Yukino, carrying a vegetable basket, returned to the house and took off her shoes.
She suddenly heard strange noises inside.
The door to the secondary bedroom where Kiriryuin Kaede lived didn't seem to be fully closed, just slightly ajar. Slightly curious, Yukino quietly crept closer.
And inside, she witnessed a scene that shocked her greatly.
———
The scene in the secondary bedroom truly left Yukino stunned and speechless.
Perhaps because she was too shocked, the fully loaded vegetable basket in her hand slipped and fell to the ground with a loud clatter.
Realizing she had accidentally exposed herself, Yukino quickly ran back to her own room.
And this sudden noise naturally alerted Hikari and Kiriryuin Kaede, who were in the midst of their intense activity in the room.
Kiriryuin Kaede, who had been moving vigorously just moments before, abruptly froze.
Seeming to realize something, she quickly got off of Hikari.
Stumbling to the door, Kiriryuin Kaede immediately spotted the vegetable basket left outside. Her heart sank with a loud thud.
Hearing the faint sound of Yukino's crying coming from the master bedroom, Kiriryuin Kaede's face was filled with anxiety.
She hurried back into the room, breathing rapidly, and asked Hikari with a panicked expression, "Yukino seems to have come back early today... we seem to have been... been discovered! Wha... what do we do?"
Hikari also seemed quite surprised, but his eyes were much calmer than Kiriryuin Kaede's. He just said, "You're her best friend, and you're asking me?"
Kiriryuin Kaede was truly at a loss and extremely flustered.
Her mind filled with chaotic thoughts, she didn't even have the capacity to reply his words that were full of ambiguous vibes. Hearing the increasingly loud crying from next door, she could only quickly put on her miko outfit and rush out of the room.
Knock! Knock!
After lightly tapping on the master bedroom door twice, Kiriryuin Kaede said cautiously, "Yu... Yukino-chan?"
"Kaede-chan? Come in," Yukino's voice still carried a sob.
Kiriryuin Kaede hurriedly pushed the door open and entered.
As soon as she entered, she saw Yukino sitting on the edge of the bed, crying pitifully, her eyes somewhat red and swollen.
She quickly walked over, bowed her head, and apologized to Yukino, "Yu... Yukino-chan, I'm sorry! Let me explain! Although I did do something wrong to you, it was a misunderstanding."
Kiriryuin Kaede intended to explain to Yukino about that time when she forcibly researched the hypnosis ring and lost control.
However, Yukino shook her head and interrupted, "It's okay, Kaede-chan, I believe you, I believe you and Hikari-kun. This matter is all my fault. It was me who failed to satisfy Hikari-kun, it was me who overlooked the awkwardness of you and Hikari-kun sharing a room."
"We make so much noise every night. Kaede-chan, listening must have been really torturous for you. I am a Snow Woman, I understand the needs and torments in this area very clearly, I can understand."
Yukino's words made Kiriryuin Kaede blush deeply and feel even more ashamed.
"Yukino-chan, what happened between me and Hikari-kun was really an accident, you... please don't blame him, it really started because of me...", Kiriryuin Kaede haltingly explained some of the circumstances at that time to Yukino.
Yukino just shook her head, speaking very magnanimously, "It's fine, I can understand everything. Hikari-kun is the person I love most, and Kaede-chan, you are my best friend. I can understand. You two being like this... I can actually accept it too..."
"I won't blame either of you. If anyone is to blame, it's me."
Looking at Yukino's pitiful, adorable, bun-like expression, Kiriryuin Kaede, dressed in her miko outfit, felt truly terrible inside.
After all, the first time with Hikari was an accident, but every time after that, it was her who couldn't resist the temptation and actively sought him out in a desperate state.
Especially since she had once thought about comparing herself to Yukino, and now seeing that with how gentle Yukino was even after being caught in the act, Kiriryuin Kaede felt more and more ashamed the more she thought about it.
She couldn't help but half-kneel before Yukino, hold her hands, bow her head, and cry, "Yukino-chan, no matter what, I was wrong in this matter. Clearly we are best friends, but I... with your partner..."
"In short, I hope to make it up to you, Yukino-chan. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it!"
Hearing this, Yukino's crying suddenly paused for a moment.
Then, while continuing to cry, she asked, "You'll agree to anything I ask you to do, Kaede-chan?"
