“—Well, it’s about time to go to sleep…”

Time had passed since then; the five of us ate Hina’s home-cooked dinner together, and after that, we all took turns using the bath.

(By the way, since Emera usually eats nothing but high-class cuisine, she was in a position where she couldn’t really complain—after all, this was Hina’s cooking, and Hina is one of Maria-san’s favorites. At first, she looked unsure of what to think, but the moment she saw the finished dishes, she was shocked. And after taking a bite, she didn’t complain at all—she actually relaxed her expression as she ate. So it seems even commoner food suits her tastes… or rather, Hina’s cooking is just too good.)

I found myself thinking that maybe I could just go ahead and sleep alone in my room like this.

The reason was that, normally, Emera and Furei always bathe together, with Shirayuki-san and the other maids washing them. But because Emera was still affected by the drug, she bathed alone this time, and afterward she shut herself up in the room we’d assigned to her and Furei.

Of course, I sleep in my own room, and if she simply doesn’t come here, then that’s entirely Emera’s fault. If that happens, I can just explain it to Maria-san, and the only one who’ll get scolded will be Emera.

In other words, from my perspective, it would be more convenient if she didn’t come right now.

But…

“—Things don’t go that conveniently, you know?”

Just as I was about to get into bed, my door was knocked on three times, and when I opened it, Shirayuki-san was standing there with deadpan eyes.

It seemed she had anticipated my thoughts, but more than that, I found myself concerned about her outfit.

“Cat ears… pajamas…?!”

Shirayuki-san, insisting she should bathe last because she’s the maid, had only just finished her bath, but when she showed up in my room, she was wearing a hood with what looked like cat ears on it.

Her clothes were pajamas, but thanks to her naturally youthful face and small build, they suited her incredibly well.

However, it was so unexpected that she, who was usually cool and composed on the surface, was wearing such an adorable outfit, and the shock left me stunned.

Where can I buy one…?

I wonder if Hina would wear it if I bought one for her next time…?

As I was thinking that—

“Please… don’t stare so much… I’m only wearing this because it’s an order from Fuurei-sama that I’ve followed since I was young…”

It seemed the animal-eared pajamas embarrassed her, and Shirayuki-san turned her eyes away with a slight pout, her face flushed red.

What an adorable creature.

And Furei, you have great taste, and you’ve done excellent work.

Setting everything else aside, I think we are in agreement here.

Moreover, if I talk to her, she might help me get Hina to wear these cat ear pajamas.

We’re going to sleep together tomorrow, so I thought I should seriously consult with her.

“Heh, it really suits you.”

I kept what I was thinking in my head and praised her outfit with a smile.

“Even if you say it suits me, I’m not happy about it… And, d-don’t pet me…”

Because she looked just too adorable, I reached out and patted her head, and Shirayuki-san squirmed as if it tickled, complaining as she did.

But for some reason, she didn’t try to move away from my hand.

With her speed, she could have escaped in an instant.

In other words, even if she denied it verbally, she probably does want to be petted.

She was like a little sister who couldn’t be honest, and that made her even cuter.

“Don’t look at me like that, like you find me so cute… I’m going to be mad, okay…?”

As I silently kept patting her, Shirayuki-san looked up at me with her face still red.

However, she is just cute, and the formidable presence she had exhibited in the classroom was completely missing.

She acted tsun-tsun like Emera, yet somehow the level of cuteness was completely different.

—Well, it’s probably simply due to the sheer difference in the things they’ve done, and in Emera’s case, her cocky side really stands out.

“…Would you mind not flirting right in front of me?”

Just as I was doting on Shirayuki-san, a commanding and intimidating voice, whose tone was lower than usual, suddenly rang out.

It came from Emera, who had been standing behind Shirayuki-san.

“Oh, you were here.”

“You knew I was here!!”

When I gave her a blank stare, Emera immediately retorted.

Well, I mean… she was within my field of vision, but Shirayuki-san was just too cute that I wasn’t really aware of her…

Yes, to be honest, I didn’t want to be aware of her.

“We weren’t flirting or anything!?”

