«I thought you were joking when you said I had to come with you to buy swimsuits... but seriously, what do you need all this stuff for?!» Hakuto grumbles, barely managing to carry four bags in each hand—each one stuffed to the brim with bikinis.
«On the contrary, I've never been more serious in my entire life!» Yuzu chirps, skipping ahead like a kid in a candy store. Rika, meanwhile, walks behind them at a safe distance, clearly mortified by her sister's antics.
The trio strolls through Uchide Shōtengai, one of Ashiya's most famous shopping streets—lined with high-end fashion boutiques, perfumeries, and elegant storefronts. A place for sophisticated people.
Which makes Yuzu stand out like a neon sign in a temple.
«Hey, big sis! Aren't you getting anything? You skipped the ones I tossed—too tight for these babies,» she says, pointing at her boobs. «C'mon, summer's around the corner! Pick something!»
«M-Maybe I'll get one when you're not around...» Rika mumbles, blushing.
«...And lower your voice. Everyone's staring.»
«Ugh, you're so boring...»
Yuzu suddenly stops in front of yet another boutique. «Whoa! This place has the best swimsuits in all of Ashiya! We have to go in!»
~She's said that at every single shop... and hasn't skipped a single one.~
Yuzu grabs Rika's wrist and drags her inside. Rika looks like she'd rather be anywhere else.
«Oh my God! These are the most beautiful swimsuits I've ever seen in my life!» Yuzu gasps in awe at the wall of colorful bikinis, one-pieces, and thongs.
~She's said that at every store, too…~
«Come on, big sis! Pick one! Hakuto and I will give you our completely unbiased, 100% professional opinion!»
«I am not showing myself in a swimsuit in front of Hakuto!» Rika hisses, her face turning tomato-red.
«You already have! Remember the jacuzzi aperitif? You're acting like you didn't flash us in that one-piece! He's your brother, he's not gonna bite!»
«T-This is completely different...!»
«You're so dramatic... Fine, I'll pick one for you!»
With zero hesitation, Yuzu grabs the nearest red bikini and practically shoves Rika toward the changing room. «Don't you dare leave! Or you'll miss your dear stepsister wearing something way hotter than her usual grandma suits! Be right back!»
Hakuto swallows hard—heart pounding. Somehow, the thought of Rika in a sexy swimsuit is getting him way more worked up than he's willing to admit.
After nearly five minutes, there's still no word from Yuzu and Rika.
~How the heck long does it take to put on a swimsuit...?~
Hakuto is clearly growing impatient. He barely has time to wonder when...
«Come out already! You look super sexy, what are you so embarrassed about?!»
Yuzu's voice echoes through the entire store.
«I told you no...!» Rika's reply is much quieter—but Hakuto is close enough to hear.
«If that's how you're gonna play it...»
The curtain rustles violently. Something's clearly going on inside.
«Y-Yuzu... I told you... stop sqeezing my ass...!»
Rika's voice reaches Hakuto's ears sounding more... breathless, and his imagination starts to drift into some pretty indecent territory.
~Squeezing... her ass...?~
Hakuto eventually ends up having to use the huge bags Yuzu gave him to cover himself in front.
Finally, the curtain swings open—and so do Hakuto's eyes.
Rika is wearing a tiny red swimsuit—almost as red as her face—way sexier than anything Hakuto ever imagined.
The top is simple, with a bit of push-up to enhance her B cup. But the bottom… is practically non-existent. A red thong with strings that vanish between her toned cheeks. From behind, it's as if she's naked.
«So? Hot, right?!» Yuzu beams, totally proud.
Hakuto can't speak. His jaw is open, but no words come out. To him, Rika looks like a living work of art.
«S-Say something, Hakuto… so I can go change already…» Rika murmurs, eyes glued to the floor.
«Y-You... You look… amazing. Really.»
Hakuto has never struggled this much just to say a single sentence.
«Knew it! Then this one's a keeper!» Yuzu exclaims, clearly delighted.
Rika is just about to head back into the changing room when...
...the sound of hurried footsteps suddenly puts Hakuto on alert. They're coming from inside the store.
