Maybe dreams aren’t always meant to come true.

Masachika trudged along his weary way home with an indescribable sense of loss. Even

though he'd originally stopped by the park for closure, the moment he got a conclusion to

his past love, he was overcome with an unbelievable feeling of isolation and didn't know

how to deal with it. Despite getting the closure to move forward with his life, he realized

that he couldn't stop thinking about the past, even though he had numerous other concerns

he needed to sort out involving Alisa and Maria.

"Sigh…"

Even the road he was walking down was a path often used by Masachika Suou in the

past. It reminded him of the time he had sprinted down this street one day on his way home,

propelled by excitement and embarrassment from Mah kissing him good-bye on the cheek.

After finally making it home, he had sneaked into his room through the back porch to make

sure his grandparents didn't see how giddy he was.

Now Masachika arrived home and reflected on past memories as he opened the gate

and went around to the back porch…and that was where he found Yuki wearing a school

swimsuit and sitting in an inflatable pool clearly made for children.

"…What are you doing?" he asked, looking at her wearily. More important, he wondered

why she was even there in the first place. She'd never said a word to Masachika about

stopping by that day. Perhaps she was nothing more than an illusion. But the moment

Masachika placed a hand on his forehead and closed his eyes to consider the possibility, his

face was soaked with cold water.

"Pfft?!"

He reflexively wiped his face and opened his eyes to find Yuki pointing a water gun

right at his head, her lips curled impishly in a grin.

"…Seriously. What are you doing?" asked Masachika once more. Yuki snorted smugly,

shifted her gaze to the summer sky, and spun her water gun around her finger like some sort

of hotshot detective.

"Don't worry about it, bro. I'm just giving in to my more childish side for a change."

"Your 'childish' side?"

"Yep. I'm trying to get that adolescent rush. Know what I mean?"

"Adrenaline rush. Don't try to make what you're doing sound cool," he growled with a

reproachful glare. He then briskly walked over to his sister and immediately began rubbing

her head aggressively, messing up her hair.

"There's some bonus serotonin for you."

"Oooh! I can feel the happy hormones oozing from my bodyyy! …Wait. What in the

world am I doing here?"

"How can you ask me that with a straight face? That's what I'm trying to figure out."

"What was I doing…? Argh! My head…!"

"Were you brainwashed? Hurry up and remember already."

"Guh…! Hff…! It was at that moment I remembered it all. This world is the world from

the otome game I was playing right before I died."

"Nobody asked you to remember your past life."

"Yuki…Suou…? Ngh…! No…! That can't be! I was reincarnated as a villainess?!"

"Oh, wowww.You were a villainess this whole time?"

"I remember everything now… I played the spiteful husband who picked on the heroine

with her older brother."

"Oh, is Ayano the main character?"

"Precisely, my dear brother. Ayano Kimishima is the heroine of this world, aka the

protagonist of The Dark Noble's Infatuation: All of the Beautiful Yandere Men Are Obsessed

with Me!"

"Can I get all the names of the male characters she can choose from? I need to kill them."

"Hikaru Kiyomiya."

"Hmm… I surprisingly don't really know how I feel about that."

"Yuushou Kiryuuin."

"He's just evil."

"Ouji Hachioji."

"Isn't that supposed to be a student council president in the next town over? And what

kind of name is that?"

"And the secret character…Sakuya Sarashina."

"I don't know who that is, but that sounds like a last boss if you ask me. This is one of

those stories where you can play the last boss's route after completing all the other routes,

right?"

"Brother, the time to slaughter has come. Start by killing the hidden character."

"I'm sorry. I can't. You should probably just keep that character hidden."

"What? But the world will be destroyed if you don't defeat the secret character…"

"Definitely sounds like the last boss to me."

"Oh, but if we're following the source material, then you're supposed to have a fanservice scene today where you accidentally see some boobs, which causes copious amounts

of blood to shoot out of your nose until you die of blood loss. So I guess you're not supposed

to be the one saving the world."

"What a disappointing way to go. Today's the day, huh?"

"Yep. Now go dry off your face. You look like a wet dog."

"And whose fault is that?"

After lightly smacking his sister on the head, Masachika took off his shoes, stepped up

onto the porch, and walked through the tatami-matted room with slumped shoulders.

