"Rin! What are you doing?!"
When Rin swiftly straightened up and recoiled, it was already too late. Kaede, the twin sister, had witnessed everything firsthand, which was why she was so shocked, staring wide-eyed and dumbfounded at the girl with a face identical to her own.
It was as if she was seeing Rin for the first time in over a decade!
I must not have seen that right. She was just secretly kissing Alex?!
The thunderous sound of the outburst also woke the dozing Alex. He opened his eyes to see Kaede and Rin, the normally inseparable sisters, standing across from each other in the room, seemingly locked in a confrontation, or perhaps stunned disbelief.
When did these two get here? What are they doing?
"You two..."
"Rin! Come with me," Kaede's eyes, full of complex emotion, snapped away from Alex. She grabbed her sister's wrist and dragged her out. As Rin was pulled from the room, she looked back at Alex a few times.
Her expression... was strange.
Alex was genuinely confused. "What's up with those two? Wait, I actually fell asleep just now..."
He scratched his head, picked up his bento, and was opening the box while pondering the recent events, when he suddenly licked his lips. A faint, sweet fragrance lingered, making him look around suspiciously.
"Rin! What in the world is going on with you?! What are you and Alex doing?! What was that just now?!"
Kaede dragged her sister just outside the door and unleashed a torrent of questions. Rin remained utterly composed, accepting her sister's harsh interrogation without changing her expression. She replied calmly, "I was just brushing the dust off his clothes."
"Liar! Rin, do you think I didn't see it? You directly kissed him—"
"..."
She saw it? Rin blinked, then calmly changed her statement. "Oh, I did kiss him."
"Rin, you're even lying now. As your sister, I understand you less and less," Kaede grabbed her shoulders, her small hands tightening. "You've changed so much. Are you and Alex... are you dating?"
"Did he change you?"
Change? Have I changed?
Rin silently considered her actions over the past two days. She knew she hadn't changed fundamentally, but she had definitely shifted, all because of Alex. "No, we are not dating."
"If you aren't dating, why would you—"
"It was a sudden impulse, so I kissed him. Besides, my first kiss was with Alex. Kissing him again... isn't a big deal, is it?"
And your first kiss was with him, too.
Kaede opened her mouth to speak, but Rin cut her off, glancing coolly at the hands gripping her shoulders. She spoke with the same placid tone. "Besides, it has nothing to do with you, Kaede. Are you very concerned?"
"I... of course, I'm concerned! You're my sister!" Kaede's face stiffened slightly. She pulled her hands back and put them on her hips, though her gaze darted away. "You can't just behave so improperly when you aren't dating... even if your first kiss was with Alex, you still can't!"
"This is my business, Kaede. It doesn't concern you."
Hearing her sister's simple, direct, and explicit words, the tsundere elder sister couldn't breathe for a moment. How could this happen? I just came to find my sister about the club dissolution, and I see this.
She never imagined her cold, expressionless sister would act so daringly. It completely shattered her worldview!
"Rin, the Student Council dissolution document was handled by you too, wasn't it? You would actually oppose me for the sake of this club and Alex? That's not like you at all. And your behavior just now... does this mean you..."
"I did it. I'm also a member of the Student Council, so I have the right to oppose a council decision," as for the last question, she didn't answer. "I haven't eaten yet. Sister, please leave. I'm going back to the club room."
"Wait? Hold on..."
Bang—
Seeing her sister decisively re-enter the room, followed by the sound of the door slamming shut, Kaede sighed with worry. Thinking about her sister's rebellious behavior and her intimate moment with Alex...
A feeling of unease and complexity grew in her heart.
Inside the [Sexual Guidance] club room, only Alex and Rin remained. The returning girl maintained her emotionless facade, acting as if the stolen kiss earlier had been done by someone else, her composure preventing Alex from feeling suspicious.
However, Rin looked around the empty room, and seeing herself alone with Alex seemed to lift her spirits. She knelt down beside him.
"Only you? Yuki and the others... didn't come?" Rin asked softly.
"Nope, they didn't come. Yuki is in the library, Makoto and the rest are in class," Alex heartily scooped rice into his mouth, eating with gusto.
Rin's appetite was piqued. She took out her own lunch bento. "Is that so? It sounds like you all had a lot of fun last night, didn't you?"
"..."
Girl, that's a loaded question.
Alex nearly choked.
Rin opened her cherry-like mouth and delicately ate a piece of broccoli, chewing slowly. "Then why did you come to the club room? Why not stay with them?"
"I have time to be with them every day, so I thought I'd come to the club and keep you company first," Alex winked at her, grinning playfully. "I couldn't stand to let you eat lunch all alone in the club room again like yesterday."
Was that why she got inexplicably angry yesterday?
"..."
Rin's expression remained unchanged, but her eating motion paused abruptly for one second before returning to normal. As she lowered her head slightly, her eyes, hidden by her bangs, fluctuated intensely.
The edges of her ears, barely visible, were tinged with red.
She didn't speak again. The room fell silent, save for the sounds of eating. Rin noticed that Alex's bento box was nearly empty and the food was mostly gone. She had a thought.
"Here, share mine."
"Huh?"
Without asking for his opinion, the girl reached out and transferred half of her rice and side dishes into his bowl under his watchful gaze. "Eat."
"...Alright."
"How is the taste?"
"Good, it's delicious. Did you make it?"
"...My sister made it."
"I wouldn't have guessed. Your tsundere sister is actually good at cooking."
"I can cook too," Rin said, silently deciding to show him her skills next time. After a long silence, she asked, "Alex, do you like my sister?"
Alex nearly spit out the rice in his mouth, covering his lips and coughing violently. He was clearly caught off guard and stunned.
Rin, you deadpan girl, why are you always saying shocking things?
The blue-haired girl moved closer to pat his back. "Did I hit a nerve?"
"Not at all. As for your sister, Kaede, I don't have any feelings for her."
"Really?"
Her bright, perceptive eyes stared straight at him, suggesting she didn't believe him.
"If... you like my sister, I can help you."
Alex raised an eyebrow, meeting the gaze of the girl who had moved closer. He inhaled her flowing feminine fragrance and chuckled ambiguously. "Rin, what if I told you I like you more than your sister?"
He didn't dodge or change the subject. Instead, he openly displayed his predatory side. With that, he pressed his body forward.
Whoosh—
His breath fanned across her face. Their two faces were very close.
And the girl, who usually remained expressionless, blushed slightly under Alex's intense pressure. Though only a hint, it was exposed directly beneath his eyes.
Seeing this, Alex dropped his playful smile, adopting a serious and gentle expression, and slowly leaned in.
Gazing at the face and lips that were getting closer, Rin's cherry lips trembled. She wanted to say something but couldn't, wanted to act but couldn't move.
Her hands tightly gripped the hem of her skirt. Her heartbeat accelerated.
Then... she slowly closed her eyes...
"Mmm..."