Kurasu no Daikirai na Joshi to Kekkon Suru Koto ni Natta Volume 4 Chapter 1

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Junior

Saito was reading a book in the courtyard while the sun showered him with some gentle light. During the lunch break, not many people were present in the courtyard, nor was Akane around picking a fight with him, which allowed Saito to read his book in peace. A breeze filled with the scent of grass and flowers tickled his cheek, as he flipped over page after page. Right as he enjoyed this silence that not even his own home could grant him, someone called out to Saito from behind his back.

“Senpaaaai~”

It was a sweet, nasal voice. There shouldn’t be any person addressing Saito in such a way. Wondering who it could be, he turned around. In doing so, he was greeted by a girl with long hair, locking her hands behind her back, pushing her body towards Saito. She still had an innocent touch to her face, but she possessed the cuteness of an idol. Her large eyes were brimming with energy, almost in a teasing way. The reason she had kept this youthful atmosphere to her was most likely because of the two heart-shaped hair clips she used to tie her hair in two braids. However, her slender figure was emphasized where it needed to be, granting her a mature charm, and her thighs covered with a garter belt were alluring, to say the least.

Immediately upon seeing, Saito was greeted with a sense of deja-vu. Despite him not even knowing her, it felt like they had met before. Saito searched through his memories, finding a lead. She resembled a girl he had gotten attracted to at first glance before. During a party held to celebrate Saito’s graduation held at Tenryuu’s villa, he had seen such a long-haired girl before. At the time, she must have been in grade school, but it would be plausible for her to grow up this way.

“…Who are you?” Saito asked, perplexed.

In response, the girl covered her mouth, her eyes opening wide in shock.

“Eh, Senpai, you don’t know who I am? Come on, it’s me! Maho!”

“Ma-who, more like! I don’t know you!”

“You didn’t hear about me at all? I’m Maho, the first person who managed to fly to space without any rocket!”

“I sure as hell would have heard of that!”

As long as Saito hadn’t lost his memories from one of Akane’s attacks, this should be their first encounter. Saito became dubious if this wasn’t some kind of scam. In response, the girl calling herself Maho put her fingers on her lips, muttering.

“Hmmm…I see. Well, this isn’t half bad in itself.”

“I don’t know what you’re so excited about, but…what do you want from me?”

In the face of Saito’s question, Maho walked in front of him. Her handsome face drew closer to Saito, her lively reddened lips stimulating his eyes. From her skin drifted a sweet scent, as she faintly moved her lips, whispering.

“I’ve been interested in Senpai, so I’d like you to become my boyfriend~”

“Huuuh!?” Saito’s body shot backward.

“Hey, what are you so shocked about? That hurt~”

“Can you blame me…? A girl I don’t even know suddenly asked me out.”

More than anything, she resembled that girl. Saito felt his heart racing faster.

“I know a lot about Senpai though?”

“…Really?”

Maho energetically sat down next to Saito, her legs swaying up and down.

“Yup! Senpai is always at the top of the student year, right? Not only in high school but also in grade school and middle school! A clever man is so cool~! I can’t help but respect you!”

“R-Right…” Met with such straight praise, Saito scratched his cheek.

He had always been at the top when it came to studies, but since there weren’t many people actually praising him for that with full earnest, receiving it now just made him feel restless. Despite this being their first meeting, the girl sat close enough to Saito their bodies might touch any second. She most likely was aware—aware that she was exceptionally charming, and that simply sitting this close would put pressure on the man.

“Not to mention that you’ll be the next family head of the Houjou Group, no? You’re in the winner group of life! You’re bound to be popular with the girls.”

“I don’t think that’s the case, though.”

“That’s a lie. I heard of it, you know? You were confessed to by third-year Himari-senpai, and yet you rejected her. She’s a beauty, kind, and popular with everybody, so why’d you say no~? You greedy guy~” Maho slammed her elbow into Saito’s side, grinding it back and forth.

“That’s…”

“I know the reason, actually. You’re living together with Akane-senpai, right?”

“…?!” Saito’s body perfectly froze up.

Nobody outside their closest family members should know about this, and not a person was allowed to be aware of this fact. Saito frantically looked around, worried that somebody might have overheard them. As if she had seen through that, Maho smiled.

“It’s fine, nobody’s around.”

“How…do you know…?” Saito asked with a tense voice.

“I know everything there is to know about my beloved Saito-senpai~” Maho flashed a peace sign over one eye, showing a wink with the other.

She pulled it off perfectly, creating a cute gesture, but that only annoyed Saito more.

“Don’t play around. That doesn’t amount to any explanation.”

“Didn’t plan on explaining it in the first place~”

“Who did you hear it from?”

“Grandma~”

“Stop fooling around! Now that you know…I need to silence you and make sure you never talk again…!” Saito grabbed Maho’s shoulders.

“Kyaaa~ I’m receiving a lewd punishment~”

“Who the hell would do that!” Saito immediately pulled his hands away again.

Yet, Maho showed no signs of trying to run. On the contrary, she seemed to very much enjoy the situation, with her legs flapping up and down. She clearly underestimated what it meant to make a man angry.

“Just…who are you?”

“Just Maho!”

“I wasn’t talking about your name…” Saito felt oddly exhausted.

