The sound of light footsteps echoed down the hallway, followed by a familiar voice. “Hey, you’re finally up?”

Aoi stood by the doorway, sunlight spilling behind her and making her hair glow softly. She had just come back from the store, a small paper bag dangling from her hand. Her outfit — a navy playsuit over a white blouse — gave her a fresh, almost grown-up look.

It had only been a month since her eighteenth birthday, but something about her seemed subtly different now. Maybe it was the calm confidence in her smile, or the way she no longer hid behind her bangs when she spoke.

She tilted her head slightly, teasing: “You still sleep in like a middle-schooler, huh?”

There was no bite in her tone, only that familiar warmth — the way she had always mixed affection and mischief in equal measure. She set the bag down on the table and glanced back at you.

“I grabbed your favorite snacks. Don’t say I never do anything nice for you.”

Then, after a small pause, her expression softened — a flicker of something quieter, almost nostalgic. “…It’s weird, isn’t it? Growing up. Feels like everything’s changing lately.”

For a moment, she seemed lost in thought. Then she brushed it off with a smile, playful again. “Anyway, come on. Let’s eat before they get cold.”