Yui wanted to visit Yukino's ho because it was next to Rei Ao's.
There was soone else who wanted to go to Yukino's apartnt too—her elder sister, Haruno Yukinoshita.
But her reason had nothing to do with Rei Ao.
It was because of… an uninvited guest in Yukino's apartnt?
Earlier that Day
Haruno frowned deeply as she stared at the heat map from a thermal imaging device.
The screen displayed a figure moving back and forth in Yukino's apartnt.
"Is that Yukino?"
Logically, with school having resud, Yukino shouldn't be ho right now.
"Skipping class?"
She imdiately dismissed the idea.
"Yukino would never skip class."
Haruno couldn't imagine her responsible and dutiful sister doing such a thing—unless sothing unusual had happened.
To confirm her suspicions, she decided to send Yukino a text.
Sister: Hey, Yukino? I think I left a pendant on your sofa last ti I was at your place. Can you check for ?
Haruno watched the heat signature on the sofa. The figure lay completely still.
Monts later, Yukino responded.
Yukino: I'm at school. I'll look for it when I get ho.
Sister: Ohhh, thanks, my darling Yukino~! ❤️
Although her reply was cheerful, Haruno's face had turned icy cold.
The figure in Yukino's apartnt wasn't Yukino.
"Then who could it be?"
A man Yukino was hiding?
Or… a burglar?
Regardless, Haruno felt this was a serious issue.
She decided to head to Yukino's apartnt to investigate for herself.
At Yukino's Apartnt
Arriving at the building, Haruno instructed her driver to wait.
"If I'm not back in ten minutes, call for help."
With her phone in hand and ready to dial ergency services, she stepped out of the car.
She had even swapped her heels for running shoes, just in case she had to make a quick escape.
At Yukino's door, she hesitated briefly before pressing the doorbell.
Ding-dong!
Surprisingly, the door opened almost imdiately.
Haruno tensed, prepared to either fight or flee.
But what greeted her was far from what she had imagined.
Standing in the doorway was a stunning girl with icy blue, translucent hair, exuding an almost otherworldly purity.
Mabel: "Yukino? I thought you weren't coming back until later. Why are you here early?"
The girl tilted her head in confusion, her gaze flicking to Haruno.
"Wait… did you cut your hair?"
She eyed Haruno's shorter hairstyle and slightly different aura.
Haruno, who had relaxed upon seeing the girl, now felt a new wave of curiosity.
Who was this beautiful girl who clearly knew Yukino?
Could it be… Yukino had a secret girlfriend?
The thought made her heart skip a beat.
While Haruno wasn't thrilled at the idea of Yukino marrying anyone, the idea of her sister being gay was sothing she hadn't prepared for.
Pushing her thoughts aside, she smiled and clarified.
"I'm not Yukino. I'm her sister, Haruno Yukinoshita."
Mabel: "Eh?"
The girl rubbed her eyes as if to double-check.
Now that she looked closer, there were subtle differences in their deanors.
What truly convinced Mabel, however, was the stark contrast in their figures—particularly the… um, notable difference in chest size.
Mabel: "Huh. You're definitely not Yukino."
Mabel quickly regained her composure.
"Who are you? Yukino didn't ntion having anyone else in her family visiting."
Haruno's sharp gaze zeroed in on her.
"And you? Who exactly are you? Yukino's never said anything about having soone else living here."
Flustered, Mabel stamred out the pre-prepared excuse Yukino had given her for such situations.
Mabel: "Ah, I-I'm Mabel. I'm… um, Yukino's roommate! We're, uh, renting this place together."
Despite Yukino's distaste for lying, she had devised this cover story to protect Mabel, who was essentially an undocunted visitor from another world.
Haruno: "Ohhh~?"
Haruno didn't delve too deeply into suspicions.
The 'shy' deanor of the girl in front of her seed convincing enough.
What Haruno missed, however, was that Mabel wasn't shy—she was rely struggling to recall her script.
