For Reiji, that usually meant sleeping in until noon, ignoring the world, and pretending responsibilities didn't exist. Unfortunately, fate—or rather, his five-year-old little brother—had other plans.  

"Onii-chan, wake up!"  

Reiji groaned as something small and energetic climbed onto his bed, jumping up and down.  

"Five more minutes…"  

"No! You promised to play with me today!"  

*Did I?* Reiji tried to recall, but his half-asleep brain wasn't functioning.  

Before he could negotiate a peace treaty, Haruto dramatically flopped onto his stomach. "If you don't wake up, I'm telling misaki-neechan!"  

Reiji immediately opened his eyes. "Alright, alright, I'm up."  

A smug grin spread across Haruto's face. "Victory."  

Reiji sighed, sitting up. "You're getting too smart for your own good."  

—  

After breakfast and an hour of playing some kid-friendly video game with Haruto, Reiji finally earned his freedom.  

Since it was a nice day, he decided to head out—more to clear his mind than for any real purpose.  

*Just a normal weekend. No drama. No unnecessary encounters. Just peace.*  

And for a while, that's exactly what he got.  

—  

That peace, however, didn't last.  

As Reiji walked through town, he felt a familiar presence before he even saw him.  

"REIJI!"  

*Oh, here we go.*  

Kaito practically tackled him, throwing an arm around his shoulder.  

"Dude, I was *just* talking about you!"  

"Great. I'll assume it was nothing but good things."  

"Of course! I was telling Yuna how much of a loser you are."  

Reiji sighed. "Glad to know my best friend supports me."  

Yuna, who was standing beside Kaito with an amused expression, chuckled. "You two have a strange way of showing friendship."  

Reiji smirked. "Nah, this is just Kaito's way of compensating for all the times I beat him in games."  

Kaito gasped, placing a hand over his heart. "Lies and slander."  

"Accept reality, my friend."  

Yuna giggled. "Why don't you two settle it over a game?"  

Kaito nodded dramatically. "A duel to the death. I like it."  

"That's *not* what she said."  

"Details."  

—  

Reiji spent the next hour at the arcade, battling Kaito in a series of increasingly ridiculous games. Kaito, of course, lost most of them, but that didn't stop him from bragging about the few wins he did get.  

"At least *I* have a girlfriend," Kaito said smugly after one particularly close match.  

Reiji rolled his eyes. "And yet, here you are, spending time with *me* instead of her."  

Kaito clicked his tongue. "Tch. Low blow."  

Yuna laughed. "I *did* invite him out, you know. But I guess you're the main attraction now, Reiji."  

"I'm honored," Reiji said dryly.  

After another round of playful banter, they finally decided to call it a day.  

—  

As Reiji walked home, he felt… relaxed.  

No unnecessary drama. No random encounters. Just a simple, normal day.  

He nodded to himself. *See? This is how weekends are supposed to be.*  

Then, just as he turned the corner—  

*SMACK.*  

Reiji stumbled back, catching himself before he could fall.  

The person he had bumped into, however, wasn't so lucky.  

A familiar voice, sharp and irritated, cut through the air.  

"The hell, Tsukishima?!"  

*…Oh, you've gotta be kidding me.*  

Sena stood before him, scowling as she dusted herself off.  

Reiji sighed, mentally preparing himself.  

So much for a peaceful weekend.  

—