081. Caught in the Act

After his bath, Kanade Natsukawa donned the pajamas Chika had provided and made his way to the living room.

Chika wasn't there waiting for him, likely too embarrassed to face him after the incident in the bathroom. That suited Kanade just fine—it saved him the trouble of awkward small talk.

The Fujiwara household didn't have many spare rooms. Apart from the sisters' bedrooms and a storage room, there wasn't much else. Chika had suggested he sleep on the floor in one of the rooms, but Kanade opted to crash on the couch in the living room instead.

Settling in, he casually scrolled through his phone, responding to the many congratulatory messages about his reappointment as student council president.

Among them was a message from Angel-san:

Angel-san: "Kanade, why aren't you home yet? Did something happen?"

There were multiple similar messages, each one more worried than the last.

Kanade: "I'm fine. I'm staying at a friend's house tonight."

Her reply came instantly, complete with an emoticon of a relieved cat:

Angel-san: "Oh, thank goodness (>▽<)! I was so worried (;′⌒`)."

Kanade: "Sorry for worrying you (′?ω?)?(._.`)."

After reassuring her and chatting for a bit, Kanade managed to convince her to go to bed. He spent a little more time browsing the news before closing his eyes to rest.

Despite staying at a girl's house, Kanade didn't feel particularly nervous. He'd had similar experiences before and wasn't the type to let a suggestive atmosphere keep him up at night.

"Goodnight…"

Kanade had a strange dream.

In it, a familiar girl loomed over him, her hands exploring as she pinned him down. He wanted to resist but found himself unable to move, helplessly flailing his arms in a feeble attempt to stop her.

"Urgh…"

A small, muffled sound jolted Kanade awake. Still half-asleep, he noticed a heavy weight pressing down on his stomach, making it hard to breathe.

"…"

Through the faint moonlight streaming in, he made out a shadowy figure sitting on him, staring down with an unsettling intensity.

"U-um… be gentle, please…"

"!!!"

Kanade snapped fully awake, realizing the "weight" on his stomach was a girl. To make matters worse, his hand was inexplicably resting on her chest.

"W-who are you?!" Kanade's voice rose, but before he could shout, the girl clamped her hand over his mouth, silencing him with a panicked "Mmm!"

His heart raced with fear as snippets of his earlier conversation with Chika flashed through his mind:

Hachishakusama… predator… high school boys.

Kanade's blood ran cold. He was sure of it—his purity was in danger!

Where were the bodyguards? How had this maniac gotten in?

"Don't move, Senpai," the girl whispered, leaning in close enough that her breath tickled his ear. "You don't want my sister to find out what we're doing, do you?"

"!?"

Kanade's mind spun as he finally recognized the voice—it was Chika's younger sister, Moeha Fujiwara.

Of course. Of course it's her!

Kanade immediately tried to push her away, but his hands were suddenly stopped by a metallic clink. Glancing down, he saw his wrists were bound together with handcuffs.

"…"

"Do you like them? I picked them out just for you," Moeha said, her sweet smile sending shivers down his spine.

Who would like handcuffs?! Kanade wanted to scream. I don't have that kind of hobby, stop insulting me!

"What do you want?" he asked warily, trying to steady his breathing.

The living room was eerily silent, amplifying the sound of his pounding heart. Kanade's mind raced for a way out. With his hands restrained and no leverage to move, he had no choice but to stall for time.

"I-I don't think things like this should be one-sided," he stammered. "Shouldn't there be mutual consent?"

He'd seen enough questionable scenarios in media to know where this was heading. Unfortunately, he wanted no part of it.

"You're still young. Don't do something you'll regret…" Kanade pleaded, hoping to reason with her. But another thought gnawed at him—what if she ignored him and went through with her plans anyway?

And how was she so strong?! Moeha was small and delicate, yet she pinned him down like it was nothing.

"Senpai, you're overthinking it," Moeha said softly. "I don't want to hurt you."

Then why the handcuffs?!

"It's all my silly sister's fault," Moeha continued. "She hogs all the good things for herself. Don't you think she should share with her little sister?"

"…"

Chika, you idiot! Kanade cursed internally. She was partly to blame, after all. Her recent behavior had been suspicious, and now it was clear she'd awakened something in her little sister too.

"Now then, Senpai," Moeha purred, licking her lips. She leaned forward, pressing a finger to her lips in mock thought. "How about I…"

"Toilet… toilet…"

A drowsy voice interrupted Moeha, making them both freeze.

Kanade turned his head to see Chika stumbling toward the bathroom, still half-asleep and rubbing her eyes. She was wearing her bear pajamas and muttering under her breath.

A few moments later, she shuffled out of the bathroom, scratching her stomach as she returned to her room without so much as a glance at the situation in the living room.

"…"

"…"

Kanade watched her retreat, torn between calling for help and keeping quiet in case she was in on it. Ultimately, his only thought was: She really is an idiot.

But there was no time to dwell on that. Moeha's hands were already undoing the buttons of his shirt, her cold fingers trailing over his chest.

"Urgh…"

The icy touch made him shiver, sending an unexpected jolt through his body.

"Let's pick up where we left off…" Moeha whispered.

"What are you two doing?!"

A sharp voice broke through the tension. Both of them froze, turning to see Toyomi Fujiwara standing at the entrance, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.