If more and more girls end up in this "house," Shiina Mahiru felt it would get harder to keep the peace.
Fine, Yukino was one thing—she'd already handled that.
But now he'd even made a move on her two half-sisters.
Even so, though she felt a little resentful, Mahiru hurried to explain to Minatsu:
"Of course I'm not being deceived. Maki-kun is actually a good person. Aside from being a bit lecherous, he's very gentle—and very responsible."
Minatsu gave her friend a look that said "I don't even know where to start."
"But this is scumbag behavior. What's 'good' about it?"
"Mm… Maki-kun's situation is special. He can have multiple girlfriends. You'll understand later, Minatsu-nee."
Mahiru's reply was mysterious. Hayashi Maki was a demon—bad in many ways, sure, but isn't that a demon's way? And with her keeping an eye on him, nothing too serious would happen. Even if he half-killed someone, with her abilities now, she could heal them.
When it came to her man, Mahiru doted on him intensely.
Minatsu, for her part, was depressed and indignant.
"What 'situation' could he possibly have? You're being conned. Multiple girlfriends—does he think he's a light-novel protagonist? We should call the police and have him arrested before he goes after more girls!"
Mahiru gave her sister a knowing half-smile.
"Then why didn't you call the police right away? If I hadn't asked, you were going to keep this to yourself, weren't you?"
Minatsu's cheeks flushed.
"I… I can take my losses, that's all. For Mafuyu's sake I tried to attack him and teach him a lesson—and he turned the tables on me. But I won't concede so easily. I'll train, get stronger, and win back my pride!"
Watching hot-blooded, vow-making Minatsu, Mahiru was speechless.
"Minatsu-nee, are you some delinquent gang leader? 'Win back your pride'?"
"Ugh… I'm just expressing my unwillingness to give in! I won't compromise that easily! Sorry, Mahiru—he may be your boyfriend, but what he did to Mafuyu is wrong!"
"As Mafuyu's sister, I'm obligated to educate him and set him straight!"
"Alright then—good luck, Minatsu-nee."
What else could Mahiru say? She could only encourage her. Odds were, the one who'd get taught a lesson would be Minatsu herself.
Minatsu talked big about "teaching Hayashi Maki a lesson," but in her heart she wasn't confident. She'd always treated herself like a boy—to project strength and protect her sister. But wasn't that also a form of craving strength?
With no father growing up and being mocked by other kids, Minatsu developed an aversion to men—and even raised Mafuyu to fear men. As student council vice president, she had to learn about guys to manage better. Then she got hooked on hot-blooded shōnen manga. Like a certain Shizuka-sensei, she looks fierce but can fold in one hit—a softie inside.
(Well, Minatsu is a bit better than Shizuka Hiratsuka—beat her once and she'll soften. As for Hiratsuka, just mention a failed omiai and she'll instantly break down crying.)
After they finished talking, Mahiru and Minatsu parted ways.
Mahiru then headed toward Suiko High. She was going to pick up her cousin Mashiro. Maki-kun had said Mashiro had zero life skills, and Mahiru was worried. Mashiro had just arrived and wasn't used to things—she probably didn't know the roads either.
She'd asked Asada Shino and Aoyama Nanami to look after Mashiro, but the three were in different classes and couldn't cover everything. Nanami was truly busy—one girl juggling several jobs—Mahiru feared she'd collapse one day. And Asada Shino was basically a regular at Saionji Odoriko's shop and needed to work too. So picking up Mashiro should be her job.
At the school gate, Mahiru immediately spotted Mashiro sitting quietly under a tree with her bag. She hurried over.
"Sorry I'm late, Mashiro-nee. Are you okay? How was your first day—adapting alright?"
Mashiro shook her head and stood. "I'm fine."
She didn't say more—just slipped her small hand into Mahiru's and let her lead. That self-awareness made Mahiru smile wryly. She really was like a pet. And that necklace on her neck—probably the protective charm Maki-kun made.
Hand in hand, they headed home. Two golden-haired peerless beauties walking together drew every eye. A cyclist stared so hard he ran into a lamppost and wiped out.
Passing a convenience store, Mashiro stopped and pulled Mahiru inside. She immediately let go, grabbed a Baumkuchen from the shelf, ripped it open, and started eating.
Mahiru jumped, hurried to pay, then bought a few more and whisked Mashiro out of the store.
Once they were away, Mahiru exhaled and gave Mashiro a look as she happily munched.
"Mashiro-nee… why did you open it right away? You have to pay before you eat."
"Pay?" Mashiro tilted her head, puzzled.
Mahiru was stunned. What kind of life had her cousin been living? She didn't even know what money was?
Mahiru took a breath, pulled out her wallet, and patiently showed the different bills.
"This is money, Mashiro-nee. If you want to eat Baumkuchen or anything else in a store, you have to exchange this with the clerk. Otherwise it's stealing—it's embarrassing, and it makes people who know you feel ashamed."
Mashiro nodded, staring at the bills with a half-understanding look. After a long pause, she said seriously, "Thank you, Mahiru. No one ever told me these things before. Rita handled everything…"
She'd forgotten Rita wasn't by her side anymore. So—troubles would have to be left to the new keepers.
Under Mashiro's gaze, Mahiru felt a bit uneasy. She had the feeling Mashiro was plotting something… Probably just her imagination. Someone as airheaded as Mashiro must be very simple, right?
What she didn't know was: pets are pets because they're absolutely dependent on their keepers. Taking care of a pet is a lot of work—especially when the pet is a beautiful girl.