Before Hoshimori Shion could seize her utterly reckless, money-sucking sister by the scruff of her neck, Kujou Sakuya presented Shion with a dazzling blueprint.
It promised that “Shion-san would surely earn a fortune once she donned some beautiful clothes,” which temporarily dissuaded Shion from dragging her sister down with her.
It really felt like a pipe dream.
Yet, what choice did they have? Without the Autumn Festival, the sisters’ dinners might no longer consist of supermarket hamburger patties. Instead, they would be forced to drag a small boat to the beach and catch fish with Kazama Nanami.
No, wait—the few coins left in their wallets probably wouldn’t even cover a small boat. The two sisters might instead have to display the ancient Eastern art of “crossing the sea on a single reed.”
After Kujou Sakuya and Ayane teamed up to press Shion back into her seat, Shion remained stubbornly pouting, her gaze fixed on the unfinished meat patty on her plate.
“Honestly, you two are being completely outrageous!” Shion grumbled under her breath. “It’s utterly mortifying!”
“Ahem!” Ayane’s face was alight with an irrepressible smile, making Kujou Sakuya feel a little awkward about pressing the matter further. Thus, Kujou Sakuya merely suggested, “For now, Shion-san, please eat your dinner. We can discuss this more once you’re finished.”
“I can’t eat any more,” Shion declared, crossing her arms, tilting her nose stubbornly, and closing her eyes in a defiant gesture.
“In that case, Big Sister, I’ll take the meat cutlet from your bowl~” Ayane chirped, extending her chopsticks towards Shion’s bowl before her sister had even finished speaking.
“Ayane, don’t you dare touch my meat cutlet!” Shion immediately scooped up her bowl, shoveling down the remaining rice in just a few hurried bites before setting it back down.
“I’m full now! One of you two can do the dishes tonight, hmph! ╭(╯^╰)╮”
Shion placed her bowl on the table, rose with a stubborn air, and then flopped onto the sofa.
Ayane also stood, moving behind Shion. She began to ‘pet’ Shion’s head as if soothing a small cat, then whispered into her ear, “Big Sister, Kujou Sakuya is a guest; we can’t possibly make her wash dishes, can we? And if I were to wash them, what if I accidentally broke a bowl…?”
“Aaaah!” Shion, who had just been appeased, instantly bristled. She shot to her feet, and under Kujou Sakuya’s astonished gaze, she strode quickly towards the kitchen. There, she began clearing the leftovers from the dining table with the efficiency of an autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves, putting away what belonged in the fridge and placing the rest in the sink.
“Wow…” Kujou Sakuya murmured, after finishing the last small cake. She couldn’t help but exclaim to Ayane, “Ayane-san, you truly… understand your sister so well. Is it a case of ‘no one knows a sister better than her sister’?”
Ayane chuckled smugly. “Hehe, of course! I am, after all, my silly sister’s smartest sibling!”
Immediately, Shion turned and shot her a fierce glare. Ayane quickly clamped her mouth shut, though she still playfully stuck out her tongue at her sister, who was now washing dishes.
“Well, I was thinking… Ayane-san, since things have come this far… why don’t we just…”
Kujou Sakuya whispered conspiratorially to Ayane. Though Shion, still at the sink washing dishes, couldn’t quite discern what the two girls were discussing, the chill creeping down her spine felt colder than if she had encountered an evil spirit.
“No problem! Let’s get it all done in one go~” Ayane declared, and with that, she dashed into her room.
Two minutes later, under Shion’s utterly dumbfounded gaze, Ayane emerged from her room holding a maid outfit—one identical to the very garment Shion had worn on the promotional poster.
The bowl Shion was still wiping nearly slipped from her grasp and shattered.
“Seriously, sis! You, you, you… you already bought it??”
Ayane blinked her large eyes innocently. “Mm~ I placed the order a few days ago. Kujou Sakuya-san even helped with the design~”
Before Shion’s fiery gaze could pivot to her, Kujou Sakuya quickly lowered her head.
“Big Sister~ Come quickly and change! Your little sister is simply dying to see you in your new outfit!” Ayane chirped, shaking the maid uniform in her hands.
Shion gasped sharply, her eyes darting between Ayane’s mischievous grin and Kujou Sakuya, who sat nearby with a hint of eager anticipation in her gaze.
“Big Sister, I know you love new clothes,” Ayane said, skipping over to Shion and playfully waving the outfit in her hand.
Then, Ayane leaned close to Shion’s ear and whispered softly, “Big Sister, you looked absolutely adorable in your maid outfit selfies back then~”
Shion gritted her teeth. While it felt as though she was being practically coerced into wearing it, still…
She, who had never had enough money for new clothes, genuinely held a tiny sliver of anticipation.
“Give it to me!” Shion snatched the maid outfit, her face flushed as she glared at her sister, then stalked towards her room with the garment in hand.
Equally dumbfounded was Kujou Sakuya, who, amidst her shock, slowly finished the last small cake.
“Ayane-san, is your sister always this obedient to you at home?”
“Mm~” Ayane pondered for a moment. “Not entirely, but Big Sister spoils me a lot. I’m her eternal number one, after all!”
She was unconsciously flaunting her claim, wasn’t she?
Kujou Sakuya settled back onto the sofa, intending to flip through her notebook and prepare her proposal. However, when she glanced back, she saw Ayane stealthily tiptoeing towards Shion’s room.
“Ayane-san, you—”
“Shhh, shhh, shhh!” Ayane quickly made a shushing gesture. Though Kujou Sakuya had already noticed that Ayane’s phone camera was open…
“Hey, no way… you’re actually going to film?”
“We’ll share it later! Everything’s fair game, except for… *those* kinds of shots! Don’t make a sound!” Ayane hissed, desperately lowering her voice.
Kujou Sakuya gave an ‘okay’ gesture.
An insidious pact had been sealed without either of them truly realizing it.
Ayane gently pushed the door open, just a crack, and peered inside.
Shion always seemed a little clumsy when changing into new clothes. Her red layered skirt was not yet properly worn, hanging casually around her waist. Above her bare thighs, a wisp of white, adorned with delicate lace, floated tantalizingly. The silver-white maid top was on, but Shion couldn’t quite reach the zipper on her back. No matter how she stretched, she couldn’t pull it up. Behind the unfastened zipper, her fair skin was veiled only by the slender strap of her brassiere, a sight that only amplified her alluring charm.
Ayane pulled out her phone, its video recording function already active.
At some point, Kujou Sakuya had stealthily crept up behind Ayane. However, just as Kujou Sakuya attempted to peek her head in, Ayane firmly pushed her down.
“No, no, no! Only I get to see Big Sister while she’s changing! Kujou-san can just look at the photos later!”
Faced with Ayane’s sudden burst of fierce possessiveness, Kujou Sakuya wore an expression that clearly asked, “What are you talking about?”
“Look not at what is contrary to propriety, listen not to what is contrary to propriety!” Kujou Sakuya declared immediately, a serious expression on her face. “How could Ayane-san possibly engage in such an act!”
Just as Ayane was about to retort, her heel brushed against the door, causing the once-narrow crack to swing wide open.
The two girls mechanically turned their heads, only to be met with the sight of Shion, her face beet red.
“You two!!!”