Finally, he burst into laughter. She was his sister, but she was truly an unpredictable and straightforward person. He had expected the typical advice that he should give in because he was the older brother, but instead, Alesia just grinned.

“You always give in too much. You don’t need to.”

“What if I’m the one who’s wrong? I could be the one at fault.”

“How much wrong could you possibly do with your personality? Even if you did something wrong, it probably escalated because that guy was being stubborn. So don’t let him off easy this time.”

Her answer was refreshingly direct. Cecil gave a faint smile. He wondered if Alesia would still react this way if she knew the whole truth, but even just these few words were comforting. Cecil leaned his head on his sister’s shoulder and murmured softly.

“…Thank you, sis.”

“Don’t mention it.”

A cool breeze blew, and the willow leaves made a pleasant rustling sound as they swayed. It didn’t feel like early summer. Cecil stared at the lake for a while. He didn’t want to ruin anything. He didn’t want to ruin the relationship between the three of them, and he didn’t want to disappoint their fathers.

“…Ah.”

Suddenly, Cecil lowered his head and let out a pained groan. A cool hand approached the back of his head and stroked it casually. Cecil buried his face in his knees for a long time as he received that touch. It was summer, and the heat had not yet subsided. The willow leaves created a gloomy sound as they rustled.

This year, the heat had arrived earlier than last year. A summer that seemed like it would take away all moisture.

Cecil now had to make a decision about everything.

*

Despite their serious quarrel, he couldn’t keep living as a parasite in another student’s dormitory room forever. Cecil sighed and patted the shoulder of the friend who had let him stay.

“Thanks. It must have been uncomfortable because of me.”

“It’s fine. Just make up with your brother. What on earth did you fight about so badly that you left your room?”

His friend clicked his tongue and patted Cecil’s shoulder. He felt so sorry for barging into a two-person dormitory room for several days. It was fortunate that his friends all had easygoing personalities; otherwise, he would have been kicked out long ago and had to move from room to room every other day.

He could no longer postpone his conversation with Cyrus. Whenever they encountered each other during class, he felt an indescribable emotion at the gloomy, sunken face.

‘Now I really have to…’

Cecil sighed and headed toward his dormitory room. Since dinner time had passed, Cyrus would probably be in the room. With each step, his heart felt ready to burst.

The building, converted from an old castle, had a bleak atmosphere despite the summer weather. Finally reaching the door, Cecil hesitantly extended his hand. The metal doorknob felt sticky from the heat.

Creak—

As he slowly opened the door, he saw the room beginning to fall into twilight shadows. Under that sky shadow stood a man.

With his tall height and downcast eyelashes that always looked somewhat melancholic. His uniquely quiet and decadent atmosphere.

It was his one and only brother.

“I’ve been waiting.”

“…”

“Being a good brother isn’t easy.”

Cyrus murmured self-deprecatingly as he lightly touched the leaf of a potted plant in the room. It was a plant that Cyrus had once given to Cecil as a gift.

“I…”

“…”

“I thought you would understand by now.”

“Understand what?”

“That there are things in this world that are inevitable.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Do you think it’s coincidence? Do you want to believe that us being born this way, you waking me up—all of it was just coincidence?”

“Of course? It’s all coincidence. There’s no need to assign meaning to it. So you too—”

“Nothing has ever been coincidence to me.”

Cyrus’s eyes were clear as he looked directly at Cecil. They were the same blue color that Cecil shared. Cecil felt that whenever he looked into those eyes, he couldn’t deny the fact that Cyrus and he were brothers.

Unable to look any longer into eyes the same color as his own, Cecil was the first to avert his gaze. Cyrus watched this sequence of actions with a faint smile.

“I can’t give in anymore. You do it.”

“What exactly do you want? I don’t even need to think about it! We can’t do this!”

“Why? What’s your reason for wanting to live like this? Do you still delude yourself that we’re human?”

“Even beasts don’t do such things!”

“You love me too!”

At the sudden shout, Cecil’s eyes widened. Cyrus’s chest was heaving, and his cheeks were flushed. Heat had risen to his usually pale skin.

“Tell me you don’t.”

“I, I…”

As Cecil stepped back, Cyrus took a few steps closer. His expression appeared on the verge of tears.

“You loved me too. You still love me! But only you don’t know it, only you! Do you know how maddening that is?!”

