Once I finished the patrol I pulled my smartphone out of my pocket.

“Ah, sorry. Mind if I make a call for a second?”

“Go ahead. Oh, is it fine if I stay here?”

“I’m just checking in with my little sisters. They’re staying home alone today. Well, Mom’s there, so it should be fine, but I should still say something.”

“You’re close siblings, huh. I’ve got a younger brother three years below me and he’s super cheeky. He used to be cute when he was little.”

So Iwabuchi-san has a younger brother.

Feeling pleased at gaining new information about her, I called Mitsuki. Messaging on Line would be easier but she casually leaves messages on ‘read’ without replying, so this way’s more reliable.

“Ah hello? Mitsuki? Yeah it’s me. Everything okay? Yeah if so, that’s good. How’s Umi? Yeah, yeah, you ate dinner alright? I see Mom handled it. Huh, sudden work? Well, if it’s the work-from-home kind, then that’s fine... though Mitsuki, you sound oddly relaxed for that. Why? ...Ah if that’s the case, then alright. Take care of things. I’ll be back by tomorrow morning.”

From the other end, Mitsuki says things like “Eh just stay another night there’s nobody scolding me for staying up late, so this is easy.”

“No, you need to sleep properly. If you look sleep-deprived when I get back, I’m removing one dish from dinner, okay?”

When I finished the call with Mitsuki Iwabuchi-san beside me was chuckling.

“Did I say something weird?”

“Sorry, sorry. You really had the face of a big brother just now, Hayama-kun.”

“R-really? That’s kind of embarrassing...”

“No, nothing embarrassing about that. I liked it. Seeing a Hayama-kun that isn’t the usual ‘everyone’s Hayama-kun’ is valuable too.”

“Valuable...”

If she thinks that, does it mean she’s properly interested in me?

“But really, I’m sorry for asking you like this. You must worry about leaving your sister's home alone, right?”

“Don’t worry about it. Mom’s there at home after all.”

Thinking about how they sounded on the phone, there wasn’t really anything to worry about.

“Besides, Mitsuki seemed better than I expected. I thought she’d ask for help a bit more.”

“Oh dear, that might feel a bit lonely. But doesn’t that mean she’s grown up more than before?”

“Maybe.”

“You right now feel less like a big brother and more like a parent’s perspective.”

“Eh, I’m not that overprotective.”

At first, it had been a tense patrol alone, but thanks to Iwabuchi-san, it turned into a fulfilling moment.