(Thank you very much to 'Sky Holy Demon' for the tip!)
"Sh-Shiori..."
"What is it, Yoshino...?"
"Um... could you put me down, please...?"
"Oh my, is Yoshino feeling shy...?"
"N-No, it's not that..."
"Wow! Your face is red! So cute..."
"Uuu..."
Watching Shiori walk into the bathroom with the tearful Yoshino in her arms, her face brimming with excitement as if her adrenaline had been triggered, Kotori, Kurumi, and Tohka peeked out from the stairway. They exchanged glances in unspoken agreement.
"Oh my..." Kurumi shrugged. "Yoshino is out too..."
"In a sense, Sister is quite a formidable enemy too..." Kotori gave a wry smile, but immediately perked up again.
"Luckily, Sister has been held up by Yoshino. That takes care of a major problem for us..."
"Well, let's remember Yoshino's contribution..." Kurumi brushed the dust from her knees and stood up.
"Next..."
"Next is my turn!" Kotori stood up radiantly and reached for the ribbon tying up her hair, as though she had prepared for this long ago.
"Seducting that guy will be a piece of cake..."
"This all feels wrong somehow..."
Having washed all the remaining dishes, Wu Yan rinsed them with clean water while frowning.
Normally, Tohka often made plenty of jokes because she was far too airheaded. Yoshino would occasionally deliberately do something bold to overcome her own timid nature. But compared to usual, the way the two of them had acted felt somewhat off...
It was as though they had done it on purpose...
What exactly was going on?...
"Could this be another one of Kotori's ideas?..."
Just as Wu Yan was racking his brains, the crisp sound of a door opening echoed clearly through the silent hall, drawing his attention.
He turned toward the hall, where Kotori came skipping in with a delighted expression.