Guilty. Straight to jail

"All right, everyone! Shall we begin?!"

Once he got a good look at each member gathered in the room after school that day, the

school festival committee president commenced their first meeting. The committee consisted

of each student council member, the former student council president and vice president, two

representatives from each class, the captains of each school club, and the presidents of the

disciplinary committee, the school cleanup committee, and the health committee.

The disciplinary committee would patrol the school during the festival and keep an eye

on students during the preparation period, the cleanup committee would handle decorating

the entire school, and the health committee would help people who got hurt during the festival

and handle emergencies. Each group needed to work together as a team, which was why

everyone had gathered there today. Furthermore, each class had their own attraction for the

festival, so the core members who would be busiest on the day of the festival were these three

committees and the student council. One school festival committee member representing

each class oversaw their attraction while their partner helped other members of the school

festival committee. Of course, all members of the committee were given breaks throughout

the day, so even though there were a decent number of members, the committee was never

going to feel overstaffed.

"The school festival will be held over a two-day period this year as well. The first day

will only be open to students from our school, but the second day is open to the public. As

always, there will be students who cut loose the morning of the second day and get a little

too carried away, so please be careful, everyone."

The meeting was progressing smoothly thanksto the experienced formerstudent council

president, and everyone was giving him their full attention,suggesting that they truly believed

in him.

"Sometimes, students offer luxurious prizes at their attractions on the second day, which

isn't really that big of a deal. But in the past, we have also had issues with female students

suddenly wearing clothing that's twenty percent more revealing on the second day while

running cafés, so we need to make sure to keep everyone in line this year so that doesn't

happen again."

"President! Is it okay if guys wear more revealing clothing on the second day?!"

"Hmm… Just don't be disgusting."

"Does that mean it's okay?!"

"Only if you're built like Touya."

"Me?!"

"I mean, check this out. You're shredded."

The group erupted with laughter as the former student council president teased the

current one. Masachika and the others smiled as well, since it wasn't often that they saw

Touya teased like a little brother. Well, there was one person who wasn't amused, though.

"Stop right there! These muscles aren't for show! I didn't personally train Touya for

your entertainment!"

"C-come on, Chisaki. Relax."

"If you really want to see them, then you're going to have to defeat me first!"

"I'd rather not die today."

"I wish someone loved me as much as she loves Touya."

"You too? Now I've got the former vice president of the student council giving me a

hard time…"

The meeting progressed amicably until the very end. Everyone briefly introduced

themselves, exchanged information, and was given a specific role for the committee. The

only exceptions were members of the student council, since their roles were related to their

work in the student council, so nothing was fundamentally going to change for Masachika

and the others.

"As usual, each of you will be given two tickets: one for your guardian and one for

whomever else. Any questions or concerns?"

"I know this isn't anything new, but I can't believe we're still using physical tickets. Is

there any way we can go digital?"

"We definitely do not have the time to do that!"

"Ha-ha! Figured… But I feel like paper tickets like this would be easy to counterfeit."

"I really doubtsomeone wantsto invite so many friendsthat they're willing to counterfeit

a ticket. Every year, students who want to invite more people seem to always ask friends for

their extra ticket anyway."

"I guess that makes sense."

"Here, Kuze."

While Masachika was half-listening to them talk, Maria, who was sitting next to him,

handed him the sample of the admission ticket that was being passed around.

"Oh, thanks."

He stole a quick glance at Maria's face while thanking her in a whisper, but she appeared

to be her ordinary self and didn't seem to care about what had happened during lunch at all…

What happened between them during summer break didn't seem to be on her mind, either.

She seriously never changes, does she?

Maria had taken her own advice by acting as if nothing had happened between them at

the park, which Masachika really appreciated…but seeing how normal she was acting was

starting to make him worry somewhat that her confession was nothing more than a dream.

"…? What's wrong?"

"Nothing…"

"Oh! Were you…?"

Her face suddenly lit up with realization, and she cupped the side of her mouth and

leaned closer toward Masachika's ear.

"Were you daydreaming about what you saw during lunch today?"

"…?!"

"You're such a perv. ♪"

Her bashful giggling tickled Masachika's ear, sending a chill down his spine.

Wait. Since when did Masha become such a tease? Are those horns growing out of her

head?!

