At one minute to nine, Iroha and Kanade arrived together. The front door of the Tenkuji household grew even livelier.
According to the two, they met at the station first before walking together—because Kanade looked like someone who might accidentally get lost or kidnapped by bad people.
As the first general under the next student council president, Iroha felt obligated to protect her angelic classmate. She was determined to escort her all the way to the wolf's den… no, to the gentle and handsome senpai's house. She was resolved to do nothing but learn to cook and leave together unscathed.
What happened at the Service Club back then still left a slight trauma in her—the battlefield of that level wasn't something innocent, naive chicks like them could step into!
And so…
"Eeeh~ So this is Senpai's house."
With the quiet Kanade by her side, Iroha stepped onto the porch. She looked around the clean, tidy, and warm house. Just as she was about to toss out some light compliments, her gaze met Yukino's in front of the stairs.
"…"
"…"
"…Um, good morning?"
The corners of Iroha's lips twitched. She didn't dare laugh and only greeted tentatively.
"Good morning."
The gentle expression faded. The happy flush on her face dimmed. Yukino moved the little cat away from her face.
The snow-cold, elegant girl stared at Iroha calmly and unwaveringly.
"You're here. Why didn't you knock?"
Iroha took a deep breath, barely managing to suppress her laughter and the urge to smirk bubbling in her chest. She replied with an expression as serious as Yukino's:
"Senpai, it's Senpai's house, and Senpai opened the door for us… Pff."
Sorry, she couldn't hold it in.
Iroha covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling as she turned her face away. "Senpai, you're so cute…"
(Why are you laughing? What's so funny…)
Yukino, of course, wouldn't say that out loud, as asking would only embarrass herself further.
She pressed her lips together, trying to maintain her calm expression, but her pale ears still showed a deep red. Not to mention her beautiful, makeup-free face, already adorned with two rosy blushes from embarrassment.
"I just got a little excited seeing the cat. That's normal. There's nothing to overthink."
After explaining herself like that, Yukino reluctantly placed the cat back on the stairs. Then she looked at Yuu beside her, who made no effort to hide his smile.
Her gaze sharpened instantly. She crossed her arms over her chest. Her face was cloaked in frost, her aura like a fierce snowstorm blowing before an avalanche.
"Stop that lewd smile, or I'll call the police."
Yuu: "???"
(There's a junior laughing her head off in front of you, why don't you scold her, but turn around and scold me?!)
(What kind of discrimination is this? Do I look like an easy target?)
Unable to stand this injustice, even though he knew Yukino was just hiding her embarrassment, Yuu cleared his throat, preparing to spar with her verbally as usual.
At that moment, Yuigahama came jogging in, right at the nine o'clock deadline. Her eyes widened upon seeing so many beautiful girls already gathered in the house.
"Even though it's only nine, everyone's already here. So punctual!"
"You live the closest but arrived last. You've got some nerve saying that." Temporarily letting Yukino off, Yuu said to Yuigahama with a smile, briefly ruffling her hair tie.
"Even if you're not late, since you're the last one, your punishment is washing the dishes today."
"Eh? No way~ You didn't say the last one would be punished. If I'd known, I would've slept over at your place yesterday…"
"Just kidding. Come in."
They laughed and chatted there. But only Iroha quietly heightened her guard, preparing for the battlefield that could erupt at any moment.
The players were in place. A chemical reaction was bound to happen again.
Though the two seniors didn't seem like the jealous type, if she accidentally got too close to Yuu while they were bickering, she'd likely get dragged into their tug-of-war storm. That would make things even more complicated…
Wait, why did she reflexively put herself as the victim?!
What she should be watching out for was Kanade, who couldn't read the room and didn't know how to keep her distance from the opposite sex!
Iroha couldn't help but sink into deep thought. Standing in a corner, she observed the expressions and atmosphere of the three Service Club members as if nothing had happened.
Then, as she kept watching, she was shocked—
No way, why was there no sense of an impending storm or the low-pressure atmosphere like before?
What's with this "let's pretend nothing happened" vibe from you all?!
"Yukinoshita-senpai, have you made up with Senpai?" Iroha couldn't help but ask.
Yukino looked at her, puzzled. "Made up? Did we ever fight?"
Yuigahama nodded, naturally hugging Yukino's arm. She said confidently, "Exactly. Our Best Friends Club would never fight!"
"Uh, this…"
Iroha blinked in confusion.
(I don't know if you fought or not, but Yukinoshita-senpai, your mood back then was clearly awful, almost cutting ties with Senpai!)
(And Yuigahama-senpai, you didn't consider that cold "don't show up in front of me" expression a fight? Then why did you try so hard to defuse the situation back then?!)
As Iroha's thoughts spiraled into chaos, Yuu stood beside her and patted her shoulder.
His gaze looked into the distance, his tone carrying a mix of amusement and deep emotion.
"Women's feelings do change often… So, Isshiki, don't overthink the small stuff. You'll go bald."
"Um, Senpai…"
The "small stuff" he mentioned briefly vanished from her mind. Iroha slowly clenched her fists, turning her face with a forced smile.
"I'm a girl, you know? A young, pretty high school girl, you know?"
"You'll go bald."
"No way!"
"I heard shaving suits high school girls better."
"I don't have a mustache to shave either! I don't understand what you're talking about!"
Meanwhile, in the lively porch area, as if in another world.
Kanade crouched in front of the little gray cat, blinking her pale golden eyes. Her cherry-red lips parted slightly:
"Meow~"
Yukinon stared back at her. Though it felt humans always acted foolishly, since her meow was soft and pleasant, it joined in happily:
"Meow~~"
Kanade squinted as if soothed. Then, she continued expressionlessly:
"Meow~~~"
They kept meowing at each other.
An absurd interspecies dialogue quietly unfolded on the stairs.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Second floor.
"One, two, three, four… Brother brought home so many girls. What's a little sister to do?"
After counting the heads below, Sora muttered, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
"How about I slip some lewd books under Yuu's bed and lead them upstairs… the heavy stuff too."
That way, they'd be disgusted and leave immediately. And their good feelings toward Yuu would diminish, right?
Acting on her thought, Sora stood in the shadows, her expression resolute as if ready to bear the risks—then she kept crouching low so the people below wouldn't notice her.
But after a few steps, she discovered the fatal flaw in her plan.
"There are absolutely no lewd books in the house…"
After all, it was the 21st century. If you wanted to watch something, you just downloaded it online. Most people—including her and her brother—wouldn't bother buying lewd books at a bookstore and keeping them at home!
She couldn't exactly turn on her brother's computer, pull up his hidden folder, and remotely play it when the girls entered his room…
With no other choice, Sora knelt on the floor, bowing in despair.