Warm white lighting shone crystal-clear and cozy, illuminating the two people stuck tightly together on the sofa like magnets.
Pressing his chin into the space between Sister Yuka's neck, which carried the scent of milk and her hair, Sasaki faced her questioning and answered carefully: "I'm not sure. When I was chatting with Rinka about Aunt Kyouka's plan, I mentioned it… I'm not sure if she told Otome."
Because the two sisters were a few years older than Sasaki, Otome, and Rinka, they usually didn't go to school or come home together except during holidays.
Naturally, Rinka was closer to Otome.
After learning that her good sister was facing a big crisis, Yuka didn't think Rinka would hide it.
That meant Otome most likely already knew.
But today, from her behavior and expression, she didn't seem particularly abnormal… except that her suggestion was a bit strange.
She said that because of staying up late studying recently and overworking her body, she probably wouldn't be able to tutor Fuyumi for a while…
After she said that to her and Koharu, Yuka's first thought was that Otome had given up on her idiot little brother and no longer liked him.
But, was that really possible?
And even if it was somehow...that girl didn't look sad at all.
Her smile wasn't forced, her eyes weren't complicated, her eye circles weren't red or swollen, and her complexion wasn't dull…
In fact, she looked even more beautiful than before.
Her behavior showed nothing unusual, yet her words were so strange…making Yuka unable to figure out Otome's true thoughts.
"You idiot, why did you tell Rinka about it so casually?"
Lightly patting him, the girl complained before asking again.
"How has Otome been treating you lately? Has anything strange happened?"
Compared to Otome, Sister Yuka herself was the strange one…
She normally never asked about Otome, yet now she was pressing for details.
What was she up to?
Mumbling inwardly, Sasaki lay on top of the girl, wrapped his arms around her chest like hugging a pillow and rested his chin on it.
In this position that made her extremely embarrassed and annoyed, he lazily looked into her eyes, raised an eyebrow, and pretended to recall.
"Otome hasn't been strange at all. She's been the same as always, waking me up on time in the morning, helping make breakfast, going to school together, sometimes eating lunch together, and having dinner ready when I come home…"
After briefly describing their plain but sweet daily life, Sasaki looked at her increasingly sour gaze and asked in confusion:
"Compared to Otome, isn't Sister Yuka the stranger one for suddenly asking about her? You never used to ask before."
"Why are you suddenly so concerned about Otome?"
However, Yuka couldn't come up with an answer for a while.
To say that she felt sorry for that pink haired girl.
Because of her strong and domineering personality, Yuka didn't want her idiot little brother to know that she felt a sense of sympathy for Otome and wanted to help her.
So, she could only use a dissatisfied tone to cover up her real thoughts.
"Aren't you the one who boldly declared you wanted all of us?
Can't I ask about it?"
Well... she's getting angry for no reason.
However, Sasaki was already used to it and didn't mind her tone.
Now that she wanted to know the progress of his "all of them" plan, he tightened his arms around the clothes in his embrace and shook his head:
"Of course you can ask. Actually,
I think Sister Yuka should be more concerned about when I'm going to stack you and Otome together, just like that night and be with you both."
"Otome has always been on my side. Sister Yuka doesn't need to worry about me and her."
"..."
That was true.
It was a fact that Otome was on his side.
But what was with the things Otome said to her tonight?
If everything was fine, why would she suddenly stop tutoring her idiot little brother?
Could it really be because she was overworked and needed rest?
Unable to figure it out on her own… Yuka repeated to Sasaki what Sakuragi Otome had told her tonight.
However, Sasaki, who already knew the reason didn't feel surprised.
Hearing that she was worried because Otome suddenly quit tutoring, he smiled and reassured her.
"Otome already told me about this in the entryway earlier. Sister Yuka doesn't need to worry. Otome really isn't feeling well, there's no other reason."
After receiving her idiot little brother's firm answer, the latter nodded:
"Then that's fine."
Seeing her noticeably more relaxed expression, Sasaki teased with a wink:
"I really didn't expect Sister Yuka to care so much about Otome. If I tell her, your relationship will definitely…"
Before he could finish, the angry and embarrassed Yuka covered his mouth, amidst his struggles.
She definitely didn't want that pink-haired girl to know she was concerned about her.
Yuka pressed hard on his mouth and warned him with shame and annoyance.
"If you dare exaggerate and tell her about this, just wait to get beaten!"
"Mmm…"
Knowing her brother was thick-skinned and probably wouldn't fear a beating, she added another threat. "Anyway, if you dare tell her, then from now on… cough… you won't get to touch me for three days!
