Yuki walked over to Kotori's desk and gently ruffled her hair.
"What's wrong? Is that all you have to say to your dear older brother after seeing him?"
Yuki teased her.
Having her hair messed up like this made Kotori a bit shy, especially with other classmates still filing out of the room. Yuki's entrance had instantly made him the center of attention.
"Hmph! It's because someone didn't come home last night, who knows where he was fooling around! It's a miracle he even remembered he has a little sister!"
Kotori's cheeks flushed slightly as she glanced up at Yuki, mumbling under her breath.
"Alright, alright, don't be mad. Forgive your brother, okay? As a show of sincerity, I'll give Kotori a 'nice reward' tonight. How about that?"
Yuki lightly pinched Kotori's cheek.
Whether it was his words or the pinch, Kotori's snow-white face flushed bright red, her earlobes turning crimson too, matching her red hair perfectly.
"Ah! Onii-chan! Don't say that out loud! There are too many people here!!!"
Kotori's eyes, now shimmering like autumn water, gazed at Yuki, captivating and tempting enough to make one want to take a bite.
"Fine, fine, I won't say it. Let's go home."
"Mhm, mhm, mhm!"
Finally shedding her earlier pout, Kotori gathered her things, ready to leave with Yuki.
Just then, the Azusagawa sisters walked over.
"Yuki-nii! Here to pick up Kotori? That's so nice! I wish I had an older brother too, Onee-chan!"
The one speaking was, of course, Kaede Azusagawa. Beside her, Mahiru Azusagawa was a bit shyer, giving Yuki a slight bow.
"Hello, Yuki-nii."
"Oh, it's you two. Hello, Kaede, Mahiru."
Yuki nodded, offering them a warm smile. Faced with that smile, both sisters felt their hearts being pulled into a black hole. A faint blush spread across their cheeks simultaneously; they bit their lower lips lightly and avoided his gaze.
"Are you back from seeing the teacher?" Kotori asked the sisters upon seeing them.
"Mhm," Mahiru nodded gently.
Beside her, Kaede rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "Hehe, good thing the teacher didn't give us too hard a time this time."
"But next time we might not be so lucky, Kaede!" Mahiru reminded her overly pleased sister.
"What happened?" Yuki asked, showing concern.
"Nothing much. They just didn't do well on their math test the other day and got called in for a lecture," Kotori explained.
"Yuki-nii, it's really not a big deal! We messed up this time, but I'm sure we can do better next time!"
Kaede Azusagawa said with full confidence.
"That's hard to say, Kaede," Mahiru Azusagawa spoke slowly. "Anyway, after we get home this time, Father and Mother will probably find us a tutor."
"Ah! A tutor? No way!"
Just hearing the word "tutor" made Kaede's face twist with agony. She was already somewhat shy and afraid of interacting with strangers. Having a strange tutor at home would only increase her discomfort.
"It's about time you worked on that fear of strangers, Kaede," Kotori chimed in calmly.
"Sigh—! Not you too, Kotori! No, I don't want a stranger in the house!"
Kaede looked utterly unwilling.
"Is it really that scary? You get along just fine with my onii-chan, don't you? Why can't you with someone else?"
Kotori looked at Kaede with a strange expression, thinking to herself: Is this girl just weird, or is it that my brother's charm makes her not feel like he's a stranger at all?
"It's different! Kotori's onii-chan, Yuki-nii, seems like a very kind person. In my eyes, he feels just like family."
Kaede looked at Yuki, her eyes shining with an indescribable light—a mix of curiosity, budding affection, and deep closeness.
Beside her, Mahiru fell into a thoughtful silence. As twins, she and Kaede shared an unspoken, empathetic connection. Right now, she could almost clearly feel the emotions stirring in Kaede's heart.
"That's it! Why don't we ask Yuki-nii to teach us math? I remember Kotori saying Yuki-nii is excellent in every subject!"
Kaede suddenly had an idea, her face instantly lighting up with expectation as she looked at Yuki.
"Uh... Kaede! You..." Mahiru covered her face in helplessness. "Don't trouble people like that! I'm sorry, Yuki-nii. Kaede can sometimes be like this, blurting things out without thinking..."
Mahiru offered Yuki an apologetic look.
Yuki shook his head, waving his hand dismissively.
"It's fine. Kaede is so cute, how could I possibly be upset with her?"
Yuki smiled and gently ruffled Kaede's hair.
Feeling Yuki's "head pat move," Kaede's face broke into a mix of excitement and happiness.
"Kaede is right, my grades are indeed very good. Being your family tutor would be more than enough for you sisters."
"So... Yuki-nii, are you agreeing?!" Kaede's face lit up with overwhelming surprise as she asked.
Beside her, Mahiru froze for a moment upon hearing this, then a subtle flash of joy flickered in the depths of her eyes.
"Of course I can. And I can guarantee your math scores will reach full marks within a month."
"So amazing!"
Kaede's eyes sparkled with little stars as she looked at Yuki.
"Of course, you'll still need to go home and get your parents' permission first," Yuki added.
"Definitely! I'll tell Mother as soon as I get home tonight!"
Kaede nodded happily.
After that, Yuki and Kotori said goodbye to the Azusagawa sisters, left the classroom, and met up with Origami Tobiichi and Marin Kitagawa.
When Kotori saw Marin, she immediately said flatly:
"So this is your lover, Onii-chan?"
Her first words upon seeing Marin were explosive, leaving Marin stunned for several minutes.
'Lov... lover?! What does that mean? This pretty, cute little sister must be Yuki-nii's sister! Why would she say I'm his lover? Can she tell something?'
Yuki, standing nearby, couldn't help but facepalm.
"Ahem, Marin. Don't mind her. My little sister is like that; her thought process is a bit... jumpy."
Yuki coughed lightly, explaining to the stunned Marin.
Seeing Yuki's reaction, Kotori realized she might have misunderstood. She instantly changed her expression, putting on a smile.
"Ahaha, yeah! Just ignore what I said earlier. Hahaha!!!"
But the more she acted like that, the more Marin dwelled on it—she was super concerned!
However, she didn't press further. Instead, she studied Kotori carefully, thinking:
So this is Yuki-kun's little sister! She's really cute, but... why don't they look very much alike?
With this question in mind, Marin tried to initiate a friendly conversation with Kotori.
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