The little angel who was always standing on his shoulder had transformed into a little

devil, sending Masachika spiraling into a world of confusion.

"From now on, whenever you're tired, you can come to me. I'll take care of you."

Hold up. So is she an angel? …Or is she a demon trying to tempt me to sin? Ah! Is she

a demon in angel's clothing?!

Maria's whispers sweetly numbed his mind until only the stupidest of thoughts could

survive. When he was poked in the ribs on his opposite side, he finally returned to reality.

When he glanced over, he realized Alisa had been coldly glaring at him out of the corner

of her eye.

Maria smirked slightly, then leaned back in her seat away from Masachika.

Sigh… It has been a while since I felt like I was being stabbed with an icicle.

Alisa's sideways gaze was so piercing that he almost mentally checked out. Was she

upset because Maria got too close? Or was she still mad about what happened during their

lunch break? Most likely both.

Incidentally, when Masachika woke up after the incident, he found himself in the

infirmary at the end of fifth period. However, it would be difficult to prove whether it was

Alisa's mystery attack or merely the fact that he was sleep-deprived that caused him to be

passed out like a log for so long.

Two admission tickets… I'm not going to be able to use one. Actually, I'm not going to

use either of them, since I'm not going to bring my guardian with me. I guess I'll give the

spare one to Takeshi this year, too, if he wants it.

Masachika focused on his extra tickets to avoid Alisa's gaze while he passed the sample

to her next…but that was when he was suddenly struck with a divine revelation.

Hold up. Couldn't I use this…to invite her?

After finally spotting a glimpse of a possible solution to the issue that had been bothering

him these past few days, Masachika immediately gave the idea his undivided attention.

"…?"

Alisa curiously tilted her head, wondering what her frowning partner was suddenly deep

in thought about, but Masachika was too focused to even notice her stares, and he continued

to be lost in thought until the meeting was about to wrap up.

"Oh, right. As always, very important people from the First Light Committee will be

coming on the second day in the afternoon, so…Touya, Chisaki, good luck."

"Thanks."

"Oh, right. Thanks."

"I think that just about does it. Does anyone have anything they want to say? …Okay,

then. Make sure to submit your written proposal before the next meeting! Also, we need a

theme for the festival as well, so give it some thought in the meantime, too! Good work,

everyone! See you all next meeting!"

Everyone thanked the committee president after the first meeting finally came to an end.

That was a lot more relaxed than I thought it would be.

Alisa was honestly expecting there to be a little more tension during the meeting, so she

couldn't help but sigh in relief as she watched each representative, captain, and president

merrily walk out the door.

"Kuze, Suou, long time no see."

"Oh, K-Kaji… Long time no see, I guess?"

"Giggle. Even though we see each other at school from time to time, I suppose it has

been a while since we have actually talked like this."

Masachika and Yuki were chatting with a mild-mannered male student wearing glasses.

They seemed to know a lot of people there, most likely thanks to being the student council

president and vice president in middle school.

"Oh, allow me to introduce you to my new partner. This is Ayano Kimishima."

"Oh, right. Let me introduce you to my new partner, too. Alisa Kujou."

"It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you…"

"Call me Kaji. I'm the president of the disciplinary committee… I knew you two had

new partners, but meeting them for the first time feels kind of weird. Oh, of course, I don't

mean that in a bad way."

"Ha-ha-ha. Yeah, I bet."

Kaji glanced at Alisa for a brief second before his focus immediately returned to

Masachika and Yuki. Although the three continued their conversation, Alisa didn't have the

communication skills to jump in, so all she could do was simply watch them in silence.

Unsurprisingly, it had been like this ever since the meeting had started. All Alisa could do

was watch her partner casually strike up conversation with these strangers as some sort of

dark, burning emotion only grew stronger inside her.

I… I hate this.

The vague, frustrating emotion made her frown. While it was an emotion she wasn't

used to, Alisa had a hunch about what it could be: possessiveness.

I don't want you getting along with others like this. I want you to care about me more

than anyone else. I always put you first, so I want to be your first priority, too.

It was an extremely egocentric, selfish emotion, and even she knew it was an

unwarranted response. After all, the fact of the matter was that Masachika and Alisa were

nothing more than friends. Alisa was being needy, and Masachika was probably acting how

people would normally treat friends…

But still…! Would it kill him to give me a bit of special treatment?! We even went on a

d-date together, and I k-k-kissed him, too! He even saw me in my underwear!! We're going

to have to get married now!!

