It's Monday morning.
Hakuto, Rika, and Yuzu walk through the imposing gate of Tsugumi High School, crossing the wide courtyard leading to the front doors. Yuzu clings tightly to him—his entire forearm squished between her breasts—while Rika, though walking beside them, keeps a couple meters of distance, clearly embarrassed by her sister's behavior. In her eyes, it's totally unbecoming of a girl from a noble family. Hakuto isn't exactly thrilled either—not due toYuzu's boobs, but because of all the glares he's been getting from the guys at school since day one. After all, Rika and Yuzu are basically the school's top two idols—untouchable goddesses admired from afar. Seeing some random guy walking that close to them—especially with Yuzu clinging to him like a barnacle—drives everyone insane, like he just shattered their pure, one-sided fantasies.
With a sudden, sneaky move, Yuzu presses herself even harder against Hakuto, making him stumble a few steps closer to Rika.
Her plan is crystal clear: the first step in making her big sister fall for her stepbrother is to literally shrink the distance between them. It's the easiest step—but for Hakuto, it already feels like an impossible mission. Even though he's good-looking, he's totally clueless when it comes to girls. Growing up in near-poverty made him practically invisible to them—mocked and ignored since forever. On top of that, not having any kind of female figure in his life—and being naturally shy—turned him into a total disaster around girls.
Thanks to Yuzu's push, Hakuto ends up almost a meter closer to Rika—cutting the distance between them in half. But Rika doesn't even flinch. She looks totally spaced out, like something's seriously bothering her.
That tiny bit of progress sends Yuzu into full-on ecstasy. Knowing her sister, she expected her to jump five meters back and scold them with her usual sharp tone. Meanwhile, Hakuto's anxiety is through the roof. Just 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 has his legs shaking like leaves. Clearly, a pissed-off Rika is way scarier than any bloodthirsty monster.
Step by step, millimeter by millimeter, Hakuto's right hand 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, but they look totally 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 lightly brushes against Rika's. He flinches, a shiver running down his spine as he feels her skin—even if just for a second.
He squeezes his eyes shut, bracing for impact—but… nothing happens. Rika doesn't react at all. There are only two possibilities: either she felt it and chose to ignore it because, deep down, she's 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 register.
«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 something like that?!»
«To raise your intimacy level, duh. Isn't it obvious?»
«No, it's not obvious at all! And we're literally 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!» Yuzu fires back. «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 only a 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 basically 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 you are 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 around. Yuzu and Rika do the same—and the moment Rika hears that voice, she snaps out of her daze.
«Yo, Hakotto!»
It's Itzu, standing about five meters away, casually waving at them in his school uniform.
Without thinking, Hakuto throws out an arm, stepping in front of Rika and Yuzu to shield them.
«What are you doing here?!» he demands, 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, his voice steady and unshakable.
At that moment, Itzu's expression shifts—from innocent confusion to a clearly twisted smile. «I'd like to have a little chat with you... if that's okay.»
«No way!» Yuzu blurts, but Hakuto quickly signals her to stay back and not get involved. Itzu, of course, takes the gesture 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, turning his back to them and heading toward the gate. «I'm sure you've got a few questions of your own too.»
«Are you seriously not seeing the trap?! That guy's face literally screams: I'm luring you to some shady place where a bunch of vampires are waiting to kick your ass!» Yuzu snaps, but—once again—Hakuto completely ignores her.
«It's a risk I've got to take,» he says calmly, already stepping forward—until he feels a hand grab his wrist. It's Rika.
«P-Please… be careful…» she murmurs, her voice trembling, 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. Half-hidden behind a curtain, her eyes stay fixed on them, filled with unease.