It wasn't obvious—at least, not something you could easily point to—but there was a certain feeling about it.
After all, in Takanashi Toka's eyes, Minamoto Senya had always been steady and deliberate, someone who acted with calm planning. But today, there was something off about him. His behavior didn't quite match his usual style.
For example, he had just shown up at school to bring her dinner without even calling first. Did it not occur to him that she might have already eaten?
And then, afterward, he lingered at the school gate, claiming he'd gone to browse the bookstore. Yet, there was a larger, better-stocked bookstore near their home. Why hadn't he gone there instead, so he could head home without waiting around? Instead, he had chosen to stand outside in the summer night, with moths and insects buzzing everywhere—hardly the right place to be killing time with a book.
Putting these pieces together, Toka could only arrive at one possibility in her mind.
Maybe bringing her food and browsing the bookstore were just excuses. Maybe Senya's real intention was simply to see her—or more plainly, to walk home together with her. Nothing more.
The reasoning felt a little forced, but still, Toka couldn't shake the inexplicable certainty that this was the truth.
Now, sitting beside him, catching his gaze, she suddenly felt flustered.
A woman's natural sixth sense told her that tonight, something significant was about to change.
Her rational mind urged her to retreat to her room, to cut the conversation short. Don't risk disturbing the fragile peace and happiness of their current life. Don't let it collapse.
But… was that really true? If she probed further, was unhappiness the only possible outcome? Couldn't there also be… a turn toward something even more joyful, even more fulfilling?
Driven by that faint, dangerous thrill surging in her chest, her curiosity overcame reason. She crossed that line.
"You noticed, huh? Was it that obvious?" Senya's expression was unusually gentle, his eyes filled with warmth that couldn't be hidden.
It was impossible to imagine someone like this ever hurting her.
"Mhm. Pretty obvious," Toka admitted with a small nod.
"From what exactly?"
"I… can't really say. Just a feeling, I guess."
Toka tilted her head slightly, a strand of hair falling across her cheek. She instinctively reached up, tucking it behind her ear without thinking.
And in that moment, she saw it—a flicker in Senya's eyes.
A dangerous, heated gleam.
It was like the ravenous glint of a starving beast about to pounce and devour its prey whole.
Though he quickly diverted his gaze to the television playing in front of them, Toka had felt it clearly: that sudden shift in his emotions.
"…There's something I want to talk to you about," Senya said, suppressing the thundering beat of his heart.
It was often said that, in a man's eyes, a woman was most alluring in three moments: right after waking, fresh from the bath, or in the languor after intimacy.
And just now, he had experienced one of those moments.
Coming so soon after realizing his own feelings, emotions that had already driven him more than once to secretly wash his underwear in embarrassment, the effect was overwhelming.
"…Think of it as a life consultation," he said at last.
"A life consultation…? Something like that, wouldn't it be better to ask Dad instead? He's older, more experienced." Toka's voice wavered, as if she already sensed where this was heading.
But Senya had already resolved not to hold back anymore. "Dad can't help with this. It's something between us."
"…!"
Panic flared in Toka's chest. "B-between us? What could there possibly be between us?!"
In that instant, the way she saw him began to shift.
The image of a younger stepbrother with no blood ties was fading, being replaced by the undeniable figure of an attractive young man.
Her heart, already uneasy, began to pound harder. Her forced composure cracked, her expression stiffening.
I haven't even said anything yet, and she's already like this…
Watching her startled reaction, Senya sighed inwardly.
He had only wanted to use this opportunity to hint at his real feelings—just lightly, just to test the waters. To see how Toka viewed him outside the bounds of family.
He had prepared excuses, fallback plans, jokes he could use to defuse the moment if it went wrong.
But seeing her recoil like a frightened bird… no, there was no way she could handle even a hint of the truth right now.
All this time, he had thought his "younger stepbrother" identity was a shackle, a cage preventing him from pursuing true happiness.
But now, it seemed… maybe it wasn't.
If he put it another way, that identity was more like camouflage—an effective disguise, like the ghillie suit a soldier wears to survive. Not a burden, but a shield.
His thoughts tangled, the original plan collapsing under the weight of unexpected complications.
Forget it. For now, better to steer the conversation elsewhere.
Senya stabbed a piece of apple with his fork and ate it. "Toka, do you remember back when our parents first got together, when we all just started living under the same roof?"
"O-of course I remember. Why?"
It wasn't the direction she feared the talk was going, and she felt herself exhale in relief.
"At first, I wasn't that close with Rikka. She even went out of her way to keep her distance, always a little guarded around me."
"Well, that's just Rikka's personality. She's bubbly around people she knows, but with strangers she's cautious. It takes her time to warm up."
"But you, Toka—you weren't like that. From the start, you treated me with warmth."
"Of course. I'm the older sister. I had to set an example."
"So it was responsibility, then?"
"Partly, yes. But more than that… I knew that both Dad and you were good people. We were family now, so I wanted to make sure we got along."
Talking about those early days, Toka relaxed further, convinced this was nothing more than nostalgia.
But she didn't realize this was just Senya's way of leading in.