And you won't get to touch Koharu or… anyone else either!"
"I mean what I say!"
Perhaps because her threatening voice was too loud, before Sasaki could respond, Koharu, who had almost finished warming the food, suddenly interrupted. "Sister, you're bullying Fuyumi again!"
As she turned around and saw her sister gripping Fuyumi's neck while covering his mouth as if trying to smother him, Koharu quickly stopped what she was doing and hurried over to the sofa.
"Fuyumi~"
Under her warm yellow pajama pants, her well-proportioned, plump long legs bent slightly as she knelt beside the sofa, lightly touching the floor.
Her brows furrowed and her gentle, pure, and youthful face was full of anxiety:
"Sister, you're going too far! Let go quickly! If you keep covering his mouth, Fuyumi will…"
Unable to stand how her own sister was siding with her little brother and making her seem like the bad guy, Yuka let go in boredom and helplessness. "Fine, fine, don't worry.
I didn't use any strength. He's perfectly fine. Look at how panicked you are…"
However as soon as she released him,
like a protective mother, Koharu pulled Sasaki into her arms and checked his body. "Fuyumi, does it hurt anywhere? Tell Sister…"
Uh..
Her soft, delicate little hands, still carrying some cool moisture that hadn't been wiped away, kept touching his neck and cheeks before starting to move downward, making him tremble as Sasaki quickly caught her wandering hands, before she touched something.
"Don't, cough, I'm fine, I'm fine.
Sister Yuka was just playing around with me. She didn't use any force.
I don't feel uncomfortable anywhere."
Koharu trusted her little brother's words, but…
"Fuyumi, why are you always bending over like that? Does your stomach hurt?"
Sasaki's current position was kneeling on the sofa with his legs clamping Yuka's left thigh, while his upper body was being held in Koharu's arms.
This awkward posture of being hugged while hunching over was easily noticed by the latter.
Facing Koharu's innocent and pure question, Sasaki found it hard to say it directly and could only dodge. "Ah, yeah, my stomach feels a bit upset. I'll go to the bathroom in a moment."
Koharu never doubted her little brother's words…
Since he said his stomach was uncomfortable and he would go to the bathroom soon, she didn't press further about why he was hunched over.
But his pants…
Since Sasaki was wearing black trousers and was deliberately trying to cover the bulge, Koharu couldn't tell what was hidden beneath the fabric.
Still, having something so obvious in his pocket must feel uncomfortable, right?
Wanting to help her little brother take it out so he wouldn't feel so bad, Koharu asked while reaching out with her other small hand. "Fuyumi, is that your phone in your pants? Doesn't it feel uncomfortable like that? Let Sister take it out and charge it for you."
Sasaki was about to explain that it wasn't his phone. But the moment he noticed Koharu reaching toward him, his expression changed, and he hurriedly stopped her.
"Don't—"
?!
Fuck!
His pupils contracted along with Koharu's palm and the words Sasaki started to say were abruptly cut off.
It had really become a handful now.
Feeling her grab him directly, he froze in embarrassment and didn't know what to do or say.
If it were any other girl he had been intimate with, Sasaki wouldn't have minded at all.
Since she had it in her grasp, she should take responsibility.
But Sister Koharu was truly pure — in her eyes, expression, appearance, and understanding.
She was literally pure.
Except during heated, intense moments, Sasaki rarely said dirty things to her at other times.
Although her body was mature beyond belief, facing her pure gaze always made Sasaki feel a bit guilty when saying lewd words or doing dirty things.
She was as pure as an untouched sheet of paper, while he couldn't help feeling like a blot of dark ink staining it.…
Well, sometimes because of that, he would bully her especially hard.
Completely unaware of how her most trusted little brother saw her, Koharu, grabbing the thick rod, didn't blush like an ordinary girl and throw away the hot potato.
Instead, after a brief daze, she blinked her eyes in a cute, silly way and asked.
"Fuyumi… do you want it?"
After all, she was no longer an innocent girl.
Although she didn't get intimate with her beloved little brother often, every time left her with deep memories.
Those memories resurfaced the moment she felt the firm weight in her palm, causing the eyes behind her glasses to shimmer with recognition.
Hearing her straightforward and sincere question, Sasaki wanted to shake his head, but the warmth of her palm and the sweet scent in his arms made it impossible to say no.
Their pulling and tugging, filled with an unusual atmosphere, also caught the attention of Yuka, who was lying on the sofa.
She strained her slender waist and back, lifting her head to look toward her idiot little brother.
