Outside Narita Airport, a dark sedan sped toward Chiba City.
The car was silent, like drifting through an ocean. A girl carved of snow sat primly, turning to the cherry trees blooming beyond the window, her face serene.
Yukino hadn't asked her family to pick her up—partly because it was still early and she didn't want to trouble them, and partly because… she wanted to prepare a small return gift for someone's efforts.
After all this time, Kiyono must have grown taller than her, right?
At the thought, the girl's brows lifted slightly.
Suddenly, Yukino's eyes widened. A figure appeared in her line of sight—the same figure she sometimes pictured while hugging a stuffed bear.
But it wasn't only the boy. Two girls flanked him, one on each arm, close as ivy—like a winner in life, a beauty clinging to either side.
In a fleeting instant, their figures crossed. Yukino Yukinoshita's face cooled as she withdrew her gaze. The car shifted from a silent sea to a frozen winter.
Upon receiving her mother's message about Yukino's return, Kiyono and Haruno rushed home.
Walking through the long courtyard, Kiyono's heartbeat inexplicably quickened; a long-missed flutter stirred in his chest.
They reached the room with the paper door half-open and stopped.
He looked up, and time stilled.
For a moment he felt the years rewind, back to the countless days and nights they had spent together.
A girl sat poised on a chair, a paperback in hand, cool and quiet as a yuki-onna. Long black hair fell to her waist; her beauty was exquisite, otherworldly—as if she belonged to a painting more than reality.
At the faint sound, her lively eyes turned gently toward them—
—then slid past Kiyono as if he weren't there.
Huh?
Had Yukino-san lost her memory?
After a breath's pause, Yukinoshita Haruno's pretty face bloomed into a sweet smile; she pounced forward and rubbed her sister's cheek again and again.
"Yu—Yukino! You're finally back! Do you know how lonely big sister was while you were gone!?"
"Is that so? Funny, I had the impression big sister was too busy enjoying herself to miss home," Yukino said, pressing a hand to her face.
"N-no way…" Haruno blinked.
Kiyono stepped in front of Yukino, scratched his head, and after a beat flashed her a sunny smile.
"Um… long time no see."
The girl glanced at him, then coolly looked away. It felt like a beloved cat he'd adopted had wandered into someone else's arms and was now fawning on them the moment he left the house.
—You heard that, right? You definitely heard that!
For a long-awaited reunion, why was the Second Miss in such a foul mood?
Kiyono's expression turned solemn as he racked his brain for whatever mistake he'd made.
Beside them, Yukinoshita Haruno watched their faces with wicked interest. Not only did she refuse to help, she fanned the flames—whipping out her phone, scrolling to a photo, and showing it to her sister with a brilliant smile.
"Oh, look! A candid I took of little Kiyono-kun cooking for me. Hilarious, right? I've been dying to share it with you, Yukino."
Yukino's lips twitched as she activated her icy, venomous tongue:
"Big sister's candid skills have improved even faster than her Japanese grades. Shall I recommend the journalism club's candid photography course?"
"No need, thanks. This is just a little intimacy between siblings. Actually, big sister can take pictures whenever she wants."
Her sister's verbal barbs slid right off. Haruno smiled sweetly, then leaned toward the boy, asking in a honeyed voice when they'd be taking pictures together next.
Yukino Yukinoshita averted her gaze, dissecting the pair like a frog on a tray.
When did they get so close? Big sister isn't the type to let down her guard easily… is she?
She smoothed the ripple in her chest and struck again, her eyes sharp as a flying sword.
"It seems Kiyono's changes aren't limited to height; he's finally evolved to the mating behavior of mammals."
Facing Yukino's relentless sniping, Kiyono only smiled gently.
"Yukino-san has certainly become a great beauty. How have you been? Made any close female friends in England?"
"Certainly not as carefree as a certain someone's life," she replied faintly.
"Yukino-chan… could that be jealousy? Jealous of Kiyono and me," Haruno said, lips tilting in a sweet, triumphant smile—her eyes cutting neatly through to the heart across from her.
Her sister had always been perfect, upright, proud—excellent in everything. But even jade has hairline cracks, and Yukino's was her inability to express what lay inside.
The high-and-mighty beauty only offered a cold laugh.
"Stray cats abandoned by their owners will always find new ones. If you're itching to feed something, try the colony behind the gymnasium; it's their spring season."
At this moment, Yukino Yukinoshita was at full power.
Sister or Kiyono, it didn't matter—she machine-gunned scathing remarks like a pea shooter with a freeze debuff.
Under the barrage, the Eldest Miss of Yukinoshita only stroked Kiyono's hair.
"Yukino-chan is as unsympathetic as ever. By the way, Kiyono-kun's collar has been changed to—"
"Article 8 of Japan's Animal Protection Law explicitly prohibits abandoning pets," Yukino said, rising to face her sister.
