"Honestly — why was I the only one you didn't wake up, Sis?"
Back at the breakfast table, Chisa had come back down in fresh clothes, but her face was still slightly pink.
She kept her head low and muttered a quiet complaint at Nanaka sitting beside her.
"I'm sorry — it's just that when I saw how adorable Chisa looked sleeping, I couldn't bring myself to move. And then asking me to go and ruin that view by waking her up — I simply couldn't do it...."
Apparently lost in some fond recollection, Nanaka wore an expression of pure bliss and spoke her innermost thoughts aloud without noticing.
The atmosphere at the breakfast table went immediately, profoundly still. Chisa sank even lower in her seat, and even the tips of her ears had gone pink.
Sebastian, who had been quietly and steadily working through his sandwich, was so shocked by the words that his sandwich fell out of his hands with a soft thud.
The sister-con was operating at a considerably higher level than he'd realized. Was there any hope for him at all?
Beside Sebastian, Iori — ever the situationally aware one — saw the atmosphere at the table reaching absolute zero and acted on instinct. He grabbed a large glass of milk and began drinking it in enormous gulps.
"Ahh~ the milk this morning is really good. Sebastian — don't you think so?"
Iori winked at Sebastian, trying to gloss over the scene.
Unfortunately, Sebastian was in the midst of processing the collapse of another carefully tended hope and had completely missed the signal. The words were out before he could stop them:
"Nanaka, what are you saying?!"
With that, the already frozen atmosphere shattered through the floor entirely. Aside from Chisa, who was already looking at her lap, every person at the table turned to stare at Sebastian with murderous intent.
"Anyway, Sebastian, you haven't had enough to eat, have you? Here — have more, have more!"
Kotobuki, moving with alarming speed, grabbed a slice of toast and shoved it into Sebastian's mouth before he could continue.
"Oh! Right — yes. Actually, if there isn't enough food, I'll go make some more — I should go prepare something—!"
Nanaka, also realizing she had said something wrong, changed expression, pushed back her chair, and fled toward the kitchen on the footing Kotobuki had provided her.
"Cough, cough — senior, what are you doing? You nearly made me ch—"
"Nearly choked? Here — wash it down with some milk!"
As though equally committed to preventing Sebastian from saying another word, Tokita picked up a glass of milk, hooked Sebastian by the back of the neck, and poured it in.
....
By the time breakfast was over, Sebastian — who had started the morning feeling perfectly fine — felt thoroughly wretched: stuffed to bursting and producing a continuous series of milk-flavored belches.
Chisa had scraped together a few hurried bites under everyone's collective gaze and bolted back upstairs again, Nanaka's calls after her going entirely unheeded.
Nanaka herself looked like something had left her body, slumped on the sofa in a daze.
"So, Sebastian — you had a good breakfast?" Iori said, strolling over with an expression of exaggerated sympathy, patting Sebastian's shoulder.
"Wonderful. And since I'm full, I might as well find someone to practice on."
Sebastian, still simmering, grabbed Iori — who had walked right into it — fully intending to take his feelings out on him.
At that moment, Kotobuki and Tokita, having helped Nanaka clear the dishes, came over and untied the pink aprons from around their waists.
"So — as I mentioned over breakfast. We came today because we have something to tell you two...."
He hadn't finished the sentence before Sebastian crossed his arms over his chest.
"If it's about a drinking party, save it. We've been keeping up with you all for days now and my liver genuinely cannot take any more."
Iori nodded vigorously in emphatic agreement.
"Exactly. I haven't really been properly conscious since the afternoon before yesterday. At some point you have to let us rest, don't you?"
Kotobuki glanced at Tokita, and the two of them shrugged.
"Fair enough. Though this was specifically to make good on the mixer I promised you. If it's not a good time for you two, then I suppose we could just...."
The words were barely out of Kotobuki's mouth before Iori — who had been performing a convincing impression of someone at death's door — lit up and grabbed Kotobuki's thick arm with both hands.
"Senior Kotobuki — if Sebastian's liver is the problem, I'm available! Take me instead!"
"Weren't you just saying you haven't been properly conscious for days? You're conscious now?"
"Completely and fully conscious!" Iori said, with great conviction.
"You treacherous—" Sebastian ground his teeth and glared at Iori, then turned to Kotobuki. "Senior, didn't you say this mixer was specifically for me? Iori doesn't qualify, does he?"
"That's technically true, but I can't exactly leave him out entirely. Someone needs to make up the numbers. Don't you think, Iori?"
Kotobuki folded his arms and looked at Iori.
"Absolutely. I love making up numbers. And Sebastian, since your body can't handle it — why not pass the opportunity to me? I'll find a way to repay you later!"
"As if I'd ever believe that! And just listening to you talk right now is making me inexplicably furious!"
Sebastian grabbed Iori and moved to forcibly adjust the alignment of his skull.
"Alright, you two — stop. Yes or no: are you coming or not?"
Kotobuki and Tokita, patience wearing thin, called out to the two of them still rolling around.
"We're going!"
Both answered in perfect unison without stopping.
"Then what are we waiting for — we came first thing this morning for this. Let's go."
"Yeah!" The two of them cheered and reached for their things, ready to bolt out the door.
"Please hold on a moment!"
Nanaka's voice came from behind them.
"Nanaka — is something wrong?" Sebastian turned, somewhat surprised.
He had assumed the sister-con would still be reeling from the earlier blow for some time. Somehow, when he turned to look, her expression had already completely reset.
"Iori — and Sebastian. I completely understand that feeling of wanting to go out and have fun now that you're in university. But you two have only just arrived, and as the older one here, I don't think I've quite fulfilled my responsibility as a senior yet."
Nanaka's smile was warm, her head tilted slightly, her eyes looking at the two of them with something like expectation.
"Well...." Sebastian hesitated, genuinely unsure what to say.
Iori, on the other hand, appeared considerably more resolved.
"I'm sorry, Nanaka. I just think that as a university student, one can't stay under the family's wing forever — there comes a time to go and see the world, so...."
"So for a mixer, you'd abandon even your older sister?"
Nanaka's eyes went sharp in an instant, and her entire manner shifted.
That's not going dark on us, is it?
Whatever Iori had been about to say next, he swallowed it. He stood there, neck shrinking into his shoulders, saying nothing.
"Not at all, Nanaka. Oh, and I'd like to ask for some time off. Actually, at the shop you still have Chis—"
Sebastian had been about to point out that Chisa was still here to keep Nanaka company.
After all, the morning had made things fairly clear — Nanaka's world seemed to revolve entirely around Chisa. Sebastian couldn't afford to keep all his eggs in one basket....
He hadn't finished the sentence when Nanaka, standing perfectly still a moment ago, let something sharp flash behind those gentle eyes and appeared in front of him at an almost incomprehensible speed.
Her smile remained in place. But the quality of that smile was now enough to make Sebastian's skin prickle.
"Chis — what? What exactly are you trying to say, Sebastian-chan? Please do be specific."
Sebastian quietly swallowed as Nanaka's expression grew increasingly unsettling.
Was Nanaka actually angry with him?
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