10:20 PM.
Inside Yuka's room.
Fresh out of the bath, the girl sat at her desk in nothing but a towel, her long, toned legs crossed and still glistening with droplets of water.
A facial mask covered her expression as she scrolled through her phone.
Glancing at the time, she frowned and muttered under her breath,
"It's past ten already. Why isn't that idiot back yet? Don't tell me he's planning to spend the night with some sneaky little cat…?"
It was only natural to fear the person you liked suddenly falling for someone else, no one was immune to that anxiety.
So, of course, Yuka's mind immediately jumped to the worst-case scenario.
But that outcome was too unbearable to accept.
After a moment of agonizing, she quickly shook her head.
"No, no. Otome is at home, and those sneaky cats next door are all there too. He couldn't have gone to..."
She had been keeping tabs on all the suspicious candidates nearby, and since they were accounted for, the worst-case scenario was impossible.
She had briefly considered that Sasaki might be out with some girl she didn't know.
But the moment that thought surfaced, she ruthlessly dismissed it.
Sure, she couldn't stand that pink-haired girl living across from them, but she did acknowledge the girl's feelings for her idiot brother.
There was no way that little pink-haired brat would let Sasaki fall for someone else.
Now that the worst possibility was off the table… whatever else he was doing didn't matter as much.
Letting out a relieved sigh, Yuka tapped her slender fingers lightly against the desk, producing a series of soft taps as she pondered how to punish him later.
Coming home this late… and hanging up on her…
Even if he tried to complain, she had every right to be angry.
…Wait.
Why was she only thinking about scolding him?
Couldn't she use this chance to finally have him tonight?
Her lifelong habit of bossing her idiot brother around had conditioned her to instinctively focus on how to punish him whenever he made her mad.
But the sense of crisis those three girls, Hamasaki and the others, had instilled in her this afternoon suddenly snapped her back to reality.
Her original plan was just to corner Sasaki and continue what had been interrupted earlier.
Yet, the moment he pissed her off, her priorities had shifted without her realizing it.
With more and more girls gathering around him, she couldn't afford to keep getting sidetracked like this.
Realigning her thoughts, the urgency bubbling inside her made Yuka eager to launch her offensive.
But a proper offense required the right equipment, just like how a warrior needed the finest weapons to conquer the battlefield.
Fortunately, she had prepared it in advance.
Confidently, she pulled open her desk drawer to check on her secret stash—
…Huh?
The small box she had stored inside was gone.
Her eyes widened slightly as she leaned back, yanking the drawer open fully.
But—,
After rummaging through it multiple times, she confirmed that the item she had placed inside was *missing*.
Her brows furrowed, her mask-covered face twisting in confusion.
She had bought it, tossed it in the drawer, and hadn't touched it since.
How could it just disappear?
It couldn't have vanished on its own… which meant only one possibility remained,
'Someone had taken it.'
But who?
Then, like a bolt of lightning, she remembered.
That pink-haired girl who had interrupted her confession earlier today.
Thinking about it, her fists clenched in fury.
'Of course.'
Now it made sense why that girl had shown up at just the right moment.
Not too early, not too late, right after they had gotten home.
And then she had dared to cut in right when Yuka was about to confess.
She thought it was just bad luck… but now, it was obvious.
'There were no coincidences.'
That girl must have been cleaning her room and stumbled upon the contents of her drawer.
That's why she had been so vigilant—otherwise, the timing wouldn't have been so perfect.
At first, Yuka was quite grateful that the pink-haired girl had cleaned for her.
But now, she realized that, that little witch had never been acting out of kindness.
She had been guarding against Yuka making a move this whole time.
Just like they said on TV—
'Pink-haired girls were already black when cut open.'
Cursing the pink-haired brat under her breath, Yuka slammed the drawer shut and marched over to her wardrobe.
Fine, so the box was gone.
She had heard guys didn't even like those things anyway…
But her battle attire—that couldn't be missing too.