“I…”

Cecil’s legs wobbled at the outburst that came without giving him a chance to block it. His breathing quickened. Cyrus, breathing heavily, was the same. The body that had come close radiated heat from excitement, and unlike his usual self, the corners of his eyes were tinged red. Suddenly, Cecil felt something was wrong.

“…Cyrus?”

“Ugh…”

Something was wrong with Cyrus’s condition. His skin was very pale by nature, so Cecil hadn’t thought he looked particularly pallid, but now he could see his complexion was sickly. Moreover, looking closely, beads of cold sweat had formed on his forehead. There was no doubt that his physical condition was not good.

“What’s wrong with you? Are you sick?”

“Answer me first. What your heart feels. Not about being brothers or whatever, tell me your true feelings.”

A large hand reached out and gripped Cecil’s wrist tightly. He could feel the hot body temperature from the palm. His condition was definitely different from usual. At that moment, Cyrus staggered and collapsed onto Cecil’s shoulder.

“Ugh…”

“Cy…, ah!”

Just as he was about to call his brother’s name, a certain scent poured out. Though he had never smelled it before, it was a scent whose meaning he could instinctively understand.

“Huu… brother…”

His breath was trembling and his body went hot with excitement. And the distinctive fragrance emanating from him. Cecil’s body began to convulse slightly with excitement as he inhaled the scent. Cecil soon realized what this smell was. It was the concentrated scent of a male snake’s excitement. A smell that makes the female snake open her body and prepare to receive him.

Mating season.

There was only one thing this concentrated scent meant.

It was Cyrus’s mating season.

Cecil’s legs began to tremble at the unbelievable reality. Until now, Cyrus had never experienced mating season. Moreover, Cyrus had always maintained his human form well, and all three of them had their mixed blood perfectly blended. He couldn’t guess why the mating season had suddenly begun.

“C-Cyrus…”

“Haa, haa…”

Cyrus’s breathing was rough. Looking at him seemingly about to faint at any moment, Cecil glanced around. He didn’t know what to do. As he looked toward the door, thinking he should urgently call someone, a strong hand gripped Cecil’s collar.

“Don’t go…”

His voice was moist and saturated with fluid. It resembled a nymph from a damp swamp seducing him.

Cyrus’s arms and hands wrapped around Cecil’s legs like vines. His long, muscular arms climbed up Cecil’s thighs and desperately embraced his waist. Looking down, Cecil saw Cyrus kneeling with flushed cheeks, clinging to his brother.

“Don’t abandon me, brother…”

His rough, heavy breathing was rapid. Cecil couldn’t focus because of the mating scent that enveloped his entire body. Heat began to forcibly rise in Cecil’s body like a transferred fire. He could feel his groin growing hot. Cold sweat dripped down and his legs wobbled. It was a terribly addictive and stimulating scent.

“Hnngh… brother…”

The voice melting into his ear was irresistibly seductive. It was sweet enough to make him forget thoughts of being human or beast.

Cecil, who had been leaning against the door, slid down and collapsed. His entire body trembled convulsively, and cold sweat poured like rain. Breathing sounds, whose owner he couldn’t identify, penetrated his ears.

“Haa, haa…”

Sweat-soaked blonde hair rubbed against Cecil’s elegant neckline. His groin became damp, and the breath escaping between his lips was hot.

“Don’t push me away, please…”

With those words, Cecil saw Cyrus’s lips approaching very slowly. It felt like his vision had slowed down, with no sense of speed. At that moment, Cecil couldn’t even recognize what he was thinking.

He only felt the door to the cave he had locked opening. The blue-eyed monster in the cave he had tried to hide was his beastly nature, the one he had tried to deny for a long time. The yellow monster that never left the cave despite being wounded now slowly slithered out, trying to wrap around Cecil’s body.

At that terrible sensation, Cecil reached out and pushed against Cyrus’s shoulder, but Cyrus kissed his fingertips seemingly telling him not to, and approached languidly.

With tears in his eyes, Cecil slowly closed his vision. He felt the soft touch of flesh meeting his reddened lips.

That sensation was the starting point. The mating heat spread throughout his body like wildfire, burning. He stretched out his arms. A firm neck wrapped around his arm, and Cecil surrendered himself to that broad embrace, collapsing into it.

Unlike usual, a hand hot with heat burrowed into his clothes. It caressed his shoulder and pressed the soft flesh under his armpit with its thumb. When Cecil contracted his neck from the ticklish feeling and s*xual excitement, lips followed, seemingly telling him not to avoid it.