Sigh… I'm exhausted already.

Masachika headed to the bathroom while using a handkerchief to dry the water dripping

from his hair. The air was still in the hallway past the tatami-matted room, and there was no

sign of anyone else being around. It was only natural that his grandfather wouldn't be home,

since he was walking the dog, but his grandmother didn't seem to be there, either.

Did Grandma go out today…?

He tilted his head curiously, opening the door to the bathroom…only to find himself

standing face-to-face with his completely nude maid, Ayano.

"Sorry."

He promptly closed the door. The entire exchange lasted for one point seven seconds,

an impressive display of Masachika's godlike reaction speed.

Why don't you ever make any noise?!

He screamed internally. From the looks of it, Ayano appeared to be in the process of

wrapping a towel around her body, so why didn't the fabric at least make a rustling sound?

Despite knowing that he was shifting the blame, Masachika still couldn't help but scowl in

frustration at the maid who was silent even at times like this.

Wait! Is this the fan-service scene she was talking about?!

Yuki knew that Ayano was in the bathroom, which was why she had led him here. It

was unfiltered malice. That entire ridiculous conversation about the nosebleed was all

foreshadowing for this as well.

In other words, yelling or panicking would be exactly what Yuki wanted, so the smart

thing to do would be to casually walk away as if nothing had happened…

But before Masachika could even finish that thought, the door before him silently slid

open.

"Good afternoon, Master Masachika. Please come in. Don't mind me."

"Seriously?! I do mind!" shouted Masachika, unable to handle how willingly she invited

him in while hardly covering up with her towel.

"If anything, you should be bothered by this more than me!"

"…! Oh, right. You have my sincere apologies."

Ayano promptly began drying Masachika's wet chin and hair with the towel that was

wrapped around her body…unsurprisingly, revealing herself to Masachika in the process.

"No, I'm not talking about my hair!"

He immediately leaped back and averted his gaze.

"Are you stupid?! Have you no shame?!"

"Master Masachika, it may not look it, but I am working extremely hard in order to

overcome my embarrassment."

"Could you not?!" he pleaded before sprinting back to the tatami-matted room like a

scared rabbit. After landing on the floor, he clutched his head tightly and began to groan. His

cries were short-lived, as he was soon interrupted by the cackling of a demon, prompting him

to lift his head and shift his gaze in the direction of the noise.

"Oh, wow. It looks like you cheated death. I'm impressed."

"…"

Yuki wassitting in the inflatable pool with her legs crossed and a grin on her face,staring

into the house. Masachika silently turned his back to her, since it was obvious that she was

going to make fun of him, regardless of how he reacted.

"Hey, come on, bro. What's wrong? Can't get the image of Ayano's birthday suit out

of your head?"

"…"

"Hello? Can you hear me? Stop ignoring meee."

"…"

"Whoopsie-daisy! Oh no! My boobs popped out of my swimsuit!"

"…"

Why did she think that was going to make me turn around? wondered Masachika. She

understands I'm her brother, right?

But he fought through the strong urge to point that out and decided to sulk on the floor

instead.

"…Tsk! Looks like a little nip slip isn't going to be enough. I guess seeing me halfnaked in a school swimsuit isn't nearly as enticing as seeing Alya braless in a white T-shirt

at the beach!"

"…"

"Curse you, Alya! My cute, little lamb, Alya… Before I even realized it, those E cups

grew and grew until they were E cups no more…"

"…?!"

"Hey! I just saw your shoulders twitch a little."

Crap, thought Masachika, but right as Yuki's grin became more depraved, Ayano

suddenly appeared and slid open the door. This time, she was wearing clothes and carried a

clean towel as she swiftly walked to the edge of the porch.

"I am sorry to keep you waiting, Lady Yuki. This way, please."

"Hmm? …Oh." Yuki grunted while hopping out of the pool reluctantly; she slipped on

her sandals. Once she walked over to the porch and Ayano briefly dried her body off, Yuki

thoroughly cleaned the bottom of her feet, then wrapped herself in the towel and headed to

the bathroom. However, when she stepped into the hallway, she swiftly turned around and

casually asked Ayano:

"By the way, Ayano, how much did my brother see?"

"Go take your bath, you freak. Ayano, don't answer her."

Masachika promptly closed the sliding door,shutting Yuki out of their lives(physically).

