Miku slowly withdrew her hands from mine.
I didn't try to stop her.
My shoulders slumped, and my gaze fell to the ground as the light faded from my expression.
...As I thought.
She couldn't forgive me.
But contrary to my expectations, the moment she pulled her hands away...
She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me.
Her soft body pressed gently against mine as she held me close.
"I'm sorry..." she whispered.
"I'm sorry for doubting you."
For a moment, I was too stunned to react.
Then, almost instinctively, my hesitant arms found their way around her back, returning the embrace.
"Y-You're... not angry?" I asked quietly.
She shook her head.
"No." There was a hint of relief in her voice. "I'm grateful that you saved her."
She tightened her embrace ever so slightly.
"That night, we had an argument... and she ran out of the house without saying anything."
Silence settled between us for a while, neither of us wanting to let go.
Eventually, Miku lifted her head from my chest, her cheeks puffed out in a small pout.
"I guess I am a little angry that you didn't tell me sooner..."
She hesitated before adding in a voice so quiet it was inaudible,
"...And a little jealous."
A guilty smile crept onto my face.
"I was waiting for the right moment."
After everything that had happened, I had grown a little closer to Nino.
But that was one detail I wisely decided to keep to myself.
A few more seconds passed.
Miku still hadn't let go of me.
Not that I was complaining.
If anything, the warmth and softness of her embrace were making it increasingly difficult for me to stay calm.
Still, there was one thing I needed to know.
"Um...Am I... in the clear now?"
I'd learned that it was always better to voice what was on your mind than to bottle it up, especially in a relationship.
At my question, Miku finally loosened her arms and took a small step back.
She looked up at me with a gentle smile.
"Not entirely."
There was a subtle chill hidden beneath that smile.
I let out a helpless sigh.
...Yeah, that make sense.
"We should get going," Miku said softly. "We'll miss the train if we stay here any longer."
I simply smiled and nodded in agreement.
As we walked toward the station together, however, my mind was already at work, to plan something that could ease her mind.
--------
Back at the Nakano sisters' apartment, everything was as peaceful as usual.
Nino had just begun preparing dinner, while the others were occupied with their own activities around the living room.
Just then, the front door opened.
"I'm home."
The three sisters in the room greeted her almost in unison.
"Welcome back."
Yotsuba asked with sparkling eyes. "How was your date with Ren?"
Normally, whenever Miku returned after spending time with Ren, there was always a gentle smile on her face—a quiet sense of happiness that was impossible to miss.
But today...
She seemed unusually distracted, as though she were lost in her own thoughts.
"I had fun," Still, Miku managed to reply with her rare smile.
Then her gaze shifted toward the kitchen.
"Is Nino in there?"
Yotsuba blinked at the unexpected question before nodding.
"Yeah. She's making dinner."
Without another word, Miku headed toward the kitchen.
Yotsuba watched her leave with a puzzled expression.
Ichika and Itsuki exchanged brief glances before following Miku's retreating figure with their eyes as well.
Something about her behavior felt... unusual.
Inside the kitchen, Nino noticed Miku quietly step inside.
"You're back?" she asked, never taking her eyes off the vegetables she was chopping.
Miku didn't answer.
Instead, she asked a question of her own.
"...Are you going to explain yourself?"
Thump.
Nino's hand froze.
Her heart lurched in her chest.
A wave of unease washed over her as possibilities flashed through her mind.
She wasn't sure what Miku was referring to...But the possibility stood out.
"...What do you mean?" she asked, wanting to be absolutely certain before saying anything.
"...Why were you meeting Ren behind my back?"
Nino flinched.
Just as she'd feared.
It was exactly what she had been thinking.
It wasn't as though she had been trying to hide it from Miku.
She had simply remained silent for Ren's sake. From the way he had acted, it was obvious he hadn't wanted Miku to find out before he had the chance to explain everything himself.
Now that Miku knew...
He must have told her the entire truth.
For some reason, Nino found herself holding Ren in even higher regard.
He hadn't tried to conceal anything.
He had chosen honesty, even though it would have been far easier to keep quiet.
The truth was, Nino had only been buying him time.
Once enough time had passed, she had intended to tell Miku everything herself.
After all...
She wasn't into some degenerate stuff.
Nino set the knife down on the cutting board before turning to face Miku.
"If he told you everything, then you already know how he saved me."
She folded her arms across her chest.
"I was only trying to repay him by buying him a new phone. It's not like we went out together to have fun or anything."
