Living in the Heart of Tokyo

Eriri shot a sharp glare at Kasumigaoka Utaha, who had dozed off on the sofa, then scrunched her small nose and gave a cold huff toward a certain someone standing nearby.

"Hmph! I'm not saying goodnight to that idiot tonight!"

Grumbling to herself, the girl stomped up the stairs, her footsteps echoing loudly.

With those thin cotton slippers offering little cushion, it was easy to imagine her soft, pale feet turning red from the strain—and her frustration only growing when she lay in bed later, seething over everything.

She was practically fueling her own anger on purpose.

Kyousuke let out a helpless chuckle.

Bending down, he slipped his right arm behind Kasumigaoka's back, his left arm hooking under her knees.

With a gentle lift from his waist and core, he scooped the stunning "sleeping beauty" into his arms.

It was only half-past ten—not nearly late enough for someone like Kasumigaoka, who could stay up all night devouring novels.

There was no way she had truly fallen asleep on the sofa.

No, this was her way of giving Eriri a little room, pretending to be tired early on instead of pulling her usual "fall-asleep-in-one-second" act.

The moment she was in his arms, her soft, slender arms wrapped around Kyousuke's neck.

Her upper body leaned into him, her full chest pressing warmly against his torso.

Long lashes fluttered open like a peacock's tail, revealing wine-red eyes that shimmered with amusement.

"Good evening... Kyousuke~"

Her voice dripped with sweetness, as soft and tempting as the curves in his palms.

"Good night, Utaha." Kyousuke smiled and carried her upstairs without missing a step.

"But I don't want to sleep yet..." she whispered, her eyes glimmering with playful charm.

"Good girls should already be tucked in bed by now."

He gently pushed open the door and laid her down on the bed.

But her arms refused to let go; instead, they tugged at his neck, pulling him closer.

"Mmm~"

Her soft, moist lips puckered into a cute pout.

She wasn't wearing any gloss, yet they glistened irresistibly.

Their breaths mingled, sweet and faintly scented with yogurt, teasing the space between their faces.

Kyousuke hesitated for a moment, wondering if someone—say, an innocent girl wandering past the open doorway—might catch a glimpse of this and peg him as some pervert.

But with this alluring woman pulling him in so boldly... how could he resist?

No man in his right mind could.

Without further thought, he lowered his head and gently captured her upper lip, tasting her like a slow appetizer, teasing with his tongue in a quiet language spoken only through touch.

But lips alone weren't enough.

He freed his hands from beneath her, cupping her delicate face, letting his thumb trace the smooth curve of her ear before gently pinching the soft earlobe.

"Mmm... ahh..."

Her bewitching moan sent a flicker of amusement through his eyes.

He shifted his attention, moving his lips to her ear, nibbling on the sensitive lobe—its thinness revealing every tiny vein—before sucking gently, biting down just enough to make her shudder.

"Nnh... no, don't..."

The tingling sensation raced straight from her ear to the core of her being, making her entire body tremble as if he'd found her most ticklish spot.

She let out a soft gasp, her body twisting sinuously beneath him like a restless water serpent.

This seductive woman—who always seemed in control—was now breathlessly pleading.

But she knew better than anyone: when it came to reading a tsundere's true feelings, Kyousuke was a master.

He knew exactly what "no" meant here.

Not letting up in the slightest, he suckled more firmly, his tongue tracing the intricate folds of her ear, while his hands remained busy—his right holding her head steady, his left thumb brushing her lips.

As he lightly stroked her lips, her mouth opened and caught his thumb, sucking it into that warm, wet haven—her small tongue sliding over him, slick and velvety.

Whoa...

This time, Kyousuke was the one surprised, the unfamiliar, thrilling sensation sending a jolt down his spine.

He couldn't help but tease her tongue back with his thumb, playing a little chasing game inside her mouth.

Her lips clung to his thumb, suckling and nibbling with her tiny teeth, while her slender waist squirmed, her smooth, pale thighs rubbing restlessly against each other.

The door remained slightly ajar.

Kyousuke bent over her from the bedside, shamelessly teasing the sharp-tongued beauty.

Neither of them cared if someone happened to walk by—even...

Suddenly, Utaha's long, shapely legs—once writhing and rubbing against each other—wrapped tightly around his waist, pulling him down on top of her with surprising strength.

