Sasaki completely forgot Natsuha was the one who called him out here.
...While he had told both girls about his other relationships before they started dating, they only knew each other's names—they'd never actually met.
In this situation... hopefully nothing would go wrong...
Pressed against Sasaki, Momo sensed his tension at the cough and curiously peeked out from his arms.
The girl standing behind her boyfriend was about a head shorter than her.
But her figure was quite impressive.
Her white blouse strained against her full, ample chest, while her pleated skirt draped over the lush curves of her hips, stopping mid-thigh.
Her slender, straight legs were clad in black knee-high socks, and her spotless white indoor shoes completed the look.
After briefly taking in the girl's most eye-catching features, Momo's gaze slowly traveled upward—
Pausing for a fraction of a second at her chest, before finally settling on her lovely face.
In school, Kashiwabara Momo had seen plenty of pretty girls, but the one standing before her now could easily be called exceptionally beautiful even among them.
The girl's long, violet hair cascaded down to her waist, loosely flowing with effortless grace.
A delicate hairpin adorned with tiny purple flowers clipped back the bangs on her right side, revealing slender, willow-leaf brows that carried a hint of mature charm beyond her years.
Her already exquisite features were lightly accentuated with makeup, and her wine-red eyes held a trace of scrutiny and curiosity as they swept over Momo.
Noticing that this stunning girl's attention was mostly fixed on her, Momo quickly connected the dots—especially given her boyfriend's earlier tension, and easily guessed her identity.
She had always known her lover was a playboy.
But even after realizing who this girl was, Momo didn't show any signs of disgust or rejection.
First, she was the one who came later and she had no right to resent someone who might be her "senior" in this relationship.
Second, if she actually had a problem with his philandering, she wouldn't have chosen to be with Sasaki in the first place.
Besides, during her free time, she had imagined scenarios where she'd meet her "sisters."
She'd pictured it happening at school, or while out shopping with Sasaki, or even..se..ahem during intimate moments being abruptly interrupted by another girl…
Because she'd mentally prepared for this, Momo felt nothing more than curiosity and a bit of amusement.
And Shinomiya Natsuha's*
reaction was surprisingly similar.
Though hers carried a slightly more appraising edge, after all, Natsuha's martial arts training gave her a sharper, more dominant presence.
Still, there was no malice in it.
Which was exactly why Sasaki didn't step in to mediate.
As long as they weren't at each other's throats, he preferred not to interfere, because even a single careless word from him could spark an argument… or worse.
So silence was safest.
But letting them stare each other down indefinitely wasn't a solution either.
After about thirty seconds of mutual inspection, Sasaki took Natsuha's hand and said to both girls:
"Let's step outside. Too many people in the hallway."
Natsuha let out a soft hmph—clearly displeased he'd been cozying up with another girl, but I'm the end, allowed him to lead her out.
Away from prying eyes, Sasaki held both their hands and made introductions: "Natsuha, this is Momo—Kashiwabara Momo. Just call her Momo."
"Momo, this is Natsuha—Shinomiya Natsuha. Call her Natsuha."
"You two… well, we're all… *family*…"
Under their dual gazes, even his thick skin couldn't withstand the shame of outright saying "You're both my wings."
So he settled for vaguely hinting at their… arrangement.
Yet the looks they gave him in return were priceless.
Their eyes seemed to say: 'How can you even say that with a straight face?'
After sharing an exasperated glance, Momo was the first to extend an olive branch.
With a bright smile, she offered her hand to Natsuha. "Nice to meet you~ I'm Kashiwabara Momo, just like Fuyumi said! You can call me Momo—I'm in Class 2-G!"
"I'm in the handicrafts club, and my hobby is making little trinkets~ Natsuha… can I call you Natsuha?"
Shinomiya Natsuha didn't expect the girl with sapphire-blue eyes, twin tails, and flawless looks to be so warm toward her.
After a brief pause, she also smiled. "Yeah, it's fine. Just call me Natsuha."
