The apartment door was pulled open from the outside, and a cute girl with long, straight black hair returned to her home.
After changing her shoes at the entrance, the girl frowned involuntarily upon seeing the messy state of the living room.
The floor, which she had cleaned spotless before leaving in the morning, was now littered with empty beer cans. The smell of malt permeated the entire living room.
Lying on the sofa, Haruno Yukinoshita, loosely holding a newly opened can of beer with three fingers, lifted her head slightly upon hearing the door open.
Seeing that her cute sister was home, she raised the arm holding the beer towards her: "Yukino-chan, welcome home~"
"Sister... I'm back." Yukino Yukinoshita sighed, a hint of helplessness in her tone.
Yukino found her troublesome sister's uninvited visit a bit overwhelming.
After getting a glass of warm water from the kitchen and handing it to Haruno, Yukino sat in the empty spot on the sofa her sister had specifically made for her.
"Sister, didn't you go out to discuss business with Mother? Why are you back so soon?"
Knowing that her sister was gradually taking over some of the family's external affairs, Yukino asked with concern.
Based on Yukino's past experience...
Although Haruno would always come to find her after finishing these trivial matters, it shouldn't have taken such a short time.
Could it be... the cooperation failed?
Yukino guessed.
"Yukino-chan is worried about Big Sister! Big Sister is so touched!!!"
"Quick, let Big Sister give you a cuddle~"
Putting down the beer can, Haruno straightened up and hugged Yukino.
Yukino didn't resist, passively accepting her sister's intimate embrace.
Although Haruno never acted seriously in front of her, at times like this... Yukino still wanted to give her sister some warmth.
"Yukino-chan, have you ever seen the sun?"
Stopping her playfulness, after hugging her dear sister for a while, Haruno sat up straight. Her eyes were so clear she didn't look like a drunk person at all.
Anyone seeing Haruno like this wouldn't believe she was the drunkard lying on the sofa just now.
"The sun?"
Yukino was confused by Haruno's sudden question.
One cannot look directly at the sun with the naked eye, so Haruno probably wasn't asking about the sun hanging in the sky.
Was the "sun" her sister mentioned a metaphor for something?
"The sun!"
Holding the warm water Yukino prepared with both hands, Haruno took a sip, confirming Yukino's uncertain repeated question.
The sun? Is it the genuine article I'm pursuing?
Yukino didn't answer immediately. She pondered why her sister would ask such an uncharacteristic question today.
On the surface, the sun brings warmth and light. On a deeper level, it symbolizes divinity, enlightenment, and cosmic order.
What was the connection?
"Sister, did you see the sun?"
Unable to figure it out, Yukino threw the question back to Haruno.
For her sister to ask this, it meant she already had an answer in her heart.
Yukino was also quite curious about Haruno's question.
She had been pursuing that so-called "genuine thing" for too long. She wanted to see if this "sun" was the genuine article she sought.
"Let's get to know each other. I'm Ren."
"Head of the Yukinoshita Family, I think we can still talk."
Looking at the warm water in her hand, scenes from that business banquet flashed through Haruno's mind.
Ren was undoubtedly the sun Haruno spoke of.
He had merely shown a sliver of kindness to Haruno, yet every guest at the banquet who witnessed that scene later came to chat with her mother.
The same happened with the cooperation deal with one of the organizers. The subsequent process was given the green light all the way, practically delivering money to the Yukinoshita family's doorstep.
Even Haruno herself hadn't expected that an inadvertent action of hers would allow her to touch that sun, which seemed so unattainable and intimidating.
"Yes, Yukino-chan, I saw the sun."
Placing the cup back on the coffee table, Haruno closed her eyes and leaned back on the sofa, Ren's image involuntarily appearing in her mind.
"Sister, what is the sun?"
Seeing Haruno like this, Yukino decided to get to the bottom of it.
This question was no longer about whether the sun was the genuine article.
It was the first time Yukino had seen her sister, who always seemed to handle everything with ease, act like this.
"Yukino-chan, the sun isn't the genuine thing you're pursuing."
"The sun might be genuine, but it's definitely not the genuine thing you are looking for."
As a hopeless sis-con, Haruno naturally knew what Yukino was pursuing. Thus, she didn't say exactly what the sun was, only giving an ambiguous answer.
Haruno had looked up the name Ren online after the banquet.
Sole heir to the Katsuragi Group. That was the only introduction available for that young man, and the only one needed.
In front of Ren, concepts like "genuine" didn't matter at all. There was no distinction between genuine and fake.
As long as he wished it, everything could be genuine, and could only be genuine.
"Sister, I don't understand."
Patting Yukino's head, Haruno got up and walked towards the bedroom. "Yukino-chan, society is truly cruel."
Haruno came here today just to see Yukino, to recharge her "Yukino energy" with her dear little sister.
She was too tired and needed to rest now.
"Sister, that's my room."
"Big Sister knows, of course. Tonight, Yukino-chan is sleeping with Big Sister~"
Waving her hand, Haruno said nonchalantly.
"Sister!"
...
The charcoal gradually died down, and the gentle sea breeze blew away the remaining warmth of the barbecue party.
"Airi-chan, say ah~"
"Ren, I really can't eat anymore."
Airi covered her mouth and shook her head frantically. She had been fed too much by Ren tonight.
"That's a pity. Looks like Airi-chan has no luck with food. This skewer is definitely the best one I've grilled."
Ren shook his head, feigning regret.
"Knock it off, you bastard. You've said that phrase I don't know how many times tonight."
Kikyo Kushida, also full, rolled her eyes from the side.
Ren tried every means to feed the four girls, using a wide variety of reasons.
Just the line "Don't you love me anymore?" had been used countless times.
Yet, faced with this reason from Ren, the four girls had no way to refute it.
"Ren-kun, give it to me."
Seeing Airi's resistance, Honami Ichinose took the initiative to take the last skewer from Ren's hand.
"Honami-chan isn't full yet?"
"I'm full. Ren-kun, say ah~"
Using clean fingers to pick off a piece of cooled meat from the skewer, Ichinose brought it to Ren's lips.
Ah~
Eating the meat in one bite, Ren deliberately "ate" Ichinose's finger as well.
Having grown bolder, Ichinose playfully brushed the boy's tongue with the finger still in his mouth.
"Chie-chan wants some too! Chie-chan wants some too!"
Noticing the small interaction between Ichinose and Ren, Chie Hoshinomiya trotted over and took the skewer from Ichinose.
Ichinose didn't refuse and handed it to Chie.
"Ren-kun You made our bellies big tonight, now it's Chie-chan's turn"
Chie didn't use the same tactic as Ichinose. Instead, she held the meat in her mouth and fed it to Ren.
Taking the opportunity of pushing the meat into his mouth, she "accidentally" slipped her tongue in as well.
As Chie finished, Kushida wasn't to be outdone. "Bastard, don't just eat meat, drink some water."
When everything was over, Airi took a fresh towel and gently wiped Ren's mouth.
"Doesn't Airi-chan want to try?"
"No need, Ren."
The skewers were finished by Ren, and the drinks were mostly gone. Airi didn't plan to do anything more.
This is good enough.
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