Beyond the door revealed a surprisingly spacious dorm room bathed in soft afternoon light filtering through so gauzy curtains.
It was clean and modern, with two single beds pushed against opposite walls, neatly made with matching pastel bedding.
A small shared desk was piled with textbooks, two sleek laptops, and a few fashion magazines fanned out like they were staged for a photoshoot.
Juri’s touch was everywhere. There’s a vase of fresh flowers on the windowsill, a corkboard pinned with Polaroids of her modeling gigs, and a faint scent of mint and vanilla lingering in the air.
As for Setsuna-nee? Well, if I had to guess, the small mannequin dressed in a half-finished sewing project in the corner was hers. A few scattered fabric swatches and a sewing machine on the side table scread her fashion design major.
She was lounging on one of the beds, propped up against the headboard with her short and supple legs stretched out while scrolling through her phone.
As I witnessed down there, her hair was let loose, cascading down her back in soft waves. This ti, however, she seed to have put on an oversized hoodie that swallowed her fra, paired with tiny shorts that showed off those slightly plump thighs of hers.
Sohow, I could tell she was acting like our eyes had never t earlier and she was just here lounging nonchalantly, unbothered by my arrival.
“Setsu, look who’s here,” Juri called her attention, and Setsuna-nee slowly raised her gaze from her phone, her eyes narrowing at our locked fingers.
“Did you bring him here while holding hands like that?”
The tone of her voice was clearly that of soone being annoyed at seeing our closeness.
Obviously, it was partly to do with how she only found recently that Juri had also fallen for just after accepting as her sister. And then, as if that’s not enough, she also couldn’t get out of her head. Hence, Setsuna-nee must’ve been thoroughly conflicted at the mont.
The only thing she could do was to act like this in front of . At least, this way, she could vent her frustration over my ridiculousness.
Juri grinned at Setsuna-nee’s question as she lifted our hands as if showing them off.
“Oh, this? Yes. I told the auntie downstairs he’s my cousin. Had to sell the bit, you know?”
She finished with that playful tone in her voice, swinging our joined hands a little like she was proud of her quick thinking.
Setsuna-nee’s eyebrow twitched from that. She set her phone down on the bed and rolled her eyes before straightening her back slightly. She crossed her arms, squishing her voluptuous chest, sothing that truly sets her apart from Satsuki.
Well, I should stop comparing, right? The younger sister was blessed with height, giving her a great advantage in her sport, while the older sister was blessed with those... huge future.
Now that I think about it, their only advantage was that she’d beco eye candy for n. Even without that past incident, I’d understand her hate towards n who are only approaching her to get a chance to claim that for themselves.
“Cousin. Really. That’s the story you went with.”
Setsuna-nee’s tone was pure disbelief, but the way her gaze lingered on a second too long told she wasn’t actually mad about the lie.
More like she was annoyed that Juri got to hold my hand in public first.
I shrugged, stepping further into the room and letting the door click shut behind us.
In any case, I was lucky she didn’t notice staring too hard or that my mind flew off for a mont right there.
“Yep! It worked like a charm. Auntie didn’t even blink. Though I’m pretty sure she didn’t buy it.” Juri laughed before finally letting go of my hand to kick off her slippers and change into her indoor ones. She padded across the room like she owned it, tossing the bag of snacks I brought onto the small coffee table between the beds.
“Relax, Setsu. Ruki is here now. No need to sulk. I know you’re also looking forward to eting him. You don’t have to deny it from .”
“I’m not sulking and I’m not looking forward to seeing that idiot’s face!” Setsuna-nee exclaid, but the way she averted her eyes and pulled her knees up to her chest said otherwise. She hugged them tightly, the oversized hoodie swallowing her even more, making her look smaller than she actually was.
Mhm. Cute. If Satsuki saw her like this, she’d probably tease her older sister endlessly but at the sa ti, I’d be subjected to her sharp gaze for being here without her.
I slipped off my shoes at the entrance, switching to the guest slippers Juri pointed out earlier, and stepped fully into the room.
Then, I raise the bag of snacks and drinks I brought with . “So, where will I put this? I should’ve bought flowers but... I don’t think it’s the right occasion. Can I save that for our date?”
I alternately looked between the two girls. The date promise was for both of them, after all.
Juri’s cool smile returned on her face as she stared at like she was already undressing in her head. anwhile, Setsuna-nee’s forehead curled up further as she scoffed.
“Dream on, idiot. Bring that over here and find sowhere to sit.”
Setsuna-nee’s voice was sharp, yet she patted the edge of her bed like offering it to .
She then tried to play it off by grabbing her phone again, pretending to scroll, but her eyes tracked my movents.
Unfortunately for her, Juri was already quick on her feet, standing up again and grabbing the bag from before eventually dragging to her bed.
“Told you she was grumpy. She’s been like this since your ssage this morning. Kept muttering about how you were probably busy with ‘one of your many girls’ and wouldn’t actually show up.”
Juri teasingly said as she tossed the can of tea and the lemon cheesecake to her friend.
“You! I wasn’t muttering,” Setsuna-nee caught them in a panic before snapping as her cheeks tinted pink as she glared at Juri. “And even if I was, it’s because this idiot has a track record of being unreliable.”
Unreliable, huh? If my girls heard that, they might crowd onto her and prove that I wasn’t. But then again, in her eyes, I must’ve truly been unreliable.
I sat down next to Juri, one of my hands pressing on the soft mattress before sliding to her back, just enough to use my arm to support her back.
“I’m here, aren’t I? Even brought snacks. That’s got to count for sothing, Setsuna-nee-san.”
Setsuna-nee clicked her tongue and crossed her arms tighter over her chest, already forgetting her phone. “You’re late. And you only ca because you feel bad for not visiting Juri. What are you here for anyway?”
“You already said it yourself. I feel bad. And I miss Juri. Is that not enough of a reason? Should I also add that I also feel bad not hurrying up with our date?”
I let my words hang for a mont longer there. And sure enough, Setsuna-nee gradually turned red as steam seed to rise from her head.
“Shut up! No one’s looking forward to that date!”
“Pfft. She can’t be honest, right? Well, since the cat’s out of the bag for ... Ruki, I want you to focus on . Let’s leave Setsu alone. She’ll be more at peace with that.”
Upon saying that, she slyly glanced at Setsuna-nee’s side, trying to catch her reaction from that.
Still, Juri was definitely serious. She might not say it but she’s probably a little jealous that my focus was split between them at this mont.
That’s why... I sneakily wrapped my arm around her waist and scooted closer, enough that our legs touched.
She turned her body slightly to , her lips curving up in satisfaction. “Good job, Ruki.” She whispered, her voice dropping low but laced with her undisguised affection, “I’ve been thinking about how to sneak away and visit you. But here you are now...”
I couldn’t help but put on an embarrassed smile. After all, it truly felt like I neglected her. The longing in her eyes was even more pronounced than before.
And clearly, it had to do with how much our relationship had changed from before.
“Mhm. I’ll stay until the last minute before my part-ti. I owe you that much.”
“Pfft. No. You don’t owe anything. I’ve jumped into this despite your precaution. I can handle feeling a bit lonely when you’re not by my side.”
I couldn’t help but feel a pinch in my chest upon hearing her say that. She’s adjusting for . And that’s the truth. Furthermore, since she decided not to let tell her about the other girls, she probably had to endure the loneliness on her own whenever she saw with one of them.
Like during the camping trip. She must’ve been jealous back then but she kept it all to herself.
That’s why she’s like this now. She’s making up for all the tis she held back.
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