Predictably, she succeeded; after all, one of Kyousuke's greatest weaknesses was his total lack of defense when it came to beautiful girls.

Carefully, Kyousuke lowered himself onto her warm, soft body. This intimate closeness made him pause, letting the moment sink in.

His tongue left her damp ear as he lifted his face to gaze at her.

Utaha opened her eyes again, her wine-red gaze shimmering with a sultry glow.

Then suddenly, her little tongue curled around his thumb and gave it a playful lick.

Kyousuke chuckled softly.

With his free hand, he brushed the stray hair from her forehead, stroking her sweat-dampened skin, then leaned down and kissed her gently.

He slowly pulled his thumb from her mouth, letting it graze her lower lip before playfully smacking his lips as if savoring the taste of a delicious snack.

"Goodnight, Utaha."

"Mmm... Goodnight, Kyousuke~" she whispered sweetly.

Kyousuke straightened up, switched off the lights, and gently closed the door.

Moonlight spilled softly through the window, casting a silver glow on Utaha's bare thighs.

Her nightgown, disheveled from their playful struggle, had ridden up to her hips, revealing sleek, flawless skin and the black panties clinging below.

Her face was flushed with warmth as she let out a slow, contented breath.

Sitting up, she slid off her silk gown and her sleep bra, leaving herself bare as she lay back down in bed.

"Goodnight... Kyousuke," she murmured into the quiet room.

Meanwhile, outside the room, Kyousuke paused to listen carefully.

Eriri's room was silent—just like a typical kid, loud and energetic all day but falling asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Naoka, too—always the early bird—was no doubt fast asleep by now.

Soft voices still murmured from Shouko and Sakura's room; they were likely chatting with their new friends.

Kyousuke headed downstairs, scooping up Momotarou, who was still sprawled on the living room rug.

The fluffy little dog opened its eyes and gave a soft, weary whimper, as if to say:

'Goodnight, Aniki~'

Sliding open the shoji door to the garden, Kyousuke stepped outside, pulling out his phone and dialing Yukino Yukari's number.

It barely rang twice before she picked up.

"Hello?" he said, raising his voice slightly.

"Kyousuke-kun... Ah—no, stop that, Shizuka—!" Yukino's voice came through, only to break off in a startled yelp.

For a moment, all Kyousuke could hear from the other side of the line was chaos—voices overlapping: Okudera Miki, Hiratsuka Shizuka, and someone less familiar... Yukinoshita Haruno.

"Tell that bastard to get over here! He tricked my little Miki away and I haven't even settled that score yet, and now he's hiding Yukino at his place too?! Unforgivable! I'm going to rearrange that smug face of his!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka's loud, furious shout came through the phone loud and clear, accompanied by Haruno's hearty laughter and Miki's embarrassed protest, "Don't say weird things!"

After a moment, Yukari's voice finally came through:

"Sorry, Kyo—Hojou-kun. Shizuka's... a little drunk."

For a second, Kyousuke swore he could almost smell the alcohol—not from Shizuka, but from the soft, unusually cute lilt in Yukino's voice.

"Haha, what about you, Yukari? Have you had too much to drink? Need your personal god to come pick you up and take you home?" he teased, chuckling.

"Ah!"

On the other end, Yukari let out a small gasp.

Even without seeing her, Kyousuke could imagine her black bob haircut swaying as her pale, almost translucent face turned bright red.

'Take you home... Take you home!'

Ahh, those four little words instantly filled Yukino's already small heart to the brim.

The beer in her belly felt like it had turned into liquid happiness, swelling so fast she thought she might burst.

"Yes!" she blurted, but quickly shook her head—only to realize Kyousuke couldn't see her. Flustered, she corrected herself:

"Um... actually, we're all staying over at Shizuka's place tonight. And besides..."

She glanced around the spacious living room.

On the giant LCD screen, an animated man and woman sang with blue lyrics scrolling below.

The karaoke machine was still playing the theme song from Space Battleship Yamato III—one of Shizuka's old-school picks.

Honestly, Yukino had no idea why she always chose such obviously "revealing-your-age" songs.

They'd started the night with karaoke, but no one had sung for a while now.

The machine was basically a glorified music player at this point.

After all, half an hour ago, everyone except Yukino had already drunk themselves silly.

Shizuka kept ranting about how she was going to "teach that damn Hojou a lesson" for Yukino and Miki's sake.

