"What do you want to talk about?" Kikukawa Kyo tilted her head slightly, looking at her sister in confusion.
It wasn't often that Yuu put on such a serious expression and spoke in such a weighty tone.
"I want to talk about your terrible habit of being way too casual with people!"
With a smack, Yuu's palm landed on Kyo's knee—the very one she had draped over her sister's lap.
"Sit up properly and listen."
"I'm so tired… let me lie down for a bit…" Kyo whined, playing the familiar role of the spoiled younger sister.
"You can sit and lean back against the couch. You can even close your eyes while you listen. But the first thing I need you to pay attention to—" Yuu's tone sharpened slightly. "—is how you carry yourself when you're around others."
Reluctantly, Kyo propped herself up with her hands, slowly pushing her upper body upright—only to immediately surrender herself to gravity, letting her back collapse against the plush cushions of the couch.
Even though she still looked half-asleep, the shift in posture had already changed something.
When she was lying down earlier, her loose-fitting clothes had clung to her body, subtly outlining her figure. The faint glimpse of her waist, her slightly exposed stomach—now, all of it was completely covered again.
Gravity had done its job well.
When she lay flat, it had pulled her clothes snugly against her. But now that she was sitting up, the fabric naturally fell back into place, hiding everything it should.
"I didn't say anything before since you were still in middle school, but now—Kyo, you're in high school. You're not a kid anymore."
Yuu reached out and flicked Kyo's forehead.
Kyo more or less understood what her sister was getting at. She pouted.
"Oh, is this about that time you saw me bring home some blonde-haired guy on a motorbike?"
Even as she said it, she couldn't help but grin, completely unbothered.
Then, mimicking the rough tone of the so-called "blonde-haired guy," she put on an exaggerated voice—
"Yo, boss lady, I parked the bike downstairs for ya."
That alone sent her into a fit of laughter. Eyes squeezed shut, she curled up against the couch, shoulders shaking as she laughed so hard she nearly lost her breath.
"You're still laughing?" Yuu smacked her forehead again—harder this time, leaving a faint red mark.
"Ow." Kyo rubbed at the spot, blinking in confusion. "Wait, why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?"
"You should already know the answer." Yuu let out a sigh. "Are you seriously asking me if I'm worried about you getting tricked by some random guy?"
"Pffft—c'mon, you know that wouldn't happen. And even if I were dumb enough to get tricked, it definitely wouldn't be by some blonde-haired guy on a bike." Kyo snickered.
"If anything, it'd be a blonde-haired guy with a bottle of whiskey."
Yuu narrowed her eyes. "Oh? So you're saying a single bottle is all it'd take to kidnap you?"
"Of course not," Kyo said, matter-of-factly. "I've never even had whiskey before. But I do wanna try it sometime."
Then, with absolute confidence, she added—
"Obviously, I wouldn't be won over that easily. It'd have to be at least a whole case. Or, better yet, an open bar."
Yuu gave her a deadpan look before finally letting out a disbelieving laugh. "Unbelievable. I'm not worried about someone else tricking you. I just don't want you digging your own grave."
Taking a breath, she composed herself and got back on topic.
"What I am saying is that you need to be more aware of personal space. You're great at keeping a respectful distance from strangers, but the second you get comfortable with someone, it's like you throw all that out the window."
"Hm…" Kyo actually took a moment to consider it. "Maybe it's because that's how I act around you and Mom and Dad."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I only really know how to interact with family. So when it comes to other people I care about, I just… default to treating them the same way I treat you."
To demonstrate, Kyo casually wiggled her legs.
"Like this."
Yuu sighed. "Just to clarify—you were acting like this when you stayed over at Soyo's place?"
Kyo thought about it for a moment.
The image that came to mind was her sitting directly on top of Soyo, straddling her.
"…More or less."
Yuu gave her a long, steady look.
"…And you think that's appropriate?"
"No, you're right."
Kikukawa Kyo shook her head.
She and Soyo weren't actually family, after all. Maybe she had gotten a little too close. Maybe there was something off about her behavior.
Kikukawa Yuu was pleased. That's my little sister—she actually gets it right away.
But just to be sure, she decided to hammer the point home.
"Kyo, listen to me. I know most of the people you're around are girls, but in this day and age, same-sex attraction isn't exactly rare. And among band members? It's especially common!"
"…That's a stereotype, Yuu."
"If it's a stereotype that exists, doesn't that tell you something?" Yuu folded her arms, looking far too smug for someone talking absolute nonsense.
"Besides, you do go to an all-girls school. I don't need to spell out what that means, do I?"
Kyo sighed. Here we go. In a completely monotone voice, she recited a random trivia fact from memory:
"A significant number of lesbian romance stories are set in all-girls schools."
Yuu clapped her hands together. "Exactly! Kyo, I don't think you realize just how much your pretty little face attracts people. For all you know, someone's already got their eyes on you."
"Oh? And you'd know all about that, huh?"
"Of course I do, your big sis is—"
Yuu abruptly cut herself off.
Kyo, however, had already burst into laughter.
"Heh… Pfft—Wait, so does that mean I should be staying away from you too?"
Grinning, she put on an exaggerated look of fear and dramatically scooted away.
"I'm your sister!"
With an exasperated huff, Yuu grabbed Kyo's ankle and yanked her right back, flicking her forehead for good measure.
"Anyway, point is—stop being so casually touchy with people. If you keep this up, you're gonna turn into one of those 'flirty playgirls' who break hearts left and right. Do you want people to start calling you a total player?"
Kyo blinked. "I mean… I guess that wouldn't be great."
"Exactly! And if you want to actually act like a normal person, then learning how to set proper boundaries with different people is a crucial skill. So take this seriously."
"Yeah, yeah. I got it."
"…That said," Yuu's tone shifted slightly, "have you ever actually had feelings for someone?"
Kyo tilted her head.
Yuu immediately regretted asking.
"Damn it. I forgot who I was talking to for a second."
Kyo, however, decided to humor her anyway.
"Well… if we're talking about 'liking' someone, then yeah, I guess there are a few people."
She held up her hand and started counting off her fingers.
"Sakiko, Anon, Tomari, Soyo…"
That… was completely unhelpful.
Yuu stared blankly as her little sister effortlessly rattled off multiple names.
Yeah. No. There was zero meaning in that answer.
Forget worrying about Kyo. I should be worrying about the poor souls who are going to fall for her someday.
Yuu had no doubts—her little sister was definitely going to attract more than one person.
She could only wonder how they'd even begin trying to win her over.