It was only a rehearsal.
There wasn't even any blood. The real fight hadn't even begun.
Yet they'd already managed to soak the entire floor.
Noticing Hikari's look, Ikazuchi Rika wore an awkward expression as well.
Looking at the tatami, now soaked all over the room, and at her uniform skirt, drenched from top to bottom, Ikazuchi Rika was so embarrassed she didn't dare meet Hikari's eyes.
It couldn't be helped.
Before they started, all she'd been thinking about was playing the role of a newlywed couple with Hikari.
As long as they put on a convincing performance and fooled the two criminals across the hall, that would be enough.
But to make it realistic and avoid exposing themselves, Ikazuchi Rika had gone a little overboard right from the start.
Fortunately, Hikari had cooperated with her the whole time.
But as the act went on there was no problem on Hikari's side.
Instead, Ikazuchi Rika herself gradually lost control.
She was clearly his sworn older sister. By both status and age, she should have been the elder, the one setting the pace.
Yet when it came to acting, Hikari was far more experienced and composed.
While Ikazuchi Rika, on the other hand, became more and more immersed in the role as they went on.
Of course, that wasn't entirely a bad thing.
In her view, it made the act convincing enough that the criminals wouldn't suspect a thing, eliminating any chance of exposure.
But there were downsides too.
In her excitement, she hadn't just soaked the tatami, she'd also gotten a large part of Hikari's clothes dirty.
Thinking back to how she'd completely lost herself just now, Ikazuchi Rika felt overwhelmingly ashamed and couldn't even bring herself to look at Hikari.
After wiping away the mess she'd made, Hikari noticed how embarrassed she was.
Once they had cleaned up most of it, he took the initiative and said, "Rika-nee, you should go take a shower first."
"After doing that, it's normal to wash up."
Hearing that, Ikazuchi Rika snapped back to her senses and hurriedly nodded, "Ah, right! I'll take a shower first. Hikari-kun, you should wash up afterward too."
"Yeah. I'm pretty dirty too," Hikari touched his sticky clothes.
Ikazuchi Rika's face flushed red, "I... I'll finish as quickly as I can so you can use it!"
With that, she fled into the bathroom as if escaping.
Watching the beautiful detective's back, Hikari shook his head helplessly.
To be honest, even he rarely ended up in such a mess.
Most of the time, things never got this urgent.
But back then, faced with the suspicion of those two criminals, Ikazuchi Rika had really been panicking.
So during the performance, she had kept pressing him every step of the way.
The whole scene had become rather chaotic.
Fortunately, it had only been an act.
And fortunately, Hikari had isolated the neighboring room, making it impossible for them to hear anything happening here.
Otherwise, with Ikazuchi Rika having lost herself to the point where the act was almost becoming real, she definitely would have let something slip.
After wiping his hands clean, Hikari sat on the sofa and waited for a while.
Once Ikazuchi Rika finished her shower and came out, he went to wash up as well.
When he came back out of the bathroom he saw that Ikazuchi Rika was finally fully dressed again.
Although it meant missing out on the earlier view, with her clothes back in order, Ikazuchi Rika wasn't nearly as embarrassed, and Hikari felt more at ease too.
After they had both cleaned up, the two of them returned to the wall and continued listening.
The two criminals next door, however, didn't reveal any useful information after that.
So Hikari and Ikazuchi Rika simply chatted casually instead.
Looking at Hikari's youthful, handsome face, so typical of a teenage boy, Ikazuchi Rika felt a mix of embarrassment and guilt.
Blushing, the beautiful detective explained, "Hikari-kun, the situation was urgent back then. To avoid exposing ourselves, I had to ask you to do that."
Hikari nodded, "I understand, Rika-nee."
Still blushing, Ikazuchi Rika asked, "Do you... feel like I offended you? Does it bother you?"
Hikari shook his head, "No. If you don't think you got the short end of the deal, why would I have any complaints? Besides, we only did it to keep our identities from being exposed. It couldn't be helped."
"Th-that's good," Ikazuchi Rika let out a sigh of relief.
"It was all for the investigation. That's right! Hikari-kun, don't take what happened just now to heart. Let's just... let's just pretend it never happened."
"I'm still your sworn older sister, and you're still my sworn younger brother."
Hikari nodded, "Okay, Rika-nee."
Seeing that the matter had been settled and smoothly put behind them, Ikazuchi Rika finally let out a long sigh.
After their intense performance and the cleanup afterward, quite a bit of time had passed, and it was already getting dark.
Glancing out the window, Hikari said, "It's getting late. I should head home."
Ikazuchi Rika nodded, "It really is late. We gathered a lot of useful information today. I should head back to headquarters and report in."
After packing up all the equipment and documents, Ikazuchi Rika prepared to leave.
But just as she stood up, Hikari suddenly stopped her.
"Rika-nee, wait."
"What is it?"
She turned around in confusion, "You forgot something."
Hikari held up a piece of black lace triangle-shaped fabric.
Ikazuchi Rika's face instantly turned bright red.
No wonder she'd vaguely felt a cool breeze.
She hadn't been wearing anything underneath.
The beautiful detective hurriedly took it from Hikari.
Then she rushed back into the bathroom.
While getting herself back in order, Ikazuchi Rika checked to see if she'd forgotten anything else.
Instead, she noticed the handprints still left on various parts of her body.
Especially below her neck.
The clear marks, along with the lingering sensation they seemed to carry, made her feel very embarrassed.
Ikazuchi Rika quickly fastened her buttons again.
Then she walked out of the bathroom as though nothing had happened.
"Rika-nee, let's head downstairs together," Hikari said.
"Mm. We'll go downstairs together first, then split up. That way we won't accidentally run into them and expose ourselves," Ikazuchi Rika agreed with a nod.
She linked arms with Hikari again, and the two left the apartment together.
Perhaps because they'd already shared an even more intimate interaction, this time, the way Ikazuchi Rika held his arm looked much more natural.
After they reached the ground floor, the two of them stopped at the corner of an alley beside the apartment, ready to part ways.
Before leaving, Ikazuchi Rika reminded him, "Hikari-kun, it's getting late. Be careful on your way home."
Hikari nodded, "You be careful too, Rika-nee. Stay safe."
Hearing his concern, Ikazuchi Rika smiled, "Mm, don't worry. Your big sister is a police officer. I'll be fine."
After saying goodbye, the two headed off in different directions.
Not long after separating from Hikari, as Ikazuchi Rika passed by a narrow alley, she suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind her.
Sensing danger, she didn't even have time to turn around.
A cold gun barrel was already pressed against her lower back.
"Don't move! Move again and I'll shoot you dead!"
Hearing the sudden shout behind her, Ikazuchi Rika's heart sank as she slowly raised both hands.
Along with the threat, the cold muzzle of a gun was already pressed against her lower back.
"Heh! Heh! You're coming with us!"
The middle-aged man holding the pistol against Ikazuchi Rika laughed coldly.