After the party ended, Rei Ao made sure to escort everyone home one by one, ensuring they were safe.
In return, he received a kiss from each person at their farewells. Among them was Furuhashi Fumino, which surprised him a bit.
"Thank you, Rei Ao-kun."
She spoke from the heart, then rose onto her toes and gave him a swift peck on the right cheek—a touch-and-go kind of kiss—before hastily running back inside, face aflame. Rei Ao was somewhat taken aback, but not excessively so: at least she hadn't kissed him on the lips.
He lingered there a moment, giving a small smile and a wave toward the lit-up second-floor window before disappearing into the night.
Standing by that second-floor curtain, Fumino herself was bright red and struggling to calm her racing heartbeat.
"Ugh… Will I be misunderstood by doing that?"
She felt both self-conscious regret and a tiny bit of hope, worried that Rei Ao might get the wrong idea—yet deep down, also hoping he might.
Rei Ao didn't go out of his way to ponder Fumino's girlish thoughts. He knew the time wasn't right, and being too pushy wouldn't be wise. A gentle, natural approach suited Fumino best.
…
Yukino's Apartment.
"Do you plan to stay overnight at Yukino's place, or shall I take you home?"
Rei Ao directed that question to Haruno, who'd come along with everyone else. Although Haruno's cheeks were faintly flushed from alcohol, she wasn't truly drunk. She deliberately pressed herself against Rei Ao in front of Yukino, as if tipsy.
"Rei Ao-kun~ Yukino's place seems to have one more occupant now," meaning Alicia, the new resident who'd shown up at Yukino's.
"So, can Onee-san stay at your place instead?"
As she said this, she sidled closer with a coquettish air—sultry eyelashes fluttering and a light flush from the drinks making her look all the more captivating.
Rei Ao, in his mind, admired how obviously she resembled Yukino's beauty, but he also recognized Haruno's distinctive style.
Yukino, for her part, frowned slightly but remained silent, only watching closely to see his response.
"My place is already quite full, but if you really want to stay, I can arrange something."
He was merely stating the facts: after all, he had plenty of people in his household. Still, they could always fit one more if needed.
"…"
Haruno stared at him, but found no extraneous emotion she could parse in his calm expression. At length, she withdrew and sighed:
"Ahh, looks like Rei Ao-kun's being awfully proper in front of little Yukino."
"Onee-san, don't do pointless things,"
Yukino said coldly. Though she felt pleased with Rei Ao's reply, she disliked Haruno's purposeful attempts to test him—especially because it was Rei Ao being tested.
Rei Ao waved it off. "It's all right—Haruno is probably just thinking of you."
"Hmph-hmph~ See, little Yukino? Rei Ao-kun says I'm doing it for your sake. Why so grumpy with me?"
"…"
Yukino felt a rush of annoyance. Her sister had the nerve to take advantage of Rei Ao's attempt at smoothing things over.
She was about to say something when Haruno's feigned pout and aggrieved look vanished abruptly. She reverted to her usual composed demeanor, as if nothing had happened.
"Rei Ao-kun, I'll just catch a taxi home. I don't intend to be a third wheel here."
"No."
He rejected that decisively.
"Letting you ride a cab in the middle of the night—if anything happened to you, Yukino wouldn't let me off. I'll take you."
…
At the Yukinoshita House.
"…"
The quiet bedroom was as still as ever. But the mother of the Yukinoshita family, who usually had a strict routine, found herself lying awake. She couldn't sleep, because her elder daughter, Haruno, had yet to return home—and it was already very late.
Word was that Haruno had gone to attend a gathering organized by Rei Ao, supposedly to keep Yukino company.
But what kind of gathering was it? Potentially something to do with that mysterious group? Even though she tried not to worry, she couldn't help thinking more whenever it involved Rei Ao.
And she herself still had her own secret. Would Rei Ao tell Yukino and Haruno about it? Her mind churned restlessly until she had trouble sleeping.
Suddenly, a sound from outside drew her attention.
"Click!"
Something or someone had opened the front door?
Frowning, she quietly left her bed and went to peek over the second-floor railing, discovering the lights in the living room were on.
Haruno was indeed home. But next to her, she saw Rei Ao as well. They appeared to be talking.
"…"
Yukinoshita-mama said nothing. She only wanted to hear what they said.
"Rei Ao-kun, thanks for taking me home. Should I give you a thank-you kiss, like some others do?"
In a playful, somewhat tipsy voice, Haruno made a half-joking suggestion to flirt with Rei Ao. She seemed to be in the habit of teasing people. But she forgot that Rei Ao preferred to reverse these roles.
So his retort was blunt and unexpected:
"Sure. I'd be happy to get a kiss."
"Huh?"
Haruno froze. That answer… was not what she expected. She'd been prepared for him to dodge or dismiss it. Instead, he gave a direct invitation, throwing her off her game. Then she saw the mischievous glint in his eyes.
"What's wrong? Not going to do it? Did I mishear something?"
"…"
She recognized that expression right away: the same gleeful look she usually wore when messing with other people. Now it was she being teased. Rei Ao was flipping the tables.
But he left a subtle opening, a chance for her to back off gracefully if she wanted. Yet Haruno never let herself yield so easily. Facing Rei Ao's provocation, she decided to strike back.
Running a finger seductively over her lips, she gave a coquettish smile:
"Oh my, so little Rei Ao is quite charmed by Onee-san's appeal after all, hmm? Can't wait even a moment?"
"…"
Rei Ao's smile vanished. He stared her down for a moment, so intently that her persona nearly faltered. She forced herself to stay calm. Eventually, he sighed lightly and said:
"Haruno, I've given you a chance to retreat."
"But since you insist on fanning the fire, don't blame me if you get burned."
"Huh?"
She blinked, not understanding. In the next second, Rei Ao stepped close and tipped her chin up:
"Haruno, you ready?"
"Ah?"
Before Haruno could react, he blocked her lips with his own.
"Mmph!!!"
…
On the second floor, Yukinoshita-mama covered her mouth with her hand, shocked. She realized she'd just witnessed something serious.
It was exactly what she'd once brought up to Haruno. Yet actually seeing that scene unfold now put her in a complicated mood.
She stared a moment at the two figures embracing in the living room. Then she turned away to her bedroom, not stepping in to stop them.
After all, her elder daughter had chosen to play with fire—and if Haruno found herself consumed by that flame, so be it. She hoped Haruno would learn something from all this.
~~~
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