"I'm home..."

I pushed the door open gently and called out in a hushed voice. It was already 1 a.m. when I got back—pitch-black darkness filled the house. Hidetomo and the others must’ve been asleep.

Fumbling through the inky blackness, I made my way to the bathroom. Rubbing my tired eyes, I peeled off my day-old clothes and stepped under the shower.

After a quick rinse, I walked out of the bathroom completely naked, dried myself with a towel, and—

The moment I opened the bathroom door, Ruri stood right there in a pink nightgown, hand resting on the doorknob. She’d probably come to use the toilet.

Wait—wasn’t I still completely naked?!

I glanced down at myself, then back at her drowsy face...

Ruri blinked slowly, studying the figure before her. It took a few seconds for her to realize it was her older brother.

Another beat passed. Her face flushed crimson—a mix of embarrassment, anger, and something oddly curious in her eyes...

Now fully awake, she finally noticed her brother wasn’t wearing a single stitch of clothing.

"KYAAAAAH———"

—*SLAP!!*

A sharp smack echoed through the silent house, followed by frantic, stumbling footsteps.

"You idiot—ONII-CHAN!!—"

A red handprint bloomed on my cheek. Ruri, overwhelmed by who-knows-what emotions, dashed back to her room.

I rubbed my stinging cheek, watching her disappear. "Weird... Why didn’t her affection points drop? Shouldn’t they plummet after something like this...?"

Puzzled, I trudged back to my room and slipped under the covers.

But the moment I settled in, something felt... off.

Not about Ruri’s affection points—I’d neatly made my bed this morning, hadn’t I?

Frowning, I yanked the blanket aside.

"Just as I thought..."

There lay Hidetomo-kun, curled up with a pillow, fast asleep on my bed. The sudden chill made him shiver. He blinked awake slowly.

"Oh... Nii-chan’s back..." He yawned deeply, hugging his pillow as he sat up. "I waited for you in your room... waited so long I fell asleep..."

His voice faded into a mumble. He collapsed back onto the bed—and was snoring softly again.

I watched his sleepy face, tiny lips still smacking faintly as if mid-sentence. Dressed in light blue pajamas, he looked almost identical to Ruri. If I didn’t know his true gender, I might’ve mistaken him for a girl...

Shaking my head, I lifted him gently, carried him to his own room, tucked him in, and returned to my bed. Exhausted from the chaotic first day of school, I fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.

——————

*Ding-ding—ding-ding—*

Morning sunlight spilled over my quilt. The alarm clock on my desk blared to life.

A weary hand emerged from the covers and slapped the snooze button. The shrill ringing died instantly, leaving only silence.

The hand retreated back under the warm blanket. I drifted off again...

Thirty minutes later, Hidetomo-kun—fully dressed—burst into my room and pounced on the lump under my quilt.

"Onii-chan!~ Onii-chan!~ Wake up!~ You’ll be late!!" His childish voice and the shaking quilt jolted me halfway to consciousness.

"Five more minutes... just five..." My muffled plea came from under the covers.

"Onii-chan!! Get up and make breakfast!!!"

"*Cough*... Hidetomo... you won’t believe this, but an invincible being sealed me inside this quilt..." My voice turned dramatic under the covers. The whole bundle trembled violently. "Ahhh—the seal’s too strong! I can’t break free! Run, Hidetomo! Save yourself!!—"

"... ..."

Silence fell outside the quilt. Smirking, I adjusted my pillow, ready to steal another nap.

"Onii-chan!! Don’t be scared!! I’m here!!!—"

The quilt ripped away. Morning chill flooded over me, scattering all traces of sleep.

"Hahaha! The seal on Nii-chan is broken! By the Hero—Hidetomo!!"

I sat up with a sigh, shooting him a flat look. "Yeah, yeah... thank you, *Hero-sama*..."

Resigned, I dragged myself out of bed, grabbed fresh clothes from the closet, and got dressed.

In the bathroom mirror, I saw my own dark-circled eyes. I rushed through brushing my teeth and washing my face.

Downstairs, Ruri and Hidetomo sat quietly at the dining table. I slipped into the kitchen and got to work.

Minutes later, sandwiches landed on the table.

"Dig in~ dig in~"

I pulled out a chair and sat down, nibbling my sandwich while stealing cautious glances at Ruri’s head.

—Just as before. Her affection points hadn’t changed one bit after last night’s incident.

I still had no clue why.

Human hearts were too complicated—especially girls’. Even after years of careful study, I’d never fully grasped how they worked...

If only I could unlock Saitama’s psychic powers... With mind-reading, winning over girls wouldn’t be such a struggle...

Every girl was different. Knowing their preferences could multiply your success rate—even with rock-bottom affection points.

"... Ruri. This weekend... let’s go to the amusement park together."

"The amusement park?! Awesome!!" Hidetomo cheered.

"The amusement park? ...If it’s with you, Onii-chan, I’d rather not."

"... ..."

—*See?* If I could just read minds and tailor my approach... things wouldn’t end like this.