Chapter 1

About ten days had passed since my hospital admission, and I was finally discharged. Today, I was heading back to school for the first time in what felt like an eternity, despite not even being absent for a full two weeks.

“I wonder if I’ll manage with classes…” I muttered to myself.

Amaki High School, where I studied, was a fairly competitive school with a fast-paced curriculum, which fueled my biggest worry. My grades were already below average, and missing nearly two weeks of classes was a risky move. If I wasn’t careful, failing marks loomed on the horizon.

Lost in these thoughts while walking the familiar school route, I spotted a recognizable pair emerging from a nearby café, paper cups in hand—likely grabbing drinks before heading to school.

“Oh, it’s Ryouya-kun! Good morning!” Reona called out brightly.

“Ryouya, morning,” Riona added with a nod.

“Morning, Tsurugi-san and Tsurugi-san,” I replied.

Both sisters visibly pouted, their dissatisfaction clear.

“I told you, you can call me and Riona by our first names,” Reona said, folding her arms.

“Ryouya, I demand a redo on that greeting,” Riona chimed in.

“Sorry, sorry. Reona, Riona, good morning. Happy now?” I corrected myself, scratching the back of my head.

“Good, you’re forgiven,” Reona said with a satisfied nod.

“Both me and Onee-chan are satisfied,” Riona added, her tone lighter.

The twins had visited me every day since their first hospital visit, and we’d grown quite close. That’s why Reona called me “Ryouya-kun” and Riona simply “Ryouya.” They’d insisted I drop the honorifics and use their first names, but it still felt awkward and a bit embarrassing. Calling girls by their first names, especially without honorifics, was a massive hurdle for me. Still, their persistence left me no choice but to comply.

“By the way,” I said, glancing at them, “I don’t think I’ve ever run into you two on the school route in the morning before. What’s up today?”

“Oh, I really wanted to try the new drink at Stellabucks this morning, so Riona and I made a detour,” Reona explained, holding up her cup.

“That’s why we’re here at this unusual time,” Riona added.

Unlike me, who usually arrived at school just in time, Reona and Riona likely left early and took their time. That explained why I’d never crossed paths with them on the way to school before.

“Now that you mention it, Ryouya-kun, you’re back at school starting today, right? Congrats on getting discharged!” Reona said warmly.

“Thanks. But since I was out for so long, things are gonna be tough, and I’m seriously dreading it,” I admitted, my shoulders slumping.

“Yeah, classes have moved along quite a bit while you were gone, Ryouya,” Riona noted.

“Exactly. That’s why I’m terrified of the final exams in July,” I said, grimacing.

We stopped to chat, but then I remembered my homeroom teacher had summoned me to the staff room. If I lingered too long, I’d be late. “I got called to the staff room this morning, so I’m gonna head out first,” I said, intending to part ways.

Honestly, I’d love to walk to school with them, but a background character like me—practically Mob Character B—strolling with the top-tier, main-character-like duo of Reona and Riona would definitely stir trouble.

“Got it. You better hurry then,” Reona said.

“Let’s go quick,” Riona added, already stepping forward.

Realizing my words were too vague, I tried again. “If we walk to school together, people might get the wrong idea, you know? I think it’s better if we head there separately.”

“It’s fine if people misunderstand,” Reona said nonchalantly.

“We don’t mind at all,” Riona added, tilting her head. “Or… do you not want to, Ryouya?”

“N-no, it’s not that I don’t want to,” I stammered, caught off guard.

“Then there’s no problem, right?” Reona pressed, her smile unwavering.

I tried to resist, but their persistence won out, and I nodded reluctantly. As the three of us walked toward school, the stares from passersby were intense, making it impossible to relax. Meanwhile, Reona and Riona seemed completely unfazed—probably used to the attention, being such striking beauties.

“Ryouya, it’s your first day back at school in a while. Are you happy?” Riona asked, glancing at me.

“Hmm, not really. I’m kind of a loner, so there’s no one waiting for me or worrying about me,” I admitted.