But even then, Alisa had to face reality whether she wanted to or not. She was nothing

more than one of Masachika's many friends. Even though they may have been partners for

the election, Alisa was not as special to him as he was to her. If Masachika had a special

relationship with anyone, it was with Yuki. At least, that was how most saw it.

"…!"

The instant Alisa came to that conclusion, she bit her lip. She had noticed that everyone

who had been talking to Masachika and Yuki thought it wasstrange that they weren't partners

in the election this year, which was perhaps a testament to how everyone felt they were

an unbeatable duo and that their relationship was special. After all, even Sayaka had once

screamed about how they were the ideal pair with tears in her eyes.

I…

After hearing that Alisa was teaming up with Masachika, countless people had said to

her, "Why him?" and "He's not good enough for you." But Alisa knew the truth, and

everyone here knew as well. It wasn't that Masachika wasn't good enough for Alisa. She

wasn't good enough for him.

I—I…

Alisa was overcome with a sense of helplessness and frustration while her competitive

side simultaneously reared its head.

I've made up my mind.

She had to change, for her pride wouldn't allow her to simply sit back while Masachika

carried her through the election.

I'm going to show them…!

At that moment, Alisa secretly vowed to herself that she was going to prove to everyone

that she was fit to be his partner.

"Oh my."

Two days later, after finishing up her business in the teachers' room, Alisa was heading

back to the student council room when she ran into a certain female student waiting in front

of the door.

"Alisa Kujou, yes? I believe this is our first time speaking."

Alisa thought back to the school festival meeting as she stood before an older student

with honey-colored hair tied into two spiral-curled pigtails that jiggled as she spoke.

"Nice to meet you… You're…the captain of the girls' kendo club, right?"

"Oh, my apologies. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Sumire Kiryuuin. It is a

pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"…!"

Alisa had heard the name before, straight from Masachika's mouth a few months back…

"You were one of the people who ran for student council vice president in middle

school…weren't you?"

"Oh? You must have heard that from Kuze."

"I did."

"Great. That should save us some time. Yes, I was once a rival of Suou's and Kuze's

in the past."

Her fluffy spiral pigtails bounced as she proudly puffed out her chest. Although

somewhat overwhelmed by her behavior, Alisa thought back to what Masachika told her.

The Kiryuuin duo, Sumire and Yuushou, were cousins only one year apart. They were

a unique pair, with Yuushou being the son of the CEO of Kiryuuin Group and Sumire being

the daughter of the vice president, which probably influenced their decision to have Yuushou

run for student council president with Sumire as his partner, despite her being older and in

a grade above him. Incidentally, these two used to be the most popular candidates among

female voters in the entire school.

"I heard you actually dropped out of the student council presidential race when you lost

a debate against Sayaka."

"Yes, and that is exactly why I am extremely interested in getting to know the woman

who defeated her in a debate."

Sumire smirked faintly as if she were judging Alisa based on her reaction, but Alisa

boldly looked her right back in the eye. A few seconds passed before Sumire eventually let

out a soft chuckle and looked away.

"However, I suppose that can wait until another time, since we're both extremely busy

individuals. There is work to do," she added, holding out a written proposal for the festival.

Sumire then knocked on the door to the student council room and walked inside.

"I apologize for the intrusion."

Masachika, who just happened to still be there, looked up with a quizzical expression

on his face.

"Oh. Hey, Violet."

"It's Sumire!" she protested sharply without missing a beat. Alisa blinked a few times,

wondering where the composed girl from a few seconds ago went.

"Sigh. Unbelievable. Is that really the first thing you wish to say to me?"

As Sumire huffed and gave him an earful, Alisa slipped over to his side and whispered

to Masachika:

"Hey, uh… Who's Violet?"

"Hmm? Oh, her real name's Violet. It's written with the kanji for sumire, but it's

pronounced Violet."

"…Oh, that's…"

That's quite the name, she thought. Although Alisa had heard that Sumire also grew up

abroad and that she had at least one non-Japanese parent, this unique name and spelling still

took Alisa by surprise. But even then…

"I don't think you should call her that if it bothers her."