Their gazes locked in the air; ice crystals seemed to scatter between them.
Is Yukino on fire today?
Kiyono pinched his chin and reviewed the day's flags: ignoring him, bickering, cutting remarks, not letting him speak, and even dropping the food he hates most into his bowl at dinner…
Clearly, Yukino was angry.
But why? Just two days ago they'd chatted perfectly fine on the phone. Was this Haruno's instigation?
Whatever the reason, Kiyono wouldn't rely on guesswork—or let misunderstandings fester. He chose direct action.
Under the reddening sunset, he picked up a certain something and waited by the veranda outside the Second Miss's room. The moment she opened the door, he followed.
Yukino glanced sidelong at him, still silent, quickening her pace. He matched it.
She walked faster, trying to pull away. He followed just as quickly.
Near the end of the corridor, Kiyono took two steps forward, caught her wrist, and gently pinned her to the wall—his shadow falling over her.
Yukino looked up, brows knitting slightly. "What do you want?"
She didn't think Kiyono would ever threaten her with force. Whatever happened, he would never truly harm her. In that, she had absolute faith.
"Why are you angry?"
Kiyono asked it plainly. Realizing their posture was too intimate, he took a small step back.
"Kiyono seems a bit too narcissistic," Yukino said, sidestepping the question.
"Is that so?"
Faced with the Second Miss's tsundere defense, Kiyono went quiet. When he still didn't move, Yukino's expression cooled.
"If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."
Kiyono slowly took out a Mr. Pan panda plushie from his pocket. Twilight painted the black-and-white toy a deep red.
Yukino said nothing. She flicked a glance at the panda—then, unlike her usual self, turned her face away without taking it.
"Does Yukino want to throw it away?" Kiyono pinched the plushie's arm and spoke in a small, silly voice. This Mr. Pan wasn't holding bamboo, but a tiny "Welcome Home" flag.
"Doesn't Yukino want it? It's been waiting for you to come home, you know."
Yukino bit her lip; the sunset tinged her pretty face with faint color. She sighed, her voice trembling—ready to melt into dusk.
"B-bring it over…"
---
Late at night, the boy quietly took a chilled glass, slid in ice cubes like a bartender, cracked a carbonated drink, and poured—swirling it gently. The ice chimed.
He carried the glass back to his room, drew the curtains, and once darkness settled, sat at the computer and typed a confidential message.
While waiting, he sipped. Mmm—refreshing, joyful.
Before he could savor it, a battle report landed from his comrade on-screen.
"We've waited ten minutes! Log in already!"
That fast!?
—The comrade was Sawamura Spencer Eriri: half-Japanese, half-British; deadly with a mouse; fluent in two languages for bickering; possessed of France's pure surrender spirit.
Kiyono set down the cola and typed, "What are we playing?"
As the saying goes, extremes meet. After years of relentless grinding in the last simulation and in this world, the boy's shadow side had swelled; the devils of laziness and pleasure whispered in his ear.
And so, one night, he stepped onto the forbidden path called gaming—and by a string of coincidences, became Eriri's comrade-in-arms.
"League first, then shooters?"
Clearly, the girl had a plan.
Oddly enough, Japan's mainstream had always favored consoles, but Sawamura-san loved PC co-op. Despite being a young lady, she would argue fiercely over minor misplays, gritting her teeth…
Perhaps it traced back to that lonely mask she wore at school—hiding her hobbies, sharing them with no one.
"Let's go," Kiyono replied—concise, like a veteran.
A while later—
"Bro, how did you—as ADC—get chain-CC'd and one-shot again? If my mid-lane heroics hadn't turned that fight, we'd have lost."
"I—I was drawing fire! Soaking cooldowns! Dual carries share one fate; half your carry is my credit!"
Later still—
"Who's MVP now? Who's the carried dog?"
"Shut up! It's that guy's fault—no pings, random flashes. If not for him, I'd have mopped up easy!"
Eriri's exasperated shouts crackled through the headset; Kiyono could practically see the blonde baring her fangs and pounding the desk.
After another game—
"Hmph. You're still below me, but… not bad."
She offered reluctant praise, then, as if to hide her shyness, blurt-shouted:
"Again! Queue again!"
"Sawamura-san, your net addiction might be a bit severe. It's already four…"
"Are you a man or not?! I haven't even said I'm tired and you're backing out?"
She sniffed, sharp and indignant—but after complaining, she yawned, exited the game, and asked casually:
"By the way, did you submit your light novel?"
"In two days."
"Oh." Then, in her uniquely arrogant, cheerful tone—as if her advice would be adopted—she declared, "Tomorrow's Saturday. Stay home and keep playing with me!"
A co-op game that everyone likes does draw people closer. He'd only teamed with Eriri for a week; through matches and voice chat he'd dropped his guard and started speaking with his real self—
Wait. Why am I the one getting 'conquered' here?
Kiyono silently hung up the call.