Rei stumbled into his home, looking absolutely wrecked. His body moved on autopilot, his soul hovering somewhere between reality and the afterlife.
Unfortunately, the moment he stepped inside, his sister was ready. She unleashed a barrage of questions like a missile launch.
"Why do you look like a zombie?!" she asked, narrowing her eyes. Then her smirk turned sinister. "Wait… weren't you at a girl's house?"
Rei barely turned his head. "I think… I don't have enough energy to talk…" he mumbled, sluggishly trudging toward his room.
His sister gasped, clutching her chest in mock horror. "Did she steal your soul or something?!"
Rei ignored her and collapsed onto his bed face-first. Within seconds, he was out cold.
---
He slept straight through the night. When he finally woke up, he blindly reached for his phone, still groggy.
A notification blinked on his screen—a message from Sera.
Sera: "Sorry for my mom's behavior… sleep well, see you at school."
Rei let out a tired chuckle. "I mean… she was good of heart, but a little too childish…"
But even as he tried to brush it off, one particular sentence from Sera kept replaying in his mind:
"If we ever get married, you'd have to face it every day."
Rei blinked. Then blinked again. Then grabbed a pillow and screamed into it.
"WHY IS THIS STILL IN MY HEAD?!"
His stomach suddenly growled aggressively, reminding him he had completely skipped dinner. With a sigh, he dragged himself toward the kitchen, expecting the usual sight of him having to fend for himself.
But when he stepped inside, he froze.
His sister had… prepared breakfast.
For a moment, Rei just stared at the scene in complete disbelief.
He then turned to her, face serious. "Where is my sister… what have you done to her?"
His sister smirked. "What, can't a caring little sister make breakfast for her poor, exhausted brother?"
Rei still didn't move. "Seriously. Where is she? This isn't funny. Are you an imposter?"
His sister sighed dramatically. "Tch. Guess I have to fix your brain first…"
Then—she grabbed a spoon, took a full baseball stance, and launched it at him.
THWACK!
The spoon smacked dead center on his forehead.
"OW—WHAT THE HELL?!" Rei clutched his forehead, glaring at her.
His sister grinned. "So… I think now you're completely awake."
Rei sighed in defeat, rubbing the red mark forming on his forehead. "That was harsh… but anyway, I don't think I have enough energy to argue, so I'll just eat."
And with that, he sat down and started eating while his sister kept a suspicious eye on him.
"You sure you weren't possessed or something?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Rei didn't even answer. He just focused on eating, trying to push all thoughts of Sera and marriage out of his brain.
---
He ate, got ready, and left for school. As usual, on the way, he spotted Sera walking ahead.
"Hey, Sera," he called out.
Sera turned, smiling—until she got a proper look at his face. Her eyes widened in horror.
"Wait… are those dark circles?! Did you not sleep all night?!"
Rei chuckled weakly, scratching the back of his head. "I slept all day yesterday… but I still feel drained."
Sera tilted her head slightly. "That's strange…"
She had no idea that the night before yesterday, Rei had spent the entire time watching her sleep like a total weirdo.
---
To be continued
—Rei