"Cooperation? In what way?"
Chihaya Anon looked at Hoshino Ai with a wary expression.
"Let me be clear, I won't do anything that could jeopardize my brother's future!"
"Of course not. At this point, I no longer need to risk lowering Tetsu's affection for me with those kinds of methods to keep him."
Ai held up her hands to show her innocence.
"I just want you... to be a little more proactive when you're with Tetsu."
"More... proactive?"
Anon was stunned for a moment, then continued to ask with a serious expression:
"...Keep talking."
"Simply put, I hope you can be more proactive in doing things that will make Tetsu flustered."
Ai proposed, her expression unchanging as she made the incredibly bold suggestion.
"The most direct way to dismantle his virgin defense line is for you, his sister who lives with him day in and day out, to gradually dull his wariness. Once his level of acceptance has been raised to a certain point, that's when we'll finally have a real opportunity to make a move on him."
"Huh..."
After hearing this, Anon thought carefully for a good while before a look of disbelief crossed her face.
"So, you want me to actively seduce my brother?"
"Mhm, that's about it."
"This is unbelievable..."
Anon could hardly believe her ears.
"If this plan had come from Soyo, I wouldn't be surprised at all, but for it to come from you, someone who's possessive to a fault, is just way too suspicious!"
Even if it resulted in a win-win, this act of actively offering a strategy to an enemy didn't seem like something this stalker, who had spoken so harshly to her at their first meeting, was capable of!
Anon was almost certain that she had some unspoken motive!
"...I don't deny my possessiveness over Tetsu, and I have indeed always seen you as my greatest enemy."
Faced with Anon's suspicion, Ai hesitated for a moment before revealing her thought process.
"But even so, I have to admit one fact: neither one of us is destined for a 'solo win'."
"..."
Although Anon didn't respond explicitly, in her heart, she strongly agreed with this statement.
She, his adopted sister, and Ai, who had once depended on him for survival, were both important existences that Tetsuya was destined to never be able to let go of. Even if he ultimately made a choice between them, the other would still remain with him in a relationship that far surpassed friendship. At the same time, neither she nor Ai would ever easily give up this close bond with him—
"So, if it's you, while I'm a little reluctant, I can still accept a 'sharing' outcome."
Ai looked into Anon's eyes, and neither her expression nor her tone had any hint of joking.
"This is a very bold decision, but I've already prepared myself to never leave Tetsu for the rest of my life, no matter the outcome. So, what about you, Chihaya Anon? Will you continue to stick to your original idea and engage in endless, mutual destruction with me, or will you back down and give up on Tetsu, or... cooperate with me to keep him firmly by our side?"
As Anon's expression fell into deep thought, Ai asked again:
"Well? Make your choice."
...
"The hot water is ready. Which of you two wants to go first?"
Tetsuya asked as he walked out of the bathroom, having changed into a yukata.
Although a slight flush from the bath lingered on his face, there was no trace of the effect from the earlier kiss. As expected, a shower was always the best way to reset a man's state of mind.
On the other side, faced with Tetsuya's question, the two girls first exchanged a look, then spoke in unison an answer that left him utterly shocked:
"'We'll go together.' x2."
"...What?"
Tetsuya froze on the spot. He quickly turned his gaze to the two who had been at each other's throats just moments ago.
He didn't know what had happened while he was in the shower, but right now, not only was there no tension between them, there was even an awkwardness, as if an unfinished conversation had been forcibly interrupted...
...
Well, I don't know how it happened, but this is a huge help!
For Tetsuya, the hostile relationship between Anon and Ai had always been an intractable headache he had no idea how to solve. If the two of them could really let bygones be bygones and get along harmoniously, then he would never have to worry about being caught in the middle of a hellscape like the one just now, trapped between them with no way out!
Thinking of this, Tetsuya secretly nodded to himself and said to them:
"Then it's settled. You two can wash up together! Don't worry, I definitely won't peek!"
"Do you really think we're worried about that?"
Faced with Tetsuya's redundant guarantee, Ai asked with a grin.
"Actually, I'd be hoping you would come peek at me."
"Ahem, anyway, hurry up and go wash!"
Unable to withstand Ai's delinquent-girl offensive, Tetsuya coughed twice to cover his embarrassment.
"You two must be tired, right? After you're done washing up, come to sleep right away!"
"Yes, yes~"
Ai first dragged out her reply in a perfunctory tone, then turned to look at Anon.
"Well then, let's go... Anon."
"...Mhm."
Anon nodded. She first turned to look at Tetsuya, taking in his completely defenseless appearance, before finally moving to follow Ai into the bathroom.
Not long after, as the sound of the shower started in the bathroom, Tetsuya finally sat on the bed and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness. As long as those two don't fight, everything is fine."
Compared to watching them at each other's throats, he much preferred to see them getting along peacefully like this.
But, it really was strange. He had never imagined that one day he would be staying in the same room with both Anon and Ai, and that their relationship would be so harmonious they could even bathe together. Compared to the explosive situation just now, the change in these ten-odd minutes made him feel as if he had been transported to another world...
"I hope they can continue to get along this harmoniously in the future."
Tetsuya prayed from the bottom of his heart.
...
"Mhm, this should do it."
Ai said, having deliberately turned the shower on full blast.
"As long as we speak softly now, Tetsu won't be able to hear us."
"Y-Your underwear..."
Meanwhile, Anon looked at the very mature and bold black lingerie that Ai had casually tossed into the basket, her expression one of utter shock.
"On stage, you had safety shorts on so I couldn't tell... but this is practically on the level of sexy lingerie! Did you... did you already plan to make a move on Tetsu today?!"
"...Hm? You mean this set?"
Ai first tilted her head, then said:
"This is one of my more conservative sets. I didn't even wear the one with the openwork lace."
"Do you even possess a normal human sense of shame..."
"For me, conquering Tetsu is my highest priority, above all else."
Ai said.
"More importantly, let's continue the conversation we didn't finish—"
"As the first step of our cooperation, tonight, the two of us are going to make a move on him together."