My heart dropped the moment those words left Reina's mouth. "Shit, how does she know?! Is she going to tell them? What's going to happen to our relationship?" Thoughts flooded my mind because the last thing I wanted was for what I had built, the relationship I had made with the girls, to get shattered and become irreparable. That was the whole reason I lied in the first place. But now, standing here, the only thing that kept the corridor from being completely silent was the distant voices of other students. Reina stared straight into my eyes, making sure I couldn’t wiggle my way out of this one.

  "Haha, what do you mean, Reina? I've only just learned this myself." I said, doing my best to keep the lie going.

  "You can't fool me, Souta. The look in your eye when we told you about the note it was a look of fear, one that you've been hiding away from us," Reina declared with authority, her hands had gone pale from how hard she was tensing them.

  "Shit. This isn’t good; she’s onto me," I thought to myself.

  I stood there, my eyes drifting anywhere but at Reina, trying to think of anything, just anything, that could become an excuse, something to get Reina off my back. But nothing came to mind. And just as I realised I couldn’t say anything to change Reina’s mind, my gaze dropped. I took a deep breath.

  "This is it. Reina’s going to tell her sisters; then I’m finished," I thought, mentally preparing myself to tell Reina the truth.

  I took in a deep breath before letting it all out, "Y-you're right, I’m sorry for lying to you, Reina," I started. Reina's face hadn’t changed as she allowed me to continue.

  "It’s just that the first time this happened was when we first arrived at this place. At that point, I never really took the thing seriously. Until it started happening again and again, and I kept seeing this guy staring at you girls. I’m still not even sure who it is that he’s after, and since then, this thing has been driving me crazy," I said, my voice devoid of any jokes or anything other than pure regret and sadness.

  "Souta…" Reina called out my name, but it wasn't the usual way she called me, if she ever did. There was almost anger behind her voice. As she said my name, my gaze fully dropped, and at this point, I heard nothing but the sound of footsteps coming toward me.

  Shit… She’s coming to slap me, or worse, spit on me.

  "I-I’m sorry, Reina. Please don’t hate-" I started, but before I could finish, I felt it.

  "Huh…" I muttered slowly, lifting my eyes.

  The feeling of a warm body wrapping around me was something I’d never really felt, except when Saki was kind enough to give me a hug. But this time… It wasn’t Saki.

  It was Reina.

  "You’re so silly, Souta," she whispered into my ear, hugging me tightly.

  "What the? She’s hugging me?!" I thought to myself, my eyes wide. I can’t lie; this might ruin everything, but the fact that her larger-than-normal breasts were pressed against me was a nice feeling, something that also melted away my worries.

  "Reina…" I muttered in disbelief. Thankfully, she let go of me before my imagination could take me to an irretrievable place, and just before I could open my mouth to thank her, she cut me off.

  "Now that was your reward."

  "…"

  Wait, what?

  SLAP!

  In the next moment, as those words left her mouth, a flying hand came at me with a speed I’d never seen before.

  "NGH! AHH!" I cried out in pain. My instant reaction was to grab my cheek.

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  "But W-why, Reina?!" I called out, feeling punished like a child by my mother. Reina quickly shook her hand.

  Ha! Karma!

  Her eyes narrowed at me. "It’s because you lied to me. Why didn’t you come out and tell me, Souta?" Her voice softened as did her expression.

  "I-I-I just told you… If I told you guys, I thought you would hate me for being so useless," I replied. Instead of words, I felt a warm palm caressing the same cheek that had just been slapped. Reina smiled as she rubbed my wounded cheek.

  "Don’t be silly, Souta. We could never hate you or call you useless. Well, we do, but without meaning it, of course."

  "T-thank?" I replied.

  "But never think like that, Souta," she said softly, a faint smile appeared as she still slowly rubbed my cheek. Honestly, I saw Reina in a new light, someone far different from the Reina I knew, the quiet girl who loved to read books, to someone who actually resembled her sisters. She finally took her hand off my cheek, her cheeks slightly flushed as she looked around behind me.

  "Everything okay?" I asked, now confused about why she was being so secretive all of a sudden. My words gave her a jolt as she looked back.

  Her eyes widened before she jolted her hands up "No, no, I just want to tell you a secret." She motioned for me to come closer, and, of course, after receiving that slap, I had no choice but to listen.

  "Please don’t slap me twice," I thought, closing my eyes. I could feel her breath as I got closer and closer until I stopped myself, just in case I accidentally headbutted her.

  "Do you promise not to tell?" she asked.

  "Umm, sure. As long as I’m alive to actually keep that promise."

  "You're funny, Souta," she replied, and as she did, I felt something warm on my wounded cheek, something warmer than my cheek already was.

  My eyes shot open to the sight of Reina's sakura lips against my skin. She quickly pulled back the moment my eyes met hers.

