I see a beautiful sight. My eyelids flutter open to find the emerald green doe-eyes, studying my face with much interest. Even awake, I feel like I'm still dreaming.

I brush a strand of hair from her face and stroke her cheek as I grin in a broad endearing smile. "Good morning, Asia."

"Morning, sister Mao."

There's something I want to ask, but I resist the urge and don't want to embarrass her further since her ears grew red to the rim.

Yesterday, Asia shied away from me. She didn't look me in the eyes, but now she's actively acting bold and assertive; she was lying on top of me, pressing down. Also, she's close to me, incredibly close. Close enough that I can feel her hot breath against my skin, and our lips are almost touching.

It's like after talking about the tragic past Asia has been through, she becomes more open and relaxed around me, like she can trust me with anything.

And I'm glad to be the one whom Asia can rely on.

Just as I'm getting comfy, letting myself drowse in her warmth and happiness. Asia then kisses me, her thin, soft lips pressing on mine.

A-A-A-Asia...!?

I'm so mortified; I can't command my mind to move my trembling clumsy hands to push Asia beside staring at her pretty face.

Why is Asia kissing me?! Am I still dreaming?

That's right. We're a family, so it's normal to share a kiss between family members. She's my sister, so it's totally okay for me to give her a morning kiss and goodnight kiss, right?

But still, a kiss on the lip is too much.

We should take a step at a time.

What are you saying!? Are you an idiot?

A kiss is a kiss; don't overthink about it.

No, I mean... yeah. There's no need to make a big deal. But I feel like the Japanese Police Force is about to bust down the door at any moment.

While I'm busy debating to myself, something brushes past my lips, seeking its ways inside.

Don't tell me, she's!

Thanks to it, I'm snapping out of the daze, pushing her away.

That was close. She almost french kisses me.

"Wh-What are you doing!?"

"Morning kiss." She quickly replies, with her pure, innocent pale-green eyes as if it was a common thing.

"Mother and father taught me it's a wife's obligation to say good morning to your spouse with a kiss."

Yes, but not a deep kiss.

Seriously?! What did my parent teach Asia? I'm not a curious person by nature, but I want to know what they have been teaching her, aside from cooking, cleaning, and learning to write and speak Japanese so fluently.

I hope they did not teach her something lewd like how to pleasure your partner? Heck, maybe they did. Considering they are open-minded about sexual activity.

I happened to catch them during the act after finishing schoolwork and archery club activity. I was deeply shocked to find my parents butt-naked, sweating and panting in pleasure; my mother crouched on all fours, her boobs sway as my father held her hips thrust in and out with eagerness and excitement.

They're human beings, so of course, it is normal to have an urge.

Since I was ten, I've learned about the bird and the bee. So I pretended not to hear the heavy creaking noise and the moaning through the thin wall by turning on the heavy rock music up to a notch and hoping it would lull me to sleep.

I tried to be understanding, but why?!

Out of all places, why the fuck did they do it in the living room?

My father didn't bother to stop or show a hint of shame; he even asked me with a big grin.

"Oh! How's school, daughter?"

You never made a conversation when I got back from school, why now!? Aaaaargggh!

Mother, I love you. However, you are way too nice to him. You don't have to agree and go along with his idiocy demand, you know.

Also, have I clarified to her that we're not going to marry?

...

No. I don't think I have yet.

While other thoughts occupy my mind, Asia worriedly asks me.

"You must have hated it, right? I'm apologizing for being inexperienced." She sits on her knees and bows down to me with a graceful mannerism.

"You don't have to."

I fall silent when Asia lifts her face; tears appear in her eyes.

I can't believe she tears up because of that. Now I feel like I'm the bad guy here.

"You're now my sister, so let's forget about our engagement that my father planned." I quickly dismiss her thought that she's my wife before she'll think I hate her for it.

"I see." Her voice then takes on a troubled tone, "But father and mother have already planned out the honeymoon trip and the wedding venue in Okinawa next year. Also, mother was so happy when she picked our wedding dresses too. What should I tell them?"

Asia remains mute, thinking to herself.

She's indeed a nice girl; even so, she ought to learn to be selfish and wish for her happiness instead of worrying about others.

Still, they are taking this marriage seriously, a wedding venue in Okinawa? Honeymoon trip?! My God, how much money did my father earn in two years!?

My heart waves as I envision Asia wearing a traditional long white dress representing innocence, purity, and virginity. The veil covers half of her face, but I can see her thin red lips curve into a shy smile as she happily accepts my hand, and we both exchange the vow, putting on the ring for each other. Finally, we seal with a kiss.

My little devil inner me whisper. "This is your only chance to marry a young girl you always dream of. So why did you go and ruin it!?"

It's tempting me, then talking me down.

No, I can't go against the promise I made yesterday. I was a gigolette, yes, a scumbag nonetheless; I utilized women's weak hearts, asking them for shelter and money, and then made love to them every night to comfort them in return. But now things change after Sona-chan saved me.

I must not give in to my deep dark desire.

What Asia needs most right now is a loving family.

"Asia," I gently shake her shoulder, interrupting her train of thought. Asia's unfocused gazes are now fixing on me.

