Tokyo's Phantom Thief

"…"

While Rinto and her older sister were laughing and goofing around, Yoshizawa Sumire quietly bit her lip, pretending not to care.

Her senpai's sunny smile was just as charming as ever, and now there was a hint of youthful boyishness that made it even more dazzling. She couldn't look away.

…But ever since her sister arrived, she hadn't gotten a single word in.

The entire mood had been hijacked by her lively older twin.

Even Rinto, without realizing it, was completely pulled into her orbit—his full attention on Kasumi.

She's amazing… I'm so jealous… Onee-chan is really something.

Though Sumire looked gentle and pure on the outside, the truth was, she was just as curious about "bad things" as any girl her age… But she could never express herself as effortlessly and openly as her sister did.

Where does that confidence come from? That fearless courage to speak her heart, without ever worrying about being rejected by the person she likes…

Sumire, still the Cinderella coated in coal dust, couldn't reconcile with herself.

She even felt like she didn't belong in the same space—like she should've been under the car, not inside it.

She belonged on the outside, clapping and cheering them on. Just the supporting role to this golden couple…

"—Right, Sumire?"

Sumire flinched. "Eh? What?"

She had been deep in her gloomy fantasy, imagining her crush and her sister joyriding in the car while she listened helplessly from behind the window.

Kasumi puffed up her cheeks when she noticed her zoning out:

"I said, what if we all skip class today? Rinto-nii can skip work, too. The three of us can go out together and talk about what happened yesterday."

"I thought maybe a hotel would be a good spot, but Rinto-nii started going on about how 'minors can't book hotel rooms' and stuff. —But like, if we bring Momoka-san with us and have her check in for us, it's totally fine, right? We can split the cost evenly, and then spend a few comfy hours in a nice place. Very practical, no?"

"Haah…"

Even Sumire felt a little exhausted hearing her sister's latest over-the-top scheme.

She couldn't tell whether Kasumi was serious, joking, or joking about being serious.

…And if she's already suggesting renting a hotel room, then if I hadn't been around last night, would she really have dragged Rinto-senpai into—

Her mind spiraled down that dangerous path. The imagined setting quickly shifted from car interiors to love hotels… Wait, why was it a car earlier??

Seeing Sumire fall silent again, Kasumi furrowed her brow in concern.

She leaned in close and gently cupped her sister's slightly warm cheeks.

"Seriously, Sumire, you've been completely out of it. You didn't even react when I was trying to make you laugh… Are you really okay?"

Kasumi brushed aside Sumire's bangs and pressed their foreheads together without hesitation.

Their identical faces—near-perfect copies of one another—were now pressed gently against each other. Sumire could clearly see the worry in her sister's eyes.

Kasumi continued:

"If there's anything bothering you, you have to tell me. Or Rinto-nii. You don't have to hide anything from us, okay? We'll always be on your side—I promise."

"…Mm. Thank you, onee-chan."

Sumire gave a shy smile and hugged her twin tightly.

The two of them then leaned in close like proper cute girls, snapped a selfie together, and sent it to their parents as proof they were safe.

Rinto tactfully stepped away, nodding like a proud dad. Though let's be honest—if he were their actual dad, he'd be guarding them like Fort Knox.

"…?"

Just for a moment, in the blink of an eye—

Rinto thought he saw Sumire turn and glance at him, her eyes suddenly glowing an inhuman gold.

It made him tense up for a split second.

But when he looked again, the sisters were still chatting together, not even facing him.

…Am I overthinking it?

Maybe it was just nerves from everything that happened yesterday.

Rinto frowned slightly, tucking that detail away in the back of his mind.

"Hey, hey, Rinto-nii."

As soon as Sumire headed to the bathroom to change, Kasumi slid up next to him at the sink where he was doing the dishes.

Her swaying ponytail carried the familiar scent of the shampoo she always used—the comforting kind Rinto smelled every morning and instinctively associated with "safe."

She stood on her tiptoes, leaning in close, practically breathing against his ear:

"So, last night… Sumire went into that gloomy Metaverse place, right? You took her there? And didn't tell me? What, was that some kind of secret bull cuckold play? Trying to awaken my hidden kink for getting NTR'd?"

"…Where do you even learn these words?"

Rinto looked genuinely taken aback, his eye twitching.

Kasumi puffed out her chest with an odd sense of pride, flashing a mischievous grin:

"You know, these days, girls our age are really into spicy nighttime novels. Some of us even share stories and write our own. It's a great way to blow off steam."

"Actually, I made a friend online not long ago—a girl who dropped out of high school to audition for bands in Tokyo. She's really good at stress relief. Way better than most options. Don't you think it's a healthier outlet, Rinto-nii~?"

Rinto's face froze. "…Honestly, I'd rather not know how beautiful teenage girls blow off stress."

A lie.

In truth, Rinto was dying to know. He wanted to hear everything.

Because 17-year-old curiosity is 100% pure and unfiltered. It's science.

But he had an image to maintain. As the idol in the eyes of these twin sisters, Rinto had his pride to uphold—his image!

He held back the desperate urge to ask for details. Truthfully, he also kind of wanted to be introduced to that dropout rock girl…

He cleared his throat and replied with all the fake-serious dignity he could muster:

"You've got it wrong, Kasumi. I didn't take Sumire there. She got pulled in by accident."

"We'll talk more tonight after your training session, okay? Think you two can make time?"

"Of course!" Kasumi's eyes sparkled.

"I'll tell Dad we're going on a date with you tonight, so he and Mom should eat without us! …Though you should be careful too, Rinto-nii. If you slip up and the Public Prosecutor's Office gets wind of it, we might end up visiting you in jail someday~"

That was… not funny at all.

And judging by how guilty Rinto looked, it hit way too close to home.