357: Insight Comparable to Sherlock Holmes

"What exactly is going on, sister?"

After letting her sister into the house, Yukino crossed her arms and questioned her with a serious expression.

"Eh? Didn't I already tell you when I walked in? I had dinner with your teacher, Shizuka, tonight."

"It got a bit late, and going home would be too much of a hassle, so I decided to crash here for the night. Don't tell me you're upset over such a small thing."

As soon as she entered, Haruno dove straight onto the sofa, burying her face into a cushion.

She kicked off her slippers without a care for appearances, idly swinging her legs in the air.

"You know that's not what I'm asking."

Yukino took a few steps forward, standing right in front of Haruno. 

The ambiguous interaction she had just witnessed between her sister and their next-door neighbor still left her feeling uneasy.

She had seen firsthand just how chaotic the relationships around that man were. 

Her underclassman, Isshiki Iroha, was a particularly vivid example of this. In any case, for any woman to get close to that person could hardly be considered a good thing.

"How did you even get involved with that guy?"

"Ah, so that's what you meant."

Haruno lazily flipped over onto her back, resting an arm over her forehead.

She glanced at her adorable little sister, the corners of her lips curling into an amused smirk.

"If I were to say that I think I've finally found my true love... If that were my answer, what would you say?"

Yukino wasn't the least bit fazed by her sister's subtle provocation. She responded in the same calm, composed manner.

"The fact that you can say something like that already proves you don't actually believe it."

"Ohhh~ Quite the bold claim. Looks like little Yukino thinks she understands her big sister really well now. But weren't you just a little crybaby who used to cling to my sleeve all the time?"

"You can reminisce about the past whenever you like, but right now, you still haven't answered my question, sister."

"Ugh—so annoying. Since when did you start nagging like Mom? I came here to rest, not to get lectured."

Haruno's playful smile faded as she stood up, pretending to be annoyed. She walked over to her sister and casually ruffled her hair without a second thought.

"Listen, Yukino. I may be your dear older sister, but before that, I'm also an independent adult."

"It's perfectly normal for me to have my own secrets that I don't want to share with anyone. So, stop interrogating me over and over again. You're really not cute at all, you know?"

Waving a hand dismissively, she walked toward the bathroom.

"Back then, whenever I came over after drinking, your first reaction was to bring me some yogurt or honey water, saying it was good for my stomach. I guess that thoughtful little cutie from my memories is gone forever, huh?"

"..."

Yukino silently watched as her sister disappeared into the bathroom.

In the end, she still hadn't figured out why Haruno had been acting so intimately with their neighbor. 

Once again, she had been completely brushed off.

"Hey, Yukino, grab a set of your pajamas for me and leave them outside, okay? Thanks~"

Haruno's lively voice echoed from the bathroom.

"…Hah…"

Yukino closed her eyes, shaking her head with a sigh.

It was Friday night. There was no school tomorrow. 

She had originally planned to make a cup of warm milk, curl up on the sofa, and finish reading The Love of a Fool. 

But now, with her sister's unexpected presence, those plans were undoubtedly going to be postponed.

…

"I'm back… uh…"

Dragging his tired body through the front door, Chisato instinctively started to say his usual greeting, but the words stuck in his throat. 

The next moment, he froze in place.

Before him was Utaha, kneeling at the entrance, looking completely unfazed. 

She was dressed in a dark red silk robe, her long hair—usually left to drape over her shoulders—now casually tied back, with the ends resting on her chest. 

The shift in her appearance stripped away her usual girlish charm, making her seem more like a young, newlywed wife.

"Welcome home, dear."

Utaha's hands were neatly placed on the floor in front of her as she greeted him with a soft, gentle voice. 

Her tone was so natural, so effortlessly casual, that this moment felt like a well-rehearsed, mundane part of their daily life.

"..."

Chisato felt as if something had just smacked him hard in the head. His eyebrow twitched as he crouched down to meet her gaze, reaching out to touch her forehead.

"Utaha, do you have a fever?"

Utaha simply smiled wordlessly, making no attempt to respond. 

Instead, she thoughtfully picked up a pair of indoor slippers from the side and leaned forward, seemingly about to help him take off his shoes.

This startled Chisato so much that he immediately grabbed her wrist in a panic.

"Utaha, don't scare me like that!"

That was the last straw. His utterly unromantic reaction finally made Utaha give up on her elegant housewife act.

She let out a sigh, pressing her fingers against her temple.

"Honestly… I went to all this trouble to surprise you, but you're absolutely no fun at all."

"Uh… no fun at all…? Wait, so this whole thing was to surprise me?"

"Yes. I figured life was getting a little too monotonous, so I wanted to spice things up and give you a little excitement."

"So basically, this was some kind of roleplay, and the theme was… the husband returning from work to his loving wife waiting at home?"

"That's right. Next time we do this, please try to play along a little better. I even waited here at the entrance for ages, full of anticipation."

Utaha nodded as she spoke, then reached out her hands again. This time, Chisato didn't resist, allowing her to remove his shoes and take his bag and coat.

Seeing the faint disappointment on her face, Chisato felt a little guilty. He reached out, wrapping an arm around her slender waist.

"Sorry, I'll be more mindful next time. I was just so caught off guard that I didn't know how to react." 

"For a second, I thought I had stepped through the door and traveled into our future married life."

Hearing his half-joking explanation, Utaha unexpectedly picked up on a different implication.

"But judging by your reaction just now, Mr. Suzumiya, it seems like you are not particularly excited or looking forward to our future married life." 

"If anything, I could sense a faint trace of fear."

"What are you talking about? You should know better than anyone why I reacted that way." 

