Work Text:
It was the weekend.
So, you best believe that the Shinonome household's living room was actually occupied at an early hour.
Connected to the TV was a game of Just Dance. Minori followed along enthusiastically, her movements full of energy like the idol girl she was—even if it was a bit clumsy at times.
“Left, right—ah! Wait—!” she yelped, spinning the wrong way and nearly tripping over the coffee table before catching herself.
“Okay, okay—I’ve got this part!”
On the couch, Nene barely looked up from her switch. Her fingers moved quickly over the controls, expression focused. “You said that last time too.”
“And this time I mean it!”
Nene hummed in response, eyes still glued straight onto her game.
Upstairs—Ena still deep in sleep. Exactly where she would be for at least several more hours.
To be fair, she'd still be asleep until some ungodly hour even on weekdays considering she was nocturnal or something and doesn't go to day school.
When they heard the sound of footsteps going down the stairs, they didn't bother even guessing—since it was definitely not Ena or either of the parents.
Akito appeared—already dressed, hair done, looking far more put-together than he usually was. He paused when he saw the two of them.
Nene glanced up. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“You’re going out with Toya, aren't you.” she asked. Well, 'ask' definitely wasn't the right word for it, considering is was more of a statement than a question.
Akito—not really helping his case here—just froze. The way his face immediately flushed red said everything for him.
“Wha—no, I’m not—shut up!” he snapped, looking away.
Minori giggled, covering her mouth. “That’s definitely a yes.”
Nene smirked slightly, setting her Switch down for a moment. “You didn’t even deny it right.”
“I said shut up!” Akito shot back, ears burning.
Minori swayed side to side, clearly amused. “Have fun! Tell Toya-kun we said hi!” she exclaimed, Nene nodding along.
“I’m not—” he snapped, crossing his arms. He thought for a moment before letting out a defeated sigh. "Fine."
Before he could escape, a knock echoed through the house.
All three of them paused.
They looked at each other.
Then, simultaneously—
“You go,” Akito said.
“No, you go,” Minori replied.
“You two are closer,” Nene added.
“I just came down here!”
“And?”
Minori puffed her cheeks. “That doesn’t mean we should do it!”
“Rock, paper, scissors,” Akito said flatly.
“Fine.”
They held out their hands.
“Rock, paper, scissors—”
Rock, rock, scissors.
Minori lost.
She stared at her hand. “Aw...”
“Go,” Akito said immediately.
“Okay,” she said, walking over to the door before suddenly perking up. “I’ll get it!”
She swung it open—
And blinked.
Standing there, bathed in soft morning light, was Kanade.
Minori’s expression shifted instantly into a warm smile. “Kanade-chan! Good morning!”
Kanade gave a small, shy nod. “Good morning… sorry for coming over so early.”
“No, no, it’s fine! Come in, come in!” Minori stepped aside, letting her in.
Nene had already stood up, and Akito lingered awkwardly near the entrance.
Kanade stepped inside, glancing around slightly. “I was supposed to go out with Ena today…”
The three siblings' eyes widened.
Minori, Nene, and Akito all turned to look at each other. All three of them immediately muttered, almost in unison, “Fuck.”
Minori clapped her hands together suddenly. “Okay! Nene, come on!”
“Hm?” Nene blinked as Minori grabbed her wrist.
“We’ll go wake Ena up!” Minori declared, already pulling her toward the stairs. “Kanade-chan, can you wait a bit?”
Kanade nodded. “Yes, that’s fine.”
Minori shot Akito a look. “You stay here and talk to her, okay? Don’t just stand there!”
Akito spluttered. “Oi— I’ve gotta—”
“Stay! Here!” Minori repeated firmly, already halfway up the stairs with Nene in tow.
Akito stared after them for a second, then sighed. “…Fine.”
He turned back to Kanade, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Uh… you can sit. On the couch.”
Kanade nodded again, quietly taking a seat.
Upstairs, Minori and Nene stopped in front of Ena’s door.
Minori raised her fist, determined. “Okay. We’ve seen Akito do this a hundred times. How hard can it be?”
