𝟭. 𝙃𝙀𝙍 𝙎𝙄𝘿𝙀 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙍𝙔 || 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐤𝐲𝐮𝐮 [✔]

Chapter 33: Bonds

𝖘𝖚𝖓𝖓𝖞𝖘𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖇𝖆𝖇𝖍𝖊'𝖘 𝖋𝖎𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖆𝖑 𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞
#101023
•••

Aeris woke up to the sound of commotion downstairs. Curiosity tugging at her, she decided to investigate. Descending the stairs, she found her cousin Ken already in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Nanachan," Ken greeted her with a mischievous smile.

"Good morning. What's happening?" Aeris questioned, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Oh, you know Okasan," Ken sighed, referring to their mother. "She kept yelling."

"Why?" Aeris inquired, perplexed.

Ken shrugged, a tired expression on his face. "Okasan is just stressing about something."

Aeris nodded, understanding all too well. Harumi-san, her aunt, had a tendency to stress about every little thing, literally everything.

Just then, Harumi-san emerged from the living room, her apologetic voice filling the air. "Good morning, Aeris-chan. I'm sorry for waking you up. The kids have been loud, and I kept scolding them to keep it down since you're taking a rest."

"It's okay, Harumi-san. It's fine," Aeris assured her, a gentle smile on her lips. "So, what are you planning to do today?"

Harumi-san's eyes lit up as she shared her plan. "We're going hiking today. I've heard there's a good food spot near Mt. Aoi."

Aeris's curiosity piqued. "That sounds exciting! Where are Hide-san and Kenna?"

"Oh, they're at the hospital," Harumi-san explained. 

"There are some new things happening, so your uncle and Kenna went there. But they'll meet us at Mt. Aoi later."

Aeris nodded, absorbing the information. "Why don't you eat your breakfast first? We don't want you hiking on an empty stomach."

Harumi-san smiled gratefully.

𖤐 — ᡴꪫ ִ₊‧⁺˖๋࣭ ⭑ ᡴꪫ — ִ ࣪𖤐

 As they drove along the winding road towards Mt. Aoi, the anticipation hung thick in the air. The journey would take at least an hour, providing ample time for conversation.

"Nanachan, how's Tobio-niisan?" Ken inquired, breaking the silence. His eyes glimmered with curiosity.

"He's doing well," Aeris replied, a sparkle of pride in her voice. "Yesterday, they played in the Inter-Preliminaries and won against a mighty opponent."

Impressed, Harumi-san interjected, "Wow, he has improved so much! It's quite different from how you talked about him last month."

Aeris's smile widened as she thought about her brother's progress. "Yes, I couldn't be prouder of him," she admitted wholeheartedly.

Curiosity sparked within Ken's eyes once more, and he couldn't contain himself. "So, are you planning to join the volleyball team again?"

"Ken-chan!" Harumi-san's face became possessed by worry, fearing that the mention of volleyball might evoke painful memories for Aeris. But before she could interject