"Even so, I'll still need to confirm this with Yukino," Haruno said with a smile, pulling out her phone to ssage her sister.
Sister: Hey, I rushed over to your place to grab the pendant, and there's soone here nad Mabel claiming she's your roommate. Is she legit?
The reply ca quickly.
Yukino: No problem. She moved in with recently.
With that confirmation, Haruno let go of her lingering doubts.
Sister: Oh, our family isn't short on money, so why would you need a roommate?
This ti, Yukino didn't reply.
Whether it was because she was busy in class or just didn't want to respond, Haruno wasn't sure.
But she didn't mind—her frosty little sister's personality was sothing she was already used to.
"Um… do you want to co in?" Mabel hesitantly asked.
Haruno had initially planned to leave, but considering the pretext she'd given about finding a pendant, she decided to go through with the charade.
After texting her driver to wait a bit longer, she stepped inside to "look for" the pendant.
Mabel silently observed her, following Yukino's instructions to speak as little as possible.
Elsewhere
Yukino, worried about what was happening at her apartnt, sent a ssage in the group chat.
Yukino: "@Mabel, how's it going? Did anything slip up?"
Rei Ao: "Slip up?"
Yukino: "My sister suddenly showed up at my apartnt looking for sothing. I'm worried Mabel might let sothing slip."
Rei Ao chuckled as he read the ssage.
Haruno would never randomly visit Yukino's apartnt without reason. She'd likely seen Mabel on the thermal imaging caras Haruno enjoyed sneaking around with.
Mabel: "No worries! I stuck to the script and didn't say anything extra. She's looking for sothing and will leave soon."
Yukino: "Phew, that's good."
Mai Sakurajima: "Even if she finds out, it's not a big deal. Can't Vignette's group erase mories if needed?"
Yui Yuigahama: "Huh? They can do that?!"
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "…"
Utaha's mind imdiately drifted to when Sonoko Machida had suggested erasing her mory to solve her inner turmoil.
After much thought, she still couldn't bring herself to accept the idea.
gumi Kato: "Even if it's exposed, it's not a huge issue, right? After all, many of us only joined the chat after encountering the supernatural."
gumi's insight was sharp. This chat was slowly evolving into a harem group managed by Rei Ao, and she suspected neither Yukino nor her sister Haruno would escape his grasp.
Sonoko Machida: "True. I only joined after encountering a monster and being saved by Rei Ao. Is that the case for everyone?"
Rei Ao: "Not quite. Only beautiful girls and stunning won get invited."
Yumiko Miura: "???"
Yumiko Miura: "What's wrong with you?"
Tohru: "Hmph, how is that wrong? Isn't he just complinting us for being beautiful?"
Kobayashi: "But… I'm not beautiful."
Rei Ao: "You're the low-budget Makima, so that's sothing."
Kobayashi: "Huh?! I… don't get it."
Little Saint: "Hmph! Whether Mama is beautiful or not doesn't matter. Rei Ao-nii chose her, so Mama, you've got this!"
Kobayashi: "Got what exactly?!"
As the conversation drifted further off-topic, Yukino interrupted.
Yukino: "I just don't want my sister to find out."
Rei Ao suspected her reasoning wasn't purely about protecting Haruno from the dangers of the supernatural world.
Yukino's feelings were more complex.
She didn't want Haruno to know—not because of concern, but because she wanted sothing Haruno didn't have.
The chat group and knowledge of the supernatural gave Yukino a sense of superiority, however fleeting and shallow it might be.
In her family, Yukino had always felt isolated, a shadow cast by her sister's overwhelming presence.
Unlike Haruno, Yukino wasn't universally adored. Though outwardly praised as a well-behaved and responsible child, she knew it was often said with a touch of coldness.
These experiences had shaped her view of herself—as nothing more than Haruno's substitute.
A doll without autonomy.
But the chat group and the hidden world it revealed offered her sothing different—a chance to surpass Haruno in at least one aspect.
Even if it was selfish, hypocritical, or petty, Yukino clung to it.
