The classroom's chatter followed Kaito and Riko like a trailing storm, whispers and giggles clinging to them as they slipped into the hallway. Kaito's grip on Riko's arm was firm but gentle, his expression unreadable as always. "Come on. We're going to the infirmary."
Riko pouted, her cheeks still flushed from the morning's chaos. "But Onii, I'm fine! It was just a little trip!"
"A little trip that nearly exposed Yui in front of the entire class," Kaito said flatly. "This isn't normal, Riko. It's not just clumsiness."
Riko's protest died on her lips. She knew he was right. These "accidents" had been happening more and more, always at the worst possible moments, always with consequences that made her stomach twist in guilt.
The infirmary door slid open with a quiet whoosh, revealing a space that smelled of antiseptic and something faintly sweet, like vanilla and spices.
Behind the desk, leaning against the counter with one hip, was Dr. Mikado Ryōko. Her reddish-brown hair cascaded over one shoulder, and her green eyes sparkled with a mix of professional warmth and something far more mischievous. She looked up from her clipboard, her lips curving into a smile that was equal parts kind and knowing.
"Well, well. If it isn't my two favorite patients," she purred, pushing off the desk to saunter toward them. "Riko-chan, always a pleasure. And Kaito… still as silent as ever, I see."
Riko's face turned beet red. "D-Doctor Mikado! You're so pretty today!"
Mikado let out a soft, amused laugh, reaching out to brush a stray lock of hair from Riko's forehead. "Oh, flattery will get you everywhere, sweetheart. But I doubt you're here to compliment me." Her gaze flicked to Kaito, sharp and assessing. "No, you're here because of the incidents, aren't you?"
Kaito's fingers twitched at his sides. "You know about them?"
Mikado's smile turned sly. "I know of them. And let me tell you, what you're dealing with isn't just bad luck or clumsiness." She leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone. "In fact, I've never seen a case quite like this before. Which is why I'm going to give it a name."
Riko blinked. "A… name?"
"Mm-hmm." Mikado tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Let's call it 'Cataplectic Indecency Syndrome'... CIS for short. Catchy, isn't it?"
Kaito's brow furrowed. "That's not a real medical term."
"Oh, but it should be," Mikado said with a wink. "You see, CIS is what happens when a person, usually a young girl with repressed desires, unconsciously acts out those feelings in physical ways. Tripping into someone's arms, 'accidentally' grabbing something they shouldn't, falling in just the right way to cause maximum embarrassment." She grinned. "It's the body's way of rebelling against the mind's shyness."
Riko's eyes widened in horror. "Y-you mean all the times I've..."
"Yes, sweetheart," Mikado said gently, cutting her off before she could spiral. "It's not your fault. Your body is just… expressive."
Kaito's jaw tightened. "So you're saying she can't control it?"
"Not without help," Mikado admitted, her playful tone softening. "Right now, her subconscious is driving the ship. But if she learns to acknowledge her feelings, whatever they may be, she might gain a little more control over these accidents."
Riko buried her face in her hands. "This is so embarrassing…"
Mikado chuckled, ruffling Riko's hair. "But you're lucky. You've got a big brother who's always there to catch you."
Kaito didn't react, but his fingers curled slightly at his sides. "I'll protect her. No matter what."
Mikado's eyes gleamed with amusement, and something else. Something almost approving. "Good. Because, Kaito, this isn't just about Riko." She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "The more she grows, the stronger these manifestations will become. And if you're not careful…" She trailed off, her gaze lingering on his right hand, the one that always ached. "Well. Let's just say you might find yourself tangled up in more than just your sister's problems."
Kaito's breath hitched. For the first time, Mikado's words felt like a warning.
Mikado's eyes glimmered as she snapped on a pair of pristine white gloves."Now then, let's confirm my hypothesis, shall we? Riko-chan, don't worry. This is just a little test."
Riko tensed on the bed. "T-test? What kind of test…?"
Kaito's brows knit. He didn't like the mischievous curve of the doctor's lips."What exactly are you planning?"
