After Ethan finally managed to pry the door open, Maria, avoiding eye contact due to the recent activity, asked not to let him notice her demeanor, "Why did it take you so long to open the door?" Her head swiveled around the room, trying to avoid meeting his gaze.
In response to her inquiry, Ethan scanned the room for Rose, only to find her perched on the sofa wearing light clothes, pizza in hand, and in a rather comical pose, clearly struggling to sit due to her first experience.
With a mischievous glint in his eye, Ethan replied with a double entendre while smirking at Rose, "Well, we were just getting in a little exercise." Both Maria and Rose couldn't help but blush at his bold words.
"Exercise?" Maria echoed, trying to hide her embarrassed face. But Ethan wasn't finished yet.
"Sure," he continued, gesturing around the room, "moving stuff from here to there counts as a workout, right?" Maria nodded in agreement, though she couldn't ignore the hidden meaning behind his words, which only made her blush deepen.
Maria turned to Rose and inquired if she needed any assistance or if they had already completed placing all the things they had to arrange in the flat. To which, Rose responded with gratitude for sending Ethan, as he proved to be a tremendous help, and as a result, they managed to finish all the work surprisingly quickly.
Ethan, seizing the moment to inject some humor, puffed his chest out dramatically and executed a comically exaggerated bow.
"Ah, your majesty, your praise is as sweet as the finest nectar, I sampled today," he declared with exaggerated formality, prompting Maria to erupt in a fit of giggles.
Meanwhile, Rose's cheeks turned a shade resembling a ripe tomato as Ethan shot her a meaningful glance, causing her to fumble with her words in a comical attempt to regain her composure making Ethan laugh along with Maria.
As the laughter subsided, Maria playfully nudged Ethan's arm, teasing, "Oh, you always know just how to make the atmosphere lively, don't you?"
Ethan grinned, enjoying the banter. "Only because I have such esteemed company to inspire me," he replied with a playful wink in Maria's direction.
Rose, still flustered by the intensity of Ethan's gaze, endeavored to compose herself. "Um, hey Big sis, why don't you join us for a meal? Ethan, you must be hungry too," she proposed, hoping to divert the conversation.
I settled onto the sofa beside her, grabbing a slice of pizza from the box. Opting not to further tease her, I refrained. Meanwhile, Maria positioned herself on the sofa across from us, expressing her lack of hunger and stating she'd only indulge in a single slice. Acknowledging her statement, both of us nodded in agreement and diverted our attention to the meal, as our appetites had reached a peak.
As the sun had already set and the hour grew late, Maria suggested to Rose that it was time to leave. Observing Rose's reluctance, Ethan empathetically reached for her hand, gently rubbing his thumb over it to reassure her. With a playful tone, he quipped while thumping his chest, "Fear not, Your Highness, I shall heed thy call whenever you need my assistance!" Rose chuckled at his jest before rising to join them on the walk to the parking area.
....................
As I settled into the passenger seat of Maria's car, I couldn't help but notice her silence, as if she didn't want to engage in conversation. Concerned, I remained quiet too, assuming perhaps she was fatigued from her recent meeting. Little did Ethan know, Maria's mind was consumed by the events she witnessed earlier today, the scene replaying relentlessly in her thoughts.
Finally, we arrived home at 7:54 PM, weary from the day's journey. As we approached the gate, Isabel, our trusty maid, warmly greeted us with a smile. She graciously took the bags from Maria's hands, allowing her to relax a bit after the long trip.
Maria lost in thought, seemed oblivious to Isabel's assistance, her mind clearly preoccupied. Nevertheless, Isabel patiently guided Maria up the stairs, ensuring her safe passage to the comforts of home.
I also followed them upstairs. As I was passing by Sarah's room, I heard laughter emanating from within. Intrigued by the sound, I paused and knocked gently on her door, causing the laughter to abruptly cease. After a brief moment, Sarah cautiously opened the door just a crack, peering out to see who was there. Upon recognizing me, she relaxed and fully opened the door, inviting me in.
As I stepped into the room, my eyes fell upon Luna, transformed into her fox form, perched on Sarah's bed. Catching sight of me, Luna lowered her head, avoiding eye contact, which left me feeling puzzled as to the reason for her behavior.
My confusion dissipated when Sarah suddenly punched me in the shoulder from behind. As I turned to her for an explanation, she shrugged and uttered, "That's for keeping Luna's secret about her not being a normal fox."
Upon hearing this, my eyes widened in surprise. I had assumed Luna had confided everything in Sarah, but after conversing with Sarah and hearing Luna's voice in my head, I realized that Sarah was only aware of Luna's ability to transform into a human for some mysterious reason.
Sarah stumbled upon this revelation accidentally today when she entered my room to play with Luna. To her shock, she witnessed Luna undergoing a transformation from her human form back to her fox form, causing her to cry out loudly. Sarah noted that coincidentally, no one else seemed to have heard her cries.
As for why Sarah's voice went unnoticed, I already had a little guess.
Turning to Sarah, who was pouting, I attempted to explain that divulging Luna's secret was simply implausible to begin with. However, she only intensified her pout, prompting a weary sigh to escape me.
I rose from the bed and approached Sarah, noticing how she turned her head away with closed eyes, her lips pressed together in a pout of frustration.
To lift her spirits, I began coaxing her. When my coaxing didn't succeed, I lifted her into the air, gently holding her hand behind her back. Then, I instructed Luna to lick her neck, knowing it was a sensitive spot for her. Sarah burst into a fit of laughter when Luna obediently complied and jumped on her shoulder lavishing her neck with affection.
"W-Wait brothe- HAHAHAHAHAHA...N-No S-Stop HAHAHAHA...Okay okay I G-Give Up"
Ethan released her hands as she surrendered to her fit of laughter, finally conceding defeat in their playful banter.
"But remember brother," she added with a playful glare, "if you ever hide something from me again, I might actually stop talking to you! Hmph."
With a mischievous smile, she then turned her attention to Luna, engaging in lively conversation. Seeing them enjoying each other's company, I quietly excused myself, leaving them to their laughter-filled bonding time."
..
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To Be Continued.....