Chapter 247: [4.65] The Imouto Archetype
But maybe, Iris thought as she watched Harlow demonstrate the proper way to eat french toast (apparently there was choreography involved), maybe she could enjoy the nice things while they were here. Maybe she could let herself have this one morning of fancy breakfast and sisters who bickered and teased and cared.
Maybe that was enough.
"Iris." Sabrina’s quiet voice pulled her from her thoughts. "Your brother. How is he really doing?"
The question surprised her. Not that Sabrina asked, but that she asked it seriously, like the answer actually mattered beyond polite small talk.
Iris set down her fork and considered her response carefully.
"He’s..." She paused. "He’s an idiot."
Cassidy snorted. "Yeah, we’ve noticed."
"But like, in the best way?" Iris continued. "He works himself into the ground for me. He always has. And he never complains about it or makes me feel like I’m a burden even though I obviously am."
"You’re not—" Harlow started.
"I am though. I know I am. He’s eighteen and he’s supposed to be doing stupid eighteen-year-old things like going to parties and dating girls and worrying about college applications. Instead he’s raising me and working two jobs and commuting five hours a day and barely sleeping."
The words tumbled out faster now, picking up momentum like a runaway train.
"And then you guys showed up and suddenly he’s got this amazing job that pays actual money and he can be home for dinner and he doesn’t look like a zombie anymore. But it’s also completely destroying him because he’s falling for all four of you and he can’t even admit it because he’s terrified of losing the job and letting me down."
Iris sucked in a breath. Her hands were shaking slightly.
"So yeah. He’s an idiot. But he’s MY idiot. And if you guys are gonna break his heart or get him fired or whatever, I’d appreciate it if you could just do it now instead of dragging it out. Because watching him pretend he’s fine when he’s clearly falling apart is killing me."
Silence fell over the table. Complete, total silence except for the grandfather clock ticking in the corner and a bird singing outside the window.
Then Vivienne spoke, her voice softer than Iris had ever heard it.
"We’re not going to break his heart."
Iris looked at her skeptically. "You literally can’t promise that."
"No," Vivienne agreed. "But I can promise we’re trying not to. And that we care about him too."
"All of us," Harlow added quietly. "We all care. Like, really care."
Cassidy shifted in her seat, her jaw tight. "He’s the first person who’s treated me like I’m not stupid. Like, ever. You think I’m gonna let that go without a fight?"
"He sees people," Sabrina said simply. "Really sees them. Not what they can do or what they’re worth. Just... who they are."
Iris felt her chest tighten. Because yeah. That was Zay exactly.
He saw people when everyone else saw dollar signs or social status or potential benefits. He saw Iris when Mom had looked through her like she was invisible. He saw these four rich girls when everyone else probably saw walking trust funds.
God, he was such an idiot.
"So what’s the plan?" Iris asked. "Because his plan is clearly terrible. He’s just gonna keep pretending he doesn’t have feelings until he combusts or gets fired."
Harlow and Cassidy exchanged glances. Vivienne’s fingers tightened on her tablet. Sabrina smiled.
"We have a proposal," Vivienne said carefully.
"Oh no."
"It’s not—"
"Whenever people say ’it’s not’ something, it definitely is that thing." Iris crossed her arms. "What kind of proposal?"
The four sisters looked at each other again, having one of those silent conversations that identical quadruplets were probably genetically programmed to have.
Finally, Harlow spoke.
"What if he didn’t have to choose?"
Iris blinked. "What?"
"Between us," Harlow clarified, her usual brightness dimming into something more serious. "What if... what if we all just..."
"Shared him," Cassidy finished bluntly.
Iris’s brain stuttered to a complete halt. She looked between the four sisters, waiting for the punchline. The laugh track. The sign that this was obviously a joke.
But they all looked completely serious.
"You want to..." Iris paused, trying to find words. "You want to SHARE my brother?"
"When you say it like that it sounds weird," Harlow protested.
"IT IS WEIRD!"
"Polyamory is actually statistically—" Vivienne started.
"NOPE." Iris held up her hand. "Absolutely not. I refuse to hear statistics about my brother dating multiple people."
"Dating is a strong word—" Sabrina began.
"WHAT WOULD YOU CALL IT THEN?!"
Silence.
Then Cassidy grinned, sharp and wicked. "We’d call it winning."
Iris stared at her. Then at Harlow’s hopeful expression. Then at Vivienne’s carefully composed face that couldn’t quite hide the vulnerability underneath. Then at Sabrina’s knowing smile.
"You’re all insane," Iris announced.
"Yes," they agreed in perfect unison.
"And you think Zay’s gonna go for this?"
"Eventually," Sabrina said.
"He’s stubborn though," Cassidy added. "Gonna take some convincing."
"A lot of convincing," Vivienne agreed.
"But we’re very convincing!" Harlow bounced in her seat. "And we have time!"
"And you’re okay with this?" Iris looked at each of them individually. "All of you? Sharing?"
"We’ve shared everything else our entire lives," Vivienne said quietly. "Clothes. Rooms. Friends. Tutors. Why not this?"
"Because people aren’t THINGS!"
"We know that." Sabrina’s voice remained calm. "That’s why we’re asking. If we thought he was a thing, we’d just take turns and not care about the complications."
Iris’s head hurt. This conversation was too advanced for eight in the morning. She needed at least three more hours of sleep and possibly a PhD in relationship psychology to even begin processing what these four billionaires were proposing.
"Does Zay know about this plan?"
"We mentioned it," Vivienne said carefully.
"He hasn’t said yes," Harlow added.
"But he hasn’t said no either," Cassidy finished with satisfaction.
"Which means he’s thinking about it," Sabrina concluded.
Iris groaned and dropped her head onto the table. "My brother is living in a harem anime and I have to WATCH."
"Technically you’re IN the harem anime," Sabrina pointed out.
"AS A SIDE CHARACTER!"
"The imouto is an important archetype—"
"STOP ANALYZING MY LIFE!"
