"Iris."
"Y-yeah."
"You..."
Iris swallowed.
"Secretly like me, don't you?"
Iris, who had just closed both her eyes, opened one.
"Eh?"
Iris became confused. She looked at Vittoria, who was shy, with a questioning face.
"That... I mean, you always pay attention to me at school and outside, like earlier. I started to think you might like me because lately you've been paying attention to me wherever I am."
Iris put on a blank face. She realized that every time she stalked Vincent, Vittoria was always by his side.
"Um.. that..."
Seeing Vittoria's sweet blushing face made Iris hesitant to tell her the reason. Should she tell her that she had been stalking Vincent all this time? Probably not necessary.
"But I'm sorry... Iris, I'm currently in love with someone."
Vittoria said shyly, wiggling her leg restlessly. She really looked like a girl in love.
"Um.. yeah.. I see.." Iris couldn't say anything but yes. She was quite confused about how to get out of this situation. Then she decided to just leave, acting like a jilted lover.
"Then I'll go... Thank you for inviting me to dinner, Vittoria. Your and Vincent's food was delicious."
Iris stood up, about to walk out of the room.
"Wait."
But she was stopped by Vittoria, who pulled her hand.
"Are you angry, Iris? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to reject you."
Iris shook her head quickly.
"No, it's okay. I'm not angry. It's just getting late. I have to go home." Iris said as naturally as possible, hiding the joy in her heart because her true intention hadn't been revealed.
Vittoria shook her head firmly. "Then stay here for the night. It's very dangerous for a girl to walk alone at night. Besides, tomorrow is weekend, isn't it? How about it?"
Iris wanted to shake her head to refuse, but seeing Vittoria's hopeful face made her unable to say no. She nodded slightly.
"Thank goodness! Actually... this is the first time a girl classmate has stayed over at my house. Let's have fun tonight, Iris!"
Vittoria seemed enthusiastic. Although on the outside she appeared grumpy and quite unfriendly, like the quiet and cold Iris, deep down, they actually had similar and friendly personalities.
Iris nodded slightly. I'll consider tonight as my good fortune. This way I can get more information about Vincent. Before that day comes and he becomes completely mine. Iris smiled faintly.
They then chatted on the bed together for quite a while before Aria came uninvited into Vittoria's room.
"Why are you here, Aria?" Vittoria asked with a pout, seeing Aria at the bedroom door, smiling sweetly and widely at Iris who was sitting on the bed.
"I'm your neighbor. I can tell what you're doing."
"How did you know?" Vittoria asked skeptically, narrowing her eyes.
Aria pointed to the wide-open window. "Didn't you realize I live right next to your bedroom window, Vittoria? I saw you chatting happily with someone from your wide-open window, that's why I came, hehe." She smiled innocently.
"Ughhh..." Vittoria sighed. "Mom must have let you in, right?"
Aria nodded. "Sister Valian and Sister Vivian also welcomed me and told me to come to your room. They said Iris was here too. So it seems you're having fun together without inviting me. hmph. You're so mean, Vittoria. Are we not best friends anymore?" Aria put on a pitiful, disappointed face. Meanwhile, Vittoria's forehead twitched slightly.
"Since when were we best friends, hmph. Alright, just come in. Besides, I'm the one who invited Iris to stay over."
"Yayyy~ what are we going to do tonight? Gossip? Play cards? Exchange love stories?" Aria entered Vittoria's room and immediately hugged Iris. "Nice to see you again, Iris! You're cheating by not inviting me to have fun too."
"That..." Iris smiled awkwardly. Aria had a question mark on her face. Then Iris shook her head, deciding not to make excuses. "Vittoria invited me. I just accepted her invitation."
"Oh, are you two perhaps in love?" Aria covered her mouth, pretending to be surprised. This made Vittoria blush and Iris chuckle.
"W-what are you saying, Aria. You're so silly. That's rude."
"Eh? Isn't it normal for female friends to like each other? I mean, don't best friends like each other?" Aria asked innocently. This made Vittoria feel foolish. Iris also chuckled at her words.
"Mmm, yeah... I guess so?"
Aria then chuckled softly, seeing Vittoria's very innocent reaction. "It seems you're thinking something else, you perv Vittoria. But I wouldn't mind having that kind of relationship with my best friend."
Vittoria's face turned hot red. She opened her mouth wide, "I-I wasn't thinking that at all, hmph! If anyone's perverted, it's you, Aria! You're always asking me about Vincent all the time, even asking what underwear he wears to sleep!"
