Weeks passed, and the feisty duo continued to heal from their petty skirmish; it was a long, ongoing process— that damned Kyousa did quite a number to Renka. It became crystal clear to the young Ma that her skills needed a bit more refining. And in an effort to polish her techniques, she stopped by Ryōzanpaku every so often, eager to spar with her father…

… And get a little bit closer to a special someone—

"Kenichiiiiii!"

Ahck! As if being tortured by his masters wasn't hard enough on its own! Why was Renka always present as of late?! Kenichi instinctively ran faster in Akisame's hamster wheel of death, every step of the way electrocuting his body. Renka ripped him right off the wheel (yay) but then proceeded to suffocate him in oversized chesticles (not yay).

But thankfully, before Renka could render him fully unconscious, the miniature Shirahama warded her off with an accusatory point.

"You! Big Boobs 2.0! Stop attacking my brother!"

Ah, yes. There she was again. Honoka Shirahama. Kenichi's annoying little sister.

… And the one that Natsu Tanimoto rescued.

"...!" A lightbulb flashed over the cat's head.

Renka immediately dropped Kenichi. A loud thud echoed through the room as he crashed to the floor, on the verge of death.

Honoka reveled in her victory. For once, someone took her threats seriously! But within a matter of seconds, glowing green eyes loomed over the girl.

"I hear you're close to a certain blonde idiot, nyaaaaah."

"What? You mean Big Boobs 1.0?"

"No, sweetie. I mean that boy that your big brother always hangs out with."

"Oh! Nacchi!"

The little girl's chestnut eyes glowed with enthusiasm. Just that look alone proved to Renka the strength of Honoka's bond with him. How could someone so cold spur a reaction like that? Did Tanimoto have a soft spot for kids or something?

Cue a thought bubble of a warm-hearted blonde with a gigantic smile plastered on his face, pushing Honoka on the swings in a flower field…

And Renka waved it away. It can't be. She needed proof.

"Tell me all about him, would you?"

Honoka narrowed her gaze, wanting to question why…? But if it gets Big Boobs 2.0 off of her big brother, then—

"Uh… okay! Make me some chow mein and you've got yourself a deal!"

Urgh. What a brat.

"Fine."

It was Labor Thanksgiving Day — an annual holiday in Japan, celebrated every 23rd of November. It was Renka's first time experiencing said holiday, but surrounding culture dictates that it was time to spend with close family, friends…

"See ya!" Kaku cackled. He and the rest of the Three-Headed Dragon group waved at the catgirl as they headed out for a group trip to Hawaii.

So Renka sighed, and changed the sign from "Open" to "Closed" at her grand uncle's restaurant; for he too, had traveled back home to spend time with his family. Well, she'd rather do anything but go back home and see her tyrannical mother. It was time to spend it with papa—

"Sorry, girly. Your dad's off training Kenichi in the mountains today. You can stay to have Thanksgiving dinner with the rest of us, though. We won't bite, heh." Sakaki sipped from his beer bottle, eyes never quite leaving the book he was perusing. It seems that Renka's trip all the way to Ryōzanpaku was fruitless. Both persons of interest were unavailable.

"N-nah, that's okay… I'll just go back home—"

Wait, was Sakaki reading one of Kenichi's "How To" books? Something about getting a girlfriend?! …

"Hah! The kid thinks these techniques will really work? Tch. He's already making better progress with Miu without any of these dumb tips."

Fire raged in the catgirl's eyes!

Well, after breaking a bunch of Akisame's statues and getting kicked out of Ryōzanpaku, Renka was sourly marching back to Yokohama. Well, who else could she bother for the day?

"So you always win at Othello?"

"Yeah! And then Nacchi will do anything I say for the day.~"

"Really? What kind of things?"

"He takes me to the park, he buys me ice cream, he gives me massages! Sometimes we go to the mall in Akihabara, and he buys me a bunch of video games! New clothes! And more gigantic hammers! He helps me with my homework, and he's been teaching me how to fight, too!"

"No way. You're kidding…"

Renka rubbed her chin as she traversed a crosswalk, her conversation with Kenichi's sister from the other day playing out in her mind. Were all of Honoka's claims true? To know that the blonde jerk was actually that much of a softie was dizzying. But, perhaps it wasn't that surprising, given how he did treat the cat's wounds.

Only after he inflicted them to begin with!

Grrr…

"He's been such a jerk to me, though. And your brother, too!"

"Naaaah. He just acts like a big meanie to scare people off. 'Cause that's the easiest way to protect someone, right? Pretend you're big and bad and scary! …

… I also heard from Onii-chan that he's had a hard life or something. Maybe he likes to act mean because of it. I don't know!"

… A hard life, huh? How hard could it be, him being rich, powerful…

… Handsome…

… She sighed. Did she really misjudge this asshole? Was he really the protective big brother type? She'd like to see all of Honoka's claims for herself. If Kenichi was out training in the mountains, was the Shirahama family having a Thanksgiving dinner that night? Or did they not celebrate it? Many families didn't… so...

… Could Honoka be at Tanimoto's place right now?