"Mhm!", Kiriryuin Kaede nodded heavily.
Yukino then said somewhat quietly, "Well... I don't really have many ideas or wishes. Right now, being able to live together with Hikari-kun makes me very happy and satisfied. Sharing with you, Kaede-chan, isn't really unacceptable either, after all, Hikari-kun doesn't have only me as a woman."
"However, although I don't have any wishes, I remember Hikari-kun wanted to see the world of youkai and the Demi-Human Academy. So, Kaede-chan, could you act as an introducer and take Hikari-kun to the Demi-Human Academy?", Yukino said, her tone somewhat calm.
"Yes, yes, of course!", Kiriryuin Kaede, who had previously refused Hikari's request even when trading with the hypnosis ring, directly agreed without hesitation under these circumstances and in response to Yukino's words.
"That's great~", Having obtained Kiriryuin Kaede's agreement, Yukino instantly beamed with joy. She reached out her delicate hands, held Kiriryuin Kaede's equally fair and jade-like hands, and said with a smile, "Kaede-chan, we are good best friends. I really, truly don't mind sharing Hikari-kun with you. After all, this way the bond between us sisters can become even closer~"
"Heh, heheh!", Kiriryuin Kaede, who had just been caught in the act of sneaking around, felt extremely awkward hearing this.
"Well... I'll go out and tell Hikari-kun about this first. Yukino-chan, you rest well," In this situation, even though Yukino said she was willing to forgive her and even magnanimously indicated they could share,
Kiriryuin Kaede still felt somewhat awkward and guilty.
So, after finding an excuse, she hurriedly left the master bedroom to avoid staying in the same room with her best friend Yukino any longer.
Arriving in the living room, Kiriryuin Kaede saw Hikari, now fully dressed, sitting on the sofa. She immediately walked over quickly.
"Hik... Hikari-kun, I talked to Yukino-chan. She... she said she can forgive what happened between us."
"But she wants me to act as an introducer and take you to the Demi-Human Academy sometime. Is that okay?", Kiriryuin Kaede asked.
"Sure, if you're willing," Hikari nodded at Kiriryuin Kaede with a somewhat puzzled expression.
The two chatted for a few more sentences.
It was mainly Kiriryuin Kaede admonishing Hikari, telling him that he absolutely must not tell Yukino the not-so-nice things she had privately said about Yukino during their previous secret rendezvous.
After aligning their stories, Kiriryuin Kaede returned to the secondary bedroom, her heart still carrying a bit of guilt.
Watching Kiriryuin Kaede's guilt-ridden retreating figure, Hikari, with a smile on his face, went to Yukino's door.
He didn't even knock, simply pushed the door open and entered Yukino's master bedroom.
After locking the door behind him, Hikari turned around.
He saw Yukino had already come up behind him and was smiling radiantly as she wrapped her arms around his sturdy waist.
Resting her head lightly against Hikari's chest, the stunningly beautiful Snow Woman said with a smile, "Hikari-kun, my acting was very convincing, right?"
"Convincing, extremely convincing. Kaede-chan will probably go back to her room, still feeling guilty, cry for a while, and shed quite a few 'little pearls'," Hikari reached out and pinched the impressive assets of the Snow Woman in front of him, similarly saying with a smile.
Hikari had originally only planned to give it a try, but he didn't expect that even though Yukino was a Snow Woman with a rather socially anxious personality, her acting skills were actually quite good.
Actually, the entire incident today, where he and Kiriryuin Kaede were caught in the act by Yukino, was all part of a plan he and Yukino had devised beforehand.
Yukino had known for a long time about Kiriryuin Kaede secretly sneaking around with him.
It wasn't because Yukino's observational skills were particularly sharp.
Rather, Hikari had never actually intended to hide it from her.
On the very day Kiriryuin Kaede lost control while researching the ring and attacked him, Hikari had told Yukino every detail of the incident.
This widowed Snow Woman treated Hikari so well and had long since given him everything, heart and soul, so Hikari naturally wouldn't keep her in the dark.
And after Yukino found out about the incident, she was actually quite nonchalant about it.
She was even grateful to Hikari for helping Kiriryuin Kaede.
So, after learning about the accidental connection between the two, not only was she not angry, she even showed a hint of secret delight.
