"Uh… Kotori, if you—"
"Come play with me."
"N-no, Kotori, I mean, if you really don't want to—"
"Shut up! Shut up! I do want to! I like it! I like playing with my brother, okay?!"
It was obvious that Kotori had been completely thrown off balance by Tenqi Sanluo's few sharp words. Her cheeks were flushed red, and it looked as though she had finally set aside the guarded identity of "Captain of
However, the words she said sounded less like something directed at Shidou and more like a hasty attempt to fend off Sanluo's earlier interrogation.
"...Hmph, serves you right. You'll only ever be a little sister."
Watching the siblings walk off together, Tenqi Sanluo let out a cold sneer.
Even though she herself had never been in love, from that brief exchange she could tell that Kotori's feelings for Shidou weren't just those of a sister toward her brother—there was definitely a mix of romantic affection in there too.
The reason nothing had ever progressed between them over the years, Sanluo guessed, was partly because Shidou himself probably had no romantic interest in Kotori. Having lived together since childhood, they knew each other far too well—so well that the faint mystery needed for romance simply didn't exist between them.
The other reason lay in Kotori's own nature: she bottled up her feelings, never said what she truly thought, always acted stubborn, and refused to express her emotions honestly.
With personalities like that, this "adoptive brother and sister" pair could never possibly succeed.
As for this date, Sanluo simply assumed it was something Kotori arranged by abusing her authority as commander—a chance to fulfill her wish of having a date with her brother.
She didn't know that sealing required dating and kissing, nor did she realize how dire Kotori's current situation really was.
Because of that, Sanluo decided not to interfere for now. She'd check on their progress later.
At that moment, having noticed the movement of Shidou and Kotori, Tohka and Yoshino—who had been floating in the pool—turned their gazes toward them.
"Shidou, Kotori! Where are you going?"
"Ah? We're going—"
"We're going to play on the water slide."
Before Shidou could answer, Kotori—still holding his hand—responded first.
"Water slide?"
Tohka tilted her head.
"Yeah, it's—"
"Oh! Someone just slid down from up there!"
The moment she saw someone demonstrating how to use it, the innocent Tohka's eyes sparkled. With her swim ring still around her, she climbed out of the pool.
"I want to go too!"
"Uh?"
Shidou froze.
Even though he didn't fully understand the situation, he knew that this was a rare moment when Kotori had finally gathered the courage to take the initiative and play with him.
If Tohka suddenly joined them now… wouldn't that ruin Kotori's mood?
"Seriously, they're on a date—why is this idiot trying to butt in?"
Tenqi Sanluo clicked her tongue and strode forward, grabbing Tohka's arm.
"Mmm? You're… Let me go!"
Tohka struggled hard, and even though her spiritual power had been sealed, her physical strength still surprised Sanluo, who wasn't particularly gifted in raw physical combat.
But that was all. A sealed Spirit without her Astral Dress was still far weaker than a full-fledged one.
"They're going to play together—don't you think it's inappropriate for you to tag along?"
"Uuh… Shidou…"
Realizing she couldn't break free, Tohka looked up at Shidou with pleading, puppy-like eyes.
"Uh…"
Shidou felt torn.
If Sanluo dragged Tohka away, that would obviously be for the best—but Tohka would definitely be upset.
Yet if he let her join them… aside from ruining Kotori's mood, would Sanluo even listen to him?
He was completely stuck.
"…Ugh, no choice then."
Kotori's situation couldn't wait any longer. Shidou took a deep breath and flashed Sanluo a hand sign—two fingers raised in a V-shape.
The meaning was clear: "I owe you two favors."
Sanluo immediately understood.
Without hesitation, she yanked the tearful Tohka closer—and kicked her straight back into the pool.
Meanwhile, pretending not to notice, Shidou scooped Kotori up in a princess carry and ran toward the top of the water slide.
Although Sanluo's rough treatment of Tohka made him uncomfortable, that wasn't the priority right now.
