Ryuya closed the door, and the blonde girl who had been excitedly walking over suddenly froze the moment she saw him.
"Who are you?"
She spoke in slight astonishment, then looked toward Sakurajima Mai beside him, her eyes full of confusion.
"Hello, I'm Ryuya. I'm currently dating Mai."
"Hah!? How could someone like you possibly be my si— I mean, Mai-san's boyfriend!?"
The girl looked completely unable to believe it. Still, Ryuya noticed she called her Mai-san rather than onee-san.
…Seems like this family has its own story.
Although her words were rather rude, Ryuya didn't get angry. He calmly took the handbag Mai handed him and hung it on the hook by the entrance.
"Then what kind of guy do you think is worthy of being your sister's boyfriend?"
He asked casually, which instead left the girl speechless.
"A-Anyway, it definitely wouldn't be someone like you!"
"I'm afraid in your heart, there isn't any boy worthy of being your sister's boyfriend at all, right? A sis-con girl."
"..."
Ryuya's single sentence struck the bullseye.
The girl immediately fell silent, wearing the expression of someone whose thoughts had been exposed.
"Who are you calling a sis-con!?"
Ryuya couldn't help but laugh and asked back lightly, "Can you honestly say you don't wish your sister would stay single forever?"
"I-I don't!"
Seeing her younger sister get flustered and red-faced from just a few exchanges, Mai could only sigh.
"Ryuya, don't bully her."
She gently tugged his cheek, then introduced her sister.
"Toyohama Nodoka. My half-sister from the same father."
Ryuya nodded to Toyohama Nodoka. "Sit wherever you like, don't be shy — just treat this as your own home."
Toyohama Nodoka: "...??"
Seeing Ryuya acting exactly like the master of the house, Nodoka was dumbfounded.
She couldn't imagine how a person could be this shameless…
"…Mai-san, is this guy really your boyfriend? This… isn't okay, right!?"
She sized Ryuya up and down. Aside from being extremely handsome, she couldn't find anything particularly noteworthy about him.
Her sister's standards couldn't possibly be this shallow…
Could she have been deceived?
Nodoka's mind instantly began constructing a whole series of dramatic conspiracy stories…
"Don't badmouth someone's boyfriend to his face, Nodoka," Mai replied casually.
Standing at the entrance, she rested one hand on Ryuya's shoulder and bent down, lifting one leg to remove her high heels. Seeing this, Ryuya took out her fluffy slippers from the shoe cabinet and placed them on the floor.
"I'll go make dinner."
After changing into indoor slippers, Mai carried the bags toward the kitchen, leaving Ryuya and Nodoka staring at each other.
"I'll help."
Ryuya had no intention of staying behind with this obvious sis-con girl, so he quickly followed into the kitchen.
Mai set the bags down and picked up the apron hanging nearby, tying it around her waist.
Leaning against the wall, Ryuya looked her up and down without restraint, his gaze fixed on her.
"You really give off the feeling of a wife."
"Is that so? You like how I look in an apron?" Mai asked while lowering her head to wash the vegetables, seemingly unfazed by Ryuya's flirtation.
"I'd like it even more if you were only wearing the apron."
"…??"
Sakurajima Mai turned her head toward him, giving him a look that clearly said I can't deal with you.
"Don't say stupid things."
Ryuya chuckled and walked over to open the fridge. Inside was a neatly lined row of chilled drinks — and printed on the packaging was a very familiar face.
Sakurajima Mai.
It was a brand she had endorsed in a commercial.
Blinking once, Ryuya took out a can and cracked it open.
"You like drinking that? We're about to eat," Mai said softly after glancing at him.
"I didn't particularly before, but now that I see it's a brand Mai chose, it suddenly tastes pretty good."
He said it with complete seriousness, which made the corner of Mai's lips curl upward.
"These were just gifts from the sponsor when we filmed the commercial. We couldn't finish them all, so everyone took some home…"
"…Doesn't matter. As long as it has my wife's face printed on it, I have to drink it."
After saying that, Ryuya downed the entire can in one go.
"Then maybe next time I should endorse a lemon water brand."
Mai spoke as if seriously considering it, the smile on her lips completely undisguised.
"…Is it too late to take that back?"
"It's already too late."
Mai answered with a smile.
Apparently, being called "wife" by him had made her ridiculously happy.
Outside, Toyohama Nodoka appeared to be watching TV, but in reality she was eavesdropping on the conversation in the kitchen. At this moment, she felt unbearably sour.
So he's just some guy who knows how to sweet-talk…
How could my sister possibly fall for a boy who's all looks and no substance…
By the time Ryuya and Mai finished cooking, Nodoka was still sitting there, staring at them with a sullen expression.
Seeing her little pout, Ryuya calmly said, "Did something unhappy happen? Why don't you tell us so we can be happy too?"
Nodoka: "…??"
Gritting her teeth slightly, she picked up a piece of meat and shoved it into her mouth, chewing as if she were biting Ryuya instead.
"I'm not angry."
She muttered under her breath, swallowing the bite before glaring at him.
"I was just thinking — Mai-san is at a crucial stage in her career right now. You better be careful not to cause any trouble."
"Nodoka, just eat your food properly," Mai said. "Ryuya and I both understand that."
What Nodoka didn't know was that Ryuya had always been protecting Mai behind the scenes. As the person involved, Mai understood that better than anyone.
Ryuya didn't feel the need to explain himself, but Mai couldn't not speak up for him. Otherwise, she'd be a pretty irresponsible girlfriend.
"By the way, isn't it strange?" Ryuya asked curiously. "You and Mai clearly have a good relationship, so why don't you just call her 'onee-san'?"
Ever since he arrived, Nodoka had consistently referred to her as "Mai-san," not once calling her "sister."
His question made both Sakurajima Mai and Toyohama Nodoka freeze for a moment. They looked as if they didn't quite know how to explain.
Seeing their reactions, Ryuya fell silent.
Thinking back to the somewhat strained relationship between Mai and her mother, Ryuya couldn't help but look at Mai with mild exasperation.
"…Your whole family is pretty interesting."
"..."
---
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