Chapter 198: The Execution (and a Surprise Interrogation)

I am running. Not just jogging, but a full-on, panic-induced sprint, my lungs burning, my mind replaying the selfie notification over and over. 'Look what the hero left at my place...' My student ID. The kiss. The implication of an overnight stay. Izumi did not just declare war; she signed my death warrant, framed me for the crime, and then mailed the evidence to the executioners.

I burst through the front door of my apartment, breathless, expecting to find the living room on fire, Rina wielding a prop sword, or possibly an actual, literal tribunal.

What I find is somehow worse.

The living room is pristine. Shockingly, terrifyingly clean. My scattered manga collection, usually a chaotic pile on the coffee table, is gone. I look over at the bookshelf. It has been organized. Not by series, not by author, but by color. A perfect, horrifying rainbow of spines. This is it. Rina's "violent organizing" that Miki warned me about. This is her rage, processed into meticulous, deeply upsetting tidiness.

Rina is sitting on the sofa, calmly sipping tea, her expression serene. Haruka is sitting in the armchair opposite her, her face a mask of cool, analytical curiosity. Aiwa is perched nervously on the edge of a dining chair, looking pale and close to tears. Miki and Hana are standing near the kitchen, looking like weary, shell-shocked witnesses.

And Kenji… Kenji is unconscious on the floor, his face partially hidden by a scattered pile of wedding invitation sketches he was clearly working on when the "Rui's Angels" chat exploded. A single tear is drying on his cheek.

The silence is absolute, heavy, and judgmental.

"You are home, Onii-chan," Rina says, her voice impossibly light and sweet. It is the calmest, most terrifying sound I have ever heard. "Did you have a nice… 'study session'?"

"I- it- she-" I stammer, my eyes darting between Rina's terrifying calm, Haruka's sharp gaze, and Aiwa's heartbroken expression. "It is not what it looks like! I did not sleep there! I swear! She stole my ID card! The selfie was a prank!"

"A prank," Haruka repeats, her voice devoid of emotion. She holds up her phone, displaying the offending image for the room to see. "A 'prank' that involves you looking thoroughly kiss-stunned, in her private apartment, with your stolen identification as proof of... 'entry'?" She raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Your definition of 'prank' is… unorthodox, Rui-kun."

"She is a troll!" I insist desperately. "A master-level troll! She is trying to provoke you! All of you!"

"And she succeeded," Rina says, her voice still dangerously sweet. She takes a delicate sip of her tea. "She kissed you." It is not a question. It is a statement. A fact delivered by our comms-link before Miki cut the feed.

"It- it just happened!" I protest weakly.

"She initiated a 'hostile takeover'," Haruka clarifies, scrolling through her own phone, presumably reading the 'Rui's Angels' chat log. "And then, she escalated. A bold, asymmetrical warfare tactic. I am almost… impressed. If I were not so furious."

"Rui-kun…" Aiwa whispers, her voice trembling. "Did you… like it?"

The question hangs in the air, a devastating, perfectly aimed blow. Rina and Haruka both freeze, their own interrogation forgotten, their eyes snapping to me, awaiting the answer.

My brain is screaming. Do not answer! Abort! Flee! I look at Aiwa's tear-filled eyes. I look at Rina's murderous calm. I look at Haruka's intense, analytical stare. I am trapped.

"I… it was… unexpected?" I try, a pathetic non-answer.

This is apparently the wrong thing to say. Rina's composure finally cracks. Her teacup rattles in its saucer. "Unexpected," she repeats, her voice trembling with a fury that is no longer calm. "You kiss your sister, it is a 'complicated mistake.' Your childhood fiancée kisses you, it is an 'impulsive accident.' But the evil blonde mastermind kisses you, and it is… 'unexpected'?! Is that all?!"

"I did not mean it like that!"

"What did you mean, Rui-kun?" Haruka presses, leaning forward. "This is a critical data point. What is your emotional response to this new variable?"

"My emotional response is panic! Pure, unadulterated panic! I am not a 'variable'! I am a person!"

"A very popular person, apparently," Miki mutters from the kitchen, finally speaking up. "Look," she says, stepping forward, taking on her 'crisis manager' role. "Rina, Haruka, Aiwa… Rui is clearly the victim here."

"He does not look like a victim!" Rina snaps. "He looks… kiss-flushed!"

"He is an asset that has been compromised by an outside agent," Miki rephrases, trying to speak their language. "Izumi's goal is clearly to destabilize this group by targeting its central… unifying element."

"Me?" I ask.

"Your affection," Haruka corrects. "She is creating chaos to see how we react. A classic psychological probe."

"So what do we do?" Aiwa asks, wiping her eyes, her LUNA-Lite resolve flickering to life. "Do we… let her win?"

"No," Rina says, her voice turning to ice. She stands up. "We do not let her win." She looks at Haruka, then at Aiwa. A new, terrifying alliance seems to form in her eyes. "She wants to play a game? Fine. We will play." She turns and looks at me, her expression a chilling mixture of possessiveness and determination. "But Onii-chan needs to remember which team he plays for."

The interrogation is over. The verdict is in. I am guilty… of being kissable? Confused? I have no idea. All I know is that the "Rui Treaty" is void, and open warfare has been declared. My apartment is no longer a prison. It is a boot camp. And Rina, Haruka, and Aiwa have just become very unwilling, very suspicious drill sergeants, all intent on whipping their one, pathetic recruit (me) into shape.