Her figure wasn't as voluptuous as the older women in the house, and her bust wasn't as impressive as her little sister's…
That outfit was specifically chosen to highlight her best features.
It could not be gone.
*Creak—*
The wardrobe door slid open, revealing rows of colorful clothes.
But before Yuka could relax, her eyes locked onto the empty spot where her most prized sleepwear should have been.
Every other skimpy nightgown was still there…
Except the one she loved the most.
"Sakuragi Otome, you psycho!!"
If you were gonna steal something, either take everything or take nothing!
Why would you only take one?!
Fuming, Yuka slammed her fist against the wardrobe door.
"GOD DAMN IT!"
Clutching her stinging hand, Yuka took a deep breath—but the more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
Yet, despite her fury, she refused to lose sight of her goal.
That girl had done this because she was afraid she would succeed.
Well, then, she'd just have to prove her right.
She couldn't let anger ruin this perfect opportunity.
Suppressing her rage, Yuka let out a sigh, forcing herself to calm down, then picked out a decent-looking light-blue nightgown.
It was more conservative than the battle attire she had originally planned to wear—less impactful—but for an inexperienced little brother like hers… it should be enough.
Still bitter, she could only console herself with that thought.
Once changed and ready, she stepped out of her room.
Her plan was to lie in wait in *his* room—
When that idiot finished his bath and climbed into bed, only to find her already there…
'His expression would be priceless.'
Thinking about his reaction, a wicked grin curled on her lips as she tiptoed down the dark hallway, with silent steps.
But just before she could reach his door,
The sound of the front door opening echoed from downstairs.
'He's back.'
Yuka quickened her pace, ready to slip inside,
When a soft, familiar voice froze her in place.
"Fuyumi~"
…Huh?
She was still awake?
Didn't she have work early tomorrow?
While Yuka was still puzzled, Sasaki's voice followed—
"Kyoka, you're still up?"
Maybe it was because of that damn pink-haired girl, but Yuka couldn't help but feel like her stupid brother's tone was too affectionate.
And he dropped the honorifics.
Their ensuing conversation only deepened her unease.
Although, she couldn't see them, but the way they spoke—so intimate, so familiar—
Yuka was still in school, but she was an adult.
Her thoughts weren't exactly… innocent.
So, hearing them whisper like this, in the dark, her mind instantly conjured scenes from those kinds of movies—
*Best Friend's Secret…*
*Older Sister's Forbidden…*
Heat rushed to her cheeks as wild, shameful thoughts flooded her mind, causing her to hold her breath, and continue listening to their conversation.
"This nightgown isn't…"
"...went to Yuka's room…"
"I took it when she wasn't…"
"Do you mind, Fuyumi?"
...
'Huh?'
That nightgown was,
And when she said "mind"… did she mean—
Accompanied by a rustling sound, the bad thoughts in Yuka's mind became reality.
Why…
Those are my clothes…
That is the person I like...
Even the little box is mine…
Before she could process the storm of emotions inside her heart, a soft, melodic sound, like a nightingale's whisper, yet devilishly tempting—replayed in her mind on loop.
It drowned out everything else, leaving her numb.
She didn't know how long she stood there in the hallway.
She didn't remember how she made it back to her room, crawling under the covers like a wounded animal.
The last thing she heard—
Fragments of a conversation, slipping through the darkness like poison.
"We can't~…"
"Kyoka, I really like you…"
"...Fine~"
The person she loved—
And the person she respected most—
How could they?
.
.
.
P.S: Ok I just messed up the chapters...
Since I was busy writing assignments, I just scheduled a few chaps, however, it turned out to be a problem. Coz I somehow changed the months without noticing.
Now, some chaps, which should've been uploaded were scheduled for next month and those which should be later were uploaded first...
In short it's a mess. So, I deleted the two chaps. Now, I'll have to reschedule again.
Sigh. Too much work. Not to mention, I have to submit handwritten assignments, like seriously, I haven't held a pen in months...