"Shin-onii-sama?"

Shin blinked and looked down from the words on his book's page to see Momo sitting next to him with a nervous but hopeful look on her face. Raising a brow, (since when had shy little Momo ever asked any of the Saint Beasts for anything?), he closed his book and gave her his full attention. "Yes, Momo-chan?"

"Shin-onii-sama, could you, a-ah," she stuttered, before thrusting something up into his face. "Would you …read this…to me?"

He hadn't paid enough attention to what she had been cradling in her arms beforehand but now he could see that what it was a decent length novel. The cover had a silhouette of two figures, what he presumed was a woman and a man in armor, under the large title of The Samurai and his Bride.

It seemed like an awful long book for Momo to be reading alone. Must be why she needs help then. "Ah, well, I wouldn't mind helping you but why can't you read it on your own?" he asked then quickly added when he saw her face fall, "Seija-dono was telling me you're a very good reader on your own."

When her face had fallen at his words before, now she light up like the horizon at dawn; it was absurdly easy to pacify the guardian angels of Goro Mutsumi, all one had to do was mention his name and they hit cloud nine. She was all grins now as opened the cover and showed him the first page. "It's all in kanji," she explained as she handed the book over.

"I see," he hummed, flipping through the pages to see kanji filling the book. "Momo-chan, where did you get this book?"

"It's one of the ones Ayumi-onee-san and the others read while in the bath. It looked really good since everyone else was reading it too," she answered as she drew a pillow over for her to sit comfortably next to him. She sat there and waited for him to begin reading. Seeing no reason not to read to her, and not to mention find out a little something about Ayumi's reading habits, he opened the book and began to read to her.

It wasn't a terrible book, but he failed to see why the fact it was a romance made it appealing to any of the girls. Quarter of the way into the book and finally the plot was starting to get underway. Momo for her part looked riveted even though Shin wanted to chuck it and never see the thing again ever if he had his way.

"Hey, that was in the bath this morning, wasn't it?" Rei asked as he came began to set the table for dinner.

"A-ah, yes," Momo squeaked, her attention finally off the book.

"Shin, are you reading that with Momo-chan?" he asked, voice quiet and eyes wide.

"Yes, I was," he answered slowly, wondering what was up and gave Rei a curious look. "…is there a problem?"

Rei colored quickly and slapped a hand to his mouth—to smother a fit of laughter, Shin realized. He coughed to try to control his volume but continued to snicker as he made odd little gestures to the book. "Read…read page, oh, two hundred and …twelve if I remember right. About half way down." Shin stared at him a moment before thumbing to the page but paused when Rei quickly added "To yourself. Not aloud."

Ignoring the odd smothered laughter of his comrade, he began to read. He mouthed the words to himself as was his habit but quickly stopped and flushed at what he read. Mortified, he looked up to his brother before his eyes slowly slid to Momo. When they landed on her, he tossed the book at Rei and pulled her away from the offending object. "Ayumi-san and the others read that-that-"

"Read what?" Momo asked eyes wide and worried about what he had read. "Did something bad happen, Shin-onii-sama?"

He felt a twitch developing firmly under his eye as he stared down at her while Rei went wild with laughter. "Y-yes, something did! For your own sake, Momo-chan, I insist you not read that book." At least not until you're older…and not around me to make me read it to you!

"Did something happen in here?"

Shin and Momo both turned and looked, since Rei was far too busy at the moment, and saw Tsubasa, Ran, and, to Shin's growing horror, Ayumi with dishes to put on the table. Before he could stop her, Momo reached across the table, snatched the book up from the helpless Rei, and presented the book to the girls.

"Onee-san, why would you want to read a book where something bad happens in it like this one?" she asked in horror, shoving the book at them. Ran, Tsubasa, and Ayumi all frowned and studied the book before all three gained the same shocked look. "It must be bad if both Rei-onii-sama and Shin-onii-sama are afraid of it!"

Seeing no way out of it now, Shin sat shell-shocked as the three girls tried to come up with some answers to the confused Momo. Leaning over to his finally calmed but still chuckling companion, Shin asked him a question. "Just how did you know what was on that page, Rei?"

"Oh?" he managed with a small gasp here and there, as he tried to catch his breath, "I got bored in the tub and read it once. It's hilarious the stuff they got in there."

Hilarious, Shin repeated to himself. He sat back and began to watch the girls' frantic attempts to calm and explain to Momo about the book. Oh, yes, real hilarious. Then he stopped and quietly studied Ayumi as they tried to answer Momo. I hope Ayumi-san won't ever ask me to do anything like that as my bride! The thought alone made his face heat up and he groaned, rubbing his hand over his brow to try and appease the migraine forming behind his eyes.