"I'm telling you, my brother and I already made plans to sleep together tonight and go home together tomorrow!"
Chihaya Anon glared at Hoshino Ai.
But in the face of Anon's claim, Ai's reaction was perfectly calm.
"Is that so? But from what I hear, you only decided on the spur of the moment to stay with him after you heard Tetsu was staying in Yokohama for the night."
"That's my prerogative as his little sister—wait a minute... I didn't tell anyone about that. How did you know?"
Anon looked at Ai, completely stunned.
"Did you... did you plant a listening device in my brother's phone?"
"While that's not a bad idea, I don't need to resort to such tactics to deal with you."
Ai looked at Anon with no small amount of disdain.
"A lie that's obvious at a glance doesn't require any special eavesdropping. Tetsu only booked the room right before the concert started, yet you insist you 'made plans in advance.' You should at least use your brain a little when you lie, you know?"
"Brother!"
Realizing it was Chihaya Tetsuya who had "let it slip," Anon shot him a look of displeasure.
"Why would you reveal our plans to this dangerous woman?"
On the other side, Ai also turned to face Tetsuya.
"Really, Tetsu. Your little sister is already so grown up, yet she still clings to you and wants to sleep in the same bed. It must be because you're usually too indulgent with her, isn't it?"
"You're the one who's being indulged! I haven't even called you out for making moves on my brother before, and now you have the nerve to accuse me?!"
Anon was furious at this attempt to turn the tables on her.
"Ever since you reunited with my brother, you're the one who's been the most selfish!"
"Hmph, hmph. It can't be helped. After all, Tetsu has always doted on me, ever since our days at the orphanage."
Faced with Anon's counterattack, Ai spoke with immense pride.
"Just like I said before, Tetsu even gave me a little kiss last week. Right, Tetsu?"
"Don't you get so smug! My brother has always doted on me, too!"
Anon said, walking right up to Tetsuya.
"Hurry up, Brother. Give me a kiss!"
"You two, please calm down for a second..."
Tetsuya, who had been glancing left and right, terrified that someone else might walk down the hallway, broke out in a sweat as he tried to mediate their dispute.
"A staff member might come by later. If you're fighting here, it could turn into a huge commotion."
"Just kiss me, and I'll stop arguing with her right now!"
Faced with Tetsuya's panic, Anon's attitude was exceptionally firm.
"I have to show this woman just how much you dote on me!"
"Why do you have to prove it to someone else..."
Tetsuya said with a wry smile.
"And let me be clear, when Ai said I kissed her... she meant on the cheek, so—"
"Cheek or lips, I don't care where!"
It was the first time Anon had ever been so assertive with Tetsuya.
"Whatever you did for Hoshino Ai, you have to do the same for me!"
"Sigh..."
Faced with Anon's expression, which was filled with jealousy and indignant shame, Tetsuya's heart began to pound.
Anon had never been this angry with him before, nor had she ever made such a resolute demand. He couldn't imagine what would happen if he refused her now, what consequences her unvented anger might lead to.
Besides... the reason he had kissed Ai was to soothe her emotions, and now, the kiss Anon was demanding was to quell her anger. In a sense, their situations were basically the same.
And to be honest, while it wasn't common for a brother to kiss his teenage sister on the cheek, it certainly wasn't a heinous crime. So, in order to resolve this imminent crisis, a small kiss should be fine.
Having cleared this mental hurdle, Tetsuya took a deep breath, then leaned down, preparing to kiss Anon's cheek.
However, Ai, instead of showing any jealousy, spoke with a meaningful tone.
"Ah, speaking of which, I haven't had a chance to take off my makeup since I got off stage~"
"..."
Anon, who had been about to close her eyes and savor the moment, instantly snapped them open.
Ai's next words made her hastily stop Tetsuya's approaching lips with her fingers—
"And I got pretty sweaty on stage just now. I really should wash my face first."
"Ghk—!"
Realizing she was being completely led by the nose, Anon first let out a frustrated grunt, then turned back to the bewildered Tetsuya.
"You... wait for me here... Brother..."
Anon said through gritted teeth, enunciating every word with great difficulty.
"This kiss is postponed until I come back with my makeup off!"
With that, she shot a vicious glare at Ai, then turned and ran towards the washroom...
"...Hmph. So easy to deal with."
Ai, having successfully sent Anon away, snorted lightly before speaking to Tetsuya again.
"So, she really does like you, doesn't she, Tetsu?"
That anxiety, as if her most precious thing was being stolen, and that desperation to be reassured with tangible results. No matter how you looked at it, it wasn't simple familial affection.
"...Mhm."
Though it was a little embarrassing, Tetsuya nodded in acknowledgement.
"Although she's content with just being siblings for now, Anon... she does like me as a member of the opposite sex."
"I knew it."
Ai was not surprised at all.
Ever since she first saw the photo of Anon and Tetsuya that Anon had posted online, Ai had sensed it from that blissful expression she knew all too well.
"If it were the old me, I would never have wanted to care about her feelings. But... it really is hard to accept the letdown of having the person you love almost snatched away by someone else right after you've worked so hard on a performance. And besides, she is your little sister. Even if she's my rival, I can't bully her too much."
The success of the live show and her change in mindset filled Ai with the magnanimity of a winner.
Then, as she undid the crown braid in her hair, she said to Tetsuya:
"In that case, I'll be a little tolerant of my future 'sister-in-law's' willfulness tonight... Tetsu."
"?"
"Tonight, let's have the three of us sleep together."
As her long hair fell like silk over her shoulders, a peaceful smile appeared on Ai's face.
"Just like a real family."