InsomniaWL
patreon
433 You Haven’t Returned, I Can’t Sleep, and Tomorrow Won’t Come
🕑 Added 2025-08-07 15:00:13 +0000 UTCAfter paying the cab fare, Kyousuke turned around and looked at the quiet three-story house in front of him, bathed in the soft stillness of night.
Even though it was past midnight, the moon still hung high and bright in the sky.
Its silver glow was so clear that even the birds perched on the oak tree in the courtyard could be seen without effort.
The moonlight streamed down like molten silver, sliding silently along the blue ceramic tiles of the roof.
The moonlight looked like it had taken on the texture of jade—cool, translucent, and delicate.
It was so beautiful that it made you want to reach out, pluck it from the sky, and slip it into your pocket.
On nights like this… even a fluffy puppy would be welcome company.
Kyousuke tilted his head back, eyes on the moon, and felt a swirl of emotion stir quietly within him.
“Forgot your key?”
The sudden voice didn’t startle him.
Not because he’d sensed her arrival with some inhuman awareness, but rather—truthfully—he hadn’t noticed her at all until she spoke.
He slowly lowered his gaze.
The cold gleam in his eyes, colored by moonlight, softened the moment he saw her.
Behind the wrought-iron gate with its rose pattern, standing in front of the dorm entrance, was a girl.
At some point—when, he didn’t know—she’d appeared there.
But it didn’t feel like she had appeared.
It felt like… she had always been meant to be there.
Just as no one questions why the moon appears in the night sky, neither did Kyousuke question her presence.
As a mere mortal, he simply accepted it—this beautiful, quietly miraculous fact.
Her long, chestnut-brown hair hung loose around her shoulders.
She wore a pale blue silk shawl draped around her upper body, over a simple pair of white cotton pajamas that didn’t match the elegance of the shawl at all—and on her feet, fluffy bunny-eared slippers.
The moonlight shimmered down over her, casting a gentle glow over her half-lidded golden eyes, still heavy with sleep.
That same moonlight—just a moment ago cold and distant—now seemed to carry warmth.
Kyousuke didn’t understand how the very same moon could feel so different in an instant.
Maybe it was because beyond the door was his home.
Or maybe… maybe the moon, like him, didn’t want this sleepy girl to catch a chill in the middle of the night.
So, the moon’s cool light turned into a soft, silver blanket, shielding her from the midnight breeze.
"I'm home."
The words left his mouth with a gentle smile, spoken to the girl who looked like she could barely keep her eyes open.
More than any moon, he wanted to be the one to bring her warmth.
"Welcome back."
Her soft, sakura-pink lips parted ever so slightly.
The words floated from her mouth like moonlight, light and tender.
With one hand clutching her shawl in front of her chest, Yamauchi Sakura gave a small, drowsy bow.
As she straightened up again, her slender neck seemed to come alive, proudly lifting her head like a flower reaching toward the moon.
Her eyes, more beautiful than the moon above, curved into gentle crescents.
Kyousuke exhaled a long breath and opened the gate.
Now, there was nothing separating them.
"Why are you still awake? If you fall asleep in class tomorrow, I’m not covering for you with the teacher, you know."
He walked across the slate path, gave her nose a playful pinch, and thought: the moonlight must have soaked into her too.
She looked like she was made of jade.
He could probably pinch that nose all night and never get tired.
Sakura closed her eyes with a soft hum, calm and gentle like the moonlight draped over her.
"Then I’ll just tell the teacher it was your fault I didn’t sleep last night."
Her voice was softer than usual, as if she didn’t want to add to the weariness of her late-returning husband.
Kyousuke gave her nose a gentle wiggle, then pulled the girl leaning against the doorframe into his arms, pushing the front door open as they walked in together.
Shoes off, slippers on.
The girl in his arms was completely quiet, as if already asleep.
Kyousuke leaned down slightly, intending to carry her back to her room.
“I don’t wanna go to bed yet—I’m not sleepy!”
She could barely keep her eyes open, and yet she declared it with unwavering conviction.
Only Yamauchi Sakura could pull that off.
“Alright, alright. Sakura’s not sleepy at all.” Kyousuke didn't pause as he slipped one arm under her knees and lifted her up easily, light as a cloud.
Sakura instinctively reached for his shirt, pressing her cheek against him.
“Sweat... motorcycle... hot spring buns... wind... forest…”
With every breath, another word escaped her lips in a sleepy whisper.
Even when Kyousuke sat down with her in the living room, she was still murmuring.
“Violence… girls… girls…”
When she got to that last part, her tiny, adorable nose twitched furiously.
“Celty-san!?”
Her eyes flew open. She stared up at the boy looking back at her without blinking.
"Thankfully, you’re the only one with that kind of dog nose," Kyousuke chuckled.