Only after his sister's chuckling and footsteps faded into the distance did he finally face

Ayano once more.

"Sorry about not being more careful before opening the door."

"Oh, no. I should be the one apologizing for my unsightly appearance…"

If anything, her delicate yet feminine body was breathtakingly alluring, and her wet,

luscious black hair only complemented her charm. Nevertheless, being foolishly honest like

this would likely be interpreted assexual harassment, and notsaying anything at all wasn't an

option, either,since it could lead Ayano to believe that her appearance really was unsightly…

"…Ayano. You're beautiful and extremely cute…so don't belittle yourself like that."

"Th-thank you very much. I think you are very charming and wonderful yourself, too."

"…Thanks."

After shrugging off her compliment, Masachika lay back down in an attempt to escape

the awkward silence and turned his back on Ayano. For once, even she managed to read

the room, immediately closing her mouth in order to become one with the air, unlike her

"husband," who would read the room and still choose violence.

Sigh… What a day this turned out to be. There better not be some kind of repercussion

for all this tomorrow.

Not only did someone confess their love to him for the first time in his life, but he got

his own fan-service scene when he got home, too. Objectively, he was extremely lucky, and

that was why he was worried he had used up all his good fortune for a lifetime.

Wait… This isn't the first time someone told me they liked me.

He realized that, long ago, Mah also told him that she liked him, and although

embarrassed, Masachika had expressed how he felt about her, too. The feelings were mutual.

That much he could still remember. Nevertheless, he felt that it had merely been two kids

acting like they knew what love was.

But Masha wasn't playing… She was serious…

It would be easy to say they were just pretending and call it a day, but at the very least,

Maria'sfeelingsfor Masachika remained unchanged, and that was why he couldn't give them

such a cheap label and move on.

Ha-ha! It's really cliché for characters to promise to get married when they're kids

in rom-coms, but I've never heard of a rom-com where the heroine already has a steady

boyfriend.

The hollow laugh echoed in his head until it suddenly hit him.

Hmm? Wait… Don't tell me that Masha's boyfriend is…

At the beach, Maria had told him that her boyfriend was that teddy bear, but…

Was she…talking about me…?

The instant he came to that possible conclusion, he began to feel a sort of uncomfortable,

tingly sensation in his chest…but it almost immediately passed.

No, technically, it wouldn't be me. It would be Masachika Suou—Sah.

He was simultaneously overcome with a sense of loss while his mood rapidly fell until

it hit rock bottom.

Dammit… I'm being negative again.

He realized this was a bad habit of his, but that still wasn't enough to stop his thoughts

from spiraling.

Tsk. What do Masha and Alya see in a guy like me?

The hearts of most people would be brimming with joy if they discovered that those

attractive, charming siblings had feelings for them…but all Masachika felt was guilt. He

felt sorry that this was the kind of person he was, and he was ashamed to bother these two

wonderful girls.

I can't do it… I'm not good enough for them. Maybe I should just run away from it all.

Maybe I could just lock myself in my home and cut everyone out of my life…just like I did

when I ran away from the Suou residence. I wouldn't bother anyone that way and—

The sliding door swiftly slid open before he could finish his thought.

"Ahhh, I feel like a new woman! Boing!"

Masachika immediately sensed an incoming object and rolled away.

"Nice try!" she shouted.

"Bff?!"

Yuki read him like an open book, body-slamming her brother and knocking the wind

right out of him. Then with a slight frown, she observed Masachika, who was coughing and

gasping for air, before a mischievous grin twisted her lips once more.

"Oh? What's wrong? The summer heat beating you down? Don't feel good?"

She lightly slapped his forehead while digging her chin into his chest.

"Stop hitting me." After he heedlessly knocked her hand way, she abruptly sat up and

straddled him instead. "I don't have time to point out all the ridiculous things you do…

You're sick," he stated with a completely straight face.

But Yuki simply raised her middle and index fingers in front of her chest, got into

position, and—

"Happiness beam! Make my brother feel better! Pewww! Pew! Pew! Pew!" she rattled

off, stabbing Masachika in the chest and stomach with her extended fingers.

"Abbffft! Stop it! How old are you?! And what part of this is a beam?!"

"My feelings for you are a beam!"