"Are you okay with marrying a stranger like me?"

"Yes."

There's no trace of wavering in her voice because she believes it is customary to pay back for others who are helping her for the year.

It saddens me to see her willingly sacrifice her happiness for others. If Asia continues down this path, she will soon destroy herself.

"Then, do you think I will be happy after I marry you?"

That is a lie. I mean, heck, how could I not overjoy when I get to take Asia as my wife? Still, having Asia as my young sister is enough; I can't ask for more.

And I don't want others to think I'm a scumbag.

"That's..."

Asia's eyes wander off, mouth agape as she tries to grasp the right word. I guess it never did occur to her mind that I would reject this marriage.

"B-But... but father asked me to take care of you."

"Then why would you need to marry me in the first place? When you're can still take care of me as my little sister."

I find it strange and so unlikely of my father at all.

Knowing my father for so long, I thought he would probably adopt Asia and wed her to a wealthy family instead. With that, he may have earned a corporation's position and laddered his way up. However, he is dead set on wanting me to marry Asia. What's his motivation?

"Mother and father will."

I pull her into my arms, comforting Asia as I comb her delicate long blond hair.

"Don't worry; they will understand your decision."

"R-Really?! They won't get mad if I'm not marrying you, right?"

I guess Asia may not notice she has these negative thoughts weighing on her for years, afraid my parent might ditch her if she didn't do what they asked.

"I'll go and talk to my father, so you don't have to worry."

Asia then relaxed, hugging me and running her hand, feeling my strong back. We lock in an embrace for a long silent moment, almost like an eternity.

"Tell me, Asia," I softly mutter in her ear. "What do you want?"

"I..."

My body tenses up just from hearing her mellow voice echoing in my ear; it courses through my entire body.

"I want to make lots of friends. Together we'll buy flowers and books, and chat..."

"I see, that's wonderful. What else?"

"And I want us to take a family picture with mother and father."

When was the last time I took a family picture? I think I never had one with my father in it. He's a busy man, so he never did attend parents' day commences checking on how I was doing or my school graduation day, and happy birthday me.

Although my hate for my father has been building over the years, somewhere deep inside me, I wish my father were paid attention to me more, even just a little bit.

"Yes, let's do it then."

Asia's eyes lit up with a warm, happy smile.

After reassuring Asia, no sooner have I put my tracksuit on than I speed out of the house to do my usual workout routine. Since I'm no longer needed to distribute the ads, I can be back home extra early to cook something special for Asia, my little sister.

oo00oo00oo

Third POV.

"How does it taste, Asia?"

"It's delicious."

Mao and Asia are so busy keeping each other accompanied that they do not notice the longing envy gaze on them.

Sona tries to ignore but listens to both of them, merrily chatting as they take turns feeding each other like a newlywed couple. Tch! Sona subconsciously clicks her tongue in annoyance at the thought of it.

Yesterday, Hazuki-san did tell Sona she had only met Asia Argento for the first time, and yet after one night, those two get along so well as if they have known each other for a lifetime.

Is it even possible?

If this keeps up, will Hazuki-san accept Asia as her spouse?

Sona is fully aware it is unfit for a young noblewoman of the Sitri to harbor hostility against the innocent young girl. However, Sona has never felt this irritate, so irritated she wishes she wanted to erase Asia's existence from Mao's memory for good.

Rias watches all of this happening and sees her friend's face turning sour to grimace and distress. Rias can't help but sigh. Rias nudges Sona's foot under the table with hers and gives a look gesture to Mao.

"Yes, I know." Sona mouth the word.

Sona wants to say something, anything just to get Hazuki-san's attention, but her mind is nothing but a blank page.

"Mao, what do you plan to do with Asia? Send her back to your parent?" Asks Rias.

A serious looks cross Mao's face as she replies. "No, I think it would be best for her to stay close with me."

Mao then turns to Sona. "I don't want to trouble you, of course. I will move out after I find a place."

Sona's eyes wide open in shock after hearing this, luckily she manages to stay calm and not go into a frenzy, ranting things she mustn't say to Asia in front of Mao.

And isn't it the best chance to show her good side to Mao?

Sona intertwines her fingers and looks into Mao's clear amber eyes. "As your master, I'm not allowed you to leave. Don't worry, Asia can stay here."

Her voice is so soothing. It makes Mao feel insecure and terrified that the hair on the back of her neck stands up, and her survivor instinct is alarmingly warning that something is off.

Yesterday, Mao noticed Sona's sudden mood swing when Asia accidentally declared 'she is Mao's fiancée.'

"Since she and you are Sacred Gear's wielders, I'm afraid you both might attract those unwanted. Just the thought of my servant getting hurt enough to make me upset. And you don't want something bad to happen to Asia, do you, Mao?"

"Yes, I understand." Mao nods in agreement.

"Thank you for letting me stay at your house, Sitri-sama." Asia fervently bows her head to Sona.

"Sona is fine."

"Yes, Sona-sama."

Now a friendly smile plaster across Sona's stony face makes Mao wonder is Sona planning something? They say it's hard to tell a woman's true feelings behind a smile.