"Oh… About that…"

Masachika awkwardly pressed his lips together, then focused on Sumire, prompting

Alisa to do the same.

"Calling me that sounds far too…intimate…as though we're best friends…"

Although Sumire continued to complain, she seemed to be bashfully blushing, which

took Alisa by complete surprise, making her jaw drop.

"She actually really likes her name."

"Oh…"

"And I'm sure she'd love it if you started calling her Violet, too, Alya."

"I would definitely not!" denied Sumire swiftly. She brushed her curls back and glared.

"Listen, the only ones who are allowed to call me by that name are those I trust! It is not

something that simply anyone can call me!"

"My bad, Vio."

"Stop that! Shortening it makes me sound like some sort of pre-evolved creature!"

"So Vio evolves into Violet… Interesting…"

Sumire scowled at Masachika, who was messing with her in his way, but she was hardly

threatening at all.

"Sigh. You never change, do you?"

After sighing in resignation at her unfazed schoolmate, Sumire placed her written

proposal on the table before him.

"This is the girls' kendo club's proposal."

"Thanks. Wait… Is this…?"

Alisa curiously followed Masachika's gaze to see why he sounded so perplexed.

"A play…? Wow."

Alisa raised an eyebrow at the kendo club's unique proposal, but once she actually read

it, she fell silent as well. It was apparently a sword-fighting play where female members of

the club would dress like men and stylishly cross swords onstage. That much was fine, but

there were numerous issues regarding safety that needed to be considered. Then again, that

much was fine, too, for the moment. The real issue was…

"Many students in the girls' kendo club are in the disciplinary committee as well, so we

chose the perfect attraction, if you ask me."

Sumire proudly puffed out her chest.

"Yeah… It's a good idea."

The proposal went into detail about how members of the disciplinary committee could

patrol the school in their stage costume to promote the show.

"…I bet it's going to be quite the sight."

"Yeah… But, well, there are going to be tons of people cosplaying during the festival,

so whatever… Anyway, I'll make sure your proposal gets into the right hands, and we can

discuss whether this is feasible during the next school festival meeting."

"Very well. I am counting on you."

After elegantly bowing by the door, Sumire glanced at Alisa, then retired from the

student council room. Once she was out of sight, Masachika softly sighed.

"Phew. Yet another bizarre proposal."

"Another?"

"Yeah, there's actually one that I need to talk to you about," revealed Masachika as he

handed Alisa another proposal, which she immediately started to read with furrowed brows.

"…? A quiz competition?"

It was a written proposal submitted by the quiz research club stating that they wanted to

set up a stage in the schoolyard to have a quiz competition between Alisa and Yuki.

"According to the captain of the quiz research club, it's going to be a revolutionary

event that integrates elements of the election into a good old trivia show. I have no idea what

exactly that means, though."

"Why, though? There's no way the school festival committee is going to allow such a

vague proposal."

"They claim it would spoil the show if they delved into too many details, and they said

they would only tell the student council president and the committee's president and vice

president exactly what they were planning in order to avoid either of you getting the chance

to research or plan."

"…What did Touya say?"

"He apparently said there weren't any issues with the proposal itself and mentioned that

it sounded fun to him." Masachika shrugged and looked up at Alisa. "But it doesn't matter

what everyone else thinks. It's not going to happen if you two don't want to do it, Alya. So

what do you want to do?"

"It's fine by me," she instantly replied, making his eyes widen.

"…Are you sure? Personally, I'm not too big of a fan having you two compete at such

a bizarre event…"

"Oh? Because you're afraid I'll lose?"

"No, it's not that…," he replied somewhat vaguely before pausing to lower his gaze and

think to himself for a few moments. "…Something like this happened during another election

in the past. Sometimes people or groups who back a certain candidate try to come up with

some sort of competition to set up their rival for failure."

For example, the soccer club could play rough during PE and bully someone until they

snapped in front of their classmates and looked like the bad guy. Or the flower arrangement

club could hold a flower arrangement workshop under the guise of teaching beginners the

art of arranging flowers, but then they could take any beginner's poorly done arrangement

and put it on display for everyone to see to embarrass them.

"That's terrible…"

"It's worse than terrible. It's downright wicked. At any rate…there's no guarantee this

proposal isn't a trap, either," he concluded, waving the quiz research club's proposal in hand.

