Chapter 49: Throbbing

Because Ephnel had always seen Yukina completely and thoroughly as a younger sister, she had, in turn, overlooked the other side of Yukina—that of a stunningly beautiful young girl, one in a hundred.

Therefore, upon seeing Yukina now as a complete and utter young woman, Ephnel’s mind instantly crashed.

The little sister from her memories was no more; standing before her now was an entirely different young woman, unguardedly dressed in a thin, sheer garment of only a single layer of fabric.

Even from two meters away, Ephnel could smell the faint, fresh scent of shower gel drifting from Yukina in the air.

On her delicate shoulders, the slender straps seemed like they would slip off with the slightest tug.

Her snow-white thighs were half-exposed, and a hint of white cotton swayed under her skirt with the evening breeze.

That subtle allure, brimming and bright, captured the pristine moonlight, and it also captured Ephnel’s heart.

‘Is Yukina really this oblivious, or is she doing this on purpose?’

Even Ephnel, a veteran of countless battlefields, was flustered at this moment.

A second before her reason snapped, Ephnel hurriedly averted her gaze.

“Onee-chan, I have one more piece of clothing to wash…”

Yukina looked at Ephnel’s stiff expression, blinked enigmatically, and spoke.

Ephnel cautiously shifted her gaze back and only then noticed that Yukina was holding a light blue garment.

It was the short dress she had worn today.

Because it had gotten dirty during the Erosion disaster, with several scuff marks and a hole in the hem, Ephnel had set it aside and hadn’t planned to wash it.

“Th-that one can’t be worn anymore… I was planning to throw it away…”

“No way, that’s too wasteful.”

Yukina walked over on her own, crouched in front of the washing machine, and tilted her head to peer into the window.

“It’s a light color… I’ll just put it in then.”

“Mm…”

The scent of Yukina in the air became increasingly enticing; Ephnel gently twitched her nose, ripples spreading through her heart.

A subtle atmosphere arose between the two.

After hesitating for a moment, Ephnel suddenly spoke.

“Um… I’m going to take a shower.”

“Oh… then… okay, in that case, I’ll go back to my room first.”

Yukina looked as if she wanted to say more, but Ephnel couldn’t be bothered with that now, fleeing to the bathroom as if escaping.

She grabbed her change of clothes and placed them on the shelf, filled the bathtub with water, and hastily stripped off her garments.

Ephnel submerged herself to the bottom of the tub in one go, staying under until she couldn’t hold her breath any longer.

Blowing bubbles, Ephnel broke the surface, gasping for air.

Her hair was completely soaked, and her face was unnaturally flushed from holding her breath.

She pinched her thigh hard, until it stung with pain.

To be shaken by her own younger sister—as an older sister, this was just awful.

…

Yukina watched Ephnel’s flustered back.

“What’s with her… So she does see me as a girl after all.”

She mumbled under her breath.

Then again, they had always maintained a subtle distance until now.

To suddenly eliminate that distance would leave even Ephnel at a loss for how to act.

But what Yukina was thinking about was something else entirely.

Yukina gently sniffed the air, which still held Ephnel’s lingering scent, lightly pursed her lips, and pressed a finger to the corner of her mouth.

“A girl, huh…”

She adored Ephnel, but after learning her true identity, this adoration left Yukina feeling lost.

But no matter what, these feelings had not disappeared.

…

The night was quiet and cool.

Ephnel leaned against the bed in her bedroom, letting the soft velvet envelop her from all sides.

She held a tablet, swiping her fingers across it absentmindedly.

After leaving the Order Organization, Ephnel would occasionally pick up her tablet to refresh the publicly available information online.

Although Masaki Hinaki had said that if another Erosion disaster or incident that couldn’t be easily resolved occurred in Seikyo City during Ephnel’s leave, she would contact her immediately and explain the situation.

At that time, Ephnel would return to her post and carry out her duties.

Between her plan, her vacation, and the lives of others, there was no doubt that the latter was the most important and fundamental.

But Ephnel couldn’t help but worry a little.

Moreover…

The question of how to confess everything she had hidden for so long was also troubling her.

Her heart was a mess, a feeling akin to weightlessness.

Knock, knock—

Suddenly, there was a knock on her door.

“Onee-chan, are you still awake?”

It was Yukina’s voice; Ephnel quickly tossed her tablet aside and went to open the door.

Yukina was still wearing that smoky-purple slip dress, a pillow in her arms.

From the face-to-face angle as she opened the door, Ephnel could see straight to her snowy, delicate neck and the faint, soft curves visible below the smooth hollow of her throat.

A pleasant scent filled the air.

Ephnel averted her gaze unnaturally, not quite daring to look at Yukina, and asked instead.

“So you’re still up, Yukina… Is something wrong?”

“I… It’s nothing, really… It’s just…”

Yukina lowered her gaze, her voice soft.

“Can I come into your room for a bit, Onee-chan? I can’t sleep…”

“Eh?”

…

Yukina sat on the edge of the bed, hugging the pillow tightly to her chest.

Her pretty feet extended from beneath her dress, her toes curling and uncurling idly.

Right now, she was in Ephnel’s bedroom, sitting on Ephnel’s bed.

Driven by a sudden impulse, she had come over with her pillow without a second thought.

But unexpectedly, she wasn’t turned away.

It felt somewhat incredible.

When was the last time she had been in someone else’s bedroom… Yukina couldn’t quite remember.

She had a withdrawn personality, was quiet and reserved, and had few friends since childhood.

Back when she was little, she would often come to her “Onii-chan’s” room to play, and sometimes she would fall asleep on his bed without realizing it.

But after moving into this apartment, this was the first time Yukina had experienced being in her older sister’s room.

The time they had suddenly moved into this apartment was just over a year ago.

Recalling it now, Yukina realized that was also when Ephnel had gradually started to become famous.

The overhead light was a bright white, not quite suitable for a bedroom.

The walls were clean, the floor was spotless without a trace of dust, and the air carried a faint, clear, and sweet fragrance, like that of a slightly ripe fruit, mixed with the light scent of Ephnel’s shower gel.

A bookshelf filled with books, a neat and tidy desk, a small potted aloe vera, and a half-open, empty wardrobe.

In this small room, not even half the space was utilized.

The simple furniture was comfortable and relaxing, yet it also projected a sense of emptiness and monotony.

Just like the impression “Yanase Naoto” gave people.

This was Ephnel’s bedroom, overflowing with Ephnel’s presence everywhere.

Yukina quietly drew back her gaze, her heart pounding like a frightened deer.

So… sitting in the bedroom of the person you like, alone together, was even more nerve-wracking than she had imagined.

But…

The person she had fallen for was her own older sister.

Yukina lowered her gaze, burying her chin in the soft pillow, hiding the lower half of her clean face.

“Onee-chan…”

She spoke softly.

“…Are you not sleeping yet?”

“Well, I still have some things to do.”

Ephnel sat with her back to Yukina at the computer desk, her fingers paused over the keyboard.

She turned her head to glance at the clock.

“Is it already midnight… If you’re tired, Yukina, you should get some rest. You have classes tomorrow.”

As she said this, Ephnel glanced back at her, but then quickly and very unnaturally turned away again.

“I can’t sleep…”

Yukina mumbled, her voice muffled, her gaze unconsciously glued to Ephnel’s back.

Because it seemed there were no women’s pajamas in the house, Ephnel was wearing the men’s clothes she usually wore.

But precisely because of this, Ephnel’s chest was quite… forthright.

And it added a subtle hint of allure.

Although they had spent every day together normally before this, the atmosphere between them now was completely different.

The feeling was very strange.

…