(Aha—!!! You damned God of Fun!!!)
Chinatsu suddenly whipped her head around, glaring fiercely at her "brother" in the living room, who was still resting his chin in his hand with a look of complete detachment; fire practically shot from her eyes.
Aha (Koushi) felt her murderous gaze, but far from being scared, he blinked innocently and even cheekily whistled a short, tuneless melody.
He wore a punchable expression that seemed to say, "It's not my fault, the system posted it itself."
(I @#￥%&*...) Chinatsu's mind was instantly flooded with various censored words.
But she knew it was useless to reason with this bastard Aeon; that punishment... she absolutely did not want to try it!
Becoming a girl was bad enough; if she were to forget how to be a man, or develop some strange hobbies... she'd rather just be killed!
--- In the living room, Shido watched as Chinatsu suddenly glared angrily at "Koushi," while "Koushi" innocently whistled and stared up at the ceiling.
This silent, bizarre interaction between the siblings, which seemed like they were communicating telepathically (but was actually Chinatsu's one-sided furious condemnation), left him completely bewildered.
(These siblings... they seem to get along well, but sometimes it feels weird...)
Shido scratched his head in confusion, ultimately deciding not to delve further into his friend's "private matters."
"Um... Koushi, Classmate Hōōin, it's getting late, we really should go."
Shido bid them farewell again, this time successfully reaching the door.
Origami followed closely behind him like a shadow.
Chinatsu forcefully suppressed her anger toward Aha and reluctantly nodded at Shido.
Shido and Origami walked down the stairs one after the other.
Once they reached the bottom of the apartment building, Origami stopped, turned to Shido, and said in her usual flat tone, "Shido. I'm going home now."
"Ah, okay, Classmate Tobiichi, be careful on the way." Shido quickly replied.
Origami nodded, said nothing more, turned, and left decisively, her figure quickly disappearing into the night.
Watching Origami leave, Shido finally let out a genuine sigh of relief, his taut nerves finally relaxing.
He stretched out with a big yawn, his bones seemingly giving off a soft "clack" sound, and he couldn't help but sigh, "Hah—today was really... too exhausting..."
From the cooking showdown to being "kidnapped" by Chinatsu, then "interrogated" by Origami, and finally the strange atmosphere surrounding the Koushi siblings... this series of events had pushed his brain close to overload.
Right now, all he wanted was to hurry home and collapse onto his familiar bed.
However, just as he lowered his guard and prepared to walk away—
A swift blue figure burst out of the stairwell like a leopard!
"W-wait a minute! Classmate Itsuka!"
Shido felt a sudden tug on the back of his collar, followed by a huge force that uncontrollably yanked him backward.
As the world spun around him, his back hit the cold stairwell wall with a loud "thump"!
"Whoa?!" Shido's cry of surprise was trapped in his throat.
Immediately afterward, Chinatsu's hand slammed "slap" onto the wall beside Shido's ear, executing a perfect *kabedon* pose.
She tilted her head slightly, her icy blue long hair falling somewhat messily around her cheeks.
Her overly delicate face was currently filled with extremely complex emotions.
—There was obvious shame and frustration, unspeakable embarrassment, and a hint of desperate resolve born of necessity.
What made the heart race fastest was that despite performing such an intimidating action, two obvious streaks of red flushed across her cheeks, and her gaze flickered uncertainly, completely unable to meet Shido's stunned eyes.
(...?!) Shido's brain instantly crashed.
Meanwhile, Chinatsu began her "forced" tsundere invitation, filled with awkwardness and shame...
She forcefully turned her head to the side, as if doing so could escape the current predicament, and spoke haltingly in a tone laced with obvious trembling and forced composure:
"D-didn't you just say... you wanted us to understand each other?!"
"S-since you said so... then... then this young lady will... will reluctantly agree to it!"
She took a deep breath, as if using all her strength to squeeze out the rest of the words.
Her voice grew quieter but carried a textbook tsundere quality:
"T-tomorrow! Clear your schedule! I... I agree to go out with you... to understand each other!"
"B-but don't get the wrong idea!" She suddenly snapped her head back, glaring at Shido in embarrassment and frustration, though the look seemed powerless due to the moisture in her eyes.
"It's not like I want to go on a date with you! It's just... I just happen to be free! And you were the one who suggested understanding each other first! D-do you understand?! You idiot!"
After saying all that, Chinatsu felt her face was hot enough to fry an egg.
She quickly pulled back the *kabedon* hand, jumped back a step like a startled rabbit, crossed her arms, and turned her head away again, leaving Shido only with a flushed profile and slightly trembling shoulders.
Heaven knew how much courage it took for her to say those words, and how fiercely she was cursing Aha internally.
Shido was completely dumbfounded, leaning against the wall, his brain unable to process this overly abrupt shift in information.
(Didn't she just say it was impossible? Why the sudden...? This change in attitude is too fast! And these classic tsundere lines...)
He looked at the girl in front of him, who was obviously dying of embarrassment yet stubbornly maintaining a proud posture, and his heart began to beat uncontrollably faster.
For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
Downstairs, Origami, who hadn't gone far, heard the commotion and silently walked back.
She stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching the scene impassively, the light in her pale blue eyes dim and indistinct.
Chinatsu had already chopped Aha's mother into a thousand pieces in her mind:
(Aha, just you wait! Once this is over, I swear I'll use the Jurisprudence Authority to create a black hole and stuff you inside!!!)