Living in the Heart of Tokyo

Yukino Yukari was confident—no one in this world knew the taste of Kyousuke-kun's cooking better than she did.

Even if every single person connected to Kyousuke stood before her, she would proudly claim this truth.

After all, who else would treat every dish Kyousuke made as a priceless treasure, carefully savoring each bite, letting her delicate tongue absorb every nuance of flavor?

When you lose something and get it back, you learn to cherish it even more.

What Yukari didn't know was that this belief oddly aligned with the values of the Yukinoshita family.

"I wasn't paying attention to that," Yukinoshita Yukino murmured after swallowing her bite of dorayaki, offering a quiet defense.

She had no intention of asking why Yukino-sensei called this place home.

Digging into others' privacy had never been her style—after all, secrets often came with scars.

Yukari simply smiled in response, saying nothing more.

To her, even if these treats weren't made directly by Kyousuke-kun, as long as they came from his hand—even indirectly—they were enough to bring her happiness.

To Yukinoshita's surprise, even though Momotarou was whining anxiously, the little dog made no attempt to jump onto the sofa.

Good.

At least it had learned to be about one percent as obedient as a cat.

Yukino gave a small nod of approval.

Finally satisfied, Sakura flopped down onto the couch and casually tossed a snack to Momotarou before turning to Yukino-sensei.

"Yukari-sensei, are you going to the award ceremony tomorrow?"

"I'm skipping it," Yukari replied with a gentle shake of her head. "It's a rare weekend—I'd rather rest at home."

"It's that so.," Sakura nodded, showing no surprise.

For a while, the room was filled with peaceful silence, broken only by the soft, grassy scent of the breeze drifting in from the garden.

'Whine, whine, whine!'

(Eriri. Eriri's back!)

The way Momotarou suddenly perked up immediately drew Yukinoshita's attention.

At first, she thought the unpredictable creature was about to go wild—but then she realized something else.

"Could it be... Hojou is back?"

She turned to Yamauchi Sakura.

'Whiiine~'

(No, silly! It's Eriri!)

"It's not him. It's Eriri," Sakura said with a grin, playfully tugging on Momotarou's tiny triangular ears as she casually explained.

"If it were Kyousuke coming home, this furball would've already bolted for the door. But since he's only halfway up and just standing there wagging his front paws, it means it's Eriri returning instead."

"Dogs are simple creatures. They secretly rank everyone in the house in order of importance."

...Impossible.

Did creatures as uncontrollable as dogs really have that level of intelligence?

Yukinoshita stared wide-eyed at the dog.

'Woof Woof~'

(Big sis sure is smart!) Momotarou's eyes seemed to sparkle with admiration.

Yukinoshita turned toward the door, curious to see if Sakura's claim would prove true.

"…So I'm telling you, next time, don't—"

A familiar voice, faint but distinct, drifted in from the courtyard.

Yukinoshita instantly recognized the crisp, clear tone—it was Eriri.

"I'm home!!"

The front door flew open, and sure enough, Eriri stepped inside, glancing back over her shoulder as if still mid-conversation with someone outside.

Her signature twin golden tails swished in a neat half-circle behind her.

Impossible.

Could the dog really be this clever? Yukinoshita stared down at Momotarou in disbelief.

"Then... what about you, Sakura?" Yukinoshita asked, curious. "What does Momotarou do when you come home?"

"Hm?"

Sakura's eyes sparkled mischievously as she smirked.

"Momotarou, go show her."

At her command, the fluffy little dog shot off like a white blur, streaking toward the entrance so fast Yukinoshita nearly couldn't follow with her eyes.

"Eh? Momotarou, what's gotten into you? Coming all the way to greet me at the door today? Good boy! Here—you get a jerky treat for that."

Eriri bent down to ruffle his head happily as she swapped out her shoes.

"See? Just like that~" Sakura said with a proud grin. "It's all about hierarchy. Dogs are the ultimate suck-ups.

If you hadn't walked in here with me that first day, Yukinoshita, with the way you always look at him, Momotarou would've scared you on purpose by now. I guarantee it."

"Welcome home~" Sakura lazily raised a hand without even looking up.

"Huh? Where's Kyousuke?"

The first thing Eriri did as she stepped into the living room was glance around, searching for any sign of Kyousuke.

Without his usual "Welcome home!" greeting, it didn't feel right—like the ritual of coming home wasn't complete.

Behind her came Megumi, Naoka, and Utaha in turn.

The last two immediately flopped onto the sofa beside Sakura like wilting flowers.

