Kanade was completely dumbfounded.
He had thought Utaha, sitting with such a serious expression, was about to say something profound—maybe offer comfort or share some weighty insight.
Instead, she hit him with:
"I'm not this patient with everyone, you know."
Excuse me? Kanade blinked.
Are you serious, Senpai? This counts as being easygoing?
From his perspective, her habit of teasing him or delighting in his embarrassment didn't exactly scream "good-natured." Once upon a time, he might have interpreted her behavior as a subtle display of affection, but after learning she didn't have romantic feelings for him, he'd discarded that interpretation entirely.
Sure, he understood that for Utaha, this was probably her way of expressing comfort with their level of intimacy. But for him, as the target of her antics, it was exhausting.
After all, Kanade was a perfectly healthy teenage boy—mentally and physically. And the way Utaha always carried herself with an air of mischievous allure, constantly pushing boundaries, might not mislead his brain anymore, but…
His body? That was another story.
His "little brother" had a mind of its own, and frankly, it wasn't very disciplined.
Sure, there were methods to deal with this, but Kanade couldn't very well keep excusing himself for "self-regulation" every time he spent time with her. If this kept up, he might end up as one of Pavlov's dogs—but trained by Kasumigaoka Pavlov Utaha.
He didn't need that kind of self-management "skill" in his life.
"…"
Utaha squinted slightly, noticing Kanade's strange expression. She could tell his thoughts had drifted somewhere off-track, and she wasn't entirely sure why.
"Are you even following me? What I mean is…" She stared directly into his eyes, her tone sharpening. "I'm saying my attitude toward you is unique."
"Yes, I understand that," Kanade said, nodding quickly. Of course I understand that. You've made it clear how different you are when dealing with me.
To him, Utaha's entire lifestyle seemed to follow one simple rule:
Strangers? Ice queen. Friends? Chaos incarnate.
She could be his greatest ally when things were tough, but when life was peaceful, she became his greatest challenge.
"Good… as long as you understand." Utaha smiled, satisfied.
She had no idea what Kanade was really thinking. In her mind, he was still the perceptive junior who could always hit the bullseye with his insights about her. Sure, he could be clumsy in some areas, but that clumsiness was part of what made her like him. It wasn't something she wanted to change—or could.
To Utaha, Kanade's importance was clear: he was irreplaceable, utterly unique.
In her heart, any misunderstandings between them had already been addressed. After all, what kind of girl would continue making this kind of effort for a boy after rejecting his confession—especially to the extent of initiating moments of intimacy?
Certainly not someone uninterested.
No, in her view, her actions made her feelings obvious.
That left only one reason Kanade hadn't reciprocated her advances yet: he was still hung up on the rejection.
And that was fair. She had refused him back then, despite the sincerity of his feelings. It was her own clumsy attempt to ask him to show his true self that had caused the rift between them.
Utaha could understand why he might feel it was unfair—why he might want someone to focus their attention on him for a change, to pursue him instead.
While Kanade wouldn't admit such desires outright, Utaha could see it clearly. Her literary instincts were sharper than most people realized.
And if that was what Kanade needed, Utaha was more than willing to give it to him. Love was a two-way street, after all. If he had pursued her before, it was only fair that now she made the effort to bridge the gap.
Still, the conversation they'd just had had unsettled her. Kanade's repeated mentions of "love" and "feelings" made her realize something.
Other women had been sniffing around her Kanade.
Though he hadn't said anything directly, his self-reflection revealed that plenty of girls had approached him in ways that clearly hadn't worked out.
But that didn't matter to Utaha. What mattered was that she could no longer afford to take things slow.
It's time to pick up the pace.
There was no way she would let Kanade slip away into someone else's arms.
"Now, I have one more question," she said, her gaze locking onto his. "I need you to answer honestly, Kanade. And you're not allowed to lie."
"…"
Kanade frowned slightly in confusion, but he nodded. "Alright, ask away."
A candid conversation demanded sincerity, and he had no intention of breaking that unspoken rule.
"Those friends you mentioned earlier…" Utaha's eyes didn't waver. "Are they all girls?"
"Uh…?" Kanade's face twisted into a strange expression. "No, but… why are you suddenly asking this?"
"That's not important. Just answer me—yes or no?"
"… Most of them are, I guess," Kanade admitted after a moment of thought. "But that's just how it worked out. With guys… well, we don't really overthink things. As long as we're having fun, that's enough."
Before he'd come to this world, Kanade had no friends at all. He'd assumed romantic relationships were the ultimate bond between people.
But after fully immersing himself in reality, he realized how wrong he'd been.
