The serene brightness of early morning was shattered by the crisp sound of the doorbell.
Ding-ling~ ding-ling~
"Coming, coming."
The rhythmic tapping of cotton slippers against the wooden floor echoed from inside to outside.
Click—
In under four seconds, as the door opened, a handsome face gradually bathed in golden morning light came into view before Reina and the others.
Meeting his gaze, Reina placed one hand on her hip, holding her schoolbag in the other, tilted her chin slightly, and greeted with a bright, confident smile:
"Yo~ Morning! Had breakfast yet?"
"Ha~"
Though none of the three could take him down even together, he hadn't slept all night, and now that the sunlight hit him, a wave of sleepiness washed over.
Covering his mouth, Sasaki let out a yawn, stepped aside, and headed back into the house:
"I'm eating—come in and wait a bit."
Yesterday, when the three girls had come to walk to school with him, they happened to catch him just as he was stepping out, so this was actually their first time inside his home.
Knowing there were elders present, the three politely said, "Sorry for the intrusion," then switched to indoor slippers and followed Sasaki into the living room.
Once inside, they saw neither Kyouka nor Yuka or Koharu.
Only the little girl Rinka, and Sasaki's pink-haired childhood friend.
After greeting the two, Kurumi, sitting on the sofa, tilted her head and asked:
"Kyouka-san and Yuka—have they already left?"
While pouring water for them, Sasaki replied without changing expression:
"Nope, they're still resting. Aunt Kyouka-san the day off today. Sister Koharu and Sister Yuka don't have morning classes, so they haven't gotten up yet."
"Ah~ College is great. You can even sleep in."
Spreading her long arms along the back of the sofa, Reina let out a sigh of envy.
Taking the cup of tea Sasaki handed over, Kurumi shot her a sideways glance and said:
"You could sleep in too, you know. You're the one who went out for a morning run and now you're saying this. It sounds kind of contradictory, you know?"
"What's contradictory about it? Haven't you heard of going back to sleep after a run?"
"…"
While they were chatting, Sakuragi Otome, who had been eating at the dining table, walked over slowly with a small plate of pastries.
She set the plate down on the coffee table and stood beside Sasaki.
At this moment, her pretty face carried a faint smile, natural and poised, full of the calm grace of a hostess.
"Sorry, I didn't know you were coming. I didn't make enough breakfast.
These are some pastries I baked last night. If you haven't eaten yet, feel free to try some."
"It's still early, so I'll go make a few more breakfast dishes."
As she said that, Otome turned to head back and prepare more food.
Girls understand girls best.
Even though none of the three had done anything overly affectionate toward Fuyumi, and their expressions and eyes gave nothing away, the fact they were acting so naturally around him, that nothing about the atmosphere seemed off—that was the real problem.
It gave Otome the feeling that even if Fuyumi were sitting right in the middle of them, they wouldn't mind.
Which made her feel that she had to do something, something to show them clearly whose territory this was.
Caught completely off guard by the flawless hospitality of the pink-haired girl, Reina and the other two exchanged glances and smiled as they waved her off:
"No need, no need. We already ate breakfast. Don't worry about us."
Otome stopped mid-step at their words, blinked her clear, watery eyes, and turned to look at Sasaki, seeking his opinion.
Though Otome was always gentle and sensible, this level of… well, submissiveness was rare.
Knowing why she was doing this, Sasaki couldn't bear to let her feel disappointed.
So, he leaned in and kissed her lips, still slightly flushed from the porridge, then rubbed the strand of hair that stuck up on her head.
"Mm, go eat."
The unexpected affection filled the girl's heart overflowing with more satisfaction than she'd expected, that joy turned into warmth flooding her chest, shining through her eyes.
Otome's previously clear eyes instantly became thick with honeyed affection.
She wanted to tiptoe and give him a kiss… but with Rinka and the other three girls watching, she was too embarrassed to do something like that.
So she just nodded bashfully and quickly walked back to the dining table with small, hurried steps.
"Tch~"
Seeing this, Kurumi clicked her tongue.
Even the plain water in her cup now tasted sour and sweet.
Putting her cup down, Kurumi sighed helplessly:
"We already said we had breakfast, didn't we? Stop feeding us dog food already. At least show a little mercy to the singles."
