“It’s just… I don’t really understand it myself. I just feel…uneasy and queasy, I guess…” said Akane.
“Queasy? Like heartburn?”
“No, not heartburn, it’s more like—um—Eep!” Akane shrieked and whipped around to glare at Saito. “D-did you just stroke my butt?”
“Huh?! Of course not—wait—Aaagh!” Saito let out a yelp of his own as something tickled his thigh. “You touched my thigh just now!”
“Why would I do something that horrifying?!” shouted Akane.
“You’re the horrifying one! I wouldn’t dare make a move on a dragon!”
“A dragon?! What part of me screams ‘dragon’?! I’ll turn you to ash, not even a hair left behind!”
“That’s exactly what I mean! Right there!” yelled back Saito.
Sparks practically flew between them across the bed. Suddenly, a voice could be heard from below.
“Keep it down, will you? I can’t sleep.” A small face popped out from under the blanket—Shisei, who had apparently snuck in between them.
“Shisei-san?!” Akane gasped.
“When did you get in here?!” asked Saito.
“Right before human civilization began.”
Saito couldn’t believe what was happening. “That’s a lie!”
“Ever since Ani-kun said, ‘Heh… Once Akane gets out of the bath, tonight’s the night I finally grope that butt,’ when he thought he was alone in bed.”
Saito froze as Akane slowly turned to him with a pale face and a fiery glare. “Saito…So it was you…”
“That’s a lie too!” Facing Akane’s death glare, he denied Shisei’s lie with every fiber of his being. There was no way he could risk his life over a girl’s butt—he wasn’t that far gone.
“I’m sleeping with Ani-kun tonight. I always do when I stay over,” said Shisei.
Akane’s brow twitched violently. “Always? So not just the bath, but sleeping together too…?”
“Not always! Only when Shise insists and I can’t shake her,” Saito hurriedly clarified.
“Since I was a baby, I’ve always been with Ani-kun. I feel calmest when I’m snuggled up to him,” said Shisei, wrapping her slender legs around Saito’s. Shisei rubbed up against him, skin-to-skin, and pressed her nose into his chest, inhaling deeply with a contented sigh.
“But…your futon is already set up in the living room, isn’t it, Shisei-san?” asked Akane.
“I don’t want to sleep alone. It’s not fair if Akane gets to monopolize Ani-kun all the time.”
“I-it’s not unfair! It’s not like I want to be here either!” said Akane defensively.
“Really?” Shisei leaned in close and stared into her eyes.
“It’s true! This was all decided by our grandparents as part of their conditions for our marriage! So, yes! If we randomly add someone else to our bed, they’ll be furious!” exclaimed Akane.
“That’s fine. I already called Grandpa and got his permission. He said, ‘Do whatever you want.’”
Saito sighed. “He really is way too soft on you…”
He couldn’t help but worry. If Shisei ever casually asked for the company itself, Grandpa would probably hand it over with a smile. Saito lived in constant fear of the day Shisei figured out that owning the Houjou Group would mean unlimited steamed meat buns for life.
Shisei then added, “If Akane really wants to sleep alone with Ani-kun that badly, then I guess I can back off.”
“I-I don’t want to sleep alone with him!”
“I’ll sleep on the floor so I don’t interrupt your…you know, intimacy,” said Shisei as she started to get off the bed.
Akane yelped, “That’s not what we do at night at all!”
“Oh… So maybe tonight was the night you two had planned for it? Sorry for interrupting you,” added Shisei, continuing to slide off the bed.
Akane panicked and quickly grabbed Shisei to pull her back. “There was no plan! Don’t get weird ideas! Sure, fine, we can all sleep together, okay?!”
Saito had fallen asleep, leaving Akane alone as she felt a swirling mix of unease and frustration inside her. Thanks to Shisei lying between them, there was at least no fear of being sexually harassed. That, at least, was comforting for Akane.
But still, how could he be so unfazed sleeping alongside two of his female classmates, and even fall asleep faster than when it was just her there? What nerve did this guy have? His calm, rhythmic snoring made it even more infuriating.
“Your boobs are surprisingly big.”
“Wha—?!” Akane shrieked. Out of nowhere, Shisei was grabbing her chest with both hands. Akane recoiled, nearly rolling off the bed, covering her chest with both arms.
“You were awake? How can you just casually sexually harass me?! Is this some kind of family tradition?!”
“It’s not harassment. There were boobs in front of me, so I touched them,” said Shisei plainly.
“If that logic was acceptable, we’d have to let gropers out of jail!”
“Most girls want me to touch their boobs. They try to trick me into it.”
“…We’re going to have a serious talk with a school counselor, okay? You and me.” Akane was now genuinely worried. She understood why people were obsessed with Shisei—she was rather charming and magnetic—but this was ridiculous.
“Akane, you get jealous too,” said Shisei.
“Huh? What are you talking about…?”
“Of Ani-kun. You got mad because I was being all lovey-dovey with him, right?”
“W-what?! I wasn’t mad at all!” Akane insisted.
Shisei gently pressed a fingertip to Akane’s chin. “Lies. You tried to stop me from taking a bath with him and sleeping next to him.”
“Th-that’s because, I mean—guys and girls shouldn’t be taking baths together at this age! And doing that kind of thing in my house? Of course I’d put a stop to it!” As she babbled on and on, Akane felt her whole body burning from the inside out. It wasn’t, couldn’t be, jealousy. She didn’t like Saito—not in that way. Akane just felt that the misunderstanding was embarrassing. Her face was beet-red from shame.
“You can’t fool Shise’s eyes,” said Shisei. Her cool palm gently touched Akane’s flushed cheek, then slid to her neck and along the curve of her earlobe, as if to confirm the heat rising from her skin. Her eyes, clearer than any star in the night sky, saw through Akane as if peering directly into her soul. It felt like being read by a spirit—she was exposed right down to her core. Akane couldn’t move.
“Akane, are you blushing?” asked Shisei.
“I’m not!” snapped Akane.
“Ani-kun is dense. If you don’t communicate clearly, he won’t understand,” said Shisei.
“Communicate what clearly?!”
Shisei let out a small breath. “…This makes me feel a little better. I was worried about whether Ani-kun would be able to live happily.”
“…What do you mean by that?” Akane asked, but Shisei didn’t answer. Instead, she curled up beside the sleeping Saito, burrowed into his arms, and nuzzled her face against his chest.
“’Night, Akane.”
“Wait—hey! We’re not done here! And stop clinging to him like that! Where’s your shame?!” Akane reached over to peel her off, but Shisei was already fast asleep, her breathing calm and peaceful.