With her left hand propping up her cheek, Sakura Mai looked at Soga Yura, who had abruptly stood up in front of her.
The girl leisurely stirred her coffee with a spoon.
"The Healing-type classes haven't ended yet."
"I don't know what you're hesitating about here."
"If you wait until the Healing-type classes are over, I..." Sakura Mai looked at Soga Yura's cheeks, which seemed about to puff up, and hesitated slightly. "You won't be able to hug Sister Yuzu anymore."
She recalled the girl who had stood before her that night, pretty and well-behaved, looking at her with that almost longing... cute, pleading gaze that one simply couldn't refuse, asking for a hug.
Sakura Mai wore a nostalgic expression.
"Sister Yuzu is so well-behaved."
"And so soft too..."
Thump—
The coffee cup on the table jumped, and a '#' symbol popped out on Soga Yura's forehead.
"Relax..." Sakura Mai comforted Soga Yura. "I won't really snatch the sister from you."
"It's just that, you know, the huge Sakura family... there's only me in this generation."
"I also want a younger sister."
The '#' symbol on Soga Yura's forehead pulsed wildly.
You are clearly trying to snatch my sister!
And... if it was just snatching a sister, that would be one thing. The problem is, would someone from the Sakura family really just want Yuzu as a sister?
This guy is probably looking for a chance to call me 'Sister'.
Back then, the Eldest Young Lady of the Sakura family also said she wanted to be Tennoji-senpai's exclusive healer.
Carrying the Sword of Erasure saying she wants to be someone's healer?
She was clearly just craving her body.
In the end, as expected, the two teamed up and teamed up right into a wedding.
"After all, it was Sister Yuzu who said..."
"'Sister Mai, can you let me hug you?'" Just recalling the girl's hesitant appearance standing before her, Sakura Mai felt her heart was about to melt.
So, Soga Yura was just bad.
Such a good sister, yet she kept bullying her.
If it were her, she would have spoiled Sister Yuzu to the heavens long ago.
She would give Sister Yuzu whatever she wanted.
So what if she couldn't develop abilities?
As long as she had enough relics and Technology Division equipment, she could crush Third Sequence or Fourth Sequence Espers just by piling them on.
Her own mother was a Flower-type ability user.
And didn't she also chase 'Father' all over the dojo with the Sword of Erasure?
If Sister Yuzu came to the Sakura family, even if she wanted the Sakura family's Sword of Erasure, Mai would give it to her no matter what.
Thump—
Soga Yura's fist clenched, then she retracted it in pain.
Unlike improper 'mental-type' Espers like Su Yuzu or Soga Ishikawa Irube, Soga Yura, while possessing extremely powerful mental strength, had an extremely weak constitution.
She had already been crying all day yesterday, and even walked with difficulty.
After returning to the dorm... she had hugged Yuzu's body pillow and rubbed against it until late at night.
Now she was completely a paper tiger, just a showy frame.
She was so weak she couldn't even maintain the Pledge on Yuzu at its peak.
So, even if she puffed her cheeks high, she was just pretending to be fierce while staring at Sakura Mai.
"If you don't go... I'm really going over there."
"Wait until the first-year Healing-type classes end, and you won't be able to seize the initiative at all."
Ignoring Soga Yura's conflicted look as she bit her lip, Sakura Mai took a sip of coffee and stood up directly.
Soga Yura saw Sakura Mai get up and leave. "Hey, hey, hey..."
She just wanted to chase after her when she saw a waitress in a maid outfit approaching with a smile.
Sakura Mai hadn't paid the bill.
Sitting at the street-side table of the crepe shop, Su Yuzu saw the Knight Princess girl revealing that sunny and dashing smile, and... Soga Yura chasing out of the cafe in a panic, looking miserable.
"Sister Yuzu~~~" From afar, Sakura Mai waved her hand, revealing a gentle and soft smile as she trotted towards Su Yuzu's direction.
Behind her was Soga Yura with a hesitant expression.
Even though she had broken the hourglass of 'Domination' controlling herself... Soga Yura still didn't know how she should face Su Yuzu.
She longed, one could say incomparably longed, to hold Yuzu in her arms.
But she knew.
She didn't have the qualification to hug Yuzu.
Even Kujou Katora, whose Favorability had broken the 100 mark, had only given Su Yuzu the ability [Blood Manipulation] at 25% intensity.
But... Soga Yura, whose Favorability was maintained at 99 points, just one step away from the 100 mark, had given Su Yuzu a protection powerful enough to equal half of Soga Yura's mental power.
That protection... required a price.
She didn't have the ability to hug Yuzu.
That was why Soga Yura had always been dominating herself with [Domination].
Because she knew, if she didn't dominate herself, she would definitely lose control. She would want to hug Yuzu, want to entangle Yuzu, want to be like when they were young... the two of them sleeping while deadly entangled together.
But... yesterday, Soga Yura discovered she seemed to have entered a misunderstanding all along.
A huge misunderstanding.
She wanted to protect Yuzu, so she gave Yuzu the protection.
But... for so many years, the only one, the constant one... the person hurting Yuzu, was herself.
Tears soaked her cheeks; finally, the erupting Soga Yura broke the hourglass of [Domination].
But... she still didn't know how to face Yuzu.
Su Yuzu watched Sakura Mai bloom into a smile.
Sakura Mai trotted in front of Yuzu.
"Sister Yuzu..." She wanted to reach out and shake the girl's hand, but saw Su Yuzu just standing there prettily, arms slightly spread.
As if... waiting for her hug.
The girl's watery crimson eyes seemed to speak.
Sister Mai...
Can you hug me?
How could Sakura Mai control herself? The Knight Princess's lustrous lips rose. She gently, as if facing some rare treasure, carefully hugged Su Yuzu.
It was different from yesterday when there was a step difference between the two.
Unlike the feeling of burying her head against the 'steel plate' of Soga Yura's chest, Su Yuzu's small head had rested on Sakura Mai's slender, perfect abdomen yesterday.
This time... standing on level ground, Su Yuzu, who was slightly shorter than Sakura Mai, had her small face buried right in Sakura Mai's embrace.
The rich fragrance of wood blossoms assaulted her face.
And... under the open windbreaker, the embrace of the girl wearing only a shirt was unexpectedly soft and comfortable.
On the commercial street... only one person wandered like a vengeful spirit from a horror movie.
Her pretty crimson eyes were about to turn scarlet.
Ahhhhh!!!
Sakura Mai, you jerk, you really are a bastard! I treat you as a best friend, but you want to be my brother-in-law!?
The world where only the sister is hurt... had been achieved.
________________________________________
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