"Every day I spend with you is something I want to savor slowly. I wouldn't want time to suddenly fast-forward like that."

"Your words sound nice, but if you really thought that way, you wouldn't be off flirting with other girls all the time." 

"I can only see you at night, and isn't that just pathetic? It's like a housewife who knows her husband is messing around outside but can't do anything about it and just stays home crying all day."

"It's not that bad, is it? We don't see each other during the day because we go to different schools.

After class, I have to go to work, and you're busy with both your studies and your light novel career. This situation won't last forever.

Once we're in college, we'll have much more time together."

That was true. There wasn't much left for Utaha to argue against.

But then… this scent…

Utaha glanced at the uniform jacket she had just taken off from Chisato, carefully smoothed out, and hung up. 

She leaned in close to sniff it, then lowered her gaze slightly before turning around and giving Chisato a meaningful look.

"What is it?"

Chisato was puzzled by her actions.

"Hmph—Eriri!"

Instead of answering, Utaha took a deep breath and raised her voice, calling out to the inner room.

"What? I'm giving Dark Wing a bath right now."

"Forget that for a second. Come here."

"Uh…"

Just as Chisato was about to say something, Utaha moved closer to him, lifting her head to sniff near his chest and under his neck.

"Utaha, that tickles…"

"Don't move."

At that moment, Eriri jogged over, her hands still wet.

"What is it…? Oh, Chisato, you're back. You're earlier than usual."

"Yeah…"

"Alright, enough pointless chatter. Come here."

"What exactly do you want from me?"

Even though Eriri grumbled, she still did as she was told and stood near the entrance. She leaned in closer to the uniform jacket that Utaha was holding and lowered her head.

Her small, cute nose twitched slightly as she sniffed. 

Then, her brows furrowed in confusion before she exchanged a knowing glance with Utaha.

After that, both of them turned their gazes toward Chisato simultaneously.

"Confirmed. I wasn't mistaken."

Utaha rehung the jacket and turned back around, now looking visibly displeased.

Eriri studied Chisato's expression, and after confirming that there wouldn't be any major consequences, she directly voiced their conclusion.

"It's definitely a perfume scent we haven't smelled before. It's a soft fragrance, without a doubt a women's perfume. 

And aside from that, there's also the smell of alcohol—a faint malt aroma. It must be beer."

"You've got to be kidding me…"

Chisato was dumbfounded. This was like something out of a detective novel.

There was always a saying: women's intelligence skyrockets when catching a cheating man. Depending on the situation, their deduction skills could even rival Sherlock Holmes.

But… seeing it happen right in front of him like this was still hard to accept.

"Let me check."

Even though Chisato had already decided to tell them the truth about what happened tonight, he couldn't help but be skeptical about Eriri's claim. 

So, out of disbelief, he took a step forward, grabbed his own jacket, and brought it up to his nose.

But… he smelled nothing—no perfume, no alcohol, nothing.

Utaha twirled a strand of her hair around her finger and spoke lazily.

"It's only natural that you wouldn't notice. 

The human sense of smell adapts quickly. If you're exposed to a scent for long enough, your nose naturally filters it out. 

You lose the ability to detect it in a short period of time. But since you can't smell it, that also reveals a critical piece of information…"

Her gaze suddenly turned sharp, and the curve of her lips was no longer a smile but a smirk—one filled with cold amusement.

"Before coming home, you must have spent quite some time in very close proximity with a woman neither Eriri nor I know about. 

Otherwise, there's no way your clothes would carry such a strong scent, yet you yourself wouldn't even notice it."

"…"

Chisato's current mental state could only be described as shock.

Aside from some minor details, the two of them had almost completely guessed everything correctly.

He had accompanied a tipsy Haruno back from the yakiniku restaurant, only to end up trapped in the elevator with her for nearly twenty minutes.

Given that enclosed space and the way she had subtly or not-so-subtly leaned toward him, it was hardly surprising that some of her scent had clung to him.

"Don't just stay silent. Say something, Chisato."

Utaha's voice was as cold as ice now.

Just earlier, when he walked through the door, she had been calling him "husband" in such a sweet tone.

"There's no need to jump to conclusions so fast. Chisato hasn't even explained himself yet."

Perhaps because she found Eriri's words reasonable, Utaha didn't press the matter further and turned to head inside.

Once they were all seated in the living room, Chisato explained everything that had happened that evening, including how he and Haruno had gotten stuck in a stalled elevator. 

The only thing he deliberately left out was the content of their conversation during those twenty minutes.

As he spoke, Eriri had an expression that seemed to say, "I knew it," while Utaha's initially icy demeanor gradually softened, giving way to concern.

Like Eriri, she even leaned in and started patting him down with her small hands, making sure he hadn't gotten hurt.

"Don't worry. It was just an elevator stopping for a while. How could I possibly get injured?"

Utaha, dissatisfied with his indifferent attitude, pinched his thigh hard.

Eriri, in an unusually serious tone, added, "Even so, situations like that feel dangerous. If something like this happens again, call us immediately. 

We might not be able to help directly, but we can try to think of other ways. If something happened to you… we…"

"Hey, you airheaded blonde, what are you saying?"

Sensing that the conversation was heading in the wrong direction, Utaha quickly interrupted Eriri.

In the end, after Chisato repeatedly reassured them, the matter was put to rest.

Eriri returned to the bathroom to continue washing Dark Wing, while Utaha, who had originally prepared a late-night snack, decided to store it in the fridge since Chisato had already eaten outside.

But after tonight's events, Chisato had gained a deep understanding of just how terrifying these two were when it came to their deductive abilities. 

It seemed he would have to be more careful in the future.

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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta

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