“Damn it… nobody told me borrowing pajamas meant taking Onii-chan’s clothes…”
Lying flat on her back on the bed, Kotori Itsuka hugged her red orca plushie.
She tilted her head slightly, eyes fixed on the T-shirt the girl was proudly holding up with both hands like a trophy.
“Heh~”
Standing on tiptoe, Kyoumi spun lightly in place and held the sleepwear against her front.
“If Kotori wants to wear it, just say so and ask him directly~”
Of course the girl was too embarrassed to say it out loud; anyone could see that.
But being able to see it and deciding whether to tease the rare, limited-edition cute creature in front of her were two different things.
“Mrgh…”
Making an inarticulate grumble, Kotori buried her face into the orca’s belly.
Her legs kicked restlessly.
“…I-It’s not like I wanna wear it or anything…”
“Just… a little curious about how baggy it would feel… that’s all…”
She quietly lowered the plushie just enough to reveal her round, acorn-like eyes.
When she noticed Kyoumi was still looking, she shyly hid again.
“Hoo~ Is that really all?”
Kyoumi mischievously spread the T-shirt over the slightly flailing Kotori and sat on the edge of the bed, admiring the girl’s figure.
Kyoumi was about six or seven centimeters taller than Kotori.
The T-shirt was already a loose, breathable design, so when worn by Kyoumi it reached her thighs.
Laid over Kotori, it practically touched the girl’s knees.
“Looking at it this way, calling it a boyfriend shirt is pushing it…”
After a moment’s thought, Kyoumi invented a new term on the spot.
“Parent-child shirt?”
“I’m only thirteen! I’m still growing—!”
As if stung by the description, an indignant protest came from beneath the plushie.
“Yes, yes, little Kotori still has lots of growing room~”
Her gaze toward Kotori’s chest was blocked by the orca’s tail, but the flat impression was already burned into her mind.
For the moment, Kyoumi genuinely couldn’t imagine how much the girl would develop later.
“What’s with that… weirdly infuriating way of putting it…”
“Hmm…”
Making an ambiguous sound, Kyoumi reached to take back the sleepwear—only for her hand to freeze.
The reason was simple: the girl was clamping the shirt down with both knees.
Ah… she’s throwing a little tantrum.
Realizing this, Kyoumi tugged slightly harder. Kotori’s legs tensed in response.
Though the boy’s T-shirt had decent stretch, if they kept pulling like this, a seam might rip or one side could be ruined.
When her second attempt to pull it free failed, Kyoumi let go with mild distress to avoid returning borrowed sleepwear as a long skirt instead of a T-shirt.
“Hmph~”
She faintly heard the girl’s victorious little snort.
Well, if it’s just this much… how about this?
“Should I go shower first, or will Kotori go first?”
Lying sideways beside the girl, Kyoumi threw out the unavoidable question.
“…T-Then… Kyoumi can go first…”
Reminded of the situation, Kotori realized she couldn’t win this invisible battle.
Though her voice wavered, she clung to her final stubbornness.
They’d be taking turns anyway, and the sleepwear was ultimately going on Kyoumi.
It wasn’t exactly fair to Kotori, but mercy is the privilege of the victor~
“Ehh~ But I don’t know how to use the shower or how to run hot water.”
“…”
Kotori slowly lowered the plushie, turned her head, and gave Kyoumi an “as if I’d believe you” look.
“Teach me~”
She said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, without a shred of shame on her face.
“…You really don’t know?”
No matter how you looked at it, Kyoumi was obviously lying, but after a brief moment of thought, Kotori surprisingly couldn’t find an immediate way to call her out.
“I really don’t~”
“…Fine. I’ll go run the hot water for you. You go wash.”
In the end, the girl surrendered.
She tossed the plushie aside and stood up abruptly.
“Mmm~”
Earlier she had claimed she needed to be taught, yet even after Kotori left the room, Kyoumi remained lazily sprawled on the bed, looking very much like someone enjoying being waited on.
Only when the sound of footsteps faded down the hallway did Kyoumi slowly sit up.
“Should I snoop around a bit…”
Her gaze swept over the small items on the floor as she murmured to herself.
Kotori still hadn’t changed clothes.
If she really wanted to wear her brother’s shirt as pajamas, she would have showered first.
Something more important must have made her abandon that plan.
…Though it was also possible she simply still had those hair ribbons in her skirt pocket, Kyoumi instinctively wanted to find useful clues in the room.
Using the edge of the bed for support, she stood and slowly surveyed the girl’s room, carefully avoiding touching the many cute decorations.
“…On the surface, nothing looks particularly useful…”
It wasn’t impossible that these decorations held special meaning for the girl, like those seemingly ordinary hair ribbons that worked as a personality switch, but in terms of anything noteworthy, there really wasn’t much.
“Whatever… there’s still time.”
Kyoumi stretched lazily, lay back down, and brushed her fingertips over the left side of her face, gesturing lightly.
“…As long as I’m still in front of you, huh…”
A slightly wicked smile appeared. She covered her eyes with her arm to block the somewhat dazzling light.
“…That’s not enough, Shidou… determination alone isn’t enough…”
But if, even after this, you still stand by my side…
It wouldn’t be impossible to favor you a little.
“Kyoumi, the bath is ready~!”
Kotori bounced back in, pushing open the door she had only half-closed earlier.
The earlier frustration felt like an illusion as she entered with a cheerful, energetic voice.
“Hm? You’re fast, little Kotori~”
The girl’s speed surprised Kyoumi.
Claiming she didn’t know how to run hot water hadn’t been a complete lie; Kyoumi was honestly a bit slow with certain things.
“Don’t worry about small stuff like that, hurry and take your bath—!”
That almost coquettish tone made one suspect the girl might be plotting something.
“…Your ribbons?”
In little-sister mode Kotori wore two white ribbons, while in commander mode she wore black ones.
Right now, the girl in front of Kyoumi had one black and one white—different colors.
It was rare for her personality to be this hard to read; which side would surface was unknown.
But on the surface she still looked like little-sister mode, and their agreement to keep Commander Kotori from appearing was still being honored.
If she planned to have Shidou walk in while Kyoumi was bathing or something, Kotori wouldn’t be so reckless with her brother’s life. Without the flames of healing, Shidou couldn’t withstand that kind of shock.
So… did she set up some prank in the bathroom?
…If it’s just that, I wouldn’t mind playing along a little.
“Mmm~”
Kyoumi gave a short reply. After thinking it over and deciding Kotori wouldn’t go too far, she pulled open the bathroom door while still lost in thought.
“—Kyoumi!?”
The boy soaking in the bathtub was caught completely off guard by Kyoumi.
Mhm, mhm… so this is the route we’re taking.
The girl still wearing her Divine Raiment thought calmly, utterly unfazed.
A boy’s scream echoed through the Itsuka household.
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