Chihaya Anon didn't know what time she had finally fallen asleep last night. She only remembered that right up until she lost consciousness, her brother's breathing never managed to calm down.
And the next day, when she opened her eyes, the scene before her made her wonder if she was still asleep—
"Good morning... Brother..."
She tentatively greeted the back of the figure who was already dressed and sitting by the bedside table.
Chihaya Tetsuya immediately turned around when he heard his sister's call.
"Mhm, good morning, Anon."
Tetsuya reached out and stroked her hair.
"You can sleep a little longer if you're tired."
"..."
The familiar touch and the warmth from his palm made Anon immediately realize this wasn't a dream. Then, when she noticed the other person was missing from the room, she couldn't help but ask:
"Where did Hoshino Ai go?"
"Her... she got dressed and left as soon as it was light out."
Tetsuya scratched his cheek, looking puzzled.
"And for some reason, she didn't say a word to me before she left, didn't even look at me... Do you have any idea why, Anon?"
"Ahaha... about that..."
Of course it's because she was too embarrassed to say anything! She'd been acting as the "aggressor" this whole time, but in the end, she was the one who lost control first! And judging from their position yesterday, she most likely rubbed against Brother...
If it had been me, I would have been so ashamed I'd have jumped out of bed and run for it that very night!
"All I can say is... it's not because of you, Brother. It's her own problem."
With that, realizing that the audacious mastermind was no longer in the room to take the main responsibility for last night's events, Anon immediately shrank back under the covers.
"By the way, Brother, are you angry with me because of what happened last night...?"
"If you knew it might make me angry, you shouldn't have done it in the first place..."
Seeing Anon's guilty look, Tetsuya sighed softly.
"Don't worry, I'm not angry. After all, it was the 'reward' you two designated, and... you didn't really go all the way."
(Although I really was just a hair's breadth away from losing control...)
Anon first muttered to herself, then continued to ask:
"Then... if I can perform as well as I did yesterday in the future, can I—"
"No."
Tetsuya rejected Anon's unspoken proposal without a moment's hesitation.
"You two nearly killed me last night. There's no way I'm ever agreeing to such an outrageous 'reward' again!"
"Ehh..."
Anon let out a very disappointed sound.
"But even so, Brother, did you really not feel good yesterday? What Hoshino Ai and I did should be things that you boys like—"
"There's a limit to everything!"
Tetsuya poked Anon's forehead, gritting his teeth.
"Thanks to you two, I didn't get a wink of sleep last night! Do you have any idea how hard I had to endure just to maintain my bottom line?"
"Then you should have just stopped enduring..."
Anon mumbled from under the covers.
"It's not like Hoshino Ai and I would have refused you. You could have done whatever you wanted. If you really couldn't accept that, we could have used our hands or other places to help you—Whaah!"
"In any case, this kind of thing is never happening again."
Faced with such a blatant temptation, Tetsuya pulled the blanket up, completely covering Anon and stopping her from continuing her proposal that he dared not even think about.
"Since you're planning to get up, put your yukata on properly before you come out."
"Mmm... I know..."
Faced with her fully-dressed and clear-headed brother, Anon immediately reverted to her usual obedient self.
If Hoshino Ai were still here, Brother definitely wouldn't be putting on such a big-brother act.
And if it were only Hoshino Ai, he probably wouldn't have let her go as far as she did last night.
(It's just like she said. To conquer Brother, the two of us have to do it together...)
Anon grumbled to herself while obediently putting her discarded yukata back on under the covers.
(I'll discuss the next steps with her later, after she's calmed down a bit.)
Then, having put her yukata back on, Anon got out of bed and hugged Tetsuya from behind.
"By the way, what were you doing just now, Brother? You kept looking down at the bedside table... Eh?"
When she peeked over Tetsuya's shoulder at the bedside table, a completely dumbfounded expression appeared on her face.
"Is this... a design sketch?"
"Mhm, a design sketch for a yukata."
Tetsuya nodded and continued to sketch details on the design.
"Although the hotel's yukata design is quite well-developed, there's still a lot of room for improvement. For example, here under the arm. If this part is taken in by one centimeter and the stitches are folded inward, it can effectively prevent the collar from opening up when you move your arms."
Anon's mouth fell open in a daze.
"You... you were up all night, don't tell me you were thinking about this the whole time?"
"I had no choice. To calm down as quickly as possible, I had to find something else to think about to distract myself. In the end, designing and drafting in my head was the only thing that could keep me focused."
Tetsuya said helplessly.
"Besides this yukata, I also conceptualized a trench coat. I just didn't have enough scratch paper, so I couldn't draw it out. I'll have to wait until I get back."
"Mmm... I don't know whether to be impressed or to call you out on that..."
He was suffering so much, why wasn't he willing to just lower his standards for a moment and ask her and Hoshino Ai for help? It's not like either of them would have forced him to take responsibility for something so small. If anything, they were the "culprits" who should be taking responsibility...
Well, this is fine too. Although it was a bit tough to endure in the end, she definitely got her thrill with her brother. As long as she continues to team up with Hoshino Ai, they'll be able to completely conquer him one day!
Thinking this, Anon swallowed the urge to retort and returned the conversation to Tetsuya's design—
"I can understand the yukata... but why did you suddenly want to design a trench coat?"
Anon asked, a little curious.
"Is there any connection between the two??"
"..."
Tetsuya was silent for a moment before shaking his head.
"It's nothing. It just suddenly came to mind."
He couldn't possibly admit that last night's experience had made him inevitably recall what Hoshino Ai did to him that night at [RiNG], could he?
"Anyway, since you're up, let's get packed and ready to go home."
Tetsuya said, gathering his pen and paper.
"While I still have the energy, I want to get back and finish the sketches."
"Yes!"
Although the brother who was at her and Hoshino Ai's mercy on the bed last night was alluring, this serious and reliable brother was the reason she fell for him in the first place!
Hmm... Strong and cool during the day, but weak at night?
Hmm, hmm, hmm...
"Oops, I almost got excited again."
(whispering)
"What did you say?"
"Nothing..."
Anon shook her head and habitually picked up her phone from the bedside table.
The moment she lit up the screen, the first message box that popped up made her freeze—
[Anon-san, regarding the beauty vlogger "Nyamu" we mentioned before, there's something I want to discuss with you.]
According to the timestamp, Wakaba Mutsumi had sent this message at one in the morning last night.
Why would she suddenly mention Nyamu? And what about Nyamu did she want to discuss?
After quickly replying with [Got it, let's talk when I get home!], Anon found herself filled with a deep sense of curiosity.