"Sorry, the Store Manager is not for sale!" Chisato forced the words out through gritted teeth.
Jhin walked out from behind the counter and rested a hand on Chisato's head to calm her down. "Alright, Kazuki, stop teasing her."
"Huh? ...Kazuki... Jhin-nii's older sister??"
"Chisato, hold on a second." Jhin pulled Kurumi out from behind the counter and had her stand face-to-face with Kazami Kazuki. Side by side, Kurumi turned out to be about ten centimeters shorter than her.
A snort of laughter burst out of Chisato, and her bright laugh echoed through the café. "Hahahaha, Kurumi, you're actually this short!"
Kurumi wasn't bothered by the mockery. She propped her chin with a sleeve-covered hand and circled around Kazami Kazuki, remarking, "You wicked woman, even your photos and videos were fake."
"Better safe than sorry, Miss Kurumi."
Jhin, curious what fake image his sister had used to fool her, asked, "Do you have any of the fake photos of Kazuki? Let me see."
"Here, on the tablet. Take a look yourself."
Jhin took the tablet she handed over and swiped a couple of times. A photo of an adult Kazami Kazuki, somewhere in her twenties or thirties, appeared before him — probably something Nymph had fabricated based on how she'd look once grown up. The image was stunning, but he still preferred her current appearance.
He handed the tablet back to Kurumi and turned toward the kitchen. "What do you want to eat?"
"Little brother's special milk."
"Sexual harassment is prohibited on the premises. Name something proper."
"But you know perfectly well that little brother counts as normal food to me."
"Got it. I'll come by the house tomorrow to keep you company, so bear with it for now."
"Good boy. Then get me a soufflé cake with black tea."
"Understood."
The exchange left Chisato and Kurumi stunned, especially Chisato, whose face carried the devastated look of someone watching their cherished ideal get sullied.
Kazami Kazuki curled her pink lips, her piercing gaze settling on Chisato. "Miss Nishikigi Chisato."
"Wha-what is it, Sister Kazuki?" Chisato forced an obedient smile.
"Mm~ I like well-behaved children. Do your best, in every respect."
What did she mean by that?
Was she encouraging her to go after Jhin-nii?
Was this for real?
Kurumi had no interest in staying exposed to Kazami Kazuki's sharp gaze, and the moment Jhin headed to the kitchen, she slipped off to the break room. Chisato's mind had short-circuited from that one remark, and she stood there dazed, tray still in hand.
"Chisato, Chisato? Chisato!!"
"Huh?" Chisato snapped back as if waking from a dream, only then realizing Jhin was calling her to fetch the dish from the kitchen. "Coming!"
The fluffy, soft soufflé cake was topped with cream and golden honey, garnished with strawberries and blueberries — practically a must-order dessert for any girl with a sweet tooth.
Kazami Kazuki cut off a small piece dipped in honey and elegantly brought it to her mouth with a fork. After swallowing, she praised her little brother's skill. "Still as delicious as ever. I'm almost regretting letting you be the Store Manager here."
"Don't worry, I'll still come back to cook for you all at school now and then. If it comes to it, just bring them all over here for dessert — saves me the trouble of billing you separately."
"Jhin-nii, who do you mean by 'them'?"
"Oh, just my classmates at school. Good friends of mine."
"I... I see." Chisato's heart, which hadn't quite settled, was yanked right back up by what Kazami Kazuki said next.
She licked the cream from the corner of her mouth and added, "Good friends and girlfriends, isn't that more accurate?"
Thud. Unable to withstand the blow, Chisato's head slammed onto the counter, and she went still.
"Kazuki, was that really necessary?"
"Aww, does it hurt to see her like that?"
Jhin walked over to Chisato with a sigh, carried her to the lounge area with the sofas, and set her down, casually healing away the redness and swelling on her forehead. "No matter how you look at it, she's a kid I saved. Of course I care about her."
"A kid... is she? You must know what she really feels, don't you?"
"I do. I've known since the first moment we met. But if it's just gratitude driving her, that's not what I want. And you know I'm a greedy man."
His fingertips brushed through Chisato's soft hair, and after retying her loosened hair ribbon, he finally stood and looked at Kazami Kazuki. "For a girl I love, I want to claim everything — soul and body both."
Jhin's aggressive gaze left Kazami Kazuki's body feeling faintly heated, her breath quickening for a moment, but she kept the elegant composure befitting an older sister as she praised him. "Fine ambition, and fine possessiveness. Then I'll look forward to seeing you prove it, little brother."
"Don't worry, I will."
"As a reward, let me tell you some good news. That Eromanga Sensei? I'm actually her sponsor."
"Sponsor? Is she the first generation, or—"
"Heh, you even know about that. The first generation was a good person, just unlucky. Her second husband was unfortunate too — died in an accident on a business trip. She passed away herself before you brought back your biotech, leaving behind a lonely, orphaned daughter."
"Before she died, the first generation entrusted her daughter to my care. Unfortunately, I'm not much interested in raising a little sister, so I've just had her work toward inheriting the Eromanga Sensei name all this time. Fortunately, she's proven herself capable enough to build up a bit of a name for herself."
"Kazuki... don't tell me you've got surveillance cameras in this café too."
Kazami Kazuki chuckled softly and crossed her legs. "Guess."
As if I need to guess. I never told you about Eriri collaborating with Eromanga Sensei, yet you call it good news — if there's no surveillance here, I'll go let Gabriel step on me at her place, fine!
"Well, I've said about all there is to say, so I'll head back now. Remember to come home and keep me company tomorrow."
"Got it. Be careful on the way."
With the café's poster girl (Chisato's self-proclaimed title) passed out and Kurumi off slacking again, there was no way the café could keep running. Jhin promptly went outside and flipped the sign to "Closed."
With no one around, he pulled a permanent marker out of his storage space and crept toward Chisato with a mischievous grin, drawing cat whiskers and dark eye circles on her soft face.
When he stood back up, he found Kurumi had come out at some point and was staring at him with the look one gives absolute scum. "Doing something like that to an unconscious young girl..."
"Well, I'm the Store Manager! Hey, slacker over there, come let me draw all over your face too!"
"Like hell I'd obey that!" Kurumi shot him a glare, snatched a cola off the drink cabinet on her way, and darted back into the break room.
"I really don't know what that shut-in does holed up in the closet all day. I should sneak in and take a look sometime."
A mechanical synthesized voice sounded from the drone hovering above Jhin's head. "Peeping tom."
____
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