Eriri customarily alters her attire following the morning repast. It appears her attendant maid, Haruhi, has yet to emerge; the young lady suffers from a reluctance to rise, rendering mornings particularly arduous, especially at the juncture betwixt the final day of spring respite and the commencement of the academic term.
With a gentle "swish," Hayasaka courteously draws forth the chair opposite Eriri for Kagura. He seats himself, yet must still pronounce, "You may sit as well," ere Hayasaka takes her place at his left to partake of the meal.
Their mother, Sayuri, a lady of leisurely disposition, retires late into the night and thus abstains from joining the high school scholars at their dawn repast. As for their father, Leonard, he dwells predominantly within the Tokyo embassy, gracing their abode perchance once each month.
Scarcely seated, Kagura rests his left hand upon Hayasaka's right thigh, intent on further exploration, only to have her deftly press her foot upon his beneath the table.
"Hiss—!" Kagura inhales sharply, withdrawing his hand.
"Lord Kagura, I beseech you to direct your attention to the morning fare," Hayasaka admonishes with impeccable decorum.
"Pause a moment, you two..." Eriri, her chin cradled in her hands, regards them with a curious, appraising gaze, her brow creasing ever deeper. At length, she relents, "No matter, let us partake of breakfast."
A subtle intuition stirs within Eriri, as though an enhanced concord binds them, hinting at some profound, unspoken secret.
"What troubles you? Speak your mind fully, I pray! You ignite my curiosity! What thoughts preoccupy you day by day?" Kagura lightly taps Eriri's shoe with his own, dislodging her slipper.
"Ugh...!" Eriri casts a withering glare, adjusts her footwear, and retorts, "Vexing creature! Mind your own counsel, odious brother. To harry your sister at dawn with ceaseless inquiry—how loathsome!"
"To deem your brother loathsome is excessively severe!" Kagura bristles, whilst Hayasaka, stifling mirth, averts her face, clearly diverted by his discomfiture.
Inwardly, Kagura sighs, contemplating the futility of vying with his sister. In a former life bereft of kin, he now treasures this irksome yet cherished bond of blood. As both man and elder sibling, he resolves to indulge her caprices.
Verily, the mercurial nature of adolescent sisters proves a formidable trial.
"Hmph! 'Tis solely because you are my brother that I deign to discourse with you. Were you any other gentleman, I would scarce vouchsafe a syllable!"
"And 'tis because you are my sister that I tender my solicitude. Were you any other lady, I would scarce bestir myself."
"Ha—? What say you?!" Eriri slams her palms upon the table, rising to point accusingly at the serene Hayasaka. "And what of this doll-like woman? Is she not likewise 'any other lady'?"
"Doll-like woman" serves as Eriri's epithet for Hayasaka, not in tribute to any doll-like charm.
"Does my presence at this repast offend you, Lady Eriri?" Hayasaka pauses her cutlery, lifting her gaze.
"Descend not to her fray; resume your meal!" Kagura interposes.
"You—you—you—! Behold," Eriri, inflamed by Kagura's defense of Hayasaka, flushes with ire, her tresses flailing as she gnashes her teeth. "Manifestly, you favor her above your sole twin sister! Between the doll and me, who holds greater claim to your affinity?!"
"Cease this unseemly uproar and be seated... Such matutinal discord ill befits us," Kagura rolls his eyes. Eriri, with a huff, folds her arms and legs as she resumes her seat.
Her utensils lie untouched; beside her rests a pair of chopsticks. Kagura, in private preference, favors chopsticks, whereas Hayasaka wields knife and fork with near exclusivity.
At that instant, a voice from the system pierces Kagura's mind, sundering his consciousness from the temporal realm.
"Greetings, Lord Kagura. A bounty is hereby proclaimed. Select one to fulfill or forgo:
A: Tender an apology to a lady.
B: Bestow a kiss upon a lady.
C: Caress a lady's leg once."
Fresh from his spat with Eriri, Kagura dismisses it with a wave. "Forgo, forgo."
