The silence in the entryway is thick with the explosive potential of a thousand tons of TNT. Rina stands in the kitchen doorway, radiating pure, murderous fury, her gaze flicking between me, Haruka, and the damning strand of purple hair caught in the closet door. Haruka stands on the doorstep, her initial surprise replaced by a look of intense, analytical curiosity, clearly piecing together the impossible puzzle. I stand in the middle, feeling like the world's stupidest, most doomed secret agent.
And inside the closet, Aiwa is probably hyperventilating among the dust bunnies and board games.
"Explain," Rina says, her voice so cold it could freeze lava. "Now. Why is Ito here? Why does my apartment smell like cheap perfume?" (It is vanilla, but Rina is clearly too angry for olfactory accuracy). "And whose," she points a trembling finger at the closet, "is that?"
"It is… festive decoration?" I try weakly, already knowing it is futile.
Haruka lets out a small, almost impressed laugh. "Do not bother, Rui-kun. The game is up." She turns her cool, analytical gaze towards the closet door. "Matsuki-san, is it not? Fascinating. So the shy routine is just an act. Hiding in closets? How delightfully theatrical."
The closet door slides open a crack. Aiwa peeks out, her face pale, her eyes wide with terror. She looks like a hostage peeking out during a bank robbery.
Rina lets out a sound that is halfway between a gasp and a growl. "YOU?!" she shrieks, finally connecting the dots. "She was here?! ALONE?! With my brother?!"
"Technically," Haruka interjects smoothly, clearly enjoying the chaos, "she was in the closet. So not entirely alone with him."
"THAT IS NOT THE POINT!" Rina roars.
This is it. The meltdown I have been dreading. Rina looks ready to tear down the entire apartment building with her bare hands. Aiwa looks like she is about to faint. Haruka looks like she is taking mental notes for her memoirs.
Before Rina can launch herself at either me or the closet, I do the only thing I can think of. I step directly in front of the closet, shielding Aiwa, and face my sister.
"Okay! Yes! She was here!" I confess, deciding that a partial truth is better than certain death. "She came by to drop something off! A thank you gift! Then you," I point at Haruka, "showed up unexpectedly! And then you," I point at Rina, "came home early! She panicked and hid! That is it! Nothing else happened!"
Rina just stares at me, her eyes blazing. "You expect me to believe that? After everything? After the beach? After the magazine? After the kiss?!"
"He is telling the truth," Aiwa's voice, small but steady, comes from behind me. She steps out of the closet, brushing dust off her dress, her LUNA-Lite persona flickering back to life out of sheer necessity. "It was entirely my fault. I imposed on Hinamata-kun's time, and I panicked when Ito-san arrived. My apologies for the intrusion." She gives Rina and Haruka a stiff, formal bow.
Her sudden appearance and calm (ish) explanation momentarily throws Rina and Haruka off balance again. They were expecting a crying, terrified mess. They were not expecting LUNA-Lite offering polite apologies from inside a storage closet.
"So," Haruka says slowly, circling Aiwa again, her analytical gaze taking in the slightly dusty dress and the faint trace of panic still lingering in her eyes. "You hide in closets when confronted. Interesting. A potential weakness."
"And you just happened to be 'in the neighborhood'?" Rina asks Aiwa, her voice dripping with skepticism.
"I took a detour," Aiwa lies smoothly, her LUNA-Lite confidence growing. "I was exploring… potential photoshoot locations."
The standoff continues, a bizarre triangle of suspicion and barely concealed hostility. Rina is furious that Aiwa was here alone with me. Haruka is intrigued by Aiwa's secret-keeping and her connection to me. Aiwa is desperately trying to maintain her composure and escape without further incident. And I am just trying to prevent bloodshed.
"Look," I say, trying to mediate. "Clearly, this is awkward. Matsuki-san was just leaving-"
"Was she?" Rina interrupts, her eyes narrowing. "Or was she planning on staying for… dinner?"
"Maybe," Haruka adds, a calculating glint in her eyes, "we should all have dinner. Together. Get everything out in the open."
My blood runs cold. A dinner party. With Rina, Haruka, and Aiwa. All three of them knowing (or strongly suspecting) varying degrees of the truth about each other and about me. It sounds like the premise for the world's most stressful reality TV show.
"No!" Aiwa and I say in panicked unison.
"Excellent idea, Ito-san," Rina says, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across her face. She looks at Aiwa. "Unless, of course, Matsuki-san has other, more important plans?"
It is a challenge. Aiwa looks trapped. If she leaves now, it looks like she is running away, admitting guilt. If she stays… she is walking into the lion's den.
Aiwa takes a deep breath. LUNA-Lite flickers again. "Actually," she says, her voice surprisingly calm. "I find myself unexpectedly free this evening. Dinner sounds… adequate."
Rina and Haruka both look momentarily surprised by her acceptance. Then their smiles turn predatory.
My fate is sealed. I am about to host the most awkward, most dangerous, most potentially catastrophic dinner party in the history of humankind. I need more coffee. And possibly body armor.