Jhin pushed open the door and entered the pitch-dark room. On the solid wood desk, half a meter wide, the power lights of the computer monitors, arranged in a row, emitted a faint glow.
The pure black keyboard was placed diagonally at a casual angle; one wouldn't even notice its existence without careful observation. Next to the equally dark mouse sat a small, delicate porcelain cup still steaming.
However, Kazami Kazuki, who should have been sitting in the ergonomic chair, was nowhere to be seen.
"Kazami Kazuki, are you here?"
Only Jhin's own voice echoed in the room. He was a bit puzzled.
They had clearly agreed she would be here today, yet the entire villa now felt like a horror movie, completely devoid of people.
Jhin reached out and flipped the switch for the incandescent light.
Kazami Kazuki, like Sleeping Beauty from a fairy tale, lay quietly asleep on the large, soft bed covered with a pristine white sheet—a bed so soft one could be bounced up with just a gentle push.
She was wearing her favorite pure white slip dress. The slightly short hemline only managed to cover the midpoint of her snow-white thighs.
Her pale, jade-like legs, usually bare, were now encased in a pair of white lace garter stockings.
The silver-threaded lace trim pressed into the soft, delicate skin of her thighs, creating a ring of tender flesh.
At her small, lovely, pearl-like toes, the semi-transparent silk surface showed a hint of pink through the white, a sight that made one instinctively want to take a bite.
Fortunately, Jhin's willpower was strong enough that he didn't immediately put the popsicle in his mouth to cool himself down.
He walked to the bedside and pressed his ear against Kazami Kazuki's chest to listen to her heartbeat for a while.
It was very steady, not stopped. The strong, stable rhythm indicated that the heart's owner was very healthy.
But why was it gradually speeding up?
Deep red eyes, filled with displeasure, were staring at Jhin, who was pressed against the girl's delicate bosom, pretending to check her body.
Biting her cherry-pink lips with her pearly white teeth, Kazami Kazuki's face darkened. Her icy voice was like a bucket of cold water poured over Jhin.
"Seeing a sleeping princess, you don't wake her with a kiss, but instead listen to her heartbeat? Are you going to check her breathing and take her pulse next?"
Jhin chuckled, pulling the exquisite, doll-like Kazami Kazuki into his arms.
He bit her earlobe, which was as round and translucent as a pearl, and mumbled, "Sister, don't be angry. Aren't I just concerned about your health?"
"Hmph."
Kazami Kazuki let out a light snort. She knew that this body of hers, which had lost six years, held no secrets from Jhin.
During those short three years, Kazami Kazuki was like a moth drawn to a flame, a traveler in the desert yearning for sweet spring water, constantly seeking the presence of Jhin, her "little brother."
Because she was jealous of the girls who could play with her brother, she drove them all away, only to find her brother had become all alone.
So, she chose to invite her female classmates over, but they ended up playing too wildly, even trying to kiss Jhin in front of her. Furious, she drove them all away again.
The orange sunset streamed through the window into the once-again quiet bedroom. On the tea table, six exquisite teacups filled with black tea sat quietly. Sweet, fluffy pastries had also been prepared for six, yet only two figures remained in the room.
Kazami Kazuki looked at Jhin, who kept glancing at her guiltily, his hands fidgeting, appearing somewhat distressed because of her outburst.
For the first time, she felt that even though she considered herself a genius, she had failed miserably in her role as an "older sister."
The fear for her in her brother's eyes was the last emotion she ever wanted to see.
Respect, admiration, affection, worship... In her dreams, Kazami Kazuki had countless times fantasized about her brother's sky-blue eyes shining with these emotions as he looked at her.
This allowed her to wake up every day with a smile, then get out of bed and crawl into her brother's covers, observing his sleeping face, counting his interlocked eyelashes, all while counting silently in her heart.
When she reached one hundred, she would use a girl's sweet kiss to wake him from his deep sleep. Jhin's growth in this regard always brought her pleasant surprises.
From being ignorant and passively led by her at the beginning, to later responding to her almost instinctively in his sleep—this subtle growth made her feel as if she were secretly cultivating a small sapling, one that no one had ever seen, belonging only to her.
And now, because of her ugly jealousy, she had almost let this sapling leave her.
At this thought, Kazami Kazuki shuddered. She could not tolerate the possibility of her brother leaving her.
From that day on, she understood her position. Compared to a lover or a wife, "older sister" was the unique identity that could stay by her brother's side forever.
Later, she began bathing and sleeping with Jhin. Except for time at school, the two were practically inseparable.
Kazami Kazuki no longer cared about the girls who appeared around her brother. As long as they didn't intend to harm Jhin, she wouldn't drive them away.
Even though six years had passed, she still looked twelve, and might even retain this appearance forever, she still proudly maintained her identity as the "older sister."
The soft pad of her finger brushed across Jhin's neck. He knew her weakness, but how could she not know his?
Her thumb rubbed back and forth on Jhin's neck, pausing at a certain spot as if having chosen the location.
Without any hesitation, Kazami Kazuki opened her small mouth, left a bite mark on the chosen spot, and then licked the mark with her nimble tongue.
"That girl named Kita Ikuyo saw you on a date with Irisu Makina."
"Heh... Mmmph mmm mmm..." Jhin's mouth was stuffed with the popsicle, his words incomprehensible.
Kazami Kazuki helped him take out the saliva-drenched popsicle and shot him an exasperated look. "Speak properly!"
Jhin wiped the corner of his mouth. "I know. She probably also promised not to tell Hitori Gotoh on her own initiative, right?"
"So, when do you plan to tell that child about this?"
Kazami Kazuki placed the popsicle back in Jhin's hand, letting him hold it with his slightly rough palm.
"If she actively asks about it, I will tell her everything."
"If she never asks, you plan to hide it from her for the rest of her life?"
"It's impossible to hide it forever. I will choose the right time to tell her everything. After all, this is my problem to begin with."
"Then you... Ouch, lighter..." Kazami Kazuki winced in pain, her pretty eyebrows knitting together. She hammered Jhin's back with her snow-white fist as he did push-ups without regard for his strength. "Then are you prepared for the possibility that she might leave you?"
"...I won't let go. Just like a certain Key-kun, I'm going to build a harem where everyone is happy!"
"Hmph... Nn~" Kazami Kazuki panted lightly. Cooperating with Jhin's push-ups for the first time was indeed quite tiring. "Nice words. Let's start by seeing how many push-ups you can do."
"Kneeling, three hundred per set, at least two sets."
Kazami Kazuki seemed dissatisfied, casually pulling a pink shirt from the bedside table. A bandage accidentally fell out of the pocket.
"What about adding this?"
"Standing, five hundred per set, at least three sets."
"Then this..." Kazami Kazuki held an apron in one hand and the bandage in the other. "What if we add this?"
"May I ask, sister, who on earth are you?"
"Kazami Kazuki."