"Huh?"
Reiko tilted her head in confusion, big dark eyes blinking. When did Onii-chan grow big soft lumps?
Still half-asleep, Yukiko suddenly felt someone touching her. Her body tensed and she bolted upright, yanking off the blanket.
"Hayashi Shuichi, you massive pervert…!"
"E-eh?"
"Eh?"
Two pairs of eyes—one big, one small—stared at each other.
Reiko's eyes went wide, mouth agape in shock.
Yukiko flushed crimson, panic flashing across her face.
"Yukiko-nee? Why are you in Onii-chan's bedroom?!" After a stunned second, Reiko's surprise turned to fury. Hands on hips, little chest heaving, she demanded, "And you're wearing his pajamas?!"
"I should be asking you that!" Yukiko turned away, avoiding her gaze. "Why are you crawling into his bed?!"
The two girls glared daggers, both brimming with indignation. Then, in perfect unison:
"Hayashi Shuichi!"
"Onii-chan!"
Downstairs doing radio calisthenics, Hayashi Shuichi heard the twin shouts and instantly felt a headache coming. He hurried upstairs.
The moment he stepped inside, he saw them locked in a standoff.
Yukiko stood arms crossed, clearly annoyed.
Reiko stood ramrod straight, small face furious, glaring at Yukiko.
"What's going on? Don't you two usually get along?" Hayashi Shuichi asked cautiously, trying to ease the tension.
"Onii-chan, why is she sleeping in your bed?" Reiko demanded darkly. "Did you two last night…"
"Nothing happened," Hayashi Shuichi quickly pointed at the blanket on the sofa. "Yukiko forgot her keys last night and couldn't go home, so she stayed here. She took the bedroom; I slept on the sofa."
"Oh…" Reiko relaxed, tension leaving her little body.
"My turn," Yukiko said sternly. "Why is this kid climbing into your bed first thing in the morning? You're cousins—there are limits!"
"What limits!" Reiko shot back as if it were obvious. "Siblings sleeping together is totally normal!"
"Normal where?!" Yukiko's eyes bulged. "You're not a little kid anymore! Girls your age can't share a bed with their big brother!"
"You're lying!" Reiko bit her lip. "The stories Onii-chan told me say the exact opposite!"
"Speaking of which," Hayashi Shuichi forced a smile, desperate to change the subject, "what do you two want for breakf—"
"Shut up!"
Yukiko shot him a warning glare, then turned to Reiko. "What kind of stories has this guy been telling you?"
"Nothing special," Reiko said, rocking on her heels with her hands behind her back. "Just sibling romance stories—like Kasugano Yuu and Kasugano Sora, Kousaka Kyousuke and Kousaka Kirino, Kokutou Azaka and Kokutou Mikiya…"
"Hayashi Shuichi." Yukiko gritted her teeth. "Now I know why this kid's always glued to you. What the hell kind of stories have you been feeding your little sister?!"
"I was just making stuff up!" Hayashi Shuichi waved his hands awkwardly. "Who knew Reiko would take them seriously?"
"It's not Onii-chan's fault!" Reiko stepped protectively in front of him, staring Yukiko down. "We're not even blood-related, and Mom and Dad always said when I grow up I'm supposed to marry Onii-chan!"
"Now I get why this kid hates the glasses girl so much," Yukiko muttered, realization dawning.
She'd known Reiko was clingy and sometimes said she liked Onii-chan, but she'd thought it was just childish hero-worship.
Yet looking at Reiko now—this kid was dead serious!
Yukiko had thought her only real rival was Eri.
Turns out there was an even smaller one hiding in plain sight!
"Hey, Hayashi Shuichi!" She smirked mockingly. "Any other girls secretly in love with you? Might as well tell me now so I'm prepared instead of getting blindsided by another rival!"
"There's no way there's more…" Hayashi Shuichi gave a strained laugh.
Sharon was… ambiguous, but she was a woman, not a "girl," right?
"One more would be perfect!" Yukiko sneered. "Four of us could play mahjong together. Never a dull moment."
"We could play right now—I'll join—"
Hayashi Shuichi realized too late what he'd said and shut up, embarrassed.
"Enough of this so early in the morning," he sighed. "What do you want to eat? I'll make it—or buy it. Reiko, big meat buns?"
"Big meat buns…"
Reiko glanced at Yukiko's chest, then down at her own, envy and frustration flashing in her eyes. Suddenly she understood how Eri felt all the time.
"Hmph, a tiny kid like you wants big meat buns?" Yukiko's lips curled smugly. "You don't even deserve xiaolongbao. Fried eggs are more your speed."
"You—!" Reiko stomped, face bright red. "They'll sag eventually!"
"…You don't even have anything to sag yet!" Yukiko fired back triumphantly.
Hayashi Shuichi glanced at the two bickering females, gave up mediating, and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast.
By the time it was ready, the girls had tired themselves out and sat at the table, still glaring while eating.
Hayashi Shuichi ignored them, finished his food, cleaned his dishes, changed clothes, grabbed his bag, and headed for the door.
Reiko hurriedly swallowed her fried egg. "Onii-chan, you're leaving super early today?"
"…I'm heading back to the set soon," Yukiko huffed. "You're not even going to see me off?"