Not knowing her goal was like dealing with a wild card. Her words and actions were so over the top, Saito couldn’t calculate how to deal with her. At the same time, she put her hand on Saito’s lap, bringing her face closer to his.

“…So, will you go out with me?”

“Why would you think I’d say yes after that entire previous conversation?!”

“I mean, I know about your secret with Akane-senpai~ In other words…if you don’t listen to my demands…you know?”

“Y-You…don’t tell me…” A cold shiver ran down Saito’s back.

“Exactly~!” Maho grinned.

She took a deep breath that pushed out her chest, opened her mouth wide as if to create a human megaphone, and raised a voice loud enough to reach the school building.

“Everyoneeeee! Listen to this! Third-year Saito-senpai is actually—”

“Wait wait wait!” Saito frantically stopped her, closing off her mouth.

With the momentum he used, Maho’s body fell over, ending up with the back on the bench. Her long hair reached the ground, dangling in the air. Her charm didn’t befit her age as a junior, and the sensation of her lips was fresh, burning into Saito’s mind. While being pushed down, Maho let out a snicker.

“Waaah, Senpai is so bold~ Is this what you meant by silencing me~?”

“This is an emergency, so let’s just talk this through…” Saito felt like he had stepped on a landmine, rather than pushed down a girl.

If he took a wrong step, he’d be blowing himself up beyond saving.

“Were my lips soft?”

“Nobody talked about your lips!”

“Would you like to try feeling them again? Maybe with your lips this time?”

“Wha…”

Maho grabbed Saito’s chest, pulled herself up, and pushed her lips closer to him. Because of this sudden happening, Saito didn’t manage to evade it in time. Right as their bodies approached, something like a projectile flew between the two. Nay, it was not any projectile, it was Shisei’s body that shot up from the ground at immense speed. She crashed into the bench, pushing Saito and Maho away from each other. With a shriek, Maho fell off the bench. At the same time, Shisei stood on the bench like a king with crossed arms, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

“That was dangerous. Brother, you all right?”

“Shise…!”

What a brave figure. What heroic deed. Kyle felt like a maiden who was saved by a hero. He was fully aware that his expression turned into that of a shoujo manga’s female protagonist. At the same time, Shisei declared with a reliable expression.

“Shise will protect Brother. No matter who may stand against Shise, she will defeat whatever enemy, and make them surrenmgh!”

Right as Shisei was declaring her determination, Maho suddenly jumped up, hugging her tightly, and twirled her around in her arms.

“So…So so so so cute! What the heck?! Her eyelashes are so long! Her cheeks are so fluffy! Her skin is so smooth! She’s way too adorable! Is she a fairy?! Or, a puppet?!”

“She’s my cousin Shisei…Could you stop shaking her around like that?”

Shisei’s eyes were already turning into small marbles from all the dizziness. Like a small animal, she must have realized that all resistance was futile, and just let her legs dangle in the air. Maho asked with hope in her voice.

“Can I take her home?!”

“No, you cannot.”

“I’ll make her happy! I’ll build a small shrine for her, and feed her marshmallows every day!”

“I highly doubt Shise would regard that as a happy life.”

“It’s okay, right?! I want her, I want her so badly! I might just abduct her!”

“Don’t abduct her.” Saito forcefully stole Shisei back from Maho, who was about to run off.

Terrified by this, Shisei clung to Saito while shaking in fear. Maho formed a shaking fist, glaring up at Saito.

“Grrr…Houjou Saito, I’m so jealous…”

“Did you come here to confess to me, or to steal Shisei?!”

“To confess to Senpai, of course! But, it makes sense for me to abduct and spoil a cute girl like her, right?!”

“You’re more dangerous than I thought…!”

“Shii-chan is so cute…I wanna fondle…Shii-chan’s boobs…”

“A molester?!”

Maho moved her hands like small tentacles, approaching Shisei. Saito tried his best to protect Shisei from her, embracing her in his arms. However, this allowed Shisei to fondle all of Saito’s chest, so she was plenty of a molester.

“Shise…can you let go of my chest?”

“Shise refuses. A younger sister has the duty of making her brother’s chest grow.”

“I never heard of any duty like that…Also, my chest isn’t going to grow any further!”

“Brother is still in his growth period. Denying one’s possibilities is foolish thinking.” Shisei did not dare change his way of thinking.

Saito realized that he would have to give her a good scolding later on. As the situation and mood were critical, the chime rang, declaring the end of the lunch break. In response, Maho lowered her hands, erasing her fighting posture.

“You managed to get away this once, Senpai, but this isn’t the end, okay? This is just the beginning.”

“Don’t spit phrases like the last boss.”

The world already had enough trouble with the last boss known as Akane.

“See you later, Senpai~” Maho showed a wink, and walked away.

Even as Saito returned to the classroom, the teacher for 5th period had yet to arrive. The students were excited about a January lunch break you wouldn’t normally expect, discussing their experiences on and on. As for Akane, she was still in as much of a great mood as this morning, while she was talking to Himari. Saito was curious just what happened, but he couldn’t just ask this late into the game.

“Was that girl just now your type?” Shisei sat on Saito’s desk, asking him.

“Not at all.”

“But, you looked happy while she was approaching you. You had a lewd look on your face.”

