It was a lazy morning at the Kazuki household. Aoi was lounging on the couch, flipping through channels while munching on her favorite chocolate-covered biscuits. Kazuki was in the kitchen, humming a tune as he prepped lunch.
The peace was short-lived.
"Kazuki! Onii-chan!" Aoi's dramatic wail echoed through the house.
Kazuki poked his head out of the kitchen, frying pan in hand. "What now, Aoi?"
"My biscuits are gone!" she cried, holding up the empty snack box like it was evidence in a court trial.
Kazuki sighed, putting the pan down. "Did you already eat them all?"
Aoi gasped, clutching her chest like she'd been mortally wounded. "How dare you accuse me of such a thing? I just opened this box!"
Kazuki raised an eyebrow. "Well, then who else could have taken them?"
Aoi squinted suspiciously. "Akemi was here yesterday… She must've stolen them!"
"I don't think Akemi would risk stealing your snacks. She knows you'd hunt her down," Kazuki replied, smirking.
Aoi narrowed her eyes. "Then it must be a ghost!"
Kazuki rolled his eyes. "Right. A ghost who's only interested in chocolate biscuits. Sounds plausible."
"I'm serious!" Aoi said, jumping up. "Strange things have been happening! Yesterday, my headphones disappeared for an hour, and then they were suddenly on my desk!"
"That's because you left them under the couch, and I found them," Kazuki reminded her.
"And last week, my favorite hair clip went missing!"
"It was in your bag," Kazuki countered.
"Still!" Aoi insisted. "Something fishy is going on!"
Kazuki shook his head, chuckling. "Fine. Let's solve the great snack mystery."
The two began their "investigation," starting with Aoi's room. Kazuki methodically searched the desk, shelves, and drawers, while Aoi dramatically checked under her bed with a flashlight.
"Onii-chan!" she suddenly squeaked. "What if it's a monster?"
"Then it's a very tiny monster if it's hiding under your bed," Kazuki said, pulling out an old slipper. "When was the last time you cleaned under here? There's enough dust to build another bed."
Aoi ignored his comment, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "If it's not Akemi or a ghost… maybe it's you!"
"Me?" Kazuki looked genuinely offended. "Why would I steal your snacks when I can just buy my own?"
"To mess with me!" Aoi accused, pointing a finger dramatically.
Kazuki sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're impossible."
As they were bickering, Shizuka arrived unannounced, letting herself in as usual.
"What's going on here?" she asked, watching the siblings argue in the middle of the mess.
"A ghost stole my biscuits!" Aoi declared.
Shizuka blinked. "A ghost? Really?"
Kazuki crossed his arms. "She's convinced something supernatural is going on. Care to weigh in?"
Shizuka tapped her chin, pretending to think. "Well, ghosts do love chocolate. It's a known fact."
"See?!" Aoi exclaimed, pointing at Kazuki.
Shizuka laughed. "But maybe we should check the kitchen before jumping to conclusions."
The trio headed to the kitchen, where Shizuka opened the pantry.
"Found it!" she announced, holding up a second box of the same biscuits.
Aoi's face turned bright red. "Wait… I had another box?"
Kazuki burst out laughing. "You forgot about your stash? And here you were blaming Akemi, ghosts, and me!"
Shizuka joined in the laughter. "Aoi, you're hilarious."
Aoi crossed her arms, pouting. "It's not funny! I was worried, okay?"
"Worried about a ghost eating your snacks," Kazuki teased. "That's a new one."
Shizuka patted Aoi's head. "Don't worry, Aoi. Your snacks are safe… from ghosts, at least."
Aoi groaned. "You're both the worst."
Kazuki ruffled her hair. "And you're the most forgetful snack hoarder I know."
Despite her embarrassment, Aoi couldn't help but laugh along with them. The mystery of the missing snacks might not have been as thrilling as she'd hoped, but at least it gave them all a good laugh.