Chapter 68 – A Brush with Friendship (Patreon)

"Kouma, did you feel the table shaking earlier?" Yukino asked, holding Kouma's hand as they walked out of the library. For some reason, she'd kept feeling the table tremble from time to time while she was trying to read.

"I don't think so..." Hearing Kouma's response made Yukino start to doubt herself. The only ones at that table had been her and Kouma. Logically, there was no way it could have been shaking that much.

"Have I been too tired lately?" She rubbed her temples, puzzled. "Yukino-nee, let's just head back to the Service Club and rest a bit."

"Mm..." Yukino took Kouma to the self-checkout to pay for "Love Metronome" before they headed back toward Shuchi'in.

Inside the library's women's restroom at that moment, Mai, dressed in her high-slit bunny outfit, leaned back limply against the stall door. Soft wisps of heated breath escaped between her cherry lips.

"To be taken down... by a little boy..."

Mai's face was an overwhelming shade of red, her body and mind still tingling with that lingering sensation. Thinking back on what had just happened, she could only describe it as utterly absurd. Playing with someone's little brother right in front of his big sister—and still somehow losing.

For some reason, just being near that little boy had made it impossible to suppress the urge to make contact. And once contact was made, an addictive, irrepressible pleasure had surged through her, drawing her deeper and deeper.

This realization mortified Mai, who had always considered herself quite mature. She never would have imagined she'd do something like that to a little boy—and thoroughly enjoy it.

"So I've been a closet sho[ta]con this whole time..." Mai fell silent for a moment. "He seemed to be the only one there who could see me..."

That, at least, was very good news. Starting last week, she'd suddenly noticed that people couldn't see her. At first it was only in small areas, but by now, more and more people were becoming blind to her presence.

At this rate, she was terrified that one day, she'd vanish from everyone's sight entirely—forgotten by the world.

The appearance of Kouma today had been the most comforting thing to happen to her recently. And, in a thoroughly inexplicable turn of events, he'd also managed to release all the stress she'd built up lately.

"Kouma, I think his name was..." Mai remembered clearly how the stunningly beautiful girl beside her had addressed him. And that girl called Yukino-nee—she seemed vaguely familiar, too.

"Yukino, second-year, maybe?" Mai wasn't entirely sure. "But they were both wearing Shuchi'in uniforms... should be easy enough to find..."

Inside the restroom, Mai changed into her Shuchi'in uniform. She folded the bunny outfit, and as her fingers brushed against the faintly damp fabric, her face flushed again, her mind involuntarily replaying the earlier scene.

"Hah... I'll have to wash this properly when I get home."

After putting the bunny suit into a bag, Mai walked out of the library. Passersby continued to treat her as if she didn't exist, but this time, the look in her beautiful eyes was no longer lost.

She gazed in the direction of Shuchi'in, Kouma's image surfacing in her mind. Her body and heart quivered faintly. She had an inexplicable premonition—that little boy might just be able to help her escape her current predicament.

She definitely wasn't just trying to see him again because her pride as an older girl had been utterly shattered and she wanted to properly teach that little boy a lesson. Definitely not.

She carried the bunny outfit—just slightly heavier than usual—as she headed back toward her rented apartment at Tomegane Apartments.

Kouma held Yukino's hand as the two headed back toward Shuchi'in. Passing by a coffee shop, he suddenly stopped.

"Huh... that's Ai-nee and Miyako-san!"

Through the café's clear glass window, Kouma could plainly see Ai Hoshino and Miyako Saito sitting in a booth. Seated opposite them was a woman of graceful bearing and delicate features—a beautiful matron. But what caught Kouma's attention even more was the café's name.

"Anteiku..."

Kouma paused when he saw the shop's name. It reminded him of Rize Kamishiro—the one he'd marked with calligraphy strokes back at STARRY's studio.

In the days since, Rize had never again approached STARRY, and Kouma hadn't kept daily tabs on her. Kouma focused his mind and immediately sensed Rize's condition and location.

She was inside Anteiku up ahead, apparently in a state of utter boredom. His gaze swept past the three women inside the shop.

Normally, he wouldn't have bothered to intrude. But they'd unknowingly walked into Anteiku, which meant they were at risk of being targeted by ghouls. At that point, he had no choice but to step in.

"Might as well give Rize some entertainment, then," Kouma thought to himself. He turned and looked up at Yukino, but before he could even speak, he caught the quiet unease hidden beneath her calm exterior.

"Will you be coming home tonight?"

That faintly plaintive tone—it was practically the same as a wife asking her husband why he hadn't delivered his husbandly duties in ages. Kouma was caught slightly off guard.

He hadn't expected Yukino to already be prepared before he'd even said a word. What he hadn't realized was that the moment he'd gazed longingly at Ai through the window, Yukino had already spotted Ai inside the café.

In that instant, Yukino's heart had clenched tight. Ai was, after all, the big sister who'd grown up alongside Kouma in the orphanage, who'd been with him since the very beginning. Their bond ran deep.

She knew full well that with how well-behaved Kouma was, all she'd have to do was say the word, and he'd listen to her. But if she did that, it would carve an unbridgeable chasm between them—one she could never cross again. That was something she absolutely refused to let happen.

As for going in with him... that wouldn't be a magnanimous choice either. So, she would be a mature and confident big sister. Let him go. He was so well-behaved—he'd definitely mind his limits. At the very least... as long as he came home on time, that was enough.

In no time at all, Yukino had steadied her emotions and voiced her bare-minimum requirement. "Will you be coming home tonight?"

"Of course! Without Yukino-nee holding me when I sleep, I think I'd get insomnia!"

Those firm words from the little boy reached her ears, and Yukino's cool, clear eyes instantaneously melted, rippling with a touch of comforted warmth.

