The school after that was nothing short of terrible. 

Not only did the girls who’d been summoned to Emera’s house after school the next day start looking terrified of me, but even the ones who’d overheard the conversation seemed afraid too.

In fact…

“They’re gonna get ‘taught a lesson’ too…?”

“The bathroom thing… that means that, right…?”

“No way… there’s also the girl I like…?”

“Damn it… all the school’s beauties are going to be snatched up by him…!”

“Shut up, if he hears you, he’ll kill you…!”

…most of the guys were saying absolutely horrible things like that.

The girls, on the other hand, seemed speechless. 

They looked terrified, as though tomorrow might be their turn. 

Well, at least the Class A students had been against me yesterday by siding with Emera, so I can’t say it’s entirely unreasonable they’re scared… 

And before I knew it, what had happened spread throughout the entire school—to the point that some people were already calling me “the new ruler of the school.”

“—Self-inflicted.” 

That night, just as I was about to go to bed, Furei came into my room and looked at me with an exasperated expression.

Myaa-san wasn’t in her arms, so she must have left her in some other room.

There’s no way she left her in her own room… at least, I hope not.

Emera is supposed to be sleeping in that room tonight, so if she really did leave Myaa-san there, that would be nothing short of harassment.

“Well, maybe I didn’t need to say it right there and then… but still, it really pissed me off that they tried to sell out their own friends.”

“Pervert…”

“Hey, wait a second!? That’s just an insult, isn’t it!?”

As Furei sat down on the bed beside me, I shot back at her.

“What you’re planning to do… is that kind of thing…”

“Well, yeah, maybe… but if we’re talking about making them suffer without resorting to violence, it’s not a bad idea, right? And I was planning to leave the actual execution to Shirayuki-san anyway.”

“Eh!?”

Shirayuki-san, who’d had no idea about any of this, froze in place mid-motion as she was laying her futon out on the floor.

Does that futon even serve a purpose?

You’re just laying it out—you’re not actually going to sleep on it, are you?

That thought crossed my mind, but I didn’t bring it up, and instead smiled at Shirayuki-san.

“You’re the only one who can do this important task. I’ll leave it to you.” 

““That’s the smile of a con artist…””

When I tried my best to force a nice smile, Furei and Shirayuki-san both made sour faces in unison.

Honestly, they looked like they were about to say, “Yikes…”

“Yeah… maybe that was pushing it.”

“When Eito does it… there’s always an ulterior motive…”

“You’re not really the type of person who puts on such a flashy smile, after all.”

“Nn… your usual one… suits you better…”

Yeah, these two really do say whatever they want.

Just what do they think I am?

Though it’s not entirely wrong… 

“Furei’s one thing, but we only just met yesterday, Shirayuki-san…”

“Even though we just met, I can tell you’re not the kind of person who smiles like that.”

“That’s harsh! I do smile like that sometimes—when I’m with Hina.”

““Siscon.””

“Hey, could you not suddenly sync up like that at times like this? And Furei, you’re not exactly innocent either.”

She might not be on the same level as me or Emera, but this girl is obsessed with her sister too.

At school, she’s always sitting on Emera’s lap, clinging to her and acting spoiled.

Though for some reason, she hadn’t been sitting there today.

“Koori… do you think so?”

“Eito-sama and Emera-sama are far beyond the bounds of normalcy, so I believe Furei-sama is quite distant from that category.”

As Furei tilted her head cutely and asked Shirayuki-san, Shirayuki-san responded with a bright, refreshing smile, and took a jab at both Emera and me at once.

She’d looked frightened earlier when she thought she’d made an enemy of Emera—but maybe she actually looks down on her quite a bit.

Seems I’m getting lumped in with her too.

“Hey, don’t lump me in with Emera, alright? I’m not that bad.”

“…” 

Though I spoke seriously, for some reason, the two of them just stared at me in silence with judging eyes.

That’s strange. I really don’t think I’m anywhere near as bad as Emera…?

No, seriously, Emera’s fixation on Furei is on a completely different level.

Even today, after we got home, she said, “I-I think it’s still too early for Furei, so I’ll take her place instead tonight and sleep together with you, Eito-kun…”—despite what she went through last night—trying to act as her sister’s substitute.

