By the time the trio finally returned to the Kasumigaoka residence, the hands of the clock had long since swept past eight in the evening. Their day had been a whirlwind: returning from their trip that very afternoon, dropping off their luggage in a haphazard pile, changing into fresh city clothes, and then immediately rushing back out for their impromptu shopping expedition.
The house now bore the gentle chaos of homecoming; suitcases stood sentinel by the door, and most notably, two large, unopened boxes of regional souvenirs and gifts sat in the middle of the living room floor, waiting to be unpacked and integrated into the household.
Kasumigaoka Touji tossed the shopping bag containing his new, stylish beach shorts onto the plush living room sofa and immediately turned his steps toward the kitchen. There was practical work to be done.
Kasumigaoka Utaha, with the efficiency of someone used to managing the home's rhythms, headed upstairs to start drawing the bath—a necessary ritual to wash away the fatigue of the day. Kani Nayuta, feeling a surge of domestic energy and not wanting to be idle, looked around the welcoming space. Then, with light, almost dancing steps and her hands clasped innocently behind her back, she followed Touji into the kitchen.
Facing Kasumigaoka Touji, who was already opening the large insulated cooler they'd brought back, she leaned forward slightly, her voice a sweet chime. "Touji-senpai, do you need any help?"
"Hmm…" Touji paused, surveying the contents. His eyes landed on a pristine box. "You can wash the strawberries, please."
He handed her a container of magnificent Amaou strawberries, each berry plump, glossy, and undeniably larger than a baby's fist.
"Should I wash only half?" she asked, hefting the box. The sheer volume and size of the strawberries made washing the entire batch seem like a significant undertaking.
"Wash them all. We brought back a mountain of perishables this time, and it's not easy to find space in the refrigerator for everything." Kasumigaoka Touji explained as he efficiently transferred wrapped meats and fresh seafood into the fridge's cold embrace, turning his face to give her an encouraging smile.
"Okay, understood!" Kani Nayuta responded cheerfully and carried her fruity mission to the sink.
When Kasumigaoka Utaha returned to the living room after ensuring the bath was filling with perfectly steamy water, she was greeted by a scene of cozy, shared sweetness. Kani Nayuta was standing by the kitchen island, holding a glistening, ruby-red strawberry to Kasumigaoka Touji's lips, feeding him bite by bite as he continued to put away groceries. A soft, fond smile played on both their faces.
Utaha walked over without ceremony, plucked a perfectly washed strawberry from the porcelain plate, took a crisp bite, and announced, "The bath is ready and waiting."
"Hmm," Kasumigaoka Touji hummed, finally closing the refrigerator door. He looked up at the two girls with a playful, hopeful glint in his eye. "Shall we… bathe together later?"
"You wish!" Kasumigaoka Utaha fired back instantly, rolling her beautiful eyes with practiced exasperation. Then, her expression shifted to one of conspiratorial camaraderie as she glanced at Kani Nayuta beside her. "But I can bathe with Kazuko-chan."
"Then I'll bathe with Utaha-chan tonight!" Kani Nayuta agreed, tilting her head in an adorable gesture, her eyes curving into happy crescents.
"Hey, hey now… What is this? Are you two deliberately forming an alliance to exclude me? Isn't that a bit too much, ganging up on me like this!" Kasumigaoka Touji put on his best look of exaggerated, wounded displeasure.
Kasumigaoka Utaha shot him a glance that was equal parts warning and amusement. "We're just taking preventative measures, Onii-chan. We're afraid a certain someone might… get carried away and cross lines!"
With that decisive verdict, the two girls linked arms like the closest of sisters and made their exit, leaving a trail of soft laughter in their wake.
Kasumigaoka Touji watched their retreating figures disappear around the corner of the staircase, a slow, knowing, and utterly content smile spreading across his lips…
****
The night deepened, an inkwell of tranquility spilling over the world. All the daytime hustle and bustle had melted away into the serene silence, a blanket that soothed the soul. Time itself seemed to stretch and slow, allowing pent-up energy and wandering thoughts to gently unravel and release.
After a leisurely, soul-soothing bath that washed away the last remnants of travel and shopping fatigue, Kasumigaoka Touji dried off, tousled his hair dry with a blast of warm air, wrapped a soft bath towel around his waist, and made his way with relaxed steps to the second floor. The hallway was quiet, lit by soft sconces.
He pushed open the door to his bedroom.And froze.
There, in the center of the room, bathed in the soft glow of his bedside lamp, stood a vision that bypassed his logical brain and went straight to his primal, appreciative core.
Kani Nayuta.But not the Kani Nayuta of everyday.
This Nayuta-chan sported a pair of delicate, perky silver cat ears atop her head. Around her slender neck was a sleek black collar, from which a tiny, charming bell hung. The outfit she wore was a masterpiece of contradictory allure—a maid ensemble, but one redesigned by a genius with a keen understanding of both 'sexy' and 'cute.'
The black fabric hugged her form, the neckline daringly low and celebratory of a woman's most charming assets, presenting vast, mesmerizing expanses of flawless skin and graceful curves that commanded and held the gaze.
A short, frilly skirt played peek-a-boo with imagination. From behind her, a sleek, silver cat tail emerged, swaying gently with a life of its own. And completing the look, sheathing her lovely legs in a sheath of pure, innocent white, were the pantyhose they had purchased just hours earlier.
