Chapter 32: A Submissive Queen
“―Ah, good morning Onii-chan”
After changing out of my soaked clothes and into a different set of casual wear, I headed into the living room while waiting for Emera and Shirayuki-san to finish using the bathroom.
There, Hina, who had woken up early to make breakfast and our bento, looked over at me with a smile.
“Good morning, Hina. And… good morning, Furei. You get up pretty early, huh?”
I called out to Furei, who was lying on the sofa, happily cuddling and petting Myaa-san.
Judging by how she usually looks like she has no energy, I always thought she was the type who stayed in bed until the very last minute, so this was unexpected.
“Mm… good morning… Myaa-san wakes up early… so I woke up too…”
Ah, Myaa-san must have woken her up.
But then I realized, if that were the only reason, Furei would probably just go back to sleep, so she likely got up because she wanted to pamper Myaa-san.
And the fact that Myaa-san isn’t bothered by it is amazing too.
“…If you want to pet, you can, you know…?”
When I stared at her, Furei looked back up at me with an upturned gaze.
It’s not like I was looking at her with that intention or anything…
While thinking this, I noticed there was enough space on the sofa for one person, so I sat down next to her.
And when I reached my hand out toward Myaa-san—
“Not there…”
—Furei bumped her own head into my hand.
It seems like she meant I could pet her if I wanted to.
“Could it be that you just wanted me to pet you, Furei…?”
“You shouldn’t… say things like that… it’s not attractive…”
It seemed she was telling me not to point it out.
It’s not like I care about being popular or anything. Also, when it comes down to it, Furei really is a clingy girl.
Her hair is smooth and feels amazing to touch… but whenever I pet her head, Emera gets mad…
Just as I was thinking this.
With a clack, the living room door opened, and Emera stepped in, steam rising off her entire body as she came in fresh from the bath.
Following behind her, Shirayuki-san, who also appeared refreshed after a bath, entered with a warm, pleased look.
So she actually likes baths more than I expected.
I always thought she seemed like the type who would find them a hassle.
While looking at the cheerful Shirayuki-san, I quietly pulled my hand away from Furei’s head, trying not to make it look unnatural.
“Well then, I’m gonna go take a bath too.”
“Huh? It’s rare for you to take a bath in the morning, Onii-chan.”
Since the bathroom was finally free, I stood up because I wanted to clean myself off, and Hina immediately pointed out that it was unusual.
Despite her words, her gaze was narrowed, as if she had already figured something out.
I never thought the day would come when Hina would look at me with such an accusatory gaze…
“Sometimes I feel like taking a bath in the morning too, you know.”
I brushed it off with a laugh and walked past Emera.
But as I passed her, Emera, who had been looking down, grabbed the sleeve of my shirt.
“W-what is it…?”
Feeling awkward due to what happened in the room and Emera’s change in attitude, I asked her cautiously.
And then—
“Eito-sa- Eito-kun, if you’re going to take a bath… shall I wash your back for you…?”
—with flushed cheeks and moist eyes, she made a suggestion she absolutely never would have said before.
She seems kind of fidgety, wait… did she just almost call me ‘Eito-sama’…!?
Thanks to that, not only Hina but even Furei were giving me deadpan stares…
“Eito, what did you do to Onee-chan?”
Furei’s usual sluggish way of speaking suddenly became smooth.
This was turning into a really bad situation first thing in the morning.
“I-I didn’t do anything… right?”
Not wanting to make an enemy out of Furei, and even more so not wanting to ruin how Hina sees me, I desperately tried to cover for myself and looked to Shirayuki-san and Emera for backup.
But Shirayuki-san only gave a mysterious smile without agreeing.
Stop that! Don’t give me that silent, knowing smile!
It’s basically the same as saying something did happen!
—But compared to what Emera did next, Shirayuki-san’s reaction was preferable.
