Horitake stood before Shinobu and Mitsuri, his tone brimming with confidence as he delivered his candid defense.
His words hit Mitsuri like a tidal wave, leaving her utterly touched.
Her cheeks flushed a soft pink, and she fidgeted shyly. "H-Horitake-bro…"
Horitake flashed Mitsuri a warm smile before turning to Shinobu with a hint of irritation.
Shinobu, caught red-handed badmouthing him, felt a pang of panic.
When she met Horitake's genuinely upset gaze, her unease deepened.
She could tell he was truly angry with her.
For some reason, his anger made Shinobu's heart race with a mix of panic and—strangely—grievance, as if she feared he'd cut her off entirely.
Come on! she thought. Horitake's just a regular friend. Why do I care so much about what he thinks of me!?
Shinobu's mind twisted in knots.
But amidst her inner turmoil, she began to reflect.
Her earlier words to Mitsuri had been a bit too much.
She wasn't some gossipmonger, so why had she said those things? Was she really so petty as to resent others' happiness?
No, it wasn't that she resented happiness in general—it was Horitake and Mitsuri's closeness that got under her skin!
Which meant… was she jealous of Mitsuri?
After some soul-searching, Shinobu faced an uncomfortable truth she was loath to admit.
She might actually have feelings for Horitake!
A wave of gloom, guilt, and tangled emotions washed over her.
Lifting her head, Shinobu offered a sincere apology. "I'm sorry, Horitake-san. My words earlier were out of line."
Horitake didn't dwell on her misstep, nodding to accept her apology.
Mitsuri, oblivious as ever, blinked in confusion, completely lost in their cryptic exchange.
Was Mitsuri truly that clueless, or was she playing dumb?
Who could say?
Perhaps Mitsuri was the cleverest of them all.
The tension eased slightly, and Horitake stood in the corridor, breathing a sigh of relief as he looked at Shinobu and Mitsuri.
Harmony was good—harmony was great. The fact that these two could sit together calmly, even chatting happily, meant their personalities weren't at odds.
It also meant there was hope they could get along peacefully by his side in the future.
Horitake decided to go with the flow, plopping down in the corridor to join them.
"Mitsuri, I was wondering about this—why'd you suddenly show up at the Butterfly Mansion? And getting along so well with Shinobu-nee? Honestly, when I heard, I was shocked, worried you two might start throwing punches."
Mitsuri looked a bit embarrassed. "Well… I came to the Butterfly Mansion because I don't have a place to stay."
"Huh?"
"I just became a Pillar, so I haven't had time to get a house at headquarters. And with the headquarters moving, there's been no chance to sort one out.
"So I had nowhere to go.
"I figured, out of the ten Pillars, Shinobu-nee and I are the only women. We'd probably have more in common, and our lifestyles would be similar.
"That's why I came to the Butterfly Mansion to ask Shinobu-nee if I could stay for a few days."
Horitake's jaw dropped, and he gave Mitsuri a strange, complicated look. "We're really on the same wavelength. That's exactly why I came to find Shinobu-nee."
Shinobu frowned, puzzled. "How's that? Horitake-san, don't you have a house? It's right next to… oh."
Her voice trailed off as it hit her. The headquarters had moved. While the Butterfly Mansion was still the Butterfly Mansion, the house next door was no longer Horitake's.
Horitake's face was a mask of bitter resentment. "Exactly! I don't have a place to stay anymore!
"I had a house. It was all set up, ready to go. But I never even got to live in it once, and now it's gone!
"Sigh…
"With no other options, the first person I thought of was Shinobu-nee. So here I am, seeking refuge at the Butterfly Mansion.
"You wouldn't kick me and Mitsuri out, would you, Shinobu-nee?"
Hearing Horitake's plea, Shinobu kept her smile, but it was a stiff, forced one—the kind where the lips smiled but the eyes didn't.
This jerk! Pushing his luck!
Crashing at the Butterfly Mansion was one thing, but showing up as a couple to crash!?
What was this? Not enough dog food shoved in her face already? Now they were bringing it to her doorstep!?
But Shinobu couldn't exactly refuse.
She'd already agreed to let Mitsuri stay before Horitake arrived.
With a dramatic eye-roll, Shinobu reluctantly agreed. "Fine, you two can stay at the Butterfly Mansion.
"But I'm mainly doing this for Mitsuri's sake.
"As for you, Horitake-san… one more or one less makes no difference."
"You make me sound like some freebie thrown in with the deal," Horitake said with a helpless grin. "But fine, staying at the Butterfly Mansion is good enough.
"Oh, by the way, Mitsuri and I can share a room. No need to find us separate ones!"
A vein pulsed on Shinobu's forehead as she shot him a withering glare. "Sure, no problem.
"But let's get a few things straight.
"The girls at the Butterfly Mansion, aside from me, are all underage—innocent kids who don't know the ways of the world.
"You two sharing a room is fine, but you need to be mindful of your behavior. Don't corrupt the girls.
"Especially at night—keep it down. No weird noises, and don't disturb their sleep!
"Got it, Horitake-san?"
Both Horitake and Mitsuri caught the meaning behind Shinobu's words.
Mitsuri's face turned beet red.
Horitake, thick-skinned as ever, scratched his cheek with a sheepish look. "Well… we'll try our best.
"You know how it is, Shinobu-nee. Sometimes things get complicated between grown adults.
"When passion runs deep, some things are hard to control.
"But we'll do our best not to affect the other girls! You can count on that, Shinobu-nee!"
Shinobu rolled her eyes again, standing up with a resigned sigh. "Fine, restrain yourselves as much as you can.
"Come on, I'll show you to your room. Let's go, Mitsuri."
Mitsuri, still blushing, stood up, and Horitake followed suit.
Suddenly, Horitake noticed something odd. "Wait a sec! You're calling her Mitsuri-nee, and she's calling you Shinobu-nee. That's not right.
"If I'm not mistaken, Mitsuri's not younger than you, Shinobu-nee."
"Eh!? Is that true!?"
Both Shinobu and Mitsuri were genuinely shocked.
They compared their birthdates and, to their surprise, discovered Mitsuri was actually a bit older than Shinobu!
Of course, you'd never guess it at a glance.
Shinobu's mature demeanor and her earlier promotion to Pillar had led everyone to assume she was the older one.
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