If Reona or Riona had been absent for ten days, they’d likely be welcomed back with open arms. But for someone like me, with no friends in class, I’d probably just get a casual “Oh yeah, you were absent” at best.

“Don’t worry about that. Riona and I will back you up, so you’ll be fine,” Reona said cheerfully.

“No, no, I’m good, thanks,” I replied quickly. If Reona and Riona, whom I had no prior connection with, started hanging out with me at school, I’d definitely stand out in the worst way.

As I mulled this over, I noticed a shift in their demeanor. “What do you mean, ‘I’m good’?” Reona asked, her tone sharp. “Don’t tell me you’re planning to let some other girl take care of you?”

“That’s something I can’t exactly approve of,” Riona added, her eyes narrowing.

“W-why are you bringing up girls? I don’t even have guy friends, let alone close girl friends,” I blurted out, feeling an indescribable pressure.

The menacing aura radiating from them vanished instantly. “Right, there’s no way a girl like that would exist for Ryouya-kun, who only had family in his contacts until recently,” Reona said, her tone teasing.

“Yeah, since Ryouya’s a loner, there’s no need to worry about that,” Riona agreed, nodding.

“…Can you not casually deal massive damage to my mental state like that?” I groaned, slumping as their words hit harder than expected.

Hearing it out loud forced me to confront the harsh reality, and a hollow emptiness settled in my chest. We chatted casually as we walked, and before long, we reached the school.

“Alright, I’m heading to the staff room,” I said, turning to the twins.

“Okay, see you later,” Reona replied with a wave.

“Ryouya, take care,” Riona added softly.

I parted ways with Reona and Riona at the shoe lockers and made my way to the staff room. It was my first day back in a while, but the school felt unchanged. “It’s not like I’ve been gone for years,” I muttered to myself. “A week and a bit wouldn’t shake things up.”

At the staff room, my homeroom teacher filled me in on various updates. Missing a few months might’ve caused attendance issues, but a week or so was no big deal. After all, a bad flu could knock you out for a week, and it wouldn’t trigger a retention crisis.

With the updates done, I left the staff room and headed to the classroom. As I stepped inside, my classmates’ eyes flicked toward me briefly, but no one said a word. “…Yeah, figured as much,” I sighed. I’d expected this as a friendless loner, but the reality still stung.

I slumped into my desk, exhaustion washing over me. The hospital stay had wrecked my sleep schedule, and I was barely holding it together. As I started to doze off, a familiar voice echoed from the classroom entrance.

“So, Riona was like, ‘I absolutely want to be with Onee-chan!’”

“Yes, yes, I get it, Reona. You’re totally sister-obsessed.”

It was Reona, her energetic tone unmistakable. With Riona’s identical voice, I used to struggle to tell them apart when they spoke together, but lately, I’d gotten the hang of it. Reona must’ve been out on an errand since she wasn’t in the classroom when I arrived.

Being a quarter-Japanese, tall as me, stunningly gorgeous, and a master of communication, Reona was unsurprisingly part of the class’s elite—the top-tier group in the school’s social hierarchy. A bottom-rung loner like me, practically Mob Character B, would never have crossed paths with her under normal circumstances.

Lost in these gloomy thoughts and half-asleep, I was startled by confident footsteps approaching my desk. They stopped right in front of me, and then—whoosh—someone blew hard into my ear.

“Wah!?” I yelped, bolting upright, only to find Reona standing there, her face lit up with the glee of a successful prank.

“Oh, Ryouya-kun, you were awake,” she said, grinning.

“W-what was that for?” I stammered, heart racing.

“Sorry, sorry. You looked so defenseless, I couldn’t resist messing with you a little,” she said, not a trace of remorse in her voice.

I opened my mouth to protest, but froze as I noticed countless eyes on us. The entire class was staring, making us stand out painfully. My embarrassing yelp hadn’t helped. Some classmates looked curious, others shot jealous glares, and the attention was suffocating. It was only natural—Reona, the class idol, chatting with a loner like me was bound to ruffle feathers.

“…We’re drawing way too much attention, and it’s seriously embarrassing,” I whispered. “Can you let me off the hook already?”

