Kurasu no Daikirai na Joshi to Kekkon Suru Koto ni Natta Volume 6 Chapter 3

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Three-Person Housing

On the way home from school, Saito looked through the newest mystery series at the nearest bookstore, when he got a message from Akane.

‘Saito! I spotted a mouse at home!’

Saito stopped at the side of the aisle to reply.

‘Oh, nice. Send me a photo.’

‘Why?! That’s too dangerous!’

‘You’re stronger than some mouse, right? I think you could hold your ground even if hundreds of thousands of aliens attacked earth.’

‘No way I can! I’m some sort of overpowered monster!’

‘So basically, you want me to hurry home because you’re scared of a mouse. I didn’t know you were such a scaredy cat, hee hee…’ Saito chose to tease Akane a bit.

‘Don’t underestimate me! I’m not scared at all! Mice are just mammals!”

As expected, Akane put on a facade and acted tough, which made Saito giggle in the corner of the bookstore. Through living together with her for a while, there was one thing he learned about—that teasing his wife could be pretty fun. She’d immediately get all pouty, run her mouth about the weirdest things, and he could imagine her typing furiously with a beet-red face. Teasing her face-to-face held a certain danger, but across the phone, he had free reign and limitless possibilities.

‘But you’re asking me for help, right? That’s why you sent this SOS.’

Akane seemed to really hate this teasing, as she instead called Saito directly. Saito felt a bad sweat run down his back and denied the call. However, Akane immediately tried to call him again. Saito said no. Another call came in, but yet another denied attempt. His phone continued to vibrate, but Saito stayed strong. He seemed to have poked at the hornet’s nest with that. He was wrong for thinking he could get away with this.

At this rate, she might just go and curse him with morse code or something along those lines. Her anger could transcend time and space, after all. Finally, the wave of calls ended, and Saito sighed in relief. Instead, another message of hers came in.

‘So what if I’m scared?! Come back home quick!’

“…!” A weird voice left Saito’s mouth.

Rather than her constant complaining and insults, this rare popping in of her genuine emotions held much higher destructive force.

‘Got it. I’m going home right now.’

‘Thanks!’

His smartphone showed words of gratitude, and Saito put away his smartphone. The warmth coming from it gave him tingles. He walked through the shopping district at dusk on quick feet, when he spotted Himari. She carried a regular bag alongside her student bag, just trotting along the road with no particular goal in mind.

“Himari? Are you going on a trip somewhere?”

“Ah…Saito-kun.” Himari slowly raised her head and looked at him. “I’m not going anywhere…But, there’s been some trouble at home. She got angry at me like crazy, so I don’t think I can come home for a while.”

“Again…?”

Himari showed a defeated smile, sending a spark of pain running through Saito’s chest. She must have cried by herself, as her eyes were red.

“Maybe you should just apologize for the sake of it? I doubt you’re even in the wrong, but showing you’re willing to accept it would probably help cheer her up?”

“She won’t forgive me even if I do that. It was the same before.”

“That is true…”

When Saito was in Himari’s room and helped her study, her stepmother Rieko didn’t even bother to listen to a word she said. That’s probably what happened and led to this.

“To her, I’m just extra baggage. I’m in the way. Without me, she would be able to live alone with Dad.”

“I see…”

Himari nodded.

“If I get her any angrier than this, I might actually get kicked out of the house, so I was just thinking of spending some time away. If I give her time together with Dad, she’ll eventually forgive me and she’ll cheer up.”

As expected of Himari, who managed to control her classmates, it was a valid judgment, but her method was far too much to bear. In reality, wouldn’t she have the right to be with her father? She’s his legitimate child, after all. Then again, Saito wouldn’t know what would be normal, since he didn’t grow up in a regular family.

“How long will you have to stay out?” Saito asked.

Himari looked up at the sky.

“She was pretty pissed this time, so I’m estimating like a week?”

“That’s pretty long. Are you gonna stay at a net cafe the whole time?”

“I don’t have enough money for a whole week. I’ll probably be out camping.”

Saito’s eyes shot open.

“Camping?! Can’t you ask a friend to stay with them? You’re pretty popular, right?”

“I…would rather not.”

“I doubt anybody would say no.”

“But I’d have to tell them about my family situation…and that’d probably ruin the cheerful image I have. I might just end up getting bullied again.”

“…”

Saito went silent. Himari obtained her current position in class through hard work and flawless acting. If that balance went out of control, she might just drop down to the bottom again. And since she went through this before, she’d probably do anything to avoid that same pain again. To get rid of this awkward atmosphere, Himari let out a laugh.

“It’s fine. Nobody would try to get at me.”

“I’m pretty sure there’s a lot of people that would.”

Even if she’s wearing the school’s uniform, Himari’s charm was enough to make guys go crazy over her. She didn’t even have the body of a high school student. If she spent the night out alone, there’s bound to be a bad guy or two. And since she was an important friend of his, Saito couldn’t just let this slip.

“Then…wanna stay at our place?”

Now it was Himari’s turn to be bewildered.

“With your place…do you mean your home?”

“Yeah. We’ve got an open room and futons ready.”

His grandfather Tenryuu called it the baby room, but Saito had no plans whatsoever on using it for that purpose. He couldn’t ever imagine him and Akane ending up in such a relationship. Himari seemed rather worried nonetheless.

“Are you sure? Won’t Akane be bothered by that?”

“Why would she? She’d be happy, I bet.”

Rather than living with her mortal enemy, Akane would be much happier to have her best friend around. Himari moved closer to Saito, looking up at him.

“You…won’t mind?”

Saito shrugged his shoulders.

“Not at all. Shise and Maho stay over from time to time, too. And unlike them, you won’t cause a ruckus first thing in the morning, right?”

“Yeah…I won’t. I’d…like to stay over at your home, Saito-kun.” Himari tightly grasped the belt of her Boston bag.

She tagged along as Saito went his way home. Himari seemed worried that she might anger Saito if she said anything wrong, so she just walked next to him in silence. The sight of that made Saito feel pain in his chest, and he wanted to reassure her that everything would be okay.

Upon arriving at his home, Saito used his key to open the door. He entered inside when Akane came running from the kitchen. She probably didn’t realize it, but her expression was beaming.

“Welcome back! The bath is ready, and I’m about to finish dinner!”

“You’re actually acting like a proper wife at home, huh?” Himari spoke up behind Saito.

“Wait, Himari? Why are you here?” Akane’s eyes opened wide.

Saito thought that it’d be better for him to explain the circumstances than the girl in question, so he spoke up.

“She ran away from home because of some stuff. Doesn’t have a place to stay, so do you think she could stay here for a few days?”

“What…?” Akane seemed bewildered.