Miki was doing her best to defend Kyousuke, telling Shizuka how nice he actually was.

No matter what either of them said, Haruno would clap and cheer like crazy, egging Yukari on to say something too.

"Everyone's pretty much drunk. I'd worry if I tried to head home alone, so I'll stay here tonight. Sorry, Hojou-kun."

Phone in her right hand, Yukari covered her mouth shyly with her left as she spoke in a small voice.

"Why are you apologizing for that?" Kyousuke chuckled, shaking his head.

He remembered the first time he and Miki had to haul Shizuka home—man, that woman really did love her alcohol.

"But you handle your drinks pretty well, Yukari."

Shizuka wasn't just a drinker—she also had the terrible habit of pushing drinks on others.

Didn't she know that this kind of thing would get her scorned by the "Self-Pouring Club" types in Japan?

The people who swore to pour their own drinks and resist the forced drinking culture.

Of course, those who cared the most about such things were usually the ones forced to drink against their will.

At the end of the day though, even the members of such a club would probably give in when the party got going.

Maybe things would only change once Shizuka joined the "Drink Pushing Club" herself.

"Hojou-kun..." Yukari pouted softly, her face still flushed.

As someone who had once survived on chocolate and beer, her tolerance was naturally high.

But it was embarrassing for a girl to have a reputation for being a strong drinker—especially if Kyousuke noticed.

"Haha, well, if you need anything, call me. Even if you get hungry in the middle of the night, I'll whip up a delicious midnight snack just for you."

"Okay... I know," Yukari whispered happily.

Kyousuke paused for a moment, then cleared his throat.

"Ahem, Yukari... is Miki still conscious enough to talk?"

Yukino blinked and glanced at Okudera Miki, who was sitting elegantly on the sofa despite everything.

She nodded.

"Yeah. Hojou-kun, do you want to talk to Miki?"

"Ahem, yeah. I do."

Thankfully, he was open enough to admit it—otherwise, that would've been impossible to say.

God knows he wasn't trying to hurt Yukino's feelings.

He'd thought about calling Miki separately, but that might make Yukino overthink things.

Best to be honest.

"Okay, I'll hand the phone to her."

Yukari smiled to herself as she heard him clear his throat again.

She'd already moved into the dorm—they were past worrying about trivial things like this.

Especially after hearing him say he'd pick her up and take her home... this little matter couldn't even stir a ripple in her heart anymore.

After all, if she ever wanted to run away, she wouldn't need to hide in some unfamiliar place.

She knew Kyousuke's warm arms would be waiting for her. Just like always.

"Miki, Miki~"

Yukari gently shook Miki's shoulder.

Unfortunately, even though she sat perfectly straight, the onee-san who'd been relentlessly plied with drinks by Shizuka was completely wasted—her posture running on pure muscle memory.

"Ah... sorry, Hojou-kun. Miki's totally out of it."

She dodged as Shizuka lunged to grab the phone, but Miki—despite her drunken state—snatched Shizuka's arm and pinned her down on the sofa, ignoring her protests and shouts.

"She's spanking Shizuka's butt now," Yukari reported blankly.

"Sounds good to me," Kyousuke grinned, feeling his mood lift a little more.

"I'll tell the staff at the café to open the shop themselves tomorrow. Make sure Miki stays home and gets some rest," he instructed gently.

"Okay. Then... goodnight, Hoj—"

"Hello, hello~ Is that Hoouju~? Hurry up and come drink with us~!"

The voice on the phone suddenly turned loud and syrupy, shifting from Yukari's sweet whisper to a sultry, teasing onee-san tone.

Haruno had stolen the phone.

As usual, Kyousuke sighed.

Drunk women were troublesome enough... but fake-drunk women? Much worse.

Especially when that woman was Haruno—the ultimate mischief-maker.

"Alright, alright. Give the phone back to Yukari. I still haven't said goodnight to her."

"Aw, why not me too~? Why not wish me goodnight~? I'm so lonely, no handsome guys ever say goodnight to me~~"

Where the hell did this kindergarten-level acting come from?

Kyousuke stifled a laugh.

He couldn't exactly brush her off after hearing that, though.

"Goodnight, Haruno-sama," he said dryly.

And after a pause, he added gently:

"And even if you pretend you don't get drunk, try not to drink too much. Take care of your health, alright?"

For once... silence.

