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It was their third day at the resort, marking the end of their precious time there, as the next morning, they’d return to their regular daily routines. As for Kou, she woke up unable to breathe.

I can’t breathe.

That alarming thought forced Kou awake. When she opened her eyes, everything was dark, and she felt restrained, unable to move. Strangely enough, her face was pressed against something soft and bouncy, accompanied by a gentle scent of soap, making the experience oddly pleasant.

After some squirming, it dawned on her: she was wrapped tightly in Hijiri’s embrace, her face buried deep in Hijiri’s chest. They’d shared a bed once again. It was heavenly in some ways, but Kou knew that the longer this went on, the closer she was to a one-way trip to suffocation.

“…Eheheh… Nuu~ Don’t touch there, Kou, you little rascal…”

Touch where?!

While Hijiri murmured dreamily in her sleep, Kou tried to respond, but she couldn’t make a sound.

One thing was certain: if this continued, things could take a dire turn. The resort, not yet open to the public, might be forced to close its doors due to “safety concerns,” with Kou as both its first victim and cause.

“Hi-Hijiri, wake up! I surrender!”

Kou tried her best to call out, but her face was so firmly pressed against Hijiri’s chest that her plea came out as little more than a muffled whimper. Her squirming only seemed to make things more comfortable for Hijiri, who, in response, tightened her hold.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Kou’s desperate movements seemed to have some effect. Hijiri loosened her grip and slowly woke up, looking dazed.

Freed at last, Kou leaned back, gasping.

“Ah… Morning Kou…”

Completely unaware that she’d almost suffocated someone, Hijiri rubbed her eyes and greeted Kou in a sleepy voice.

Kou, baffled by her nonchalant reaction, took Hijiri’s hand and led her to the bathroom, instructing her to wash her face and wake up properly.

◇◇◇

At Island City Kanai, breakfast was essentially a buffet each day. Being able to choose whatever you wanted for breakfast, while enjoying the view of the vast sea from one of the balconies, was a refreshing way to start the day.

Kou loaded her tray with two butter rolls, creamy scrambled eggs, a salad, pasta with tomato sauce, and yogurt with fruit—a rather girly selection. She wanted to eat more, but given her limited choices and her smaller stomach capacity, this was all she could manage.

Yeah, it really sucks not being able to eat a lot on vacation.

With those gloomy thoughts in mind, she started searching for an empty table, as she’d been the first to finish picking her breakfast, and soon ran into a familiar face.

“Ah, good morning, Uncle Kaname. It’s been a while. Are you having breakfast with the rest of us today?”
“…Hm? Err… Ah, right, you must be Kou.”

Recognizing him, Kou sat down at his table.

The man looked at her curiously at first, but then seemed to remember something and gestured for her to join him. He was Furuya Kaname, Hijiri and Subaru’s father.

With lighter hair than the average Japanese person, combed back in a sharp, stylish look, and facial features that gave him a near-celebrity appeal, he appeared far younger than one might expect for the father of two high schoolers.

Hijiri and Subaru had clearly inherited many of his features, which made sense—an attractive man like him would naturally have strikingly good-looking twins.

Once Kou was seated, Kaname apologized for not recognizing her immediately.

“I’m really sorry. I was told about everything, but I still couldn’t quite connect that you’re the same kid I watched grow up. Honestly, I’d believe it more if you told me you were a younger version of the President.”
“Haha… It’s fine. Honestly, it feels like there’s nothing left of the old me anyway.”

Kou laughed awkwardly as she tore off a piece of her butter roll, loaded it with scrambled eggs, and took a big bite.

Kaname watched her in silence for a moment, seeming to muster up the courage to speak again.

“By… by the way, Kou. Is it… true that you’ve been sleeping with my daughter?!”
“…BLURGH?!”

The sudden question made Kou choke. The timing was almost uncanny, considering she had just woken up that morning practically suffocating in Hijiri’s embrace.

As she coughed, trying to clear her throat, she noticed that Kaname’s coffee cup was shaking in his hand, and his eyes looked almost frenzied. She had never seen him this rattled before; it made her briefly wonder if she even knew him at all.

“I-I wouldn’t call it that! It’s more like… I’ve become a body pillow. Or rather, we’re just sharing a bed since we’re both girls now, and I guess she doesn’t really mind?”
“Hmm… That’s true… you’re a girl now, right. So it should be fine… right?”
“I-I guess..?”

By then, all Kou could think was how all fathers seemed to act the same way when it came to their daughters. Images of her own parents and Ryunosuke briefly flashed through her mind.