The late afternoon sun hung low, casting golden streaks across the cracked pavement as Ryuki clung to the back of Yuta's bike, the wheels humming beneath them. Sweat beaded on his neck, his now-longer white hair whipping in the wind, sticking to his cheeks. Two years had stretched him out—he was taller, leaner, almost 15, his voice a touch deeper.
Yuta pedaled hard up front, his broad shoulders flexing under a faded t-shirt, his dark hair a sweaty mess.
"Where the hell are we going, man?" Ryuki asked.
"Place I told you about," Yuta shouted back, grinning over his shoulder. "My older sister's spot. You'll see."
Ryuki rolled his eyes but smirked. Yuta had been yapping about this "older sister" for months—some hot chick he'd met, not blood-related, who'd apparently done things with him.
At first, Ryuki called bullshit. The game never had this—no secret fling for Yuta, no mystery woman. He'd figured it was Yuta's horny bragging. But today, Yuta insisted—"Come meet her, dude, she's real"—and curiosity won. Plus, Yuta's smug "Another babe'll be there for you" had Ryuki's interest peaking.
"Older sister, huh?" Ryuki teased, leaning closer, his breath hot on Yuta's ear. "She's so great, I'm gonna steal her. Everything she's done to you—those sweet little favors—I'll beg her for 'em. Then tell her to ditch your sorry ass."
Yuta's pedaling faltered, the bike wobbling hard. "Whoa—shit!" He jerked the handlebars, balancing them just before they ate dirt. His face flared red, tomato-bright, and he glared back. "Dude, don't mess with me like that! She's… I mean, it's her call, but no way she picks you over me. That's why she's bringing another girl today—someone for you to drool over instead."
Ryuki laughed, "Oh, so you're jealous already? possessive much?"
"It's not—look, when this started, I asked if you could come. She said no, flat out. Kept it just us. Now she's cool with it, but I… I don't wanna share her with some dude, okay? Not you, not anyone."
"Wait—do you love her?"
The bike swerved again, harder this time, tires skidding.
"Fuck—hold on!" Yuta growled, steadying it, his face now a blazing mess of red. "No! No, I don't—shit, dude, don't say that!"
Ryuki bit back a scream, half-thrilled, half-panicked. Love? Yuta—protagonist Yuta—crushing on some girl before the game's heroines even hit the stage?
"Okay, chill," Ryuki said, clapping Yuta's back, forcing calm into his voice. "I've got your back. If you're into her, I'll play wingman—make you two official. I'm your friend, man. Whatever girl you pick, I'm here—trust me."
Yuta's shoulders slumped, the red fading to a pink flush as the wind cooled his face. "I… yeah, thanks," he mumbled, "Not saying I love her, but… whatever." He nodded.
However, Ryuki faced a problem. What about Yuta's sister? If she found out Yuta had a girlfriend, wouldn't she fall into a bad ending?
In the game, the player playing as Yuta had to choose which heroine to play. If Yuta choose any heroine other than his sister, his sister would get angry and fall into the hands of Ryuki or another playboy who appeared in the game.
Ryuki sighed. He needed to make sure Asuka wouldn't fall into that playboy's or any other bad boy's hands. He needed to make sure Asuka could handle this issue and bless Yuta if Yuta found another girl.
"Fuck Yuta," Ryuki silently said. If Yuta had even a little bit of love for Asuka as a woman, then Ryuki would have pushed Yuta forward, but Yuta didn't have any love for Asuka as a woman, which was really bad.
Ryuki sighed and said he would handle this situation somehow so Asuka wouldn't go down a bad route. Who made Yuta his best friend? Now, he also needed to help Yuta in his love life; otherwise, like in the game, Yuta might end up getting his girlfriend stolen by another man. At that point, he didn't want to deal with crying Yuta.
---
Asuka's room glowed soft with afternoon light, her bed a mess of blankets where Saki sprawled, legs dangling. Two years had sharpened them too—Saki at 14, her blue hair longer, tangled from wrestling with Asuka earlier; Asuka, 15, her ponytail tighter, her frame leaner from track. The air smelled of popcorn and teenage sweat, their uniforms swapped for shorts and tees.
"What's this big secret?" Saki asked, propping up on her elbows, eyeing Asuka by her desk. "You've been all sneaky since lunch."
Asuka's cheeks flushed, a rare crack in her usual cool. She grabbed her smartphone—last year's birthday haul—and hesitated, thumb hovering over the screen. "Found something," she mumbled, voice low. "On Yuta's phone—he left it unlocked yesterday."
Saki sat up, curious. "What? Basketball stats? Dumb memes?"
"No," Asuka said, biting her lip. "This." She tapped play, shoving the phone at Saki, her face burning.
The screen flickered—a video, grainy but clear. Two women filled it, gorgeous and foreign, their voices a lilting hum Saki couldn't parse—Spanish, maybe? They lounged on a couch, laughing, then leaned in, lips locking slow and deep. Saki's breath hitched, her face heating fast as their tongues flicked out, hands sliding under shirts, peeling them off to bare smooth skin.
"Holy—" Saki squeaked, eyes wide, darting to Asuka. Her friend's face was just as red, her breath shallow.
"Keep watching," Asuka muttered, not meeting her gaze, both glued as the women shed more—bras hitting the floor, fingers tracing curves, moans soft through the tinny speaker. One knelt, kissing down the other's stomach, then lower, lips brushing between thighs, a tongue darting out to taste.
Saki jerked her head away, cheeks flaming, heart pounding like a drum. "Oh my god," she whispered, fanning herself. "That's… uh…"
"Yeah," Asuka rasped, swallowing hard, her thighs pressing together. "Fucking wild, right?"
They sat there, silent, the video looping its muffled groans. Saki peeked back, then away again, her skin prickling. "It's… hot," she admitted, voice tiny, mortified to say it. "But, like—embarrassing?"
"Totally," Asuka said, shoving the phone under a pillow like it burned. "I wanted to turn it off, but… couldn't."
"Me neither," Saki mumbled, tugging her shirt collar, heat pooling low. "Do we… watch more?"
Asuka's eyes flicked to hers, a shy, wicked spark igniting. "Maybe… later? When it's not so weird?"
"Yeah," Saki nodded fast, both giggling, red-faced and buzzing, too flustered to admit they'd already hit replay in their heads.