Already feeling guilty for uncovering Fuyumi's secret, Rinka now believed that Otome had followed her and discovered Brother Fuyumi's affair upon hearing these pointed words.
Because apart from this possibility, Okino Rinka could not think of the reason why she would say such things to herself.
And her choice to speak out, was also because, as the official girlfriend, it wasn't appropriate to directly confront Brother Fuyumi with, 'I'm okay with you seeing someone else, but I must be the boss.'
As someone in the know, she was the best conduit.
Not only would she not puncture the window paper between the two, but she can also effectively convey the meaning of Sister Otome.
This would not only preserve Sister Otome's dignity but would also allow Brother Fuyumi to feel guilt-free, thus making him like her even more.
Suck~'
Inhaling deeply through her nose,
Rinka, realizing Otome's adept handling of the situation, feeli g she was too good at controlling her situation, quickly tried to maintain composure, and forced a dry smile as she looked into the girl's deep blue eyes, "Otome-nee, you can't just say things like that; Fuyumi-nii might take it seriously."
Holding onto a sliver of hope, the girl spoke these words, making her last verification.
But, looking at the girl's sparkling eyes, showing some nervousness and guilt,
Sakuragi Otome, who had already determined that she had a crush on Fuyumi, felt that she was guilty of being suddenly exposed by her.
At the same time, listening to her words, she felt that Rinka was hinting to her that Fuyumi also had a crush on her.
If what she said was taken seriously, there was a high chance that they could end up together.
Although she felt a little sour and suffocated in her heart, thinking of the countless opportunities Rinka had created for her in the past,
She instantly dismissed that insignificant bit of jealousy.
Instead of letting the sneaky cats outside who don't know the inside story take advantage, it's better to let this sister, who has been playing with them since childhood take the advantage.
Though it might seem like Sakuragi Otome was being overly sensitive just because of a slight possibility of Sasaki's infidelity, it's often said, "If loyalty isn't absolute, then it absolutely isn't loyalty."
Judging from the way she couldn't satisfy Fuyumi and the way he attracted girls, the possibility of such things happening is quite high.
Rather than hoping naively that boys can keep it in their pants, it would be better to find a way to address these possibilities.
Although this method might not be the best, it was the most acceptable solution Otome could think of.
So not asking why Rinka seemed so tense, Otome, lacking any malevolent curiosity, said while smiling and gently tousling Rin's hair, "If it's serious, then let it be serious."
After saying this, feeling that she had made her point clear, Otome chose to remain silent.
Lying on Otome's legs, feeling uncomfortable all over and already regretting her curiosity that led to discovering the affair, Rinka frowned slightly in distress.
Although this was a 100% good thing for Brother Fuyumi.
But Okino Rinka wanted to point it out to him that she had discovered that he was hooking up outside.
Putting aside from the right point of view, just because he saved her from hell, she was ...
Brother Fuyumi had always been so kind to her, and yet she had led Otome to him... she really...
Even though she had inadvertently helped Brother Fuyumi by her actions, from the standpoint of how things started, her actions were not worthy of praise.
With a heavy heart, she lay on Otome's legs, listening to the laughter and chatter on the TV, which now just seemed noisy.
'well...'
Sighing inwardly, she felt that time had become extraordinarily long and torturous.
When Sasaki finally came home, changed his shoes, and entered the living room,
He saw Otome sitting on the couch, happily watching TV, while Rinka lay on the girl's legs, looking listless and soulless.
"Are you hungry? Should I warm up some food for you?"
Seeing Otome attempting to get up,
Sasaki, who had just approached, pressed his hand on her shoulder, urging her to sit back down: "I ate well; I'm not hungry right now."
Moving Rinka's legs away, and sitting down on the couch, Sasaki placed her thin, scarcely fleshy legs on his lap and wrapped his arm around Otome's shoulders.
.
.
In this position,
Sasaki and Otome might have been comfortable,
But the way her buttocks hung in the air and her legs were positioned higher than her head made Rinka extremely uncomfortable.
Feeling like her waist might break if it continued this way, the girl gritted her teeth, shifted her body and sat next to Sasaki when they hugged each other.
"Being affectionate is fine, but look at the situation! I'm still here, you know. Did you know how uncomfortable I was just now?"