  "Um… That was saying sorry for slapping you so hard!" She stammered, stepping back.

  My heart skipped a beat as the realisation kicked in. Holy moly, she just kissed me. And you best believe that was worth getting slapped for.

  "It's fine, Reina. But please… Um, are you going to tell the others? I don't think I'm ready to tell them yet." I said, hinting at this mysterious man and my involvement. Reina stepped back as she smiled, before putting her finger to her lips and closing one eye. "As long as you solve the mystery, Souta, I'll keep it a secret," she said before turning and running away.

  That was hot.

  Wait, focus, Souta. She said she'll keep it a secret… As long as I solve the mystery, which is fair enough, but still.

  She's trusting me. She doesn't hate me.

  I watched as she rounded the corner and disappeared from view. For a moment, I stood there, and thanks to Reina's words and partially her actions, I felt relieved.

  "Thank you, Reina," I muttered softly, unable to hide my smile and relief.

  *

  Back in the room, the girls had finally realised that Reina was missing.

  “DID REINA JUST GET ABDUCTED UNDER OUR NOSES?!” Nao shouted, her panic manifesting as she ran in circles.

  “OMG, WHAT IS THAT BEAST GOING TO DO TO HER?!” Arisa spun around, her anxiety palpable.

  “Tsch, can you calm down already? I’m sure she’s alright, probably just talking to Souta or one of the teachers,” Yuki interjected, trying to rationalise the situation.

  “YEAH, BUT WHAT IF-” Both girls exclaimed in unison, turning to Yuki. Her eyes widened, and her brow twitched. “They might have a point,” she thought, and without wasting another moment, she headed toward the door.

  Just then, the door swung open to reveal Reina standing on the other side.

  “Hey, everyone! Sorry, I was just talking to the teacher,” she said softly, forcing a smile to mask her own confusion.

  “REINA!” Both Arisa and Nao rushed toward her, but Yuki found herself caught in the middle, getting squished between them.

  “HEY!” Yuki shouted, futilely trying to pull herself free from the embrace of her sisters. Eventually, she surrendered, muttering, “Bunch of babies,” while a small smile crept onto her face. "But I'm glad you're okay," she whispered.

  After their mini-reunion, they all gathered around the futons to discuss various theories. Nao and Yuki threw out wild claims that never seemed to stick. Reina did her best to contribute ideas, but Arisa tilted her head slightly, pressing her finger to her lips in thought.

  “So, I think I saw him before, ya know?” she mentioned casually, as if it were an everyday observation.

  “WAIT, WHAT?!” The others gasped, their eyes wide with surprise.

  Arisa blinked and raised both hands.

  “Wait, wait, hear me out,” she urged, pushing Nao’s face away, which was way too close for comfort.

  “It was only for a brief moment, back when we first arrived. He was talking to Souta before we showed up,” she recalled, her finger still resting thoughtfully against her lips. “Then he did this weird photosynthesis thing before scampering away, squeaking.”

  “Huh.”

  “You lost me on the photosynthesis part?” Yuki muttered, brow furrowing.

  “Yeah… When could people do what plants do?” Reina added, eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

  “Hhheeh, if he can do that, surely I can!” Nao exclaimed, jumping up and sprinting toward a nearby plant.

  “Photosynthesis with me NOW, PLANT!” she yelled, striking a pose as if it were an athletic competition.

  “Nao, I don’t think humans can?” Arisa remarked, deadpan.

  “Oh… I see,” Nao responded, her enthusiasm deflating as she retreated back to sit beside Arisa again.

  “She’s genuinely sad…” the girls thought in unison, noticing how quickly Nao's mood had shifted.

  “Ahem. Anyway, that’s when I saw him, but I think Souta did too?” Arisa suggested, shifting her focus to the idea of consulting him. Reina’s eyes widened at the prospect, uncertain of how to steer the conversation away from Souta’s name, especially since she didn’t expect Arisa's sudden flash of memory.

  “W-we should just let him figure this out. After all, we’re the victims,” Reina mumbled, darting her gaze nervously between her sisters.

  “Yeah, but leaving everything to Maid-Chan feels wrong, ya know?” Arisa countered, rising to her feet.

  “For once, I agree with Arisa. Leaving it to him could spell disaster since he is the most useless maid in the world,” Yuki added, also getting up.

  “Yeah! This might be scary, but I love mysteries!” Nao shouted, now standing as well.

  “But! Let’s not rush!” she added, but her sisters weren’t listening. She watched as all three began gathering their things for a room change, feeling the sweat drip from her forehead. The thought of them prying more information out of Souta frightened her. “Knowing him… he’s bound to say something he shouldn’t…” she mused, trailing behind them, anxiety tightening in her chest…

  DeadEndYuto!