Sawamura Haruno's index finger hovered right in front of Miyazawa Maki's face, shaking slightly—clearly signaling for her to stay quiet and not make a sound.
But the short-haired girl was already drunk, and drunk Maki had no intention of behaving herself.
Seeing Haruno waving his finger in front of her face like he was teasing her, she opened her mouth without a second thought and gently closed her lips around it.
A soft, warm sensation traveled instantly from his fingertip through his entire body.
Haruno's eyes flew wide open as he stared at her in complete disbelief.
Maki, meanwhile, looked as though she had discovered some kind of "delicacy." She pressed herself against him, holding his hand while carefully tasting the flavor lingering on his fingertip.
Haruno could clearly feel that she seemed a little angry, venting her irritation by lightly biting his finger with her teeth. But because she didn't actually want to hurt him, the result was oddly clumsy—and strangely teasing.
As if that weren't enough, her soft tongue kept sliding over his fingertip again and again.
In the end, what should've been a protest turned into this awkward, earnest attempt at "revenge."
With each repeated motion, Maki's breathing gradually grew quicker.
After drinking too much, her rising body temperature combined with all that unnecessary "effort" left her mouth faintly sore, making it hard for her to breathe properly.
Even so, Maki seemed to be enjoying herself.
Haruno, on the other hand, was absolutely not.
On one side, he still had to deal with his mother on the phone. On the other, he needed to somehow free his hand from Maki's "restraint."
Realizing that things were about to spiral completely out of control, Haruno took a deep breath and decisively spoke into the phone:
"Mom, something's come up on my end. I'll hang up now."
Without waiting for a reply, he ended the call.
Noticing that Haruno had cut off the voice connection, Maki finally stopped biting him and instead shifted to gentler behavior.
Her breathing had become noticeably rapid, her eyes unfocused, as though she were about to say something at any second.
But that was only her illusion.
Having drunk far too many mixed cocktails, Maki's consciousness had already reached its limit.
The moment Haruno hung up, he noticed her eyelids trembling rapidly up and down. He immediately realized she was about to collapse.
Seizing the chance, he carefully pulled his finger free and softly coaxed her.
"Maki… you're drunk. Let's go back and sleep for a bit, okay?"
As he spoke, he placed a hand around her waist, supporting her slender frame. Gently patting her back, he continued trying to free his hand.
Perhaps it was his gentle voice and soothing movements that worked, because Maki's consciousness faded further, and she slowly loosened her grip.
When Haruno finally pulled his finger out, a thin, glistening "silver thread" briefly connected them, shining conspicuously in the sunlight streaming through the window.
Even Haruno froze for a moment.
Thankfully, it snapped quickly.
At the same time, Maki slumped into his arms, her eyes slowly closing.
—She had successfully knocked herself out.
After all, the alcohol Haruno used for mixing wasn't low-proof. For someone who didn't usually drink, vodka was practically a weapon—especially for a girl like Maki.
Mana, who could still drink fairly well, was clearly the exception. Even though Maki was her twin sister, the difference in tolerance was dramatic.
"She really doesn't let anyone rest easy…"
Haruno sighed.
He'd only been on the phone for a little over ten minutes, and she'd already caused this kind of disaster. No wonder she used to get into huge fights with her parents back at the Miyazawa household.
If she were his daughter, he'd probably be furious too.
But there was nothing he could do now.
He'd promised Mana to temporarily take care of her sister. He couldn't exactly throw her out.
More importantly, he was worried that if she went outside in this state, she'd do something reckless.
At least when she was asleep, she was quiet and safe.
If she were drunk but not passed out, she might've gone on a full-blown drunken rampage in his apartment—which would've been far harder to deal with.
"For now… I'll put you back in bed."
Haruno muttered to himself.
He lifted Maki in his arms, feeling the soft warmth of her slender thighs, and fought down his racing thoughts as he quickly carried her into the guest bedroom next door.
The room still looked messy from the morning—sheets, blanket, and pillowcase twisted and scattered across the bed.
Haruno didn't bother tidying up. He laid her down, pulled a corner of the blanket over her body in a sloppy manner, and immediately turned around and left the room.
If he stayed any longer, he was worried something might happen.
He was supposed to meet Mana later that evening.
If something happened between him and Maki now, just thinking about it felt wrong.
Even though—according to Maki—Mana might've once hoped for something "forbidden" to occur—
No, no, no. What am I even thinking?
Haruno shook his head violently, forcing those ridiculous thoughts out of his mind.
Regardless of whether there were feelings between him and Maki, just looking at her current state—like a corpse—was enough to make him completely unable to act.
It was definitely the shock from her earlier "attack" that had stirred his thoughts and thrown his emotions into chaos.
Muttering to himself, Haruno stepped out of the guest room and gently closed the door behind him.
Only then did he raise a hand, intending to rub his face and pull himself together.
But halfway through the motion, he froze.
He remembered how enthusiastically Maki had "tasted" his finger earlier.
"…She really doesn't mind, does she?"
The corner of Haruno's mouth twitched.
He decided to go wash his hands first.
When he returned to the living room after rinsing them, he finally realized the true reason Maki had gotten into such a disastrous state.
—She had drunk the cocktail he'd prepared for himself in one go.
Alcoholic drinks, once mixed together, hit far harder than usual.
Staring at the now-empty glass, Haruno felt speechless.
He could already picture it clearly—
Later that night, once Maki woke up, she'd be clutching her head and wailing in misery.
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