After that absolute travesty Kiria committed on the poor Papillon, he really hasn't been the same since. Holed up in his room, not even going out to take a shower, he absolutely refuses to push himself back up after the whole "brother-zoned" thing happened. The worst part is that Kiria herself doesn't even realize why this was even happening. Due to her obliviousness to his feelings, she just sort of though he was slouching off for no reason.

"Kevin!" She knocked on his door.

"Leave."

"Kevin, get out here this instant!" She continued knocking.

"Let me die in peace." He muttered from behind the closed doors.

"D-Die!?" She gasped, now scrapping the knocking and instead just jumping straight into the room, "Eugh, what the...!?"

Following close behind, I had finally figured out what had caused such a strong reaction from her once the smell of the room made its way into my nostrils. Kevin, shall we say, hadn't showered in a while, and from the looks of him, he probably didn't change his clothes or bedsheets either. The room that was usually kept tidy at all times so that he could impress his childhood crush with his cleanliness had now completely devolved into a cesspit of sweat and musk. Stepping over the countless empty cartons of milk which I didn't even know how he acquired, we had decided it was time for an intervention.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Kiria was oddly blunt, "This room, this smell... Eugh! You're disgusting!"

"H-Hey now, I do not think it is alright to be saying such harsh words, Kiria." I let out a nervous chuckle as I motioned for her to cease.

"Nah, she's right." Kevin continued to lay in his bed, as if unable to move, "I'm just a leech. Feel free to kick me out."

"That's not what I, grr...!" She finally snapped and tossed him off of the bed, "That is it! You're gonna take a shower while Meil and I clean this place up! And let it be known that I NEVER called you a leech."

"Quit the pleasantries, sis." He almost started laughing hysterically at the thought of them being something akin to siblings, "Ack, excuse me. In any case, I know you don't really care all that much. You're probably just feeling bad for the room right now."

"A room isn't the same as you! The Kevin I know is way more important!" She earnestly spoke up, "But that Kevin right now, that isn't you. The Kevin I know is funny, happy-go-lucky and above all else, clean!"

"... Get the fuck out of my room." His Eyes flickered Purple, "Let me wither away in peace. Sorry to say, but there's just nothing you can do to get me to..."

"Hey Meil, thanks for the study sheets the other day." Lemmy peeked into the room, "It really helped me get a grasp of the material. I think I'm ready for the test this friday."

"T-There's a test this friday!?" Kevin immediately perked up, "Why did no one tell me that!?"

"Did you not know?" Lemmy chuckled, "But does it matter? You said it yourself - There is nothing we can do to..."

"Forget what I said! School is the one and only exception!" He counted with his finger, "Nothing is as costly as a tuition here, and I would know, because I've paid for two out of my own pocket!"

Looking to the side in shame, it seems Kiria didn't yet feel comfortable with paying him back just yet. I'm surprised she's so carefree, given that she still has to pay him back for the student loans he painstakingly accumulated for her. As if suddenly being reminded of that, a sense of guilt unlike any other befell her, so much so that she had actually started to clean up his room, one milk carton at a time.

"Meil, bud, you gotta help me cram for the exam! We've only got 2 days!" He begged on his knees, kicking away the milk carton Kiria was about to pick up.

"Mn... I do not know. It will be quite tiring of a job for me to do alone." I sarcastically looked up as I rubbed my chin, only peeking down to look at Kiria, "Maybe if I had someone to help me who had already gone through those exams before..."

"Huh? M-Me?" She pointed to herself as if unsure.

"Kiria! Big sis! Whatever you wanna be called!" He ran up to her to grab her hand, still on his knees as he begged, "Please help me study for the exam! I'll do anything!"

"A-Anything?" Her mouth drooled for a bit before she shook the notion off, "E-Erm, I mean: Anything? Even picking yourself back up and stop slouching about?"

"Done!" He immediately took the cartons of milk off of her hands and began cleaning the room in her stead, "We'll begin studying as soon as I get this place fixed up!"

"Sure, but before that..." I pinched my nose as I exited the room, "Take a shower, please."

"R-Right! I really should, shouldn't I!?" He darted his Eyes around the room, laughing at himself before taking a whiff under his pits and gagging, "Eugh! I smell like this?!"

Well, that's one way to solve the problem. Thankfully Lemmy came at just the right time, otherwise I highly doubt we'd ever get Kevin out of the room at the rate we were going. I'm always surprised by Kevin's oddities. Sometimes he's a real idiot, and other times he can be strangely earnest and mature. It's like that - An honest idiot with a heart of gold. Yeah, that sounds about right.

***

"So, it's from my understanding that your biggest issue lies in math." Kiria clicked her pen as she opened up our math book, "So for starters, what are you guys currently doing?"

"Geometry." Kevin opened up his notebook, "I think the last thing we did in class was question 1147."

Flipping through the countless pages of math questions, Kiria had suddenly come to a realization that had made her stop for a moment and look at me. With a suspicious gaze she stared me down as she inquired.

