"Whoosh—"
A little past 7 a.m., Seika pulled open the curtains.
Sunlight poured in immediately, making her sleepy eyes squint.
The snow that had started yesterday evening had already stopped. Everywhere within view was a blanket of white.
Used to life in a bustling city, she now found this early morning view of nature and forest quite refreshing—it soothed the soul.
She opened the window to stretch and breathe in some fresh air.
But the moment she did, the freezing wind rushed in and taught her a harsh lesson. She hissed and hurriedly shut the window.
The bed was messy.
Lifting the covers, she saw a pillow standing upright with a coat loosely draped over it—the same coat Chisato had laid on her shoulders last night out of worry she'd catch a cold.
With a blank face, Seika picked up the now-wrinkled coat that she'd unknowingly hugged all night, gave it a shake to smooth it out, and hung it neatly on the rack.
Hmm… I was drunk last night.
She thought to herself silently.
Even though she'd insisted in the lobby that she wasn't drunk—that people don't get drunk so easily, and all that—come on, can you really trust the words of someone who's drunk?
Besides, she had always liked hugging something to sleep.
Nijika knew that. At home, it was a giant plushie. When traveling, lacking that option, she'd just hug a pillow instead.
As for the coat… why was it on the pillow?
Who knows? When you're drunk, it's not surprising to wake up to all sorts of inexplicable things.
After all, your thoughts and consciousness aren't under your own control.
She still remembered a few years ago at an old classmates' gathering—she got so happy that she drank too much and ended up cooking a full three-dish-one-soup meal in the kitchen instead of going to bed.
The next morning, Nijika was shocked.
It would've been perfect if she hadn't passed out on the toilet that time.
Thinking about all these silly things, Seika made her way to the bathroom.
Although she herself didn't feel much, having been complained to countless times by Nijika in the past, she naturally understood—she was definitely reeking of something unpleasant right now. The typical smell of alcohol.
They were meeting up soon to head to the ski resort, so it would be best to wash the stench off.
She took off her clothes, exposing her long legs and fair skin to the air.
Although Seika usually preferred loose, casual clothes that didn't draw attention, her figure was actually quite impressive.
She was the complete opposite of her younger sister—just like the difference between a certain pair of Yukinoshita sisters.
She grabbed a towel and stood under the showerhead.
As she rinsed off, Seika tilted her head and supported her chest with a hand. Was it just her imagination, or had it gotten bigger again?
But come on—she was already twenty-five or twenty-six. Would her body really still be developing at this stage of life?
That was pushing it.
And it wasn't like she'd been eating especially well recently.
Her nutritional intake hadn't changed from before, so it didn't make sense for her body to suddenly shift like this.
With a sigh, she decided not to think too hard about it.
After showering and getting dressed, she checked her phone and saw that Chisato had already sent a message to the group chat about meeting up.
By the time she arrived at the hotel restaurant, the others had already gathered. A large group was seated at the window-side table—including Utaha and Eriri.
Judging by how Utaha and Eriri were chatting and laughing, they had already become quite friendly.
In just one evening, they had managed to integrate into Kesshoku Band's little circle.
From a certain perspective, that wasn't a bad thing.
After all, because of Chisato, it seemed inevitable that she would have to interact with those two in the future.
As soon as Nijika spotted her sister, she waved energetically from across the room.
Seika smiled and walked over, taking the seat that had been left empty for her, and offered a light greeting to the others.
Breakfast was relatively simple, but the atmosphere was lively.
It was only after sitting down that Seika understood why Nijika and the others had opened up so easily and weren't keeping their distance from the other two.
The main reason was that girl named Eriri.
Just like her eye-catching golden hair, her personality was bright as well. She was outgoing but not overbearing, talkative but not annoying.
While sharing snippets of her daily life, she subtly learned about the others and gently steered the conversation when needed.
There was never a moment where the conversation fell flat.
All in all, she was the kind of person who was pleasant to be around.
Well-mannered, easy to talk to, generous with sharing, humble, emotionally intelligent, and—most importantly—very pretty.
Seika silently gave Eriri such a glowing evaluation in her mind.
As for the other person who had suddenly joined the trip—Utaha—Seika had a completely different impression.
Unlike Eriri's warmth and sociability, Utaha gave off a quiet vibe—but not the shy kind.
It was the kind of quiet that clearly carried a sense of distance, a deliberate aloofness that set her apart.
If not for Eriri's personality, Seika was certain the atmosphere at the table wouldn't have been this relaxed.
But from her perspective, Seika didn't think Utaha was doing it on purpose.
That girl's personality likely just didn't allow her to be openly enthusiastic around people she wasn't yet familiar with.
That much was kind of similar to Seika herself.
However… the things she was doing under the table were nothing like her.
No matter how much she liked someone, Seika would never secretly pull that kind of stunt in public.
At first, when she saw the tiny, awkward twitches in Chisato's expression, she had just assumed he hadn't slept well last night and was feeling a bit off.
But gradually, as she noticed the synchronization between Chisato's shifting expressions and the occasional soft smile appearing on Utaha's face beside him, Seika started to understand.
She hated how fast she figured it out.
Who would've thought that something out of a risqué manga would happen so blatantly in real life?
But wasn't this kind of thing—teasing your partner and enjoying their embarrassed reactions—supposed to be done by the guy to the girl?
Why was it the other way around here?
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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