The next morning.
Hozuki Nozomi opened his eyes to find Shiina Mashiro burrowed under the covers, her small frame curled against his side like a stubborn cat that had found the warmest patch of sunlight.
He slid an arm around her slender waist without a word, letting her settle deeper into him.
On his other side, Aoyama Nanami slept soundly, cheeks still tinted a soft, telling pink, her hair tangled across the pillow from the night before. Traces of last night lingered on the sheets — the faint scent of her shampoo, the warmth of skin against skin, the quiet ache in her thighs that even sleep hadn't quite chased away.
It was still early, so he closed his eyes and let himself drift back under.
...
Aoyama Nanami was woken by Shiina Mashiro.
She could only sigh, half-speechless.
Mashiro was sneaking food from her plate again — practically a pilfering little cat.
But as the newcomer among the girls, she didn't feel she had any right to scold her.
Nanami's cheeks warmed as memories from the previous night surfaced, and she quickly slipped out of Hozuki Nozomi's embrace, tugging the sheet with her as she padded off to wash up.
After breakfast, she made her way to Suimei High School.
Suimei wasn't far from Sakurasou, which made the walk easy and short.
Lately, Sakurasou had become the hottest topic on campus.
Mostly because of the string of impossibly beautiful girls seen coming and going from its front door.
Every boy at the school was dying to move in.
Some had even sought Nanami out, asking whether there was any way to secure a room now.
She always answered awkwardly that there were no vacancies at the moment, so it wasn't possible.
The intent behind those questions was obvious.
They wanted the chance to get close to Yukinoshita Yukino and the other beauties who frequented Sakurasou.
Naturally, Nanami wasn't about to give them that opening.
When she stepped into the classroom, the girls in her class swarmed her again.
"Wow, Nanami, how did you do it?"
"Huh? Do what?"
A female classmate had suddenly planted herself in front of her, wide-eyed and scrutinizing every inch of her face. Nanami instinctively took two steps back.
"It's your skin!"
"Nanami-chan, don't be stingy, tell us your whitening secret!"
"Don't try to say you don't know!"
"Lately it's like you switched on a ten-level beauty filter — you're glowing, and your skin's whiter than milk!"
"You used to work part-time all over town and got kind of tan for a while, so 'fess up!"
"How are you maintaining it? What cosmetics are you using?"
The barrage left Nanami thoroughly flustered.
"Is that so...?"
She couldn't help touching her own cheek.
She had always felt she wasn't pretty enough — not compared to Yukino, Mahiru, and the others.
But listening to her classmates now, she felt a small, secret warmth bloom in her chest.
So what Hozuki Nozomi had said really was true.
That thing about being with him...
It made a girl prettier.
Seeing the shy expression on Nanami's face, her classmate's eyes went wide with sudden realization.
"Nanami-chan, I get it — you got prettier because you got a boyfriend, didn't you!"
"They say girls in love hit a second growth spurt, and I guess it's really true!"
Nanami's heart skipped, and she waved her hands frantically, her whole face going red.
"How could that be? This kind of thing... has nothing to do with a boyfriend, right?"
"Heh, so, Nanami, you're not denying you have one?"
Her classmate leaned in, hungry for gossip.
Nanami lowered her head shyly and gave a small nod.
"Mm... I do have a boyfriend."
"Ah! You really do! Who is it? Nanami-chan, show me a photo, satisfy my curiosity!"
"Um... maybe another time."
"Eh, why not? Are you scared I'll steal him because he's too handsome?"
"I didn't say that."
Nanami finally managed to shoo away the gaggle of gossiping girls and returned to her seat.
Even so, her heart wouldn't settle.
She thought of a certain someone's teasing expression from the night before — the low way he'd whispered against her ear, the weight of his hand on her hip — and steam practically rose from her head.
Two rows behind her, Miyahara Daichi felt something in his chest crack quietly in half.
Aoyama-san... already has a boyfriend?
He hadn't even had the chance to confess.
Had someone really beaten him to it?
Miyahara Daichi's shoulders sagged.
Meanwhile, Kanda Sorata was busy nursing a regret of his own.
Had he been too hasty in leaving Sakurasou?
Sometimes he passed by the old dorm and caught glimpses of girls coming and going.
They were simply too beautiful.
Like heroines who had stepped straight out of the pages of a manga.
If he had stayed, surely he would have had a chance to meet them properly.
But regretting it now was pointless.
There was no going back.
...
Over on Hozuki Nozomi's side of things.
Kirisu Mafuyu-sensei once again chose to ignore him during class today.
However.
Made uncomfortable by his lingering, heated gaze, she practically fled the classroom the moment the bell rang.
As though some primordial beast were prowling the room behind her.
It was still a bit of a shame he hadn't gotten to watch Mahiru and Yukino in their maid outfits any longer yesterday.
So, shameless as always, he had asked Shiina Mahiru when she might persuade Yukino to reward him again.
Mahiru had rolled her eyes at him after hearing that.
"It depends on how you behave."
That had been her reply.
Good grief.
Mahiru had been influenced by Yukino.
She used to be so pliant, never refusing him a thing.
Now, somehow, it had become a little more of a challenge.
Just as he was scheming over how to soften up Yukino first, and then Mahiru...
His phone rang.
He tapped to answer, and to his surprise, it was Aragaki Ayase.
"Onii-chan, is that you?"
"It's me, Ayase. What's up? You don't usually call out of the blue."
"Um, well, it's like this — Kirino-chan caught a cold and stayed home today. I was wondering if you'd want to visit her together this afternoon? I think Kirino would really be happy if Onii-chan came along."
Hozuki Nozomi was mildly caught off guard.
Ayase-chan, actually inviting him to visit her best friend with her.
Of course, he wasn't about to refuse.
"No problem. This afternoon, right? Let's meet up and go see Kirino together."
"Okay, it's a promise then."
"Mm."
Since it was a visit to Kirino-chan, he naturally needed to prepare a proper gift.
...
Afternoon came around.
Hozuki Nozomi met up with Aragaki Ayase at a certain station platform.
Standing beside Ayase were already two other girls.
One was Miyamizu Yotsuha.
The other was a petite girl in twin pigtails — Kurusu Kanako.
"Yo, Ayase, afternoon. I'm not late, am I?"
"Also, Yotsuha, you're here too? Are you friends with Kirino and Ayase?"
"Onii-chan, you two know each other?"
Aragaki Ayase's eyes brightened.
Miyamizu Yotsuha glanced at him and answered with her usual flatness:
"Nozomi's pretty close with my big sister. He's in and out of our house all the time."
"Oh, is that how it is? What a coincidence! Ah, right — Nozomi, this is our friend, Kurusu Kanako."
"I'm Kurusu Kanako. Just call me Kanako. Nice to meet you, Onii-chan."
The girl greeted him with an easy composure.
"Nice to meet you too, Kanako-chan. I'll remember that."
Hozuki Nozomi replied with a warm smile.
Then the four of them, gifts in hand, set off together toward the Kousaka residence.