Sure, school life wasn't terribly hard—but by the end of the week, everyone still felt the weight of exhaustion.

"Kyousuke went to pick up Mitsuha. She's coming over today too," Sakura explained.

"Mitsuha?" ×6

Yukino's voice lit up in surprise.

Yukinoshita's, however, dripped with panic.

The other four girls just blinked, confused.

"Wow… it's been ages," Yukari said warmly, her voice full of nostalgia.

Another person I haven't met in this house? Yukinoshita's eyes widened.

Just how many people live here… and what kind of person will this one be?

"Yep. And Kyousuke still hasn't solved that dance problem of his, right? If we're talking dancing… isn't Mitsuha the most qualified teacher?" Sakura teased with a smile, even if neither Kyousuke nor Mitsuha had probably said anything of the sort.

"Dancing? I'm sorry but that's my job" Yukinoshita snapped, her slim brows knitting tightly in frustration.

It felt like a slap in the face—like the client wasn't satisfied with her work and had gone behind her back to hire someone else.

How insulting

She'd devoted herself completely—even while trapped in this madhouse known as the Ruyi Dorm, she'd been single-mindedly focused on teaching Hojou to dance properly!

Mitsuha…

The name lodged in Yukinoshita's heart like iron thorns, making it impossible to clench her fists in determination.

"Huh? But isn't that the club leader's responsibility? You're just the assistant, Yukino. Plus, it's the holidays now.

Mitsuha's coming because Kyousuke invited her as a private tutor—it's a sign of his personal motivation, you know~"

Sakura chuckled softly.

She hadn't expected Yukinoshita to react so strongly.

But with her silver tongue, she could easily smooth things over—no one in this house could out-argue her if she really got serious.

Not even a jealous, possessive Yukinoshita was a match for her.

"But—"

Yukinoshita started to protest again, but she caught sight of Utaha's teasing smirk and sat down with a frustrated huff instead.

But in her heart, she swore not to forget this humiliation.

Yukinoshita Yukino had never suffered such indignity before!

"Sakura, where's Shouko? She's not home yet either?" Megumi's cheerful voice cut through the tense air like a fearless warrior.

"Yo, Megumi. I didn't see you there," Sakura grinned, finally noticing Megumi sitting quietly beside Yukinoshita.

"Shouko's at voice acting school. Her weekend classes are way more packed now," Sakura explained.

"It's that so," Megumi nodded knowingly.

Of course. If you wanted to stand out, you had to put in extra effort.

Ordinary girls like her could enjoy a weekend evening flipping through fashion magazines or chatting endlessly on the phone with a bored big sister.

Still… who was this new, beautiful big sister?

Normally, Megumi wouldn't speak first in this kind of crowd—but remembering the promise she'd made to Hojou yesterday about standing out more, she nervously clenched her fists, then slowly relaxed them.

"Um… hello. I'm Katou Megumi," she said softly.

She straightened up, peeking out from under the snowy cover, and looked toward the beautiful older girl with the same hairstyle as hers.

"Hello~" Yukari gave her a gentle smile. "I'm Yukino Yukari. Welcome to our home."

"I don't care anymore, I'm going upstairs to change. Megumi, do you want me to lend you some clothes?" Eriri, who had already gulped down an entire can of cola, called out.

"Thanks, but I'm good. I went home at noon to grab some clothes," Katou Megumi replied, lifting her noticeably overstuffed school bag.

Huh??

Yukinoshita, sitting nearby, stared wide-eyed at Megumi.

Why was she being so casual about this?

Why would someone bring a change of clothes when visiting a friend's house?

Why hadn't she thought of that?

With Eriri leading the way, the girls in the living room started heading upstairs one by one.

Yamauchi Sakura stood up, glanced at the expressionless Yukinoshita Yukino, and chuckled softly, extending her hand.

"Come on, I've got plenty of clothes you can try."

"I'm fine in my school uniform," Yukino replied flatly.

"Relax, just think of it as helping Naoka test some new outfits~" Sakura said with a teasing grin, grabbing Yukino's hand.

"No way!!!" Yukino cried out, trying to pull free but afraid she might hurt Sakura.

There's no way she'd wear one of those shameful high-slit dresses—not even if her life depended on it!

"Hahaha, don't worry. Naoka doesn't only make those kinds of clothes."

That was true.

As long as there was fabric and a sewing machine, Ueno Naoka could replicate almost anything from the latest fashion magazines.

Because of that, new outfits often mysteriously appeared in everyone's wardrobes at home.

Still seated on the sofa, Yukino watched the line of girls heading upstairs.