However, what she saw, was her sister's small hand, which had turned red from gripping something thick.
While talking, the two of them were actually getting intimate behind her back.
Even more importantly, they were doing it right on top of her!
Were the two of them treating her like air?!
The dissatisfaction of being ignored and her little sister sneaking ahead made Sister Yuka's previously soft brows instantly turn sharp.
Her slightly narrowed, upturned eyes looked fierce and intimidating.
"What are you two doing! Koharu, let go right now! And you, idiot, get out of Koharu's arms!"
Yuka's angry words acted like a stick breaking up a pair of mandarin ducks, instantly scaring the two apart.
Because she was kneeling, Koharu only leaned back slightly and Sasaki, trying to avoid Yuka's grabbing and scratching as she sat up, retreated to the sofa armrest, explaining.
"Sister Yuka, calm down. We didn't do anything."
No matter how jealous she was, Yuka didn't want to leave painful marks on him, so, she pulled back her hand after seeing she hadn't scratched his face.
But she didn't want to let this bad, idiot little brother who seduced Koharu off so easily.
She didn't want to hurt him, but she also didn't want him to have it easy.
So, after glaring at him and cursing under her breath, Yuka stretched out her smooth, fair, almost perfectly sculpted little foot.
"You shameless, shameless… thing! You actually tricked Koharu into helping you do dirty things. Unforgivable!"
Sasaki didn't have a foot fetish..uh maybe not, so he didn't enjoy being stepped on by a girl and quickly begged for mercy. "Sister Yuka, stop. This is very dangerous."
However, Yuka really liked seeing her idiot little brother blush and beg her submissively, so, even as he begged, she didn't move her foot away. Instead, she pressed down a little harder. "Dangerous? Where's the danger? I think you're enjoying it."
"I really didn't expect you to be not only an idiot but also a pervert who likes being stepped on. Look at what you've become, you pervert~"
Because Yuka was sitting cross-legged, Sasaki didn't want to slap her foot away and risk her bumping into something.
But being stepped on like this wasn't good either…
Sasaki tried his best to steady his breathing and softly called her name in a drawn-out voice.
"Sister Yuka~~"
Not understanding why he called her in such a coquettish tone, the latter stopped lightly stepping on him and asked in confusion.
"What? Don't think that acting cute will make me let you go. It won't be that easy."
However, Sasaki didn't answer.
Instead, the moment she stopped moving, he reached out and grabbed her slender ankle.
Before she could react, he lifted her ankle, raised her long leg, and pressed down on her.
The squeezing sensation of her calf pressed against his cheek brought the girl back to her senses.
Not expecting him to bully her like this right in front of Koharu, Yuka struggled furiously, gritting her teeth. "Damn it? You're finished. I'm telling you, if you have the guts, don't let me get up. Otherwise I…"
Sasaki gently bit her firm yet soft and bouncy calf, then asked while looking into her gradually moistening eyes.
"Otherwise what? It sounds really scary."
Whether because of poor blood circulation from this strange position or something else, after exchanging just a few words with him, Yuka's body felt like it was burning up and unbearably uncomfortable.
However, she suppressed the strange feeling rising in her heart, looked away from his gaze and let out a soft hum.
"It's good that you know to be scared. Hurry up and get off."
"No, no~ I don't dare let Sister Yuka get up. What if you beat me?"
Between Koharu's innocent affection and Yuka's constant teasing, Sasaki felt his self-control slipping away.
After shaking his head in response, he turned to the gently smiling Koharu, who was watching them play around, and said. "S-Sister Koharu, could you make a bit more dinner? I'm really hungry right now~ The amount you warmed might not be enough."
The latter nodded with a light smile:
"Okay~ What does Fuyumi want to eat?"
"Um… fried shrimp, is that okay?"
"Sure~"
After picking a dish that would take more time and sending Sister Koharu away, Sasaki narrowed his red eyes and looked at the girl in front of him.
"This is the third time I've said it~ Sister Yuka, you're in danger now~"
Uh..
From the moment this guy sent Koharu away, a bad premonition had surged in Yuka's mind.
Now being stared at with that smiling gaze, she felt like a little white rabbit pinned down by a wolf and being wantonly sniffed.
A strange feeling of helpless tension welled up inside her, leaving her body weaker than she'd ever felt before as they inched closer.
"W-What do you want to do?"
"Do you."
???
After a brief daze, once she understood what he meant,
Yuka struggled in panic:
"Koharu is right there… Mmm~"
.
.
.
(End of the Chapter)