She'd made the right choice. Kouma really did care about her, his big sister. He couldn't even fall asleep without her embrace...

A girl caught up in emotion can rarely distinguish the truth of the other's words. Even a genius with razor-sharp logic like Yukino was no exception. She pressed down the fluttering in her heart and continued.

"Then... should I come pick you up later?"

"No need to trouble yourself, Yukino-nee. I'll just have Miyako-san drop me off!"

Hearing this, Yukino's eyes flickered briefly before she nodded. "Alright. Be careful, and don't go wandering off, okay?"

"Mhm, I know, Yukino-nee!"

Yukino watched as Kouma walked into the coffee shop, heading all the way to Ai's side and taking a seat. Only then did she leave, reassured.

"Kouma, what are you doing here?" Ai, seeing him suddenly appear, was overjoyed and immediately pulled him into her arms to nuzzle.

"I saw Ai-nee and Miyako-san from outside, so I came in!" Kouma answered honestly, his gaze shifting over to Miyako beside them.

Meeting those clear, innocent eyes, Miyako's heart gave a small, flustered lurch. Miyako had noticed that whenever Kouma came near, her body and mind always felt a strange, tingling sensation.

She tucked a strand of hair that had fallen beside her face behind her ear, and beneath her skirt, her long black-stocking-clad legs crossed and pressed tighter together.

"This is Ai-chan's little brother—Kouma." She offered a faint smile to the beautiful matron across the table.

Leaning close to Kouma's ear, Ai let her fragrant, girlish breath tickle his earlobe as she whispered an explanation. "This is Mrs. Sakurajima. She's a well-known agent in the entertainment industry. She's interested in collaborating with Miyako-nee's agency."

Mrs. Sakurajima? A flicker of surprise crossed Kouma's eyes, and Mai Sakurajima's flushed, dazed expression surfaced in his mind.

She did bear a resemblance to this beautiful matron with the light brown hair. If she made the same expression Mai had in the library, the resemblance would probably be even stronger. It couldn't be helped—from the moment Kouma had seen Mai's face head-on, the blush had never once left it.

"You're Mai-nee's mom, aren't you!" The little boy's sudden statement caught all three women slightly off guard.

"You know Mai?" Mrs. Sakurajima looked at this preposterously handsome little boy with surprise—her tone even tinged with a bit of emotion.

Of course he did! If the setting had been a little more appropriate, they would've almost become very intimately acquainted just half an hour ago.

"I saw her in a magazine before. She's... a really amazing big sister!" Kouma added with a trace of regret, "It's too bad she doesn't seem to be active in showbiz anymore."

His words landed in Mrs. Sakurajima's ears, and her red lips parted slightly, but no words came. She remembered it vividly—how she'd signed Mai up for a swimsuit photoshoot without telling her first.

She never imagined her daughter would rather tear up the contract and pay the penalty than go through with it. And ever since then, Mai had declared her withdrawal from the entertainment industry and had grown distant toward her as a mother. Mrs. Sakurajima regretted that incident to this day.

"Did you and Mai-nee have some kind of misunderstanding, Mrs. Sakurajima? If you talk it out properly, I'm sure everything will be fine!"

The little boy's words warmed Mrs. Sakurajima's heart. For some reason, she found this boy inexplicably endearing.

Every exchange with him brought a faint, pleasant comfort to her body and mind, making her feel an almost urgent desire... to pull him into her arms. If it had been anyone else prying into her family affairs with her daughter, she would have walked out with a cold face long ago.

"Kouma is so adorable! If you ever get the chance to meet Mai, I'm sure she'll like you very much!" Mrs. Sakurajima poked Kouma's cheek, and even her cool, stern face softened considerably.

Watching this from the side, Miyako was somewhat surprised. Up until now, Mrs. Sakurajima hadn't exactly been rude during their conversation, but she hadn't shown much of a smile either.

She never expected Kouma's arrival to have such an effect. While Miyako inwardly rejoiced, she couldn't help staring at Mrs. Sakurajima's hands kneading Kouma's cheeks—a faint taste of vinegar rising in her heart.

"Alright, Mrs. Sakurajima, let's continue discussing the collaboration details."

"Mhm..."

While the women resumed their business talk, Kouma quietly assessed the interior of Anteiku. There were only two female staff members—if he remembered correctly, Touka Kirishima and Kaya Irimi.

The café wasn't very busy. Aside from their table, there were only about four other tables, roughly a dozen people in all. Rize was among them, though she sat with her back to them, seemingly nursing a cup of coffee in boredom.

Beyond that, Kouma noticed one table in particular—three people whose gazes kept drifting toward Ai. Their scent was distinctly inhuman.

"As expected... ghouls really did take notice," Kouma sighed inwardly. His gaze shifted toward that tall, elegant silhouette of purple hair. Since there was already muscle on site, he might as well not be shy about putting her to work.

"Ai-nee, I see a big sister I know!" With that, Kouma hopped out of Ai's arms and ran straight toward Rize. Every ghoul in the shop noticed this extraordinarily beautiful little boy's actions and collectively froze.

"Is that brat just running off to his death at the glutton's table?"

"Rize-nee, long time no see!"

The little boy threw himself right onto Rize's lap from behind. Rize's entire body jolted violently. She shot to her feet in shock, staring at the little boy clinging to her leg. That familiar sensation surged through her body and mind once more.

"This woman... actually has acquaintances?"

The surrounding ghouls all stared at Rize and the little boy latched onto her leg as if they'd just seen a ghost. Only the girl with blue-violet hair looked at Rize with some surprise. "Are you okay?"

She noticed that, at some point, Rize's face had grown faintly flushed, and her footing seemed a little unsteady.

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