As the modest birthday celebration drew to a close, Tatsuya and the others boarded their respective automated cabinets to head home. As Miyuki and Minami prepared to step into their own vehicle, they paused, watching with growing suspicion as Erika climbed in right behind them. They turned their eyes toward Tatsuya, seeking an explanation for this irregularity.
"Erika will be staying at our house tonight," Tatsuya stated flatly. "I assume there's no problem with that?"
"O-oh... No, of course not," Miyuki stammered. Her composure wavered for a second before she pivoted. "But Brother, we don't have a spare guest room for Erika to use."
"She'll be staying in my room."
The atmosphere in the cabinet shifted instantly. The expressions on Miyuki and Minami's faces underwent a radical transformation. In their minds, staying in Tatsuya's room was synonymous with spending the night with Tatsuya—an intimacy they had no intention of allowing to happen without a fight.
"In that case, Brother," Miyuki interjected, her voice tight with forced sweetness, "perhaps Erika could use my room, and I could stay in yours?"
"No, I couldn't possibly trouble you like that, Lady Miyuki," Minami added quickly, stepping into the fray. "Ms. Chiba can have my room. I will simply lay out a futon in Master Tatsuya's room and sleep there."
"Um... excuse me?" Erika finally spoke up, unable to stay quiet any longer. "I'm Tatsuya-kun's girlfriend, you know? I don't really see why you two feel the need to wedge yourselves in the middle of this."
Erika understood exactly what they were worried about, but she wasn't backing down. To solidify her position, she had made it her mission to overcome their sabotage and stay in Tatsuya's room by any means necessary. Tatsuya, fully aware of the storm brewing around him, chose to remain a silent observer.
"Erika," Miyuki said, her tone sharpening. "As I recall, when you first enrolled, you refused your father's offer to set up an apartment for you. Why this sudden urge to leave the Chiba estate now?"
"Back then, I just thought living alone would be a pain," Erika shrugged. "But moving into Tatsuya-kun's place is a different story. It means I don't have to look at my shitty old man's face, or deal with that spinster hag of a sister."
"My duty is to look after the daily needs of Master Tatsuya and Lady Miyuki," Minami noted stoically. "Looking after a member of the Chiba clan is not in my job description."
"I can take care of myself, thanks," Erika shot back. "Besides, that old man is loaded. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to send me an allowance just to get me out of his hair."
"But Erika," Miyuki pressed, "do you really think your father will allow you to live in a man's room? Regardless of... your circumstances regarding the legal wife, you are still his daughter. Would he truly permit his own flesh and blood to simply crawl into a man's bed? I thought the Chiba family was quite strict about such matters of decorum."
As masters of swordsmanship, the Chiba family did indeed place a heavy emphasis on public image and tradition. But Erika couldn't have cared less.
"I've only been officially recognized as a daughter of the Chiba family for a little over a year," Erika said with a smirk. "Do you really expect me to have mastered all their stuffy etiquette in that time? It's actually pretty convenient—being the 'new' daughter gives me a lot of leeway to be ignorant."
"But—but still—!"
"That's enough," Tatsuya intervened, deciding the debate had reached its limit. He understood their motivations perfectly, but he knew the bickering wouldn't stop unless he put an end to it. "Why are you two treating Erika like the enemy?"
He turned his gaze to Minami. "And Minami, you're living with us as my cousin. Tending to our needs isn't a 'job' you're forced into."
"Tatsuya-kun, I think I get the gist of the situation," Erika whispered, eyeing the girls.
"Furthermore," Tatsuya continued, "Erika is my guest. Don't you think you're being quite rude to her?"
Minami bowed her head. "...I apologize, Ms. Chiba."
"Erika is fine," she replied breezily. "I can't stand being called 'Chiba' anyway."
As Erika made the casual request, Minami glanced at Tatsuya. She was clearly struggling with whether it was appropriate for someone in her position to address a guest of Tatsuya's so familiarly.
"She said she prefers it," Tatsuya nodded. "Go ahead."
"Then, Erika... please forgive my repeated rudeness," Minami said formally.
"Don't sweat it. I kind of get how you and Miyuki feel," Erika said, her voice softening. "It's not that different from the feelings I was dealing with until just a little while ago."
"Erika... I'm sorry," Miyuki whispered, looking down. "Even though you two are officially dating, I couldn't help but feel... well, jealous of the idea of you being so intimate with my brother."
Tatsuya watched as a strange sense of feminine solidarity began to re-establish itself. He felt a small jolt of shock—he hadn't realized his sister had been dwelling on such things so intensely.
Upon arriving at the house, Erika dropped her few belongings in Tatsuya's room. She always carried a basic change of clothes with her, so she could manage for the night, but if she was truly going to run away from home, she'd eventually have to return to the Chiba estate to pack properly.
"Tatsuya-kun, you're busy tomorrow, right?"
"I have a meeting in the morning, and Shizuku is hosting a party in the evening. I have a small window of time in the afternoon—will that be enough?"
"More than enough! All I need to do is squeeze a promise of financial support out of my shitty dad, and then show off my amazing boyfriend to that old hag sister of mine."
Tatsuya gave her a dry look. "You can be surprisingly calculating, Erika."
"I learned from the best," she teased with a radiant grin.
Tatsuya could only manage a wry smile. He was well aware of his own Machiavellian tendencies, but having them pointed out so bluntly gave him pause.
"You know, maybe I should just change my name to Shiba," Erika mused. "Shiba Erika. Doesn't it have a nice ring to it?"
"Well, you're going from Chiba to Shiba," Tatsuya noted. "Phonetically, there's barely a difference."
"Maybe, but even the kanji looks right, doesn't it?"
"I suppose it suits you," he admitted.
Erika's expression turned slightly more serious. "...Miyuki is a Yotsuba, right?"
"Yes."
"Then Tatsuya-kun, you're also..."
"I am not," Tatsuya said, his voice flat as he stated the cold fact. "I have the blood, but I am not recognized as a member of the family."
Erika had asked tentatively, but Tatsuya's bluntness caught her off guard. She had suspected as much, so the confirmation wasn't a total shock, but the weight of it was heavy.
"Then... that means there's nothing stopping us? We can keep dating? We can even get married?!"
"Once Minami is fully trained and independent," Tatsuya said, "I'll likely be cast off and discarded by the family anyway."
"Discarded? That's a bit of an old-fashioned way to put it, Tatsuya-kun... Wait, what do you mean, discarded?"
Erika had always sensed that the relationship between Tatsuya and Miyuki wasn't that of normal siblings. But as Tatsuya began to explain what the future held, the revelations were far more jarring than she ever expected.
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