"You really want to be number one that badly?"
"I'm not working hard because I want to be number one," Umaru mumbled with her mouth full.
She didn't care about the ranking.
If Takashi told her he wanted to be first, she'd gladly let him take the spot.
What she wanted was to strive toward the same goal with him, to become someone better.
"Then why are you working so hard?" Taihei asked, genuinely confused.
Umaru fell silent.
After hesitating, she decided not to hide it. "I've fallen for someone recently."
Taihei's heart skipped a beat.
He was about to ask who it was, but Umaru cut him off: "Onii-chan, don't ask. I'm not telling."
"All I'll say is… he's really amazing. Really, really amazing."
"He's really popular right now. Tons of girls like him—and they're all amazing too."
Thinking of Yukino and Adagaki Aki, Umaru clenched her chopsticks tighter. "I want to become even better."
"I want to be the one most worthy of standing beside him."
Takashi could be first, but she had to be second.
To Umaru, the best kind of love was an even match—a relationship of equals.
After hearing her, Taihei's gaze softened and grew complicated.
To him, Umaru was still just a child—naïve, cheerful, full of mischief.
But he'd forgotten… children grow up. They fall in love. They become someone's wife. They start families of their own.
One day, they leave.
He had never thought about it before—because he hadn't dared to think about it.
He was so used to taking care of Umaru that he couldn't imagine life without her.
But whether he wanted to or not, that day had now come.
"You went to see him today, didn't you?"
Taihei asked in a calm voice.
"Mm."
Umaru kept her head down, unable to meet his eyes, her chopsticks stirring the rice aimlessly.
"I've never been in a relationship, so I don't have much to teach you."
Taihei was honest. He had no experience in love.
"But before you give yourself to someone completely, make sure he's truly worthy of it."
To be honest, he couldn't understand it.
Why did so many people like Takashi?
The media had already exposed him as a playboy, yet girls still fell head over heels for him.
Just today, in the breakroom, he overheard coworkers talking—some girl was willing to give herself up just to get a homerun ball signed by Takashi.
Taihei thought the world had gone insane.
And because Takashi's scandals were so well-known, Taihei was genuinely afraid Umaru would fall for a guy like that.
"Don't worry, Onii-chan. I have a good eye for people," she said cheerfully.
She had no idea the very person her brother feared… was the one she was dating.
"He's not like other guys."
…
Meanwhile, the "not like other guys" Takashi was currently standing at a doorway—trembling.
"H-Hitomi… you're here? Didn't you say you were going back to the main house today?"
Seated elegantly in the center of the bedroom sofa was Hitomi—beautiful, poised, long legs crossed, her cold, refined face twisted in a sneer.
Takashi's calves started shaking uncontrollably.
He'd done something guilty.
He had only dared to act boldly today because he thought Hitomi was away at the family estate.
So how had he gotten caught so fast?
Could it be… the net café room had a camera?
No way—he had checked everything before going in.
"On your knees."
Hitomi pointed to the floor.
"Hitomi, I—"
"Don't make me repeat myself."
Hitomi's voice turned ice cold.
Takashi dropped to his knees in a panic, sliding forward until he was kneeling at Hitomi's feet.
"Speak. What exactly did you do today?"
Hitomi looked down at Takashi obediently kneeling in front of her, then suddenly raised her right foot and stomped it down on his face.
This time, Takashi really did kiss her foot.
"I just went on a date with Umaru, that's all."
Takashi didn't even seem angry.
Was this punishment?
No—this was a blessing!
Getting stepped on by her beautiful foot? That's nothing!
It wasn't like he hadn't kissed them before.
He'd even kissed Byakko, one of Hitomi's Four Divine Beasts.
They played way wilder than you'd ever imagine.
"That's all?" Hitomi's cold smile dropped the temperature again.
"You're trying to ask if I did anything with her in that private room, right? I swear, I didn't do anything with her."
"At most, I just touched her leg."
"If you don't believe me, go call someone to check. See if I left any… offspring."
Takashi was gambling.
Gambling that Hitomi didn't know.
Because if she did know he kissed Umaru, she wouldn't be sitting here interrogating him—she'd already have him dunked in formalin.
So she must be bluffing right now.
"You think if you actually had done anything, you'd still be breathing?"
Hitomi sneered coldly.
Of course she'd already had someone check.
There was no strange smell in the room, no trace of any bodily fluids—and most importantly, Umaru was still a virgin.
Otherwise, Takashi wouldn't have made it home alive.
So she really did investigate...
Takashi suddenly felt incredibly thankful that he had only kissed her. Well, touched her leg, too. But nothing more.
Sigh, I really am a man of principle.
As someone who refreshes his "first kiss" daily at 6:00 a.m., Takashi considered kissing nothing serious.
He was just thinking he had dodged a bullet when Hitomi said darkly, "But since you dared to touch her leg, maybe I should just cut off that hand."
"Eh?"
"Do you have an objection?"
"Hitomi, I don't think this is my fault, okay? Who told you to get me all worked up and then leave me hanging? I just lost control for a second."
Takashi looked a little aggrieved.
He was a hot-blooded young man—wasn't it normal to get a little fired up?
Hitomi frowned slightly, thinking it over, realizing she may have gone a bit far today.
She had let a frustrated Takashi loose without any satisfaction. And she hadn't really intended to cut off his hand—just scare him a bit.
Thinking it over, she removed her foot from Takashi's face, hooked her toe around his tie, and yanked hard.
Takashi didn't resist and fell right onto Hitomi's body.
"Looks like you still haven't learned your lesson," Hitomi said, eyes sharp and imposing. "Then big sis will have to teach you properly."
"Yes please, sis. Teach me."
They'd been dating for a while now.
Takashi had noticed Hitomi really liked being called "sis"—especially during more intimate moments. It really turned her on.
But only in those situations.
"Be good now. Stick out your tongue."
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