Chapter Text
"Mmh... Sakuta... Sakuta... Nnh... I love you... I love you so much..."
To be honest, hearing the desperate-sounding voice leaking from Mai's room wasn't particularly pleasant for Nodoka. Making Sakuta wait, getting her boyfriend all worked up before sending him home, only to then come back and be pent up all alone herself... it didn't make sense.
Nodoka didn't have a hobby of pressing her ear to Mai's door. Mai's voice was probably much louder than Mai herself realized. Including the fact that such sounds were leaking out of her room, Mai likely had no self-awareness about it. But making her aware seemed far too cruel, so Nodoka had desperately hoped this information would remain solely within her own memory and end there.
However, she was also keenly aware that getting the person in question, who had no self-awareness whatsoever, to change their behavior was nearly impossible.
"Sorry! Sis! I can't take it anymore, I just can't!"
That night, finally reaching her limit, Nodoka charged into Mai's room, clutching a pillow. The pillow was brought along as a guard in case she got hit, or as something to throw in the unlikely event that a deeply engrossed Mai didn't notice her.
"...Eh, wha- why?"
Mai, face bright red and clad only in her underwear, sat there stunned, at a loss for words. There was likely no time to compose herself or make excuses.
"Sis, you were... at it again, weren't you?"
"Hey, Nodoka. Didn't I tell you to knock before entering?"
"If I knocked, you'd just play innocent about this, wouldn't you, Sis?"
"I wasn't doing anything."
"Playing innocent in your current state is a bit of a stretch."
"What exactly are you accusing me of doing?"
"Your voice was loud."
"Stop joking. Even if it's you, Nodoka, I'll get seriously angry."
"Did you make Sakuta wait again?"
"Don't change the subject, Nodoka."
"I'm not, not changing it at all."
"...You could hear me?"
"Yeah, the whole time. I heard everything. And no, I don't feel sorry. It's not my fault."
"You didn't... record it, or anything, did you?"
"What do you take me for...?"
"...I hate this..."
Mai looked down, face flushed, her voice trembling.
Nodoka knew this probably wasn't something you should do to a teenage girl. She understood that, but it was also true that Nodoka herself lacked the composure to simply listen silently to Mai's activities. She wished Mai would do that kind of thing quietly, without anyone knowing. The fact that Nodoka herself knew about it, including everything else, was unbearable for her.
"If you could just... keep it down a little, it'd really help..."
"I wasn't... making any noise..."
"Should I record it then?"
"Nodoka!"
"Eek, I'm sorry! But I can't sleep either, so please..."
"... Alright."
"How about... putting a handkerchief in your mouth, and biting down on it while you... do it?"
"How can you suggest something like that, Nodoka?"
"Because I've been thinking about what to do all this time!"
"Sigh..."
"Sakuta's such a wimp, too. Sis is in a state where she'd accept anything right now, you know."
"...Go home, Nodoka."
"That again? You say that all the time lately, Sis! Stop it!"
"You can't sleep because my voice is too loud, right? Then just go home."
"I'm sorry, Sis! Anything but that! I'll buy earplugs! So you can do it every night if you want!"
"Huh? Earplugs...? Eh? Am I really that loud?"
"I'm sorry. You're not that loud. Just... a little audible."
"Besides, I don't do it every night..."
"Sorry, that was just hypothetical too, please don't mind it."
"...I'll let it go this time, I suppose... well, I haven't really forgiven you, but right now I just want to be alone, so go back to your room."
"Ah, yes."
"Just... don't ever barge in without knocking again. Got it?"
"Uh-huh, got it. Absolutely never again."
"Just answer once."
"Yes!"
"Goodnight."
"Ah, yes, I'm going. Goodnight."
Whether it was a quick turnaround or she'd just been kicked out, Nodoka felt tired from thinking about various things – that it was understandable, that she was glad she'd safely been let go after launching her own assault. For Nodoka, it had been a do-or-die mission, so making it back alive was an honor.
Besides, she had planted a seed. Surely, on days when Nodoka came home late, or when she stayed overnight for concerts held out of town, Mai would probably record herself and listen to it during that time. The next time Mai's face turned bright red, she probably wouldn't be able to meet Nodoka's eyes, she thought.
Nodoka was exasperated, wondering why she had to get so worn out over someone else's love life, but still, she felt a little better now that the problem was addressed. Whether it was truly resolved remained unclear. She could only hope for the best going forward.
If this didn't work, the only option left was to consult Sakuta... yeah, maybe that would be better... though the aftermath would be absolutely terrifying. As she pondered this, her thoughts ceased, and she drifted off to sleep.
For Nodoka, just barely managing to survive each moment took everything she had.