“I did not!”

“You did. Shise has faith in her gaze.”

“It’s great that you’re confident, but not if you’re accusing me of nonsense.”

Saito had no memory of that.

“Brother, you didn’t actually try to avoid that girl. Would you kiss about any girl as long as she’s cute?” Shisei faintly tilted her head.

Her translucent, sapphire-colored eyes stared directly at Saito. Her pure gaze made Saito feel like she could see through all his wicked desires.

“She just suddenly jumped at me like that, so my reaction ended up late.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. The normal Brother would beat her to death without hesitation.”

“Don’t make me sound like some punisher! I wouldn’t do something like that.

“Brother, do you like that type of devilish woman?”

“Well…Her looks weren’t bad, at least.”

She resembled that girl, who Saito had once been attracted to, after all. Then again, that girl was more pure and proper than devilish.

“So Brother judges girls based on their looks. You think with your lower body. Shise will remember that.”

“Don’t remember that!”

“Wanna kiss Shise as well?” Shisei pushed her lips towards Saito, blinking with her long eyelashes.

If the people of her fan club saw this, Saito would be a dead man.

“I won’t kiss my own little sister.”

“It’s fine, Akane isn’t looking right now,” Shisei whispered.

Her sweet breath tickled Saito’s lips.

“I’m not worried about her finding out.”

“Even though we’d kiss a lot when we were younger?”

“Yeah, emphasis on younger. And it wasn’t on the lips, it was a family’s kiss on the cheeks.”

“So then we can do it right now, no?”

“Not here.”

“Shise is fine whenever and wherever.”

“Please don’t say stuff that will invite misunderstandings, alright.” Saito grabbed Shisei’s fingers, moving them away from his own lips.

—She’s plenty of a molester, alright, Kaito commented in his mind.

If Saito was not used to Shisei’s undeniable beauty, he might have been unable to protect himself against that attack. Finally, Shisei slid off the desk, which almost caused her skirt to be flipped up, so Saito pushed it down. Despite being so devilishly assertive, she had this youthful side to her, which is why Saito couldn’t leave her alone.

“That woman smells like danger. Be careful.”

“Yeah, she was ready to abduct you after all.”

“That’s not what Shise meant.” She said and returned to her seat.

Classes ended for the day, and Saito was finally able to enjoy some freedom in class 3-A’s classroom. Akane had plans to hang out with Himari, no time to go shopping as the married couple they were. Shisei went off shopping with her parents, so that maid driver came to pick her up. In other words, as soon as he walked out of the school, he was free. Walking around town with Shisei was fun, but sometimes, he preferred being alone after all. For example…during the release day of a novel with erotic content.

It was part of an overseas science-fiction novel series he had been following for a while. With space as its theme, it was quite intriguing for just that, but the cover was a bit too sexy. It also had a lot of sex scenes, so buying that with a young girl he considered family was something he wanted to avoid.

Additionally to that purchase, he considered watching a movie, as well as getting some supplements from the drug store, which would be perfect. However, right as he was dwelling in excitement…

“Senpaaaai!”

A scream that sounded like a death sentence to Saito rang out inside the classroom. Maho stood at the door to the room, waving her hand from across the Sanzu River.

“Shise, run!” Saito looked next to him, but Shisei was nowhere to be seen.

She already ran away at a speed that rivaled instant teleportation.

—Who was the one who said ‘I’ll protect Brother no matter what’, huh?!

Saito cursed, but it was a wise decision on Shisei’s end. Even a small animal would run away in the face of an approaching storm. At the same time, the classmates still present in the classroom went noisy.

“Wah, she’s so cute…”

“A first-year?”

“Did we have such a cute girl at our school?”

“Maybe she’s a transfer student?”

“Who’s she here for?”

All the boys’ gazes focussed on the girl. Especially Maho’s thighs, that is. Said Maho started fidgeting, asking the boys near the door.

“Um…I’m here to meet Houjou-senpai…is he present…?” She showed the expression of a maiden in love.

However, she must have seen Saito in the corner of her view, so all that was evidently an act. Not to mention that gazes fueled with anger and fury focussed on said Saito a second after.

“Houjou…You again?!”

“You’re not satisfied with Ishikura, and now you got a cute junior as well?!”

“You treacherous beast! Even if the gods may forgive you, we sure as hell won’t!”

“What did I even do?!”

Nobody listened to Saito’s complaint, as the boys approached him.

“““Heave-ho! Heave-ho! Heave-ho!”””

Together with energetic voices, the boys carried Saito to the balcony. As a group, they were trying to throw him out.

“Calm down, will you?! This is the 4th floor!”

“““Our resentment shall curse the Houjou bloodline!”””

“What kind of chant is that?! Somebody call the city guards! Call for help!”

Nobody bothered listening to Saito’s pleading. He was surrounded by enemies on all sides.

“Please stop! Don’t do anything to hurt my beloved Houjou-senpai! I just want us both to be happy!” Maho screamed like a heroine in peril, but that only carried the opposite effect.

The boys started shedding tears of blood, swinging Saito around even more violently. They weren’t just satisfied with pushing him off the fourth floor, they wanted to shoot him off like a cannonball. It was clear that Maho was purposefully aggravating the boys. Saito somehow managed to break free using his own strength, stepping on their heads to make it back inside. Following that, he grabbed his back, dashing out of the classroom. Maho let out a snicker, immediately following him.