She slammed her fist to the door.
It made the softest, most pathetic little tap imaginable.
Minori blinked. “…Huh?”
She tried again, harder this time.
Still nothing.
“How does he do it?!” she shrieked, baffled.
Nene stepped forward. “Let me try.”
She knocked. It was somehow even quieter.
Nene frowned slightly, turning back to Minori.
"How the heck does he do that."
They both looked at the door.
Then at each other.
“…Should we go get Akito?” Minori suggested.
Nene shook her head immediately. “No. He should stay downstairs and interact with someone else for a change.”
“Right,” Minori nodded. “He can survive a bit longer without seeing Toya-kun right?”
They both blinked, before sighing.
"Okay, plan B!" Minori said, clapping her hand together once. "Uhm…"
Nene thought for a moment before getting an idea. “Wait.”
She turned and walked off.
Minori tilted her head. “Nene?”
“I'll be right back.” she said, going into her room
A moment later, Nene returned—with a seemingly normal alarm clock.
Minori blinked. “An alarm clock? I don’t think Ena will wake up to that…”
Nene didn’t respond, just crouched down and set it near the door, adjusting the time to a few sveonds from then.
“Trust me,” she said.
Minori hesitated. “…Okay?”
Nene stood and stepped back. “You might want to cover your ears.”
“Huh?”
“Cover your ears.” she repeated.
Minori quickly did.
A second later—
The alarm went off.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
A loud, blaring scream from a certain world future star rang out.
Minori squeaked. “EH!? T-TSUKASA-SAN?!”
Nene winced slightly, fumbling to shut it off. “Don’t ask. Rui gave it to me.”
After a bit, she managed to turn it off, sighing in pure relieve.
Then—
Heavy stomping from inside the room.
The door swung open violently.
Ena stood there, hair a mess, eyes blazing. “What do you want?!”
Nene pointed downwards. “Yoisaki-san is downstairs. She said you two were supposed to go out.”
Ena blinked, before her eyes widened.
“Shit!” She spun around immediately. “Give me a minute!”
The door slammed shut again.
Minori lowered her hands slowly. “That worked…!”
Nene straightened up.
Minori raised her hand with a bright smile.
Nene looked at it for a second before lightly high-fiving her.
They headed back downstairs.
The moment they stepped into the living room, they froze.
Akito was sitting on the couch. Kanade sat beside him.
Her hair was neatly braided. And Akito—was actually crying.
Kanade spoke quietly, voice too soft to really make out from where they were standing, her expression gentle.
Minori and Nene’s eyes widened.
“What—”
Akito noticed them.
Immediately, he wiped his face furiously, turning away. “What the fuck— when did you two get back?!”
Minori blinked. “Just now…”
Nene tilted her head slightly, but didn’t say anything.
“We woke Ena up!” Minori added cheerfully.
Akito nodded quickly, grabbing onto that distraction. “Good. Yeah. Good.”
He checked the time.
“…Shit.”
He stood abruptly. “I gotta go meet up with Toya.”
He turned back and saw literally everyone else in the room smiling at him knowingly.
Akito shot his siblings a look. “Don’t start.”
“We didn’t say anything—!” Minori said sweetly.
“Tch.”
He turned to Kanade. “Thanks. For earlier.”
Kanade nodded.
He went for the door. “I’m heading out.” he said.
“Bye, Akito!” Minori called.
“Have fun,” Nene added.
The door closed behind him.
Minori and Nene exchanged a look before turning back to Kanade, who was still sitting on the couch, hands folded in her lap.
Minori smiled cheerfully. “Ena should be ready soon!”
That was a lie. Ena was gonna take at the very least half an hour.
Kanade nodded. “I understand.”
Nene picked up her Switch again, settling back into her spot.
Minori flopped down beside Kanade, cheerful as ever. “So! While we wait—”
And just like that, the three of them settled into conversation—waiting for Ena to finally come downstairs in 6 trillion years and an overnight story.
It's fun having Kanade here though.