She clenched her hands into tiny fists, holding them up near her chin in an irresistibly adorable pose. Then, she tilted her head to the side, her big, cerulean blue eyes locking onto his, and let out a soft, perfect, "Nyaa~."
Critical hit! Direct strike to the soul!
'Oh, my maiden heart—no, my everything!' Kasumigaoka Touji instinctively brought a hand to his chest, as if physically steadying the sudden, powerful flutter within. He looked at her, his throat suddenly dry. "What… what is all this…?"
The visual impact, especially from his slightly elevated vantage point, was nothing short of explosive. It was fantastic, unbelievable, and utterly perfect.
"Am I cute, Touji-senpai?" Kani Nayuta asked, playfully batting her eyelashes, the bell at her throat giving a faint, enticing chime.
"Cute…? You're beyond cute! You're divine! Superlatively, astronomically cute!" Kasumigaoka Touji was unstinting, pouring out his praise like a man discovering a new fundamental truth of the universe. His gaze, however, kept drifting to that intriguing silver tail swaying behind her.
"That tail of yours…" he began, a bold, thrilling hypothesis blooming in his mind.
Understanding his unspoken question, Kani Nayuta turned around, giving him a view of her back. She gave a playful wiggle of her hips, causing the tail to sway enticingly. Driven by scientific curiosity (purely scientific, of course), he leaned in for a closer inspection.
Ah. It was securely attached to the band of her skirt. Not quite the… integrated accessory his imagination had briefly, wildly, conjured. A mix of relief and slight, strange disappointment washed over him.
"Speaking of which," he said, the memory surfacing through the haze of adorable cat-maid allure, "I seem to recall someone promising to do a backflip for me once. How about a demonstration now?"
He grinned, challenging her playfully.
"Eh?!" Kani Nayuta's cat ears seemed to droop slightly in surprise. "I… I haven't actually learned that skill yet…"
"No problem," Kasumigaoka Touji said, his smile turning gentle. "I'll help you." Concentrating softly, he reached out with his finely honed telekinetic abilities—a power he now controlled with the precision of a master artist. With invisible, careful support, he guided Kani Nayuta through a graceful, slow-motion backflip right there on the plush bedroom carpet. It was a flawless, magical assist.
****
Two intense, delightful, and thoroughly exhaustive hours later, a completely spent and deeply content Kani Nayuta had fallen into a profound, peaceful sleep, a slight, satisfied smile lingering on her lips.
Kasumigaoka Touji carefully extracted himself from the warm tangle of limbs and bedding, slipped out of the room, and padded softly to the adjacent bedroom. Pushing the door open, he found Kasumigaoka Utaha still awake. She was seated at her sleek computer desk, bathed in the soft glow of the monitor. Dressed in comfortable, elegant pajamas, she wore a pair of high-quality headphones, her fingers dancing across the keyboard with focused rhythm.
He walked over quietly. She was, as he suspected, immersed in her creative world, weaving words for her novel. He reached out, wrapping his arms around her from behind in a gentle embrace.
Her body gave a slight jolt of surprise. She immediately turned her head, pulled off one side of her headphones, and glared at him, reaching up to pat her ample chest in a gesture of mock fright. "Onii-chan! You scared me half to death! Couldn't you have at least sent a text message first? Or knocked?"
"My apologies, my apologies," he murmured, nuzzling her hair. "Next time for sure."
You still dare to think about a 'next time'? Her look said it all, a silent, eloquent roll of her wine-red eyes. Then she asked, her voice lowering, "Is Kazuko-chan asleep?"
"Hmm, soundly," he confirmed, peering at the text on her monitor. "Are you writing? How much progress have you made on the third volume?"
Come to think of it, it had been a while since he'd last seen her in the throes of composition like this.
"I've just started drafting it," she admitted, leaning back slightly into his embrace.
"Utaha, you've been slacking!" Kasumigaoka Touji teased, raising a hand to pinch her smooth, velvety cheek affectionately. "It's been over half a month since the last volume, and you're only just starting?"
"Why is Onii-chan in such a hurry? The deadline for the third volume is still a comfortable distance away." She tilted her head back to look up at him, a knowing, half-smile playing on her lips. "There's an old Chinese saying that fits perfectly here: 'The emperor isn't anxious, but the eunuch is.' Isn't that right?"
"Oh? So now you're indirectly calling me a eunuch, are you?" Kasumigaoka Touji's eyes glinted with playful menace.
"It seems a certain someone is asking for punishment," he declared, his voice dropping to a mock-serious growl. "Prepare to face justice, you Detestable Kasumigaoka Fatty!"
"Onii-chan is the one who deserves punishment!" she retorted, her own competitive spirit flaring. "How dare you give your own beloved older sister such a rude nickname? It's time this older sister taught you a proper lesson in respect!"
****
What began as a playful sibling squabble quickly escalated into a full-blown, giggling struggle for dominance. With Kani Nayuta already exhausted and deep in dreamland next door, Kasumigaoka Utaha launched her counterattack with initial, confident gusto.
However, as the 'lesson' progressed, her confidence began to waver, replaced by familiar, breathless doubt about the viability of her strategy. In the end, despite her valiant efforts and spirited resistance, she was utterly, completely, and beautifully defeated once again, succumbing to the inevitable, joyful conclusion of their late-night 'discussion.'