Himari panicked and waved her hands.

“I guess I’m in the way, after all! Sorry, I shouldn’t rely on you like this. I can handle myself just fine, so don’t worry about me.”

“No way you’re gonna sleep outside!”

“But…You’d rather not have me around, right?”

“Of course…not…”

An awkward silence was born between the two, as they averted their gazes.

—What’s going on between those two?

Saito was growing dubious. These two were supposed to be closer than actual lovers, and yet it seemed as if there was a certain wall between the two. Normally, Akane would welcome her with open arms.

“I’m sorry! I’ll just see you at school!” Himari was about to barge out of the entrance with an apologetic expression.

“Wait! You can stay! It’s fine!” Akane reached for Himari’s wrist, stopping her.

As a result of that, she seemed worried as she asked one more time.

“Are you sure? I’m not…in the way?”

“It’s totally fine! I don’t want my best friend to go through such a traumatic experience! If anything, Saito’s the one who’s in the way. Just stay over as many years or centuries as you want!” Akane blurted out.

Akane and Himari stood in front of the kitchen sink, preparing today’s dinner.

“It’s been so long since we cooked together, right? I remember doing it a lot when we were younger, though.”

“Because you’d often run away from home back then.”

As the two went on to continue with their cooking, Saito called out to them from the sofa.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“Nope! It’ll just make the kitchen more crowded, so you cheer us on!”

“Cheer you on…”

That was even harder of a request than simple help. Sait went into thinking mode, trying to come up with any possibility of achieving this.

“You can take it easy, too, Himari. You’re the guest here.”

“But you’re letting me stay over, so I’d like to be of help in some way.”

“I’m not complaining about some extra helpers. Could you cut these vegetables?”

“Understood!” Himari showed a salute and began cutting the cabbage with a skilled hand.

As you’d expect from friends with a history like theirs, they were in perfect sync. Since Saito didn’t want to pollute this atmosphere, Saito opted to read a book in the living room while he waited.

Everything had been peaceful up to this point…and yet, when the food arrived, tension instantly filled the air. Seafood salad and tomato soup…was quite the classic and looked thoroughly enjoyable…The real problem was the main dish—Regular steak and hamburger steak.

“Why do we have two meat dishes as the main course…?” Saito couldn’t help but pose the obvious question.

Akane immediately slammed her hands on the table.

“I just felt like making hamburger steak! What’s wrong with that?!”

“Nothing at all, it’s just…”

“I also felt the urge to make some steak. I bought the ingredients at a nearby supermarket.” Himari smiled.

Saito felt like the project team he was part of was given two separate directions. It felt like the game he had been looking forward to was split into two different editions, both with an equal story but a different set of characters. Just what invisible battle had transpired between these two? Akane went the unorthodox route with hamburger steak, whereas Himari chose the kinder option and opted for regular steak.

“Hurry up and eat it already.”

“Go on and eat, Saito-kun.”

“Y-Yeah…”

Rushed by these two, Saito grabbed a knife and fork. He first took a bite from the regular steak. One chew later and the meat fell apart in his mouth, as a sweet sauce emerged from within. It was pleasant to chew and tasty all the same. One bite made him want to take another one. Following that, he cut off a bit of the hamburger steak and stuffed it into his cheek. This one was just as delicious. It used minced meat from domesticated cows, but also had nuts and black pepper mixed within them, creating an explosion of various tastes.

Each and every single move he took was closely observed by Akane and Himari. The people in this world might see this as some kind of reward, but Saito felt like he was being tested while his life was on the line. After all—he already guessed what followed after the initial tasting.

““Whose is more delicious?””

The two’s voices overlapped perfectly, as they put pressure on Saito. Himari had formed fists on the table, and Akane had her knife in one hand. Even if he were to choose one over the other, he would not be able to escape from this table safely. Depending on it, he might even end up as an ingredient for the next steak, or even hamburger steak.

“Why do you two keep making me choose over things like this?” Saito asked, ready to run at any given moment.

It was the same now as back at the pool when they asked who looked the cutest.

“That’s…right?” “Yep…”

Akane and Himari exchanged glances and decided on something all on their own without even bothering to fill in Saito. He could not read the current situation, which genuinely terrified him.

“Get on and choose already! Whose is more delicious, mine or Himari?”

“That question is a bit nasty in that context, don’t you think?!”

“Nasty?! Are you talking about my cooking?! I’ll kill you!”

“That’s not what I said! And please, don’t tell me! I beg you!” Saito had to beg for his life at dinnertime.

Even if he compared the taste, there was no picking priority. He also struggled hard to find a way to escape this situation but to no avail. He only barely survived this hell, as he ran straight to the kitchen after he took his last bite.

“I’ll go wash the dishes! You two go and take a bath!”

In the end, he kept his answer on hold, avoiding the gravest of hell levels. He also realized that, during the duration of Himari’s stay, he had to make sure they were never together when he was around.

“Would you like to take one first, Himari?”

“Why don’t we take one together? We can wash each other’s hair!”

“That sounds good. I always liked it when you washed it for me.”

“And I enjoy touching your silky hair! It feels so good!”

Saito listened to the two girls flirting behind him and just washed the bowls in silence. Lately, it feels like they’ve been going above and beyond flirting. Saito felt like he was the one most distanced, as Himari whispered into his ear.

“Wanna…join us, Saito-kun?”

“You’re telling me to take a bath with you?!” Saito staggered backward.

“No, Saito can’t join us!”

“The way I saw it, it’s big enough to fit all three of us, you know?”

“The size isn’t the problem! I can’t possibly do something as embarrassing as that!”

“Why would you be embarrassed? You’re his wife, so you take baths with him all the time, right? You’re not telling me…you take separate baths, are you?” Himari looked at Akane with a probing expression, which made Akane falter.

“Huh?! N-No, of course not! We’re always taking baths together!”

“Akane?! What happened?! Did you go crazy?!” Saito grew genuinely worried.

Her memories have gone mad because she studied too much, because she remembered Saito definitely didn’t.

“And since Akane and I are best friends, we’ll naturally take a bath together. So, that means we’re taking a bath together as the three of us, yeah?”

“Nothing of this makes any sense! Your logic is totally unhinged!”

“It’s boring to just follow logic everywhere. Be honest with your feelings and you’ll feel a lot better. Let’s deepen our bonds by sharing a bath together, yeah?”

“No. Way. In. Hell!” Akane forcefully pushed Himari to the bath, who pouted in displeasure.

On the way there, Himari turned around once and talked to Saito again.

“You want to take a bath with us, right Saito-kun? Wouldn’t want to be left out, would you?”