Because the next moment, he cut straight to the point.
"Dad may be family, sure. But Toka—do you really think of me as family?"
"...!"
Her heart clenched, as if an invisible hand had squeezed it tight.
"O-of course! What are you even saying? You and Rikka are both precious family to me!" Toka's expression grew serious, her hand pressed firmly to her chest as if to prove her sincerity.
Senya's lips curved, his smile suddenly radiant.
The next moment, Toka leaned forward and pressed her hand against his forehead, scolding. "What's gotten into you today? What are you really trying to say?"
"I'm just happy," he said simply. "Happy to know that, in your heart, I matter as much as Rikka does."
"Don't joke around. If you keep this up, I'll get mad."
"Okay, okay. Honestly, it's nothing too serious…" Senya clasped his hands on his knees, thumbs fidgeting nervously. "…It's just, lately, I've been feeling uneasy. Like something about you has changed."
"Uneasy?"
Toka blinked in confusion. The Senya she had always seen as unshakable was now sitting in front of her with such an uncertain, vulnerable expression that she didn't know how to respond. "…What do you mean?"
"I started noticing it after we moved into this new house," he said slowly.
Sensing his mood leveling out, Toka stayed quiet, letting him continue.
"The house is bigger, sure. But somehow… you don't seem as natural around me anymore. It's like there's this wall between us, some barrier keeping us apart. I feel like the distance between us is growing."
"That's not true at all—" Toka started to protest.
But Senya pressed on with a sigh, as if he'd already laid his cards on the table. "The clearest example? You don't ask me to help with your stretching exercises anymore."
"..."
She fell silent.
Because it was true.
But it wasn't that simple. In the spacious new house, she didn't have to share a small room with Rikka anymore. She could do her stretches alone in her bedroom, using the bed for support. She hadn't needed his help.
"That's not it. You've just been so busy lately—kendo practice, piano lessons, helping out at Dad's café, and even contract work with Saeko. With everything on your plate, I thought the last thing you needed was me bothering you for something so trivial."
"…I see."
"Of course. What else did you think?" Toka replied smoothly, hands on her hips, trying to sound like the dependable older sister.
But the truth was, she was hiding the real reason.
The more time she spent with him, the more she had watched him grow into the capable young man he was now.
She had seen his commanding presence in kendo matches, his elegance at the piano.
Thanks to his efforts, their family's life had grown increasingly secure. They'd bought this new house outright, without even taking on debt.
In Toka's eyes, it was impossible to keep seeing him as just a younger stepbrother.
She had become more and more aware of his appeal—not as family, but as a man.
The casual touches they once shared no longer felt innocent.
And that alone would have been troubling enough. But worse were the fantasies—wild, impossible daydreams that had once been fleeting, but now invaded her dreams.
Dreams where they clung to each other, whispering names in intimacy, fumbling awkwardly as they crossed a forbidden line…
Every time, she woke in shock before things went too far.
But the flushed heat in her body, the change of clothes she always needed afterward—those told her the truth.
That she had been aroused. By him. By this "forbidden" feeling.
But it was wrong. No matter how you looked at it, it was wrong!
"That's good, then." Senya leaned back into the sofa with a sigh of relief. "What I'm going to say next… it feels embarrassing. So, Toka, could you not look at me while I say it?"
Normally, such a request would have made her tease him.
But with tonight's atmosphere, she simply obeyed, turning her gaze toward the TV.
Senya fell silent for a long moment before finally speaking again.
"Ever since I was old enough to understand things, it's always been just Dad and me. He worked at the bar to support us, while I studied hard and took care of myself.
Sometimes I'd overhear people whisper things like, 'That poor boy, his father's always busy, no mother at home, always alone…'
But I never felt it was wrong. Even coming home to an empty, quiet house never really got to me. I had friends. I had security. I had a warm place in the city to call home. I was grateful for that life.
Studying gave me knowledge. And whenever loneliness crept in at night, I told myself that solitude wasn't misfortune—it was an opportunity to focus, to grow."
Toka listened, and for some reason, something deep in her heart ached.
Her own life had been so much easier. Her mother had always come home at night, no matter how busy her job. She had Rikka. The three of them had eaten together every day.
But Senya? Because of his father's work schedule, their lives had barely overlapped. They must have had so little time together, maybe only weekends.
The bond of blood was strong, but in daily life, they'd been like strangers under the same roof.
Toka didn't know what emotions lay behind Senya's words. She wanted to turn and look at his face—but she held back.
"…I thought I liked that kind of life," Senya went on softly. "But then Dad brought Mom, Rikka… and you into my world."
Toka trembled, her left hand clutching the sofa. Then, gently, his hand covered hers.
She turned, startled, and met his gaze. Those clear, earnest eyes—untainted by even a trace of malice.
"…That was when I realized something. I hadn't truly liked that life. It was just self-consolation, a way to make do because I had no other choice.
Being given something happier… it showed me what really matters to me. My goal. My meaning in life. And what I have to do… to protect it."
Toka stared at him blankly as he took her other hand as well, raising them together between them.
Without realizing it, they had drawn so close that each could see their reflection in the other's eyes.
…