Miyazawa Maki's table manners could only be described with one word: atrocious.
One foot was hooked lazily over the edge of the chair, while the other bounced on its toes, swinging back and forth. She slurped her noodles as if deliberately trying to make noise, her face full of smug, self-satisfied arrogance.
Thanks to that posture, all Haruno had to do was lower his gaze slightly to catch sight of her smooth, pale thighs—fresh from a shower, fair skin tinged faintly pink, blatantly eye-catching.
This girl… she's doing it on purpose, isn't she?
Haruno thought.
Yes—he was certain of it.
She was deliberately trying to be different from her sister, Mana.
After all, Haruno knew Mana far too well. They had dated for a long time.
Mana was the textbook definition of a perfect lady—she ate quietly, gracefully, never making unnecessary sounds, always maintaining a gentle smile.
When faced with larger bites of food, Mana would even cover her mouth lightly with her hand, careful never to appear unrefined.
Compared to that—
Maki's eating habits were simply painful to look at.
Though, from another angle, that deliberate rebelliousness had a strange charm of its own.
"You'll sleep in the room I mentioned earlier," Haruno said casually, checking the time.
"The bedding is clean. Make it yourself. I'm turning in."
It really was time for bed.
Maki might currently be a NEET, but Haruno wasn't.
He still had classes tomorrow—and afterward, he'd have to find Mana and convince her to take her troublesome little sister back.
Thankfully, they were still at the same university. Otherwise, meeting up again would've been awkward and troublesome—like using this situation as an excuse to rekindle old feelings.
"I don't want to."
After gulping down a mouthful of broth, Maki shot him a sharp glare.
"No 'I don't want to.' You should sleep too. Once you've calmed down, go home tomorrow."
Haruno didn't bother arguing. He yawned and headed straight to his room.
Once a person truly relaxed, sleep came like a tidal wave.
After everything that had happened tonight, Haruno was already exhausted.
He didn't even bother thinking about the system anymore. After locking his door, he collapsed onto the bed and quickly drifted off.
Haruno might have been asleep—
But the girl in the living room, deep in her rebellious phase, was anything but tired.
After devouring the noodles and chips at lightning speed, she didn't even wipe her mouth. Her first instinct was to run straight to Haruno's bedroom and try the door.
Click—
The crisp sound of the lock echoed clearly.
A clear rejection.
"This jerk…"
Maki's expression twisted as she muttered bitterly,
"I've gone this far, and he still refuses? Mana already slept with him—so why not me?"
She didn't know the details, but she'd always assumed Haruno and Mana had already crossed that line.
If that was the case, what reason did he have to refuse her?
They looked exactly the same.
If even this wasn't enough, then wasn't it blatant discrimination?
Just where was she inferior?
"Damn it…"
She clenched her teeth, her face pale.
Being treated differently at home made sense—she really wasn't as obedient or sensible as Mana.
Being treated differently at school made sense—her grades were worse.
But this?
Why should she be treated differently even here?
On looks alone, they were identical.
And when it came to initiative and enthusiasm, she was certain she wasn't inferior.
She'd already gone this far—and yet Haruno still seemed repulsed by her.
"…."
No matter how much she thought about it, the sleeping Haruno wasn't going to give her an answer.
After standing there for a long while, Maki finally turned away and returned silently to the guest room.
She suddenly felt unbearably tired.
Too lazy to even make the bed, she sprawled across it in an ungainly X-shape, completely drained.
Being rejected in this way hurt far more than she'd expected.
At that moment, she truly felt limp all over, with no strength left to do anything.
"I'm exactly the same as Mana…"
She buried her face into the pillow, her muffled voice trembling.
"You clearly liked this face too…"
She didn't understand.
She couldn't understand why Haruno could reject her—
or why, as long as it was Mana, everything was fine.
It was unbearably unfair.
She forced herself to breathe steadily, as if trying to suffocate her thoughts—but her mind betrayed her.
Uncontrolled fantasies surfaced.
Scenes where she and Mana switched places.
Where she was the older sister—the one praised by parents and teachers, the one full of expectations.
The one who dated Sawamura Haruno.
For some reason, thinking that far made her chest tighten painfully.
She rolled over, her face flushed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Her pajama top had been tugged upward at some point, exposing a smooth, pale stomach.
"Mmm…"
A soft, almost cute sound escaped her nose.
Her body grew warmer, her cheeks still pink—
but this time, it wasn't anger.
Her fantasies spiraled further, slipping beyond control.
She wasn't pretending to be her sister anymore.
She was her sister.
She bit her lip lightly, one hand clenching the bedsheet.
Then suddenly—
Her expression warped, before slowly settling back into stillness.
"…Why."
Her fingers loosened, her body sinking limply into the soft mattress.
Even in her fantasies, the scene had fallen apart.
Because she knew—deep down—
the person being treated as "the older sister" would never behave that proactively with Haruno.
She couldn't even replace her in dreams anymore.
So what, exactly, made her different from Mana?
That question lingered as her consciousness slowly faded—
Until Miyazawa Maki finally drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.
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