"Exactly. I don't even feel like eating lunch anymore," Sasaki Yukina added from the single-seat sofa.
"You're not like this at school too, are you?" Reina added, seated in the middle.
Sasaki, now sitting in a chair and chewing on some toast, swallowed and smiled.
"At school… depends on the situation. If there are a lot of people, of course I'll behave. If it's just a few… uh~"
Soft, pale feet with a hint of pink gently stepped on his slipper as Otome, face flushed with embarrassment, used her foot to silence her boyfriend's careless chatter.
This guy… why does he always say things out loud like that!?
And she was right here! If she hadn't been… she didn't even want to think about it.
The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she became. Otome pressed harder with her mochi-like little foot to express her flustered frustration.
Of course Sasaki wouldn't talk to others about their private matters… but he just wanted to tease her a little.
After all, he only wanted to see her shy reaction, not make her upset.
So, Sasaki gently lifted his other foot out of his slipper and lightly covered Otome's foot, still wrapped in smooth white stockings.
"Alright, alright~ I won't say another word. Let's eat, let's eat."
Watching their subtle footplay under the table, Reina's aqua-colored eyes shifted slightly.
No matter how carefree and easygoing girl she was, she was still a real girl… and seeing this display of affection...much less from the boy she had a crush on...it was impossible not to feel a twinge of sourness inside.
Still, she had expected something like this.
Was she a bit jealous? Yes!
Was it unbearable? Not exactly.
What occupied her heart more was the doubt, could the three of them really tempt him?
Before, she had been certain that with the combined charm of the three of them, taking down Sasaki would be a piece of cake.
After all, no guy could resist the idea a harem, having three beautiful girls with different tastes and flavours all to himself.
But… if he really had any feelings for them, shouldn't he at least keep a bit of distance from his girlfriend?
Being so openly affectionate with her in front of them, wasn't that basically shutting the door on any girl who had feelings for him?
Or… were the three of them just not attractive enough?
Was their charm not enough?
Scratching her silky hair, Reina frowned, puzzled.
And that question continued to bother her all the way into fourth period that morning.
Even after staring into the mirror all morning, she still couldn't figure out what she had lost on.
Reina picked up a pen and poked the sleeping Yukina in the side with the pen cap.
"Yikes!!!"
The latter jerked upright like she'd been electrocuted as she frowned, glaring at Reina:
"Reina, what the hell is wrong with you? I was sleeping, what are you doing?"
Since it was self-study period, Yukina's voice was very low.
But her irritation was obvious.
Reina ignored her tone, glanced at the class rep to make sure she was focused on studying, then lowered her voice and asked. "Yukina, do you think I'm pretty?"
"Hah? You woke me up to ask something that dumb?"
Feeling it was a stupid question, Yukina gave a lazy reply.
"Yeah yeah, you're gorgeous. Reina's the most beautiful girl in the world."
After giving her a perfunctory yet truthful answer, she was about to lay her head back down.
However, seeing how dismissive she was, Reina grabbed her arm unhappily and complained.
"Yukina, be serious! I'm being completely serious here."
"Tch~"
Forced to sit up, Yukina lazily looked her up and down, then nodded.
"Fair skin, big boobs, round butt—you're quite hot. If you walked around late at night, a bunch of men would definitely come hit on you."
After teasing her, Yukina added.
"Why are you suddenly asking stuff like this? You never used to chase me down with these questions."
Closing the mirror on her desk, Reina lowered her voice and said.
"Because… I'm starting to worry we might not be able to seduce him."
"Huh?"
Yukina gave her a stunned look, her voice full of disbelief:
"Are you kidding me, Reina?
Sure, the three of us got a bit of a reputation at school, but out there?
No one can resist us. Sasaki's not made of stone, how could he possibly hold back?"
Reina herself didn't believe Sasaki could really resist them.
After all, they were three beautiful girls, who were willing to be his, and wouldn't even care if he had a girlfriend or not.
Although they got a pretty bad reputation, she didn't think Sasaki even cared about that.
But the way he acted so intimately with Sakuragi Otome this morning…
"That's the thing. If he was into us, he wouldn't shove dog food down our throats like that, would he?"
Reina's voice was soft, laced with doubt. "All those guys we've seen who cheat on their girlfriends, they never act like that in front of others."
