"This… may I ask if there's something you need?", Mortis tilted her head slightly, looking at the unfamiliar girl with waist-length black hair and beautiful appearance in front of her, her expression a bit guarded, like a housecat whose territory had just been invaded.
Even by her picky standards, the girl in front of her could be described as fresh and charming. Her features were exquisitely painted, her figure tall and slender, and the legs wrapped in black over-knee socks were long and straight. The sock edges slightly pressed into her skin, slim yet shapely, leaving a small strip of absolute territory between skirt and sock, so white it was almost dazzling.
However…
Mortis's gaze paused slightly on the other girl's chest for two seconds, then looked down.
Her once-on-guard expression relaxed again.
'Tiny pair of A's, laughable! Truly laughable!'
Although her own assets were limited too, at least she had a noticeable curve, far better than a flat runway.
'Don't take a small win lightly, even a little bigger is still big!'
Yukinoshita Yukino: "..."
Although Mortis thought her gaze had been subtle enough, the second young lady still caught the upward curve at the girl's lips.
She somehow felt a bit looked down on.
She gently sighed, about to introduce herself, when another unhurried set of footsteps came from within.
Kaito, dressed in ordinary men's pajamas, nodded at her, "Yukinoshita-san, good morning."
Then he turned and lightly knocked on Mortis's small head, "Letting a guest stand at the door and talk is not the hospitality I taught you. Don't do it again."
"Ugh…", The green-haired girl pouted in dissatisfaction, unable to resist grumbling inwardly.
'Knocking me on the head again, if I really become stupid one day, it's definitely stupid onii-chan's fault!'
'So, as the one responsible, it's only right that Onii-chan take responsibility for my future, right? I am a kind person, so I won't make any excessive demands. A simple marriage will do.'
"Kaito-kun, good morning," Yukinoshita Yukino also nodded slightly, taking in the entire scene, her sky-blue eyes seeming to flash with a dim light.
Clearly, when she came last time, he was living alone. Yet today, there was an unfamiliar girl in the house.
And from their natural and familiar interactions, their relationship was obviously very close.
'A relative? Or… a girlfriend he's dating?'
Though her thoughts raced, it had all taken place in the span of a few blinks. Yukino quickly cleared her mind, silently repeated "I'm here for the cats" seven or eight times to calm herself down, and then handed over the exquisite gift box in her hand.
"A small gift, a token of appreciation."
"Yukinoshita-san, you're too kind," Kaito took the gift box. It was obvious the giver had put in great care, tied with a red ribbon in a beautiful bow.
He swept it with divine sense and found inside a very delicate-looking dessert, likely homemade by Yukinoshita-san.
"Anyway, let's come in and talk first."
Yukino nodded and followed behind Kaito, but paused for a moment upon entering the living room.
A girl with pale green long hair was sitting on the sofa, hugging a lazy, dozing fat cat in her arms. Bathed in afternoon light, the whole scene was serene and timeless.
Her doll-like face showed little expression, but she looked exactly like the girl who had opened the door.
"This is Mortis. This is Wakaba Mutsumi. You can think of them as… twin sisters."
'Twin sisters? No wonder they look so alike.'
Yukino understood, though she still found it odd, 'If they are twins, why are their names so different?'
But she didn't dwell on it. She simply nodded and introduced herself, "I'm Yukinoshita Yukino. Pleased to meet you."
"Pleased to meet you. x2"
Cheerful and cool voices sounded at the same time.
'Though they are twins, their personalities seem completely different?'
'Mortis-san is clearly much more lively, while Wakaba-san is more reserved.'
"Yukinoshita-san was Kirara's first owner. She came today to visit Kirara," Kaito briefly explained the reason for the visit, which made Yukino's delicate face blush slightly as she cleared her throat.
"Forgive my sudden visit. I apologize for any disturbance."
"It's fine, Yukino's being too polite~", Mortis casually waved her hand. Feeling she had the upper hand in figure over the second young lady, she was in a great mood now, with the confidence of a victor over a loser.
"Kitty, here," Wakaba Mutsumi's tone was as concise as ever. She handed the still-sleeping fat cat in her arms to the black-haired girl in front of her. Although her delicate face was expressionless, it still conveyed clear friendliness.
Finally able to cuddle the Yukitan she had been longing for day and night, Yukinoshita's mood was not as joyful as she'd expected.
Compared to cuddling a cat, what concerned her more now was another matter, "Wakaba-san and Mortis-san… are you two in a relationship with Kaito-kun?"
"We really are!"
"Of course not."
Two completely different answers made Yukino freeze for a second, unsure of who to believe.
Flick!
Kaito, having come to his senses, landed a merciless flick on Mortis's head, successfully making the mischief-maker crouch down while clutching her head, tears of pain in her eyes.
After doing all that, he turned and looked at the second young lady with a slightly apologetic tone, "Sorry, Mortis was just joking… They're my younger sisters. For some reason, they're temporarily staying here."
"Oh?", Yukinoshita showed a curious expression, "Biological siblings?"
"Just adopted siblings, but things like that shouldn't matter, right?"
Kaito shook his head. There are people in the world who value blood ties, and others who value emotions. Neither is wrong, but he was undoubtedly the latter.
A biological sister with a nasty personality was far inferior, in his eyes, to a well-behaved and sensible adopted one.
"I see," Yukinoshita nodded, but didn't feel relieved at all inside.
'Younger sisters? Maybe Kaito-kun really does think that, but the way these two girls look at their adopted brother is far from pure.'
As a fellow girl, Yukino knew very well how girls act when they like a boy. They instinctively move closer, steal glances at his profile from the corners of their eyes, chatter at the dining table only to suddenly fall silent, because they're hiding their thoughts.
When girls look at someone they like, whether it's shy side-eyes or bold gazes, their eyes always sparkle with joy.
But she, after all, was just an outsider. Whether in terms of intimacy or importance in Kaito's heart, she was far behind those sisters. She had no right to comment on their relationship.
Even if she spoke up rashly, it would only be annoying.
This realization made the second young lady feel a bit upset. Yet she had no way to change the situation. All she could do was mindlessly stroke the cat in her arms, smoothing its soft fur to a glossy shine, while inside, her heart felt like a mess of tangled yarn being played with by a cat.
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