“I…”

To be perfectly honest, he was not disinterested. However, being honest about that could only backfire. He could already feel the killing intent emitted from Akane’s gaze alone, so any careful statement could end up with his life forfeited.

“Let’s go, Himari!”

“Nooo, Saito-kuuun!”

Himari was dragged away reluctantly. On the way out, Akane glared at Saito one more time and slammed the door closed behind them. That was a clear message to stay away from the bath if Saito valued his life. For once, one single moment of eye contact was enough to convey Akane’s feelings and thoughts.

White fog filled the shower room, originating as steam from the hot air, as a pleasant floral scent drifted through it. Himari sat on a chair, as Akane let some hot water into the bathtub.

“Did you really plan on taking a bath with Saito?”

“Of course! I’ve been jealous this entire time that you get to take baths with him!”

“I…I don’t take any baths with him! That just now…I was just lying because I got desperate!”

Himari put some body soap on a towel as she laughed.

“Yup, I knew that!”

“You knew?!”

“I can tell what you’re thinking. How long do you think we’ve known each other?”

“Ugh…”

Akane was happy that Himari understood her this much, but it also felt like she was dancing atop her palm. She saw no chance of possibly winning against her best friend.

“But if you’re not taking baths with Saito-kun, why do you have two chairs here?”

“We’ve had these ready here the day we moved…I think it’s thanks to Grandma and Saito’s grandfather because they probably put them here…”

“I see, so you’re being genuinely supported, huh?”

“I’m sorry…” Akane apologetically lowered her head, to which Himari panicked as she waved her hands up and about.

“Ah! I wasn’t throwing complaints or anything! I’m going after Saito-kun with all I have, too! That’s good, right?”

“Of course. Don’t think you need to hold back just because you’re staying over. I’m gonna get in your way as best as I can!”

She wanted to have a full-front open-handed battle with her best friend. If she managed to get ahead of Himari because of this unfair advantage, she wouldn’t be feeling right about it either. In that sense, this situation may have been for the best. And more than anything, Akane couldn’t let her best friend sleep somewhere outdoors. She may have fallen in love with Saito, but she had always loved Himari all the same.

“Rather than getting in my way, shouldn’t you try to seduce Saito-kun yourself?”

“I…I can’t do that! I’m not as sexy as you are…” Akane glanced at Himari’s voluptuous chest.

They were of such a demanding size that Himari couldn’t even wash them normally, she had to put her hand beneath them to wash them with a towel.

“Don’t sell yourself short. You’ve grown quite a lot, you know?” Himari walked behind Akane and placed her hands on her chest.

“H-Hey, Himari?!”

“Saito-kun’s popular, so let alone me, you have to be careful of the other girls that could be gunning for him.”

“You…think so?”

“I sure do. That’s why we should call him to the bath right now and…”

“No way!”

“Bwah?!” Akane grabbed the shower head and splashed water on Himari.

To ensure that she couldn’t escape, she added more shampoo and put it on her hair. And yet, Himari just sighed like she was feeling good, giving her body to Akane.

“Phew…Yeah, having Akane wash me definitely feels better than doing it myself. Yeah, that spot. Do it a bit stronger.”

“It’s bad for your hair and skin if I do it too strongly, you know?”

Akane carefully washed Himari’s beautiful blonde hair. Ever since they were young, Akane was always jealous of this hair, which made Himari seem like a princess.

“I’ll never know when I get another chance for you to wash my hair!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to wash it every day for as long as you’re staying here. Gotta be careful so you don’t drag Saito in here one day.”

Himari kept her eyes closed as she let out a snicker.

“Aw, c’mon. I wouldn’t do that, geez! Have some faith in me.”

“I’d like to trust my best friend, but you’re making it really hard for me.”

In the battle of love, all rules were void. Following this, Akane washed the soap off Himari’s hair with the shower head, adding a bit of extra care with a conditioner. Following that, Himari washed Akane’s hair the same way, and they hopped inside the bathtub. They sat facing each other with their legs stretched out, and sunk into the water, which gave them enough space to enjoy the bath together. Himari’s long hair scattered atop the water, looking like a golden thread on a work table as she played a bit with it using her white fingers. Her legs were slender but plump where it mattered, and the two melons afloat in the water were of a size even fellow girl Akane couldn’t look away.

“You’re…really beautiful, Himari.”

“Where did that come from? Are you hitting on me?” Himari snickered, her smile as bright as the sun.

“I’m not, but…”

“You’re just as alluring, Akane. If I was a man, I’d try to steal you away from Saito-kun no matter what.”

“Th-Thanks…?”

Akane grew worried if she could actually hope to win against a perfect girl like Himari. Her personality and looks were perfect, and she knew how to approach Saito the right way, so there’s no way he wouldn’t be happy.

—No, no, no! I have to win against her!

Akane shook her head and rid herself of her weakness. Giving up before the actual fight isn’t much like her. Akane would always dare the challenge no matter the enemy or wall in front of her. That’s how she managed to keep up with Saito since their first year.

“I’ll do my best.”

“So will I. We’re restarting our match once we get out of the bath, yeah?”

Akane and Himari brought their faces together as they declared this.

Saito finished washing the dishes and spent his time reading when Akane and Himari returned to the living room.

“Sorry we took so long, Saito-kun. The bath is open now.”

“Thanks. I’ll take one before heading off to bed.” Saito planned on reading some more of the book when Akane fidgeted with the Blu-Ray player.

“Th-Then, how about we watch a movie? I found a romance movie that seemed pretty interesting.”

“A romance movie?! Akane, what happened?! Do you have a fever?!”

Normally, all Akane would watch were movies and videos with cats, so anything other than that, let alone a romance movie, made Saito feel scared.

“I’m perfectly fine! You don’t have to be this terrified.”

“…But why a romance movie?”

Akane’s eyes turned into dots as she tilted her head.

“Because…it’s romanshic?”

She even mispronounced “romantic.” She really didn’t understand anything about romance, but Saito wasn’t much better, so he couldn’t blame her. And looking at the DVD disk, it wasn’t even a romance movie. The title said “Iron Face’s Love,” and Iron Face is a famous horror series. She probably mistook it because of the last part of the title. Then again, a horror movie would be a lot more interesting than romance, so Saito stayed quiet.

“Seems interesting. Let’s watch it.”

“Sure!” Akane’s face lit up in joy as she inserted the disk, grabbed the remote, and sat down to the left of Saito.

“Can I sit next to you, too?” Himari asked Saito.

“I don’t mind.”

“Yay!”

Given permission, Himari sat down to the right of Saito. That in itself was fine, but she sat awfully close to him. Their shoulders and hips touched, clearly not resting at a distance fit for a regular classmate.

“H-Himari, you’re too close!”

