"Knock, knock, knock."
"Coming!"
After the gentle knocking, light footsteps soon came from behind the door.
"Ah! Kanzaki-oniisan!"
The moment the door opened, Mitsuri's eyes lit up at the sight of Kanzaki Kumo. But then she noticed the tall, gentle young woman beside him. With just one glance, that gentleness, which seemed to come from her very soul, left a deep impression on Mitsuri.
Thanks to Kanzaki Kumo's encouragement, Mitsuri had finally managed to overcome her insecurity about her appearance, but in front of Kanae, she began to feel inferior again.
It was not just insecurity about her appearance, but a sense of inferiority about her bearing as well.
Especially when Kanzaki Kumo and Kanae stood together, looking like a destined pair, Mitsuri felt a pang of jealousy.
Now she knew that this feeling was called "jealousy."
But no sooner had that jealousy surfaced than an even greater sense of inferiority swept it away without a trace.
Countless thoughts ran through her mind, but Mitsuri still managed to keep her expression steady and asked as though she were merely curious, "Who is this lady?"
"This is Kanae Kocho, whom I mentioned to you before. She's one of my lovers." Kanzaki Kumo noticed how much the light in Mitsuri's eyes had dimmed and was about to comfort her, but Kanae gently squeezed his hand, signaling for him to leave it to her.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. You must be Miss Mitsuri Kanroji. You really are as adorable as Kanzaki-kun said-actually, even more adorable than he described. I'm Kanae Kocho. Just call me Kanae."
"Ah! I... it's a pleasure to meet you... just call me Mitsuri, Kanae... oneesan..."
Faced with Kanae's gentle greeting, Mitsuri stumbled over her words. Her voice grew quieter and quieter, and she could not help lowering