"Wahh, I'm here to take you home!"
Shiraishi Asa was enveloped by the familiar scent of Hoshino Ai's sweet, girlish fragrance.
Looking up, he caught the sight of Yukinoshita Yukino's slightly frosty gaze.
Moments earlier—
A breathtaking girl, her eyes adorned in star-shaped, had barged into the Service Club.
Without hesitation, she declared something outrageous:
She had come to steal Shiraishi Asa away from the Yukinoshita family.
She challenged Yukinoshita Yukino.
The memory made Yukino clench the book she was holding tightly.
If it had been yesterday, she might have tossed Asa back without a second thought.
But today, after spending time together, she realized something.
Having this cute, obedient, sensible younger brother around wasn't bad at all.
Every time Asa took her hand, her heart—frayed by constant arguments with her mother—calmed instantly.
Better than any therapy cat.
Though her exterior remained cold, deep down she had already accepted him as family.
And now someone wanted to snatch him away?
"He is my little brother now."
"His home is with the Yukinoshita family now."
Yukino snapped her book shut with a sharp thud, her icy voice betraying a hint of suppressed anger.
Hoshino Ai met her gaze without flinching.
That radiant, almost otherworldly face was smiling sweetly, yet her words dripped with provocation.
"Hmph. If I were older, you wouldn't have had the chance to take him first."
Yukino's heart skipped uneasily.
What did she mean—"if she were older"?
What exactly did she plan to do with Asa when she grew up?
Feeling the tension rise, Shiraishi Asa quickly broke in.
"Ai-nee, why are you here at Shuchiin?"
"Don't you have a performance today?"
"I took some time off," Ai said brightly. "I couldn't sleep last night without Asa to hug."
"I needed to recharge by holding him."
As she spoke, she rubbed her soft, warm cheek against Asa's.
Yukino's lips pressed into a hard line.
Her instincts screamed that this girl was a bad influence.
She hesitated, then moved to reclaim Asa—
But just then, Ai's phone rang.
"Kyoko's calling. I have to go."
Before leaving, she pulled a key from her pocket and pressed it into Asa's palm.
"I had Kyoko rent an apartment nearby. I'll be transferring to Shuchiin soon."
"You have the key. Come stay with me whenever you want."
She leaned forward and kissed his cheek lightly before skipping out of the room.
Yukino stood frozen.
She couldn't believe what she just heard.
Renting an apartment specifically to be near Asa?
Transferring schools just for him?
This girl wasn't joking. She was serious about taking Asa back.
And Yukino couldn't just sit still and let it happen.
"Asa... that girl just now..."
Her voice trailed off as she eyed the key in his hand.
The tag had an address printed neatly on it.
"Ai-nee is the sister I grew up with at the orphanage," Asa explained seriously.
Yukino hesitated.
She badly wanted to offer to hold onto the key for him.
But she swallowed the urge and said nothing.
The room fell into a fragile silence.
Yukino tried to focus on her book, but her eyes kept drifting back to Asa.
She realized—she had turned pages without reading a single word.
"Sis Yukino, I'm going to the bathroom," Asa said cheerfully, hopping down from his chair.
"End of the hall," she replied automatically.
...
Outside the Service Club room—
At the corner of the hallway, a girl peeked nervously around the corner.
Yotsuya Miko.
She had watched the earlier commotion play out.
Now she hesitated.
Could she really go in and talk to Yukinoshita Yukino?
The academy's most untouchable ice queen?
Maybe she could plead for her help.
Maybe Yukino would let her borrow the little boy to exorcise the spirits haunting her.
As she wrestled with herself, the door creaked open.
The little boy appeared.
Startled, Yotsuya spun around to hide.
And came face-to-face with—
A spirit.
A grotesque, rotting figure loomed behind her, black mist curling from its empty sockets.
Frozen with terror, Yotsuya's eyes welled up.
"Can you see me?"
"Can you see me?"
The spirit's hollow voice repeated over and over.
Yotsuya trembled violently.
Her mind screamed in panic, but outwardly she kept a blank expression.
"I really need to use the restroom," she mumbled robotically.
She turned stiffly toward the bathroom.
The little boy entered ahead of her, and she hurried after him.
But the evil spirit followed.
"This is bad," Yotsuya thought, heart pounding.
Inside the men's restroom, she darted into the nearest stall.
Only after locking the door did she realize her mistake.
An evil spirit's head dangled upside-down from the top of the stall door.
"..."
Yotsuya nearly fainted.
There was no escape.
And then she heard the spirit speak—
"Take it off, take it off. I love watching people pee."
Absolute despair flooded her.
What kind of sick spirit was this?!
Knock knock.
"Sister, you're in the wrong restroom. This is the men's room."
Asa's innocent voice floated in from outside.
Instead of feeling embarrassed, Yotsuya nearly wept with gratitude.
"Sorry!"
She bolted from the stall.
Trying to leave as fast as possible, her foot caught on the slick floor.
She slipped.
She fell straight toward Asa.
"I knew this would happen," Asa thought grimly.
He caught her easily.
But given the height difference, his face ended up buried—
—smack into her chest.
"So soft... no, so heavy!" Asa's muffled voice whined against her.
His breath tickled her sensitive skin, making a weird, fluttery feeling blossom inside Yotsuya.
For a moment, time seemed to freeze.
***
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