“Hehehe~ It’s just like the saying: birds of a feather flock together ~”
Sakura nodded, sounding confident—but it was mostly an excuse to shift into a more comfortable position.
After a few soft sighs, she curled up against him, resting both hands over the one he had laid gently on her stomach, a smile of pure contentment on her face.
And so they stayed.
Through the open sliding doors of the living room, under the soft moonlight on the pale wooden floor, Kyousuke sat with his legs stretched out, his feet resting in the grass.
And Sakura lay curled in his lap.
“Looks like zookeepers are all superheroes,” Kyousuke said, his free hand gently cupping Sakura’s cheek.
But just then, something occurred to him.
“Where’s Momotarou?”
“Oh right! Where is Momotarou? He didn’t even come out to greet you—that’s so rude!”
Sakura’s large, expressive eyes darted about as she wore a guilty expression that practically screamed, I have something to confess, please ask me about it!
Kyousuke raised an eyebrow, acting like a mafia boss about to hand out punishment. “Looks like this dog’s lost his privileges. Maybe I’ll send him to Yukinoshita.”
“Hehehe~ You’d make two victims in one go? That’s too cruel! I’d feel so guilty!”
Sakura giggled as she pouted.
The image of Yukino and Momotarou living under the same roof was undeniably hilarious, but for the sake of everyone involved, she explained:
“Momotarou was with me earlier, but the moment I sensed you were coming home, I shooed him off to the garage. At first, I was going to send him to Naoka’s studio to keep him company, but… well, Naoka in a bad mood is terrifying, so I changed my mind.”
Her voice was as soft and sweet as ever, but laced with sleepiness, adding to her adorable charm.
As she spoke, her delicate hands played absentmindedly with Kyousuke’s—tracing the shape of his palm, gliding her fingers across his knuckles, like a lullaby in motion.
Unlike most people who fidget out of habit while talking, with Yamauchi Sakura, the gestures were the main act.
Speaking was just a way to keep drowsiness at bay—to stretch the night a little longer.
“Poor Momotarou,” Kyousuke murmured.
“Poor Momotarou~” Sakura echoed his tone like a tragic opera, then pulled Kyousuke’s hand to her face and dabbed at the corner of her eyes—of course, there were no tears.
“He probably really wanted to welcome you home too… but let’s be honest, this moment isn’t exactly one a dog should be part of.”
Her voice rose in pitch as she defended her decision, sounding more and more self-assured.
“The moonlight is so beautiful,” Kyousuke said, admiring the sky—but never taking his eyes off her face, as if her golden irises were the real lenses through which he viewed the world.
“A dog probably wouldn’t understand the beauty of the moon,” he added. “Better for him to just sleep through it.”
“Yeah… the moon is really beautiful,”
Sakura whispered, lifting the hand resting on her belly and intertwining her fingers with his.
She raised their hands toward the sky, as if to admire the moonlight—but all she saw was the face she never got tired of, the one she couldn’t sleep without seeing every night.
Their eyes met, and under the glowing silver light, the moon no longer felt cold and distant.
It was like a warm blanket that wrapped around them both—making loneliness impossible, and time itself feel like it might just stop here forever.
“Hehe~” Sakura let out a sleepy, silly giggle as she burrowed deeper into Kyousuke’s chest.
“I feel so happy right now, Kyousuke~~~” Her voice stretched the final syllable like a child reluctant to grow up.
“Yeah… me too,” Kyousuke said with a soft smile, bending down to kiss their joined fingers with quiet affection.
“Hehe~ That tickles~”
Her voice floated softly as sleep crept closer.
“I’m so tired, I can barely keep my eyes open. Even Eriri gave up and went to bed.”
What she didn’t say was that she'd been feeding the blonde dummy hot milk and mini cakes all evening—until Eriri finally passed out on the couch.
“I’ve been lying here without moving since dinner—just so I wouldn’t fall asleep!”
She announced her “victory strategy” with pride.
Staying completely still might build sleepiness for most people—but for her, it had the opposite effect.
After a while, her drowsiness simply… disappeared.
“You know, that might just make it harder to fall asleep,” Kyousuke said, gently bumping her hand with his forehead.
“Hehe~ I know that! I’m not an idiot!”
Her fingers danced like a pianist’s across his, light and elegant, as if conducting a ballet of moonlit spirits dancing just for them.
“But you know what else I know?” she said, beaming. “I know that as long as I’m lying in Kyousuke’s arms, I’ll fall asleep in no time.”
She said it proudly, her tiny white feet curling slightly as she stretched and nuzzled into his chest again.
“And what if I hadn’t come home tonight?” he asked softly.
“Then I’d just keep waiting. As long as I don’t fall asleep… today doesn’t have to end.”