Haruno—the woman who had played the "drunk chatterbox" all night—actually went quiet.

The childish grin on her face faded.

Yukari reached out to take back her phone, but a hand gently blocked her.

Haruno leaned closer to the mic and whispered softly:

"Hey, Hojou, did you also say goodnight to Yukino-chan tonight?"

"Huh? So you knew about that?" Hojou Kyousuke replied, a little surprised.

"Of course I do. She's my precious little sister—my favorite, in fact. How could I not know she's staying at your place, you dangerous man?"

"Hey, hey, dangerous? Now that's slander. Total slander."

If Aunt Sayuri called him dangerous, he'd probably admit to it—since he did have, admittedly, very impure thoughts about her daughter.

But with Yukino? From the very first time they met, he'd been nothing but the one on the receiving end of her scorn.

"As if! You're the most dangerous man I've ever met, you know? You didn't even have to show up in person."

"Just talking on another woman's phone made my face burn, my body heat up, my whole self start trembling... you've messed me up completely~"

"Oi oi oi, enough already! When your mother gave birth to you two, did she pour all the 'lies' into you and all the 'honesty' into Yukino? What a production defect that was."

Kyousuke cut her off, shaking his head.

Honestly, for a second there, he thought she was describing Kasumigaoka-senpai's state just now. Though... there really were some similarities.

"Meanie~ I'm not lying at all, you know~? When you told me, 'Even if you don't get drunk, you should still drink less,' it hit me like a purging potion—absolutely irresistible. You completely captured my heart with that one line~"

Haruno teased, giving Yukino a playful wink as she stepped away with the phone.

"What kind of ridiculous metaphor is that?" Kyousuke muttered.

"Ara? You don't know, Hojou? I actually can get drunk, you know. When I really can't take it anymore, I make myself throw up."

"Ugh, just thinking about that cold rush to the head makes my skull feel like it's cracking open."

Her voice was light, playful, and filled with laughter.

But on her bright and beautiful face, not a single trace of a smile could be seen.

"..."

Kyousuke fell silent. He could tell when she was telling the truth.

"That's why I told you to drink less."

"But you see... since I was born carrying all the lies my mother packed into me... this is just something I have to do, isn't it~?"

"Ohhh, what a dilemma~ What do I do, Hojou~? Can you tell me~?"

Tch.

As expected, "the most" is a word you should never use lightly.

A woman pretending to be drunk is already a handful, but a woman who openly admits she's pretending to be drunk? Now that's a true nightmare.

Kyousuke's sharp mind spun into overdrive—and quickly found the perfect answer.

"Next time you go drinking, just bring Yukino with you. She'll flatly scold anyone who tries to pressure you into drinking and lecture them about how terrible it is."

"Or better yet—get her to make them quit drinking altogether. Let them feel the full weight of 'absolute justice.'"

On the other end of the line, Haruno's mouth dropped open in surprise.

Her eyes froze for three full seconds before she burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! I knew it! I knew you'd say something like that! You're the best, Hojou! That's perfect! Yes, let's do that. Next time I'll bring Yukino-chan along, so she can see her big sister's world with her own eyes."

Kyousuke could practically feel the joy bubbling in Haruno's wicked little heart.

"Just... don't tell her this came from me," he warned.

"Hahaha, what's wrong? Afraid Yukino-chan will scold you? No way—she'll probably thank you! She's been longing for that world for so long..."

Haruno's voice was completely devoid of the usual warmth and brightness when she said that.

"I'm so happy! I got to hear you tell me goodnight! I got to hear you tell me to drink less! I got to hear you care about me!"

Ah, there it was.

This was the real Haruno Yukinoshita.

Even while thanking him, she made sure to throw shade at him in front of Yukino.

"Yeah yeah, goodnight goodnight. Now give the phone back to Yukari already," Kyousuke said, annoyed but amused by her antics.

Sakura might be a troublemaker too, but compared to Haruno, she was three hundred levels more harmless.

Sakura was chaotic neutral—the fun kind that wouldn't really hurt anyone.

Haruno, on the other hand, was pure chaotic evil—so long as she got her fun, the consequences meant nothing to her.

"Sooo cruel~ After you said all those sweet things to me, and made me feel all warm and fuzzy..."

"Quit stalling."

"Fiiine, fiiine. So heartless, Hojou-sama."

Yukari took the phone back with a smile.