"For all we know, the quiz research club wants Yuki to win, and they already gave her the

answer key."

"That sounds a little far-fetched."

"It's not, though. It's just as possible that another candidate running for student council

president proposed the entire event to get rid of both you and Yuki. They might have even

put together an impossibly hard quiz to get you two to resort to mudslinging."

"…"

Alisa considered his suspicions for a few long moments, and after weighing the risk…

she decided to do it.

"But Touya decided there weren't any issues when they filled him in on the details,

right?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"Then I'll do it. Even if they are plotting something, they aren't going to stop me from

winning."

Masachika blinked in disbelief in the presence of her increased confidence. Although

he might have been suspicious, Alisa considered this proposal a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Being able to compete against Yuki head-on was a gift from the heavens, regardless of the

circumstances, and she was going to get the opportunity to do so in front of countlessstudents

at the school festival.

If I can defeat her without relying on Masachika for help…then everyone will have to

recognize that I'm good enough for him.

But regardless of how others felt, a win would still make her more confident, and that

was all she needed. That was all she needed to—

I'll be able to proudly stand by Masachika's side.

A competitive flame kindled in her heart with that vow to herself. Meanwhile, Masachika

narrowed his worried gaze at her before once again turning his focus to the proposal in hand.

"What are you plotting?"

"Well, that's a rude way to start a conversation, bro."

Those were the first words out of Masachika's mouth when he got home and saw his

sister relaxing on the couch as if she lived there.

"If anyone's plotting something, it's you, my dear brother," she said with a wry smirk,

watching him closely.

"…"

They locked eyes in silence for a few moments, but even though they knew each other

inside out, reading the other's poker face still proved difficult. Nevertheless, it wasn't long

before Yuki exhaled, seeming amused, then began rummaging through her bag until

eventually pulling something out.

"All right, all right. I'll sweeten the pot," she grumbled, and smacked a USB stick onto

the table.

"…What's this?"

"This? Heh. I call it the X File."

"I don't know what that means, but you should probably get rid of it. Now."

"Get rid of it…? Are you sure? Because there is some valuable data on the one and only

Alya stored in here."

Yuki had one eye closed as her parted lips curled into a devilish grin.

"Probably just pictures of her in a bathing suit," Masachika interjected calmly.

"How'd you know?"

"Seriously?! Let me guess. You're about to say something like 'I told her I wouldn't give

the pictures to anyone, but I never said I wouldn't give the image data to anyone,' right?!"

"Tsk! You're good. Too good… You win. This USB is yours."

"I don't want it."

"What? Are you saying thisisn't enough? Hmph. You greedy little boy… Fine. I'll throw

in Masha's as well."

"What? No. Who do you think you are? Some kind of merchant trying to throw in a

few more items to get the protagonist to bite? 'Ah, still not enough? How 'bout I sweeten

the deal a bit for ya, eh?'"

"The dialogue at the end felt unnecessary, but I get what you mean," she replied, flashing

yet another mischievous smirk. "So? What are you going to do? I'd be willing to part with

both USBs if you tell me the truth."

"Joking aside, you shouldn't be walking around with USBs like that."

"Don't worry. They're password-protected just in case. The password hint is my

birthday."

"Hint?"

"Come on.Just be honest with yourself. All you have to do is give me a little information,

and you'll get access to countless pictures of their scantily clad, tight, voluptuous, jiggly

bodies. Boing- boing!"

"I could do without the sound effects."

"Vrooom! Brrbrrbrrbrr!"

"Stop pretending you're motorboating their boobs."

"Bo-yoi-yoi-yoing—!"

"I don't have a—!" interrupted Masachika, noticing that she was staring right at his

crotch with a straight face. But after a sigh, he slid the two USB sticks across the table back

toward his sister.

"More important, why would you even try to use Masha's bathing-suit pics as bait when

she already has a boyfriend?"

"…A boyfriend, you say?" replied Yuki slyly.

"…What?"

"I don't know… I just can't help but wonder if Masha really has a boyfriend. That's all."

While it still made his heart skip a beat, he had actually expected her to say that, so

Masachika simply raised an eyebrow and feigned ignorance.

"What makes you say that?"