“Must be rough, Senpai~”

“Whose fault do you think this is…” Saito confirmed that the boys were not chasing after him, sighing in relief.

They most likely were taken in by the moment, not actually plotting on murdering a classmate of theirs in cold blood—probably.

“So, what do you want now?” Saito asked, a bit of annoyance filling his voice.

“You’re asking me?! So kind!” Maho put her hands together in front of her chest.

“If I didn’t, you’d follow me until I would, no?”

“You know me so well~ Are you my fan by any chance?”

“Not in the slightest, and the best I know about you is that you’re not from this earth.”

“Eh? Does that mean you want to know more about me? You want to know about every part of my body? Jeez, you’re so lewd!” She slapped one hand on Saito’s shoulder.

Saito’s cheek was twitching in anger. She felt like a cicada chirping right next to his window, but that cuteness made it impossible for him to shoo her away.

“Alright, tell me your address and phone number. I’ll give you parents an earful.”

“Hmm, I think it’s a bit early to introduce you to my parents. We didn’t even make any children yet.”

“If we had children, we’d be way too late in telling them, don’t you think?!”

That’d be a stage where marriage was a given, imagine the parents’ reactions. However, Maho just introduced herself with a grin.

“Sooo~ I’m Maho! A first-year in high school, and Senpai’s girlfriend!”

“You added some fabricated information in there!”

“What’s it matter? We’ll just have to learn more about each other from now on…okay? We’ll walk this path together, next to each other…yeah?” She was blurting out romantic nonsense, but that was just more smoke from the fire.

She already knew very personal information about Saito, so they weren’t on the same level anymore.

“I just transferred here today, so I don’t know anything about this school. That’s why I came here to ask Senpai for a tour! Thanks for accepting!”

“I never said anything about accepting, all right. Ask your classmates in regards to that.”

“The girls in my class apparently don’t like me too much…Even though I’m so cute, it’s weird, right~?”

“Right…”

Seeing Maho show a wink, Saito had to agree. Even if she were to be treated like a princess by all the boys, the girls will surely not enjoy her hogging all the attention. Although it was all thanks to his doing, Saito doesn’t have any close friends in class, and everybody but Akane and Himari were keeping their distance from him, so he sort of understood how she felt. He remembered being shut out by groups in class back in grade school.

“Got it, I’ll show you around.”

“Because I’m cute?!”

“Because I feel bad for you.”

“So is it love?!”

“Not love.”

“A physical relationship only?! Actually, that might be fine to start with.”

“Not at all. Might just be me, but do people often tell you how positive you are?”

Maho jumped up in joy.

“They really do! You know a lot about me, Senpai! Are you my stalker?!”

“How would I stalk someone who transferred to my school just today?”

“You set up a plan for that!”

“Even with a plan, some things are just impossible, you hear me?”

Saito saw himself as a genius, and even he could not achieve something that surpassed reason and logic. Saito started walking again, with Maho walking next to him.

“For starters, you should probably remember where the staff office and principal’s office are. I feel like they’d often call you there.”

Maho nodded with a smug.

“You’re right, it makes sense that the teachers would be dying to talk with someone as cute as me~”

“Are you living in some kind of happy-go-lucky dream world?”

“Of course. And Senpai will become my prince.”

“Please don’t…” Saito preferred living in reality instead.

He took Maho, who was noisy for ten people, to the first floor, showing her around. He started with the peculiar classrooms, followed by the office, the school broadcast room. The fact of her just transferring today seemed to be the truth, as she passionately listened to all of Saito’s descriptions.

“Excuse me, I have a question! If I want to flirt with Senpai, which classroom should I use?!”

“There won’t ever be a future with that happening, so I don’t need to respond to that question.”

“There will be a future! A bright future with just the two of us! Or, are you the type who gets excited at doing it in front of everyone?! I’m disappointed!”

“Yeah, be disappointed all you want then.”

That would save Saito a lot of trouble.

“No way, no way! I still love you lots~!”

“This woman…” Saito held back his desire of just leaving her behind, but he wouldn’t be able to either way, as she clung to his arm.

As a result of that, they gathered a lot of attention by just walking down the hallway. The boys they passed stopped in their tracks, turning around to look at Maho. She should have an endless amount of choices for boyfriend candidates. Yet, she came to confess to Saito on her first day after transferring, so something was definitely off. It would be safe to assume that she was hiding something.

“Why did you confess to me?”

Making sure that the other students wouldn’t be able to hear him, Saito asked Maho with a quiet voice.

“Ehhh? Because I fell for you at first glance, I guess?” Maho showed a bashful smile.

“Don’t dodge the question. I’m not that good-looking.” Sait expressed his honest self-evaluation, only for Maho to walk in front of him.

She put her hands together behind her back, closely inspecting Saito’s face.

“W-What is it…?”

“I mean…you’re fairly handsome. Your looks are, at least.”

“Why thank you.” Saito felt his ears growing hot.

