In the dining room, Miya Harukiko watched Sister Yuna and Fujiwara Shunsui, who had fallen silent, then quietly rose and craned her neck forward.
"Asleep again?"
Miya Harukiko asked softly; in her eyes, Fujiwara Shunsui was perfect in every way—except that, ever since becoming her boyfriend, he seemed to sleep a lot.
It wasn't even noon yet; why did he need a nap?
Kojou Yuna turned her head and gave a slight nod, not answering Kiko-chan; she was afraid of waking Fujiwara Shunsui.
Looking down at Shunsui, who lay peacefully in her arms, Kojou Yuna felt as if it were all a dream.
She couldn't say when it had started, but she sensed he had changed.
Yet right now he lay in her arms exactly as before, every unconscious gesture identical.
"Is it really still him?"
That question had haunted Kojou Yuna for a long time… "Yuna-chan, you're so kind. How do you always appear the instant I need you?" Fujiwara Shunsui tilted his head up at her; his right arm slipped around Yuna-chan's waist, hugging her tightly.
"Because I love you. For you, I'd give everything!"
Light sparkled in Kojou Yuna's eyes as she answered the Fujiwara Shunsui in her arms without hesitation.
"Then rest assured—I'll become the strongest man in the Sankou-gumi. No one will ever bully you again, and I'll make you the happiest woman in Tokyo!"
Not just her—
Ten years earlier, Fujiwara Shunsui had been passionate, reckless, bursting with endless energy and chances to try again; whenever he spoke, his eyes blazed.
But later, everything changed… When Nissho Taro got home, the more he thought about it, the angrier he grew. He'd spent the past while dragging Kojima Bin around to handle affairs, even privately passing on some of the Syndicate's survival tips.
Taro felt Kojima Bin's ability was solid; after these recent crises, his impression of the kid had actually improved.
However—
Kojima Bin secretly contacting Lord Harumizu had definitely hit Taro's reverse scale.
To Taro, triangles were stable; he didn't feel jealous of Yuna-chan—after all, Yuna-chan was a woman.
But Kojima Bin was different; from now on he'd have to keep an eye on the kid.
As Taro fumed, his phone rang.
"Ding—"
Taro wondered who would contact him at this hour.
His life was usually dull; no one took the initiative to reach out. Most calls were Syndicate business, and he was the one who made them.
When he opened the message, Taro froze for two seconds.
Kojima Bin: ["Sorry, Lord Taro! I was too rushed; the situation was urgent, so I notified Lord Harumizu first!"]
The kid knew the rules; seeing the message, Nissho Taro felt much better.
After all, conflict with a colleague was risky—especially in a "special industry" like theirs.
Though Taro suspected Kojima Bin had the makings of a Traitor, since the kid had sent a special apology and explanation, a leader had to show magnanimity.
Nissho Taro: ["No problem. Just watch it next time; you know the reason."]
That was as far as words could go; how much the kid understood was up to fate.
On the other end, Kojima Bin nodded in satisfaction after reading Taro's reply.
Looks like Nissho Taro really was the straight-up good guy everyone said—easy to placate with a little sweet talk.
"Achoo!"
Taro sneezed hard and thought:
"I just replied to the kid and now I'm sneezing—don't tell me he's cursing me behind my back again?"
…He didn't know how much time had passed.
Fujiwara Shunsui slowly opened his eyes.
"Asleep again?"
Harumizu instinctively turned his head, expecting soft Yoga Pants, only to find a pillow beneath it.
"Where's my Little Scented Wind?"
Long before Yuna-chan noticed Shunsui had fallen asleep, she and Big Sister Kiko had worked together to lay him on the sofa and slip a pillow under his head.
Judging whether Shunsui-kun was truly asleep was simple:
Years ago, whenever he dozed off, his hand would shift position.
That had always been Kojou Yuna's criterion.
"How long was I out?"
Fujiwara Shunsui patted around for his phone; not finding it, he called out instead.
He was sure that under the circumstances the two beauties at home wouldn't leave him alone—though he was currently playing the part of a sleeping husband.
"Two hours."
Miya Harukiko's voice came from the dining area behind him, followed by the sound of pouring water; Kiko-chan set a glass in front of him.
"Thanks, baby~"
Freshly awakened, Fujiwara Shunsui's voice had a natural rasp; the single sentence tinted Kiko-chan's cheeks a deeper pink.
At some point Kiko-chan had changed out of her yoga outfit into a loose nightdress, yet in that instant of bending, the fabric hugged her curves as tightly as spandex.
It was that sidelong glance—
Shunsui instinctively caught Kiko-chan as she straightened, tugging gently so she sat on the sofa.
Luckily, Kiko-chan sensed his intention and adjusted her weight, keeping herself from landing on him.
"What are you doing~"
Fujiwara Shunsui propped himself up, took a sip from the glass on the table, and whispered by Miya Harukiko's ear, "What could I do? Kiko-chan's so thoughtful—I'm feeling a bit hot."
Miya Harukiko's already flushed cheeks couldn't withstand such teasing; when Shunsui breathed on her ear, a current shot through her entire body.
Now her ears were red too.
From his angle, Fujiwara Shunsui had a full view of her embarrassment; she looked utterly adorable—pure wife material.
Though the "mother" part might still be a ways off.
Kiko-chan tried to escape Shunsui's clutches, but the moment she stood he pulled her back.
"Oh dear, Sister Yuna's still sulking."
Kojou Yuna's reminder made Fujiwara Shunsui recall he'd fallen asleep in Yuna-chan's arms—how had his "pillow" turned into a sofa when he woke?
"Where is she?"
Shunsui breathed the question into Kiko-chan's ear again; he was starting to enjoy teasing her.