"Aren't you two having fun fighting?" Hayashi Shuichi opened the door expressionlessly. "Keep going. I'm off to Eri's—we're walking to school together."
He shut the door behind him without waiting for a reaction.
"Oh no!"
The slam echoed. Yukiko and Reiko locked eyes, both suddenly panicked.
They'd been so busy fighting each other they forgot their real enemy was the glasses girl!
Yukiko had only been gone a week and Hayashi Shuichi had already gotten that much closer to Eri. Any longer and she'd lose without a fight!
Reiko, more than anyone, knew Eri's place in her cousin's heart—that's why she'd always treated her as the ultimate threat.
"Truce!" Yukiko declared. "We can't let the glasses girl win!"
"Agreed!"
Reiko nodded fervently, worry on her little face.
"Onii-chan only responds to soft tactics. If we keep fighting, he might actually start hating us."
…
Finally free of female arguing, Hayashi Shuichi walked toward Eri's apartment in peace.
Near the shopping district, he ran into the delinquent florist girl, Orihata Midori.
High ponytail, white tracksuit. Fresh from her morning run, cheeks flushed, forehead beaded with sweat, chest rising and falling dramatically.
Hayashi Shuichi glanced once, then quickly looked away.
Ever since "blessing" the little monk at Eri's place, he'd noticed himself getting way too perverted—pretty girls made his eyes drift upward automatically.
His face heated. Women really are dangerous…
"Senpai? Senpai?"
Seeing him zone out, Midori called out.
"Ah? Oh," Hayashi Shuichi snapped back, embarrassed. "Sorry, got lost in thought."
"Even senpai has troubles?" Midori asked curiously while wiping sweat with a tissue. "You're so smart—I figured you'd solve anything easily."
"Some things can't be fixed with brains," Hayashi Shuichi said, unable to tear his gaze from the pale nape of her neck as she wiped.
"By the way, senpai—do you remember Nagashima Ruko?"
"The girl who went to that back-alley clinic?" Hayashi Shuichi frowned. "What about her?"
"She's missing," Midori said worriedly. "Last Friday morning her mother came to school—Ruko went to school Monday and never came home."
"Missing since Monday and only noticed Friday?" Hayashi Shuichi asked, puzzled. "Five whole days?"
"Her parents are divorced; she lives with her mom," Midori explained sympathetically. "Her mom works nights, opposite schedules—they barely saw each other. Mom only realized Friday when she got off early."
"What about school? She hasn't shown up all week—didn't teachers notice and call home?"
"Senpai, Sakuragaoka Junior High isn't Teitan," Midori said helplessly. "Management's super lax. Most kids slack off, skip class all the time—teachers don't bother."
"Did they report it to the police?"
"Pretty sure they did. Cops came by Friday afternoon, asked if anyone had seen her, then left."
"Maybe they found her over the weekend," Hayashi Shuichi smiled reassuringly at the worried girl. "You might see her at school today."
"I hope so…" Midori sighed. "Sorry to bother you, senpai. I'll head home."
…
After parting with Midori, Hayashi Shuichi reached Eri's building and waited downstairs without going up.
He stared idly at the sky, white clouds drifting like they were mocking his complicated love life.
Less than five minutes later, Eri appeared.
She huffed at the sight of him. "Not escorting your future big star?"
"Yukiko suddenly ran out of the pub last night—I couldn't just ignore her," Hayashi Shuichi said helplessly, hands open.
"Hmph. What exactly happened in the storage room yesterday?" Eri eyed him suspiciously. "Why did she suddenly get mad?"
"She… seems to have found out about us," Hayashi Shuichi said vaguely. "And then things just blew up…"
"Really?"
Eri's mood instantly brightened; a smile crept onto her face.
"What happened after? You chased her down?"
"Yeah," Hayashi Shuichi nodded. "We talked in the little park, I walked her home, she'd forgotten her keys, so…"
"So you let her stay at your place?" Eri finished for him.
"Nothing happened—I slept on the sofa, she took the bedroom," Hayashi Shuichi hurried to explain. "I was a perfect gentleman."
"Hmph. You're too soft," Eri grumbled. "She should've taken the sofa."
"She's still a girl," Hayashi Shuichi shook his head. "How could I make her sleep on the couch?"
"She's heading back to the set today, right?" Eri asked curiously. "And she didn't make you see her off?"
"She did say that," Hayashi Shuichi patted his chest. "But I was worried you'd be upset, so I ignored her and came straight to you."
That answer clearly pleased Eri—her smile grew even wider.
…
Takasaki Station. As agreed yesterday, Yabuuchi Hiromi came to pick Yukiko up.
Seeing the girl step off the train alone, she asked, "Where's Hayashi-kun? You came all this way for him—don't tell me he didn't even see you off?"
"Don't mention him!" Yukiko waved her hand angrily. "I'm in a terrible mood."
Hiromi shot her boyfriend a look. Once Fukuda Shuhei walked ahead, she teased, "What happened this time? He didn't cheat while you were gone, did he?"
"He didn't pick up any new girls," Yukiko leaned on her best friend, full of grievance. "But I was only away one week, and that guy and the glasses girl clearly got way closer…"
(End of chapter)
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