“We’re gonna watch a romance movie, so this much is normal, don’t you think?” Himari let out a giggle, as Akane grit her teeth.

“I don’t see the reason behind this…” Saito felt like they were fighting over him again, so he voiced his opinion, but…

“Th-Then I guess I can’t help it! I have to follow suit and abide by these rules!”

Now Akane moved closer, pressing herself against his other shoulder. With her face beet-red as she desperately pushed herself onto him, Saito thought that she may have been trying to push him off, but since Himari was on the other side, she ended up as a cushion. Their hair was still wet, droplets of water running down the strains of hair. This defenseless appearance was completely different from how they looked at school, giving it a certain level of eroticism. Only now did Saito fully realize what it meant to live together with adolescent girls like this.

Since they just came out of the bath, the sweet scent of their bath soap and heat drifted in the air. They were supposed to have used the same shampoo, and yet they each had a distinct smell. And tracing that thought, Saito grew puzzled as to what he was even thinking about.

—Calm down, me! There’s gotta be some downside to this! They’re plotting something!

Saito used all of his excellent brain cells to arrive at a conclusion instantly. Surely, they were planning on sealing away his exit route by locking him in from both sides. And from then on, they will begin an interrogation…maybe even the world’s most terrifying torture. They still haven’t gotten an answer to whose cooking was better, which is probably what spoiled their mood to such an extent. If Saito didn’t escape from this, he had no future left ahead of him.

“Could I…go to the toilet, please?”

“You’re dead meat if you try to run.” “You’re not getting away, Saito-kun.”

Both girls smiled at him, which forced Saito to prepare for his untimely death.

The result was as Saito had anticipated. The girls used “watching a movie” as a pretense to just close in more on Saito. Even when he wanted to call for help with his smartphone, he realized he had kept it in his own study room. And while despair crept up Saito’s back, the movie began. The story initially seemed like a pure romance movie between the protagonist and his beautiful love interest, but the car they used was blown up by the protagonist’s rival company, and the girl passed away.

Suffering burns on his entire body, the protagonist put on an iron mask, and began slaughtering all of the members of the rivaling business company. Beating to death, sliced to pieces, a massacre, running them over with a car, burned to death, death by explosion, poisoned to death, death by strangulation, crushed to death, stabbed to death, the protagonist used every cruel method in the book to get his revenge. As the protagonist was something of a genius inventor himself, his methods of killing using gimmicks only progressed throughout the movie, and the great appeal of this splatter movie series was always finding out which tool he came up with next.

“Saito-kun, I’m scared!” Himari, still on his right, raised a shriek as she clung to Saito again.

“You’re not scared in the slightest. I can see you smiling.”

“But I am scared! When I think about all the actors that were killed in order to make this movie, it terrifies me…”

“They are still alive, you know that right?! This isn’t a documentary!” Saito was scared more of what was going on inside Himari’s head than the horror movie on the screen.

Meanwhile, Akane hadn’t said a single word for a while now, but she didn’t seem particularly scared, either. Maybe she was scared of the occult-type horror but was perfectly fine with splatter? Saito looked over at her.

“You okay? You’re not scared, are you?”

“Not at all.” She said with a smug expression but kept her eyes forced shut.

“Then open your eyes?! This is the movie you wanted to watch, right?!”

“The eyes of my mind are open! I’m listening to it just fine, too!”

Or so she said, but she covered her ears with both her hands, pushing herself onto Saito. Seeing this, Himari let out a snicker.

“You don’t have to watch it if you can’t, Akane. Saito-kun and I can just enjoy it ourselves.”

“I won’t let that happen! I’ll take up my responsibility and watch it until the very end!” And yet, she didn’t open her eyes for even a moment.

“You’re not even watching it! Why are you so persistent on staying here!”

“I-I’m not! I got the movie, so I’m gonna watch it. Otherwise, the money I paid for the rental would be wasted.”

“I can just pay the rental fee.”

“I can’t accept your dirty money!”

“Why do you have to make everything rude?!”

Akane seemed to have lost the small remains of rationality she possessed, as she just clung to Saito’s arm with a strength fierce enough to crush his bones. It might look like a typical “A flower in both hands” situation right now, but Saito had absolutely no reign to enjoy that. He wanted to run away. He wanted to be saved. He wanted to greet the next day with a smile. But in the end, all he could do was quiver on top of the sofa.

The next morning, Saito woke up feeling like he was being dragged deeper into the futon. After they finished watching the movie the previous night, he was then dragged along by the two to play cards and other games, as well as watch some late-night shows, so he was pretty exhausted. He planned on ignoring the first alarm of the day and getting some more sleep…but there was someone who obstructed this plan.

“Saito-kun…Saito-kun…”

He heard a gentle voice, as a finger poked at his cheek. The chilly sensation of hair tickled his neck, as a luxurious scent entered his nose.

“Just…let me sleep a bit longer…” Saito kept his eyes closed and answered with a foggy consciousness.

Following that, a bewitching voice entered his ears.

“It’s fine. I’ll just give you a good morning smooch in return, okay.”

“?! I’m awake, I’m alive!” Saito’s eyes popped wide open.

He was immediately greeted by Himari looking down at him. She pushed up her blonde hair with one hand, using the other to hold Saito’s face, pushing her lips closer.

“Aw, you woke up. You could’ve stayed asleep for a bit longer.”

“Don’t give me a heart attack first thing in the morning…”

Himari simply shrugged her shoulders in regret, as Saito tried to get his beating heart under control. All his sleepiness vanished in an instant.

“Huh? Saito-kun, did I make your heart race?”

“Of course you would, dangit…”

“Hee, hee…that makes me happy.” Himari smiled innocently.

The faint sunlight illuminated her blonde hair, creating the image of an angel. It wasn’t as bad as being woken up by Akane with a frying pan ready to be swung at his face, but Himari’s good morning wasn’t the best for his heart, either. And next to Saito slept Akane. She seemed to have a dream still, biting her lip in agony. Seeing the various exorcism charms, table salt, and self-defense weapons (hammer) next to her bed, Saito felt a shiver. Just what ritual had she indulged in while he was asleep? And what calamity would befall them if someone dared to interrupt this dragon’s slumber?

“Himari…You should be able to wake up the sleeping dragon without being burned to a crisp. I’m counting on you…” Saito felt like a prince pushing his work off onto his followers.

“I’m guessing she’s running low on sleep. She was too scared to get a lot of sleep last night.”

“Really?”

“I woke up in the middle of the night, only to find Akane watching a cat movie in the living room. She probably wanted to overwrite the memories from the movie, so I tagged along. You should probably let her sleep as long as possible.” Himari gently caressed Akane’s hair, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

This seemed to have given Akane some relief, as her expression relaxed. Saito felt like he saw yet another scene between two “friends” (?) that he rather not have witnessed.

