In Yukino's apartnt.
Yukinoshita Yukino was in her spacious living room, calmly sipping tea. But every so often, her gaze would drift to the clock on the wall, as though she were waiting for sothing—or soone.
"Yukino, is sothing on your mind today?"
Alicia, who'd been staying with Yukino for so ti, couldn't help but ask when she noticed how distracted she seed.
"Heh, Yukino's probably thinking about which snacks to buy ," Mabel chid in, half-joking.
Yukino shot Mabel a sharp look, making her shrink back. Placing her teacup down with a slight shake of her head, Yukino began, "It's nothing, I'm just—"
Ding-dong!!!
She got cut off by the doorbell.
"I'll get it!"
Alicia, still in her pajamas, trotted off to answer the door. Soon, a familiar figure stepped into the doorway of the living room.
"Huh?"
Alicia gasped in surprise.
"Long ti no see," Rei Ao greeted with a smile.
"Mm-hmm…" Alicia nodded a bit awkwardly.
"May I co in? Yukino asked to drop by."
Not too long ago, Yukino had sent him a private ssage inviting him over. Conveniently, after he'd dropped off Kei at her house, he ca straight here.
"O-oh, right!"
Alicia realized she was blocking the entrance and hurriedly moved aside.
…
"Who is it, Alicia?"
Mabel called out from the couch, not even bothering to look away from the TV.
"It's… Rei Ao,"
Alicia said in a small voice.
"Huh?"
The re ntion of his na wiped the happy-go-lucky expression from Mabel's face. She stiffened, then slowly lifted her head.
"Mabel, what's with that look? Am I not welco here?"
Rei Ao narrowed his eyes in a mischievous smile.
In an instant, Mabel's hair practically stood on end.
"Ah!!!"
She squealed like a startled animal and darted behind Alicia.
"Wh-why are you here?!"
Her mind raced, wondering if she'd said anything bad about him recently. She imdiately thought he might've co to punish her… in so way.
Reading her like an open book, Rei Ao only smiled.
"You're safe for today. I'm not here to pick on you."
He walked straight over to Yukino and naturally took a seat next to her, slipping an arm around her shoulders.
"Have I kept you waiting long?"
He murmured softly into her ear.
Yukino's body visibly stiffened, and a pinkish flush spread across her pale cheeks.
"W-what do you think you're doing?!"
She protested quietly but didn't push him away. All the frustration and questions she'd been stewing over all day vanished the mont he got so…close. Yukino felt annoyed at herself.
She'd wanted a serious conversation about Iroha Isshiki and Kei Shirogane, but how was she supposed to hold her ground when a simple embrace turned her mind to mush?
"What's wrong? Isn't it normal for a guy to get close to his girlfriend?"
Rei Ao teased, brushing the tip of his nose against her soft cheek.
Mabel, now relieved she wasn't Rei Ao's target, had quietly switched to spectator mode. Alicia, anwhile, blushed at their public display of affection, unsure whether she should keep watching.
Yukino wasn't the type to handle PDA well.
"D-don't get so close…"
But her soft protest only seed to spur Rei Ao on. He got bolder, ignoring her objections altogether.
"Go on, Yukino—say what you wanted to say. I'll keep hugging you, you keep talking. It won't bother ."
"You…"
She could see he had no intention of stopping. When it looked like he might even escalate things in front of Mabel and Alicia, she hastily clutched at his shirt.
Flustered, she blurted, "Let's—let's go talk in my bedroom! It's important!"
"Oh? Sure."
That suited Rei Ao just fine. He scooped Yukino up in his arms and carried her off to her room.
…
When the bedroom door shut behind them, Alicia spoke up timidly, "Um, they—"
"Aah, don't worry about them!"
Mabel cut her off, patting the couch beside her. "Co watch this movie with instead!"
Having narrowly avoided any trouble herself, Mabel was in a great mood. At least Yukino was the one who had to deal with Rei Ao now, not her.
"I… alright,"
Alicia replied, giving a quick glance at the firmly closed bedroom door before sitting back down next to Mabel, half-heartedly returning her attention to the movie. She couldn't help wondering what exactly was happening in there…
…
On the edge of Yukino's bed:
Yukino now found herself sitting on Rei Ao's lap.
"I heard…"
She tried to keep her voice steady.
"That you gave Shirogane-san a pretty expensive pair of running shoes?"
Rei Ao blinked, then gave an "Oh, so that's why you called here" look.
He didn't loosen his hold. Instead, he pulled Yukino in even closer.
"Jealous?"
"Don't flatter yourself."
She turned her face away, but the red tips of her ears were a dead giveaway.
"I just think that as a senpai, you ought to be mindful of boundaries with kouhai—both Isshiki-san and Shirogane-san included."
"Yukino."
Rei Ao's voice turned serious. He gently lifted her chin with his fingertips so she had to et his gaze.
"You know you're the only one who's special to ."
She felt her breath catch in her throat. At such a direct declaration, all her defenses crumbled.
"It's like you knew exactly what I wanted to hear,"
she mumbled, quiet and embarrassed.
"Idiot…"
Still, she couldn't help leaning into his chest.
"I already knew you were like this…"
Logically, Yukino understood perfectly why he'd be popular. She'd seen for herself how appealing he could be: a tall, striking presence with cool, distant charm, paired with a surprisingly high emotional intelligence. It was lethal to won.
She locked eyes with him, the man she'd let into her heart at last.
"You and them… seem so comfortable together."
Rei Ao let out a soft laugh, not mocking, but almost as if he understood sothing deeply. His iridescent eyes never left hers.
"You're right; I enjoy talking with them. Iroha's got a fun personality, and Kei is very cute. In fact, they both match my tastes."
Yukino's fingers clenched in the fabric of her nightdress. His honesty was like a double-edged sword; she appreciated that he wasn't making excuses, but couldn't stand how he barely tried to hide it.
"You know why I'm upset."
Those ice-blue eyes fixed on him.
"It's not just about you being close to them, it's—"
She bit her lip, at a rare loss for words.
"It's that I neglected you," Rei Ao filled in. He reached over and tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear.
Yukino's pupils contracted slightly. He was always so observant, noticing even the smallest details—yet he'd still let these "incidents" happen.
~~~
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