“Fine, fine. I’ll let you go for now,” Reona replied, her voice low to match mine.

“Not just for now—can you just not do it again?”

“I’ll think about it.”

“That’s the line of someone who has no intention of thinking about it,” I muttered.

She read the room and kept her voice down, then casually returned to her seat. Her group immediately bombarded her with questions about what had happened, but she brushed them off vaguely. Still reeling from the awkwardness, I slipped on my earphones, blocked out the world, and slumped over my desk until the first period began.

The morning passed uneventfully, and I slogged through the first four periods. Finally, lunchtime arrived. Exhausted from my first day back, I’d been counting down to this break since third period. “Guess I’ll head to my usual spot,” I said to myself.

As a loner, I had no one to eat with, so I always left the classroom for lunch. Eating alone in class had once earned me pitying looks I couldn’t stomach. Grabbing the bread and juice I’d bought at a convenience store that morning, I headed to the courtyard.

“This place is so calming,” I said, settling on a step. Despite its beautiful scenery, the spot was rarely crowded—a hidden gem. Borrowing the words of a protagonist from a certain youth romantic comedy light novel I used to read, this was undoubtedly my best place.

As I started to unwrap my bread, slow footsteps approached. Looking up, I saw Riona standing there, a bento box and a bag with chopsticks in hand.

“Ryouya, what are you doing in a place like this?” she asked, tilting her head.

“Oh, it’s you, Riona. As you can see, I’m having a loner lunch,” I replied, gesturing to my bread.

“I see. Since you’re a loner, you don’t have anyone to eat with,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Can you not casually land a critical hit… no, a devastating blow to my mental state?” I groaned.

Why was Riona here? Maybe she’d just happened to pass by. As I pondered, she sat down next to me.

“…Uh, what’s Riona-san doing?” I asked, bewildered.

“I decided to have lunch here too,” she said simply.

“Hold on, don’t you have plenty of people in your class to eat with?”

I didn’t know much about Riona’s social standing, but she was likely in the upper caste like Reona. Eating with a rock-bottom loner like me offered her no benefits and could even hurt her reputation.

“I’ve already decided,” she said firmly. “Plus, Onee-chan’s coming soon.”

“Wait, Reona’s coming too!?” I exclaimed.

“Yup, she’s on her way,” Riona confirmed, fiddling with her phone.

I’d thought Reona usually ate with her class group. Was it okay for her to ditch them? Then again, as the class queen, she probably faced little opposition. As I mulled this over, Reona arrived.

“Sorry to keep you two waiting. Shall we eat?” she said cheerfully.

“Hey, are you and Riona seriously eating here?” I asked, still stunned.

“Yup, of course,” Reona replied.

“It’s already decided,” Riona added, her expression cool as ever.

There was no point arguing with them. Since this spot saw little foot traffic, we’d likely avoid being seen, so I let it slide. As I reached for my bread again, Reona stopped me.

“Oh, I made a bento for you too, Ryouya-kun, so you don’t need to eat that bread,” she said.

“Eh!?” I blinked, caught off guard.

“Onee-chan and I worked hard on it,” Riona added.

I’d assumed Riona had stumbled upon me and spontaneously called Reona to join us. But a bento prepared for me meant they’d planned this from the start. I’d never told anyone about this lunch spot, so how did they know? No matter how I racked my brain, I couldn’t find an answer, and the mystery only deepened.

“Are you that happy you’re so shocked?” Reona teased. “Anyway, just try it.”

“We guarantee it’s delicious,” Riona said confidently.

“…Thanks,” I mumbled, setting aside my questions for now and accepting the bento box from Reona.

Opening the lid, I found hamburger patties, tamagoyaki, fried chicken, broccoli, and white rice—a simple yet appetizing spread. I started with a bite of the tamagoyaki. “This is crazy good,” I said, surprised.

“Right? It’s our masterpiece,” Reona said, beaming.

“Onee-chan and I worked hard on it this morning,” Riona added.

