At Rikki's home... Maki, who had just woken up from a nap, saw through the crack in the door that the light was still on in her younger sister's room.
She couldn't help but frown as she walked to the living room and glanced at the untouched meal.
With a light sigh, she went back to Rikki's door and knocked gently.
"Rikki, are you asleep..."
"Don't bother me, okay? I'll sleep in a bit!!"
"Alright, remember to go to bed early."
"You're so annoying..."
"Sigh..."
Seeing her sister like this, Maki knew she must have run into some trouble.
But with Rikki's consistently awkward personality, Maki couldn't help even if she wanted to.
She looked down at the doorknob and hesitated for a moment.
She didn't turn it. Instead, she sighed softly, went to the bathroom, and returned to her own room.
A moment later... Rikki quietly opened her door.
Her face was already covered in tear stains, filled with pain.
Gritting her teeth, Rikki walked out and went to the bathroom.
She was about to go back to her room... but feeling her stomach growling, she gritted her teeth, turned back to the living room, and carried the food back to her room.
Sitting at her desk, she ate while silently shedding tears.
She didn't know why she was crying, but the tears just kept flowing for no reason.
No matter what, she would go comfort Tomori tomorrow. She believed Tomori must be in a lot of pain after being told those things.
But... but, she couldn't even control her own emotions; she was someone who needed Tomori to stop her.
Did she really have the right to try and comfort Tomori??
If she said something wrong, would it have the opposite effect instead?
What should I do, what should I do, what on earth should I do!!!!
The more urgent she felt... the more she wanted to find a solution, the more Rikki felt like she was trash.
Just like what Shouko said this afternoon, she... she really was terrible.
She tapped her phone and saw that the time displayed was 12:30 AM.
She couldn't help but sigh softly and turned to get some rest in bed. Maybe she'd feel a bit better after a sleep.
However, in the next moment, Rikki's movements suddenly froze.
With one foot already on the bed, she hurriedly rushed back to the desk and picked up her phone.
The screen showed notifications for one message each from Tomori and Mutsumi.
"Tomori!!!"
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Rikki opened the message from Tomori with hope.
Reading those words of concern from Tomori...
She couldn't help but burst into violent sobbing again, clutching her phone and squatting on the floor... The night grew deeper... In Shouko's room... Soyo, who had been asleep, suddenly snapped her eyes open.
Looking at the completely unfamiliar ceiling in front of her, she quickly sat up.
"It's over, I... I'm no longer clean!!!"
Screaming inwardly that things were bad, Soyo reached out to steady herself.
The memory of being pinned against the wall by Shouko on the street earlier quickly flooded back into her mind.
That terrifying feeling made Soyo shudder violently.
But she also realized that she hadn't been kidnapped by bad people; she had just fallen asleep in Shouko's room.
So... what happened after she was disciplined??
Turning her head, she saw Shouko still sleeping quietly beside her.
"What kind of sleeping posture is this? It feels like she's practicing martial arts or something?"
By the moonlight from outside... Soyo looked at Shouko lying flat with considerable surprise.
Her hands were raised above her head with palms together, and her legs were bent with the soles of her feet together.
It was completely different from how people usually look when they sleep.
She couldn't help but scan the room again by the moonlight; it lacked even a hint of a girl's cute atmosphere.
Exercise equipment, a sci-fi-looking computer, and a black-and-white rigid wardrobe.
"What a terrifying person..."
Feeling a bit of a chill, the naked Soyo quickly shrank back into the warm blankets.
But her gaze couldn't help but continue to observe Shouko sleeping beside her.
Compared to her domineering behavior in the afternoon and on the street at night...
The girl before her seemed exceptionally cute and peaceful.
Has this person... always been raised by her family, or by Shouko herself, to be a resilient boy?
Well, she didn't see any sign of a father in this house.
Among the mother and two daughters, there always has to be one or two resilient characters to support the whole family.
The resilient, stable older sister, Shouko.
The resilient, gentle mother, Ryoko.
Under the protection of her mother and sister, the younger sister Yuzuru must be very happy.
No, this entire family is very warm and happy.
The only pity is that the older sister, Shouko, has a hearing impairment.
If Shouko didn't have this hearing impairment, they would probably be even happier.
However, perhaps it's because of the hearing impairment that Shouko became so exceptionally resilient and stable.
"What are you looking at??"
"Eek!?"
The sudden voice startled Soyo out of her deep thoughts.
Looking at Shouko, who was now looking at her, the memories of being disciplined earlier that night instantly surfaced.
And the faint, stinging sensation on her body from the 'discipline'...
Immediately made Soyo shrink into a ball like an extremely timid little rabbit.
"Go to sleep. Can't sleep alone??"
"No, that's not it..."
"You usually sleep alone at home, right??"
"Yes..."
"Is it very lonely??"
"Yes..."
"Come, come over here."
Shouko abandoned her previous sleeping posture.
She lifted the blanket and patted the spot next to her: "Hurry up, it's too cold at night."
"Ah, okay, okay..."
Not daring to refuse, Soyo obediently crawled over.
But when she touched the marks on her body, she couldn't help but let out a few soft groans.
"Does it hurt a lot? Actually, I already let you put your pants on earlier."
"It's... it's okay."
"Mm, go to sleep. You still have school tomorrow."
"Okay..."
Soyo was obedient and didn't dare use any provocative words like she used to.
Because she knew that the Shouko in front of her would really take action; her body was still aching right now.
However... she gently hugged Shouko, feeling the warmth and the somewhat firm muscles.
An inexplicable feeling gradually rose in her heart.
"Actually, I... I'm not selfish, and I'm not a hypocrite."
"I just, I just... I just don't want to lose CRYCHIC Band."
Mustering her courage and prepared to be hit, Soyo looked at Shouko pitifully, like a frightened little rabbit.
"How rare. As long as you're scolded by someone else, you have no opinions of your own at all."
Shouko opened her eyes and turned her head to look at the Soyo who was right next to her, a hint of a smile on her face.
"And now you've actually dared to voice your own thoughts. You've made a lot of progress, Soyo."
"...The CRYCHIC Band, I can't forget it. I really don't want it to disband, I really, really don't."
Soyo hugged Shouko tightly, her voice carrying a hint of a sob.
Shouko patted Soyo's back and whispered into her ear with a smile, "I'll tell you tomorrow. Let's sleep for now, I'm tired."
"Mm, okay..."
The ever-obedient Soyo allowed herself to be held so docilely, closing her eyes once more.
Tomorrow... Her heart was filled with anticipation.
?~~~
A fanfic of the same kind, if you're interested, you can go check it out.
The Streamer Girl Won't Be Captured by the Heavy Girl