"Never thought Futaba Rio would have a twin sister."
Furuhashi Fumino felt a surge of curiosity. It was her first time seeing genuine twins—two people exactly alike.
"Don't just think it's you. I'm her teacher and I had no idea either,"
Mafuyu Kirisu sighed, looking somewhat helpless.
Next to her, Ogata Rizu tilted her head in puzzlement.
"Why is Futaba Rio's younger sister staying at Rei Ao's house?"
Furuhashi Fumino and Ogata Rizu also grew curious after she raised the question.
Rei Ao answered calmly, "Futaba is renting a room here. Because I got along with Rio pretty well, so the rent is cheap in every respect."
"Oh, I see."
That sounded reasonable. As for the details of why Futaba was living there, they realized it wasn't their place to probe too deeply.
Ilia was about to continue teaching when Sakurajima Mai suddenly came out of the bedroom with a sullen expression.
"Rei Ao, come over here."
She sounded faintly annoyed.
"Alright, coming. You all go on."
Rei Ao had a vague idea of why Mai seemed upset. He rose and headed into the bedroom with her.
"Huh???"
Once the two had gone in, Furuhashi Fumino couldn't help whispering to Mafuyu Kirisu, "Miss Mafuyu, who was that…?"
Kirisu replied, "Her? That's Sakurajima Mai, one of Rei Ao's girlfriends."
"Ehh???"
They both looked utterly confused.
Ogata Rizu asked, "Then that blonde-haired girl from before—who's she?"
"That's Tohru, the maid working at Rei Ao's house."
"… …"
They both fell silent. So many women lived here… They hadn't expected that.
Shortly after, Sora and Tohru emerged from the bedroom.
Sora clicked her tongue in mild annoyance. "Wonder what got Mai so riled up all of a sudden."
Tohru shrugged. "No idea. Let's just wait outside for a bit."
"And that one…is who?"
"Er, I don't know either."
Faced with Furuhashi Fumino's and Ogata Rizu's renewed questioning looks, Mafuyu Kirisu gave up. She hadn't realized that after just a few days of not visiting, Rei Ao's household had grown to accommodate several new people.
Ilia explained in a calm voice, "That's Sora, Rei Ao-nii's younger sister. Now, don't get distracted; let's keep up our lesson."
"O-okay."
They mentally noted her identity and resumed studying.
…
Inside the bedroom:
Sakurajima Mai glared fixedly at Rei Ao. After a long moment, she spoke in a low tone:
"You… you've been hiding something from me, haven't you?"
"Wouldn't call it hiding. She asked me to wait for the right time to tell you," he replied, unbelievably composed, leaving Mai no room to corner him.
"So it really is her…"
Mai's expression grew extremely complicated. Moments ago, in the group chat, she had spotted a familiar name:
Sakurajima Mai: "@Sakurajima Ai, are you… Mom?"
At home, Sakurajima Ai, reading that line, froze. She'd been found out. Meaning…
Her heart pounded with anxiety, worried her daughter would hate her for being involved with "that man." Although she was very uneasy, she answered:
Sakurajima Ai: "Yes, it's me…"
Sakurajima Mai: "…"
Kobayashi: "Ohh, that Sakurajima Ai? I noticed her joining earlier, but she never really said anything."
Kasumigaoka Utaha: "She's in here? Didn't notice."
Katou Megumi: "From the looks of it, she's Mai's mother."
Miura Yumiko: "Her mother? I suddenly get a bad feeling about this."
Eriri: "No way, don't we already have enough trouble with my mom? Ugh!"
Katou Hiromi: "Ehm, I seem to be hearing something quite scandalous."
Sakurajima Ai: "I'm sorry, Mai… I—"
Sakurajima Mai: "No, it's not Mom's fault. If anyone's to blame, it's that man!"
Mai folded her arms, directing a cold stare at Rei Ao. "So what do you plan to say?"
Her eyes were like those of an interrogator. But Rei Ao remained unaffected.
"I don't plan to say anything. Instead, I'm going to do something."
"Y-you! What're you—?"
Mai gasped as he suddenly pulled her into an embrace.
"Mm!!!"
Before she could react further, he kissed her. She struggled for a few seconds, then got swept up in it.
…
Out in the living room:
Furuhashi Fumino's ears twitched; she thought she heard something. Instinctively, she peeked at the half-open bedroom door.
"!!!"
She saw the two locked in a deep kiss. Flushing red, she quickly lowered her head, shocked:
"S-so bold!"
After a short while, Mai's anger mostly subsided. Rei Ao held her soft body, cheek to cheek.
"Mai, I intended to tell you about this anyway. For both you and Ai's sake, I'm not going to hesitate or give up on either of you."
"…"
Mai's face was burning red, her emotions in tumult. Deep down, she had anticipated this, yet she was still angry when it came to pass. She wasn't mad at him for concealing anything, but more at herself for feeling so humiliated. After all, Ai's identity was special to her. How should she face her mother in the future? Mai was incredibly torn. The only target for her pent-up frustration was Rei Ao, who had caused it all. He'd placated her for now, though, and she felt a bit better seeing that his resolve was unwavering.
Still, she couldn't help feeling a bit resigned. "Then how am I supposed to deal with Mom now?"
"Mai," Rei Ao said gently, "you don't have to be so conflicted. I've got another secret to share: from what Ai told me, you're actually not her biological daughter."
"Eh???"
Mai's eyes went wide in disbelief. She seriously wondered if she was dreaming.
"I know it's tough to swallow," Rei Ao said, "but you could ask her directly."
"…"
Mai hesitated a while, then truly asked in the group chat:
Sakurajima Mai: "@Sakurajima Ai, so you're saying I'm not your biological daughter?"
"???"
Everyone in the chat was dumbfounded. This was a huge bombshell—a massive piece of gossip!
~~~
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