Upon returning from the birthday party, Tatsuya came to a halt in front of the entrance, his brow furrowed. Miyuki and Minami tilted their heads in confusion; they sensed no foul odor, nor was there any visible sign of a disturbance.
"Is something the matter, Brother?"
"No... if it's just a misunderstanding, then fine, but..."
"I find it hard to believe you would ever be 'mistaken' about anything, Tatsuya-sama," Minami added.
In hindsight, Minami would later think that perhaps she should have just agreed it was a mistake. Seeing the grim look on Tatsuya's face deepen at her response only confirmed her growing dread.
"Well, you'll understand once we step inside."
Tatsuya opened the door and took a single step into the foyer—
"Welcome home, Takkun."
There, standing as if she owned the space, was the Head of the Yotsuba family: Maya Yotsuba.
The atmosphere shifted instantly. Miyuki and Minami's relaxed postures vanished, replaced by a rigid, nervous tension as they offered their greetings.
"Auntie... what brings you here so suddenly?"
"If the Head of the Family is here, does that mean Mr. Hayama is nearby as well?" Minami asked, her voice tight.
The questions were more like interrogations than greetings, but Maya didn't take offense. She merely offered a radiant, enigmatic smile.
"As for why I'm here, I decided to conduct a surprise inspection of Minami-chan's work—and, of course, to celebrate Takkun's special day. I sent Hayama-san home already, though."
"Auntie, I really think you should stop inconveniencing Mr. Hayama for your whims," Tatsuya sighed.
"It's quite alright. Hayama-san is on my side, after all."
"..."
Realizing that even the head butler was a willing accomplice to Maya's antics, Tatsuya fell silent and glanced at Miyuki. Regardless of the reality behind the scenes, publicly, Tatsuya's status was meant to be so lowly that he wasn't even permitted to speak to Maya.
"Auntie, you mentioned a 'surprise inspection,'" Miyuki said. "How exactly will you be judging the results?"
"Let's see... I'll decide after I taste the breakfast Minami-chan prepares tomorrow morning. So, Miyuki-san, feel free to sleep in tomorrow."
"Wait—tomorrow morning?" Minami stammered. "Does that mean the Head is staying the night?"
"Why wouldn't I? It's already decided—I'm staying in Takkun's room."
" "What?!" "
In front of the Head of the Family, Miyuki and Minami let their masks slip, their faces contorting in shock. Seeing their reactions, Maya let out a giggle, looking for all the world like a child who had successfully pulled off a prank.
"Hardly a surprise inspection if you announce it the night before, is it?" Tatsuya remarked.
"It doesn't matter. It's impossible to go out and buy new ingredients now anyway. The point is to see how she can satisfy me with whatever is already in the house."
"...The inspection is just an excuse, isn't it?"
"Hmm? I wonder what you mean by that? Auntie Maya has no idea~!" She chirped, before turning her gaze to Tatsuya with predatory playfulness. "Now, Takkun! Let's take a bath and go to bed together! Let us make up for all the bonding time we missed when you were young."
Ordinarily, Miyuki and Minami would have moved heaven and earth to block this. But the woman before them was the Head—the one person they could never truly defy. To Tatsuya, it looked as though the two girls were clenching their teeth so hard they might actually begin weeping tears of blood.
The next morning, when Tatsuya returned from his training at Yakumo's temple, he was greeted not just by Miyuki, but by Maya as well. Minami was busy in the kitchen, frantically preparing the breakfast that Maya would judge.
"Welcome back, Takkun. Here's a towel."
"Thank you, Auntie. Miyuki, I'm going to go take a quick shower."
"Yes, Brother. I've already prepared everything for you."
Miyuki handed Tatsuya his change of clothes, shooting a triumphant look at Maya. But Maya was always three steps ahead.
"In that case, I think I'll hop in the shower with Takkun. Sleeping with all that night-sweat makes me feel so icky."
"That's because you insisted on clinging to someone while you slept in this heat..." Tatsuya muttered.
"But when Takkun's scent is right there next to me, how could I not want to hug him? Even more so when it's Takkun himself."
Tatsuya tilted his head, wondering if that logic actually held up, while beside him, Miyuki was nodding fervently in agreement—all while looking like she was back on the verge of crying blood.
"Now, Takkun! Shall we pick up where we left off last night?"
"The sweat can be handled with magic!" Miyuki cried.
With a blur of motion, Miyuki manipulated her CAD. A flash of light later, and the sweat on both Tatsuya and Maya had been instantly vaporized. Tatsuya looked at her with admiration for the precision of the spell; Maya merely gave her a look of utter boredom.
"Your magical accuracy is as perfect as ever, Miyuki-san. Though, I really wish you hadn't done that just now."
"Auntie, regardless of the fact that you are his aunt and he is your nephew, isn't sharing a bath at this age... well, scandalous?"
"If we could have done it when he was a child, I wouldn't have to do it now. But my dear sister would never allow it."
"Um... breakfast is ready," Minami interrupted hesitantly.
Caught between the two most powerful women in the family, Minami could do little more than speak up timidly. To her, both Maya and Miyuki were masters she could not cross.
"Then I'll be sitting next to Takkun."
"Please, just eat normally," Tatsuya pleaded. "Minami worked very hard on this."
"You're always so kind to Minami-chan, Takkun. Is it because she looks so much like Honami-san?"
"...Sakurai-san has nothing to do with it. Minami is like a sister to me."
As Tatsuya looked away, his voice tinged with a hint of deflection, Maya found him utterly adorable. The woman who had likely been Tatsuya's first love was gone from this world. Maya had known exactly what she was doing when she placed Minami by Tatsuya's side.
"Alright then, Takkun. Feed me."
"Excuse me? That would be incredibly bad manners."
"Oh, who cares! This isn't the Yotsuba main house. We can afford a little bit of 'bad manners' here."
"No matter where we are, I think that's going a bit too far."
"Hmph... fine. Then just once."
"Just one bite, then."
Deciding this was the best compromise he was going to get, Tatsuya picked up a piece of food. Rather than using his own, he used the chopsticks set aside for Maya and brought the morsel to her lips.
"Mm, that's quite delicious. You've done well, Minami-chan."
"You flatter me."
"But," Maya added, her eyes gleaming, "since Takkun was the one who fed it to me, I think I need just one more bite."
Before anyone could react, Maya reached out, snatched Tatsuya's own used chopsticks, and popped another piece of food into her mouth.
" "Ah!" "
"Auntie, your chopsticks are right here..."
"Mmm, so good. Here, Takkun, your chopsticks back."
Maya handed the "tainted" chopsticks back to Tatsuya, wearing a look of absolute victory. Having completely forgotten that they could simply be washed, Miyuki and Minami stood frozen, this time truly weeping tears of blood.
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