Sitting across from Kato Hiromi, Kato Megumi kept that same placid, water-calm expression, quietly eating as if she had no interest in the conversation around her.
But the instant her older sister finished speaking, Megumi's fingers paused ever so slightly on her chopsticks. She then picked up a piece of grilled fish as if nothing had happened and gave a small, deliberate cough.
That faint cough was like an invisible signal.
The Kato parents were perceptive people. Seeing their elder daughter's evasive answer and their younger daughter's "none of my business" demeanor, they guessed there were things young people found hard to discuss with their parents. Thoughtfully, they did not press further.
Mr. Kato adjusted his glasses and steered the topic toward recent news, and the atmosphere at the table soon returned to a surface calm.
After dinner, Megumi helped her mother tidy up the dishes, then went straight upstairs to Hiromi's room.
"Knock, knock!"
She rapped on the door and, without waiting for a reply from inside, pushed it open.
Hiromi was sitting at her vanity, absentmindedly brushing her long hair. Seeing her sister in the mirror, a flicker of tension crossed her face.
"Megumi? What is it?"
Megumi quietly closed the door behind her and walked over. She didn't beat around the bush.
In her usual even tone, she asked directly, "Sis, the night before last you didn't come home—were you with Rei Ao?"
"Pfft—cough, cough!"
Hiromi choked at once, coughing hard. Her cheeks flushed scarlet, the color spreading to the tips of her ears. She put down the comb and turned around, looking at her sister in mortified panic.
"M-Megumi! How did… you… I…"
Seeing that reaction, Megumi was sure. She showed no anger or blame—only tilted her head slightly, those clear eyes that seemed to see through people resting on her sister. Her tone stayed calm but carried a strangely soothing power.
"You don't have to be so nervous, Sis. I don't mind."
"But Megumi, Rei Ao… he's still your…"
Hiromi's voice grew smaller and smaller, her face full of guilt and confusion. That one uncontrolled moment of intimacy had weighed on her like a boulder—especially when facing her sister. She knew Rei Ao was Megumi's boyfriend; what she had done was undeniably a betrayal.
Megumi shook her head gently, stepped forward, and smoothed a stray lock of Hiromi's hair with a light touch.
"Rei Ao is special, isn't he?" she said softly, as if stating a simple fact. "And you don't seem to dislike it—if anything, you looked a little happy."
Called out so plainly, Hiromi wanted to sink through the floor. She truly couldn't deny it. That night, though sudden, had left an indelible mark—part guilt, part secret thrill.
Rei Ao's mysterious, compelling pull, and the way he could be tender one moment and domineering the next, had shaken this mature woman—accustomed to a crisp professional life and almost blank romantic history—like nothing before.
"I…"
She opened her mouth, but no words came.
Just then, their parents' voices floated up from downstairs.
"Hiromi, Megumi, we're going out to a movie—just the two of us. We'll be back later!"
It was Mrs. Kato's smiling voice.
"Mm, got it. Have fun, Mom and Dad."
Hiromi answered quickly, seizing the chance to cover her embarrassment.
With the sound of the front door opening and closing, the large Kato home was left to the two sisters. The air seemed quieter—and subtly more charged.
Hiromi let out a breath and was about to say something to change the subject and break the awkwardness when the doorbell suddenly chimed—"ding-dong, ding-dong."
"At this hour… who could it be? Did Mom and Dad forget their keys?"
Puzzled, she stood, smoothed the wrinkles from her loungewear, and headed to the entryway. Megumi followed at her unhurried pace.
Hiromi peered through the peephole—and froze as if struck by a binding spell. Her heart kicked into a wild gallop.
It wasn't their parents at the door.
It was the very man who had been at the center of their conversation—the one who unsettled her so—Rei Ao.
Why was he here? And right after their parents had left!
Heat rushed to Hiromi's face again. Her hand hovered on the knob; for a moment she didn't dare open the door.
"Who is it, Sis?" Megumi's even voice came from behind.
"Uh… it's…"
Hiromi took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart.
"See for yourself…"
In the end, she turned the knob and opened the door.
Rei Ao stood there casually in simple street clothes that still couldn't hide his otherworldly poise. At the sight of Hiromi, a faint, almost imperceptible flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. Then his gaze moved past her to Megumi, and the corner of his mouth softened into a warm curve.
"Good evening."
His clear voice carried a reassuring calm.
"G-good evening…" Hiromi stammered, instinctively stepping aside to let him in, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks again.
Rei Ao walked in naturally. His gaze lingered for a beat on the red tips of Hiromi's ears; the smile in his eyes deepened, but he didn't comment. He looked to Megumi. "Megumi."
Megumi came to his side and looked up at him. On her tranquil face a faint, almost invisible softness appeared. She didn't ask why he had come; in her characteristic, matter-of-fact tone, she said quietly:
"Rei Ao, Mom and Dad aren't home tonight. They said they're having some couple time and will probably be back tomorrow."
The sentence was a clear signal, plainly conveying that the Kato house was "empty"—along with a certain tacit permission and invitation.
Rei Ao paused, then looked down at Megumi's calm yet meaningful eyes. He glanced at Hiromi, who, thanks to her sister's words, was even more flustered, nearly tucking her head into her chest. He understood at once.
His smile turned a shade playful, tinged with knowing ambiguity. His gaze traveled between the sisters and finally returned to Megumi, his voice low with a touch of delight.
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Then it seems the Kato home tonight is our 'three-person world.'"
The words seemed to carry a spell; the air in the entryway warmed at once.
Hiromi felt her heartbeat spiral out of control; even breathing became difficult. Megumi remained composed, offering only a soft "Mm," which amounted to consent.
The lights were gentle, and the night was deep.
~~~
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