At last, bath time was over.
For Byakuya, the entire experience had been equal parts pleasure and torment.
Thankfully, nothing unexpected had happened, and Natsumi's suspicions remained unraised.
After bathing and drying their hair, it was time for bed.
Since Kiyoko had always lived alone, her bedroom only had an ordinary single bed.
With just one pillow.
And tonight, three people needed to sleep in it.
With only one pillow, there was no comfortable way for all three to sleep.
"How about I go buy another pillow? I'll be back in no time."
Byakuya offered.
"No need. I'll just rest my head on you. Isn't that what we always do?"
Kiyoko smiled.
"Alright..."
Byakuya had no choice but to accept her suggestion.
And so Natsumi took one end of the pillow, Byakuya the other.
While Kiyoko simply laid her head directly on Byakuya's chest.
He did have pectoral muscles—quite substantial ones, in fact—so they could effectively substitute for a pillow.
The good news: both Kiyoko and Natsumi slept peacefully.
The bad news: from the moment they got into bed, Kiyoko had been using Byakuya as a body pillow.
Fortunately, Byakuya's sleep quality was excellent, so it didn't affect him much.
...
The next day.
Byakuya woke up first, intending to prepare breakfast for Kiyoko and Natsumi.
But he was still in the same position from the night before—held captive as Kiyoko's body pillow—making it difficult to extricate himself.
He didn't want to wake her.
Just then, Kiyoko, who had been on the verge of waking anyway, opened her eyes at the slightest movement.
"You're awake already? Getting up?"
Hearing Kiyoko's voice, Byakuya responded immediately, "Mm. I'm going to make breakfast."
Kiyoko released him, then got out of bed herself to wash up.
"Let Natsumi sleep a bit longer. She's still growing."
Byakuya glanced at Natsumi, who was still sound asleep, and smiled.
"Mm."
Kiyoko nodded slightly.
...
Since Natsumi was still sleeping, Byakuya and Kiyoko sat down at the dining table to eat breakfast first.
Natsumi's portion was being kept warm.
"Natsumi will be going home today, won't she?"
Byakuya said.
"Yes. Kana said she'll come pick her up this morning."
Kiyoko nodded.
"Natsumi is adorable, but if she stayed here every day, it would be a bit... overwhelming."
Byakuya remarked.
"Overwhelming? Why?"
Kiyoko asked.
"Because..."
Byakuya's voice trailed off. He paused, then looked up at Kiyoko.
Did that really need explaining?
Was she serious? Or just teasing him?
Kiyoko's face revealed almost no emotion.
But Byakuya did have the Rinnegan. He caught the subtle nuances in her expression.
It seemed Kiyoko didn't mind the trouble Natsumi had caused them at all—nor did she seem bothered by sharing a bed with him or... baring everything.
"Kiyoko-nee, could it be that you...?"
Byakuya couldn't help but ask.
"That I what?"
Kiyoko's calm, almost expectant response suggested she was waiting for him to ask directly.