"I don't know. Maybe because I have a wide circle of friends? I've talked to Masha's

friends a great deal…and nobody has ever even seen what her boyfriend looks like. Nobody

has ever met him, let alone seen a picture."

"Oh?"

"Plus, the only reason why everyone thinks he's Russian is because of the foreignsounding name. It's just all so strange…and that's why I have some doubts that he even

exists."

"Makes sense. She might just be saying she has a boyfriend to keep other guys away.

Still, it's none of our business. I mean, even if she didn't have a boyfriend, that's still no

reason to just hand over pictures of her in a bathing suit to others. Of course, that goes for

Alya, too!"

"Tsk. Looks like I just can't fool you."

Masachika let out an exaggerated sigh while Yuki stuffed the USBs back into her pocket

reluctantly.

"…Whatever. Even if you are scheming something, I'll figure it out eventually and use

it against you."

"Right back at you. Anyway…I guess this means you aren't involved in this game at

all, right?"

"I had nothing to do with it. Whether you believe me or not is up to you, though."

"Hmph… Well, just to let you know, I don't plan on resorting to petty tricks, either.

Alya might be a good test-taker, but she's not going to beat me in a quiz competition. I'm

going to beat her fair and square."

"I just hope you're telling the truth…because Alya obviously plans on beating you fair

and square as well."

Masachika thought back to how his partner was even more fired up than usual for this

quiz, and he faintly shrugged.

"…? What's wrong, bro?"

"Uh…"

After pausing, Masachika realized that he wasn't going to be able to fool his sister, and

he opened up to her.

"Like, I don't know what's going on with her, but she seems really frustrated lately. I

don't know what's stressing her, but I wish she'd relax more and just be herself."

Although it was Masachika who pushed her to improve her leadership skills, he couldn't

help but worry that she was straining herself or feeling worked up over it. He also couldn't

help but feel that she was being a little distant, too, for some reason…

I don't know why, but it kind of feels like she's keeping her distance from me…

"She takes everything so seriously, after all," he mumbled to himself, scratching his

head, not convinced that was the reason. Meanwhile, Yuki, who had been watching him

closely, began to stroke her chin.

"My dear brother… Perhaps this is merely the arrogance of those who have it all."

"Hmm? What are you talking about?"

Masachika was genuinely baffled by her comment, so he frowned. Yuki, on the other

hand, gently smiled. She stared off into the distance and sweetly said:

"My dear, dear brother… When Masha washes up in the bath, she has to lift her boobs."

"Huh?"

His jaw dropped in disbelief at the deranged, unexpected comment, but Yuki simply

continued her monologue with a somewhatsorrowful expression in spite of his bewilderment.

"From what I was told, her boobs are apparently so massive that they are on top of her

chest. The bottoms of her boobs are squished against her ribs, so she gets underboob sweat,"

she explained miserably before slamming her hands against the table with furiously narrowed

eyes. Lowering her gaze as if she were struggling to cope with something, she shouted with

all her might:

"Gaaaaaah!! Dammit all to hell!! Underboob sweat?! What do you mean they're 'on top

of' her chest?! Is that some kind of riddle?! How am I supposed to respond to that?! 'Sure,

you can place mine on top of whatever you want if you make them bigger'? You can place

flan on a plate, and it still doesn't cast a shadow! If only they were the size of rice cakes, then

I'd at least have a shadow!" Yuki lifted her head back up with a smirk as if she felt just fine.

"And just like this, the haves unintentionally hurt the have-nots until they feel like they've

been driven into a tight corner…"

"Was that story even necessary? And is it just me, or have you become more of a

degenerate lately?"

"Puberty and hormones, my brother. And puberty 'bout to make this hor—"

"Okay, okay. I get it. By the way, yours are more like gelatin than flan custard."

"You mean the little containers of jelly that people give out as midsummer gifts that are

almost completely flat yet absurdly expensive?"

"Lady Yuki, I love jelly, too."

"Shut your mouth, flan-tits, or they're gonna get squeezed."

"…?! Be my guest."

"Yahoo!"

Yuki wasted no time before diving into Ayano's breasts, enjoying every moment with

both hands as she buried her face.

Oh. Ayano was here, too.