"Relax, big brother," Mikado cooed. "I'm a professional. But science requires demonstration."
She crouched slightly, her gaze level with Riko's knees."For someone with Cataplectic Indecency Syndrome, accidents are triggered by suppressed excitement, embarrassment, or flustered nerves. If I poke the right conditions, the body will react, uncontrollably."
Riko paled. "U-uncontrollably?"
Before Kaito could object, Mikado's fingers pressed lightly against Riko's side.
"Eep!" Riko squealed, jerking instinctively. Her knee shot up. straight toward Mikado's chest.
With reflexes sharp as ever, Kaito intercepted, catching his sister's leg just before impact. "Careful!"
Mikado only chuckled, utterly unbothered. "See? A completely unconscious reflex. And if you weren't here, Kaito, I'd be sprawled backward by now, likely in a very compromising position."
Riko clutched at her skirt, horrified."I-I didn't mean...!"
"Oh, I know, sweetheart." Mikado's smile softened, but her hands moved again, this time brushing her fingers along Riko's wrist, then deliberately letting her palm "slip" against the hem of Riko's skirt.
"Kya...!" Riko flailed in panic, her body twisting. Her momentum pitched her forward, straight toward Mikado's chest.
Kaito lunged again, one arm bracing his sister back, the other catching the doctor's shoulder before they collided."That's enough, Doctor."
Mikado blinked at him, then let out a silvery laugh. "My, my… protective, aren't you? Fine, fine. You've proven the point well enough." She pulled off her gloves with a snap and tossed them onto the desk.
Riko, trembling, buried her face into Kaito's sleeve."Onii… it really is uncontrollable…"
Kaito stroked her hair gently, his jaw tight."Yeah. Which means from now on, I have to keep an eye on you even closer."
Mikado folded her arms beneath her chest, watching them with both fondness and amusement."Correct. The syndrome is not malicious, but it is relentless. Think of it as a constant trickster spirit riding on her shoulder, waiting for every suppressed thought, every spike of embarrassment… then turning it into a chain reaction of mischief."
Her voice lowered, almost a whisper."And the older she gets… the more elaborate the accidents will become."
Kaito met her gaze, his own unwavering. "Then I'll just have to stay one step ahead. No matter how crazy it gets."
For a moment, Mikado studied him with a flicker of something deeper in her eyes, not mockery, not amusement, but approval. Then her playful smile returned. "Good answer. I look forward to watching how this little drama unfolds."
She leaned back against her desk again, crossing her long legs."Now then, Riko-chan, I'll write you an excuse note for the rest of today. But from tomorrow onward… you'd better prepare yourself. Your story is only just beginning."
Kaito and Riko made their way back toward their classroom. Riko clung to his sleeve, still shaken from Mikado's "demonstration." Kaito's eyes swept the corridor, calm but alert, as though expecting another chain reaction at any moment.
And then the atmosphere shifted.
A ripple of whispers swept down the hall. Students moved aside almost unconsciously, forming a path as if by instinct.
Click... clack... click.
The sound of perfectly measured footsteps echoed against the polished floor.
"Ah… it's her," Riko whispered.
Kaito turned his head.
A tall, blonde girl with spiraling curls and a confident sway strolled toward them, flanked by two attendants. Golden eyes half-lidded in casual superiority, she radiated the kind of aura that demanded attention.
Tenjōin Saki.
"Honestly," she declared, her voice smooth and practiced for maximum projection, "the halls are so crowded this season. One would think the school should screen who gets in, don't you agree, Rin? Aya?"
"Yes, Saki-sama," said the taller one, Kujō Rin, her dark ponytail swishing as she walked. Her sharp eyes scanned the hall like a watchful hawk, every step precise, her hand never straying too far from her shinai case.
Behind her, Fujisaki Aya trailed with nervous energy, glasses glinting. "Saki-sama is always right…! Saki-sama is the true queen of Sainan High!"
