[At the Tachibana Residence]
"Is Hina-onee-san not coming home tonight?"
Lying on the bed playing with her phone, Tachibana Miya looked at the time, which had already reached late at night, then turned toward Tachibana Rui beside her in confusion.
After the family gathering tonight, she had come over to Rui's house to hang out.
But Hina-onee-san, who had left midway, still hadn't come home even this late at night. Was she really staying out overnight?
"Onee-san said she'd be drinking with the teachers from school until very late. With so many of them drinking, they probably won't wake up until tomorrow."
Tachibana Rui looked at the chat window between herself and her older sister Tachibana Hina. Seeing that the messages still showed as unread, she could only shake her head.
Actually, it wasn't a bad thing if her sister stayed out drinking and didn't come home.
Although her sister had a beautiful face and a perfect figure and looked like an elegant goddess in other people's eyes...
In reality, she was a drunkard. At home, she often drank herself senseless, lay on the sofa in disheveled clothes waiting for Rui to clean up after her, and had to be dragged back to her room.
The only thing to worry about was her drinking herself unconscious and being taken advantage of.
But her sister had said tonight's gathering was for young female teachers, and everyone in that apartment besides the teachers was female students from the school, so there wasn't much for Rui to worry about.
"They won't wake up until tomorrow... I wonder if Hina-onee-san can come back earlier tomorrow. I was thinking that since we're on break, everyone could go shopping together."
Hearing that, Tachibana Miya wrinkled her nose in frustration and said gloomily.
There were actually quite a few older and younger sisters in the Tachibana family, but they had never all been together.
Now that so many sisters had finally gathered in Chiba, she had thought she wouldn't have to be by herself anymore and could often visit their homes and stay overnight.
But she hadn't expected that the very first holiday after the family gathering would already be missing someone.
"Miya, there's no need to rush to go shopping tomorrow. We'll have plenty of time in the future."
"That's right. We'll be staying in Chiba for a long time. Besides, just like Hana and Mihakari, we've already completed our transfer procedures. Starting next week, we'll be going to school with you. We can go shopping together anytime."
Two beautiful girls wrapped in white bath towels slowly walked into the bedroom.
One was the eldest daughter, Tachibana Yuika, with her long black hair hanging loose. The other was the second daughter, Tachibana Koharu, with light golden hair and slightly narrowed eyes.
The two Tachibana sisters had just finished bathing. Their skin still carried traces of moisture, their fair shoulders were tinged pink, and their calves were slender and pale.
Looking at Tachibana Miya, who sat on the bed with her petite build and bob haircut, worrying so seriously over something as small as tomorrow's shopping trip, they smiled at the same time.
The three of them, mother and daughters, jad already found a place to live after returning to Chiba. They simply hadn't had time to clean it because of tonight's gathering, so the two sisters, like Tachibana Miya, were staying at the home of the Tachibana Hina and Tachibana Rui sisters tonight, taking the opportunity to ask their two younger sisters, who already attended Sobu High, about the school.
"Rui, Miya, tell me in detail about the elf princess. How did she meet Hachiman at Sobu High? Is she really always seen together with Hachiman like Hina-onee-san says?"
The older sister, Tachibana Yuika, threw herself beside Tachibana Rui and Tachibana Miya and eagerly asked about the elf princess, the most famous person at Sobu High.
Her younger sister, Tachibana Koharu, put on her glasses, smiled, climbed onto the bed, and quietly looked at Tachibana Rui and Tachibana Miya.
"The elf princess... Hikigaya-kun..."
Hearing the question, Tachibana Rui's calm expression immediately became troubled.
She didn't mind at all that Tachibana Yuika and Tachibana Koharu, who were only a little older than she was, were staying at the house for a couple of days.
Although she wasn't active at school, she was only distant toward strangers. She wasn't nearly so cold toward relatives around her own age.
The problem was that "asking about Sobu High" while they stayed here.
The moment Tachibana Yuika started asking about the elf princess and Hachiman, Rui knew that Yuika and Koharu had come because of Sobu High's famous student, Hachiman.
It wasn't "while they were at it." This was clearly the main reason.
It would have been one thing if she knew, but she didn't have many friends at school. Aside from occasionally seeing Tachibana Miya, she hardly had anyone close, so how would she know exactly how the elf princess had met Hachiman?
If it weren't for all the rumors spreading around campus, she probably wouldn't even know that the elf princess was close enough with Hachiman to live in his house.
Well... ordinary students naturally had no way to confirm news like that. It was said that the elf princess herself had revealed it. Someone had boldly asked about the relationship between Hachiman and the elf princess, and the elf princess Iris had smiled without any hesitation, pulled over another pink-haired demi-human princess with a tail, and said that both of them were Hachiman's fiancees.
"I don't really know the details about the elf princess and Hikigaya-kun either, but! My good friend Oho-chan is a promising newbie on the girls' competitive swimming team, and she seems to have an unusual relationship with Hikigaya-kun!"
Unlike the silent Tachibana Rui, Tachibana Miya excitedly talked about Hachiman.
"I've heard that Hikigaya-kun isn't only involved with the girls' swimming team. He's also serving as a temporary coach and temporary manager for several clubs, and many girls have greatly improved their results under his training!"
"Hikigaya-kun is also the president of the Service Club. I've heard that if you run into any trouble, you can go to the Service Club and make a request. It's just that most people don't really dare to go."
[T/N: This chapter seems a little too short, ain't it?]