That was the first thought that came to Masachika's mind as he witnessed their yuri

encounter. Although he'd noticed Ayano's shoes at the front door, he hadn't even noticed

her existence until now, causing him to secretly shudder at the idea that this maid's stealth

capabilities were improving.

Yuki, with her face still buried in Ayano's chest, glanced at her brother and concluded:

"So maybe…it was you who unconsciously ended up driving Alya into a corner, and

that's why she's stressed?"

"Huh…?" said Masachika with a grunt before pausing to think.

I'm the cause of Alya's stress…? Was the band too much to ask of her? Wait, no. That's

not what this is about.

There was something else that Masachika was doing that was stressing Alisa out, but he

couldn't figure out what that something was. No matter how much he thought about it, he

couldn't figure out what made him a have and Alisa a have-not.

I mean, I have a lot of wasted potential…and socialskills? Butso does Yuki… If anything,

Yuki's probably making better use of her social skills at school than me.

It would make sense if Alisa was feeling pressured because of her rival, Yuki, but it

simply didn't make sense to him that he, her partner, would be the cause. Even after Yuki

and Ayano went home, he continued to rack his brain, but he couldn't come up with a single

answer.

"Hmm?"

Masachika was about to take a bath when he absentmindedly stuffed a hand into the

pocket of his shorts, discovered something in there, and took it out.

"That little…"

He frowned the moment he realized what was most likely on this USB stick: Alisa's

swimsuit pictures.

"I told her to take it home with her…"

He started to ponder when Yuki could have slipped it into his pocket…until it occurred

to him that she had way too many opportunities, so he gave up. After a single sigh, he took

the USB stick back to his room, then placed it on his desk.

"Sigh… What are you doing turning the computer on?" griped Masachika with a straight

face as if he were disappointed in himself while he took a seat at the desk. But even then,

he didn't stop.

"Come on—you've got to be kidding me. What are you doing plugging that USB in,

Mr. Right Hand?"

His left hand grabbed his right hand before it could slide the USB stick all the way into

the port, but the difference in strength was undeniable as the USB stick gradually slid inside.

Wait! You need to calm down! This USB contains pictures of Alya that she said she

didn't want anyone else to see! You would have to be a total scumbag to actually go through

with this!

The voice of reason shouted in his mind, granting his left hand the strength to fight back.

"Ngh… Guh…!"

Masachika clenched his jaw while he pulled his right hand back as hard as he could…

when all of a sudden, the voice of desire stepped in.

Come on. I was nearby when these pictures were taken, so what's the big deal if I have

a peek? It's nothing I haven't seen before.

The voice of desire considerably weakened his left hand's grip.

But even then…! She said she didn't want anyone seeing them, so I should respect her

wishes!

She was probably talking about Touya seeing them. She neverspecifically said she didn't

want me to see them, right? Besides, I saw her in her underwear just the other day, so this

is no big deal.

Stop making excuses.

No, you stop making excuses.

The intense struggle between reason and desire continued until they ultimately found a

point of compromise.

Let's plug the USB in first, then think about what to do after that.

According to Yuki, the USB was password-protected, so it wasn't like he would be able

to see swimsuit pictures the instant he inserted the USB. Therefore, he decided to plug it in

first and think later. Besides, his hands were getting tired anyway.

He pushed the USB stick into the port. Then…

"What the…?!"

The instant the computer recognized the USB memory stick, it promptly opened a folder

with countless pictures lined up side by side without even asking him for a password. It all

happened so quickly that he didn't have a chance to look away—

"…Huh?" he quizzically grunted, for each displayed file was nothing more than a white

rectangle.

"What the…? Is the data corrupted?"

Masachika scrolled through the files with genuine curiosity as if his struggle from a

moment ago was merely a distant dream. But when he reached the bottom of the folder, he

discovered a single text file titled To My Garbage Brother, Who Succumbed to Temptation ♡.

"…"

He quietly opened the file…

> These are all overexposed pictures of Alya that ended up just looking white.

"You little…!!"

After slamming his laptop shut, he rushed to his bed in a huff, then dived headfirst into

his pillow.

"Ahhhhhh!!"

The sense of humiliation was too much to bear, and even that was overshadowed by his

extreme sense of guilt. The negative emotions quickly intertwined, causing him to violently

writhe on the bed. It took an entire forty minutes after that for him to finally recover…but

the bathwater was already cold by then.