While Asia and Sona are busying do they thing, Mao approach Rias stands at the front door, whispery asking. "Is Sona mad at me?"

Rias gives a puzzled look. "What do you mean? Ah~! I see."

A second later, Rias realizes Mao does not notice Sona's awkward affection to her a bit at all.

"What?! What is it? Tell me, did I do something?" Mao asks impatiently, her foot shifting side to side as if Mao's body were on fire.

"Calm down." Rias puts the finger on Mao's pouty lips silence her. "She's not mad at you. On the contrary, she does care about you a lot."

"If you say so."

Despite Rias doing her best to clear Mao's misunderstanding, her word didn't reach Mao's ear. She still looks restless and nervous. The wrinkle comes and goes on her forehead.

It annoys for Rias to see, so she pinches Mao's cheek, pulling and stretching it until Mao cries out of pain.

"Ow. Ow. Ow!"

"Stop making that sad face. Or else Sona gets the wrong idea." Rias scowls.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's hurt, my cheek." Mao begs.

"You dunce." Rias mutters as she let go of Mao's scarlet cheek.

Rias wants to tell Mao everything, but it's not her place to say, so all she can do is watch from the sideline and wishes for the best.

00oo00oo00

When Rias heard her best friend, Sona, decided to take in a random woman who happens to be a Sacred Gear user and marry her.

That sounds unnatural for Sona to act out of impulse, though it would be lying if Rias said she doesn't interest this Mao woman who caught Sona's attention.

But when she heard from Tsubaki that Mao was a gigolette, she has been living through the day seducing and leeching off the women. Rias was unsure and worried for Sona's own good.

How did she able to earn Sona's affection? What did Sona see in her?

While Rias was toweling her hair dry, she pictured Hazuki Mao's appearance, and her personality was liked. Sona did say Hazuki Mao is an intellectual woman; still, a scoundrel is a scoundrel.

If this sly woman is the same as her fiancé Riser, Rias will teach her a lesson and knock some sense into Sona.

The door creaking opened, Rias's eyes met them, the visitor was dumbfounded finding the beauty in naked behind the closed door, "I didn't know someone already's inside. Excuse me." and she apologized, closing the door with a thud followed by quick footsteps.

It was a short moment. But Rias has already been captivated by the visitor's enthralling amber beady eyes. Is that Hazuki Mao?!

Rias didn't bother to put on the towel to cover up; she rushed out of the room, letting her glossy red hair fall freely and droplets of water drip on the floor as she walked.

There, Rias found the woman sitting on the sofa and Sona's carrying a silver tray with the drink.

"Oh, Sona. Can I have a cup too?"

Rias asked with a brilliant smile.

"R-Rias!?"

"Good evening, Sona."

"What are you doing here?"

Rias then answered Sona's question without missing a beat, her eyes keenly peering at the visitor. She was shamelessly staring at Rias's naked body in a daze, not noticing Rias's gaze on her.

"And I think your guest didn't mind one bit at all."

Rias sat next to the visitor, leaning in closer. "Is that right?" Whispered sweetly in her ear.

She nodded meekly as she darted her eyes left and right. "Ah... um, why yes."

Rias also wondered whether Mao notices she's been eyeing her bountiful breast for a while. Not in a lustful way but more like a young boy who takes an interest in the opposite sex.

"Would you like to touch my chest?" Rias pushed up her chest, inviting her.

"Huh?! Why would I?"

Though Mao objected, her eyes consciously dropped to her chest as if it was a magnet.

"Because you looked like you want to touch me."

"It just caught my eyes, that's all."

She thought for sure Hazuki Mao had a haughty, snobby, and nasty personality like Riser. But no, she's more like a puppy, making Rias want to tease and gauge her reaction.

Even Akeno first met Mao at school, agreeing with Rias that it was fun to tease her.

After spending that evening with Mao, Rias was relieved to know she could trust Mao. Still, it would be a different story for Sitri's household if they accept Mao, a human being, married to their daughter or not. Especially Sona's sister, Serafall.

And how will Sona conquer Mao's heart?

Sadly, Rias and Sona both have zero experience in romance, so they can't quite know how to approach this conversation with Mao. Like is she okay dating a younger girl than her? If not, Mao might reject Sona's proposal. But from Akeno's point of view, she assured Rias that Mao wouldn't mind the age gap at all.

Rias has asked why she is so sure, but Akeno replied it's a woman's intuition.

Yes, it will be a tough battle for Sona. But, it doesn't mean Rias would stand aside and watch her friend struggling to open up her heart to Mao.

But how can she help both of them?

"What should I do?"

Rias rests her chin on her hand, gazing at the chessboard with contemplative eyes.

"Is there something wrong?" Asks Akeno.

"I was thinking how to help Sona be more honest with herself."

"Ara ara. Is that so? Then I have a suggestion."

After listening to Akeno's suggestion, Rias nods in agreement.

"Let's do it then."

Rias isn't wasting time. She immediately fishes out her phone and makes a call to someone.

While Rias is excitedly putting the perfect getaway summer vacation in motion, Akeno bites down her lips, envisaging many different ways to tease Mao to see how far she's willing to go along with Akeno's little game.