Miku remained silent, her doubtful gaze never leaving Nino.
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"Because he begged me not to!" Nino shot back without hesitation.
And, to be fair...He really did.
Miku didn't look entirely convinced.
With a quiet sigh, Nino gave in.
"...Fine. I also wanted to judge his character for myself."
"I see..." Miku murmured, the suspicion in her eyes easing ever so slightly.
After a brief silence, she spoke again.
"If you're done judging him..."
Her gaze met Nino's directly.
"...Then don't meet Ren behind my back again."
It was part reminder...
Part warning.
Miku had accepted Ren's explanation and understood everything that had happened.
But that didn't mean she was comfortable with it.
She didn't want her boyfriend meeting another girl behind her back—Even if that girl happened to be her own sister.
Nino fell silent.
Fine.
She wouldn't meet Ren behind Miku's back again, in the first place it wasn't her intention.
Still...
She wasn't about to let him off that easily.
She had forgiven him for what had happened long ago, but that didn't mean she would let him off after seeing her naked, twice in one night.
And besides...
Why was Miku acting as though this was entirely her fault?
That irritated her more than she cared to admit.
"You're talking as if I'm trying to steal him or something," Nino replied with a sarcastic scoff.
She folded her arms and smirk in a mocking manner.
"Maybe you should keep your man under control first. He's always flirty and says misleading stuff."
Miku frowned.
That wasn't the reaction Nino had been expecting.
"What are you talking about?" Miku asked, genuinely confused. "Aside from me, he practically treats everyone like they don't exist."
"...Huh?"
Now it was Nino's turn to frown.
Miku had no reason to lie about something like this.
If that was true...
Then why had Ren acted so differently around her?
Was it simply because she was Miku's sister?
...Or perhaps, could he be putting on the act of a loyal boyfriend in front of Miku while secretly flirting with other girls behind her back?
Just when Nino had started to trust him...
She found herself with yet another reason to keep a close eye on him.
"Anyway, I've said what I needed to say."
With that, Miku turned around to walk out of the kitchen, leaving Nino behind.
Watching her back, Nino couldn't help but click her tongue in annoyance.
Did Miku really think she was exaggerating about the flirting?
Had Ren left out some of the details when he explained everything?
.....Wait a second.
Did he actually tell her everything?
A small, nervous grin tugged at the corner of Nino's lips as a mischievous thought crossed her mind.
Miku trusts him far too much, let's see how the two of you handle this.
"Just so you know..." Nino called out.
"That loyal boyfriend of yours undressed me."
Even though she said that at the spur of the moment, her face flushed bright red with embarrassment—and immediate regret.
"E-Ehhh?!"
A unified cry erupted from outside the kitchen.
Yotsuba, Ichika, and Itsuki nearly stumbled into view, their faces frozen in shock.
Unable to contain their curiosity, the three of them had been eavesdropping from the outside. Unfortunately, they'd only caught fragments of the conversation, leaving them with more questions than answers.
Then Nino had dropped that bombshell.
Without any context, their imaginations immediately went into overdrive.
In contrast, Miku remained surprisingly composed.
She slowly turned back to Nino, a calm smile appearing on her lips.
"It's not like there is much to see anyway."
It was that same "gentle" smile... The same treatment Ren received earlier.
"W-What...?"
Nino stood there, completely dumbfounded, couldn't come up with an immediate retort to this insult.
She hadn't expected that.
"Hold on!" Ichika finally cut in.
The other three had listened in silence long enough.
"What on earth actually happened?" she asked, looking between the two of them.
Itsuki hold her head with one hand in complete confusion.
"I can't follow this conversation anymore..."
"Tell us the whole story!" Yotsuba demanded, unable to hold back any longer.
The mystery had officially become too much for all three of them.
Meanwhile, back at Ren's apartment...
Completely unaware of the chaos unfolding at the Nakano household, Ren was busy experimenting in the kitchen.
Armed with nothing more than a cooking video he had found online and confidence that far exceeded his terrible cooking skills, he attempted to recreate a simple egg dish.
The results...
Were questionable.
Still, he had no intention of giving up.
After all, the refrigerator was packed with eggs. If he didn't start using them soon, they'd eventually go to waste.
As he carefully flipped the half-cooked egg, his ear suddenly twitched.
"Hm?"
He absentmindedly rubbed it with a finger.
"...who is talking about me?"
Little did he know...Several people were doing exactly that.