It's Monday morning.
Hakuto, Rika, and Yuzu walk through the imposing gates of Tsugumi High School.
They cross the wide courtyard to the front doors.
Yuzu clings to him, his forearm squeezed between her breasts.
Rika walks beside them, but keeps a couple meters of distance.
She's clearly embarrassed by her sister's behavior. In her eyes, it's totally unbecoming for a girl from a noble family.
Hakuto isn't thrilled either—not because of Yuzu's boobs, but because of the glares from the guys at school. Since day one.
Rika and Yuzu are the school's top idols—untouchable goddesses admired from afar.
Seeing some random guy walking so close to them—especially with Yuzu stuck to him like a barnacle—drives everyone crazy. It shatters their pure, one-sided fantasies.
Yuzu's plan is clear: the first step to make her big sister fall for her stepbrother is to shrink the distance. It's the easiest step—but for Hakuto, it feels like an impossible mission.
He's good-looking, sure. But growing up in near-poverty made him invisible to them—mocked and ignored. And he never had a female figure in his life. Being naturally shy, he's a disaster around girls.
Thanks to Yuzu's push, Hakuto's almost a meter closer to Rika—cutting the distance in half.
But Rika doesn't even flinch. She looks spaced out, like something's really bothering her.
That tiny bit of progress sends Yuzu into pure ecstasy.
She expected Rika to jump five meters back and scold them with her usual sharp tone.
Meanwhile, Hakuto's anxiety is off the charts. Two nights ago, he fought a deadly vampire in a brutal, life-or-death battle without flinching.
But now? Just getting nudged closer to Rika makes his legs shake like leaves. A pissed-off Rika is way scarier than any bloodthirsty monster.
Step by step, millimeter by millimeter, Hakuto's right hand moves closer to Rika's left.
One meter…
Thirty centimeters…
Twenty…
Ten…
His fingers are just a breath away from hers.
Rika's eyes stay locked forward, vacant, like she's in a trance, walking on autopilot.
Yuzu's mischievous grin keeps growing as the gap between her step-siblings shrinks—and Hakuto's blush deepens right along with it.
And then—
—a feather-light, fleeting touch. Hakuto's hand brushes against Rika's. He flinches, a shiver running down his spine as he feels her skin—even if just for a second.
Hakuto squeezes his eyes shut, bracing for impact—but... nothing happens.
Rika doesn't react.
There are only two possibilities: either she felt it and chose to ignore it, secretly waiting for Hakuto to make a move… or she's so out of it she didn't even notice.
For Hakuto, it's obviously the second. The other option doesn't even cross his mind.
«Change of plans, Hakuto,» Yuzu whispers. «My sister's so deep in her own world right now, even if a bomb went off in front of her, she wouldn't blink. This is your golden chance… go for the butt!»
«W-Why the hell would I do that?!»
«To raise your intimacy level, duh. Isn't it obvious?»
«No, it's not obvious at all! And we're in the middle of the school courtyard! If someone saw me, I'd get expelled—or arrested!»
«She's your stepsister! No one's gonna think it's weird! It'll just look like a sweet sibling moment!»
«That's exactly why they'd think it's messed up—because she's my sister!»
«Okay, fine—new plan: tonight, while Rika's asleep, we'll start your special training! Right now, the closeness between you two, on a scale from 1 to 10, is an F!»
«How the heck is F even on a scale from 1 to 10?!»
«Exactly! It's so bad it doesn't even rank! You two are practically strangers! But if things stay like this, my big sis will never lose her virginity and break free from that curse! If you want to get close to Rika, you've got to get used to being close to her body! How do you plan to seduce her if you need a shove just to brush her hand?! As a playboy, you're even worse than in the kitchen—and that's saying something!»
«There's no way I'm doing anything to Rika while she's asleep—forget it!»
A male voice suddenly cuts Hakuto off. He freezes, then quickly turns.
Yuzu and Rika do the same—the moment Rika hears that voice, she snaps out of her daze.
«Yo, Hakotto!»
It's Itzu, standing about five meters away. He casually waves at them in his school uniform.
Without thinking, Hakuto throws out an arm. He steps in front of Rika and Yuzu to shield them.
«What are you doing here?!» he asks, his voice sharp and tense.
«What am I doing here…?» Itzu repeats, looking genuinely confused. «We're classmates, remember? Did you hit your head or something? You look like you just saw a serial killer.»
«You know exactly what I'm talking about!» Hakuto snaps.
At that moment, Itzu's expression shifts—from innocent confusion to a twisted smile. «I'd like to have a little chat with you… if that's okay.»
«No way!» Yuzu blurts, but Hakuto quickly signals for her to stay back and not get involved.
Itzu, of course, takes it as 'I wanna talk too'.
And yeah—that's exactly what Hakuto intends.
«Talking about this at school probably isn't the best idea. I know a spot nearby,» Itzu says.He turns his back to them and heads toward the gate.
«Are you seriously not seeing the trap?! That guy's face screams: I'm luring you to some shady place where a bunch of vampires are waiting to kick your ass!» Yuzu snaps.
«It's a risk I've got to take,» Hakuto says calmly.
He steps forward—until he feels a hand grab his wrist.
It's Rika.
«P-Please… be careful…» she murmurs.Her voice trembles, cheeks tinged with a faint blush.
Hakuto gives her a soft smile. «I'll see you at home after school.»
From the office above, Principal Misaki Yuunami watches in silence as Hakuto follows Itzu out of the school courtyard.
She's half-hidden behind a curtain, her eyes fixed on them, filled with unease.