“Guess we’ll just let her sleep until she wakes up by herself. We can keep breakfast short and simple with some cup ramen.”

“Ah, I already made the feast.”

“The…feast?” Saito wasn’t quite familiar with this idea, as he raised one eyebrow.

Heading to the kitchen, he was greeted with the breakfast already prepared on the dining table. From pancakes to crispy bacon to salad to cafe au lait, it felt like a brunch menu you’d see in a cafe. Himari even laid down a placemat with a flower pattern beneath the plates.

“This…definitely is a feast.”

It wasn’t anything you could nonchalantly call a breakfast. Sait was left in awe as he sat down at the table. Since Himari didn’t leave any chopsticks, Saito had to pick up a knife and fork to eat some of the pancakes, followed by the crunchy salad. Crouton and garlic flakes were scattered on top of the salad, as well as some cubed cheese and aurora sauce, which gave the salad a varied taste. After Saito had taken a few bites, Himari came to ask him with a worried gaze.

“And, what do you think? Does it taste good?”

“It’s great. Like this crispy thing here.” Saito gave his judgment.

If possible, he’d like to eat miso soup in the morning, and not too much on the meaty side, but he didn’t want to ruin Himari’s good mood by being honest.

“Thank god…I wanted you to have a good start in the day, so I looked up all sorts of recipes…” Himari smiled happily, taking a small bite from the pancakes herself.

Once Saito’s cup ended up empty, she immediately added some more cafe au lait.

“I went for a walk outside just now. The blue sky paired with a gentle breeze felt great.”

“We’re having good weather again, huh?”

“Yup. I’m looking forward to P.E. class, today.”

“I’d rather not run around like a maniac, though…”

“And yet, you’ve got quite the formidable amount of endurance built up.”

They indulged in a bit of idle talk with no greater meaning. Saito felt no danger like he was being led down a dangerous path. Instead, it was so peaceful, he almost fell back asleep while munching on the bacon. Like this, their morning feast ended, with Saito heading to the bathroom. He finished brushing his teeth, washed his face, and realized that there was no towel hanging on the wall. Saito turned around, thinking he could grab one, when Himari stood here with one in hand.

“Here, need one?”

“Ah, thanks.” He accepted the towel and wiped his face.

Himari watched him do that with a grin on her face. She seemed to enjoy the fact that she could look after Saito. He then headed over to his study room to change into his uniform, grabbed his student bag, and headed over to the kitchen. He needed to check if the gas was turned off properly.

“Are you leaving already, Saito-kun?”

Himari finished her own preparations and arrived in the kitchen.

“Yeah. What about you?”

“Me, too. Though, wait a moment.”

“What?”

Saito stopped in his tracks, as Himari approached him. Her slender arm reached for his neck.

—Is she going to strangle me?! Or maybe she’s gonna grab me by the collar to test a wrestling throw on me?!

Saito’s body shivered in fear. However, Himari showed no signs of attacking him, just reaching for his necktie.

“Your necktie is crooked. You can be quite the doofus, huh?” She snickered and fixed his necktie.

The distance between them was close enough for their noses to touch any moment. Her long fingers skillfully guided Saito’s necktie, as her thighs peeked out her skirt, rubbing against his pants. And while she worked on his necktie, she would glance up at Saito from time to time in a bashful way.

“Aaand, done! Let’s wake up Akane and head to school.”

Himari smiled and moved away from Saito.

—She’s not picking a fight with me?!

Saito was bewildered. A normal morning would usually consist of two to three arguments between him and Akane. Reasons for that would range from complaints about one person’s sleeping posture, that Akane’s zodiac sign had worse luck today than Saito’s, and other trivial reasons. And yet, what is this peace he experienced? It’s like the laws of the world have been twisted and turned.

“Are you…not going to start a fight?” Saito had to ask that.

“A fight? Why?”

“I mean…it’s never been this peaceful here…” Saito’s common sense had been flipped.

“Ah. Because you and Akane fight all the time, right? I would never do that.”

“Never…?”

Himari nodded with confidence.

“Yup! If I was your wife, I wouldn’t complain even if you went around cheating on me!”

“I think you should really complain then!”

Saito took a step back in shock at this revelation.

“I’m just saying that I’m willing to adjust to anything if it’s with you. Unlike Akane, I won’t get angry at you, I won’t hate you, and I’ll treat you the way you deserve it. For your sake, I’d be the best wife ever, you know?” Himari moved her body towards Saito, gently whispering into his ear.

Her dampened lips emitted a certain charm that threw Saito off-concept. And yet, somewhere deep inside of him…

—Can we both really be happy in a relationship like that?

A certain doubt inside of him began to sprout.

“I overslept!!”

Right after Akane woke up, she immediately looked at the time on her smartphone and screamed in terror. She definitely set up an alarm, but she just slept through that. She had actually been suffering from a nightmare for a long time, but once she felt someone gently caressing her head, she was sound asleep once again.

As expected, Saito wasn’t next to her, either. Normally, she’d be the one scolding him for sleeping in and being lousy, telling herself that she had to be the one taking care of the household, so this was a major failure for her. She rushed to change into her uniform and dashed down the stairs. She forgot to fully button up her blouse, but that was the smallest of her problems right now.

“I’m sorry! I’ll make some toast right away!”

She dashed inside the kitchen, only to find Himari and Saito who frantically moved away from each other. They were both wearing their uniforms already, their student bags lying on the ground.

“What…were you doing just now?”

“Nothing at all.” Saito shook his head at light speed.

“Really? It looked like you two were oddly close…”

Akane felt a storm brewing up in her chest. She became worried that their relationship may have progressed while she wasn’t around. What if Himari had already left her in the dust?

“I already made breakfast for him, so don’t worry,” Himari laughed. “You seem desperate for some more sleep, so I wanted to let you be as long as possible. Right, Saito-kun?”

“Yeah.”

The two nodded in unison.

“I-I see…Thank you.” Akane gave them her thanks, but she didn’t feel too happy.

If it meant giving Himari some alone time with Saito, she really wished she wouldn’t have overslept like that.

“Anyway, we’re gonna head off to school now. You can take your time, Akane.”

“You’re going already?! What if the people from our class see you together?!”

“Shouldn’t be a problem. We’re still fake-dating. They’re just gonna think we spent the night together and came to school together.”

“That…makes sense, I guess.”

There shouldn’t be any problem with that plan, but somehow, Akane felt the emotions swirling inside her heart. How long would they have to continue this fake relationship anyway?

“Let’s go, Saito-kun.”