Fortunately, there weren't many people in line, and it was soon their turn.
At that point, Tohka had just come sputtering up from underwater after choking on a mouthful, glaring furiously at Sanluo, whose lips were curled in amusement.
"Hey! What's your problem?!"
The moment she climbed back onto the pool deck, Sanluo kicked her in again.
Shidou knew his time was limited—he couldn't waste a single second.
"Uuh…"
Still dazed from the sudden princess carry, Kotori stood there blushing, her mind blank.
"Kotori, let's slide down together!"
"Eh? Together?"
Kotori's eyes widened. Then she coughed lightly and averted her gaze.
"N-no, I don't need to. I'm not a kid anymore."
Same as always. Watching from nearby—while keeping Tohka's head forcibly underwater—Sanluo let out a quiet sigh.
With a personality like that, Kotori would never get the brother she wanted.
"Kotori! This—"
Glancing back, Shidou saw Tohka's head still being held underwater and knew there was no time left.
So he decided to go for broke—he wrapped his arms around Kotori's small frame.
"Eh—!"
Kotori let out a short cry. After a few weak struggles, she relaxed, lying quietly in Shidou's arms. Her head was lowered, hiding her face, though her twin tails drooped low—perhaps from embarrassment.
"Alright then—here we go!"
With that, Shidou pushed off, sending the two of them sliding rapidly down with the rushing water.
Impatient and over-eager, he had clearly used too much force, launching them forward with startling acceleration. The combination of the slide's speed and his pounding heartbeat nearly made him lose consciousness.
Once she confirmed that the pair had safely reached the bottom of the slide, Sanluo finally released her hold on Tohka's head.
"Glub… cough cough…"
Tohka gasped for air, disoriented at first. When she regained awareness, she realized Shidou and Kotori were no longer at the top of the slide.
"Shidou!…"
Her cheeks puffed out in anger as she turned toward Sanluo.
"What are you doing?! Why won't you let me play with Shidou?!"
"Simple. You're in the way."
Sanluo replied lazily, not even acknowledging the fury in Tohka's eyes, and gave a bored yawn.
"They're brother and sister. Why are you trying to butt in on their playtime?"
Had Sanluo not intervened earlier to force Kotori to open up, she probably wouldn't have stopped Tohka from joining them.
For Kotori, the sudden involvement of another girl would have triggered a sense of competition, pushing her to act more honestly with her feelings—even if it made things messy.
But now that Sanluo had already compelled Kotori to take the initiative and play with her brother, there was no longer any need for this long-haired fool to interfere; in fact, she'd probably just ruin everything.
To be fair, Sanluo could now understand why Shidou and Kotori's dates often involved "outsiders."
Apparently,
What she couldn't quite figure out, though, was why Shidou had wanted her involved in the first place.
"Uuh… you—glub glub…"
Before Tohka could finish shouting, Sanluo shoved her head back underwater again.
"You'd better not talk to me in that tone ever again, or I'll make sure you suffer consequences you really won't like. I may not enjoy dealing with fools, but that doesn't mean I won't use force."
Her voice was cold—like the dead of winter—and even the naive, innocent Tohka couldn't help but shiver.
Yoshino, who had been watching from nearby, tried to come to Tohka's aid—but one sharp glare from Sanluo froze her in place.
As for everyone else around them… they didn't want to get involved—and didn't dare to.
After a few seconds, Sanluo finally lifted her hand, allowing Tohka to gasp for air.
"Do you understand your mistake now?"
"Uuh… but Shidou—glub glub—"
Seeing that Tohka still hadn't learned her lesson, Sanluo pressed her head down again.
"No remorse? Fine—again."
This time, she held her down for ten seconds.
"Do you understand now?"
"Uuh… but why—glub glub—"
"Too much nonsense. Again."
Without hesitation, Sanluo pushed the half-conscious Tohka's head underwater once more.
…