of illness.
"Where are their parents?"
"That's the thing. They don't seem to have any, and according to the police, nobody has come forward to claim the twins. The injuries complicate things too."
Chisaki looks closer, and notices the swathe of bandages each twin is wrapped up in. It makes her shudder-who would be so cruel to someone so young? Then, she looks at the labels on each crib, and sees that they are both girls, each without a name.
"Twins, huh?" she murmurs, a thought beginning to take ahold in her mind. She chats to Eri about other things for a few moments more, then goes down to her lockers so that she can use her phone to call Tsumugu.
…
Over the next week, she continues to visit the maternity department and pester Eri about the twins, and Tsumugu comes over to see them too. They both talk to the police and social workers responsible for them, and seek advice from Grandpa and her parents.
By the end of the week, they know what they have to do. They have to adopt the girls.
…
The next few months are a whirlwind, as they adjust the home for the impending arrival of the twins, sort out paperwork and juggle daily life on top of this. The only lull comes when they loan out their house to Hikari and the others to have a graduation party, and go to visit Shioshishio.
Chisaki's parents are pleasantly surprised to see Chisaki, Tsumugu and Grandpa at the door. They usher them in, and serve snacks, and make small talk. Eventually, the conversation topic steers around to the twins.
"So, how long do you think it'll be before you can bring them home?" Chisaki's father asks.
"Maybe a few more months. We've actually gone through a good amount of the adoption process, but they're both very weak. Especially Yume." Tsumugu replies.
"Yume?" Chisaki is just as surprised as Grandpa and her parents are. Tsumugu looks sheepish, a rare look for him.
"Yes. I've kind of been thinking of them as Mugen and Yume. "He says. "They need names, in any case. "
"You are right. And those are nice names. Mugen and Yume…" Chisaki smiles at him, her way of telling him it is fine.
"I can't believe someone would even think about hurting a baby! They're what, two, three months old now?" Chisaki's mother exclaims. "At least they'll have you two soon. Make sure you bring them down to visit as soon as possible, okay. I want to meet my granddaughters." She pauses, and then adds. "And don't forget a wedding. I've always dreamed of being able to attend Chisaki's wedding."
"Mum!" Chisaki laughs. "We've been through this already. We barely had time to get married, let alone a wedding, and we'll be super-busy once we bring them home."
"I know, I know. A mother can dream though, can't she?"
Chisaki laughs again, and they change the subject once again.
They go home the next morning, ready to start another busy day, when Chisaki suddenly feels nauseous.
"Are you OK?" Tsumugu asks with concern.
"Yeah…I'll be fine." She yawns, and then goes slightly green. As soon as she reaches the house(Which, surprisingly, is still somehow very tidy), she rushes straight to the bathroom and throws up.
"Perhaps you should stay home today."
"Hmmm….."
"I'll phone for you, if you want?"
"Please." Gratefully, she goes to their room and sleeps the whole day. When she wakes up, it is evening, and she feels a little better.
Perhaps it was just something I ate…She thinks.
…
Unfortunately for her, she ends up feeling ill for the next few days after that. She stays home, and finds that she misses not being able to see the twins.
In between short periods of sleep, she thinks of the twins.
The twins.
She sits up suddenly. All of a sudden, it's obvious. She face-palms for a moment, and wonders what Tsumugu would say. Wonders whether or not this will end up being too much for them to deal with.
She gets up and goes to make herself some tea, waiting for Tsumugu to come back. When he does, the first thing he does is to check up on her.
"Are you OK now?"
"Yeah…and actually, I think I know why I've been so ill every morning."
"Oh?"
"Morning sickness." She says, watching his face carefully. He seems confused at first, processing what she just said. Then, suddenly, he gets is, and his face lights up, despite the fact his expression seems unchanged.
"Are you sure?"
Chisaki nods, thrown off by h
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