However, the way Maho oddly emphasized the last part made it seem like there were ill feelings involved or even a bit of hostility. Maybe it was just Saito imagining things? He knew it was dangerous to take her words and actions at face value. She knew private information about him, so he needed to carefully evaluate her every action. With these thoughts, they went down the stairs, as Maho suddenly vanished.

“Senpai! Look look, look at this!” She sat down on the railing at the top of the stairs.

Saito wasn’t given any chance to stop her, as she slid down in one go. Her hair fluttered in the wind, her skirt practically flipped up on the way.

“Careful!”

Maho naturally lost her balance, about to topple over, so Saito reflexively caught her. Her slender body jumped right into his arms, fragile beyond what he could believe, and softer like a cloud. Maho laughed with all her might, looking up at Saito.

“Nice catch!”

“My ass! What are you doing?!”

“I always wanted to try this before! Isn’t this a lot faster than just falling normally?”

“It sure is, but what if you got hurt?!”

“I believed that you’d save me, Senpai!”

“Why do you have so much trust in someone you barely met a few hours ago…”

Trust is something you build up over experience with the other person, not something you develop without any basis.

“Not to mention…it would be a waste to hold back on something you really want to do, no? We never know when we’ll die, after all.”

“Well, you’re not wrong…”

That being said, hearing these philosophical words from such a nonchalant and carefree girl only evoked a feeling of discomfort inside Saito.

“Right, right? That’s why…when I realized my feelings for Senpai, I confessed right away!”

“This and that are different, no?”

“So Senpai, are you fine with never confessing to the girl you like, graduating while suffering in one-sided feelings, and then thinking ‘Man, I should have confessed to her’ ten years down the line?”

“I don’t have anybody like that, so I wouldn’t know.”

Together with a sharp pain in his chest, he was reminded of that girl, whose name he didn’t even ask for. If they had at least exchanged contact information, something might have grown from that, and yet…

“Not liking anybody, what a boring life~”

“You…”

“So, you don’t have any feelings for Akane-senpai despite the two of you living together?”

Saito’s words ended up stuck in his throat. Of course, the other person was his archenemy, so he obviously had no feelings for her. However, the two had spent too much time together, learning more about the other, for Saito to just brush it off with the word ‘hate’. He felt surprised at his hesitation. Just a while ago, he would have been able to answer that question without a second thought.

“That’s…not a problem of like or hate.”

“Well, that makes sense. Family-related circumstances are never easy.” Maho nodded.

Saito felt anxious, unable to guess just how much this girl knew. Did she know about the fact that this marriage had been pressed onto them by their grandparents?

“Then, then! Why don’t you just fall in love with me then! That’ll make things a lot more exciting, I’m sure!” Maho jumped at Saito, interlocking arms.

A sweet scent drifted up to Saito’s nose, and her long hair shone, as it was illuminated by the sunlight. She was acting cheeky all the time, and Saito couldn’t let down his guard for a moment because she was evidently plotting something, but at the same time, he couldn’t push her away. Despite having barely met her, she felt so familiar to him.

“Don’t cling to me like that.”

“Because it gets you excited?” Maho asked with a teasing tone.

“Not in the slightest.”

“That’s a lie~! Having such a beauty like me cling to you, there’s no way you wouldn’t be excited! You seem like a virgin, so your heart must be racing right now, no?”

“I admit that I’m a virgin, but I am perfectly calm right now.” Or so he said, but Saito felt his body burning up on the inside.

Maho was aware of this, as she grinned.

“Since you showed me around at school, let me treat you to some sweets in town.”

“I don’t need any thanks.”

Saito was used to taking care of people, and the younger spoiled Maho resembled Shisei a whole lot.

“You plan to make me feel guilty, and then ask for something even crazier later?!” Maho embraced her body in fear.

“What do you mean by crazier?”

“Resolving the energy consumption problem of the earth!”

“It’d be amazing if that could be resolved.”

“Maybe if five billion people did their best and lower their energy consumption?”

“I’d feel bad for those five billion people.”

“But, that’s just modern disparity in a nutshell, no?”

“Could you stop suddenly bringing up a serious topic like that?”

At first glance, she might not seem like the brightest tool in the shed, but maybe she was just playing around. Saito couldn’t see who she really was.

“Also, I never went to the shopping district near the school, so could you show me around, Senpai? For me to get along with the girls in my class, I should be knowledgeable about any good spots around. Would that be too much?” She blinked several times, looking up at Saito.

As someone who’s an experienced older brother, Saito was weak against the begging of a younger girl.

“…Alright then.”

“Yay! It’s a date with Senpai!” Maho jumped in joy, clinging to Saito’s arm.

“It’s not a date.”

“It sure is a date~ Two lovers are heading out to have fun~”

“First of all, we are not lovers.”

“We loved each other so much, and yet…Senpai, did you lose your memories?!”

“Don’t fabricate someone else’s memory loss.”

“So if I land a full swing on your head like back then, you’ll regain your memories?!”

“So you’re the reason for my memory loss?!”

Maho however ignored that comment, pulling Saito down the stairs. She was like a bullet, brimming with vitality. She probably never even caught a cold her entire life. The two walked away from school, heading to the nearby shopping district. Saito didn’t know too many stylish places either, but he looked into several of them when taking a stroll with Shisei, or out shopping with Akane. He compared quality to cost-performance and took Maho to a sweets shop.

