Ch 215. Kotoko Teases!

"Ding-dong~~ Ding-dong~~ Ding-dong~~"

In the apartment's living room, Yukino, who had just swallowed half a piece of taro, froze upon hearing the doorbell.

Who could it be? Is it Hoshimi?

Yukino instinctively arrived at the answer.

"..."

Her cheeks flushed as she hastily took out the taro covered with her saliva and teeth marks.

She quickly placed the taro back on the plate, merged the food from the four plates on the table into two, grabbed everything at once, and rushed to the kitchen in a panic.

"Clatter—"

After a flurry of chaotic sounds, Yukino, who had hidden the plates in the bottom cabinet, hurried to the door and slightly raised her voice, asking, "Hoshimi, is that you?"

"It's me..." Outside the door, Hoshimi wanted to say Kotoko was with him, but Kotoko tugged at his sleeve, signaling him not to reveal her presence.

Hoshimi didn't mind and simply went along with Kotoko's request. After all, even if he didn't mention it now, it would become clear once the door opened.

Standing beside Hoshimi, Kotoko squinted, a hint of contemplation flickering in her eyes.

Was it just her imagination, or did Yukinoshita's voice sound a bit shaky? A little flustered?

"Click—"

The door opened, and Yukino bent down, half-crouching by the door.

"Hmm?" The moment Hoshimi saw Yukino, he sensed something was off.

Her cheeks were tinged with an unsubsiding blush, and her slightly moist cherry lips were slightly pursed. Under the white fluorescent light of the hallway, they gleamed with an inexplicably alluring sheen.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed her eyes were subtly avoiding his gaze, as if she didn't dare to meet his eyes.

Looking at this uneasy and strange Yukino, Hoshimi couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

If he weren't familiar with Yukino's personality, he might suspect she had done something to betray him at this moment.

However, knowing that couldn't be the case, he wondered what was causing Yukino's current expression.

Sensing the potential for amusement, Hoshimi's interest was piqued. With a smile, he pushed the door, saying, "Yukino, let us in first."

"Us?" Yukino was stunned and instinctively leaned out to look outside.

Only then did she notice that Iwanaga Kotoko was standing right beside Hoshimi!

"?!" Yukino's pupils shrank, and an inexplicable sense of panic filled her heart.

If Hoshimi found out what she was up to, she could barely accept it—she'd just have to swallow her pride and silence him. But if Iwanaga Kotoko or her sister, or her family found out, she wouldn't know how to continue living on this planet...

"Hey~ Yukinoshita-senpai, I've come to scout the enemy~" Kotoko playfully winked at Yukino.

"..."

Yukino forcibly composed herself, nodding calmly. "Hello, Iwanaga-san."

After dealing with Kotoko, Yukino turned to Hoshimi, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Hoshimi, why are you with Iwanaga-san?"

Although she was a bit panicked and guilty over what she had secretly been doing, it didn't stop her from questioning why Hoshimi was with Kotoko.

Besides, she had been secretly practicing for their agreement at home, while Hoshimi went out on a date with Iwanaga Kotoko! How could this be acceptable?!

As these thoughts filled her mind, the coldness in Yukino's eyes intensified.

Facing Yukino's glare, Hoshimi spread his hands and explained, "Yukino, I had asked Kotoko to help me find something, and she found it, so I went to pick it up. After that, we went to the library together. Oh, right, I originally planned to go to the library today to..."

Hoshimi pointed to his head and continued, "To increase my knowledge storage."

"Pick up something? You went to her house?" In Hoshimi's explanation, Yukino keenly grasped the key point.

She straightened up, crossed her arms, and stared at Hoshimi expressionlessly, displaying an aura of "You can't come in without a proper explanation."

"No..."

"Nope~"

The first reply was from Hoshimi, the second from Kotoko.

Just as Hoshimi was about to explain, Kotoko jumped in. She squeezed in front of Hoshimi, lifted her delicate chin, and grinned at Yukino like a sly little fox.

Facing the icy Yukino, Kotoko cheerfully continued, "Hoshimi didn't come to my house, I can vouch for that. We met at a deserted, old shrine."

"Deserted? Old? Shrine?" Yukino's expression turned uncertain as she seemed to have thought of something.

"Right~" Kotoko raised her hand with a cheeky grin. "At the shrine, Hoshimi dirtied my clothes, so I had to go home and change~"

"..."

Yukino, whose face had been alternating between expressions, instantly turned emotionless. She looked at Hoshimi, her ice-blue eyes showing no emotion.

Hoshimi's eyelid twitched. He tapped Kotoko's forehead lightly, then continued explaining, "The shrine was too dusty. Kotoko and I accidentally tripped, covering our clothes with dirt, so we went home to change."

Halfway through the explanation, Hoshimi covered Kotoko's mouth and extended his index finger into her mouth. Using Morse code, he tapped out a few words on her tongue.

"Mystery, NO, Yukino, Secret, YES."

Yes, Morse code was taught to him by Siesta. During the teaching process, Siesta had fainted several times out of sheer joy at his talent...

After Siesta disappeared from his dreams, he taught Morse code to Kotoko. Since it was hard to learn, Kotoko fainted quite a few times while learning it. After about half a month, Kotoko finally mastered it...

Later, he tried to teach Morse code to Eiri, but unfortunately, Eiri's brain capacity was too small and too dull. She would forget everything right after class, so he eventually gave up teaching her.

"..."

With the Morse code message, Kotoko's ears turned red. Her mind involuntarily flashed back to the time she learned Morse code.

Her body softened as she leaned shyly into Hoshimi's arms, falling silent.

Right, the matters of the mystery are secrets between her and Hoshimi, it's normal that she can't reveal them to Yukinoshita.

Besides, she was also interested in what Yukinoshita was hiding. The quicker they dealt with Yukinoshita's jealousy, the sooner they could get inside and uncover the secret.

Yes, that's it. It wasn't because she was afraid that Hoshimi would help her review Morse code at night...

"..."

Hearing Hoshimi's explanation, the cold look on Yukino's face eased a bit.

However, when her gaze shifted downwards, seeing Hoshimi's finger in Kotoko's mouth while Kotoko blushed and shyly leaned against him, her expression turned even colder than before.

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