It's the dead of night when Ren suddenly jerks awake. He's drenched in cold sweat, his breath coming in uneven gasps.
He looks around in panic.
Everything is quiet, as always.
Iris and Yuzu sleep soundly beside him.
Mika, on the other hand, lies on top of him, her head resting on his chest.
It's one of those warm late-spring nights when Ren sleeps in just a light pair of shorts. Mika is wearing one of his T-shirts, much too big for her, with nothing underneath but her panties.
It's the same nightmare — the one that has tormented him for six years. The night Raelor appeared at their doorstep.
Before Eliss gave up her title as a princess, Raelor had been her loyal bodyguard, and even after she married Aoshi and moved to Earth, they stayed on good terms. In fact, they often invited Raelor over for dinner, and that night he was there for that very reason.
But when Aoshi opened the door…
Ren would never forget his father's charred body collapsing to the ground, or the sound of his mother's screams.
"Ren, Iris, take Yuzu and Mika and run — hurry!"
Those were her last words to him before she too was reduced to ashes, struck down by Raelor's devastating attacks after a futile attempt to resist.
That night, Raelor could have killed all four of them easily — and yet he didn't.
Why were their parents the only ones who died? Why were they spared? Ren has no answer.
"R-Rennie… that bad dream again…?" Mika murmurs sleepily.
The panic Ren woke up with has stirred her awake.
"It's nothing, really. Try to get some sleep, Mika."
Ren closes his eyes again, but he can't fall back asleep.
Partly because of that terrible nightmare, and partly because of the light scratches Mika traces on his chest.
"R-Rennie… you're so tense… so nervous… if you'd like, I can give you one of those relaxing massages you like so much, to help you fall asleep… what do you think?"
Ren gently strokes her brown bob-cut hair.
"You have your high school entrance exam tomorrow, so you should get some rest. But thank you for asking. You're really sweet."
Mika shakes her head in disapproval — her big emerald-green eyes filled with determination.
"No way. After everything you do for us, let me do something for you. Please. I want to be useful too…"
Ren lets out a resigned sigh. He knows he has no choice but to let Mika pamper him — she's stubborn enough to keep insisting until dawn.
"All right, fine… but promise that in five minutes we'll go back to sleep, okay? And not here — we'd risk waking Iris and Yuzu."
"Deal!"
Mika quickly slips off the foot of the bed. She grabs Ren's hand and drags him into the living room.
She immediately has him lie face down on the couch, then sits astride his lower back — her slim thighs pressing against his hips.
Her small fingers sink into Ren's back muscles. She presses firmly as she works on his shoulders, so hard that soft groans slip from his lips.
A bright future as a masseuse awaits her — Ren always tells her so.
It all started a year ago, when her P.E. teacher gave a lesson on how to massage tense, inflamed muscles.
None of her classmates paid attention, but Mika was completely fascinated.
She saw in that lesson a chance to help her brother, and from then on she devoted herself to learning. She was so determined that in just one year as a self-taught student, she reached a professional level.
"A-Are you… liking it… Rennie?"
Her words are interrupted by long, deep yawns.
"Yes, Mika… you're getting better and better every day…"
"I'm really happy to hear that. And… about that… I was thinking… once I finish middle school, I might not continue my studies. A friend's mom runs a relaxation salon, and she's willing to hire me part-time. Then full-time when I'm of age, if she likes my work… what do you think, Rennie?"
"That's completely out of the question."
Ren's tone turns serious and firm.
"W-Why…? At least I could help with the expenses too… Iris is working herself ragged. I can't stand seeing her come home late and exhausted… I want to be useful too!"
Her movements grow slower and weaker from exhaustion.
"Mika… our sister is doing all that because she wants us to finish our studies and aim for a decent life. After all the sacrifices she's making, the last thing she'd want is for you to throw it all away. She'd never forgive you. And besides…"
Ren blushes slightly, his voice growing uncertain.
"…I couldn't stand the idea of you putting your hands on some old pervert who goes there just to feel your touch…"
A long moment of silence follows. Ren expects some objection or insistence from her. Instead, nothing.
"Mika… are you okay?"
But he doesn't even have time to finish when... BAM!
Mika collapses onto him.
Now it's no longer her hands pressing on his back, but her soft breasts.
Even though Mika is a year younger than Yuzu, she's already more physically developed, both in her chest and her hips.
That's because Mika and Iris inherited their mother's curvy yet slender figure, while Yuzu inherited their father's slim build.
Well… at least she fell asleep… If I so much as move, I'll wake her up, and she'll probably complain that she hasn't finished the massage yet… ugh, what a situation…
But despite the weight of his sister on his back and the nightmare still fresh in his mind, Ren soon manages to fall asleep again.