Friendship wasn't just easier to find—it was far less stressful to maintain. It wasn't limited by gender, didn't require constant careful effort, and was infinitely more rewarding.
"…"
Hearing his answer, Utaha's expression softened slightly. But she still didn't feel completely reassured.
So she decided to press further.
"Then, about those girls… what do you think of them?" she asked, her tone more direct. "Do you like them? Dislike them? What kind of feelings do you have?"
"???"
Kanade blinked, bewildered.
Senpai, what the hell kind of question is that?
Kanade felt his brain shutting down.
He had hoped the atmosphere would calm after their conversation, but it seemed that wasn't happening.
Utaha's behavior had gone from mischievous to outright chaotic. She was sitting far too close, the weight of her assets pressing against his arm through the thin fabric of her yukata.
It wasn't like he hadn't noticed earlier. Her cosplay antics when they first entered the room had already pushed the limits of what the wide yukata could conceal. But now, with her leaning against him like this, the situation had escalated to a completely different level.
"Senpai, I think it'd be best if you kept a little distance…"
"Oh? Why, Nii-san~?" Utaha blinked innocently, her tone syrupy sweet. "You don't like Ichimouto~ being close to you?"
Kanade's brain went into overdrive.
Cold, cold, cold—think cold thoughts!
Utaha tilted her head, watching his increasingly strained expression with amusement. "Hmm, are you closing your eyes because you're shy, Nii-san~? Or is there something else? You should look at your cute little sister properly, you know."
She leaned in even closer, her soft body pressing more firmly against his. Then, in a move that could only be described as devilish, she trapped his arm entirely between her chest.
"Guh…" Kanade barely suppressed a groan.
Even Utaha's cheeks were starting to show a faint blush, but she didn't back down. On the contrary, her smile turned even more playful. "Hmm, ignoring me? That's so mean, Nii-san~! If you won't pay attention to me, I'll just have to… play a little prank~."
Kanade's body went rigid.
What now?!
She leaned in close, her breath tickling his ear. "Keeping your eyes shut isn't very manly, you know~."
And then, before he could react, she nipped his earlobe lightly with her teeth.
"Zzt." The faint sound sent a jolt through his entire body.
"…"
"…"
Kanade was done.
There's no staying cool through this. If I keep this up, my entire system is going to short-circuit!
He snapped his eyes open, glaring at Utaha with a dangerous intensity.
"Kasumigaoka Utaha!" he growled through clenched teeth. "If you keep this up…"
Before he could finish his sentence—something along the lines of "you won't be getting any sleep tonight!"—his phone buzzed loudly in his pocket.
The unexpected interruption brought his rationality flooding back.
Snapping his head toward the source of the sound, he hastily pulled his phone from his pocket. But as he did, a small item tumbled out along with it.
"Clack."
Kanade froze.
There, on the floor between them, was the little box he'd picked up from the vending machine earlier.
A box of… certain protective measures.
"…"
"…"
Their eyes met.
Kanade's mouth opened and closed several times before he finally managed to stammer: "I-I didn't mean anything by it! I swear! I was just… being cautious! Do you believe me?"
Utaha's face turned crimson. She avoided his gaze, fidgeting awkwardly. "W-Well… you are a boy, after all. I-I can understand…"
Understand what?!
Kanade's brain was doing somersaults. He desperately wanted to explain, to clarify, to deny—but all he could do was mumble incoherently.
Finally, unable to withstand her flustered expression any longer, he blurted out: "I-I'm taking this call!"
He spun around, intending to escape the room, only to slam headfirst into the wooden door.
"Duang!"
The sound echoed loudly, and Kanade winced, clutching his forehead. But even the pain wasn't enough to stop him. Without waiting to recover, he fumbled the door open and bolted into the hallway.
Behind him, Utaha watched his retreat with wide eyes, before bursting into laughter.
"Pfft… hahahaha…"
The sight of her flustered junior stumbling away like a panicked deer was just too much.
Her laughter eventually subsided, and she glanced around the room to make sure they were truly alone. Then, adopting a casual air, she bent down to pick up the fallen box.
"Hm… this size…"
Curiosity got the better of her, and she pulled out her phone to look up some details.
The more she read, the more her cheeks flushed.
"W-Wait a second… T-This can't be right…! That size… There's no way… There's no way it could… fit!"
Her mind inevitably wandered into dangerous territory, and as she imagined the implications, her face grew impossibly red.
"Guh… Kanade… You…!"
Utaha swayed slightly, her head spinning from the mental images.
Her thoughts drifted into chaos, and the name of her troublesome junior slipped from her lips in a whisper:
"…Kanade…"