The tamagoyaki looked ordinary but tasted divine. Their bento boxes held the same dishes, and I eagerly sampled the rest. “Yeah, everything’s delicious… but why does the ketchup on the hamburger taste a bit unusual?” I asked, noticing an odd flavor.

“Oh, we added a secret ingredient to the ketchup,” Reona said. “Maybe it didn’t suit your taste.”

“Sorry about that,” Riona added.

“By the way, what’s the secret ingredient?” I asked, curious about the almost metallic tang.

“It’s a family secret, so it’s a secret,” Reona said playfully.

They hinted it had something to do with “love,” but that only confused me more, so I dropped it. We chatted as we ate, and before I knew it, I’d polished off the bento. I reached for the chopsticks and box to wash and return them.

“Oh, Riona and I will take care of washing the chopsticks and bento box, so you don’t have to worry about it, Ryouya-kun,” Reona said.

“You made it for me, and now you’re even washing it? That feels way too much,” I protested.

“It’s fine. We’ll handle it,” Riona insisted.

“If you insist, I’ll take you up on that,” I said, giving in. Their kindness was overwhelming, but pushing back felt futile.

“Let’s head back to the classroom,” Reona said.

“Yeah, considering the time to get to the changing room and get ready, it’s about time,” I agreed.

Fifth period was PE—volleyball, a team sport I dreaded as a loner. “Ryouya, Onee-chan, see you later,” Riona said as we parted.

“Yup, let’s go,” Reona replied.

“Wait, are we seriously walking back together?” I asked, alarmed.

“Yup,” Reona said, her tone making it non-negotiable.

“No, no, that’s not a good idea,” I said, panicking.

“What’s not good about it?” she asked, tilting her head.

“You know, people might stare…”

“I don’t mind at all, so it’s fine,” she said dismissively.

Even if Reona was unfazed, I was far from it. I tried to explain, but when she asked if I didn’t want to be with her, I reflexively said I didn’t mind, trapping myself. Walking back with her drew intense stares, and my stomach churned with anxiety.

I grabbed my gym clothes from my backpack and hurried to the changing room. The PE teacher was strict about lining up before the bell, so I couldn’t risk being late. After changing, I joined the class in the gym, where the girls were using half for basketball.

During volleyball serve practice, I paired with another leftover guy. “Hey, who’s your favorite girl in our class?” he asked.

“Tsurugi-san, hands down,” another guy replied.

“Yeah, thought so,” the first said.

Reona’s popularity was no surprise—her looks and personality made it inevitable. The period flew by, and we moved to a practice match. I’m terrible at ball sports and shorter than average, so I didn’t shine. After a while, we switched players, and I rested, watching the girls’ basketball game.

Some girls played half-heartedly, like me, but others were fully invested. “Reona, go for the shot!” a teammate shouted.

“Got it!” Reona caught the pass, slammed the ball into the basket, and high-fived her teammates with a radiant smile.

Yeah, Reona and I lived in different worlds. She was my lifesaver, but her involvement with me was baffling. I spent the entire match pondering why she and Riona were so invested in me, but no answers came. Overthinking would only trap me in a spiral, so I let it go.

PE ended without incident, and I got through sixth and seventh periods. Now, in the classroom, I clutched my head in despair. “I didn’t understand a single thing in class. This is seriously bad,” I groaned. Missing nearly two weeks had left me hopelessly lost, especially in math and physics. At this rate, failing was guaranteed.

“If I get failing grades, it’s gonna be a huge hassle…” I muttered. At our school, failing meant mandatory remedial classes during breaks. With July finals looming, I needed a plan, but I was stumped.

A normie might lean on friends or a girlfriend, but as a loner, I had no one. “Reality is so harsh on loners,” I sighed, wishing the world were kinder. Maybe I should just brace for remedial classes.

“Ryouya, why do you look so troubled?” a voice asked suddenly.

“Wah!?” I yelped, startled out of my thoughts.

“…It kinda hurts to see you that shocked,” Riona said, pouting.

“Oh, Riona’s all sad now. Bad Ryouya, bad!” Reona teased.

