"Who the hell is that guy!?" Nino hissed, glaring at the man walking and laughing with Ichika. "I knew it. She was definitely dating him over the break."
Despite her tough talk, Nino didn't know what to do. None of them did. They stood in stunned silence. Falling in love was normal; they had no logical reason to object.
But... if Ichika fell in love, wouldn't the five of them be split up?
All four felt a sharp pang in their chests—a bitter feeling of betrayal, as if their sister was being "stolen" right in front of them.
Ichika, however, was preoccupied with her own nerves.
"Is this your first time holding a guy's hand, Ichika? You seem pretty tense," Rin teased, squeezing her slightly stiff hand. "Your palm is getting sweaty."
"Ah... haha..." Ichika laughed awkwardly. "We went to an all-girls school before transferring, so I haven't had much contact with guys."
Kaede's voice came through their earpieces via a phone call, not the system: [Since you're nervous, you need more contact! How will you act in a movie if you're this stiff? Use this chance to practice!]
Both Rin and Ichika were wearing a single Bluetooth earbud. Kaede was listening to everything.
Usually, Ichika wouldn't be this flustered by casual contact, but knowing Rin's actual girlfriend was listening—and that her sisters were watching from a distance—made her incredibly self-conscious.
"Don't worry. Just be natural," Rin whispered.
Kaede: [That's right. Grab his arm... lean in closer. Press your breast against his arm a bit.]
Ichika swallowed. Even if it was Kaede's suggestion, was such intimacy okay? "Is this..."
Kaede: [Don't worry about me being jealous. Plenty of movie couples aren't real; this is just acting practice.]
Ichika started to speak but stopped. Kaede's logic was sound, but it was still bizarre to hear a girl encouraging her own boyfriend to feel up another girl. Is she really that open-minded?
Regardless, it was a rare chance to practice. Ichika took Rin's arm, though she was still too shy to press her chest against him as Kaede suggested.
With Rin and Kaede's guidance, Ichika soon eased into the role. They walked down the street looking like a perfectly happy couple.
Behind them, the sisters were a mess of emotions. They were jealous of the man stealing their sister, and terrified of the gap that was growing between them. They wanted to shout for her to stop, but they lacked the courage.
Then... they watched in horror as Ichika and Rin walked into a hotel.
!!!!!
They weren't children. They knew exactly why a man and a woman went into a hotel.
"What... what do we do!? Ichika... she's going to become an adult!" Yotsuba's face was beet red as she panicked.
"She's probably already climbed the staircase of adulthood! Dammit... hiding it from us all this time," Nino spat, looking furious. "She must have been doing 'adult things' with him all through the holidays."
"Eeehhh!?" Itsuki stared at the hotel, her mind filling with images of Ichika undressing for Rin. Miku's face remained mostly blank, but her eyes were filled with a deep, quiet desolation.
"Let's go. Let's just go home," Miku said quietly.
Nino wanted to protest, but she had no words. She nodded gloomily. What else could they do? Burst in? It would be too humiliating for everyone involved.
As the sisters turned to leave, Ichika—now inside the hotel—was just as red-faced as they were. Even though she wasn't there for sex, she felt like every guest in the lobby was judging her for being there in her school uniform.
Nobody was judging her, but plenty of men were looking at Rin with pure envy. Seeing her shy reaction, Rin chuckled and moved his hand from her arm to her waist, pulling her close.
"!!!" Ichika stiffened. She was trying to act sophisticated, but her blushing face gave her away.
Rin stopped teasing her. He grabbed the key card he'd already arranged and led her to the top floor—the same suite where he'd taken Karen and Shion's virginities.
He swiped the card. Inside the suite's living room, Shion and the head of the film company were already waiting. Shion, in her maid uniform, was casually on her phone, while a middle-aged man beside her looked like he was sitting on a bed of nails.
When the door opened, the man jumped to his feet. Shion, however, calmly walked to the foyer, knelt before Rin, and began unlacing his shoes to provide him with slippers.
Ichika stared, wide-eyed. Even though they'd discussed the plan, seeing the elegant Shion actually kneel to serve Rin was a shock. Her acting is incredible! she thought.
Rin glanced at her. This wasn't acting. Shion and Karen would kneel and lick his feet if he asked.
But while Ichika was merely impressed, the film executive's heart nearly stopped. He recognized Shion. She was the head maid of the Hojo family and the personal attendant to Karen Hojo.
Shion might "just" be a maid, but everyone in the business world knew she spoke for Karen. Executives from the Hojo Group's massive subsidiaries treated her with the utmost reverence. His own film company wasn't owned by the Hojo family, but they provided a massive portion of his funding. They were the ultimate "Big Money."
He had met Shion once at a gala where she stood at Karen's side. When she called him today saying they needed to "talk," he had been terrified.
After changing Rin's shoes, Shion stood behind him like a silent shadow.
As Rin walked into the room, the executive stepped forward with a trembling hand extended. "Sir, I am—"
Rin didn't even look at him. He walked right past the man and sat on the sofa, leaving the executive's hand hanging in the air.
The man didn't know who Rin was, but seeing Shion—the gatekeeper of the Hojo fortune—kneel for him told him everything he needed to know. This man was someone far beyond his reach. He began frantically racking his brain: Who did I offend? Who did I fuck over recently?
Watching the man sweat, both Rin and Ichika wanted to laugh. But they had a role to play.