"What kind of beam is that?!"

She froze, a blank expression on her face, the moment he screamed.

"Do you really want to know?"

"…I would love to know."

"Oh, really? …Very well. Listen carefully."

She played coy, dragging things out by brushing her bangs aside with her right hand

and peering down at her brother with a serious gaze. Then, with a grave and unsympathetic

tone, she revealed:

"It's an 'I Wuv My Big Brother Sooo Much' beam."

"Oh, an 'I Wuv My Big Brother Sooo Much' beam, huh?"

"Yes…"

"…"

"…"

"…Go on. I want details."

"What are you trying to do? Make me die of embarrassment?"

"As if you had any shame to begin with."

"Hold on!" Yuki suddenly smushed her face into the top of Masachika's shoulder. "…

That's a woman's scent."

"Seriously?!"

"Wow… Look at you, you sly dog. I was wondering why you seemed so down in the

dumps. Having lady troubles, eh?"

"…"

"Oh? Exercising your right to remain silent? Which means I'm right, huh? I'm right,

aren't I?"

"…"

Masachika closed his eyes and kept quiet while she glared down at him with her chin

raised haughtily.

"Hmph…" She pouted.

"I'm going to have to kiss you if you're going to be that way!"

Yuki opened her mouth as wide as she could and began to lean forward.

"Quit it!"

Within a fraction of a second, Masachika had his hand on her forehead, pushing her

away. Ifsomeone passing by witnessed this, they probably would have thoughtshe had turned

into a zombie and was about to eat her brother. It didn't help that she was still stubbornly

pushing as hard as she could to bite his neck.

"What's up with you trying to bite me all the time lately?" he asked with a fed-up tone.

"You're seriously going to ask me that?"

Her response to his casual question was surprisingly stern, far different from when she'd

been pretending to be sincere earlier. Yuki's blank expression was almost terrifying, even,

as she quietly gazed into his eyes without even blinking, making Masachika recoil a bit.

"…What?"

Perhaps there was a specific reason she was acting this way? But there was no telling

why. Masachika gave it some thought, but before he could reach any meaningful conclusion,

Yuki, still wearing her blank expression, quietly replied:

"I'm waiting for you to say, 'You took a bite, and now you better clench your jaw and

not let go.'"

"Guh."

"I've been waiting for you to say the line for sooo long," she revealed, digging into

her brother's old wound while she peered hard into his lifeless eyes. Although he shot her

a reproachful glare, she emphasized the spite in her voice and smugly mimicked him once

more:

"You took a bite, so now you better clench your jaw and not let go."

"You little…!"

"Hee-hee-hee-hee! Oh my gosh! My brother is sooo lame!!"

After tumbling off him and onto the floor,she began to wildly kick her feet while literally

rolling on the floor, laughing…until her expression suddenly clouded over. She swiftly sat

up with a serious look on her face and raised an index finger.

"But now that I think about it, it could have two meanings. It could mean, 'You better

finish what you start,' but it could also mean, 'You better not let go. Because the moment

you let your guard down, I'm going to strike.' When you think about it, this is actually very

cool—"

"Quit it! Stop analyzing what I said."

Although his face was tense as he glared at his sister, he eventually let out a single sigh

and rolled over. Of course, Yuki immediately poked her head over his shoulder.

"Oh, come on. You're no fun, bro. You're supposed to be like, 'Aw, get over here, ya

little runt,' then roll on the floor and laugh with me."

"We're not kids anymore."

"High school students are still kids," she whined, tickling Masachika's sides, which

gradually started to get on his nerves… Then it hit him.

Wait… Does she just want to spend time together? Maybe she needs a hug?

The realization reminded him of the love he felt for Yuki at the park and what Maria

had said to him at the beach.

I guess physical intimacy really is important…

After he reflected on what Maria told him, he rolled onto his back, grabbed Yuki, who

was sitting by his side, and pulled her in without saying a word.

"O-oh?"

Although somewhat hesitant, she allowed herself to fall on top of Masachika. He

wrapped his left arm around her petite back and rubbed her head with his right.

"O-ohhh? Huh? Hmm?"

Yuki's eyes widened at the sudden sweet embrace for a moment before she cracked into

a smug smirk as if she had picked up on something from her brother continuing to rub her

head in silence.