An instant later, the changing room door swings open, and a short, chubby man in his sixties stumbles in. Dressed like a rich gentleman… but clearly not acting like one.
He's drooling, tongue out like a dog, pants around his knees, and a disgusting erection twitching between his legs.
«Come here, little girl! I… I wanna cum in your ass!» he moans, staggering toward Rika like an horny zombie.
Rika steps back, but she's not afraid. Her eyes are sharp, her expression tense, and she shifts into a stance Hakuto recognizes instantly—Zenkutsu-dachi, a karate position.
Hakuto is impressed by how quickly and precisely Rika prepares to defend herself. But what really throws him off isn't the stance—it's her expression. She's calm. Cold. Being attacked by a creep like that should freak out any girl. But Rika looks... used to it.
Still, there's no way Hakuto is letting that pervert lay a hand on her.
Without hesitation, he steps between them, raising an arm to shield his stepsisters.
«Move back!» he shouts, eyes locked on the man.
The old man charges, and Hakuto meets him head-on.
One swift kick to the knee.
One sharp elbow to the jaw.
That's enough to keep a man of that age and build pinned to the ground until the police arrive.
«I want her! Let me go! I need to have her! I want it more than anything else in the world!» the man yells with all his strength while Hakuto holds him down on the ground.
Typical pervert ranting, but they bring to his mind the strange words spoken by Itsu Thazreel.
«Rika is like a cat in heat—she doesn't even try to be provocative, but everyone around her will feel irresistibly attracted to her.»
~What if that's true...?~
♡♡♡
«Paris at night is even more beautiful than I remembered. Perfect for a honeymoon,» Shin says, leaning against the balcony railing of their luxurious 5-star penthouse. He's wearing nothing but a thin night robe and smoking one of his ever-present cigarettes. «They call it the city of love, but I guess a globe-trotting businesswoman like you already knows that.»
«Stop saying sweet things like that. You're making me believe my love for you is actually mutual,» Kagura calls out from the shower, her voice soaked in both annoyance and resignation.
Water and foam run down her curvy, naked body—tracing her silver hair and dripping from her breasts in delicate streams.
Shin can see her clearly in the glass reflection of the half-open balcony window, the bathroom door wide open behind him.
«It'd be a real problem if I fell in love with you, don't you think? Mixing business and feelings only ends in disaster.»
«You're the last person who should say that—since one of those disasters, as you call them, gave us Hakuto.»
Kagura steps out of the shower, a long pink bathrobe clinging to her damp skin, loosely tied in front. A smaller towel is wrapped around her head.
«All the more reason for me to speak from experience…» Shin murmurs, his voice lowering into something rare: guilt.
«Raising Hakuto without a mother… was a mistake I'll never forgive myself for. I tried—more than once—to find someone stable, someone who could stand by my side. But no one was ever able to take her place. Not for me… and not for him.»
Kagura walks up behind him and wraps her arms around his torso. Her hands settle gently on his chest—still firm and strong, despite the years.
«Oh, Shin...» Kagura tightens her embrace.
«I know no one can replace Hakuto's mother in your heart. But I swear… I'll do everything I can to be the best mother to him. That boy deserves real love. He truly does.»
«When you talk like that… it actually makes me want to marry you for real,» Shin says, a small smile breaking through.
«Say that again and I swear I'll make you do it by force!» Kagura growls softly, digging her nails playfully into his chest. «Now… are you planning to keep me in the dark forever, or will you finally tell me why we're really here?»
«I told you already, didn't I? Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe—»
«Shin!» Her nails press harder.
«Ow! Fine, fine!» Shin turns to face her—now chest to chest.
«Alright, I'll tell you. You really have zero patience, huh? Tomorrow, I'm meeting an old friend—one of the last contacts I've got left in HESPARC. That bastard still owes me, and he's climbed pretty high these past few years. If anyone can help, it's him.»
Kagura exhales, leaning her head gently against Shin's chest. «I really hope so… Not for me, but for Rika and Yuzu. I wonder how our kids are doing. You think they've already figured everything out?»
Shin shakes his head.
«Doubt it. If Hakuto had found out, he'd already be blowing up my phone, screaming for answers.»