"Yukino~~" he murmured unconsciously but didn't know what more to say.
Yukino tilted her head and smiled faintly, placing her cold hand, freshly washed from doing dishes, on the back of Hoshimi's neck.
"Hiss~~" Hoshimi sharply inhaled from the cold, instantly waking up.
"Awake now~" Yukino stood behind the sofa, bent down slightly with a faint smile, and looked down at Hoshimi's resentful expression.
"Yukino, you've changed. You weren't like this before," Hoshimi raised his hand and hooked it around Yukino's neck.
Yukino didn't resist and bent down, but just as their faces were only an inch apart, Yukino suddenly pulled out a popsicle and placed it against Hoshimi's lips.
"Here~ Want a popsicle?"
"Mmm~" Hoshimi took the popsicle and grumbled, "I'll eat the popsicle later, right now I want to eat..."
"Hehe~" Before Hoshimi could finish, Yukino chuckled softly and lightly slipped out of his embrace.
Then Yukino walked around the sofa and sat down next to Hoshimi, smiling faintly. "Eat the popsicle first, otherwise, you can forget about it."
"Ugh~ Yukino, are you really rejecting me!" Hoshimi knew Yukino was making him eat the popsicle to get rid of the spicy seafood porridge taste lingering in his mouth.
"Hmph~" Yukino rolled her eyes at Hoshimi, "Who told you to put so much spice in it? Who else would I reject if not you?"
"Fine, I'll eat it." Hoshimi took a bite of the popsicle and mumbled, "Yukino, you have to eat some too, otherwise it's not fair."
As he spoke, Hoshimi brought the popsicle to Yukino's lips.
Yukino thought for a moment, realizing his logic made sense, so she bit off a small piece from the spot Hoshimi had bitten.
By the way, this popsicle was rectangular. She had thrown away the cylindrical mold a while ago and only bought this rectangular mold last week.
As for why she changed the mold, she didn't want to explain…
Not long after, Hoshimi and Yukino finished the popsicle together.
With his mouth now cold, Hoshimi's desire to kiss had faded. He kicked off his slippers, rested his head on Yukino's lap, and lay on the sofa on his side.
"Ahh~~" Hoshimi let out a long sigh, feeling completely relaxed.
"Are you really tired?" Yukino gently stroked Hoshimi's hair.
"Yeah... it's been a tiring journey, and I played tennis with that damn siscon all afternoon. I'm pretty exhausted..." Hoshimi closed his eyes, telling the story he had long fabricated.
"Siscon?" Yukino tilted her head, looking at Hoshimi's profile with some confusion.
Hoshimi explained in an annoyed tone, "Aunt Arisugawa's has a son and a daughter. The son's name is Masaomi, he's a few years older than me. The daughter's name is Reiko, she's a year younger than me. That son of hers is a total siscon, just because Reiko gave me a bracelet."
Hoshimi raised his right hand, shaking it so the dragon scale-patterned bracelet made a slight sound, showing its presence.
Then Hoshimi continued irritably, "Just because of that, that damn siscon insisted on competing with me, dragging me into playing tennis for half a day. Hmph! If it weren't for my aunt, I'd have really shown him what it feels like to get his head shaved."
"Tsk~" Hoshimi clicked his tongue, his expression showing clear frustration, "Unfortunately, I couldn't do that. Even though that siscon has a hole in his head, he's still the future heir of the Arisugawa family. Embarrassing him in front of his servants would've caused trouble, so I had to humor that weakling in a half-hearted draw."
"So annoying!" Just two words, yet the resentment in Hoshimi's voice seemed almost overflowing.
After hearing Hoshimi's explanation, Yukino gently stroked his hair with a soft expression, "You really had a tough time~"
Yukino fully understood Hoshimi's frustration and choice.
Being able to easily crush the opponent, but having to hold back due to various factors, wasn't a pleasant experience for someone like Hoshimi, who always pursued joy.
However, there was one tiny issue that piqued her curiosity...
"Hoshimi..." Yukino lowered her head, smiling faintly as she gazed at his profile.
"Hmm, what is it?" Hoshimi, not missing a beat, played his Oscar-worthy act, masking his irritation and putting on a calm expression for Yukino.
"Why did your aunt's daughter give you a bracelet?" Yukino smiled as she voiced her little question.
A bracelet isn't something that can be given lightly between a man and a woman.
She hadn't paid much attention to such things before, but as her relationship with Hoshimi deepened, she started to notice these details.
She remembered very clearly the significance of a bracelet — when a girl gives a guy a bracelet, it symbolizes "locking one's heart," a subtle form of confession.
With that in mind, it seemed odd that Miss Arisugawa Reiko had given Hoshimi a bracelet...
"…Well…" Hoshimi scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, "Yukino, don't get the wrong idea. Reiko doesn't have any romantic thoughts like that. She's the type who…"
"Hmm~~" Hoshimi hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Reiko's the kind of girl who's been overly sheltered by her family, as pure as a blank slate. She probably doesn't know the meaning behind giving a bracelet. Most likely, it was her maid's suggestion for her to choose the bracelet as a gift."
"Oh really? Is that so?" Yukino kept smiling, but her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yeah, it's true. There's really nothing between Reiko and me." Hoshimi declared with absolute certainty.
And indeed, his words couldn't be truer — he really had no relationship with Arisugawa Reiko, his aunt's daughter.
From his past memories, Reiko was like a distant relative's child, someone he would only see on holidays. They had almost no interaction otherwise.
He didn't have any deep impressions of her, except that she was overly sheltered by her family, too innocent for her own good, and lacking the cunning typically found in noble ladies.
Additionally, Reiko's brother, Arisugawa Masaomi, was indeed a diehard siscon. That was undeniably clear from his past memories.
In fact, his distant relationship with Reiko could be attributed to this "siscon," otherwise with the connection between their families, they would likely have been much closer otherwise.
This time, Hoshimi chose Arisugawa Reiko as the "scapegoat" for three reasons:
First, because there really was nothing between them.
Second, because Reiko was so well-protected that, neither Yukino, Kasumigaoka, nor even Kotoko would be able to contact her easily, thus minimizing the risk of exposure.
Third, because Reiko was naive and easy to deceive, so he didn't have to worry about any problems down the line.
Considering all these factors, Reiko was the best "scapegoat" around him.
===
TL/N:
Arisugawa Houko, that's Aunt Arisugawa's name, not Arisugawa Hozuko. I thought she was an original character, but it turns out she's an anime character. If you don't know, she's from the anime - "Shomin Sample."
[30 Bonus Chapters: https://www.patreon.com/cherryblooming]