“Sorry, I didn’t expect someone to talk to me out of nowhere… Wait, you two haven’t gone home yet?” I asked, surprised. It had been nearly thirty minutes since homeroom ended.

“We were waiting to walk home with you, Ryouya-kun,” Reona said.

“But you weren’t coming out, so we came to get you,” Riona added.

“Wait, you’re planning to walk home with me!?” I exclaimed.

“Yup, and we’re gonna keep doing it from tomorrow on, so get used to it,” Reona said firmly.

Today had been a whirlwind—walking to school together, sharing a homemade bento, and now this. “Even if I say no, you’ll just ask if I don’t want to, right?” I said, resigned.

“Obviously,” Riona replied.

“Looks like Ryouya-kun’s finally starting to understand us,” Reona said, grinning.

Their pushiness was unbeatable, I’d learned that much. We left the classroom, changed shoes at the lockers, and started walking home. The stares were as intense as this morning, and I couldn’t relax.

“By the way, Ryouya, what were you worrying about?” Riona asked.

“I missed almost two weeks, so I’m completely lost in class,” I admitted.

“Yeah, that makes sense. You were clutching your head during math and physics too,” Reona said.

“Wait, how do you know that?” I asked, startled.

“Because I was watching you the whole time, Ryouya-kun,” she said casually.

“No, no, focus on the lesson!” I said, unnerved by the thought of her staring at me all class.

“Anyway, if things stay like this, I’ll have to take remedial classes over summer break, so I need to do something, but I’ve got no ideas,” I said, slumping.

“Then I’ll tutor you, Ryouya,” Riona offered. “That way, you can at least avoid failing.”

“Eh!?” I blinked, caught off guard.

“Riona’s been number one in our grade since we started here, so she’s perfect for it,” Reona said with a smug look. “I’m not great at anything but English, so she tutors me a lot too.”

“Teaching Ryouya will be a piece of cake,” Riona said confidently.

I’d always pegged Riona as the smart, intellectual type, and it seemed I was right. “So, leave it to me,” she said.

“…Are you sure?” I asked, hesitant.

“Yup, I want to help you, Ryouya,” she replied earnestly.

Reona watched our exchange with a happy grin. “Alright, it’s settled! There’s not much time before the test, so let’s start today.”

“Today!?” I exclaimed, my voice cracking.

“No time like the present,” Reona said with a grin.

“Let’s head to Ryouya’s house now,” Riona added, her tone brimming with determination.

The suddenness of it all left me reeling, but Riona’s enthusiasm was unstoppable. I couldn’t say no. We walked for a bit and soon arrived at my house.

“I’m home,” I called out, stepping inside.

“Onii-chan, welco—eeh!?” Mio, who must’ve gotten home earlier, started to greet me but froze, her eyes wide with shock at the sight of the two behind me.

“Hi, we’re just borrowing Ryouya-kun for a bit,” Reona said cheerfully.

“Pardon the intrusion,” Riona added politely.

“Sorry, it’s sudden, but we’ve got guests today,” I said, scratching my head.

“…Onii-chan, come here for a sec,” Mio said, her expression shifting as she grabbed my arm and dragged me to the dining room.

“What’s with you bringing the idol twins from Amaki High to our house all of a sudden!?” she hissed, her voice low but intense.

“They insisted on coming!” I protested.

“I heard you saved Reona-senpai and Riona-senpai from a mugger, but them wanting to come here is kinda unbelievable,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

“Honestly, I’m the most shocked,” I admitted. “Anyway, we shouldn’t leave them waiting, so let’s go back.”

Mio looked like she had more to say, but we returned to the entrance where Reona and Riona stood patiently.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting,” I said.

“It’s fine. We’re the ones who showed up unannounced,” Reona replied with a smile. “Oh, we haven’t introduced ourselves to Mio-chan yet, right? I’m Tsurugi Reona, Ryouya-kun’s classmate. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Riona. Nice to meet you,” Riona added, nodding.

“I-I’m Yagami Mio, Onii-chan’s little sister. Nice to meet you,” Mio stammered, clearly nervous.