Himari linked arms with Saito and stepped out of the kitchen. Akane was left alone, hearing the sound of the front door closing. Her brain was still in wake-up mode, so she couldn’t process what had just transpired.

—Isn’t this the opposite?! Why is she acting more like a wife than me?!

Akane was filled with a sense of inferiority, as she grabbed her student bag and stormed out of the front entrance. She ran down the way to school at full speed, passing three blocks as she was gasping for air when she finally spotted Saito and Himari. Himari tried to grab Saito’s hand, but he pulled away, so Himari went around the opposite side and forcefully took it. They looked like your average couple.

“You’re too close!”

Akane broke between Saito and Himari, keeping them as far apart as possible. Seeing this, Himari’s eyes opened wide.

“Akane? Why did you come rushing after us?”

“I’m not letting you do as you please! I’ll come with you to school!”

Akane had forgotten that Himari was a professional at controlling the hearts of others. In this battle, Akane could not let down her guard, not even towards her best friend.

“Wouldn’t it be bad if people found out that you and Saito-kun are living together?”

“It’ll be fine if the three of us head to school together!”

“But what if they find out I’m just staying at the house you two live in?”

“There’s no way they’d figure out that much! Are they descendants of Sherlock Holmes?! Do we have someone like that in our class?!”

Himari smiled, but she wouldn’t let up either. If Akane even became careless for a moment, Himari would pull the rug from beneath her legs. And that’s why Akane did not let them get any closer during the walk to school.

Since Himari was more of a docile type of person, Saito figured that this new and temporary lifestyle should calm things down a lot, but that turned out to be wishful thinking, as the day became even more chaotic. Akane and Himari would engage in a bit of banter, only to then laugh and smile, which made it hard for Saito to tell if they were on good terms or not. A relationship between girls was too much for Saito to filter.

And then, one day…Saito heard sounds and opened his eyes. The morning was still early, and although Saito wanted to get some more sleep, he found trouble resting. To get a change of pace, he headed down to the kitchen to maybe drink some protein, when the light in the hallway was on. Himari stood in the bathroom, just finished washing her face as she looked at herself in the mirror. She had no expression, as no light resided in her eyes. She just gripped the basin with her hands like she was preparing herself.

“…Himari?” Saito was bewildered at this dubious scenery and let out a voice before he could think.

“Ah, Saito-kun!” Himari turned around with her usual smile.

However, Saito knew she was just putting on an act since he saw the previous scene.

“What are you doing this late?”

“I was thinking of dying my hair black. I bought some hair color.”

She pointed at the bag from the drugstore that was standing on the floor, and took out a bottle of hair dye.

“You’re gonna turn it back to your original black?”

“Actually…nobody other than my family and Akane knows about this, but…this is my natural color.” She ran her fingers through her blonde hair.

“Oh, I see.”

“That’s all you got to say?! Aren’t you surprised?!”

“Well, both Shise and my old man are from Russia, so I don’t really care about this whole stuff.”

Shisei was Shisei, and Himari was Himari. Nothing more, nothing less. The past or origin of the person didn’t matter, it was all about the individual in front of him. Himari couldn’t believe Saito and shrugged her shoulders.

“You’re so nonchalant about everything…Then again, that’s what I like about you.”

“I don’t think that would qualify as nonchalant.” Saito scratched his cheek.

“My mother passed away when I was a child, but she was actually from America. I got my hair from her, which is why I got bullied a lot as a child.”

“Those morons want to eradicate anything that is different from them, after all.”

Since Saito possessed thinking abilities and memory surpassing that of the average adult even in grade school, he understood how Himari must have felt. Japanese people especially are trying to keep their peace by removing any outside force that doesn’t match them.

“Back then, Dad told me to just dye it if I didn’t want to stand out, but…”

“You didn’t want to do that, huh?”

“How did you know?” Himari looked at him in shock.

“She must have been important to you, right? And you didn’t want to erase the one thing that kept you two connected.”

“Sometimes…I can’t tell if you’re sharp or dense, Saito-kun…” Himari lowered her head, placing her forehead on Saito’s chest.

It was the gesture of a pleading child, and Saito could imagine Himari as a young girl.

“But…that’s when I was thinking of ways that would allow me to keep my blonde hair while not getting bullied anymore. That’s when I found some fashion magazines with those blonde gals. That’s when I realized I could just become a gal, and people would think I dyed my hair.”

“You’re…a fake gal?!” Saito felt like he was hit by lightning.

“Calling me fake is a bit too much, don’t you think?! I studied a lot to become a perfect gal, I’ll let you know! I read lots of magazines, even books at the library, and talked to gals at our high schools to have them teach me their fashion! I even learned how to do my makeup with videos!”

“You’re…a hard worker even in the weirdest places.”

However, now it all made sense to Saito. She may look and act like a gall revealing a lot of skin, but she never broke any school regulations or was overbearing towards anybody. She properly did the class duties given to her, too. Deep at her core, she was a diligent girl.

“But…why are you thinking of dying your hair black now?”

“Because she got angry at me because of it. That I’m never gonna grow up to become a responsible adult because of my looks. That I’ll just end up doing a licentious job, become a criminal, and lead a rotten life. Even though…I don’t plan on doing that.”

“So that’s why you ran away from home?”

Himari nodded.

“She always looks down on me because I look exactly like my mother. It makes her realize that my father had someone else before her. That’s why I wanted to appeal to her by at least dying my hair black.” Himari bit her lip.

That forced smile of hers made Saito’s chest tighten up. All she wanted was a place she could belong to. And she held much greater value than anybody who tried to deny her.

“Stop it.” Saito grabbed the hair dye from Himari’s hand.

“Why…?”

“You shouldn’t throw away the things that are really important to you.”

“But it’s just my hair…”

“That’s not true, right? It’s the proof that you’re Himari. It’s your bond with your mother.”

“But, what good does that do if she will get angry at me…”

“Who cares about people like her? You shouldn’t let your beautiful blonde hair go to waste for others who just try to drag you down.”

“B-Beautiful…?” Himari’s eyes opened wide.

Everybody knew how beautiful she was, and yet she had no confidence in that. Was it because she had aggressively been bullied as a child, or was it because she never received any affirmation from her family? To allow her to live a life of pride and confidence, she needed proof that she didn’t need to bow to anybody. Saito took her blonde hair and observed it.

“Yeah, it is. It looks like it gathers the rays of the sun, and just looking at it clears up my doubts and worries. I like your blonde hair.”

“~~~!” Himari’s face turned beet red.

She pushed it down, as her shoulders quivered.

“Himari? Did I say something bad…?” Saito grew worried when Himari leaped at him.

As a result of that, Saito fell backward and landed on his butt. And even so, Himari wouldn’t let go, rubbing her face at his chest.