Rei Ao, sensing her internal conflict, chose not to comnt further.
gumi Kato: "Speaking of sisters, Rei Ao, my sister has also encountered the supernatural. Should I ask if she wants to join?"
Rei Ao: "You should check with her first and see if she's open to deeper involvent."
gumi Kato: "Got it. By the way, Eriri Sawamura seed to be looking for you earlier, Rei Ao."
Rei Ao: "Understood. I'll go check on her."
…
During a break between classes, Rei Ao walked to the entrance of Class 2 and asked a passing student, "Could you help call out Eriri Spencer Sawamura?"
"Oh, sure!"
The student quickly called for Eriri.
"!!!"
Seeing Rei Ao waiting at the door with a smile, Eriri blushed and rushed out.
Her hurried steps caught the attention of soone nearby—glasses gleaming as her gaze turned curious.
Rio Futaba noticed the figure of Rei Ao, soone she had briefly encountered at the science club earlier.
Rei Ao noticed her as well, but after giving her a polite nod, he turned his attention back to Eriri, who was pulling him aside.
"Sawamura-san, I heard from Kato that you wanted to see ."
"Yes, that's right."
Eriri nervously twisted her fingers together.
"Um, Rei Ao-kun, you can just call Eriri."
"All right, Eriri. So, what's the matter? Is it convenient to talk now?"
"Yes… it's… um… I was wondering if you could visit my house soti? My mom wants to thank you for taking ho last ti."
Blushing, Eriri added, "And I also wanted to personally thank you for saving my life."
"People express gratitude with ho visits these days?" Rei Ao teased.
"Eh? No, it's not like that! It's just that my mom insisted on preparing a big al as thanks."
She proudly explained, "It's a rare privilege! My mom only makes these als on special occasions."
"Oh? Then I'll look forward to it."
Rei Ao smiled. "Actually, I'm free today."
"Today?"
Eriri's eyes lit up.
"I'll call my mom right away!"
She herself was looking forward to it—having Rei Ao at her house felt exciting.
"By the way, I don't eat beef."
"Huh?"
"Just kidding."
Afternoon
Rei Ao: "@Tohru, @Mai Sakurajima, I might not be ho tonight. Don't wait for —just have dinner yourselves."
Tohru: "Aww, what a sha. I had a tail feast prepared."
Mai Sakurajima: "No tail feasts allowed!"
Stella: "What's going on? Are you out on a date with another woman?"
Frieren: "That's entirely possible, considering how many girlfriends Rei Ao has."
gumi Kato: "It's probably related to Sawamura-san, who ca looking for him earlier."
Rei Ao: "It is."
Rei Ao: "She and her mom invited over to thank for helping Eriri last ti."
Mai Sakurajima: "All right, but co back early."
Tohru: "Hah! Mai, you're the one most eager for him to return, aren't you?"
Tohru: "Because of this! [Image]"
The image Tohru posted depicted a skintight black swimsuit.
Aya Yomogawa: "Is that clothing? It's so revealing—and strange."
Saeko Busujima: "That's a *sukumizu*—a school swimsuit often worn by students. Of course, it can also serve as… *intimate attire*."
Stella: "…"
Frieren: "So, Mai bought herself a set of *sukumizu* lingerie?"
Tohru: "Hehe, she just bought it today."
Yukino Yukinoshita: "…"
Yukino could already picture the noisy scene next door tonight.
Mai Sakurajima: "…"
Blushing furiously, Mai kicked Tohru. "Why are you spouting nonsense?"
Tohru, however, remained smug. "Mai, you don't get it."
"Huh?"
"Only by doing this can you ensure Rei Ao cos ho tonight. Otherwise, he might just spend the night at Eriri's house."
"…"
The possibility wasn't zero. After all, there was precedent with gumi Kato.
Well, what could Mai do? Tohru had already spilled the beans.
It wasn't like she could change anything now.
Another day of social death in the group chat—just one more incident in a sea of similar embarrassnts.
~~~
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