Just like Brother Fuyumi said, Sister Otome's bath really did take at least half an hour.
By the time Okino Rinka had licked the last bit of pudding off her face, returned to Otome's room, and started playing on her phone, the girl still showed no sign of coming out.
Muttering "came back too early" under her breath, Rinka lifted the thin blanket, slipped into the bed, and started scrolling through her friends' circle.
After liking and commenting on the post she sent to Yuka, Koharu and a few others—"It's pouring rain, I can't go home to sleep, so sad" she switched to short videos.
About ten minutes passed like this when, suddenly, the door handle turned with a clear click.
Rinka shifted her gaze away from the glowing phone screen a little.
Lying on her side under the blanket, she pouted at the pink-haired girl, who was wiping her hair with a towel in both hands:
"Sister Otome, you're so slow~."
Because tonight was…
Tonight was the first time she would show herself in front of her little sister.
Sakuragi Otome naturally wanted to set a good example, so of course, she had to get her body into the best possible state.
And soaking in the bath was the most relaxing thing.
It was easy to lose track of time.
Her hands kept moving as she gently smiled. "Because soaking in the bath feels really good."
After that casual explanation, Otome stepped into her slippers, still wrapped in her bath towel, and sat down in front of the dressing table, clearly planning to dry her hair.
Rinka sat up from under the thin blanket, wearing her cute printed pajamas, got off the bed, and walked behind Sakuragi Otome.
"Let me dry Sister Otome's hair for you."
"Thank you, Rinka-chan~."
Letting Rinka take the hairdryer from her hands, Otome sat upright on the stool and thanked her in a slightly playful tone.
They had helped each other with little things like this countless times already.
Thanking each other back and forth would just feel pointless.
Okino Rinka giggled, didn't reply, and simply switched on the hairdryer.
Under the humming wind, she reached out and ran her fingers through her messy, steam-damp, cherry-pink long hair.
Taking care of long hair was always annoying, endless maintenance, and after washing it still took forever to dry.
For someone with waist-length hair like Otome, it took at least ten minutes of blowing to get it mostly dry.
Rinka stroked the warm, silky strands, set the dryer down, and ruffled the top of Otome's head.
Once she confirmed there was no more dampness, she wrapped both arms around the girl's neck, pressed their cheeks together, and smiled while nuzzling:
"All done, Sister Otome."
(Uh, should I keep this Nee Ni san or just write Brother and Sister?)
Otome smoothed her hair, then reached out and gently pinched the girl's soft, squishy cheek:
"Rinka did such a good job."
"Eh…"
Not expecting her to suddenly praise her and using almost the same words Brother Fuyumi had used earlier,
Rinka froze for a second, then happily kept rubbing her cheek against Otome's, acting extra affectionate.
"I learned it from you! You're really skilled when you blow-dry your hair. I've been watching you the whole time."
Otome knew Rinka sometimes imitated her on purpose or accidentally.
She had always thought it was just a kid copying an older sister thing, so she never minded.
So, hearing her say that, Otome smiled and patted the slender arms wrapped around her neck. "Go get into bed. It's been cold these days—if you catch a chill, you'll get sick. I need to change, too."
"Mm mm."
After Rinka climbed back into bed, Otome stood up and walked to the wardrobe, then opened the door, taking out her pajamas.
Trying her best to ignore Rinka's gaze, she shyly used her smooth thighs and elegant upper arms to block the side view of her body.
Once she was ready, she reached behind her and untied the bath towel.
In that instant, Rinka, who was lying face-down on the pillow, felt the whole room light up.
Glowing brighter than the warm lamp light, radiating a lustrous pearl-like sheen, was Sakuragi Otome's flawless, fair, voluptuous yet not plump, enchantingly beautiful body.
Her long, delicate neck met her exquisitely defined collarbones, from which hung two full, soft jade-like mounds squeezed outward by her slender arms.
On her waist, slim enough to encircle with two hands, a tiny, red-bean-like navel sat in the middle, connected by a faint, alluring white line running up her lower abdomen.
Because she had her legs crossed, the soft, plump little belly just above her inner-thigh mermaid line formed an extremely seductive curve.
In that shy, half-hidden, seductive state, Otome crossed her long legs, first slipping into the light-pink strawberry-patterned pajama top.
After buttoning it up, she bent slightly at the waist, perked up her full-moon-like, round hips, lifted one smooth, slender leg, and slid her snowy-white foot into the pajama pants.
