After wiping her tears, Ogiwara Sayu looked up at Hozuki Nozomi and Shiina Mahiru, who were both watching her with concern.
She forced a small smile and said, "Okay, you two should head to school. Don't worry about ."
"I'll be looking forward to the day when I can go back, too."
Shiina Mahiru stepped forward and gave her a gentle hug before silently turning to leave. Though Mahiru didn't say much, the warmth of her embrace lingered in Sayu's heart.
She couldn't help but admire Nozomi's eye for people—Mahiru was truly a kind and gentle girl. It wasn't an act; it was just who she was. That kind of pure-hearted kindness made her shine like an angel in the eyes of others.
Seeing that Sayu was doing better, Nozomi nodded in satisfaction. "Alright, let's head out."
"Wait a second, Nozomi, did you forget soone?" A lazy, slightly irritated voice called out.
Chihiro Sengoku, their ever-unreliable, ever-hungover teacher, yawned as she leaned against the doorfra, looking like she had just rolled out of bed. She watched them with amusent, as if she had just eaten a handful of dog food and now wanted to cause trouble.
Nozomi sighed. "Sensei, you're talking about Mashiro, aren't you?"
"Obviously."
Nozomi rubbed his temples. "She's your cousin, and she's transferring to Suii Academy. We don't even go to the sa school."
"So? You brought Mashiro to Sakurasou, so now you're responsible for her food, clothes, and making sure she gets to school," Chihiro declared smugly, waving a hand like she was passing off a major responsibility.
"Hah?! Sensei, you're a teacher at Suii, not ! Shouldn't you be the one taking her?"
"Nope. That's your problem now. I'll pick her up in the afternoon, but since it's her first day, she needs soone to walk her through things. Besides, after a few days, she'll probably find her own way ho."
With that, Chihiro turned and strolled out of Sakurasou, leaving Nozomi standing there, utterly dumbfounded.
He turned to Mahiru. "Seriously? She's really your cousin?"
Mahiru sighed. "I think so."
Nozomi groaned. "This is ridiculous. Making , a student from another school, take Mashiro to class? And it's not like she's a morning person..."
Mahiru giggled and tugged at his hand. "Well, my cousin ran away, so what can we do? Let's go wake Mashiro up together. It's still early, so we have ti."
Nozomi sighed in defeat. "Fine, fine."
Holding Mahiru's soft hand, Nozomi decided maybe this wasn't such a bad way to start the day after all.
By now, Misaki Kamiigusa had already devoured her breakfast and bolted off to school. She was always that energetic. That left only one person still in bed—Mashiro.
Reaching the third floor, Nozomi stopped in front of a door with a cute hand-drawn sign featuring a sleepy-looking cat. A ssy scrawl underneath it read: "Mashiro's Room. Please Knock."
Nozomi knocked politely three tis. "Mashiro, are you up?"
Silence.
"Co on, it's ti for school. Get up!"
More silence.
Nozomi glanced at Mahiru, who gave him a knowing nod. Sighing, he pushed open the door.
The room was pure chaos.
Skirts, shirts, and underwear were scattered all over the floor. Art supplies and sketchbooks were strewn across every surface. Open manga lay haphazardly on the desk and bed, and the remains of an unpacked suitcase were spread everywhere.
Mahiru's eye twitched. She had helped Mashiro tidy up just yesterday, yet now the room was a disaster zone again. Her perfectionist tendencies kicked in, and she had to physically stop herself from imdiately starting to clean.
"Mashiro?" Nozomi called out again, stepping inside.
No response.
Nozomi frowned. It was rare for Mashiro to be this unresponsive. Then, he heard a small rustling noise.
Turning toward the desk, he saw a tiny golden head slowly erge from beneath a pile of clothes.
Mashiro blinked at them sleepily, rubbing her eyes with a hand that still held a sketch pencil. Her pure, unfocused gaze t theirs.
"Mashiro, it's morning. Ti to get up," Nozomi greeted her with a smile.
Mashiro, still half-asleep, murmured, "Morning will not co."
Then, without warning, she stood up—her clothes slipping from her shoulders, leaving her completely bare.
"Um... good morning?" she mumbled, looking at them as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
For a mont, the room fell into complete silence.
The sunlight filtering through the window illuminated her pale skin, making her look almost ethereal. Her long, golden hair cascaded naturally over her delicate shoulders, framing a slender figure that—while not as mature as Mahiru's—was still undeniably charming in its own right.
