"Shinobu, you... heard everything?"
Just as Shinobu Kocho understood her older sister, Kanae also knew the temperament of the younger sister she had watched grow up.
Normally, Shinobu would have thrown herself at her the moment she entered.
But now, Shinobu remained seated there, seemingly calm. Her greeting lacked the overflowing joy and attachment it usually held, and she had shown no confusion even upon seeing Kanae lock the door.
Kanae knew this did not mean Shinobu had suddenly grown distant from her. Rather, her heart was in utter turmoil, her emotions tangled together so thoroughly that maintaining a calm facade was the only response she could manage.
Because if she gave those emotions even the slightest outlet, the floodgate called reason would collapse, and all her feelings would pour out uncontrollably.
Shinobu did not answer Kanae's question. She simply watched her walk over from the doorway and gently draw her head into that utterly familiar embrace.
"Big sister..."
"Yes, I'm here, Shinobu."
Leaning into the embrace she had nestled in since childhood, Shinobu finally shed her calm facade and let the tangled, chaotic emotions in her heart spill out. Even her voice grew somewhat hoarse.
"What should I do..."
Kanae stroked Shinobu's hair with one hand and gently patted her back with the other, whispering tenderly into her ear, "Don't agonize over what's supposedly right or wrong. Don't concern yourself with anyone or anything else, including me. When it comes to love, all you need to do is understand your own heart and follow it."
"Whatever the future holds, your big sister will always be here."
Kanae had originally wanted to talk with her younger sister and see whether she had already fallen for him, but now, there was clearly no need.
*Kanzaki-kun, you really are... guilty of so