“How about this? Their fruit cakes and fruit jello are great, with low calories and fairly healthy, and it’s popular with our school.”

“Hey hey, Senpai! Let’s just go eat some hamburgers instead!” Maho pointed at a fast-food restaurant.

“You told me to take you to a sweets shop, no?!” Saito felt exhausted.

“Not wrong, but aren’t juicy burgers more delicious than some healthy sweets?”

“Well, I do prefer burgers as well, but…”

In fact, he was only eating sweet stuff to please Shisei and Akane, but it wasn’t Saito’s personal preference. If he could choose freely, then he’d definitely take meat.

“Right, right? Isn’t this new one sounding mighty good? Beefsteak pork cutlet pizza burger¹!”

The two looked at the large poster.

“That sounds like such a dumb menu.”

“Almost like it’ll lower your IQ just by eating it, right? How about it?” Maho showed a wink, raising her thumb.

“Lezzgo!”

“Ahoy!”

The two completely cast aside their original goal, entering the fast-food restaurant. The two of them ordered a beefsteak pork cutlet pizza burger with some fries and a coke (not zero, of course), and carried their food to the table. The burgers on their trays were even more overwhelming than what they seemed like on the poster outside. Between the two buns were beefsteak, pork cutlet, and a pizza slice, about to fall apart at the smallest touch. It was a calorie monster of protein, fats, carbohydrates, and nutrients.

“This…is dangerous.” Saito gulped.

“Oh~? Senpai, are you scared~?” Maho looked at Saito, ridiculing him.

“Hell no. Also, you better not be crying mid-way, alright?”

“This is easy peasy! Time to dig in~!” Maho picked up the burger with both hands.

She didn’t even care about getting her mouth dirty, as she took a huge bite of the burger. Her shoulders twitched, and her legs flapped up and down in joy.

“Mmmmmm! Delish~!”

“Alright, let me get a bite myself…” Saito equally took a bite from the giant hamburger.

From the pizza, he tasted the overflowing cheese and tomato sauce, blessing his tongue’s tastebuds with an abundant taste. Contrary to that softness was the pork roast, which showed a stronger response when biting on it. The beefsteak gave off a meaty sauce with garlic taste at every bite, creating a hybrid flavor that blessed one’s brain in ecstasy. It was order amidst confusion—a chaotic combination.

I am a carnivore—these were the thoughts this dish evoked, the emperor of junk food. It created a limitless fighting will and bottomless hunger.

“This…is awesome.”

“It’s great, right~? I could eat ten of these!”

“You alright with getting fat?”

“Actually, I can eat as much as I want, and I still don’t get fat. It’s like the word diet is an urban legend to me?” Maho shrugged her shoulders in confidence.

Just as she said, her limbs and entire body were almost worryingly slender, not a single sight of fat anywhere. However, she still had the right feminine proportions, making it seem like she was intentionally blessed by life itself.

“You’ll get killed by all of the girls in the world if they heard that.”

“And you’ll protect me if it comes to that, right?”

“I’ll be watching from the sidelines.”

“You’ll leave me to die?”

“I’m sure you’ll make it out alive.”

“I’m a weak and fragile girl, okay!” Maho put the straw in her mouth, gulping a great amount of coke in one go.

Following that, she bit into the hamburger again, making good progress. Shisei’s eating habit was more like she was sucking up all the food like a vacuum, but watching Maho eat was enjoyable, and made the food even more delicious.

“Phew…Junk food really is the best~”

“Healthy food is great, but sometimes it’s great to go all out in taste like this.”

“I like cup ramen, but I just get scolded if I eat it at home…Saying I should eat something more healthy and all that.”

“Same for my place…When I stock up on cup ramen, I get an earful immediately.”

Maho pouted.

“What’s the problem with cup ramen, seriously. Just like normal noodles or sweets, I want to eat as much of it until my tongue goes numb from the chemical seasoning.”

“I totally get it, chemical seasoning is the wisdom of humanity.” Saito nodded.

He might actually have similar beliefs compared to the girl. At the same time, Maho blushed, covering her cheeks with her hands.

“Of course, I know that Onee-chan is just saying that out of care for me, though.”

“So you have an older sister, huh.”

“Didn’t expect that?”

“No, I really did. You feel like a younger sister.”

“Because I’m so cute?!” Maho’s eyes lit up in joy.

“How you always get excited about everything.”

“But, you think of that as cute, right? Right?” Maho pushed her body over the table, approaching Saito relentlessly.

“That assertive side of yours also makes you seem more like a younger sister.”

“So Shii-chan is also cheeky like me?”

“She may be the cheekiest girl in the world, but it’s fine because she’s also the cutest girl in the world,” Saito spoke with infinite confidence in his voice.

“What a siscon~ But, the cutest girl in the world is my Onee-chan!” Maho immediately protested.

“You’re plenty of a siscon.”

“My Onee-chan is perfect after all! She’s really kind, considerate, and acts like an adult no matter what I do!”

—The exact opposite of Akane, is what Saito thought in jealousy.

“She must be a great person, I’d love to meet her once.”

“I’m not giving her to you, okay?”

“I don’t want her either. I’m just curious what kind of person she is if you praise her this lovingly.”

