"Good afternoon, Winter-sensei~."
The voice was light and sweet, carrying a teasing lilt that made Kasumigaoka Touji pause at the doorway.
Bathed in the soft glow of the afternoon sun, Kani Nayuta stood there, her silver hair gleaming like spun starlight, framing an adorably enchanting face. Her features were delicate yet mischievous, the kind of beauty that instantly drew the eye and refused to let go.
Today, she wore a white blouse layered with a black sleeveless dress, its fitted cut hugging her petite but shapely figure. The fabric traced her slender waist and accentuated the faint curves of her chest, while her straight, pale legs stretched gracefully beneath the hem, smooth and elegant like fine porcelain. Khaki-colored boots rose up to her calves, adding a playful contrast and just the faintest hint of wild charm to her outfit.
Touji blinked in surprise, momentarily forgetting his manners. "Good… afternoon."
His eyes darted subtly left and right. Where was Yamada Elf? Shouldn't she be with Nayuta? Did she… go back already? That annoying little trickster never stayed quiet for long.
"What is Winter-sensei looking around for?" Nayuta tilted her head, her pure-blue eyes glimmering curiously as she stepped closer. With a sweet smile, she lifted a small paper bag toward him. "Here, this is a little souvenir. Please accept it~."
"Ah… Kani Nayuta-sensei, you're too polite."
Touji hastily accepted the bag, though the gesture only deepened the knot of worry in his stomach. The moment Utaha saw Nayuta standing in their living room, let alone bringing him a souvenir, she would definitely turn pitch-black with jealousy. Just remembering how dark her expression had been the last time he brought up Nayuta in passing at dinner made him shiver.
Still, this was Nayuta's first visit. Sending her away at the door after she had gone out of her way to bring something would be far too cruel. No matter how much trouble it might cause later, he couldn't do that to her.
So, while he was inwardly sweating, he forced himself to act calm. He cleared his throat and asked casually, "By the way, I was actually looking for Yamada-sensei. Did she leave already?"
That troublesome Elf—always running around stirring up trouble!
"Eh? What are you talking about? Did she even come?" Nayuta blinked in surprise, her eyes wide and innocent.
"…Huh?" Touji froze. His brows furrowed slightly, and after staring at her for a few seconds, he finally asked the question gnawing at him. "Wait, then how did you even know my home address?"
"Kasumigaoka-senpai told me," Nayuta answered honestly without a shred of hesitation.
Touji's eyes widened in disbelief. "Utaha… told you?"
She nodded seriously.
It was true—Nayuta had been a high school student last year. But after transferring, she had been bullied so much that she quickly shut herself in and barely attended classes. This year, she repeated a grade at Toyosaki, where Utaha naturally became her upperclassman. So calling her "Kasumigaoka-senpai" wasn't wrong at all.
Touji, however, was left reeling. This… this was like a jealous wife catching her husband in an affair, making a huge scene about it, and then, inexplicably, inviting the mistress over for dinner the next week!
No, wait, actually, in this country, it might not even be that strange… there were plenty of eccentric "national condition" stories just like that on the evening news.
Nayuta tilted her head again, explaining softly, "Kasumigaoka-senpai told me Winter-sensei was planning to do a cooking livestream this afternoon—something about making a seafood feast. She asked if I wanted to come and even gave me the address."
Her lips curved into a faint, almost bewildered smile. "Honestly, I thought she was just teasing me… but it turned out to be real."
Her clear, innocent eyes flickered with a rare hint of emotion as she murmured, "Is Onee-san… accepting me now?" There was genuine anticipation in her tone, as if she couldn't quite believe the sudden change in Utaha's attitude.
Touji scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Well, maybe not fully. But she probably doesn't dislike you as much as before."
In other words, progress. And considering how hard he had been working to smooth things out this week, Touji couldn't help but feel a burst of pride. This was proof his efforts weren't in vain.
In short, this was definitely progress; all of Touji's hard work over the past week wasn't for nothing! His mood lifted instantly.
"Come in first." Touji stepped back politely, opening up space for Kani Nayuta to enter, and handed her a fresh pair of indoor slippers.
Kani Nayuta didn't crouch down like most people would. Instead, she bent forward at the waist, her posture straight and elegant. Her long, slender legs stayed perfectly aligned, not bending in the slightest, and as she leaned forward to untie her boots, her rear curved back naturally. The weight of her chest shifted with gravity, straining against the fabric of her dress as if ready to spill free at any moment.
Even Touji, who prided himself on his composure, had his self-control tested in that instant. Oi, oi… this kind of pose is way too dangerous, baka.
He quickly averted his gaze, though his eyes betrayed him by stealing a glance at her delicate feet clad in white socks. Her movements were neat and refined, and when she slipped out of her boots, not even the faintest odor lingered. It was almost unfair how flawless she seemed.
"Isn't it hot wearing boots this season?" Touji asked casually, raising a brow as he looked down at the sturdy pair.
"A little," Nayuta admitted honestly, slipping her feet into the slippers he'd offered.
"Then why wear them?"
"It's just for these couple of days," she explained softly. "Once the weather gets hotter, I'll switch to something lighter."
Her words trailed off as she suddenly leaned closer to Touji, tugging gently at his sleeve. Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "Winter-sensei… it's best if you open the souvenir I gave you earlier when you're alone, okay?"
Touji tilted his head, his brow furrowing slightly in suspicion. "Eh? Why's that? What on earth did you give me? Something Utaha can't see?"
Kani Nayuta's cheeks colored faintly as she confessed, her tone shy yet mischievous. "I wanted my first visit to be special, so I… changed out of my personal undergarments."
"Eh—?!" Touji's eyes widened, his voice rising in disbelief.
The girl giggled softly, sticking out her tiny pink tongue in an adorably cheeky way. "Eheh~."
Touji ran a hand down his face, exhaling loudly. "Your souvenir is way too unique! Who in the world gives something like that?!"
Although part of him was undeniably flustered—and, well, just a tiny bit excited—he still wasn't a total hentai! Definitely not!
Still, his gaze betrayed him for a brief moment, flicking down toward her chest. The movement wasn't lost on Nayuta. She instinctively crossed her arms, hugging her ample bust, though she tried to play it off as casual. Her slender fingers twirled a strand of her silver hair, her posture pretending at nonchalance though her ears burned red.
"Relax, Winter-sensei. I definitely put on a fresh set afterwards. It's not like I'd walk around commando…" she murmured teasingly.
Touji coughed, quickly averting his eyes again. "R-right… of course. That would be… yeah." Why do I always get dragged into these situations?!
...
Meanwhile, in the living room—
Machida Sonoko, who had been chatting idly with Utaha, immediately perked up when she noticed Touji leading in a striking silver-haired girl. Her eyes widened as she took in Nayuta's doll-like features and flawless figure.
"Eh? Who is that? A relative of yours, Touji-kun?" she asked curiously, unable to contain her intrigue.
Internally, Sonoko couldn't help but think, Seriously, what do the women around you eat? They all have figures that could make idols jealous—and they're all ridiculously beautiful to boot!
Before Touji could answer, Utaha's voice cut in smoothly, her tone carrying a faint but sharp edge.
"Not a relative," Utaha said calmly, her lips curving into a subtle, knowing smile. "That's my dear younger brother's cheating partner."
"E-Eh…?" Sonoko's brain froze for a beat, her expression blank. Then, as the words registered, her entire face snapped into shock. "Haah?! Cheating partner!?"
She turned her dumbfounded gaze back toward Utaha, practically sputtering. Did she just say that out loud so casually?!