And Shirayuki-san, for her part, reacted in a way that made me think, “Isn’t that retort a few seconds too late?”

Normally she would’ve responded much faster, so maybe she’d been too absorbed in being petted and her mind had drifted off…

“…Koori, I want to talk with him alone for a bit, so get out of the room.”

Emera seemed to have something she wanted to say to Shirayuki-san, but she didn’t bring it up and instead she simply tried to have Shirayuki-san leave so she could talk to me alone.

I briefly become wary, but I don’t feel the pressure I felt when I patted Furei’s head, and I couldn’t sense any killing intent from her now.

“But…”

“It’s fine. Just give me and Emera a moment alone.”

Shirayuki-san wavered, probably worried about the danger of leaving me alone with Emera, but I reassured her and nudged her to step out.

Perhaps Emera is trying to make some kind of negotiation.

If that’s the case, it makes sense that she wouldn’t want Shirayuki-san to be there.

“……Understood.”

Because I said it with strong conviction, Shirayuki-san obediently withdrew and closed the door herself.

“Koori is my attendant…”

“She followed your orders, so that’s all that matters, isn’t it?”

I gave Emera a wry smile as she showed clear dissatisfaction.

Nevertheless…

“Isn’t that outfit too revealing…?”

To my surprise, Emera had come to my room wearing nothing but a T-shirt and a pair of very short shorts.

It wasn’t cold since it was spring, but considering the refined, high-class image she always gave off, I would’ve expected her to wear something more like Shirayuki-san’s long-sleeved, long-pants pajamas.

No, if she’s rich, wouldn’t she wear a negligee?

But I couldn’t picture Emera wearing something like that when she was supposed to sleep beside a guy. At the same time, her current outfit of just a T-shirt and shorts felt strangely defenseless… and didn’t match her either.

“You’re noisy… guys like this kind of thing, don’t they…?”

“Weren’t you supposed to hate men…?”

The way she was dressed seemed almost like she was trying to appeal to a man… or rather, to me, left me completely bewildered.

No matter how I looked at it, it felt like there had to be something behind this.

But even if she had some scheme, the prideful Emera choosing an outfit meant to appeal to a guy… yeah, it was strange. Really strange.

“I hate them… because they stare at me and Fuurei with those filthy eyes…”

As expected, my understanding wasn’t wrong.

Emera has been blatantly avoiding men, and her attitude towards women is much better.

The reason for that is probably the many lewd gazes she’s received since she was young because of her beautiful appearance.

Especially Furei, who has quite large breasts—there’s no way adolescent boys wouldn’t feel aroused.

Therefore, she had been avoiding men to protect Furei from harm.

In that regard, I have been careful not to look at them in that way, so I was able to talk to them normally, unlike other boys.

Strictly speaking, if Hina hadn’t bumped into Furei, things probably wouldn’t have turned so hostile between us.

Not that I ever liked how she strutted around like some queen in the first place.

“Then why are you dressed like that…?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be perceptive? Figure it out yourself…”

“I mean, I can tell there’s some hidden motive here… but I have no idea what your actual intention is.”

If I thought about it in the simplest terms, the obvious answer would be that she wants me to choose her so she can become the legitimate heir of the Tenjouin Zaibatsu. But she’s not the type who would push Furei aside just to secure that position.

Rather, if her personality is anything to go by, she would want to put Furei in that position and be the one protecting Furei.

But if that were the case, it would mean Furei would end up marrying me, but that is something Emera, who doesn’t want anyone taking Furei away from her, could never overlook. That much, at least, I could imagine.

However… would she really go so far as to throw away her pride for that?

That question weighed heavily on me.

After all, Emera is a girl with far too much pride.

I don’t think a girl like her would be able to abandon her pride so easily.

Moreover, to act so flirtatiously towards me, who has been at odds with her.

If anything, it would make more sense if she were pretending to get close to me just to lure me into a trap.

While I was thinking that over—

“…P-please. Choose me… Don’t take Furei away from me…”

As if she’d run out of patience with my hesitation, Emera suddenly did something I could hardly believe.

Fighting back tears, she prostrated herself before me.