Having just stammered through that sentence, Kurona quickly added: "Of course, I said might! And it's only maybe a tiny bit of that feeling!"
Her words left Nashiro completely stunned.
Though she didn't know much about romance, she at least understood what "like" meant.
After all, she was eighteen years old.
The idea that her sister might like Amaha Byakuya seemed unbelievable.
Though it wasn't completely incomprehensible—Byakuya had saved her sister, and Kurona was certainly at the age where she might start feeling attracted to boys.
But still, wasn't this a bit fast?
"Kurona, why do you like him? Is it just because he saved you?"
Nashiro wanted to understand her sister's reasoning.
"It's definitely not that simple. But I can't really explain it clearly. I just... might have a tiny bit of feelings for him..."
Kurona said.
She was already starting to regret telling Nashiro. Once she'd started, she couldn't stop.
"...That's good then. I was worried you'd fallen for him too easily."
Nashiro felt relieved.
Her concern had been that Kurona might give her heart away too readily.
"If you really do like him, I'll definitely support you, Kurona."
A small smile appeared on Nashiro's face.
"I said it's only maybe a little bit. I didn't say I definitely like him."
Kurona muttered.
Nashiro didn't say more. Her sister was being a bit dishonest, but she was so cute and pretty—she'd definitely be fine.
But... Nashiro suddenly realized she needed to learn more about Amaha Byakuya. Otherwise, she couldn't feel comfortable entrusting Kurona to him.
...
By the time Byakuya got home, it was already past 6 PM.
There were still ingredients in the fridge, so he didn't need to go shopping.
But just as he reached his front door, he spotted an unexpected figure waiting there.
It was Rize Kamishiro.
Passersby couldn't help but steal glances at the beautiful woman who seemed to be waiting for someone.
"Rize-san? What are you doing at my place?"
Byakuya asked, puzzled.
Rize's expression shifted to something pitiful and vulnerable, her voice soft and wronged: "Darling, you're finally back. How much longer were you going to leave me out here?"
The moment he heard "darling," Byakuya knew something was off.
He obviously wasn't going to take that literally—Rize was clearly up to something.
"Wait a second—"
Byakuya tried to stop her, but it was already too late.
Rize's act and her pitiful expression immediately drew the attention of nearby pedestrians.
"Did you hear that? That guy's been keeping his girlfriend locked outside?"
"Seriously? With such a gorgeous woman? How could he be so heartless?"
"Damn it! How does a jerk like that get such a cute girlfriend with a perfect figure? Life's so unfair!"
Most of the men shot Byakuya looks of envy and resentment. The women regarded him as if he were scum.
Byakuya suddenly understood what it felt like to be publicly condemned.
He was both exasperated and resigned. Why had Rize suddenly decided to mess with him like this?
Not wanting to say anything more, he quickly pulled Rize inside.
"Rize-san, really... You didn't come all this way just to mess with me, did you?"
Byakuya didn't dwell on what had just happened, simply asking with a helpless expression.
"Your university schedule can't be that packed, can it? I didn't see you all day, and when I came here, you weren't home either."
Rize's tone turned accusatory.
Clearly, because Byakuya hadn't shown up at Anteiku today, she'd come looking for him.
"University isn't that busy, but I'm not free every single day either."
Byakuya explained with a wry smile.
He'd thought Rize had come for something important. Turns out it was just because he'd skipped Anteiku for one day...
Before Byakuya even finished speaking, Rize moved in close to sniff him, just like before.
This time she was even more aggressive, pushing him down onto the nearby sofa and climbing on top of him, shamelessly inhaling his scent.
This wasn't just about checking for other ghouls' scents—she was savoring the tantalizing aroma of his body.
"Tantalizing" deserved quotation marks, since it was specifically enticing to ghouls.
Immediately, Rize detected a strong, mixed scent of ghouls on him—as if he'd just escaped from a ghoul nest.
Her expression shifted. She locked eyes with him, their noses nearly touching. "Why do you smell so strongly of ghouls? So many different scents mixed together. What were you doing today?"
"Can I keep that private?"
Byakuya asked.
"No."
Rize said immediately.
"Everyone has secrets. Don't you?"
Byakuya replied calmly.
"..."
Rize was silent for a moment. "Fair point."
She finally got off him.
Based on her tone and the subtle shift in her expression, Byakuya sensed Rize might be... unhappy?
Maybe he was imagining it.
Rize quickly moved on. "Anyway, there's something else—the daily thing we do..."
She'd made it clear enough. She wanted to taste part of his body again.
"Fine, but let me eat dinner first. I'm hungry."
Byakuya headed toward the kitchen.
Rize followed him in, apparently curious about what was in his kitchen.
But just as Byakuya tied on his apron and prepared to start cooking, Rize suddenly hugged him from behind and whispered in his ear: "How about we play a game?"
"What kind of game?"
Byakuya asked casually.
"While I'm tasting your ear, let's see if you can still cook a proper meal. That way I get what I want too."
Rize's lips curved mischievously.