In the Sasaki family dining room.
The warm lighting overhead and the faint steam rising from the dishes intertwined, casting a soft, gem-like glow on the girls' delicate faces as they sat around the table.
The scene radiated warmth and elegance.
Quietly admiring their beauty, Sasaki rested his head on Koharu-nee's soft collar and listened as they discussed how to arrange his tutoring.
Just as mentioned earlier, though Sister Yuuka and Sister Koharu seemed to have plenty of free time, when they got busy, their time would vanish into thin air.
So it was impossible for them to come back every night to tutor him.
It was similar to Aunt Kyouka, who had once offered to tutor him as well, but due to the need to balance work and school the next day, she rarely had time to do so.
So, the girls decided on a rotation system for tutoring.
Under normal circumstances, each person would take one day for tutoring.
If someone wasn't available, the next in line would substitute.
Since the tutoring was one-on-one, allowing for alone time with the person they liked, none of the girls found it troublesome.
That was the official rule.
As for whether the person who missed their turn could reclaim their lost tutoring session later, that was left unsaid.
However, Sasaki figured they could.
Otherwise, Otome would end up with a huge advantage.
As the discussion continued, dinner time gradually came to an end.
In this household, cooking and dishwashing were always handled by the girls.
However, out of habit from his previous life, Sasaki followed the principle of either cooking or washing dishes, never both.
So, after everyone had eaten their fill, he didn't just lounge on the sofa like a lazy lord watching TV.
Instead, he took the initiative to clear the table of dishes.
But Otome wasn't pleased with this.
The only things she could do for him were small tasks like these, and having them taken away made her feel upset.
However, from Sasaki's winking, she seemed to have misunderstood something, so she did not say a direct refusal.
Tachibana Koharu, seeing that Fuyumi intended to wash the dishes, stayed in the kitchen with the intent to help.
Tachibana Yuuka noticed the other three were in the kitchen and felt compelled to stay there as well.
In the end, only Okino Rinka was left alone in the living room, watching the evening variety show.
The rest gathered in the kitchen, taking their time and dawdling around.
Sasaki's house was large, and the kitchen was no small space either.
But regardless of its size, it was still a kitchen—a narrow walkway—so it was inevitable that people would brush past each other.
Close enough to feel the warmth from each other's backs…
The girls at home weren't wearing much, and Sasaki, being full of youthful energy, was easily affected by this.
A front and back squeeze…
The girls all noticed the change in the atmosphere, and their reactions were different.
Sakuragi Otome, having been with Sasaki for a long time, wasn't too surprised when she sensed the change.
She didn't show much of a reaction on her face but felt shy, given the setting and the others being around aso although didn't resist, but she didn't actively respond either.
Tachibana Yuuka, on the other hand, was more proactive, subtly twisting her waist, playfully enticing him with her graceful movements.
Tachibana Koharu, perhaps less informed about such matters, didn't notice Sasaki's reaction and merely thought his phone was overheating.
As for how Sasaki knew she would mistake it for a phone…
After brushing past her again while opening the cupboard to place the dishes, the boy felt a tap on his back as Koharu-nee, curious about his "overheating phone," turned and asked:
"Fuyumi, your phone is really heating up. Should I ask Mom to get you a new one?"
"…"
If it wasn't heating up, *then* you should be worried…
Not wanting to turn around at this moment, Sasaki slowly placed each dish into the cupboard, dragging out the process while saying:
"Uh… maybe it's because I have too many apps running. I'll check it later."
If it were Otome or Yuuka-nee, even if they had doubts after hearing that, they wouldn't have taken any further action.
Girls tend to be reserved, and no matter how bold they might be, they wouldn't initiate anything so intimate in front of others.
But… for someone who doesn't know any better, it's a different story.
Putting Sasaki's well-being first, Koharu-nee, once she was sure it was his phone overheating, dried her hands and walked over to help:
"Let me assist you. It must be uncomfortable having an overheated phone in your pocket."
With one hand holding a dish and the other already placing it away, Sasaki had no way to stop her.
Sakuragi Otome and Tachibana Yuuka, upon hearing this, were alarmed and quickly turned to intervene, but by then, Koharu's hand was already in his pocket.
"!"
Tachibana Koharu might be naive, but she isn't dumb.
She hadn't immediately connected the dots, but that didn't mean she didn't understand.
Now that she was holding the "overheating phone" in her hand, she quickly realized what it actually was.
However, unlike the typical reaction of a girl who's caught a guy in such an awkward situation, she didn't panic like she'd been bitten by a snake.
Instead, she shyly and cautiously held it, treating it like a soft, silicone-like phone case.
"?"
Sasaki knew he should calmly ask Koharu-nee to put down what she was holding, pretending nothing happened.
But her curious, bashful gaze, combined with her gentle but deliberate movements, left him at a loss for words.
However, while he couldn't bring himself to speak up, that didn't mean Sakuragi Otome and Tachibana Yuuka, who had been watching the whole scene, would stay silent.
After a brief moment of shock, both girls quickly wiped their hands on their aprons and hurriedly pulled the clueless girl aside.
They couldn't scold their sister, so they just shooed the oblivious troublemaker out of the kitchen.
"Fuyumi, stop messing around and go watch TV with Rinka in the living room."
"Yeah, you fool, you're just getting in the way here."
Pushed out of the kitchen, Sasaki slouched onto the sofa, looking quite uncomfortable.
Okino Rinka, who had been keeping an eye on the kitchen, knew exactly what had happened.
She glanced at Otome and Sister Yuuka, who were now scolding Sister Koharu, then leaned forward from her seat on the sofa and asked Sasaki:
"Fuyumi, why'd they kick you out? Did you break a dish?"
Not wanting to describe what just happened, Sasaki shook his head, "It's nothing. There's no need for too many people in there, so they asked me to come out."
And chuckled awkwardly.
However, like a mischievous thief, Rinka slipped her hand into his pocket and grabbed the bulging wallet stuffed with cash.
"?"
Surprised by the second attack, Sasaki arched his body like a startled shrimp.
What guy could handle that kind of teasing?
"Is that really what happened?"
.
.
.