The lunch table transformed into an interrogation room. Miki was the lead prosecutor, her sharp gaze pinning us in place. Hana was the gentle, concerned detective, trying to appeal to our better nature. Kenji was the excitable, unreliable witness who just wanted to hear the juicy details.
"Let's start from the beginning," Miki said, her voice calm and methodical. "The gifts were delivered. The Ice Queen accepted the offering. Then what?"
"We talked," I said, sticking to the official story. "I apologized. She accepted. We agreed to be normal siblings again. End of story."
"No, it is not," Hana said softly, her brow furrowed with worry. "Rina-chan, you have been acting strange all week. You are happy, yes, but it is a… mischievous happy. A 'hiding a big secret' happy. And Rui-senpai, you look like a hostage."
"I am not a hostage!" I protested, a little too loudly.
Rina, who had been enjoying my suffering with a serene smile, finally decided to speak. "Oh, alright," she sighed, as if granting a great favor. "If you must know. My grand apology offensive was a complete and total success." She preened, puffing out her chest slightly. "My gifts were accepted. My apology was heard. And as a sign of his complete and utter surrender, my dear brother even gave me a heartfelt apology kiss to seal the deal."
The world stopped.
I choked on a mouthful of rice, a violent, hacking cough that brought tears to my eyes. Kenji's jaw dropped so far it nearly hit the table, his chopsticks clattering from his numb fingers. Miki's glasses actually fogged up. Hana just made a small, squeaking sound.
"I DID NOT!" I finally managed to gasp, my face the color of a fire hydrant. "YOU KISSED ME! I WAS THE KISSEE! YOU WERE THE KISSER! THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE!"
"Details, details," Rina said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"A KISS?!" Kenji bellowed, his voice a mixture of horror, awe, and an unholy amount of excitement. "A FORBIDDEN SIBLING KISS?! THE LEGENDS ARE TRUE! I NEED DETAILS! WAS THERE TONGUE?! ON A SCALE OF ONE TO TEN, HOW FORBIDDEN DID IT FEEL?!"
"Kenji, for the love of god, shut up!" I yelled, my mortification reaching critical levels.
Miki and Hana were just staring at us, their faces pale with shock. "Rina," Miki said, her voice a strained whisper. "You actually kissed your brother?"
"He was being very sweet," Rina said defensively. "He had just given me a very heartfelt speech about how much he missed me. It was a very romantic moment."
"He is your BROTHER!" Hana cried, her usual gentle demeanor completely gone. "You cannot just have romantic moments with your brother!"
"Why not?" Rina asked, genuinely confused. "It makes things much more fun."
I dropped my head into my hands, groaning. My secret was out. My deepest, most embarrassing, most life-ruining moment had just been revealed to my entire circle of friends.
But we were not alone. At a nearby table, hidden behind a large textbook, Haruka Ito lowered the book just enough for her eyes to peek over the top. She had been listening to every single, damning word. A slow, cold, calculating smile spread across her face. This was better than she could have ever imagined.