---
The mansion had never felt so quiet… and yet so loud.
Quiet in words.
Loud in tension.
I wasn't even sure when it started—but somewhere after breakfast, the air between the girls thickened like pudding. Eyes followed me everywhere. Not playful. Not casual.
Strategic.
I tried escaping to the courtyard.
Didn't last five minutes before I found Mei trimming the hedges with a katana.
"You're gardening… with a weapon."
She didn't even look up. "They respond better to fear."
I backed away—slowly.
The hallway was worse. Ayame and Rin were sitting on the floor, backs to opposite walls, exchanging sharpened smiles as they "casually" peeled fruit with unnecessarily sharp knives.
"Oh, hey, Ren~" Rin called sweetly. "Want an apple? Freshly sliced."
"With love," Ayame added. "Possibly laced with betrayal."
"I'm good," I squeaked.
I ducked into the library.