"Heh. What's gotten into you? You're embarrassing me." She bashfully snickered,

rubbing her forehead into her brother's chest like a cat showing affection. Feeling her love

and affection began to warm Masachika's heart, slowly melting his sense of self-disgust and

any urge to run away from it all.

Yeah… This is actually kind of nice.

He could finally understand what Maria meant when she mentioned how important

human touch was. Feeling loved was a wonderful feeling.

Even I'm surprised how simple of a guy I am.

Feeling Yuki's love directly through touch made Masachika wonder why he took

Maria's confession so negatively. Her embrace was warm, and she was extremely considerate

with her words, and yet…

"Masachika."

"Hmm?"

Yuki suddenly spoke up, drawing Masachika's eyes toward his chest, where her face

remained buried.

"You don't have to feel guilty for what you think you did to me. I'm happy…and never

once have I blamed you for any of that."

"…!"

"I know even telling you this isn't going to stop you from thinking whatever you want to

think and worrying yourself over it…but in my eyes, you're still the same brother I've always

loved. And that's why…you don't have to care about the Suou family. You're allowed to

find happiness for yourself."

Masachika knew that those words, beyond a shadow of a doubt, came straight from

Yuki's heart. His sister's very mature words, which were overflowing with love, touched his

heart just like they had that special day.

Yeah… At the very least, both Yuki and Masha have told me that they like the person

I am now…

As he carefully reflected on his sister's advice, Yuki slowly lifted her head off his chest

and smirked again.

"Is it just me, or did I really sound like the heroine just now?"

"Ha-ha… Shut up."

Masachika began wildly ruffling her hair with a grin.

"Aggghhh," groaned Yuki in a monotone voice while burying her face back into his

chest.

Thank you, Yuki.

He thanked his loving, extremely kind sister in his heart.

Heh. I can't believe I'm being consoled by my little sister. I'm pathetic.

Although he added a touch of self-deprecation in the end, the dark self-resentment he

once had was no longer there. No longer was he going to be tormented by his own self-hatred.

No longer was he going to look back. Of course, he still couldn't love himself, and he still

considered himself a loser…but even then, there were people who cared about him and loved

him. He simply hated himself because it wasthe easy way out. It wasselfish. Because what he

should have been doing was putting those who loved him first. Perhaps that would eventually

lead to him being able to face Alisa and accept that she had feelings for him as well.

That conclusion evoked a gentle air that filled the room. Silence continued to follow for

a while after that…until the wind chime on the porch jingled softly. Yuki suddenly lifted her

head with a furrowed brow.

"…Hmm? Main heroine? …Ah!"

Her face was suddenly overcome with alarm as she swiftly sat up and looked down at

her brother's quizzical expression.

"Is this what I think it is?! Did you just start the little-sister route?!" she shrieked, her

voice trembling.

"…What?"

"Yo, yo, yooo. Seriously, bro? Are you really going to pick the controversial little-sister

route on purpose?! A route that's even controversial among the nerdiest of the nerds?!"

"That route doesn't even exist."

"Heh! Very well. If that's what you want, then I will do everything in my power to make

your dream come true!"

"Yuki?"

"Ah! We need a child to take over for the Suou family, though! What are we going to

do?!"

"Yuki!"

"What? You think we should just have Ayano bear your child? Wh-what a devilish

imagination you have!"

"That's a violation of human rights."

"Lady Yuki, that is a wonderful proposal, if I do say so myself!"

""Ayano?""

Ayano, who had been air in the background the entire time, suddenly dropped a bomb,

drawing the siblings' attention in her direction. She was sitting properly on her knees, and

although she had her usual blank expression, her eyes were sparkling while she tightly

squeezed her fists.

"In other words, I get to use every last bit of myself to serve you two, right?! My

everything will be yours!"

"All right, Ayano. Let's dial it back a little. You realize what you're saying sounds

insane, right?" asked Yuki.

"Seeing you two happy together is what makes me happy, and if I can be a part of that,

then do whatever you want with me!" she passionately exclaimed with a hand on her chest

like a devout follower.

"The poor girl's clueless," said Yuki in a monotone voice, then shifted her gaze to her

brother and, with a half smirk, gave him a thumbs-up.

"You did it, bro. You started with the little-sister route and ended up in the forced-harem

route!"

