Facing Maria's complaints, Kaito smiled apologetically.
"I'm sorry."
No homeowner likes having a stranger suddenly barge into their house. It was only natural for Alisa to be upset.
Kaito leaned down and gently wrapped his arms around Maria, holding her as if she were a delicate, priceless porcelain piece. Through their contact, he channeled a gentle electric current, slowly repairing her body.
"Did I hurt you?"
"Yes, it hurt so much," Maria said, her voice trembling as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"It's all your fault, Mr. Kaito. You were so sudden. I wasn't ready at all. I had already decided to give myself to you as a gift, but you were still so impatient. You're so mean."
Kaito didn't respond. Instead, he gently stroked her hair and wiped away her tears.
"Big sister," Alisa's voice came from the bathroom after a while, sounding confused. "Are you done? Has he left?"
"Not yet," Maria replied, her voice regaining its usual gentle, slightly airy tone. "Mr. Kaito and I are a bit tired. We're going to rest for a while. Do you want to join us, little Alisa?"
"No way!" Alisa's voice rose slightly as she complained, "How much longer are you going to take? How long do I have to stay in here?"
"Something this enjoyable should be savored for a long time," Maria said, giving Kaito a meaningful look.
Kaito immediately understood and began a new round of treatment.
"Ah, if little Alisa can't wait, she can come out. I don't mind if you watch," Maria teased.
"I mind!" Alisa couldn't believe her sister's audacity. How could she say such things in front of Kaito?
"Tehe, is little Alisa shy?" Maria seemed to find great amusement in teasing her sister.
Alisa covered her ears, but it was no use. Maria's voice, soft and natural yet filled with emotion, kept reaching her. If she hadn't experienced Kaito's electric therapy herself, Alisa might have doubted what her sister was actually doing in the bedroom.
"Little Alisa, why aren't you answering me? Are you asleep? Oh, big sister is so sad. If you don't answer, I'll tell Mr. Kaito that you have a crush on him!"
Maria said the last sentence in Russian.
Alisa couldn't take it anymore and shouted back in Russian, "When did I ever have a crush on him?!!!"
"Tehe, little Alisa is getting flustered."
"I'm not! Stop making things up!"
"I'm not making things up. Your eyes were practically glued to Mr. Kaito at noon."
Alisa felt like her head was spinning. On one hand, she and her sister were having this embarrassing conversation in Russian, right in front of Kaito, who couldn't understand. On the other hand, had she really been looking at Kaito like that at noon?
Alisa recalled the events of the afternoon—how Kaito had stood up for her, how he had effortlessly subdued Toi and scared the others into submission, clearing her name. Her mind was filled with images of his heroic背影.
"Tehe, is little Alisa daydreaming about how handsome Mr. Kaito looked?"
"No!" Alisa's face burned red. After a moment, she stammered, "D-Did I really look at him strangely at noon?"
Did that mean Kaito knew she liked him? No, it was just gratitude! But even so, if he had noticed, how could she ever face him again?
"Tehe, so little Alisa really does have a crush on Mr. Kaito~"
Alisa froze, then quickly realized what had happened.
"Big sister?!!!"
You tricked me!
Her intense embarrassment kept her from noticing the slight pause in Maria's voice.
After a while, Maria's voice came again, this time sounding as if she had just come back to life. Her position seemed to have shifted from the bed to the sofa nearby.
"Little Alisa, what did you think of Mr. Kaito at noon?"
"Big sister, stop it!"
How had she never noticed how perverted her sister was before? While being treated by Kaito, she was still teasing her in Russian, with the subject of their conversation right there in the room!
"No, I really want to talk to little Alisa right now. If you don't answer, I'll translate everything we've said to Mr. Kaito."
"You...?!!!"
In the end, Alisa decided to surrender to her sister's demands.
"Fine, I'll talk to you. Just don't tell him!"
She absolutely, absolutely could not let Kaito find out about her feelings!
"Tehe, little Alisa is so good."
Maria hummed happily, then suddenly let out a soft moan before pausing for a long moment. When she spoke again, her voice sounded strained, as if she had just come back from the brink.
"Little Alisa, how did you start falling for Mr. Kaito?"
Alisa wanted to deny it, but since they were speaking in Russian, she didn't outright refuse. Instead, her mind wandered back to the events of the afternoon, and Kaito's heroic figure once again filled her thoughts.
"I felt so helpless at the time..."
As she spoke, Alisa gradually opened up.
Meanwhile, in the room, Maria, who was sitting on Kaito's lap, listened to Alisa's story and tightly covered her mouth with her hand.
"I can't take it. Little Alisa is so cute," Maria whispered in Russian, making sure Alisa couldn't hear her.
At that moment, Kaito leaned close to her ear and said in perfect Russian, "Little Alisa really is cute."
Maria's eyes widened in shock.
Mr. Kaito... knows Russian?!
Her mind raced, but Kaito quickly covered her mouth to prevent her from interrupting Alisa's story.
After a long while, Kaito whispered in her ear again, this time in Russian.
"Maria, you're quite the pervert, aren't you?"
"It's all your fault, Mr. Kaito," Maria replied weakly. "You're the one who made me this way. I'll never be able to leave you now."
When Alisa didn't hear Maria's voice for a while, she paused her story and asked, "Big sister?"
"I'm here," Maria replied in Russian. "So, how did you feel about Mr. Kaito at the time?"
As she spoke, Maria glanced back at Kaito with a seductive look.
Time passed, and Alisa was almost falling asleep when she suddenly realized the soft music outside had stopped.
"Big sister? Are you done?"
A weak "Mhm" came from Maria.
Alisa let out a sigh of relief, quickly dried herself off, and stepped out of the bathroom. She found Maria lying motionless on the bed.
"Why is the window open?"
Seeing her sister drenched in sweat, Alisa walked over to the window and closed it.
"You'll catch a cold like this," she scolded.
"Really?" Maria lay on the bed, her face turned toward Alisa but her eyes unfocused. She let out a soft, dazed laugh. "Then I'll just ask Mr. Kaito to treat me again."
Hearing the words "Mr. Kaito" and "treatment," Alisa couldn't help but recall the conversation she'd had with her sister in Russian while Kaito was treating her. She felt a mix of embarrassment and secret delight at having spoken so freely without him understanding.
"Big sister, you should go take a bath," Alisa said, changing the subject.
"I don't have the energy. Can I skip it today?"
"You're all sweaty. That's gross."
"Then help me, little Alisa."
Alisa sighed and helped her sister, who seemed to have turned into a limp noodle, to the bathroom.
"Do you need me to wash you?"
"No, this is enough. Thank you, little Alisa."
"Then I'll leave first."
Perhaps because she had been in the bath for too long, Alisa felt a bit dizzy as soon as she stepped into the bathroom.
After Alisa left and the bathroom door closed, Maria leaned weakly against the wall before sliding down to the floor. She watched the white foam swirl down the drain, a satisfied yet guilty smile on her face.
"Sorry, little Alisa. Big sister is a pervert."