“You’re not fair, Saito-kun. This should be against the rules.”

She reproached him with her words, but her breath tickling his ear was soft. She ended up sitting on him, looking down at Saito with dampened eyes. The hallway was as dimly-lit as before, but her white skin and crimson lips shone brightly. She pulled her blonde hair behind her ear, which made an alluring scent drift through the air.

“This is your fault, Saito-kun. You say something cool like that, making my heart skip a beat.” Himari pushed her lips closer toward Saito.

“What are you trying to do?!”

“I’m giving you a hickey. To show the other girls that you belong to me. Where do you want it? Your neck? Your arm? Or maybe on your chest where only I can see?”

“I’ll take none at all, please!” Saito tried to get up, but Himari used all her weight to press him down, leaving him immobile.

“Mmmm!”

Himari pressed her lips on Saito. With the weight of her chest weighing down on him, her lips sucking on his neck to create a faint pain, Saito suddenly felt his body temperature rise, leaving him unclear if this was reality or just a dream.

“You two!!”

That’s when Akane appeared, emitting immense pressure and hostility. She wore her nightgown with slippers, glaring down at Saito and Himari.

“Aww, Akane? You woke up?” Himari finished her meal, licking her lips like a predator.

“You pervert! Untrained dog! Why are you attacking him in the middle of the night?!” Akane forcefully peeled Himari off Saito’s body.

Meanwhile, Himari put one index finger on her chest and tilted her head.

“Isn’t that normal? Saito-kun got me in the mood, and I couldn’t hold back.”

“Saito?!”

“I never did such a thing!”

Being on the receiving end of Akane’s animosity, Saito immediately denied any guilt. If Akane were to have any wrong idea now, he’d be dead. Akane took a closer look at Saito and let out a shriek.

“Hold on! He’s got a clear hickey on his neck!”

“Wait, for real?!” Saito tried to check for himself by using the mirror, but it was at a perfect dead angle where he couldn’t see it.

If he didn’t hide that, their classmates would never let him live that down.

“Why don’t you just give him one, too, Akane? There’s plenty of places left for you to choose from.”

“Could you stop treating me like some paper for you to write your notes on?!”

“N-No way! I’ll get food poisoning if I put my mouth on his neck!”

“And could you stop treating me like bacteria?!”

Saito wondered where exactly his human rights had run off to, as he fell into deep despair.

The next day’s lunch break arrived. Maho and Saito were together in the courtyard, as she touched his neck.

“Hm? Onii-chan, did you hurt yourself?”

“What? No.”

“But you got a bandaid on your neck. Did Shii-chan bite you?”

“Shise would never hurt Brother like that.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re treating me like a snack on the daily.”

Shisei was drooling out of her mouth as she was waiting for her chance, but Saito grabbed her in a secure lock. He was worried he might be munched up because she didn’t have enough to eat for lunch. Himari joined the conversation.

“That’s because I gave him a hickey.”

Maho’s eyes shot open.

“Hold on, what?! Himarin gave Onii-chan a hickey?! What happened between the two of you?! Did you already climb the stairs to adulthood?!”

Himari blushed a bit.

“Well, not that much…But I guess we did climb some stairs.”

“That’s not fair, Himarin! I’m gonna give him a hickey, too!” Maho opened her mouth and leaped at Saito.

She was trying desperately to pull off his shirt, halted by Saito who grabbed her head with both his arms. She was fighting desperately to make any kind of progress.

“I don’t remember putting on a bandaid, though. Who did that?” Himari approached Saito and looked at his neck.

“This looks like a bandaid with Akane’s favorite cat character, so it was probably her?”

Akane flinched as her name popped up.

“B-Because…you might get arrested if you walk around looking lewd like that. That’s why I put it on while Saito was asleep! Do you have a problem with that?!”

“Not in the slightest, and yet somehow I do…”

Just who was Akane fighting today?

“I mean, adding a bandaid makes it even more erotic. Like it’s hiding the secret Saito-kun and I indulged in last night.”

“Too licentious!”

“One more question. Why do you have two bandaids popped on your neck? I added only one hickey. That’s kinda weird…” Himari pushed her face toward Akane, speaking with a teasing tone.

“I-I don’t know?! I just had a bandaid left over so I cleaned up the storage while I was at it!” Akane’s face was as red as a tomato as she crossed her arms in anger.

“What kind of tool am I to you?” Saito was assaulted by an odd feeling.

If she wanted to put the bandaid anywhere, she might as well put it on a nearby telephone pole or anything of that sort.

“Himari, you’re staying at Brother’s home?”

“Yeah. Saito-kun picked me up when I wandered the night streets all by myself.”

“That sounds nice! I wanna stay over, too!” Maho commented.

“Shise will, too.”

“Then let’s do a sleepover! I wanna take another bath with Onii-chan!”

“Wha…!”

Maho’s detrimental bombshell of a comment had Saito’s heart jump. He felt the air around him freeze, as Himari, Akane, and Shisei all slowly turned their heads toward him.

“Saito-kun…?”

“What does she mean by ‘another’…?”

“Brother should explain himself.”

Saito saw a slim 1% chance of surviving this hell. Gazes of animosity stabbed right into him. A cold sweat ran down his back, as he tried to beg for his life.

“Sh-She didn’t mean it that way! Right, Maho?!”

Maho listened. Maho chose to ignore Saito’s plea. Maho flashed an innocent peace sign instead.

“I meant what I said! Did you really forget that time I hugged you while you were na—Mguh?!”

Saito covered up Maho’s mouth because she could run it any longer. At this rate, lunch break would be turned into an eternal break for him. No matter the method, he had to silence this leaker. Even if he had to make her sign an NDA.

“…Sorry, I gotta go. Just tell her I’m not here,” Himari suddenly said.

“Tell who?” Akane asked, but Himari didn’t answer and just ran inside the school building.

Saito and the others were bewildered, when a woman in her thirties arrived—Himari’s stepmother Rieko. Her long black hair tied up and her glasses created a strict and uptight image, like she was a teacher of sorts. She fit right into this school theme.

“Ah, it’s Himarin’s mom! Been a while!”

Even when dealing with a person as hard to approach as Rieko, Maho showed no restraint. She just smiled at her with a wave, which had Rieko’s expression relax.

“We haven’t talked in a while, Maho-chan. Do you know if Himari-san is here?”

“N-Nope!” Maho just tried to do what HImari asked her, but her acting was far too easy to see through.

Rieko sighed.

“Himari-san contacted us, stating that she would be staying at your home…But, is she properly attending school?”

“She’s actually not staying with me, but with Onii-cha—”

“She is, she is! Don’t worry!” Akane hurried to cover up Maho’s mouth, creating a lock to not allow any unnecessary comment.