Hikari had asked her why she was happy back then.
Yukino had said cheerfully at the time, ("There's someone else to share the pressure with me. And Kaede-chan is an Oni, her physical fitness is super strong. She can definitely help reduce a lot of the pressure on me.")
("Otherwise, facing you alone, Hikari-kun, when you're getting more and more powerful, the pressure is really, really big.")
("Rather than having you, Hikari-kun, go find other girls, it's better to pull Kaede-chan into this with us. After all, you humans have a saying too, 'Don't let the fertile water flow into others' fields.'")
("However, we can't tell Kaede-chan about this for now...")
Hikari had asked Yukino why at the time.
Then, Yukino slowly laid out this plan: let the two of them sneak around for a while first, then stage a scene where she catches them red-handed, making Kiriryuin Kaede feel guilty, and then allowing Hikari to get what he had previously wanted from Kiriryuin Kaede but she had refused to give.
So, although Hikari later refined the plan quite a bit, it could be said that this plan was first proposed by Yukino, Kiriryuin Kaede's own best friend.
And so, next door, Kiriryuin Kaede, filled with remorse, was still kept in the dark.
Over here, Hikari and Yukino had already started vigorously beating the war drums.
———
Night fell.
The familiar cacophony from outside the room gradually reached Kiriryuin Kaede's ears inside.
Previously, she had been too ashamed about being caught by Yukino earlier that day, so her mind was somewhat dazed.
Now, after some time had passed, her mind gradually cleared, and she finally heard the intense commotion outside.
Listening to Yukino's happy shouts during her tutoring session with Hikari, Kiriryuin Kaede felt miserable.
Even though she had been tutored just that afternoon, and even felt deeply ashamed because Yukino found out, hearing the noises of Hikari and Yukino now, she still felt unbearably miserable.
That feeling of bitterness, accompanied by shame, and the shameful thoughts breeding more bitterness, these complex emotions were truly torturing her.
And perhaps because of the incident of being caught by Yukino this afternoon, Kiriryuin Kaede felt that the couple's commotion today was especially loud and particularly clear.
Especially Yukino's vocal studying, her voice was louder than usual, and Kiriryuin Kaede found it even harder to bear than normal.
The worst part was, she could no longer secretly seek out Hikari for extra tutoring after they finished, like she used to.
"Forget it, I'll go take a cool shower first, then come back and study on my own. Today is really so annoying...", Muttering her complaints in a low, resentful voice, Kiriryuin Kaede pushed the door open and stepped out.
However, when the secondary bedroom door opened and she saw the scene in the living room, Kiriryuin Kaede instantly froze.
She finally understood why the commotion from Hikari's tutoring session with Yukino was so loud today.
It turned out the two hadn't gone to the bedroom tonight; instead, they had started the tutoring session directly in the living room.
Staring at the two sitting on the sofa, Kiriryuin Kaede widened her eyes, gazing at them dumbfounded.
Both Hikari and Yukino also seemed stunned, turning their heads together, their gazes almost overlapping as they looked at Kiriryuin Kaede who had just emerged from her room.
Kiriryuin Kaede just wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into and immediately run away from there.
She stammered, "Um... sorry, I came at a bad time..."
Seeing Kiriryuin Kaede about to turn back to her room, Yukino suddenly spoke up, "No! You came at just the right time!"
"Huh?", Kiriryuin Kaede looked at Yukino with a dazed expression.
Yukino said with a smile, "Kaede-chan, you came at just the right time~"
"Kaede-chan, if you're willing, you can come join us~"
Hikari also nodded, looking at Kiriryuin Kaede.
But even though she had Yukino's approval and Hikari's agreement, Kiriryuin Kaede herself still felt ashamed and shy.
She shook her head frantically, her face red, "I... I really need to use the bathroom, I won't disturb you two!"
After saying that, Kiriryuin Kaede immediately ran into the bathroom and locked the door.
However, even as she sat quietly on the toilet, she could still hear the commotion of the tutoring session from the living room outside.
And the sound was much louder than when it came from the bedroom, causing her bent legs to press together involuntarily, and her ten pale toes to curl tightly against the floor.
Kiriryuin Kaede had originally intended to stay there until they finished and returned to their room, but in this situation, she could only leave the bathroom immediately after using the toilet.