"Like hell I'm gonna let that happen! All that does is make an already abnormal route

even weirder!"

"What's the problem? You get a harem. That's every man's dream."

"If it's 2D, sure. But a real harem is way too much work."

"It's cowardly, ball-less virgins like you who ruin everything."

"Did you say something, you shameless, self-proclaimed virgin slut?"

But she simply ignored Masachika's jab and shook her head like she wanted to roll her

eyes… Suddenly, she slapped her forehead in astonishment, as if she just had a great idea.

"Hold up… What if we siblings fought for Ayano and made this an Ayano-harem route

instead? Wouldn't that solve all our issues?"

"Sounds more like I'm a third wheel here who's meddling in your yuri relationship. The

author's obviously going to kill me off. In fact, the back of my neck is already starting to

tingle."

The moment he mentioned being a third wheel in their girl-on-girl relationship, he felt

a powerful aura burning with rage coming from somewhere, and he began to rub the back of

his neck. But in spite of that, he shifted his gaze back to Ayano and changed the subject.

"Anyway, Ayano, you need to relax. I don't want you throwing your life away for others,

even if you were joking."

"…? When did I tell a joke?"

"Ha-ha! What innocent little eyes you have."

Masachika knew. He was well aware of the fact that Ayano didn't tell jokes, but seeing

her curious and sincere gaze sent him into a daze as he stared off into space. Ayano, on the

other hand, placed a hand on her chest as if she was offended that anyone would even suggest

it was a joke.

"I am your maid, and nothing brings me more joy than serving you two."

"Ya sure ya don't just get off on being used? You're the M in BDSM," barked Yuki with

a reproachful look. After blinking two or three times in silence, Ayano shifted to face Yuki.

"By the way, Lady Yuki, the other day I learned what BDSM popularly refers to…"

"Oh! You finally figured it out, huh? Yeah, the M doesn't really stand for 'maid.'"

"So you really were joking with me… Well, there is something I need to clarify, then."

"…What's that?"

Ayano stared straight back into Yuki's quizzical expression and firmly replied:

"I am not a masochist."

"…Oh?"

"Uh-huh."

Even Masachika squinted at her skeptically. Nevertheless, despite their obvious doubt,

Ayano continued earnestly:

"I do not get any sexual satisfaction out of being mentally and physically abused."

"…Didn't you ask me to step on your head before summer break?"

"I was simply acting on instinct as a maid."

"Oh. Well, I guess it's okay if it's instinct."

Yukishot Masachika a disappointed look after Ayano steamrolled through his argument,

then asked:

"Are you claiming that you are not motivated by self-interest?"

"Yes."

"How curious. Then give me one logical reason why a maid would serve her master."

The maid adjusted her posture as if she were about to give an eloquent lecture on the

holy teachings in her sacred book.

"We maids are continuously working hard to improve ourselves for our masters."

"…Go on."

"However, my two masters are extremely kind individuals, so of course this is not a

complaint, but I almost forget how inexperienced and incompetent I can be at times."

"…Uh-huh."

"Pride is the enemy of improvement. Letting one's guard down is the beginning of the

end. And that is why I must always strive to be better."

"…"

"Therefore, I would like to request daily guidance from you two so that I will never

forget just how inexperienced I really am."

Yuki and Masachika considered what she was requesting for a brief moment. Most

people would love it if their boss praised them for the smallest things and never got angry,

even over a mistake. On the other hand, there were people who would complain about a lack

of motivation with nobody there to set them straight. Ayano was more like a cute little sister

than a maid to Yuki and Masachika, and that was why they were always extremely grateful for

everything she did, and they would definitely not scold her for making a mistake. However,

perhaps Ayano felt as if she weren't being taken seriously as a maid. Perhaps spoiling her

and not acting like a proper master ended up actually making her anxious…

Oh… So Ayano wants us to scold her…

It sounds like we accidentally hurt her pride as a maid… We should probably reconsider

how we're treating her.

Their expressions were somewhat solemn after they each came to a similar conclusion.

Ayano, as a proud maid, boldly added:

"I want you two to show me just how worthless I am compared to you! Show me that

I'm an object who only deserves to be used! Scold me and punish me!"

""Oh, come on!!""

In the end, Ayano really was a filthy masochist.