Mio attended Amaki Middle School, affiliated with our high school, and the Tsurugi sisters were apparently famous there too. A lot of students looked up to them, Mio included.

“Mio-chan, you’re super cute!” Reona exclaimed.

“Yeah, hard to believe she’s Ryouya’s sister,” Riona said, her tone teasing.

“We’d love to have her as our little sister,” Reona added, her eyes sparkling.

Reona and Riona’s compliments lit up Mio’s face, her nervousness melting into a shy smile. “Don’t just steal my sister like that,” I said, half-joking.

“Being your sister might be tough, but if you marry one of us, we could be her sister-in-law,” Reona said playfully.

“Good idea,” Riona agreed.

“Alright, let’s head to the city hall for a marriage license. Write my name or Riona’s, and we’ll submit it right away,” Reona continued, her grin widening.

The three of them were spiraling into absurd territory, and I felt a headache coming on. We weren’t even old enough to marry, and deciding on marriage for such flimsy reasons was ridiculous. There were too many things to nitpick, but I was too tired to bother.

“We’ve hit it off with Mio-chan, so shall we get to the main event—studying?” Riona said, steering the conversation back.

“Oh, you actually remembered that part,” I said, surprised.

“Of course. That’s why Onee-chan and I came here,” Riona replied firmly.

We moved to my room, and I let them in. The sight of girls in my familiar space felt surreal, like I’d stepped into someone else’s life. “…This is my first time having girls in my room, so I’m kinda nervous,” I admitted, my voice low.

“Oh, really? Then we’ve taken another one of Ryouya-kun’s firsts,” Reona said, her tone teasing.

“At this rate, Onee-chan and I will claim all of Ryouya’s firsts,” Riona added, her expression unreadable.

I didn’t think my “firsts” were worth anything, but I let it slide. Riona pulled something from her backpack. “I want to check your current level, so please solve this,” she said, handing me a packet. “It’s a custom mini-test I made, covering second-year material from five subjects.”

“Wait, why do you already have something like that prepared!?” I asked, baffled. We’d only decided to study after school and came straight here—there was no time to prepare this.

“I originally made this for a struggling classmate and just happened to have it,” Riona explained.

“Oh, I see,” I said, relieved.

“Riona’s number one in our grade, so people often ask her to tutor them,” Reona added.

“Try solving it in an hour,” Riona instructed.

“Got it,” I said, taking the test.

Reona, also being tutored, worked on the same test beside me. After an hour, we finished and handed our papers to Riona. “Ryouya-kun, how do you feel about it?” she asked.

“I knew it, but it was a total disaster,” I said, grimacing. “How about you, Reona?”

“I’m iffy on everything but English,” she replied, her tone uncertain.

From her voice, Reona didn’t seem like a strong student, unlike Riona, but she was definitely doing better than me. After a bit, Riona finished grading and returned our tests.

“Ugh, I knew it’d be bad, but this is awful…” I groaned, staring at the results. Over 70% of my answers were wrong—a complete disaster. Math and physics were the worst, with correct rates below 10%.

“I did worse than I thought too,” Reona said, frowning.

“…No way, you did way better than me,” I said, glancing at her test. She’d gotten nearly 80% right—pretty impressive. I’d assumed she’d struggled more, but she was clearly studious.

“By the way, Reona, what was your rank on the last midterm?” I asked.

“Uh… around 30th, I think?” she said, scratching her cheek.

“That’s not bad at all!” I exclaimed.

“Compared to Riona, I’m bad,” she said, pouting.

“Everyone’s bad compared to the top of the grade,” I said, shrugging. With about 300 students in our grade, 30th was upper-tier. I felt a bit tricked, but since Riona was the standard, I let it go.

“Ryouya seems weak in science subjects, so let’s focus on those today,” Riona said, flipping open a textbook.

“Got it. Go easy on me,” I said.

“That works for me too,” Reona added.

Riona pulled out math and physics textbooks and began explaining problems. Her teaching was so clear that even I could follow along easily.