"I'm in the same class as him, and I'm in the Aikido club."
"Aikido? Wow, that's amazing!"
"Momo's impressive too. That little doll he always keeps in his pocket—you made that, right? It's really cute."
"Huh? You've seen it?"
"Mhm. He carries it everywhere. There's also a pink omamori—no idea who gave him that one, though~"
Momo blinked in surprise, but before she could ask, Natsuha's questioning gaze shifted to Sasaki.
The latter cleared his throat, and answered honestly: "Ah, that one… Tsukimi gave it to me."
Momo didn't know who "Tsukimi" was, so she just tilted her head in confusion.
But Natsuha, who had specifically come out here because of Tsukimi—narrowed her eyes.
"Ohhh~ So it's *her*. That explains it."
Knowing she was jealous, Sasaki squeezed her hand. "Explains what?"
"You two seemed so close this morning, laughing and chatting. Of course you'd keep her omamori tucked right against your skin."
Her tone was dripping with sarcastic sweetness, and Sasaki couldn't take it anymore.
In one swift motion, he pulled her into his arms and dipped his head, capturing her pink lips in a kiss.
"Mmm~?"
Under his passion, the furrow in her brow from jealousy slowly smoothed out, melting into pliant surrender.
With a soft, pleased hum, Natsuha looped her arms around his neck.
"..."
Momo, watching the whole kissing scene unfold in front of her very eyes, blinked in stunned silence.
'Weren't we just talking? How did they suddenly get so clingy?'
She came here specifically to get some affection from Sasaki—only for him to start making out with another girl right in front of her.
No matter how easygoing Momo was, she couldn't just stand there ignored.
Pursing her lips, she reached out to tug at Sasaki's sleeve—
But before she could, his arm snaked around her waist, pulling her in until she was shoulder-to-shoulder with Natsuha.
"Let's do this together~"
"Mmph~?"
...
Kissing Sasaki? Both girls were more than familiar with that.
But doing it like this—mixed together—
Their hearts raced with a strange mix of resistance and craving, an indescribable tension coiling tighter with every second.
Overwhelmed by the novelty, neither girl lasted long before their legs turned weak, forcing them to cling to Sasaki's arms just to stay upright.
Amused by how much shakier they were than usual, the boy couldn't help but smirk at Natsuha.
"Not jealous anymore?"
Jealous?
Natsuha's cheeks burned.
Whether it was her fighting two at once or teaming up with Momo against one, she was currently flushed and breathless—far too distracted to feel jealous now.
So, with sultry glance at the smirking troublemaker, Shinomiya Natsuha exhaled softly and stayed silent.
"...Shut up."
.
.
.
Since he might still need Natsuha's help later, especially given how much he'd be interacting with Chifuyu, Sasaki decided to come clean about his earlier conversation with Tsukimi.
After all, this girl loved that he didn't hide things from her.
So, he was not going to hide anything.
And sure enough, as soon as Sasaki explained his earlier talks with Chifuyu to Natsuha, the latter mustered up a little strength, tilted her head back and kissed him.
While Momo, who was watching cluelessly but didn't want to be left out, immediately puckered up.
Summoning what little strength she had left, she tilted her head up and planted a kiss on his lips.
"Mwah~"
Now stuck with two girls covering his face in kisses and no free hands to wipe it off, Sasaki's conflicted expression, half-delighted, half-suffering—sent them both into giggles.
After some playful affection, Natsuha circled back to the earlier topic.
"You said Tsukimi's boyfriend was cheating… and now he's acting like this? Isn't that just proof he's moved on?"
"Yeah, that's what I think too."
Nodding, Sasaki pulled out his phone and showed Natsuha a photo Kirishima had sent him.
"I happened to catch this on Sunday while I was out."
Taking the phone, Natsuha blinked at the image.
It wasn't complicated—just a boy and a tall, athletic blonde girl holding hands as they entered a hotel.
.
.
.