The Service Club founded by Yukino was located in a fairly remote part of the school. The classroom had originally been used for storing miscellaneous supplies.
To Takumi's surprise, Yukino wasn't the only person there when he arrived.
"Yuki, you're here too. And this is...?"
Takumi looked up at the girl standing beside Yuki Suou.
She was about the same height as Yuki, with smooth black hair that reached her waist. A single strand of hair stuck up from the top of her head, making her exquisitely doll-like features look a little more playful.
The girl wore Kuoh Academy's uniform. Her figure wasn't particularly striking, but she carried an ethereal, elegant air that gave her a delicate, almost vulnerable charm.
A pair of straight, fair legs extended from beneath her pleated skirt, her flawless pale skin especially eye-catching. The black stockings that reached only to her calves gave her a youthful look.
Takumi didn't recognize the expressionless girl.
When Ayano Kimishima noticed his arrival, she turned around and raised her eyes to meet his.
For an instant, a faint electric sensation passed through her heart.
Despite her normally expressionless face, a trace of pink appeared on her pale cheeks.
"Greetings, Takumi-sama. Forgive my discourtesy. My name is Ayano Kimishima. I am Yuki-sama's maid... and also your maid."
Ayano immediately straightened her posture and bowed slightly.
"Because of school arrangements, I was only able to transfer here today. I apologize for not informing you beforehand."
Her serious tone and formal behavior left Takumi momentarily stunned.
He couldn't help turning toward Yuki Suou.
"What's going on?"
"Hehe~ It means exactly what she said. Ayano is our family's maid. She just wasn't attending this school before."
Yuki sighed helplessly.
"I originally wanted to surprise you by introducing her myself, but with everything that happened, the 'gift' kept getting delayed. And now you've gone and seen her ahead of time."
All the surprise she had carefully planned was gone.
How frustrating!
"Why exactly was I supposed to be excited about meeting your maid? What am I, some kind of perverted sex fiend?"
"Aren't you?"
Yuki asked with a completely straight face.
Takumi nearly broke.
Yukino, sitting farther back in the room, nodded seriously as well.
"I agree with her on that point."
"..."
Takumi glared resentfully at Yukino, silently telling her to shut up.
Why are you butting into this?
Yukino immediately glared right back.
This is my clubroom. Why shouldn't I be allowed to express my opinion?
"Hey, hey, hey! What kind of bizarre conversation are you two having with your eyes right in front of me?!"
Watching Takumi and Yukino communicate silently, Yuki couldn't take it anymore.
"Just how in sync are you two? How are you literally talking through eye contact?!"
As far as she knew, Takumi and Yukino were merely acquaintances.
But judging from the current situation, Yuki was beginning to suspect that "acquaintances" didn't come close to describing it.
With this level of tacit understanding, maybe the two of them had already become extremely intimate!
The moment Yuki said that, both Takumi and Yukino fell silent.
And their silence was deafening.
Yuki had already been dwelling on some of Takumi's earlier remarks, and now her suspicions immediately hardened into certainty.
"Yukinoshita-san, when did you two get together?!"
"Could you not phrase it so crudely, Suou-san? And why are you so invested in this anyway?"
Yukino was beginning to lose her composure as Yuki kept poking at what was, for her, an extremely embarrassing subject.
While the two girls confronted each other, Takumi casually patted Ayano on the shoulder.
"Ayano, do you know how Yuki and Yukino know each other? They seem pretty familiar."
Seeing the two of them start bickering, Takumi happily turned to chat with Ayano instead.
The number [Affection: 100] floated above Ayano's head.
She immediately nodded.
"Yukinoshita-sama and Yuki-sama are old acquaintances. Their families have interacted in the past, so the two of them have known each other for some time."
Ayano paused.
"However, I don't recall Yuki-sama and Yukinoshita-sama being particularly close before."
By the time Ayano finished explaining, Yuki and Yukino had also stopped arguing.
At the end of the day, both were well-bred girls. They weren't actually going to start a real fight.
Yuki rolled her eyes and explained the situation.
"Didn't you mention the Yukinoshita family before, Onii-chan? And then Yukino happened to be in our group too."
"We're classmates anyway, so I came over to talk to her. I just happened to stop by today and ran into you."
Once she laid it all out like that, Takumi understood.
Yukino, however, looked completely confused.
"Onii-chan? You're from the Suou family?"
"We're only distant cousins with no blood relation. She just likes calling me that."
"Ara ara~ Onii-chan is Onii-chan. Blood relation isn't important."
Yuki immediately walked over and wrapped herself around Takumi's arm, openly showing off in front of Yukino.
Although her figure was petite, her C-cup chest was by no means small.
Yukino, whose own size was more modest, watched the scene as the temperature around her seemed to drop several degrees.
The corner of her mouth twitched.
Then she suddenly thought of something.
Yukino withdrew the magical power that had unconsciously begun leaking from her body, instantly looking much more refreshed.
She turned toward Yuki and said calmly, "In that case, according to seniority, shouldn't you be calling me sister-in-law?"
"..."
Yuki's face darkened instantly.
She wanted to curse, but her upbringing—and Takumi standing beside her—forced her to keep quiet.
Seeing Yuki rendered speechless, the corner of Yukino's mouth curved upward slightly, giving her an almost insufferably smug expression.
Takumi stared at that outrageously provocative smile and almost wanted to smack her a couple of times.
How did the formerly aloof Yukino become more and more ridiculous like this?
Before Takumi could finish lamenting the change, Shizuka Hiratsuka arrived with another girl.
"Yukinoshita, I'm coming in."
Hiratsuka called out casually and, without waiting for an answer, naturally pushed open the door.
Behind her stood a youthful, pretty girl.
Her light pink hair reached her shoulders and showed faint traces of having been permed, swaying gently as she walked and giving her a fashionable appearance.
Her hair had also been tied into a bun with a black ribbon, making her look especially cute.
Her pretty face clearly showed signs of makeup. Since she was already naturally attractive, it only made her look even brighter and more eye-catching, adding a touch of maturity beyond her age.
She was also wearing Kuoh Academy's girls' uniform. Her well-proportioned figure filled out the fitted uniform noticeably.
One button at the front had been left undone. Nothing was actually exposed, yet the small detail still gave her appearance a subtly teasing edge.
...
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