Saki let out a laugh so exaggerated it almost seemed theatrical."O-ho-ho-ho-ho! Naturally. Who else could claim such a title?"
Kaito and Riko had stopped walking, partly out of courtesy, partly because the entire hall seemed to freeze when Saki passed.
Her gaze landed on Kaito. She slowed.
"Well, well… I don't recognize you." She tilted her head slightly, blonde curls bouncing with the motion. "A first-year, are you not? Hm… quite the presence. It's rare for me to take notice of underclassmen."
Riko instinctively stepped forward, protective. "H-he's my brother..."
But Saki barely glanced at her, her focus locked on Kaito."Handsome, poised… I can see why the hallway seems to shift around you. You should feel honored that the great Tenjōin Saki deigns to acknowledge you."
Kaito's expression remained calm, unreadable."…And should I feel honored?"
Rin's eyes narrowed at his tone, a subtle warning glinting in them. Aya gasped as if he'd spoken blasphemy.
Saki's lips curved into a confident smile."Perhaps you'll learn. Most do."
She flicked a strand of hair behind her shoulder, then gestured casually."Come, Rin, Aya. We mustn't keep the court waiting."
Saki flicked a golden strand behind her shoulder with an elegant flourish, then gestured casually."Come, Rin, Aya. We mustn't keep the court waiting."
She turned to glide past... and that was when it happened.
"Eh...!" Riko's eyes widened. Her knee buckled, foot slipping against the polished floor.
No… not now!
Her body lurched forward and in the narrow corridor, she collided shoulder-first into Aya.
"Kyaaah...!" Aya squeaked, her glasses nearly flying off. She toppled into Rin, who instinctively tried to catch her but stumbled herself, their balance lost in the chain reaction.
"Wha... Aya, careful..."
Too late. Rin's shinai case clattered against the wall, sending both of them spiraling sideways toward Saki.
The queen bee barely had time to gasp before Riko, flailing in her syndrome-triggered panic, brushed into her as well.
In an instant, all three girls were tangled, momentum carrying them down.
"O-O-hoh!?" Saki's dignified laugh broke into a shriek as the floor rushed up to meet her, her curls flying in disarray.
But before disaster struck... a hand shot out.
Kaito moved with practiced sharpness, intercepting the entire collapse. One arm braced Rin's shoulders, the other steadied Aya's fall, and just as Saki's head tilted dangerously toward the ground, his palm caught her at the nape, lowering her safely against his chest.
The whole hall froze.
Saki's golden eyes widened, staring up into Kaito's calm, steady face from mere inches away. His gaze wasn't mocking or flustered, it was level, protective, almost regal.
Her breath caught.
"…You're safe," he said quietly, holding her gaze until he was sure she could stand.
He straightened, helping Rin and Aya back on their feet with surprising gentleness, then finally released Saki last, steadying her as though she were delicate glass.
The blonde heiress blinked, utterly speechless. Her practiced superiority cracked, replaced with something far more dangerous: a racing heart.
"…Th-thank you…" she muttered before she could stop herself, cheeks dusted with pink.
Aya gasped. "Saki-sama!?"
Rin adjusted her glasses, narrowing her eyes at Kaito but with a faint blush as well. "…That was… quick reflexes."
Kaito said nothing, just steadied Riko, who stood frozen with a horrified expression."I-I-I'm sorry!! I didn't mean to...!"
But Saki raised a hand, silencing her follower's frantic apologies. She smoothed her curls, straightened her ribbons, then looked at Kaito again. Her heart thumped louder in her chest than she wanted to admit.
"…Hmph. I suppose even a queen must… acknowledge when she's been… rescued." She turned her face aside, trying to hide her blush behind hauteur. "Don't think this means you've impressed me… o-ho-ho-ho!"
But her laugh wavered.
Kaito's gaze remained steady, unreadable. Saki felt her stomach flip.
For the first time in her carefully controlled life, Tenjōin Saki realized something terrifying:
Her heart had skipped because of him.
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