Treating Furei like a child felt odd considering they’re the same age, but it was probably just proof of how precious she is to her.

By the way,

the bed had somehow been replaced—without my permission—with an enormous, expensive-looking one, complete with curtains like something a princess would sleep in.

Before I could say anything, Emera, with her face flushed red, hurriedly said, “F-Furei will be sleeping there too, after all…! A-And if you want to punish me, I’ll accept it without complaint… even though I-I really, really hate it!” and braced herself as if awaiting punishment. Though… she also looked like she might be slightly looking forward to it, so I decided not to get mad. Though… she also looked like she might be slightly looking forward to it, so I decided not to get mad.

Isn’t she opening some kind of weird door…?

—Well, technically, it’s my fault. 

“I’m getting sleepy…”

Whether she’d lost interest in the conversation or the drowsiness had simply won out, Furei flopped down onto the bed.

Then she patted the space beside her twice, silently telling me to lie down too.

“Emera seemed pretty uncomfortable with it on the inside, but you’re taking it surprisingly well, Furei… Doesn’t it bother you?”

As I lay down beside her as instructed, I asked Furei. 

After all, like Emera, she must have been raised carefully at home and should have a ladylike sense of values, so even if we’re engaged, sleeping like this with a man she doesn’t love ought to make her uncomfortable.

That was what I’d been thinking, but—

“Eventually… I’ll be forced to marry someone for the sake of the family… If that’s the case, then I want it to be you, Eito… You’re kind, considerate, and quick-witted… Talking to you isn’t tiring, you look after me, and you’re dependable too… That’s why I want you, Eito…”

—Unexpectedly, Furei gave a very high evaluation of me. 

She pressed her face against my chest, rubbing her cheek there with a hint of embarrassment.

She even wrapped her arms around me, clinging close.

Because of that, I could tell Shirayuki-san, who was listening nearby, gasped.

Though it might not have been a confession, it was hard not to interpret her words as one, and hearing her master say it clearly caught Shirayuki-san off guard.

Honestly, I hadn’t expected Furei to say something like that either.

Had Emera’s behavior earlier today stirred something in her…?

“I’m not the kind of guy who deserves to be praised like that, you know…? I mean, I’m a siscon and all…”

“Hehe, that’s funny… You looked like you really hated being called a siscon just a moment ago… and now you’re the one saying it yourself…”

Apparently finding my words and attitude amusing, Furei let out a small, adorable smile.

Hey, even I get embarrassed sometimes.

It was awkward, so I had to say something—can you blame me?

While I was thinking that—

“Just being someone my mother recognized is already impressive enough… And besides, I already knew what kind of person you are… There’s nothing about you that I dislike…”

She said only this before closing her eyes and falling silent, as if to say the conversation was over. 

After saying that much, she closed her eyes and fell silent, as if to say the conversation was over.

Honestly, I was fine with it ending there—it was embarrassing, after all, but…

Is she planning to fall asleep while clinging to me like this…?

—I couldn’t help but wonder.

And yet, despite being praised so highly like this, I can’t help feeling that if something like last night were to happen again, Furei’s opinion of me would flip instantly.

I even went so far as to think that maybe I should just tie my arms up or stay awake all night, but Shirayuki-san, who looked as though she were saying, “You can do whatever you want, but don’t forget that Maria-sama will be watching, you know?”, subtly flicked her smartphone toward me.

For some reason, she puffed out her cheeks slightly, though I couldn’t tell what exactly she was angry about. 

As I wondered whether she was secretly the type who wanted to see her master embarrass herself, or she was some kind of closeted pervert who enjoyed this sort of thing, she suddenly gave me a piercing stare.

That look clearly said, “Do you want to be erased?”

Realizing she’d seen right through me, I thought that perceptive girls really are troublesome… and with no other option, I went to sleep—but—

“Th-thash n-not faiir… t-to do thyis all at once… t-thesh noh way I can endurh it…”

—when I woke up, the one lying beside me sprawled out limply with her clothes undone like Emera had been yesterday wasn’t Furei,…

It was Shirayuki-san.

Right next to her, Furei was sleeping soundly, her clothes similarly disheveled, looking thoroughly satisfied.

…So what exactly happened this time?