“I’m sure you must have met her before, Senpai~”

“So we’re attending the same school?”

If she’s Maho’s older sister, she must be quite the beauty herself. Saito wondered if there was even a beauty like that at his school. The only person coming to his mind was Himari, but he never heard of her having a younger sister.

“Mm, well, you are, yeah…Wait a second! You can’t just talk about another girl while being on a date with me! You’re the worst, Senpai~!” Maho grabbed the table and glared at Saito.

“Don’t blow a fuse like that, you were the one who brought up your older sister.”

“Ehhhh, really? I don’t remember at all~!”

“Are you a chicken?!”

“Senpai, you have some sauce on your finger~ Let me lick that clean for you~” Maho suddenly put Saito’s finger in his mouth.

“…?!” Saito’s body shivered from the incoming stimulus.

Maho moved her tongue along his finger, sucking on it like a lollipop. The sensation of her soft tongue and the feeling of her lovable lips created a sweet cage for Saito’s finger. As his reaction was belated because of all this sudden development, Maho used that opening to take out her smartphone and formed a peace sign with her fingers. Following that, Saito heard several snapping sounds, which finally allowed him to pull his finger away.

“What are you doing?!”

“What do you mean? I’m cleaning your finger~ Of course, I’d only do this for Senpai, so you better be thankful~” Maho seductively licked her lips.

Seeing the slick movement of the tip of her tongue, Saito was filled with an obscene sensation.

“Nobody asked you for that! And why did you take pictures?!”

“To leave behind memories of me and Senpai being lovey-dovey.”

“We’re not being lovey-dovey in the slightest! Delete those right now!”

“Kyaaa~ Senpai will attack me~!”

Saito tried to steal Maho’s phone from her, to which she ran away. She stormed out of the family restaurant, onto the shopping district street, immediately vanishing.

“Damn it…Where did she go?!” Saito ran after her and looked around.

If she were to spread that picture, reaching Akane or even Tenryuu, he would not get out of that situation safely. Since he couldn’t read Maho’s motive and thought pattern, he had no way of knowing what she would even do with this material. Maybe someone high in the Houjou Group sent Maho after Saito to obstruct his marriage, thus gaining access to the seat of the next family head.

Feeling frustrated, Saito could only run around like a blind chicken. However, it didn’t take long for him to find Maho. She entered a side alley, sinking to the ground, as she was gasping for air.

“So this is where you were hiding…”

Saito was cautious of her possibly attempting to run away again and approached Maho.

“Chasing a girl around to make her gasp for air like this, you’re such a pervert, Senpai…”

“You just ran away on your own accord! Anyway, I’ll have you delete those pictures now.”

“Urk, can’t be helped then…” Maho showed Saito her phone as she worked through deleting all the pictures she had taken.

“You didn’t make any back-ups of that, right?” Saito confirmed, just to make sure.

“I didn’t have time to do that!”

“Alright, then let me show you around the shopping district some more.”

“Eh? You’re not angry at me?” Maho’s eyes opened wide.

“Not really. I just couldn’t afford you to possess those pictures.”

If he got angry at every small selfish action from a girl younger than him, he wouldn’t survive as Shisei’s older brother, who basically acted like a princess who came from space.

“Hmmm…Even though you fight with Akane-senpai about every small thing, you’re surprisingly forgiving…”

“I actually don’t fight with people besides Akane, yeah.”

As Saito simply wanted to live in peace, he saw no value in constantly picking fights with other people.

“So that means your compatibility with Akane-senpai is just that bad?”

“Yeah…we’re basically mortal enemies…”

Saito remembered the countless they had since they enrolled at their high school.

“Yet you’re forced to live together, that must be a lot of trouble…would you rather break up?” Maho looked at Saito’s gaze, asking.

“I can’t do that either way. Circumstances don’t allow me to.” Saito shrugged his shoulders.

From game centers to accessory shops, karaoke boxes, and cafes, by the time Saito had taken Maho to any possible location needed for social interaction, the day had already begun to end. Walking down the main street of the business district, Maho stretched her arms.

“Mmmm~ That was fun~! Japan sure is great!”

“Hold on, you’re not Japanese?” Saito glanced at Maho’s profile.

She did possess beauty not often found, but she also didn’t seem like she had American blood like Shisei. Maho however didn’t answer Saito’s question, smiling.

“Senpai, you’re really good as an escort! I’m thoroughly satisfied!”

“Glad to hear that.”

Seeing her this happy, Saito felt glad that he sacrificed some of his free time. She could be a bit vexing from time to time, but spending time with her didn’t give him much of a headache in the end. Maho bumped her shoulder into Saito, looking at him from the side.

“Don’t tell me, Senpai, are you actually used to going on dates? A playboy?”

“A girl like you shouldn’t use vocabulary like that.”

“Ah, I see how it is~ So you keep playing with girls even besides Akane-senpai~”

Saito felt his earlobes growing hotter.

“I simply hang out a lot with my younger sister.”

“Yes yes yes, I’ll just leave it at that~” Maho showed an expression like she understood everything.

As Saito had no real interest in love and everything around it, it was a suspicion he was unwilling to let stand. If he had time to trifle with love and romance, it was a lot more efficient to read a calming book. If he was so fixated on love, he might have protested more fiercely when the talk of the marriage came up as well. At the entrance of the shopping district, Saito stopped in his tracks.

