"B-But…", Nijika didn't know what she had done wrong, but she didn't dare refute it.
She only said in a small voice, "This is… the only thing I can barely show off…"
'Could it be that Kaito-senpai actually prefers a body type like Bocchi's?'
The moment she thought of this possibility, the girl felt a bit troubled.
It's genetics, after all. She had worked so hard drinking milk, but if there's no effect, there's no effect.
In this regard, even her older sister Seika, who's nearly thirty, wasn't as good as her younger sister.
At the very least, the two of them would occasionally take baths together, and Nijika had secretly compared their sizes. The final result was that her own curves were a little more impressive.
Mm, at least that's what she believed.
A little bigger still counts as big. Just like her sister often said, being eighteen also counts as blooming at eighteen.
Flick!!
Unable to stop her wandering thoughts, the girl held her forehead, looking at him with moist, wide eyes, a bit aggrieved.
"That hurts!"
"It's supposed to hurt,".Kaito crossed his arms, and due to the height difference, he was currently looking down at her from above, "Still letting your mind wander now?"
Nijika thought for two seconds, then honestly nodded.
Kaito raised his index finger, pretending to get ready for another flick—
"No more! No more!", Nijika hurriedly covered her little head, guarding her forehead tightly like a little curled-up hedgehog, "Really, no more!"
"Since I brought you here, of course I'll take responsibility to return you all exactly as you were, safe and sound."
Kaito didn't intend to continue knocking her head and gazed into the girl's wine-red eyes, "You're an excellent leader, but sometimes you should put down the burden and try relying on others, Nijika."
"..."
The Archangel of Shimokitazawa fell silent for a long while.
Her mother had passed away in a car accident long ago, and her father was always busy working and rarely at home, so most of the time Nijika had only her sister for company.
But her sister was clumsy, couldn't even fry an egg properly, so the housework had to be done by herself.
This made Nijika develop an independent personality. Being capable, she also got used to taking care of those around her like a gentle mother.
She had always been the one others depended on, but now someone was saying to her, ["You can try depending on me."]
The girl softly went "Mm," but her smile bloomed like a flower across her lovely face.
"If there's nothing else, go back to your room and rest."
Seeing that she'd finally come to her senses, Kaito didn't say more and subtly glanced at the direction of the wardrobe, "Get plenty of rest. We'll head to the shrine tomorrow."
"Then… Kaito-senpai, good night," Nijika's brows and eyes curved like crescent moons as she cheerfully waved at him and prepared to leave.
But before she could take two steps, the room door was knocked again, followed by a delicate female voice, "Kaito-kun? Are you asleep?"
This scene, this moment, exactly the same as before. Deja Vu!
Even the knocking lines were the same.
Nijika was startled, 'If I heard correctly, that was Kita's voice?'
'But why would Kita be coming to Kaito-senpai's room in the middle of the night? Don't tell me…'
'No no no, there's no time to think about that now.'
The sudden knock completely disrupted Nijika's rhythm, not to mention her visit wasn't exactly pure. Now, she was full of guilt, with one thought in mind, 'I must not let Kita discover I am in Kaito-senpai's room.'
But this was the second floor. Jumping out the window wasn't an option.
Under the bed was solid. No way to hide there either.
Nijika quickly scanned the room's furnishings and suddenly her eyes lit up.
'The wardrobe!'
The wardrobe in the hotel room was purely decorative, with no clothes inside and a lot of space, enough for two or three people without crowding.
Nijika's figure was on the slender side anyway. Hiding inside was more than sufficient.
"Sorry sorry! Kaito-senpai, my visit must not be found out by Kita! I'll hide for a while, please help cover for me. Once she leaves, I'll go right away! I promise I won't disturb you too long!"
The girl put her hands together, looking pleadingly. As the knocking sounded again, she bit her silver teeth, not daring to delay, opened the wardrobe door, and quickly slipped inside.
———
Hiding in the pitch-black wardrobe, Nijika finally let out a sigh of relief.
She had just patted her chest when she suddenly realized something was off.
'Inside this empty wardrobe… there doesn't seem to be just me?'
She turned her head, and saw a familiar figure.
Yumiko was showing an awkward yet polite smile, waved at her, and whispered, "Ijichi-san… what a coincidence."
Nijika: "..."
The Archangel of Shimokitazawa was so startled she almost screamed, but Yumiko, with fast reflexes, firmly covered her mouth.
"Calm down, calm down, calm down! Kita's still outside! You don't want her to find out either, right?"
"It's not what you think, it's not that complicated. I can explain…"
Still worried, she added, "If you understand what I'm saying, blink twice."
After the brief shock, Nijika also realized the current situation, so she obediently blinked twice.
Only then did Yumiko slowly let go and whisper an explanation, "I had some questions and came to ask Kaito-kun for help. But not long after I arrived, you knocked on the door. I was afraid of being misunderstood, so…"
She didn't finish her sentence, but Nijika understood completely. Because she thought the same way.
Only…
"So what you're saying is, you heard… everything I just said?"
Yumiko: "..."
'If I say I didn't hear anything, would you believe me?'
Her look of wanting to speak but stopping made Nijika's heart finally sink.
'As expected… she heard everything…'
'Sneaking into a boy's room in the middle of the night and even saying all kinds of strange things to myself.'
'If it was just heaven knows, earth knows, you know, and I know, that would've been fine. But now there is a third person present…'
Nijika really wanted to smash herself with a block of tofu, or smash someone else.
"W-Wait!", Seeing the blonde girl's pupils gradually lose their light, Yumiko quickly changed the topic to avoid a bad ending where she'd be silenced, "Let's look at Kita in the distance! She's already entered!"
———
Click!
The door opened, and a red-haired girl as bright as fire appeared at the entrance.
"Kita?"
Kaito repeated the same line he had just said minutes earlier, "What's the matter?"
"It's just… I couldn't fall asleep, so I wanted to come talk to you."
Kita played with a strand of hair by her ear, a bit embarrassed, "Can I come in?"
But she quickly waved her hands, looking a little flustered as she added, "I-I mean! If I'm bothering you, Kaito-kun, I'll leave now."
Seeing her looking like a timid little animal, Kaito stepped aside, "Then come in."
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