Under Rinka's dazed stare, Sakuragi Otome, with her pretty face still carrying a faint blush, quickly finished putting on her pajamas.
Watching Sister Otome play with her long hair and walk gracefully toward the bed, Rinka muttered enviously.
"My God, Sister Otome.
No wonder Brother Brother Fuyumi is so clingy with you… If I were a guy, I'd be the same… Eh?
Wait, isn't this what the boys in class always say: doubt, understand, become? I get it now!"
There were only the two of them in the room.
Even though they were a little apart, Rinka hadn't lowered her voice at all, so of course Otome heard every word.
She really didn't want to remember all the times her lover had bullied her so hard in the past.
But every time, every moment she relaxed a bit, those scenes would always come to her mind, making her throb.
Just thinking about it deepened the faint blush on Otome's face, making her look even more charming as she shot a reproachful glare at the teasing Rinka. "What nonsense are you saying? You've really learned bad habits from him, Rinka."
"Bad? Is that how Brother Fuyumi usually bullies you, Sister Otome? Is there more?" Rinka blinked, asking in a curious tone that only made the latter even more embarrassed and annoyed.
"Rinka~!"
Seeing her face turn completely red, Rinka knew if she kept teasing, she'd get punished for real, so she hurriedly patted the blanket.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop! Quick, come to bed, Sister Otome."
Even though she had made up her mind that they were going to do it together with Fuyumi tonight, doing it with the lights off felt completely different from teasing with the lights on.
Her body was ready, but her emotions hadn't caught up yet.
But now that she had made up her mind, Otome would not back out.
She let out a long breath, climbed onto the bed, and lifted the blanket.
Rinka wrapped her arms around her waist, buried her face in the incredibly soft flesh she envied so much, rubbed her cheek against it, and asked:
"Speaking of which, you and Brother Fuyumi get along so well.
Have you ever thought about getting married right after graduation?"
Marriage…
To be honest, she had really thought about her future with her lover, so of course, marriage had crossed her mind.
Their relationship was quite good...both romantically and sexually, and she wanted it to continue for life.
If possible, she naturally wanted to marry right after graduation.
But if Fuyumi thought it was too soon, waiting until after university was also fine.
It was still early; she wasn't in a hurry, anyway, she would never let go.
Thinking about it, she stroked Rinka's hair that smelled exactly like her own, smiled and answered.
"That depends on your Brother, Fuyumi. I'm fine either way."
Exactly the answer Rinka had expected.
She followed the script she had prepared in her mind and continued.
"Sister Otome, you should try a little harder. Try to get a definite answer from Brother Fuyumi."
Hearing the obvious worry in Rinka's tone, the latter lowered her head in confusion and asked.
"What do you mean, Rinka…"
Avoiding the girl's gaze, Rinka looked to the side, her expression tangled.
After a moment of silence, she said.
"Mm… Sister Otome, do you remember last week when I went out with Brother Fuyumi to buy ice cream?"
Well...
Fuyumi going shopping with Rinka at night was quite rare.
Of course, Sakuragi Otome remembered.
And seeing how conflicted and hesitant this girl looked, a bad feeling rose in Otome's heart.
She continued gently stroking her hair and spoke softly to comfort her.
"Did something happen? It's okay, just tell me. If Fuyumi bullied you, I'll definitely stand up for you."
"No… Brother Fuyumi didn't bully me."
Rinka shook her head, nibbled her lip, and said in a small voice.
"On the way home that day, Brother Fuyumi told me something."
Hearing her words, a bad feeling arose in Otome's heart, and her breathing slowed without her realizing it, but she stayed quiet and listened.
Rinka continued, still sounding a little uneasy. "He said that Aunt Kyoka talked with another aunt from her company. Through him... They want to… turn their two families into one."
"…"
Although it wasn't said outright, the meaning was crystal clear.
So, after a brief daze, Sakuragi Otome understood.
She didn't know who the other aunt was, but "turning two families into one" meant…
That meant Yuka, Koharu-neesan and that Aunt's daughter would all be with Fuyumi…
And what about her?
What was she supposed to do?
Just thinking about it, the girl's heart felt like it was being squeezed, stifled and painful.
Sakuragi Otome took a deep breath to steady herself, her voice trembling slightly as she asked.