"Wait a second. Geometry boils down to just remembering formulas, so what's the deal here, Meil?" She closed the math book, "It's unlike you to ask for help if it's just helping Kevin memorize some letters."

"Ah, hold that though." I got up, "Let me just brew us some coffee."

Whew, that was close. Obviously, if I was really here just to "help prepare Kevin for the upcoming test", I would've just given him a cheat sheet and told him to study up. It's like 5 minutes of work, but I can't just do that because, in truth, that isn't my goal. No, I am to be his wingman, and since his and Kiria's relationship hit rock bottom recently, it's best I make some chances for them. Right, here I go.

"Just gotta heat up the water now, oops-!" I spilled the kettle of cold water on Kiria, "Yikes. Oh what a klutz I am."

"M-Meil?! W-What the hell!" She hit the table with how fast she got up, "Ugh, my top's all wet now."

I know. That was the plan from the beginning. Kevin will see her exposed brazier and run to fetch her a towel, thus fixing their relationship. In theory, the plan is waterproof, no pun intended.

"A-Ah..." Kevin could only sit there like an idiot as he and I both realized something about Kiria, "Y-Your b-bo..."

"Hm? Eep!" She looked down, only to notice she, in her leisurely mindset, forgot to put on a bra for whatever reason, "D-Don't look! Grr, Meil, I'll remember this!"

Running off to her room and slamming the doors shut, Kevin and I were the only ones left in the room now. He still seemed pretty dumbfounded from the situation, and the worst part is that now I've only made things worse.

"Sorry about that..." I sat back down to apologize to Kevin, "Because of me, she..."

"Thank you!" He kicked the chair he was sitting on as he grabbed me by the shoulders, "Thanks to you, I got to see them! A glimpse into paradise!"

"Ah, you are... welcome?" I looked around the room, utterly confused.

"Right, was I really gonna give up on THOSE just because of something she said without thinking? Dude, I know it was on accident, but had you not slipped back there when you did, I would have forever been alone! You've, no, THEY have jogged my memory and returned me to the right path!"

That's... certainly one way to look at it. It seems that, in his own highly perverted and twisted way, Kevin had somehow gone so down bad that he somehow made a full rotation and turned the situation back around into his favor. Ignoring how disgusted and repulsed I am by his behavior, I could honestly say I'm impressed.

"Hello, welcome back." I looked over Kevin's shoulder to see the mademoiselle sporting a new, way less revealing and way more frilly dress in place of the overly-casual white tank top she had on previously, "Sorry about before."

"Ugh, geez..." She sighed as she sat back down, not at all appreciating Kevin's bewildered gaze, "It's alright. In any case, it's not your fault, so I forgive you. You just surprised me a bit is all."

"U-Ubuh..." Kevin still kept his piercing gaze directed at her body.

"And what about you, mister!" She smacked him with a ruler we kept on the table, "What's got you so enamored, huh!?"

"C-Cute..." He muttered before realizing what he had just blurted out, "A-Ah! I-I didn't mean anything weird by that! I was talking about this new outfit of yours! Y-You usually either wear super serious or super chill clothes, so this is fresh!"

"Cute...?" She then smacked him once again, "Don't try to weasel your way out of this! I know for a fact you saw them, damned boobophile!"

"Ow! You didn't have to hit me twice, dammit!" He rubbed the part of his head that got struck, "It's not my fault you've got mounds attached to...!"

"Shhh..." A light whisper could be heard uttering something beneath the tablecloth, "Don't go there~ It is unwise~"

The voice was a surprise, to be sure, but it was a welcome one. Those that heard it could easily tell that it belonged to Javi. He must've snuck underneath once he heard we were gonna be studying here. Well, let's just be glad he's helping us, and not only that, but doing so in such a sneaky way that he seemed to have somehow snuck underneath Kiria's radars.

"Ahm! W-What I m-meant to say was, uhh..." Kevin then backpaddled a bit, only to get lost and seek the wisdom of the voice again.

"Compliment her instead~" The voice whispered.

"... T-That you looked way cuter in those clothes than your usual attire!" He snuck a wink in the middle of his delivery.

"I really don't wanna hear that from you." She sighed, fiddling with the ruler a bit, "Seriously, being called cute by a guy who let himself live without a shower for so long is like drinking filtered pisswater."

"Don't compare me to filtered pisswater!" He cried out, "Ugh, fine! If you don't wanna be here, then I'll end both of our suffering and go!"

As soon as he got up from his seat to leave, the table jumped a bit as Javi banged his head in surprise, jolting both Kiria and I who were seated underneath.

"Stop him from leaving~!" The voice then tugged on my ankle, its voice growing more urgent.

"T-Then what about the test!?" I asked.

"Oh, right..." His Eyes looked Purple as he turned around, "Screw it, I'll just wing it. If I fail, that means it was never meant to be."

"Kevin!" Kiria called out to him, but it was already too late.

This isn't good. It's one thing to get demotivated, but he's seriously depressed now. Purple Iros mean certain death, but for now it seems his Eyes only flicker to said color when he gets provoked too much. We're on thin ice, but I don't think we have much time before he fully converts. We really should find a way to rectify his issue.