Walking down the stairs, I was greeted by the delightful smell of Miho's cooking, which signaled yet another typical morning as her little sister. A role I had grown more accustomed to over the weekend.

Or so I thought.

When I approached the living room door, I couldn't ignore the peculiar sounds that teased my ears—muffled laughter, hushed voices, and the occasional playful giggle. It was as if the very atmosphere in the room held a secret, an enigmatic allure that tugged at my curiosity and beckoned me closer.

Pushing the door open quietly, I stepped into the room and was immediately taken aback by the scene before me. Miho lay on the couch, her figure gracefully reclined against the cushions. Soft, ethereal light filtered through the curtains, casting a gentle glow on her delicate features. But what captured my attention even more was the girl on top of her, a stranger dressed in a sexy cat costume. Her knee was positioned between Miho's legs, and her hand delicately caressed Miho's cheek.

In the quiet intimacy of the room, it felt like time had slowed down. As if I were stuck in slow-motion. I was so concentrated that I could even see the cat-girl’s breath escaping from her lips and touching Miho's face. Their closeness was mesmerizing.

As I stood there, my knees began to rub together almost instinctively. It was as though my body was responding to an invisible magnetism, a physical sign of the growing arousal that pulsed through me.

T-this is bad. What is this feeling?

My face flushed red, and my heart raced in my chest. I couldn't help but cough awkwardly, breaking the spell of the moment, and drawing their attention.

"Ahh—s…sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt," I stammered, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

Miho, who looked visibly embarrassed, quickly sat up, gently pushing the girl in the cat costume off her.

"K…Kaede-chan! This isn't what it looks like!" Miho exclaimed, her voice laced with an enticing urgency.

I arched an eyebrow, suspicion dancing in my eyes. "No, it's exactly what it looks like…”

The mysterious girl in the cat costume giggled seductively, her fake tail swaying hypnotically.

"Relaaax. We were just having a bit of fun~♡”

Miho then playfully nudged the girl.

“Don’t say misleading stuff like that, Hana!”

"Sorry, but I couldn't help it; her reaction was just waaay too cute," Hana chuckled.

I blushed, not expecting the sudden... compliment?

“By the way, who even is this kid?” she continued.

K-kid?

“That’s… my little sister.”

“Hmm. Miho, you have a little sister?” Hana asked.

“Y-yeah…”.

“We’ve known each other for sooo long. Why’d you never tell me?”

“Ahh—it just, ehh… it never came to mind,” Miho stammered.

“Hmm, I see. But wow, she really is a cutie! Not fair keeping her to yourself!”

Hana then walked up to me and placed her hand on my head.

“Hi~ What’s your name?”

My face turned completely red again. I had never been this close to a girl before in my life.

She smells so good. And her tits... they're huge!

“M-m-my name is K… Kaede.”

"Aaahw, Kaede-chan, huh? You're really shy, aren't you? Adorable!"

Miho, enjoying the spectacle, giggled, clearly entertained by Hana's antics. "Hana, let the poor kid breathe!"

What’s up with everyone calling me a kid!?

Hana nodded, and she let go of me with a mischievous grin, her cat ears still bobbing playfully.

"Sorry, Kaede-chan, are you mad?”

After she let go of me, I ran toward Miho with tears in my eyes and hid behind her, tugging her shirt.

“Sorry, Kaede-chan, that’s Hana, my... best friend. She’s a cosplayer, and I was just helping her with some poses for her photoshoot. So be nice to her, okay? Despite how she acts, she’s a really good girl. She just has a bit of an obsession with things she finds cute,” Miho whispered to me.

“Hana?” I repeated.

I knew she looked familiar, and her name, Hana…  A cosplayer?

I let go of Miho’s shirt as I stopped hiding behind her. I looked at Hana, but she looked away. Seemingly upset at herself for scaring me.

“Ehmm, Hana…san!”

“Chan,” she mumbled.

“Hm?”

“Hana-chan is good.”

“Ah, ehm. Then, Hana-chan?”

Hana looked at me, our eyes finally meeting. “Y-yes?”

“By any chance, are you HanaCos?”

Hana’s eyes widened. “You know me?”

My eyes lit up, and I nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! I really like your blog! Your cosplay are amazing!"

