Tokyo's Phantom Thief

"Mmmnn…"

Yoshizawa Sumire stirred awake with a soft murmur.

She didn't even open her eyes at first—her hands reached out instinctively, searching for warmth, terrified that her beloved senpai might have left.

Thankfully, Asakura Rinto was still there, ever thoughtful.

He gently patted the younger girl's back, and the moment her lashes fluttered open, he greeted her right away:

"Morning, Sumire. Sleep well?"

"…Senpai, I love you."

Her gaze was so sticky and affectionate it was practically dripping. Rinto could almost see the heart-shaped flames flickering in her eyes.

This girl was clearly still half-asleep—who wakes up and confesses love as their first sentence of the day?

So much for hoping she'd forget last night's confession. Rinto felt his face go a little stiff from secondhand embarrassment.

But he quickly smoothed it over and replied with the safest, smoothest tone he could muster, wearing a sunny smile:

"Mm, Sumire's the cutest and sweetest. I like you too. It's still early, and your sister's not here yet, so I'll go make us some breakfast."

"…Okay."

Despite herself, the perceptive girl felt a small pang of disappointment.

She could tell—his response wasn't the kind of reply you gave to a romantic confession. It was more like something you'd say to a pet, like a puppy or a kitten.

…Though honestly, Sumire thought, if senpai wanted, I'd be fine being his dog.

If he liked it, she'd totally be down for a collar, spread-knees, kneeling-at-his-feet barking kind of play… She'd read about it plenty in her favorite late-night novels.

But not now. She didn't want to scare off her (possibly) pure-hearted senpai.

So Sumire, cautious and humble, just accepted his kindness with shy gratitude and sugary sweetness in her chest.

The Yoshizawa sisters were both early risers with well-kept routines.

Normally, their mornings followed a pretty consistent rhythm: they'd arrive early at Rinto's place, Sumire would go start breakfast, and Kasumi—under the pretense of waking him—would sneak into his bed, only for Sumire to "accidentally" walk in and catch them in the act.

But since Sumire had stayed the night this time, she ended up waking even earlier than usual.

Rinto, naturally, took on the responsibility of cooking for his younger kouhai, who had just been through a traumatic experience the day before.

Sumire, with her full heart hanging on his every move, understood his intentions perfectly—and accepted his care with open arms.

Still, once he left the room and she remained in bed, she couldn't help but roll around and sulk a little.

So in the end… senpai really isn't the type to make a move that easily, huh…?

Guess he's already built up immunity from all the times onee-chan crawled into his bed. Just sleeping next to him while being well-behaved obviously isn't enough…

Beneath her seemingly sweet exterior, Sumire's thoughts turned a little more devious.

Rinto had always carried himself with a calm and maturity far beyond his age, always keeping a certain distance from people.

Compared to the thick, gloomy haze of the Metaverse, Sumire felt that Rinto's emotional walls were even harder to penetrate. Getting through to his heart seemed near impossible.

…But it's okay. I've already taken a huge step forward!

What Rinto didn't realize was that—while Sumire had been scared yesterday—none of it had become black history for her.

Now that she'd had a night to rest and reflect, she actually saw it as a massive breakthrough!

After all, this was now a secret just between the two of them—something not even her sister Kasumi shared. She was one step ahead.

That thought made her more giddy than afraid. Her pulse throbbed with excitement and joy.

"Senpai… your scent… I love it."

Sumire moaned softly and flopped onto Rinto's pillow, hugging it tightly and burying her face as she sniffed with wild abandon, drinking in the essence of her beloved.

Rinto might seem mature, but even he didn't realize—

Girls his age were no different from boys in a lot of ways.

Everyone, at their core, was just a hormone-driven monkey in heat.

By the time Kasumi arrived, Rinto had already made breakfast and was eating with Sumire.

She noticed her little sister was still in pajamas but looked well-rested and in good spirits, and immediately let out a relieved sigh:

"Thank goodness. I was really worried something had happened to you, Sumire. But I guess I was overthinking it… I brought your clothes and shoes, and a toothbrush and stuff… Oh, do you need any morning-after pills? We're technically underage, so we might get flagged buying it at a pharmacy—think we'll make it in time if I have our coach pick some up?"

CLACK!

Rinto set his bowl down with a dramatic slam.

He fixed the overly excited twins with a deeply serious look and scolded:

"Kasumi. What do you think I am? Some scumbag who takes advantage of girls and runs off with them in the night?!"

Kasumi raised her chin defiantly. "Well, that depends on how the situation unfolds."

Bolder than expected, she wrapped her arms around her little sister and huffed:

"Last night, Mom and I held a long emergency family meeting—and we agreed, it's totally possible something happened! I mean, just look at my little sister—she's super cute, right? She's not even seventeen yet and already has a perfect figure. Curves in all the right places, and that adorable little face? She makes Asuka Saito look big! Seriously, what has this kid been eating to turn out this cute?!" (●´□`)♡

You look exactly the same, you narcissist… Rinto twitched at the corner of his eye.

After snuggling up to her sister for a bit, Kasumi struck a dramatic pose and pointed a finger like an idol on stage:

"My little sister is the #1 beauty in the universe—there's no way any man wouldn't fall for her! And you, Rinto-nii, are a totally healthy high school guy! How could you sleep next to her all night and nothing happened?!"

"So come on, there's no need to hide it from me! I'm totally on your side! So—how did things escalate? Was the first kiss with tongue? What came next?! Tell me everything! I'm so excited!! (*＞∀＜)☆"

Yep. Rinto understood now.

Kasumi was the real teenage monkey here. Her entire brain was just gossip and trashy fantasies.

She was so excited she practically started squealing like a piglet. Completely mismatched with the elegant, refined supermodel image she usually gave off—but in a weird way, Rinto found her even more likeable like this.

"Alright, calm down—you're gonna scare Sumire."

Instead of scolding, he just lightly tapped her on the head like a big brother would:

"I swear on every last yen in my savings account—I didn't lay a finger on her. And come on, how many times have you woken up in my arms? I didn't touch you, so why would I touch Sumire?"

Kasumi: "Ehh~? Not necessarily~. Actually, I've noticed you're very energetic in the mornings. If Sumire ever shows up a few minutes late, who knows what might happen~ ♪ I even have photos—wanna see? …Too bad, I'm not showing you~ (≖ᴗ≖✿)"

And just like that, the three of them erupted into playful chaos, darting around the broken-down apartment, laughter and teasing echoing through the shabby little space.

The air inside was filled with light and warmth.