The two were now practically glued together; Shunsui felt Kiko-chan tremble and thought:
"So her ears are the secret switch?"
Miya Harukiko could tell that Fujiwara Shunsui was teasing her on purpose. Pouting, she scolded, "You're so improper! No wonder Sister Yuna told me not to bother with you. I waited for you in the dining room the whole time!"
Hmph, I'm ignoring you!"
Harukiko stood up; even though she felt Shunsui's silent plea for her to stay, she shook him off.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
I'm doomed. I've offended both women at home—Fujiwara Shunsui didn't even dare imagine how miserable his life would be from now on.
He sprang from the sofa in one motion and hurried after Harukiko, apologizing frantically.
"Don't be mad—Kiko-chan's cooking is the best!"
"Kiko-chan cares about me most; you're the sweetest."
Seeing that Harukiko still wouldn't respond, Shunsui played his trump card: he stepped behind her, slipped his arms around her waist, and pulled her into his embrace.
"What are you doing~"
Harukiko instinctively squirmed, but to her surprise, the more she moved, the more excited Shunsui became.
He locked her tightly in his arms, ready to reuse his old trick.
But remembering he'd just made her angry, he settled for an honest apology.
"Don't overthink it—you're the person I care about most. I've been a bit troubled lately, so I keep saying the wrong things. Don't be mad at me, okay, Kiko-chan?"
This time, Harukiko's trembling came from the phrase "the person I care about most."
Of course, Fujiwara Shunsui spoke very softly,
not because the words weren't sincere,
but mainly because, since waking up, he hadn't figured out where Kojou Yuna was in the house.
"R-really?"
Harukiko instinctively turned her head, as if to test Shunsui's sincerity—but how could Shunsui-kun back down now?
He silenced Harukiko by covering her mouth with his.
Kiko-chan's body tensed at first, then gave up resisting. After their fiery kiss, Fujiwara Shunsui reluctantly released her.
Because at that very moment, the sharp-eared Shunsui heard the door open.
No need to guess—Yuna-chan had arrived.
Harukiko looked like a Little Girl who'd done something wrong, shamefully lowering her head; she'd promised Sister Yuna not to satisfy the big pervert Fujiwara Shunsui during this period.
But… but some things can't be guarded against. Kiko hurried toward the dining room; the tea in the pot needed changing and must be cool by now anyway.
When Kojou Yuna stepped inside, she found one of them facing her and the other with his back to her.
"Oh, you're awake? Why are you both standing?"
"Ah, just woke up!"
Fujiwara Shunsui greeted her with a smile, then—remembering Harukiko's flushed cheeks—quickly added, "Kiko-chan poured me a glass of water and I asked her to grab some tea leaves from the kitchen."
"Mm, yes, that's right!"
She hadn't expected Shunsui-kun's excuse to match her own. Without turning around, Harukiko answered with her back to Kojou Yuna.
Shunsui hurried forward and took the groceries Yuna had just bought, almost fawning as he said,
"You've worked so hard. Leave these little errands to Taro in the future—or I'll do it. How could we let you go shopping?"
Kojou Yuna frowned at Fujiwara Shunsui.
Why was he acting like this again? What scheme was he hatching? Why did the two of them seem so sneaky?
Of course, no matter how many questions she had, she couldn't be bothered to ask Shunsui… Night fell,
and Kojou Yuna and Miya Harukiko chatted idly in the living room, still laughing and joking. With the dull TV program as background, the scene looked delightful.
Kiko-chan wore her usual loose pajamas, while Yuna-chan surprised everyone:
she'd chosen an oversized T-shirt at home; if Shunsui hadn't "triple-checked," he'd have thought Yuna-chan was about to dash barefoot and bare-legged through the house.
Of course,
that was something he would never allow.
The extra attention he'd given Harukiko that afternoon had already left him a bit heated; if this other siren opted for the most primitive temptation, he dared not imagine what he might do.
At this moment, Fujiwara Shunsui felt less like the master of the house and more like its servant.
"I want potato chips!"
"Coming right up!"
Shunsui spun around and fetched the chips Yuna had bought at noon.
"I want ice-cold cola!"
"No problem."
Shunsui went to the fridge, pulled out an ice-cold cola, and handed it to Kojou Yuna.
Kiko-chan simply watched everything with a smile, never making any demands herself.
Just then,
the long-lost system prompt appeared.
Fujiwara Shunsui froze. Damn system, you finally remembered me—anyone would think you'd jetted off to Hawaii and vanished without a trace.
That same system had reminded him at noon that Yuna-chan had docked his Favorability Rating,
and now it was making trouble again at night.
That was Shunsui's first reaction.
After reading the prompt, Fujiwara Shunsui stood rooted to the spot.
"This… my cheat has arrived?"
[system prompt]
[You have prematurely unlocked the exclusive skill "Perception (Passive)." Passively sense impending events to make better choices.]
[Extreme danger! The Host's life may be in serious peril. Treat this seriously—avoid a restart!]
[Because this exclusive skill was unlocked early by accident, it can be used only once. free attribute points -5.]
Huh?
Wait, are you sick? You give me a skill and it's single-use? And using a passive once costs me 5 free attribute points—what kind of garbage system is this?
Is this an exclusive skill or a one-off? What about my free attribute points?
Shunsui stared at his character panel, wanting to cry. Fortunately, the skill was downright broken!
[free attribute points: 6]
[Perception (Passive): In one hour, the Host's life may be in grave danger. Please prepare in advance. Note: If a main-quest-related character dies, the Host will be penalized!]
Hmm? A main-quest-related character might die?
Isn't that referring to Kojou Yuna and Miya Harukiko? So not only is my life in danger, theirs are too?
At that thought, Fujiwara Shunsui's eyes narrowed into slits.
"Tonight I'll find out who's looking to die!"