"What about Fuyumi? What did he say…"
Rinka hugged her waist even tighter, squeezing until all her attention was focused on her, then gently stroked Otome's back and comforted her:
"Of course, Brother Fuyumi didn't agree! Otherwise, how could he still have the face to touch you now?"
Hearing the reassuring answer, Sakuragi Otome's pale, pretty face slowly regained its rosy color.
She had been too anxious just now and hadn't thought it through… If Fuyumi were the type to love the new and hate the old, he wouldn't still be clinging to her like this.
After calming her emotions, the girl patted Rinka's back.
"Okay, okay, I understand. You're hugging me so tight I can't breathe."
Hearing her voice return to normal, Okino Rinka released her arms and giggled. "You looked so scared just now, it made me nervous too… So yeah, Sister Otome, you should cook the raw rice into cooked rice as soon as possible."
No, she'd already cooked enough...she'd been cooking every night for weeks, and now you're saying, cook even more?
If she cooked any more, it would turn into burnt rice…
Before Sakuragi Otome could speak, Rinka continued. "Because among Brother Fuyumi only remaining elders, he's closest to Aunt Kyoka."
A bit too close, actually.
"She might not be able to force him to listen, but he definitely has to consider her feelings."
"Sister Otome, you should also push Brother Fuyumi a little harder, otherwise…"
Indeed… Given Fuyumi's attitude toward Aunt Kyoka, even if he refused, he wouldn't say it too firmly or too harshly… otherwise, it would embarrass the elder.
And Aunt Kyoka was approaching this from the company's benefit perspective, using Fuyumi as the middleman.
Her attitude was probably very firm; she wouldn't give up so easily.
Even if Aunt Kyoka gave up, would her business partner give up so easily?
So… she needed to sound out her intentions.
Otherwise, just pressuring Fuyumi nonstop wasn't a good plan.
Thinking about it, the girl's eyes flickered with each blink of her long lashes.
Having made up her mind, Sakuragi Otome couldn't just lie there anymore.
It was about this time now; Aunt Kyoka should have returned to her room.
So, this was the perfect moment to talk to her.
If she dragged it out any longer…
Growing more restless, Sakuragi Otome let out a breath and gently stroked Rinka's hair.
"You're right, but we can't push Fuyumi too hard either. I'll go talk to Aunt Kyoka about this…"
'Wow...Brother Fuyumi had already predicted Sister Otome would do this…He really knows her inside out.'
Not surprised by the outcome, the girl cooperatively released her arms:
"No matter what happens, Rinka will always stand on Sister Otome's side!"
"Mm~"
Stroking the hair by Rinka's ear, Sakuragi Otome smiled, sat up from the bed.
She put on her slippers, picked up the phone from the bedside table, checked the time, and quietly walked out of the bedroom.
With a heavy heart, she went down the stairs to the first floor, stopping in front of Kyoka's room.
Licking her dry but still pink lips, she gathered her resolve, slowly raised her hand, and knocked.
Knock knock~
The dull knocking sound entered the room, making Kyoka, who was leaning against the headboard, reading, look up at the door in surprise.
Her little man wouldn't knock so politely after eating her from head to toe...
If he wanted, he'd just come in and pounce on her without wasting a second.
It probably wasn't him.
Then… Otome? Or Rinka?
She had chatted with Fuyumi on LINE earlier and knew both Otome and Rinka were staying over tonight, so she guessed it was one of the two.
Before she could think further, Otome's voice came from outside.
"Aunt Kyoka, are you asleep?"
Hearing her words,
Kyoka quickly sat up, grabbed a proper nightgown from the nearby chair, and put it on.
After making sure the thin lingerie underneath was covered, she answered. "Is that you, Otome? Come in, the door's unlocked."
Click~
The moment she spoke, the door handle turned, and a youthful, gentle face appeared at the doorway.
Looking at her, Kyoka smiled warmly:
"It's Otome. It's so late—what's the matter?"
"Come, sit over here."
Facing her lover's elder, Sakuragi Otome felt a bit reserved.
But she had come to talk about her future with her lover, so no matter how nervous she was inside, she couldn't appear too weak on the surface.
Composing herself, the girl gave a soft reply and walked over to the edge of the bed.
Although Kyoka had been thoroughly conquered by Sasaki both physically and mentally, she was still a woman who had built her company in Tokyo through hard work.
Her ability to read people was excellent.
From observing Otome's expression, she already had a vague guess why she had come.
.
.
.