Smiling, she picked up a dorayaki, broke off a small piece, and handed it to Momotaro.

Moments later, Yukino noticed Momotaro's ears suddenly perk up.

Half a second later, he bolted toward the entrance like a flash of white lightning, letting out excited little whimpers.

'Woof ~ Woof~'

(Aniki! Aniki's back!)

Even without Sakura's earlier hints, Yukino knew what this meant—Hojou had returned.

When Hojou was home, the girls didn't necessarily crowd around him.

Everyone did their own thing, as if his presence or absence didn't matter.

But just like earlier—when there had been no arguments or drama—the whole house had felt strangely dull, the air heavy.

Even Sakura, usually the most talkative, had grown lazy and quiet, as if forcing herself to find things to say.

This... this was what the house felt like without Hojou.

————————————————————————

"Is it really okay to just leave the car parked there?" Mitsuha asked anxiously.

The streets in this upscale neighborhood were spacious, but not that spacious.

"It's fine. Someone will move it soon. Don't worry—just get out."

Kyousuke gave her soft thigh a playful pat as he reassured her.

The handbrake was firmly set, and Mitsuha finally relaxed her tense legs.

"Someone will move it?" she muttered, opening the door—and spotted a familiar figure by the wall.

"Boss!"

As Hojou Kyousuke stepped out of the car, their veteran driver, Hirata Toshitaka, gave a respectful bow.

"I'll leave it to you then," Kyousuke said with a smile, patting the man's shoulder and handing him the keys.

The three girls in the back also got out.

Yotsuba glanced at the driver who'd been temporarily pulled off duty, then at her sister.

Her two friends beside her did the exact same thing.

"Big sis, you—"

"Laugh again and you're dead!" Mitsuha barked, slamming a knuckle on Yotsuba's head.

"I wasn't laughing! Hojou-nii, look at her! She drives slower than a turtle, made me carsick, and she's still hitting me!" Yotsuba cried dramatically, holding her head.

"Let's go. Your dear Yukino-sensei is waiting inside," Kyousuke said, gently patting Yotsuba's head as he walked past.

"Yukari!?"

At the sound of that name, Yotsuba's long-forgotten but vivid memories came rushing back.

"Yukari's here too!?"

Her voice was filled with pure excitement; Kyousuke half expected her twin pigtails to start spinning like helicopter blades.

"Yeah, she's inside."

As he opened the front gate, Yotsuba and her two friends dashed past him, shouting "Charge the demon king's castle!" as they ran into the house.

Mitsuha remained outside, watching the driver skillfully turn the car around as if he were handling a toy car.

"What's wrong? Let's go in," Kyousuke said, gently taking her hand.

"Don't laugh!" Mitsuha huffed, brushing his hand away and stomping inside.

Her warning had the opposite effect—Kyousuke chuckled softly.

Mitsuha's face turned bright red as she glanced back.

She'd originally wanted to park the car properly in the garage, she was sure her driving skills were good enough.

But the moment she'd said so, both Kyousuke and Yotsuba had shouted at her to stop.

And then, adding insult to injury, their driver—who she'd temporarily put out of a job—had shown up before she could even move the car.

Unbelievable. What a disgrace!

"Safety first, right? Some 'Rampaging Angel' leader you are—how could you forget that?"

It wasn't Mitsuha who said that—it was Kyousuke.

He'd heard that phrase from Kisaki, who reported that Mitsuha's other personality used to say it whenever she practiced riding a motorcycle for the first time.

"Of course I know that! That's why I was driving so slow!" Mitsuha snapped, lifting her chin proudly before stopping on the steps, grinning as she waited for him to catch up.

"I'm home~" Kyousuke called out as he stepped inside.

Like magic, the front door opened in response.

"Welcome home~" Yukari appeared once more.

But before she could properly see Kyousuke's face, something small and fast crashed into her, making her stumble.

She looked down.

It was a girl with two braided pigtails.

"Yukari~ Uuuuu~ I missed you so much~" Yotsuba's tearful voice trembled as she lifted her head—her face already streaked with fresh tears.

"Yotsuba?" Yukari gasped, full of joy and surprise.

They hadn't seen each other since parting ways in Nara.

Yotsuba was one of her very few friends from Itomori.

"I tried calling you so many times but could never reach you!" Yotsuba sniffled.

"Sorry, Yotsuba," Yukari said softly.

She realized that the girl she used to lift easily with both hands had grown so tall.

"This time, you can't disappear again!"

"I won't. I've finally found my home."

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