Using her delicate shoulders, she bumped against the thick-skinned Sasaki who was shamelessly hugging Sister Otome, and Rinka fiercely bit her fang, voicing her dissatisfaction.
Although she didn't understand why Rinka wantes to take advantage of himself.
But seeing that Otome didn't resist his closeness, he knew she hadn't set him up.
So despite his confusion, Sasaki didn't show any anger or annoyance at Rinka.
And as she complained, because of the closeness last night, Sasaki subconsciously wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her close to his chest: "You used to be okay with this when you were little... Rinka has really grown up."
His soft sigh reminded Okino Rinka that the three of them were once so intimate.
Adding to that the fact that she really liked his scent, Rinka hesitated for a moment but did not push his hand away from her shoulder.
Otherwise, just for Sister Otome's sake and not to mention Sasaki, she wouldn't have shown such affection for Brother Fuyumi in front of her.
Afterall she still understood the most basic avoidance of suspicion.
But...
She really liked his scent.
For Okino Rinka, who almost fell into the abyss, Sasaki symbolized a safe and warm haven that no one and nothing else could match.
So, seeing Sister Otome's indifferent, unconcerned expression, the girl no longer paid attention to the bad hand playing with her earlobe.
"No matter how big I am, I'm still not as big as you."
She punched his broad, hard shoulder, which hurt her hand a bit, and muttered,
Glancing at Rinka's position, which was even tighter against him than before, and at Sasaki's relaxed, unconcerned demeanor,
Otome, knowing something was definitely up between the two, quietly observed the eager young woman before leaning her head on Sasaki's shoulder.
'That's good, at least there won't be any conflicts...'
Sitting together comfortably and harmoniously, they watched TV for a while.
Knowing that Fuyumi enjoyed her food and with her principle of not wasting, Sakuragi Otome got up to heat up some dishes for him.
Watching Otome swaying, her curves that was plumper and more upright than usual walked towards the kitchen.
Now alone on the couch, Sasaki gently pinched Rinka's waist.
Facing her inquiring gaze, he glanced towards the kitchen to make sure Otome wasn't paying attention, then whispered close to the girl's ear, "Come see me tonight, I have something to ask you."
Feeling the warm, gentle breath tickle her ear, Rinka hadn't yet pushed Sasaki away when she heard his rather suggestive words.
At this moment, however, she didn't react with the bashfulness or shyness one might expect.
Instead, she was utterly shocked.
.
.
Watching Sasaki head towards the kitchen after speaking.
Rinka had a feeling.
He… seemed to know that she had secretly photographed him...
But how could that be?
'We were obviously so far apart at the time...and I was hiding it so secretly...it should have been impossible to be discovered...'
Does he have eyes in his back?
The astonishment and confusion did nothing to alleviate Rinka's doubts.
Due to the nervousness, she sat very upright on the couch, her gaze towards Sasaki and Otome filled with a strange blankness.
This couple... How come they are like ghosts... They have obviously never been so sensitive before...
Sister Otome secretly followed her, and she could use the fact that she had forgotten something.
Then she realized that she was walking in the wrong direction, so she followed her out of curiosity.
But Fuyumi-nii...
Unable to make sense of it, Rinka, filled with her own doubts, sat on the couch silently watching him finish his meal and go upstairs.
After taking off her apron and organizing everything, Otome wiped her hands dry and, seeing Rinka sitting upright on the couch watching TV, she spoke, "Rinka-chan, I'm going upstairs now. Remember to turn off the TV and the lights when you're done, okay?
Startled back to reality, Rinka looke at Otome's retreating figure and shook her slightly dazed head.
Forget it..
If it doesn't make sense, let it be… After all, from Brother Fuyumi's demeanor, he didn't seem angry.
And even if he really was angry...
At worst… at worst, she might get a scolding or beating..
It's not like she wasn't beaten when she was a kid.
Not wanting Sasaki to dislike her, the girl, with a heart full of unease, turned off the TV and the lights and slowly went upstairs.
In this way, the time came to eleven o'clock under the increasingly dense darkness.
Lying in bed, looking at the somewhat unfamiliar ceiling,
Okino Rinka, feeling that it was almost time, slowly sat up...