Yukino felt a surge of irritation watching the girl clutch Asa tightly in her embrace.
Just minutes ago, this excessively beautiful girl with the star-shaped irises had rushed into the Service Club room. She said inexplicable things and declared war on Yukino. She was going to steal Asa back from the Yukinoshita Family!
This deeply displeased Yukino. If this had been yesterday, she might have just shoved Asa back. But after spending time with him today, she realized that having such a cute, well-behaved, and sensible little brother wasn't a bad thing at all. Every time she held Asa's hand, the frustration she'd felt from arguing with her mother would calm down. It was even more soothing than petting a cat.
Although her outward attitude toward Asa remained aloof, she had almost silently accepted him as her brother.
But now someone was trying to steal him so soon?
"He is my little brother now!"
"His home is the Yukinoshita house!" Yukino snapped her book shut, her cool voice laced with faint anger.
Ai raised her gaze, looking directly at the girl before her who was like a flower on a high peak.
"Hmph. If it weren't for the fact that I'm still young, it would never be the Yukinoshita Family's turn."
Hearing this, Yukino inexplicably felt that the girl's statement was somewhat dangerous. What does she mean, "if it weren't for the fact that you're still young"? What would you do to Asa if you were older?
"Ai-neechan, why did you come to Shuchi'in?"
"Don't you have a performance today?" Asa decisively changed the subject.
"I took the day off just to come see you!"
"I couldn't sleep last night without holding Asa-kun, so now I urgently need to recharge my Asa Energy!"
With that, her beautiful face pressed against Asa's cheek, rubbing back and forth. Yukino was speechless. The more she watched, the more she felt this girl had ill intentions toward Asa.
Yukino hesitated, deciding she couldn't maintain her composure any longer, and was about to move to pull Asa back.
Ai's phone in her pocket suddenly rang.
"Kyoko-neesan is rushing me, I have to go..."
Just as Yukino let out a sigh of relief, Ai pulled a key from her pocket and slipped it into Asa's hand.
"I asked Kyoko-neesan to rent an apartment nearby, and I'll be transferring to Shuchi'in in a few days."
"I'll move into the apartment once I transfer to Shuchi'in."
"Keep the key; you can come sleep at my place whenever you want!"
Finished, she gave Asa a peck on the cheek and left the Service Club.
Yukino was left stunned in her seat. She was completely taken aback.
"She actually rented an apartment just for him, and she's even transferring to Shuchi'in because of it..."
She realized this girl was absolutely serious about stealing Asa back! Yukino couldn't afford to sit by and do nothing!
"Asa-kun, who was that girl just now...?" Yukino stared at the key in Asa's hand, her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.
Asa clutched the key, the address written on the name tag. He answered honestly.
"Ai-neechan is the older sister I grew up with and relied on at the orphanage."
Hearing this, the thought of offering to hold the key for him hovered on Yukino's lips for a long time, but she ultimately couldn't bring herself to say it.
The Service Club room returned to its quiet state. However, Yukino's heart could not settle down. Her eyes were on the book in her hands, but her gaze couldn't focus on the words. She kept catching her peripheral vision drifting toward Asa. Gradually, she had almost finished flipping through the book, yet she hadn't absorbed a single word.
"Yukino-neesan, I'm going to the restroom." Asa jumped down from his chair and spoke clearly.
"Mhm, the restroom is at the end of the hall." Yukino replied distractedly.
....
Outside the Service Club.
Around the corner of the hallway, a head peered out, staring intently at the Service Club door.
"What should I do? Should I go in?"
"The girl inside looks like Yukinoshita-senpai..."
"Is that little shota her brother?"
Yotsuya Miko, who had just secretly watched a drama about fighting over a little brother, was now hesitant. Yukino's exceptionally beautiful looks made her a high-peak flower in the class and even the whole academy. Her icy personality made her unapproachable.
"She seems to care about her brother. If I ask her to borrow her brother to exorcise evil spirits... would she agree?"
Just as Miko was weighing her options, the door opened. A small shota walked out and looked thoughtfully in her direction.
Frightened, Miko quickly turned and pulled back. What she didn't notice was an evil spirit had been standing behind her, quietly observing her the whole time.
Turning around, she was face-to-face, eye-to-eye with the spirit.
The evil spirit's eye sockets were empty and emitted a black fog. Staring at it, Miko's eyes trembled slightly, instantly filling with tears.
"Can you see me?"
"Can you see me?"
Seeming to notice that Miko's gaze had met hers, the evil spirit began confirming it tirelessly.
Miko was screaming frantically on the inside, but her expression was perfectly composed.
"Ah, I can't hold it anymore. I really need to use the bathroom." She spoke the words with zero emotion.
She looked back and saw the little shota was already heading into the restroom, so she quickly followed him.
"I'm done for, the evil spirit is following me too."
Miko was paralyzed with dread. She only snapped back to reality after following the little shota into the men's restroom. Frightened, she quickly opened a stall door and scrambled inside.
Sitting down on the toilet, she then realized an evil spirit's head was floating on the stall door above her.
"..." Miko wanted to cry. What kind of luck is this?! I run into evil spirits everywhere!
"Take it off, take it off! I love watching people pee the most!"
Hearing the words spoken by the floating head evil spirit on the door, Miko was about to enter self-imposed isolation. What kind of evil spirit is this? What a strange fetish!
Knock, knock!
"Onee-san, you're in the wrong restroom. This is the men's room!" The shota's voice sounded from outside the door.
Far from being embarrassed, Miko felt as if she had heard the music of the heavens.
"Oh, oh, excuse me!"
Miko opened the door with the fastest speed she had ever moved. As she stood up to leave, her feet inexplicably slipped. Losing her balance, she tumbled directly toward the shota.
'I knew it...'
Asa, who was already prepared, calmly reached out and caught Miko. However, due to the height difference, his head was forcibly buried into a soft expanse.
"So big... no, so heavy!" The muffled voice of the shota came out, his breath fanning her chest, causing a distinctly odd sensation in Miko.
"Ah, I'm so sorry!" Miko stood up, feeling a wave of embarrassment. She hadn't expected to fall in the restroom.
"It's okay, onee-san. Do you want me to deal with the two evil spirits behind you too?"