"Ehhh, but I'm his childhood friend. I need to know how much he's changed now."
"What kind of underwear does Vincent wear to sleep anyway?" Iris asked curiously. This made Aria and Vittoria turn to Iris.
"Umm... that..."
"He wears thigh-length black underwear! When he wakes up in the morning, I'm sure we can see a bulge underneath. It must look sexy." Aria said loudly without shame. This made Vittoria embarrassed because she had seen Vincent in that state and the shape of his little brother.
"Is that so?" Iris asked innocently. This made Aria explain more, so Vittoria had to cover Aria's mouth to prevent her from saying more embarrassing things.
"Yes! When Vincent was little, he preferred long pants to sleep in, but recently when I asked Vittoria, it seems he now prefers shorts because it makes his big long little brother less cramped compared to when he wears long pants—"
"That's enough, Aria! I'm not telling you anything else about Vincent!"
"Ehhhh, you stingy Vittoria!"
Iris laughed at their behavior. She also knew Vincent used to prefer wearing long pants when he slept, and now she was happy to get that new information.
"You two really like Vincent, don't you?" Iris said unconsciously. This made Aria and Vittoria blush like boiled crabs.
"E-eh? N-no, he's just my stepbrother. I-I don't like him or anything, hmph!"
"I'm just his childhood friend... maybe Vincent hasn't found a woman he loves yet, that's why I'm trying to be the best in his eyes... by asking her many things about Vincent." Aria said shyly, pointing at Vittoria, who sighed in annoyance.
"Why don't you just ask him directly? You're so silly."
"Hmph. You're the same, Vittoria. You don't even know if Vincent likes someone right now, do you?"
The three of them fell silent. Thinking about whether Vincent had someone he liked.
"He's not easily captivated. I even think Vincent doesn't like women." Vittoria said.
"That's true. I once flirted with him, but he seemed immune to my flirting. Yet when I tried to flirt with Gregor, Gregor immediately fainted and fluttered. Vincent is truly a tough opponent." Aria said.
"That's probably because he made a promise to someone. And he holds firm to that promise no matter how difficult he kept the promise is." Iris said with a smile. When Vincent made a promise to his mother before she died, Iris was there. She witnessed the oath Vincent made in front of his weak mother.
And that made Iris feel guilty and regretful. She started shedding tears remembering it.
"Huh, Iris? How do you know..." Aria and Vittoria were about to ask, but seeing Iris crying, they fell silent.
"Are you okay, Iris?"
Iris shook her head, wiping her eyes which had unknowingly shed tears.
"I'm fine. There was just some dust in my eyes."
Aria and Vittoria exchanged glances for a moment, then they both hugged Iris from two sides.
"It's okay. Everything will be fine."
"If you have a problem, you can tell us. We are your friends, Iris."
Vittoria and Aria said, comforting Iris who suddenly became sad. She smiled at them.
Not long after, Vani, Valian, and Vivian came into Vittoria's room, bringing various snacks and sodas.
"Hoooiii!!! I heard Aria and Iris are here! Since the girls are gathered, let's play naked cards!" Vivian exclaimed excitedly, holding cards in her hand. She made the cards herself, with various erotic pictures on them and some erotic punishments on the back of the cards too.
"Who wants to play that disgusting game?" Valian said cynically. "I heard you guys seem to be having a girls' party. I want to join because Iris and Aria are here. I want to train Aria to sing better." Valian grinned and said in her characteristic way. She was only wearing underwear and a loose, half-transparent top that hung off one shoulder.
"Big sister Iris, Vani wants to play with big sister Iris again." Vani carried many dolls in her arms. She was wearing pink striped bunny hoodie pajamas. Meanwhile, Vivian wore a tank top that could barely contain her soft breast mounds and maroon shorts.
Then that night, the girls had fun while being forced to play Vivian's erotic card game with various embarrassing erotic punishments in it.
Vincent in the next room couldn't sleep hearing the sounds of moans and screams from the girls in Vittoria's room. His cheeks flushed imagining what was actually happening in Vittoria's room that night. Until midnight, it finally became quiet and he could sleep soundly.
"Ara~ my princesses are having fun. Being young is indeed fun." Violet was watching an adult film in the TV room alone after being massaged by Vincent. She felt relieved and had no desire to masturbate anymore. But she couldn't sleep and decided to watch an adult film before bed so she could dream of being in the film and then fall asleep soundly.
***