Kotori’s chopsticks froze mid-air.
The second piece of hamburger steak was smoothly transferred to Kyoumi’s plate.
“Ahem… when you say ‘from now on as well,’ you mean…?”
Shidou let out a dry cough. He wasn’t actually choking, but it certainly felt like something had lodged in his throat.
The siblings’ gazes involuntarily converged on the girl.
Miso soup was an indispensable part of culinary culture and something almost every traditional household made daily. True, with their adoptive parents away, Shidou didn’t always have time to make soup. He and Kotori often got by with bread, eggs, and milk for breakfast. But it was still a representative of home cooking.
To say “I want to drink your miso soup every day” was the equivalent of a roundabout confession: I want to become family with you.
The boy’s heartbeat quickened. Rationally, he should deny that interpretation, but his mind couldn’t help drifting in that direction.
“Nom…”
Kyoumi leisurely chewed and swallowed the hamburger patty. Facing the two stares, she casually raised her chopsticks. “It means if there’s another chance, I’ll come again.”
“Of course, if you want to take it as a confession, that’s fine too. After I kiss Kotori tonight, I can go to your room afterward.”
Propping her cheek on her elbow, Kyoumi gave a flippant smile, using her chopsticks like a bridge connecting the girl and the boy in her line of sight.
“W-What are you saying—!?”
“Kiss—!?”
“If you’re only in sync when you’re embarrassed, your romance level is way too low.”
“Staring at me won’t help. I already told you both the schedule. Shidou, you’re looking forward to your date with Kotori, right?”
“?!”
Kotori’s bright red twin tails whipped through the air as she turned in shock, smacking the seat beside Shidou. Steam practically rose from the girl’s head as she let out incoherent “Aaaah” sounds from her throat.
“…You too, Kotori?!”
Shidou confirmed Kyoumi’s meddling from his sister’s reaction, his own face turning slightly red.
Looks like he didn’t need to explain anything to Kotori anymore.
“Yep, I told her. Also casually planned tomorrow: getting both schools to give you two days off for your date. Otherwise, I’ll just trigger a spacequake and give everyone a day off.”
“That ‘otherwise’ is what worries me…”
Shidou muttered, but he looked at the girl in front of him and asked the more important question. “What about you tomorrow?”
“Me? I want to meet Tohka tomorrow, tour the airship, and be your temporary commander to make sure your date goes smoothly.”
“…Now I’m even more worried…”
Temporary commander… Sure, Shidou had done it for a bit, but that gal-game-style feeling—if handed to the girl in front of him—he could already picture her deliberately picking mood-ruining options just to make things interesting.
“Kotori, say something…”
Dreading that future, Shidou sighed and looked at his sister—the official commander of Fraxinus (though currently in little-sister mode).
“…A date with Onii-chan… huh? What?”
Snapped out of her muttering fantasies by her name, Kotori blinked her round eyes with a dazed expression.
“…I mean…”
“Ah! That’s my hamburger steak!!!”
Just as Shidou was about to repeat himself, the clink of wooden chopsticks against the plate seized Kotori’s attention. She shouted and slammed her own chopsticks down on the patty Kyoumi was about to steal.
To avoid it being too greasy at night, Shidou had only made three pieces. Normally when it was just him and Kotori, one each was enough, but fried food held a special allure for minors. Kotori could easily down three without getting sick of it.
While distracting the siblings with words, Kyoumi had somehow already devoured two whole pieces and was now advancing on the last one.
The final hamburger steak made by Onii-chan! No compromises!
Throwing all outside factors aside—if this were Commander Kotori, she might have spared attention for Shidou’s nagging. But for little-sister Kotori, who wanted hamburger steak tonight and was about to lose even the last piece, this moment was the decisive battle—!!!
“Oh? You want to settle this here?”
The plate trembled under the pressure. Kyoumi, having clamped down on the patty, showed no intention of sharing. The chopsticks dented slightly between her fingers, displaying her strength.
“You already ate two!!!”
Teeth clenched, fighting spirit blazing in her eyes, Kotori tried to intimidate her opponent with a nonexistent ferocious aura—to no effect. “I haven’t even—!”
“You ate two, so give the last one to me—!”
It was a scene straight out of children fighting over a toy, yet Kyoumi met it with serious vigor. Red light flashed in her eyes. The trembling escalated from the plate to the entire table.
“Hey! Both of you, stop! I’ll just make more!”
Black lines fell across Shidou’s forehead. He slammed both hands on the table to keep it from tipping and tried to intervene.
“But this is the last piece!”
“No, this battle is different.”
The boy’s voice had zero effect.
Crack…
Tap—
The chopsticks collided. Kyoumi overpowered and pierced straight through the patty. Kotori seized the opening and yanked it back.
“Hmph~”
The white-ribbon victor let out a triumphant snort, completely missing the amused glint in the girl’s eyes.
“…Should I make a few more?”
“No need~ I’m pretty much full. Eating two hamburger steaks in a row is a little greasy~”
She emphasized the word “two,” naturally earning a glare from Kotori. Kyoumi set down her chopsticks and picked up the nearly empty miso soup.
“…Didn’t you just eat too fast?”
“It would be better with a bit of lemon juice.”
“Really? I’ll try that next time.”
“Mm. Also, Shidou—no need to prepare the guest room. Tonight I’m sleeping with Kotori.”
“Hm?”
Shidou’s hand paused mid-sip. He glanced between the two. “Kotori’s bed isn’t that big, is it?”
“Yep, a cramped paradise overflowing with cute things—truly praiseworthy. Without clearing some space, fitting two people would indeed be difficult~”
“Then Kotori can tidy up a bit later?”
“No worries. If there’s no room, little Kotori can sleep on the floor~”
“Hey! Don’t unilaterally decide someone else sleeps on the floor!!!”
Do you even realize you’re the guest?!