"Thank you, Ryusuke. This coffee smells wonderful."
"I'm glad you think so. I ground the beans with a hand mill and brewed it myself. Give it a try."
When I brought over the mug filled with coffee, Reo let out a breath of admiration and praised the brew I’d made.
As for Mai, she seemed nervous in front of Reo. It might be the first time I’ve seen my little sister shrink like this. Like a small animal, she hunched her shoulders and took a shy sip of coffee.
I sat down beside Mai and poked her cheek with my finger. Startled by the touch, she snapped out of it and glared at me.
"What is it, Onii-chan?"
"Well... I guess I’m just surprised to see this new side of you."
"Geez. It’s not that weird. …But, I do think Kizaki-san is kind of cool."
Still blushing, Mai turned her face away with a pout. But she kept sneaking glances at Reo from the corner of her eye, only to quickly look away in embarrassment.
Maybe it wasn’t quite love at first sight, but I’d never seen Mai this flustered or acting so girlish before.
Watching this meek version of Mai, I decided to strike up a conversation with Reo, who was sitting across the table. There were a few things I wanted to ask—like what happened at school yesterday while I was out.
"Hey, Reo. Anything interesting happen yesterday? While I was out?"
"Actually, it was kind of boring without you, Ryusuke. Something felt off, like something was missing. Seeing your seat empty just didn’t feel right."
"Well, I do sit right up front, so I guess I stand out. That makes sense."
"It really does. Plus, you know how teachers always pick on you to answer questions. With you gone, they targeted all sorts of people yesterday—it was a bit chaotic."
Reo chuckled as he recalled yesterday’s class.
Now that I think about it, the teachers always try to crush me, the class villain, by throwing questions my way. As a result, my classmates usually get a free pass during lessons.
But since I was absent, the teachers had to redirect their aim, and I bet everyone in class got called on to answer at least once.
"Hanasaki-san and I always prepare ahead of time, so we were fine. But everyone else was in a panic. Even during break time, it was pretty wild."
"Ah... I see. So I was basically a convenient sacrificial lamb for the class."
"Well, I do think it’s a bit of a problem. Just because you were absent for a long time doesn’t mean it’s okay to rely on you like that."
"Nah, it’s fine, Reo. Thanks to that, my grades have shot up."
"You really are amazing, Ryusuke. No matter how hard the questions are, you answer them smoothly. You never give in to the teachers’ harassment. You’re more dedicated to studying than anyone, and you’re always straightforward. I admire that about you."
"Ah... well, yeah. Hearing that makes me happy."
Just like Mashiro, Reo’s quite the charmer too. When he smiles and compliments you so earnestly, it makes you feel all itchy inside.
When I glanced over at Mai, who had been quietly listening to our exchange, I saw her eyes sparkling as she looked at me.
She’d been swooning over Reo just moments ago, so I was a bit thrown off by the sudden shift. Then Mai leaned in close, her voice bubbling with excitement.
"Onii-chan, you’re amazing at school too! You never lose to the teachers’ bullying, and Kizaki-san admires you—he said you’re incredible!"
"O-oh... thanks. But, Mai, you’re way too close."
She grabbed my shirt and leaned in even closer, making me instinctively pull back. Her eyes were burning with passion as she looked up at me.
Getting praised like this by my little sister doesn’t feel bad at all, but doing it in front of Reo is kind of embarrassing. Sure enough, Reo was chuckling quietly, clearly amused.
"Ryusuke, you and Mai-san are really close, huh? I’m an only child, so I envy that."
"Yeah, we get along pretty well. Ever since I started taking things seriously, she’s really warmed up to me. Before that, she’d always say, ‘Onii-chan, move out of the way,’ and treat me like a nuisance."
"D-don’t go saying stuff like that! Geez, Onii-chan!"
Mai puffed up in anger at my words.
Reo watched our exchange with a cheerful smile, and until it was time to head to school, our morning was filled with lively chatter and laughter.