"You have declined the bounty. You have acquired the item [A Maiden's Secret]. Will you employ it?"
"A Maiden's Secret...?" Kagura muses, pondering its enigmatic breadth.
"This consumable relic unveils the tally of a lady's self-indulgences since birth. To wield it, gaze upon her, silently invoke her name, and think 'A Maiden's Secret.'"
The system's voice ebbs, and Kagura's awareness returns fluidly to the present.
Time resumes its course; Eriri sulks, casting baleful glances at Hayasaka, who, unperturbed, dines with elegance. As Kagura's attendant, she heeds only his command, beyond Eriri's dominion.
"Hm..." Kagura strokes his chin, surveying Hayasaka and Eriri with an odd intensity.
Hayasaka, inured to his penetrating stares, persists in her repast unmoved. Eriri, however, quivers beneath his scrutiny, murmuring, "Brother, your gaze... it disquiets me."
"..." Inwardly, Kagura bristles at her ceaseless barbs, resolving to forswear restraint. Sipping his breakfast milk, he fixes upon her, silently intoning: Sawamura Spencer Eriri, A Maiden's Secret.
Forthwith, a deep roseate heart blossoms above Eriri's crown, pulsing rhythmically, a numeral beside it: 3921.
"Pfft—! Cough, cough, cough!!" Kagura chokes, milk erupting across Eriri in a fit of astonishment.
Heavens above, are maidens of this age so prodigious? Nigh four thousand instances!
"Waaah—!! Mad brother, are you deranged?! Fortuitously, I am yet unclad for the day; had I been poised to depart... cough, ptoo! 'Twould have been calamitous!"
Eriri springs up, frantically wiping with napkins, her visage a mask of revulsion.
Kagura, his chin and lips besmirched with milk, clutches his cup, mute from the paroxysm. Hayasaka sighs, "Ah..." and rises to aid him with napkins.
Eriri's maid, Haruhi, remains absent.
"There is no haste for the milk; pray, savor it at leisure," Hayasaka counsels as she wipes.
"Oh... ah... indeed, my thanks," Kagura replies, glancing at Eriri. Besplattered with milk, her repugnance stirs an untoward allusion.
Alas, an ill-timed stirring below—brother, you rouse to your sister?
Deeming this unseemly, Kagura coughs twice, bidding Hayasaka tend to Eriri as well.
Bereft of her own maid, Eriri grudgingly accepts Hayasaka's ministrations.
"I am replete; I shall bathe and attire myself anew," Eriri proclaims, departing sans a morsel, kicking a chair in pique.
"Oh... cough, my apologies, 'twas my error," Kagura offers.
"Fortunate am I your sister..." Eriri grips the doorknob, muttering, "Had you so besmirched another maiden, she would not absolve you lightly."
"Verily... ahahahaha," Kagura laughs awkwardly. The heart and numeral have vanished from Eriri's crown, affirming the item's singular use.
With Eriri departed, Kagura and Hayasaka alone remain. He leans nigh her right ear, whispering, "Hayasaka... may I pose a query?"
"?" Her gaze bids him speak.
"Recall you how oft you have... indulged alone?"
"..." Hayasaka's visage darkens; she glares briefly ere replying softly, "Some seventy times."
"Tsk, reared together, yet you seek solitary pleasure? When desire beckons, you might seek me."
"With me at hand, do you not still yearn for other fair maidens? I, however, crave none save you."
"Your reasoning holds merit..." Kagura concedes.
"Cease your prattle and dine. Must I spoon-feed you, you wastrel who probes his maid's intimate secrets at dawn?"
To cloak her chagrin, Hayasaka stamps his foot, drawing a muted yelp.
Undaunted, Kagura leans closer. "Tonight, perform for me."
"Men are indeed incorrigible..." Hayasaka massages her temples in vexation.
"Yet," Kagura smiles, ruffling her hair with soothing touch, "I am ever grateful for your steadfast presence."
"From lascivious whims to tender words... truly, even insects outstrip you in decorum."
So saying, Hayasaka strives to quell her rising smile.
Kagura merely shrugs in silence.