The basement party lasted until Monday morning.
Looking at the clock, Sakiko stopped exactly at 10:00 AM, using a tissue to elegantly wipe the traces from her mouth.
Her rested logic had reclaimed its throne from her instincts. She was no longer just a girl; she was the Toyokawa heiress once again.
She had decided to stop running. She would shoulder her responsibilities. She would become a God.
The "God" talk was a bit chuunibyou, but her resolve was real. She was going to do what needed to be done.
"Is my 'endurance training' sufficient?" Sakiko glanced at the disheveled girls around her.
"Beyond sufficient!"
In the final 24 hours, Sakiko had been incredibly proactive. Her rear had even been developed enough to accommodate a "plug-in" cat tail.
The rest of the activities had been... extreme.
Nuzzling Karen, Chika, or Moeha's chests to drink their "milk" like a baby, or tasting the cream puffs Rin had left inside the others.
Shame and dignity had been completely discarded. Aside from actual intercourse, she had done everything else with Rin.
To be fair, Kaguya was the only one of the five elites who couldn't fully drop her mask; she spent most of the time as the party's photographer.
As for Chika and Moeha... in Kaguya's words, they were "shameless sows" to begin with!
Shame? Never heard of it.
The sisters played the hardest. Moeha had even tried to drag Kei Shirogane into the basement at one point.
After the debauched weekend, Sakiko checked her messages. Most were from Nyamu, who was already obsessing over band names.
Sakiko replied to the @mentions, and then... she finally called her grandfather, Teiji.
"Grandfather. I've come to a decision."
"Oh?" Teiji's voice held a trace of surprise. He had intended to let her suffer a bit longer to "forge" her before bringing her home. He hadn't expected her to reach an epiphany so soon.
Teiji knew his granddaughter—stubborn and proud. She would never have come back on her own. After meeting that man, Rin Ito, she had changed instantly.
What the hell did he do to her!?
"You've decided to give up on your father?"
"No. I will never give up on him," Sakiko said calmly. "I will shoulder everything for him."
"Don't speak like a child. Do you have any idea what you're up against?" Teiji's voice grew stern. "Even as the sole heir, you are vulnerable! You don't understand the darkness of this family!"
"Grandfather, it's not that I don't understand the darkness. It's that you are too afraid of it!" Sakiko paused, her tone turning grave. "Tell me, Grandfather. Why... why did Father truly leave the family?"
"..." After a heavy silence, Teiji spoke. "The girl beside you... she isn't Uika. She's Hatsune."
"Eh?" Sakiko's brain struggled to process the news. "She isn't the Uika you played with as a child. She's her older sister, Hatsune Triangle. She... she is your mother's half-sister. Your aunt."
"...?"
Sakiko didn't know how to react. Is this a plot from a trashy soap opera!?
"Your father found out about her and wanted to give her the Toyokawa name. But she has no Toyokawa blood. Seigo wanted her 'home' because he is kind, but the others saw it as a takeover attempt. Even as your father, he was barred from returning because of that 'threat'."
"..."
Sakiko was silent. She hadn't realized how complex the web was. But...
"I will become the head of the Toyokawa family. I will sweep away the darkness. I will bring Father and Hatsune back into the light!"
Now it was Teiji's turn to be silent. Finally, he let out a weary sigh.
"You have the same stubborn streak as Mizuho... I will do my best to pave the way. Whether you can actually sweep the darkness is up to you."
"Move back home first. I'll send people to look after Seigo... Keep your plans to yourself for now. Lie low. Grow. Do not underestimate the Toyokawa darkness."
Teiji hung up, and Sakiko let out a breath.
Her mind was still a mess. Even with her new resolve, she was confused... The Uika I know is Hatsune? Then where is the real Uika?
"If you can't figure it out, stop thinking about it." Rin patted her head. He had heard most of the conversation through the phone. "Whether she's Uika or Hatsune doesn't matter. What matters is the bond you built with her."
Sakiko took a deep breath and nodded.
"Thank you."
"Rest easy."
Karen's voice came from beside them. They had been woken up by the call. Karen stood up, her body aching but her head held high, looking Sakiko in the eye.
"I, Karen Okiura, future head of the Okiura Group, will always be your ally!"
"Thank you." Sakiko opened her arms for a hug, but Karen took a step back.
Karen: "???"
Sakiko looked away guiltily. "I think we should shower before we hug."
Both girls were a complete mess. Half-dried fluids and sticky residue made them look—and feel—disgusting. Now that logic had returned, Sakiko couldn't bring herself to touch anyone.
"Pfft..." Karen burst out laughing. "You were eating it so happily a few hours ago, and now you're acting prim and proper? Hehehe..."
"YAAH!!!!"
With a cry from Sakiko, Karen lunged and pulled her into a tight hug, burying Sakiko's face in her own sticky cleavage.
"I want a hug too~"
"Me too~"
(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ
The awakened Chika and Moeha joined in, and the four girls became a tangled, giggling, messy heap of limbs.
"Kaguya, aren't you going to join?" Ai teased the conflicted Shinomiya heiress.
"I'm not joining those idiots in a— EEK!!!!"
Before she could finish, Chika and Moeha tackled the "clean" Kaguya, dragging her into the mess. Karen and Sakiko followed suit. Five naked, fluid-coated girls were soon rolling on the floor.
"Ehehe, don't be shy, Kaguya-san~ If you won't hug us, we'll just hug you! Slurp~" Chika licked Kaguya's cheek.
"Chika Fujiwara, you sow! Keep your dirty tongue away— YAAH! Who's touching me!?"
"Hehe~ Kaguya-san, it's me~" Moeha took a lick too.
"Moe— MMM!"
Slurp~
Slurp~
With the Fujiwaras leading the charge, Karen and even Sakiko joined the "cleaning" duty.
As for Shion and Ai, they wisely stepped back with Rin to avoid the splash zone. The four girls didn't stop until Kaguya was licked almost entirely clean.
The studio and the Fujiwara villa had multiple bathrooms. After showering and changing into fresh clothes, the sisters went to bed. Kaguya, Ai, Karen, and Shion all headed home, leaving Rin and Sakiko alone in the yard to say their goodbyes.
Looking at the brilliant blue sky, Sakiko's amber eyes still held a flicker of uncertainty. She had a goal, but no map.
"Tell me... what should I do first?"
"Do as your grandfather says. You are his only blood relative; trust him, and grow in silence." Rin paused. "Continue with the band. It'll make the family enemies think you're just playing around. But don't let it become your only world again. Don't use it to hide."
"Mmm." Sakiko let out a long breath and stretched. "It's decided then. I'll take Mutsumi to the Budokan. I'll let her prove her worth—that she can be loved for her talent, even behind a mask, without her mother's name."
"And after that?"
"After that... I disband Ave Mujica and go to war for my family!"