It was effective enough to cut off Maho’s air supply, which had her blink in terror. If Rieko were to find out that Akane and Saito were married, and that Himari was staying with them, things would definitely take a turn for the worse.

“Is Himari-san doing all right?” Rieko asked Akane.

“Yes, well…”

“She’s not taking strolls around the street at night, doing anything dangerous, is she?”

“Himari would never do such a thing! She always comes straight home after school, and she’s not…” Himari glanced at the bandaid on Saito’s neck. “…She’s not doing anything dangerous!”

“Is that so…She never tells me how she feels, so it’s hard to tell what exactly she is thinking…I don’t know why she ran away from home this time, either.” She dropped her head.

That sight of hers was definitely different from the Rieko Saito had seen at Himari’s home.

“Don’t worry, we’ll look after her. She should come back at some point.”

“I’m sorry that you have to do that. Do you mind telling me your address? You’ve recently moved, haven’t you?”

“Well…”

Asked by Rieko, Akane glanced over at Saito, probably to check if there was a problem with this or not. He’d rather not let her know, but before this could turn into a bigger problem like having the police involved, they had to at least reassure Himari’s guardian, so Saito nodded. After writing down the address, Rieko bowed once and left.

At home, Maho jumped on Saito’s lap as he sat on the sofa.

“Onii-chan! Let’s play a shooting game! I’ll have a Gatling gun, and you can have a bat as equipment!”

“I don’t think a bat is categorized as a gun.”

“But you’ll give your younger sister a handicap, right?” Maho grabbed the controller in her hands as she flapped her legs up and down.

Saito seemed bothered, but he didn’t try to push her away.

“That’s Shise’s place.” Shisei ordered.

“Oh, what’s the big deal! Let me have it once in a while!”

“No. Shise’s got a special right as Brother’s sister.”

“But I’m also Onii-chan’s sister, so I have that right, too!”

They fought for the prime position of Saito’s lap, moving up and down, left and right. But to Saito, it looked like two lion cubs play-fighting. He didn’t attempt to stop them and just focused on his game.

—He’s as nonchalant as always…

Akane thought to herself and continued preparing dinner with Himari. They called it a sleepover, but Maho and Shisei would regularly stay over, so nothing much changed. The only difference is the amount of food that had to be made. While cutting the vegetables, Akane talked to Himari.

“Your mother seemed really worried. Why don’t you make up with her?”

“I’m not fighting with her. She just gets angry at me all the time. I don’t wanna be home so I’m keeping my distance.”

Himari had always been like this. Unlike Akane, she wanted to avoid any kind of confrontation.

“But, your mother said…”

“She’s not my mother. She’s a random woman Dad married. You won’t understand how I feel, because you have parents who care about you, Akane.” Himari bit her lip.

Akane felt like Himari had built a wall between them, and she couldn’t let that stand.

“Even if I don’t understand it, I’m trying hard to get it into my head. As your best friend, I want to be of help to you.”

“You’ve been helping me this entire time. But, you’ve been spending your days in happiness, you won’t understand how I feel. Only Saito-kun knows how this sort of life could feel.” Himari sent Saito a gaze full of love.

It was love, but also one of relief to know there was someone who shared the same pain as her. Seeing this, Akane felt like she was being rushed by something.

“I know that Saito’s family isn’t normal. He’s the one to inherit the Houjou Group, after all.”

“Not that. Do you know why Saito-kun only reads books? Or why does he only read cup ramen and drink protein? I do know that.”

“Wh-Why? It’s not just his preference?”

Himari shrugged her shoulders with a saddened look.

“Preferences and tastes are something that are born from the life of the person. Did he ever really talk about his family? Do you even know anything about Saito-kun?”

“That’s…”

Akane couldn’t say a thing. Saito had never once spoken of his own family. He’d regularly complained about his grandfather, which also showed how much he cared about him, but he had yet to bring up his parents even once. It’s like the concept of the family didn’t exist for him. Akane assumed he wasn’t the type of person to engage in such private talk but maybe that wasn’t the case. Maybe he was just putting on a mask to not allude to anything. With complicated feelings, Akane glanced over at Saito’s back, who was engrossed in playing games.

Maho was lying on the living room’s carpet, sound asleep. Shisei had turned into her hugging pillow and attempted to break free, but she ran out of steam and had fallen asleep all the same. The table was buried with game controllers, opened snacks, melted ice cream that turned into juice, and a board game that was pulled out of the depths of a drawer. It was the grotesque result of a regular sleepover. They all had school tomorrow, and yet nobody considered the repercussions of this.

“Guess we should head off to bed, too. I’ll get Shise to bed before that, though.”

Saito freed Shisei from Maho’s arms and picked her up. She mumbled something in herself, clinging to Saito like a baby.

“I’ll take care of Maho. Come on, get up.” Akane shook her body.

“No…I’m sleepy…I’ll use Onee-chan’s boobs as a pillow…” Maho grumbled, burying her face in Akane’s chest.

“I’ll help you, too.” Himari grabbed one of Maho’s shoulders, helping Akane carry her.

They managed to bring her to bed in one of the guest rooms, to which she immediately latched onto Shisei. The way they curled up to sleep together made them look like princesses from a picture book. Saito put a blanket over them, turned off the lights, and stepped out of the room. He helped clean up the living room and was about to head back to his own bedroom when Himari talked to him.

“Listen…I think I’m gonna head home tomorrow.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I can’t bother you for too long.”

“We’re not feeling bothered…But, you’re not forcing yourself, right?” Saito was worried.

Himari even avoided Rieko during the day, so he wouldn’t know how she’d handle coming back.

“I have to go back at some point, so better now than later. Sorry that I obstructed your happy life here.”

Akane pouted.

“There’s no happy life to be had when he’s part of it! Being alone with this…monster…I can’t even sleep peacefully at night!”

“It was good having you around, Himari. Living together with a dragon without a tamer had me on edge all the time.”

“Who are you calling a dragon?!”

“You, duh!”

Saito and Akane glared at each other, to which Himari let out another snicker.

“You two really are close.”

“We’re not close!” We’re not close!”

They denied Himari’s words at the same time.

“I’m really glad that I got to live with the two people I love the most…Good night.” Himari showed a lonely smile and disappeared into her own room.

---

Translator here. In case you thought we’d actually get some development with Akane and her putting a hickey on Saito, I gotta disappoint ya. As shown in the extra illustration below, she just wrote “Dummy” and covered it up with the bandaid. Am I the only one who feels like this is a shitty excuse of a 5.5 volume instead of something worthy of being called volume 6? Yes? Dang. Well, my hell is almost done, at least.