“Yes… nothing strange happened at all… he only treated me very affectionately…”
Still fidgeting, Emera pressed a hand to her mouth and twisted her body shyly.
The reply she gave strongly suggested, “Something definitely went down,” making me want to shout, “Your personality is totally different…!” or “Are you getting back at me for last night…!?”
Because of that, Hina narrowed her eyes even more.
“Onii-chan…?”
“It’s a misunderstanding…! I didn’t do anything on purpose…!”
Carefully choosing my words so Hina wouldn’t hate me, I desperately tried to escape from being interrogated.
But—
“Yes, it was completely unintentional, wasn’t it? Last night really was amazing.”
—from behind me, Shirayuki-san fired a clean shot.
That’s strange… up until now, she’s practically been on my side…!
She seems slightly upset for some reason. Is it because I did something unpleasant to her master, Emera, even if it was unintentional!?
But if that were the case, she should’ve complained while she was in my room…!
I thought that, but it was far too late to say anything now.
I mean, Emera’s behavior has just changed way too much…!
Character Summary (non-official)
- Aima Eito (愛真 英斗) — A second-year high school boy and twin brother of Hina. Level-headed and cautious, he knows more about the Tenjouin sisters’ cruelty than most after being in their class last year. He tries to stay quiet and unnoticed to avoid trouble, especially from the Tenjouin sisters who despise men.
- Aima Hina (愛真 雛) — Eito’s twin sister, a tiny 148 cm girl who’s adorable, clingy, and very attached to her brother. Sweet-natured and polite, but easily frightened, especially upon learning she’s placed in the same class as the Tenjouin sisters.
- Tenjouin Emera (天上院 翠玉) — One of the school’s notorious “twin queens.” A beautiful girl with long straight hair: a single streak of her bangs is white while the rest is gold. She has heterochromia—right eye red, left eye blue, and a flat chest. Cold, arrogant, and dangerously influential thanks to her powerful, wealthy family. Devoted entirely to her sister Furei.
- Tenjouin Furei (天上院 風麗) — Emera’s twin sister, with opposite hair colors—one golden streak in her bangs, the rest pure white—and mirror-image heterochromia: right eye blue, left eye red. She has a bob cut and a voluptuous figure like a gravure idol. Quiet, expressionless, and mysterious, yet incredibly dangerous beneath her calm. Furei doesn’t care about anyone except for Emera and the girls she favors, and even then, she treasures them more like pets than equals.
- Tenjouin Maria (天上院 真莉愛) — Maria is the foster parent who took Eito and Hina in from the orphanage when they were in second grade. An unbelievably beautiful woman who looks to be in her twenties—and still insists she is in her twenties—she has striking half-gold, half-white hair parted cleanly down the middle, brilliant blue eyes, and an ample chest. Though she appears elegant and composed, Eito describes her as a “demon in human skin,” having put him through countless extreme punishments whenever he failed to meet her expectations. Yet despite her terrifying side, Maria is helplessly weak to cute things, which is why she absolutely adores Hina and has spoiled her since they were little.
- Shirayuki Koori (白雪 氷) — Shirayuki Koori serves under the Tenjouin twins. She is a petite girl with pale blue twin-tail hair and an adorable, youthful face, paired with an icy, emotionless gaze. Despite her doll-like appearance, she is a highly trained combatant raised under special training since childhood. Competitive and proud, she hates losing and becomes flustered or emotional when things don’t go her way, revealing a childish side beneath her cool exterior.
- Shirayuki Hitomi (白雪 仁美) — Koori’s mother and Maria’s loyal maid. Like Maria, she is an unbelievably beautiful woman who looks to be in her twenties despite her age. Her appearance and personality resemble Koori’s, though with greater maturity, and she possesses the uncanny ability to read people’s thoughts at a glance. Despite her gentle demeanor, she may also have sadistic tendencies, given how she smiled gracefully while “punishing” Emera, all the while calling her pitiful.