You bastard! You dare act so familiar even when I'm here?! What do you do when I'm not around?!
Yukino stared icily at Hoshimi, her grip on the door frame tightening, her fingertips turning pale.
"Ahem~" Hoshimi coughed lightly, retracting his finger, which was covered in Kotoko's saliva, and hid it behind his back, wiping it on his clothes.
"Yukino, that's the whole story. Can we come in now?" Hoshimi asked tentatively after wiping his finger.
"Hmph!" Yukino snorted coldly, turned around expressionlessly, and walked toward the living room, leaving Hoshimi with a chilly silhouette.
Seeing this, Hoshimi pushed the door open with one hand and nudged Kotoko inside with the other, sneaking quietly into Yukino's apartment.
In the entryway, since Yukino had already gone into the living room, Hoshimi, half the master of the house, took on the task of welcoming Kotoko.
He first took out a pair of slippers that Yukino always had ready for him from the shoe cabinet, then handed a pair of disposable slippers to Kotoko.
"..." Kotoko took the disposable slippers and, seeing how familiar Hoshimi was with the place, smirked, "Hoshimi, I didn't expect Yukinoshita-senpai to keep slippers ready for you. Do you come here often? Care to tell me what you usually do together?"
Already having switched his shoes skillfully, Hoshimi rubbed Kotoko's cheeks and whispered, "Don't get jealous just yet. Let's find Yukino's little secret first. If you succeed, there will be a reward tonight~"
"Tch~" Kotoko clicked her tongue.
To be honest, while she was a bit curious about what Yukino was hiding, that curiosity only rated a '3' on a scale.
But her jealousy was at least a '10.'
"Hurry up and change your shoes; stop dawdling~. If you take any longer, the clues will disappear~" Hoshimi said, suddenly remembering that Kotoko had mobility issues.
So, he squatted down and personally helped Kotoko change her shoes.
For some reason, Kotoko, who usually resisted such help, was surprisingly cooperative this time. She raised her leg obediently, allowing Hoshimi to help her switch to the slippers.
When he finished and turned around, he saw Yukino standing at the end of the entryway.
It was dusk, and the apartment lights were off. The entryway was dim, the only light coming from the sunset through the living room's floor-to-ceiling windows.
Yukino stood at the end of the entryway, her back to the living room, blocking part of the evening light and casting a faint halo around herself.
Against the light, Hoshimi couldn't make out Yukino's features, let alone her expression.
However, judging by her arms crossed over her chest, she was probably not happy.
"..."
The next moment, Yukino turned and left, allowing the unblocked evening light to fill the entryway.
Hoshimi flicked Kotoko on the forehead. No wonder this little fox was so cooperative today; it was all on purpose.
"Hehe~" Kotoko chuckled and wrapped her arm around Hoshimi's, confidently puffing out her chest as she followed him into the living room.
Halfway there, the lights in the living room turned on, the bright white light dispelling the dusk and shortening their shadows...
Shortly after, in the living room, Hoshimi sat boldly on the long sofa, while Yukino and Kotoko each took one of the single chairs on the left and right.
"What would you like to drink?" Yukino asked.
Kotoko raised her hand first, "Just some tea~"
Then, leaning back on the sofa and crossing his legs, Hoshimi also raised his hand, "Same for me, tea, light on the sugar, no milk."
"..." Yukino shot a sideways glance at Hoshimi, said nothing, and silently stood up to head to the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Yukino took advantage of the tea-making moment to quietly open the lowest cupboard. She pushed the four plates she had hidden earlier further inside and then moved the air steamer from another cupboard to cover them.
After securing the hidden items, Yukino wiped away nonexistent sweat from her forehead, took a deep breath, steadied herself, and acted as though nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, in the living room, Hoshimi and Kotoko exchanged a glance and began silently searching for clues.
Their eyes swept over the room, finally landing on the coffee table.
Seeing the surface of the table, they both squinted.
There were faint circular marks on the table, left behind by evaporated moisture.
There were four such circles, lined up on the table, all the same size—slightly larger than an adult's hand.
Moisture rings, circular marks, coffee table, and this size...
Putting the pieces together, Hoshimi and Kotoko quickly deduced that these circular marks were left by some common plates.
Marks left by plates? Was Yukino eating something earlier?
If it was just eating, why hide it?
Both Hoshimi and Kotoko were puzzled.
Furthermore, because of his understanding of Yukino, Hoshimi had another question in mind.
Why four plates? Yukino wasn't someone who wasted food. She usually only made enough for herself. Using four plates seemed excessive...
Was Yukino experimenting with some strange recipe again? Preparing to put something special in his lunch?
No, impossible. The midterm exams were approaching. Yukino wouldn't play around with odd stuff at such a critical time. If he got food poisoning, it would be troublesome.
Not some strange recipe... could it be a love-themed lunch? Something with a heart symbol to cheer him up for the exams?
It's possible. But Yukino wasn't one for such little tricks. If she wanted to motivate him, she would probably use motivational speeches, not gimmicks.
So, what was Yukino up to? Why did she seem so flustered?
Hoshimi, still puzzled, looked at Kotoko. She happened to look back at him.
The two exchanged a glance, reaching an unspoken agreement.
Find out what Yukino was hiding!
They exchanged looks, plotting their next move.
Tap—tap—tap...
Footsteps echoed as Yukino returned with the tea...
...
Meanwhile, miles away, Haruno was watching the events unfold in Yukino's apartment through a surveillance camera.
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