Nozomi's mind short-circuited.
Wait, wait, wait! This isn't the ti to be thinking about that!
"A-AHHHHH! Mashiro, what are you doing?!" Mahiru's panicked voice shattered the silence.
Face turning as red as a boiled shrimp, she lunged forward and slapped her hands over Nozomi's eyes, screaming in embarrassnt.
"Um... what are you doing?"
Mashiro tilted her head slightly, blinking at Hozuki Nozomi in confusion.
Shiina Mahiru, despite her rapidly reddening face, kept her composure—at least, as much as possible in this ridiculous situation. She covered Nozomi's eyes with one hand while pointing at Mashiro with the other, demanding,
"I an, why were you sleeping under the computer desk… and why are you naked? Think about it carefully!"
Mahiru had already accepted that Sayu was living with Nozomi, but that didn't an she was okay with him seeing another girl's bare body. It wasn't just about jealousy—she was worried about misunderstandings. Not that Mashiro seed to care in the slightest.
Nozomi, his vision now plunged into darkness, let out a sigh of resignation.
"Mahiru, you know I already saw everything, right? What's the point of covering my eyes now?"
This… was truly the mysterious logic of a girl's sense of sha.
Mashiro, however, didn't seem fazed at all by Mahiru's question. She simply blinked slowly, contemplating for a mont before responding in her usual deadpan tone.
"I took a bath last night, and then I took out my clothes."
"…All of them," she added, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
Mahiru finally understood why Mashiro's room looked like a battlefield of discarded garnts.
"Then why didn't you put on pajamas before going to bed?" Mahiru groaned, rubbing her temples as she struggled to maintain her patience.
Mashiro looked at her blankly, then at Nozomi, before answering in the sa monotone voice.
"Because Nozomi didn't pick pajamas for ."
Mahiru's expression twisted in exasperation. "Hah? What does that have to do with anything? You can pick your own pajamas!"
Mashiro blinked again. "Nozomi is Mashiro's owner."
"Huh?!" Mahiru sputtered, stunned into silence for a second before regaining her voice. "What kind of nonsense—"
"He gave baumkuchen," Mashiro continued solemnly. "So I wear what Nozomi chooses."
"D-Don't bring up panties when you say that!" Mahiru yelped, frantically grabbing the closest pair of underwear—a blue and white striped one—and shoving it into Mashiro's hands. "Just put this on and stop talking nonsense!"
Mashiro accepted the garnt, unfolded it, and examined it with a critical eye. Then, with a completely serious expression, she remarked, "This one isn't cute."
Mahiru felt an aneurysm coming. "Just put it on!"
Under her cousin's intense glare, Mashiro finally complied, albeit with clear reluctance. Once she had slipped on the underwear, she turned her large, expectant eyes toward Mahiru, awaiting further instructions.
Mahiru, already exhausted from this exchange, sighed deeply.
"…Put on your school uniform and go wash your face."
Mashiro nodded obediently and marched toward the bathroom like a wind-up doll. Only then did Mahiru remove her hand from Nozomi's face, puffing up her cheeks as she glared at him.
"Are you happy now? Do you feel like you've won sothing by seeing Mashiro's body?" she huffed.
Nozomi, sensing an opportunity, smoothly wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned in close to whisper in her ear.
"If Mahiru's willing to let see hers, I'd be much happier."
Mahiru stiffened, her face turning an even deeper shade of red. "Baka… You only know how to say sweet things."
Despite her words, she wasn't truly angry. If anything, her frustration was more directed at Mashiro than at Nozomi. What was with her cousin's complete lack of common sense? It wasn't that she was pretending—Mashiro genuinely had no clue about social norms.
And, sure enough, just a few monts later…
Mashiro erged from the bathroom, in her underwear that was completely drenched.
Mahiru's jaw nearly hit the floor. The soaked fabric clung to her cousin's slender fra, emphasizing every curve.
"Aaaaaah! Didn't I tell you to brush your teeth and wash your face?! That's not how you do it! Are you doing this on purpose?! Are you trying to seduce Nozomi?!"
Mashiro blinked in confusion, then, after a mont of thought, gave a perfectly innocent response.
"Rita used to help ."
Then, as if this statent explained everything, she turned to Nozomi with an expectant look.
Before Nozomi could even process what was happening, Mahiru's hands were over his eyes once again.
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