Fat sizzled in the hot oil, the white steam carrying the fragrance of dinner. Rin Ito estimated his girlfriend's arrival time, sliced the scallions, and dropped the drained greens into the pan.
Rin Ito, 24 years old. He wasn't a student; he was a transmigrator.
In his previous life, he had a great stroke of luck... wait, no, a great stroke of bad luck had struck him. When he woke up, Rin found himself transmigrated to this world, but life only brought a huge change after twenty perfectly ordinary years.
It wasn't that he awakened a System; rather, his parents, along with their close friends next door, were preparing to form a 'Forget-the-Kids' duo when they, too, were struck by a disaster—just like Rin in his previous life.
Rin, then a university student, and the junior-high-aged Star-Moon (Hoshizuki) sisters were completely stunned.
Treatment drained most of both families' money, even forcing them to borrow heavily, but the outcome was tragic. To survive, Rin had no choice but to immediately 'jump into the sea' of the adult industry... though, of course, not literally.
In his past life, Rin was a cartoonist for 'surface world' (normal/non-adult) publications. As a 'Pure Love Warrior' (an author who only writes wholesome romance), he rarely dabbled in the 'underground world' (adult/erotic content). But desperate times called for desperate measures, and he had no choice but to start drawing adult manga.
Drawing something mildly suggestive might not get you far, but it gets you there fast.
"I'm home~"
The clear, youthful voice of a blossoming girl reached his ears. Rin knew his girlfriend and her sister had returned.
Two identical-looking girls, whose only difference lay in the subtle variation of their bust sizes, appeared in the entryway.
Hoshizuki Kaede and Hoshizuki Suzu. Rin's childhood sweetheart and current girlfriend, and her younger sister.
Kaede's short, shoulder-length blue hair was neat and tidy. Her chest, far more developed than her peers, strained against her white short-sleeved shirt. A blue checkered pleated skirt cinched the shirt's hem, accentuating her slender waist. The only sure way for a stranger to tell the twins apart was their legwear:
The older sister, Kaede, wore black thigh-high stockings, while the younger sister, Suzu, wore black pantyhose.
Rin had a few other ways to tell them apart: Kaede's mole was on the left side of her chest, while Suzu's was on the right. Kaede's chest was slightly smaller, and Suzu's was slightly larger.
Rin had once fantasized about 'mistaking them,' like some harem anime protagonist, and gaining the affection of both sisters to live a life with a beauty on each arm.
But... manga was manga, and reality was reality.
Ito Rin was a Pure Love Warrior!
Yet, the reality currently facing him was far more bizarre than any manga.
Rin peeked his head out from the kitchen and gave Kaede a strange look when he saw only her and Suzu in the entrance hall.
"No one else came?"
"Who else did you want?"
Lately, Kaede had been constantly bringing female classmates over and leaving Rin to entertain them while she hid.
Was she really that trusting of her boyfriend?
To be fair, Rin had always been a trustworthy boyfriend. Since they started dating, he had conscientiously kept his distance from other women, including Suzu. His intimacy with Kaede was strictly limited to holding hands and kissing; they had never crossed the line.
It wasn't that Rin didn't desire her, but as a man, if he let his 'little brother' control his 'big brother,' who was really in charge!?
"Go wash up and help me serve dinner."
Their dinner was simple: a pan-fried fish seasoned with hot-oil-infused soy sauce, a leftover bone soup from yesterday, and stir-fried greens. Simple, yet delicious.
While eating, Kaede spoke casually. "How's the manga drawing coming along?"
"It's going okay."
Rin hadn't told them he was drawing adult manga, only that he was drawing manga. Neither Kaede nor Suzu pressed him for details.
As an adult manga artist, Rin was still a Pure Love Warrior whose works focused solely on wholesome romance. However, according to his editor, sales for pure romance had recently declined, and Rin's work wasn't particularly standout.
The editor had suggested he try drawing something more stimulating, but Rin's attempts at other genres hadn't been well received.
More than his manga, Rin was worried about Kaede. She had been far too strange lately.
After dinner, while Kaede was clearing the table and kitchen, Rin pulled Suzu aside. He glanced towards the kitchen and lowered his voice, "Do you know what's up with Kaede lately? She seems a little... weird?"
"She says she's bringing friends over to play, but she always finds an excuse to hide, leaving me to talk to them. Has anything happened to her recently?"
Suzu seemed to have expected Rin to ask her.
"Wait for my message after dinner."
Though desperate to know why Kaede was acting this way, Rin could only suppress his curiosity since Suzu had asked.
After finishing dinner and putting away the dishes, Kaede and Suzu headed home. Before leaving, Suzu gave Rin a loaded, meaningful look.
Less than ten minutes after they left, Rin received a message from Suzu.
[Hurry over.]
Kaede and Suzu's house was right next door to Rin's; the two detached houses stood close together. Rin could climb directly from his second-floor window into Suzu's room.
As for why not Kaede's room... when they were kids, Kaede, in her tsundere way, insisted she didn't want to live that close to Rin. Now she regretted it but was too embarrassed to ask Suzu to switch rooms.
"Shh!"
Suzu was waiting in her room. She put a finger to her lips in a silencing gesture before leading him to Kaede's room next door.
Both Kaede's and Suzu's rooms were simple, with no unnecessary decorations. Besides the bed, there was only a desk with a computer, a cabinet for odds and ends, and a built-in closet.
Rin was about to speak when Suzu once again shushed him, then pointed to the built-in closet.
The closet?
Rin opened the closet door curiously. The closet was quite spacious. The bottom contained off-season bedding, and above were Kaede's various uniforms and casual clothes—nothing unusual.
Just as Rin felt confused, Suzu pushed him inside. The stale air was mixed with the scent of laundry detergent and Kaede's faint, tempting fragrance.
As Rin stood bewildered, familiar footsteps sounded from outside the door... Kaede had returned.
There was no hint of panic on Suzu's face. She climbed into the closet with Rin and slid the door almost shut, leaving only a sliver of space to view Kaede's room.
Though the closet was large, two people were its absolute limit. Their legs tangled as they searched for a comfortable position. Suzu's body, slightly softer than Kaede's, pressed tightly against Rin's chest. All Rin could smell was the girl's intimate, blossoming scent. The breaths from their mouths brushed against his lips, tickling him.
Rin wanted to say something, but the footsteps outside the closet were getting closer. He could see his girlfriend's silhouette through the crack.
Here he was, Kaede's boyfriend, hiding with her sister in a cramped closet... If they were discovered, there would be no explaining it.
And... Rin was a normal man. The warmth and soft sensation of the young girl pressed against him made his heart race.
To prevent a truly terrible situation, Rin forced his attention to the outside of the closet.
But... the situation outside the closet was even worse.
Kaede entered her room and immediately collapsed onto the bed, phone in hand. Her eyes were glued to the screen as her fingers expertly undid the buttons on her uniform skirt. Slender fingertips traced a line down her flat stomach.
A seductive gasp escaped her cherry lips, and her eyes, like her white underwear, grew moist, clearly defining the outlines beneath. Her slender waist arched back, and the small toes encased in black thigh-high stockings curled tightly. Then... Rin's name slipped out in a faint whisper.