“Alright, I’ll be taking off here. You know the way home, right?”

“Eh? I’m not going home yet, I’ll follow Senpai to your house~” Maho seemed genuinely confused, speaking like it was obvious.

“Huh…? I already finished showing you around, right?”

Maho started fidgeting awkwardly.

“But, I missed the final train…”

“It’s barely evening, right?!”

“The last trains over here leave at 3 pm, okay!”

“What kind of sheltered village at the end of the world is this supposed to be?!”

“It’s common sense to end off a date with lewd stuff at the boyfriend’s house, don’t you think?!”

“I never heard of such common sense!”

At the very least, not in this world, they lived in. Saito attempted to walk away, but Maho clung to his arm, stomping on the ground.

“I’ll scream that this is a hump and dump!”

“We didn’t even do it, though?!”

“It’s a date version! Senpai, you dummy! Good-for-nothing! Impotent idiot!”

“Wha…”

They started gathering attention from the people around them, which had Saito panicking. The bystanders saw a charming and good-looking girl, with a man trying to run away, so of course their looks were sharp. Some even had their smartphones ready to take pictures. The police officer in front of the police box also gave him a stern gaze. Saito pushed his face towards Maho, whispering.

“What…are you after…?”

“Senpai’s baby…” Maho returned with a faint voice.

“Sorry, but I don’t have any children…”

“We’ll make some from now on…” She said this with a straight face.

Although this was an invitation from a beauty that would make everybody’s head turn, Saito still only met her today. Naturally, he felt fear down to his bones. Being unable to read her intent was what made her most terrifying, and the biggest threat. Maho brought her lips close enough to touch Saito’s ear and whispered with a sweet voice.

“Senpai, are you sure…? I might have to tell everyone at school that you and Akane-senpai are living together…?”

“So now you’re threatening me.”

“It’s not a threat, it’s a trade~” Maho snickered like a witch. “The gentle Senpai will surely accept the request of a girl who wishes to visit her beloved boyfriend’s home, right…?”

She was asking cutely, but she had this ‘If not, you’re dead’ aura emitting from her entire body, completely ruining her cute looks. Indeed, she was a calamity, a natural disaster.

“Tsk…do what you want.”

“Yaaaay~ Love you, Senpai~” Maho smiled, clinging to Saito’s arm.

Saito could tell that this wasn’t her way of showing affection, but rather as a means of restraining him, as the amount of strength she put into that grip told him. Running into Akane like this would be the worst-case scenario. Knowing how crazy Akane was about morals and such, she might just slam down divorce papers. The only other option was to take a large detour on the way home and pray to the gods that Maho got fed up with it. With that thought in mind, Saito was about to set foot in the opposite direction of his home. However, Maho stopped.

“Senpai? What’s wrong, your house isn’t in that direction, no?”

“You know where I live…?” Saito felt genuine fear.

However, Maho just calmly exclaimed.

“Of course I do? Everybody would look up where the person you like lives, right?”

“Maybe a stalker would do that…”

“I also know Senpai’s number at home.”

“Who told you?!”

“As well as your mobile phone number.”

“My privacy?!”

Saito thought of contacting Shisei to bring over Akane, but right as he reached for the phone in his pocket, Maho tightly grabbed his hand.

“Senpai? You wouldn’t contact another girl while we’re on a date, right?”

“How did you know…?” A cold sweat ran down Saito’s back.

She really was just playing dumb. Deep down, she was calculative and clever.

“I know everything there is to know about Senpai~ I love you lots after all!”

“If you call this love, then I don’t ever want to experience it myself!”

“You say that again~ You get embarrassed so easily, Senpai~” Maho restrained Saito’s right hand with her left arm, clinging to him to the point he couldn’t move it at all.

Normally, any adolescent boy would be delighted to enjoy this situation, but Saito’s heart wasn’t racing out of love, but fear for his life. Eventually, they reached his home, and Maho rang the doorbell without hesitation. Footsteps approached, with Akane opening the door.

“You sure are late. What were you—” She said, only to spot Maho next to Saito, her eyes opening wide in shock.

Maho still had her arms wrapped around Saito, leaning against him. Although Saito and Akane were only married on paper, this truly was the worst possible sight to show her right after returning home.

“W-What is this about…?” Akane’s shoulders were quivering.

Saito desperately looked for a way out of this disastrous situation. Since Maho already knew about their circumstances, maybe he should just come clean that he’s being threatened. However, will Akane even accept that as the truth?

“Akane, listen to me, there’s a good reason for this—” Right as Saito tried to muster up any excuse, Akane screamed.

“Why are you together with my little sister, Saito?!”

“…What?” Saito doubted his ears. “Little sister…Yours?”

“Yeah, mine! She’s Sakuramori Maho! Did she not tell you?!”

“Sakuramori…?” Saito looked over at Maho.

Now that Akane pointed it out, he could see a faint resemblance to Akane in Maho’s facial features. However, the chances of that were—

“Ah, I was found out~” Sakuramori Maho stuck out her tongue like a little devil.

---

1 Sounds more like cardiac arrest if you ask me