If it had been any other girl who snatched the phone away, that gentle, ladylike smile of hers would've made them ashamed of themselves.

But unfortunately for her, she was dealing with Yukinoshita Haruno—the queen of chaos.

If not for the fact that Kyousuke might actually get angry on the other end of the call, Haruno probably would've given her a big thumbs-up and said, "Yukari-senpai, your Hojou-kun really is amazing!"

"Hey, Hojou-kun," Yukino said softly.

"Yeah. So, you finally got to see how much that one can drink, huh?" Kyousuke chuckled.

She needed to know this—just in case Haruno tried to mess with her later.

"Hehe~ Miki actually warned me before, but you really can't tell by looking, can you?" Yukari replied with a gentle laugh.

Of course she knew—Kyousuke himself had told Okudera Miki that story.

"Well, that's it for today. See you tomorrow."

"Mm. Good night, Hojou-kun." Her voice was tender.

But even more tender than her voice... were her dark, mysterious eyes.

Beneath those long lashes, her gaze sparkled like the Milky Way—calm, yet infinitely deep.

"Good night...Yukari"

He softly replied, then hung up.

Yukari was one of the few girls he would actively hang up on—because if he didn't, this foolish girl would keep holding the phone to her ear, quietly listening to his breathing.

Once, he'd called just to say he wouldn't be home for dinner.

But even after they finished talking, she kept the phone to her ear for another twenty minutes—just listening.

If it weren't for the sound of her breathing on the other end, Kyousuke might've thought she'd fallen asleep.

Yukino smiled sweetly at the now-dark screen. Kyousuke-kun always called her silly... but he'd stayed on the line with her the whole time, hadn't he?

"Phew..."

Lifting his head, Kyousuke gazed at the night sky—the bright moon and the faint stars almost hidden from view—and let out a long sigh.

Maybe he should skip class tomorrow morning... and bring them some hangover soup.

It had been a while since he'd seen Yukari and Miki tipsy.

...Tempting.

Kyousuke wrestled with the idea for a moment—but in the end, thoughts of Shizuka Hiratsuka and Haruno made him give up on that sweet plan.

With those two around, he'd never get to enjoy the drunk "big sisters" in peace.

Better to just go to school.

The math test results would be handed back tomorrow.

He couldn't miss that.

Decision made, Kyousuke returned to the living room, shut the glass door, pulled out his phone, and activated the security system.

The metal shutters lowered with a soft mechanical whir.

———————————————————————

Meanwhile, in Hiratsuka Shizuka's luxury apartment...

By the time Yukari returned to the living room sofa, she saw Haruno already holding a can of Kirin beer up to Shizuka's lips.

Yukari chuckled softly and made no move to stop her.

After all, Shizuka had pushed drinks on them plenty of times before she got drunk herself—so this was just fair payback.

Taking a pack of chocolate from the coffee table, she broke off a piece and popped it into her mouth.

The rich, bittersweet flavor melted on her tongue.

Pssht—

She cracked open a fresh beer, leaned back against the sofa, and sipped as the screen showed spaceships gliding through space, accompanied by gentle music.

Back in Itomori, when she'd taken the first bite of food Kyousuke had ever fed her, she'd made a vow never to eat this strange beer-and-chocolate combo again.

She'd thought then: 'I've finally found happiness. I won't let the darkness of the past taint it anymore.'

Even in all her years living alone in Tokyo, she'd never touched that pairing again.

Only when sitting in the cafe outside Higashi Middle School, watching Hojou Kyousuke... would she quietly break off a piece of chocolate and let it melt on her tongue.

Their first day reunited.

The first night at the Ruyi Dorm.

Lying awake in bed, eyes wide open... and Kyousuke had walked into her room carrying beer and chocolate.

'Ah... so the bitter taste that kept me going in the dark... tastes so sweet in the light of happiness.'

Yukari realized then: she didn't have to feel inferior to Sakura and the others for being older.

She didn't have to run away, or be afraid of being a burden to Kyousuke-kun.

As long as she wanted it—even this odd beer-and-chocolate combo—Kyousuke-kun would smile and enjoy it with her.

Even if his sensitive taste buds made him grimace and scrunch up his whole face... he'd still give her a thumbs-up and praise her choice: "Perfect!"

He understood her feelings.

And this strange pairing was their secret way of connecting—a quiet bond only she and her "god" shared.