Yukina was caught off guard by her words.
She opened her mouth but didn't know what to say.
After a moment, she spoke uncertainly. "Maybe… he's just too honest? Doesn't realize how it looks?"
"Tch~"
Not wanting to keep speculating, Yukina tugged Reina's arm and leaned closer, whispering.
"Thinking about it won't help. Let's just pull him into the clubroom at lunch and test him."
"Test?"
Reina looked confused.
"What do you mean, test?"
"Like a seductress tempting a monk… 'Dear guest, why am I sweating so much? Could I be sick? Look~ it's all swollen here~'"
"Ew—Yukina, don't talk like that. You're giving me goosebumps."
Reina rubbed her arms and shifted away with a grimace making the latter facepalm.
"I was demonstrating for you..."
But Reina shook her head, unwilling to mimic that kind of sultry tone.
"Forget it. I'll just follow your lead when the time comes."
"Speaking of which, we better let Sasaki know ahead of time, or he'll go running off to lunch with his girlfriend again."
As she spoke, Reina suddenly reached into the pocket of her skirt to pull out her phone, however as she did, a sharp voice rang out through the quiet classroom, making her flinch.
"Reina, Yukina, I've had enough of you two! You've been talking this whole time. If you don't want to study, others still do!"
Startled, Reina stuffed her phone back into her skirt and looked up.
Most of the class had turned their heads to look.
The one who scolded them was a girl with purple hair and slightly red eyes.
To be honest, Reina thought she was making a big deal out of nothing after all, they did not talk too lowdly, so, it was obviously not possible to disturb others.
Still, she was the class rep, and with everyone watching, Reina didn't want to start a fight.
Still, backing down would hurt her pride.
So she just turned her head away and said nothing.
Really, the whole thing could have ended there.
After all, the other party had already warned her, Reina also stopped talking, so, if she just sat quietly until the bell, that should've been it.
But the purple-haired girl didn't see it that way.
To her, Reina's silence was blatant disrespect.
She knocked on her desk lightly, and spoke in a firm tone.
"Reina, I'm talking to you. Did you hear me?"
"You're being really rude right now."
"Tch~"
After all, Reina was still a gyaru at heart.
Sure, she played the sensible and obedient role in front of people like Kyouka and Sasaki's loved ones, but that didn't mean she was easy to deal with.
Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Reina stood up, raising an eyebrow as she stared at the girl who called her out. "Shiina Chizuru, are you just looking for a fight? It's a tiny thing, you done barking yet?"
But Chizuru didn't back down in the face of Reina's aggressive attitude, instead, she straightened up as her voice rang with clarity and firmness:
"How is this picking a fight? You were disrupting class. I gave you a warning—is that a problem?"
To Reina, it didn't seem like such a big deal… but if a teacher caught wind of it, she'd definitely be in trouble.
Yukina tugged Reina's sleeve, trying to get her to sit back down.
But the latter seemed fired up… and Yukina couldn't move her.
Knowing this would escalate if it kept going, Yukina quickly whispered before Reina could respond.
"If you keep this up, we're getting dragged to the teacher's office by lunch… Think about Sasaki."
"…"
Well ...that did the trick and Reina swallowed her retort before it left her lips.
With Reina calmed down, Ruri, who sat toward the front, also stood and gently pushed Chizuru back into her seat:
"Alright, that's enough. Let's both take a step back, it's really not worth fighting over something so small."
Though Shiina Chizuru was firm, she wasn't tactless.
Now that someone had offered her an out, she took the chance and didn't say more.
And just like that, the matter settled, and the classroom returned to normal.
But the tension didn't disappear entirely.
When two girls clash, those close to them often offer comfort afterward.
Reina received messages of support from both Ruri and Yukina.
Chizuru, however, received none—because, to be honest, she had no friends. Not in class, and not at school.
Still… someone did comfort her.
As she looked down at her desk, a small crumpled piece of paper had appeared between the pages of her book.
She turned her head slightly.
There, with soft brown hair and a warm smile, was a girl gently waving at her.
As class representative, Chizuru remembered every name.
So, even though she'd never spoken to her before, she knew that girl was, Serizawa Yuka.
.
.
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P.S: Today's my Birthday so I'll just update an extra chapter...