Hana's eyes also sparkled with excitement, and her former doubt and frustration seemed to be gone completely.

"Kaede-chan!"

Hana ran toward me and reached for my hands.

“We should cosplay together!”

My face turned red, and I quickly pulled my hands back, shaking my head.

“What? Me? No! No way! Never! That’s just too embarrassing!”

“Aww, come on! I will definitely make sure you look super cute!”

“Never!” I repeated.

Hana pouted playfully, her cat-ear headband tilting to the side. "Come on, Kaede-chan! It'd be so much fun!"

I hesitated, feeling a mix of excitement and embarrassment. The thought of being in costume for everyone to see was too daunting.

Miho chimed in, sensing my apprehension. "You don't have to decide now, Kaede-chan. We can talk about it later."

I nodded, grateful for the escape from that particular conversation. "Y-yeah, let's table that for now."

Hana seemed satisfied with that response and turned her attention back to Miho.

"So, Miho, how have you been? It's been a while since we hung out."

Miho smiled warmly. "I've been good. You know, work keeps me busy, but I can always make time for you, Hana."

Hana grinned. "That's what I like to hear!

As they continued their conversation, I couldn't help but wonder about their friendship. They seemed so comfortable around each other like they had known each other forever.

"Hey," I interjected, drawing their attention. "How long have you two been friends?"

Hana glanced at Miho, a nostalgic smile on her face. "We've been friends since the beginning of middle school. We lived in the same neighborhood and practically did everything together."

Miho nodded, reminiscing. "Yeah, we were inseparable. We even went to the same high school."

My curiosity grew. "What happened after high school?"

Hana chuckled. "Well, I went off to college, and Miho here became a big-time editor."

Miho rolled her eyes playfully. "Big-time, huh? It’s only my first year as an editor. I’m still a rookie."

Hana nudged her shoulder. "Come on, don't be so humble. You're really good at what you do."

I couldn't help but admire their friendship. I never had a friend to talk about the past with.

"But you guys still hang out all the time, right?" I asked.

Miho nodded. "Yeah, Hana lives pretty close by, so we still meet up regularly.”

Hana grinned. "I'm just glad we can still have fun together, even as adults."

The word, "adults," caught my attention. I hadn't really thought about it before, but it made me curious.

"Wait, how old are you two?" I blurted out.

They exchanged amused glances before Hana answered, "We're both 20."

They’re the same age as me… but they’re twice as accomplished as I am…

“Ah—Woow! Twenty, huh. You’re already adults!” I said, trying to hide my shock and frustration.

Hana turned her attention back to me. "So, Kaede-chan, how come I’ve never met you before? I used to come to your house all the time as a kid!”

I felt a lump in my throat, knowing that the truth would reveal my unique situation. Miho glanced at me with an awkward smile.

"Th… That’s because Kaede’s been living with our dad for most of her life. We had kind of a unique family situation,” Miho said.

Nice one, Miho!

Hana raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? What do you mean?"

She’s gonna keep digging!?

Miho hesitated for a moment, her expression awkward. "Well, our parents divorced when we were really young, and Kaede went to live with our dad while I stayed with our mom."

Another nice save, as expected of my older sister!

Hana's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, I had no idea. That must have been tough on both of you."

Miho laughed awkwardly. “Y-yeah, haha. But we managed!”

“That’s so touching!” Hana said with watery eyes.

Miho and I looked at each other. I gave her a thumbs up as a thank you for the save, and she responded with a wink.

“So—”

MORE QUESTIONS?

“–Is Kaede-chan moving in with you now? Or is she just visiting?”

Miho shook her head, her smile warm. “She’s moving in for good now.”

Hana's sympathetic smile masked any further questions, but I could see her curiosity in her eyes.

I bit my lip, feeling the need to contribute to the conversation. "Y-yeah, it's been a big adjustment for me, moving here and all."

Hana's gaze softened. "Well, Kaede-chan, I'm really glad you're here now. You've got an amazing big sister in Miho."

I gave a genuine smile and nodded. "Yeah, she's pretty neat."

Hana stretched. “Aah, this is great. Now that Kaede-chan is staying here, we’ll be seeing much more of each other. Let’s make up for all the years we didn’t meet!”

Miho and I both chuckled.

“Yeah, let’s do that!”