◇

“It’s getting late, so let’s call it a day,” Riona said, closing her book.

“Already that time?” I asked, blinking.

“Time flies when you’re focused,” Reona said, stretching.

We’d been so absorbed in studying that we hadn’t noticed the hours slip by. “It’s starting to get dark outside, so I’ll walk you home,” I offered.

“I didn’t peg you for the type to do that, Ryouya, but you’re pretty proper about it,” Riona said, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, are you planning to whisk me and Riona away somewhere for naughty stuff?” Reona teased, her grin mischievous.

“Hey, don’t turn me into some kind of predator!” I snapped back, flustered. A coward like me could never make a move on a girl, let alone two. As we bantered and headed to the entrance, Mio, wearing an apron, stopped us.

“If Reona-senpai and Riona-senpai don’t mind, want to stay for dinner?” she asked.

“Really, is that okay?” Reona asked, her eyes lighting up.

“Yeah, I made extra anyway,” Mio said, smiling.

“Then we’ll take you up on that,” Riona said.

The four of us moved to the dining room, where the rich aroma of curry filled the air. Since our parents both worked, Mio handled cooking, while I took care of other chores. That’s why neither of us joined clubs.

“Curry rice today, huh?” I said, inhaling deeply.

“Yup. I was gonna make cream stew, but we didn’t have the mix, so it became curry rice,” Mio explained.

“It smells amazing,” Reona said, practically drooling.

“Can’t wait,” Riona added, her usually calm face softening.

Mio and I prepared the curry rice and a side salad, insisting that Reona and Riona, as guests, sit and relax. “Mom’s not back yet?” I asked Mio.

“Nah, she’ll probably be home soon, so let’s eat first,” she replied.

“We gotta greet Ryouya-kun’s mom when she gets back,” Reona said.

“We didn’t talk much last time, so I want to chat with Ryouya’s mom properly this time,” Riona added.

They’d mentioned getting info about my hospital stay from my family, so they must’ve spoken to Mom then. After setting the table, we dug into the curry rice.

“It was just the three of you in the room, but Onii-chan didn’t do anything weird to Reona-senpai or Riona-senpai, right?” Mio asked, her tone half-teasing, half-suspicious.

“Sadly, Ryouya-kun didn’t do a thing,” Reona said, feigning disappointment.

“Didn’t even lay a finger on us,” Riona added, her voice deadpan.

“Well, Onii-chan’s always been a wimp,” Mio said, smirking.

“…I don’t get why I’m being criticized for this,” I muttered. If anything, I deserved praise for keeping things strictly platonic with two beautiful girls.

As we chatted noisily, the front door clicked open. “I’m home,” Mom called out, then paused. “Oh, aren’t you two…”

“We’re Tsurugi Reona and Riona, the ones Ryouya-kun saved,” Reona said, standing to greet her. “Thank you for your help back then.”

“We came today to thank Ryouya,” Riona added.

“Oh, is that so?” Mom said, her face softening.

Reona and Riona chatted with Mom, who quickly warmed to them. As expected from the queens of the school caste, their charm was irresistible. As a loner, I felt I could learn a thing or two from them.

“If either Reona-chan or Riona-chan became Ryouya’s wife, it’d be a huge help,” Mom said, half-serious.

“Mom, sorry, but that’s impossible,” Mio cut in. “There’s no way Onii-chan could ever match up to Reona-senpai or Riona-senpai.”

“Hey, don’t make me face reality so hard. It’s super depressing,” I groaned.

“But it’s the truth,” Mio said, unrelenting.

After about an hour of lively chatter, Reona and Riona decided to head home. I couldn’t let them walk alone at night, so I accompanied them.

“Today was fun,” Riona said, her voice soft.

“It was exhausting with everything that happened, but yeah, it was fun,” I admitted.

“We’re doing the study session tomorrow too, so get ready, Ryouya and Onee-chan,” Riona said firmly.

“Got it,” I said.

“Yup, let’s do our best tomorrow,” Reona added, her smile bright.

And so, my first day back at school, packed with unexpected events, came to a peaceful close.