"You're not saying you're afraid of him catching on, are you?"

Suguru's chuckle softened as he observed your expression, his fingers delicately tracing the curves of your cheeks.

"Don't worry," his tone, like velvet, caressed your ears, coaxing a warmth that spread through you. "He's my best friend, but..."

Despite the reassurance, a pang of guilt pricked at Suguru's conscience. It wasn't precisely wrong, per se, but he couldn't shake the feeling of disloyalty to his best friend, secretly seeing Satoru's younger sibling. Yet, with you in your first year and him in his second, he had a convenient excuse to see you often.

"He won't hear a peep of this, silly thing," his finger gently flicked against your forehead, tender yet firm. "Just don't make it too obvious yourself, won't you?"