“You were. I saw you trying really hard to keep Ani-kun from falling out of bed while he was asleep—”
“Aaaah! Aaaah!” Akane’s screaming interrupted Shisei’s report.
“Wait, I was about to fall off the bed…?” Saito was puzzled.
“Um, she meant that you were falling off and I kicked you the rest of the way down, Saito!”
“You’re horrible!” said Saito.
“You’re the one who let your guard down! In this house, showing your back for even a second is fatal!” exclaimed Akane.
“This house is the worst! I want to live somewhere normal!”
“That’s not what really happened. Actually…” Shisei started to explain, but Akane quickly cut her off.
“Silence! Let’s drop this topic right now! I’ll let everything else slide; just forget it!”
“What exactly was done to me?” Saito’s confusion and dread only deepened. There weren’t many things crueler than being kicked out of bed, but somehow he suspected something worse. He even wondered for a moment if he was already dead—but he didn’t exactly feel dead.
“Well, since the case is closed, I’d like to be paid with dinner,” said Shisei.
“You were the detective and the culprit!” fumed Saito.
Shisei truly was shameless. “I’ve had Akane’s homemade lunch before—it was really good. It’s not fair that only Ani-kun gets to eat her delicious cooking every day. That stuff’s divine,” said Shisei.
“O-oh…really?” Akane’s shoulder twitched.
“It was so good, I thought my cheeks would fall off. Akane’s cooking is the best in the world.”
“Well, of course! I’ve put more research and effort into it than anyone else! Anybody with good taste would understand! You could search the entire galaxy—no, even all parallel multiverses—and still not find a cook better than me!” Her nose proudly in the air, Akane was clearly letting the praise go to her head.
“I want to eat your food, Akane… I’m hungry…” pleaded Shisei, tugging at Akane’s shirt and whispering sweetly like a sugar-spun angel.
Shisei had unleashed her ultimate weapon: puppy-dog eyes. The only known human capable of resisting this attack was Saito.
Akane was already wavering.
“F-fine! I’ll make you whatever you want, as much as you want!”
She caved instantly.
“It’s so good… It tastes like heaven…” Shisei trembled as she cradled her rice bowl.
The table was filled end-to-end with steaming dishes. Yakisoba, karaage fried chicken, grilled fish, stew with meat and potatoes, pancakes—it was a complete mess of a menu, but each dish had been personally requested by Shisei, and Akane had happily delivered.
“I’m glad it suits your taste! If there’s anything else you want, I’ll make it right away!” said Akane.
“Then, may I have some stew, curry, hashed beef and rice, ramen, cold noodles with sauce—”
Saito thumped Shisei on the head. “Have a little restraint, will you?” Her appetite was scary.
“No need to hold back. Make yourself at home,” offered Shisei.
“That’s not only your choice to make…” said Saito.
“Don’t worry about it, Shisei-san. I actually prefer cooking for someone who enjoys my food that much. Unlike a certain someone who couldn’t even be bothered to say ‘delicious’ at first,” said Akane, shooting Saito a sharp glare.
Shisei gave him a smug look. “See? All is well.”
Saito clenched his fist. “Tch…”
Still, normally it was just the two of them at dinner, so having a larger, livelier table wasn’t all that bad. The room had a warm, family-like atmosphere.
“Ani-kun, can you debone the fish for me?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Saito removed the bones from the grilled fish. Shisei promptly heaped it onto her mountain of rice and stuffed it all into her mouth at once. Despite being a stunning beauty, she showed no shame—her no-holds-barred way of eating was almost captivating.
“Yum-yum.” With her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel, Shisei happily devoured her fish and rice. Her face was dotted with countless specks of rice.
“You’ve got rice stuck to your face again,” said Saito.
“Mmm…”
As Saito gently picked the rice grains off with his fingers, Shisei closed her eyes and relaxed, like a small animal enjoying a shampoo.
“…H-hey,” muttered Akane.
“What’s wrong?” asked Saito.
“…Nothing.” Despite her words, Akane’s expression was sour.
Is she mad about Shisei’s lack of table manners…? As Saito wondered, Shisei reached over and grabbed a piece of chicken from his plate with her bare hands.
“Hey! Don’t just take my food!”
“Om nom nom! Om nom nom nom!”
Saito tried to retrieve it, but it was already too late—the fried chicken had vanished into Shisei’s stomach.
Shisei let out a satisfied sigh. “Ani-kun’s things are Shise’s things.”
“Like hell they are,” said Saito.
“They are. It’s written in the constitution that sisters own everything their brothers have. Shise looked it up.”
“Don’t just lie so shamelessly.” Saito had no desire to live in a country where sisters trampled all over their brothers’ human rights. He liked Akane’s fried chicken too, after all.
“Well then, since I, Shise, am so kind, I will give my selfish Ani-kun some yakisoba.”
“Stop grabbing it with your hands!”
Shisei came at him with a fistful of yakisoba, warm noodles dripping from between her small fingers. There wasn’t a shred of kindness in the scene. Unbothered, Shisei stuffed the yakisoba into Saito’s mouth and tilted her head.
“Taste good?”
“Yeah, but…I would’ve preferred to eat it like a normal person,” Saito chewed the yakisoba with a mix of conflicting feelings.
As Saito glanced subtly at Akane, he realized her expression had grown even more severe.
Uh oh, this isn’t good… Saito sensed the peace of the household was in danger.
He whispered to Shisei. “Try to behave a little. Akane’s serious about these types of things.”
“Shise is behaving. I haven’t even gotten up to dance on the table yet.”
“I’ve never seen you do that. And if I did, I’d start to seriously reconsider our entire relationship.”
“I don’t want Ani-kun to cut ties with me. I’ll do anything—just don’t throw me away.” Shisei clung tightly to Saito.
Another wrinkle formed in Akane’s brow.
“See? Akane’s getting mad. Just behave during mealtime,” Saito warned.
“Understood. I, Shise, will swallow my pride and pretend to be a proper lady.”
“You are a proper lady, though, aren’t you?” Indeed, Saito’s father was a plain old salaryman, exiled from the Houjou Group. But his father’s sister—Shisei’s mother—was the president of one of the group’s affiliate companies. Unlike Saito’s unimpressive home, Shisei lived in a grand estate.
Shisei straightened her posture, back perfectly upright. With flawless manners, she picked up a knife and fork, cut into the pancakes, and brought a piece to her mouth. Her elegance, combined with her mysterious beauty, made her look like a noble lady straight out of a Renaissance painting.
“…Wow, I guess you really can do it if you try,” said Saito, impressed.
With a graceful gesture, Shisei covered her mouth and replied, “But of course. O-ho ho ho!”
“O-ho ho ho?” Saito repeated in despair. The mood took a sharp downturn.