"By the way, we still don't know what to call you two. Let's each introduce ourselves."
"I'm the owner of this house, Munakata Rurie," The gorgeous noblewoman raised a hand to cover her full, towering chest and gave Hikari and Tani Ichiro a charming smile.
"Hello, Madam Rurie." Hikari didn't show much reaction, only nodding slightly.
But Tani Ichiro stared blankly for a moment. He stammered as he replied, "H-Hello, Madam Rurie!"
Munakata Rurie covered her mouth and laughed softly again, the smile in her eyes alluring and enchanting. Then she stretched out her hand and pointed to the young beautiful girl beside her.
"This is my only daughter, Nakoto."
"Hello," Munakata Nakoto also smiled generously and greeted the two of them, though those beautiful eyes of hers lingered on Hikari for a few extra glances.
Hikari observed her as well. This girl called Munakata Nakoto looked about eighteen or nineteen years old. Like her mother, she had brown hair and green eyes, and her hair was tied with a pink ribbon into a pair of classic twin ponytails.
Munakata Nakoto wore a long, corseted dress in the style of British noble ladies. Although it wrapped her up tightly, the row of buttons on the front of her chest was pushed outward high enough to reveal the proud talent she had inherited from her mother Rurie.
As for those few extra glances from Munakata Nakoto, Hikari faintly noticed them. Although the twin-ponytail girl named Nakoto looked generous and friendly on the surface, she seemed to harbor some hidden hostility toward the two outsiders.
After introducing Munakata Nakoto, Munakata Rurie smiled again and introduced the braided girl wearing a maid outfit.
"And this is the very capable maid in charge of managing the household affairs, Takahara Ren."
"Ah, hello! My name is Tani Ichiro!", After hearing Rurie finish introducing the three women, Tani Ichiro hurriedly returned the courtesy with a sincere self-introduction.
Although he appeared polite on the surface, Tani Ichiro secretly looked at the three women inside the Munakata residence, unable to stop his thoughts from wandering.
'Hey, hey, what exactly is going on here? The owner of this house is actually this woman who's this beautiful and this seductive, and there isn't even a single man around?'
'And this is what life in a rich mansion is like? A bunch of beautiful women gathered together, and their figures are all curvy and so sexy. It's hard to hold back… and there isn't even a male owner. That's way too lucky. I really want to take them all…'
'If only that brat beside me wasn't here.'
While letting his imagination run wild, Tani Ichiro shot Hikari beside him a vicious glare.
Hikari could also sense the hostile gaze coming from Tani Ichiro beside him, but he ignored it. Instead, he responded to the beautiful woman Munakata Rurie, who was looking at him.
"Madam Rurie, Miss Nakoto, Miss Ren, hello. My name is Hikari."
"Oh my, so it's Hikari-kun. Hello!", Rurie and the other two women responded to him as well.
After the introductions, everyone understood how to address each other.
Madam Rurie immediately clapped her hands and stood up, smiling at Hikari and Tani Ichiro.
"Alright, now that we know each other, let's go eat."
"Hikari-kun, Tani-kun, you must both be hungry, right? Hehe."
"Ren, is the food ready?"
The maid Takahara Ren quickly replied, "Everything's ready! I'll bring it out right now."
With that, Takahara Ren walked briskly toward the kitchen.
Under Madam Rurie's lead, Hikari and Tani Ichiro also went to the dining room.
Just like the living room, the dining room of the Munakata residence was decorated in dazzling splendor. It looked as spacious and luxurious as the restaurant of a five-star hotel, leaving Tani Ichiro clicking his tongue in amazement.
"Hikari-kun, please sit," Madam Rurie walked to Hikari's side with great enthusiasm, pulled out a chair for him, and gestured for him to sit.
"Ah, I can do it myself. Thank you, Madam," Hikari sat down, somewhat flattered.
Madam Rurie covered her mouth and laughed softly, "Hehe! It's no trouble at all."
To be honest, Hikari felt that Madam Rurie was a little too enthusiastic.
She owned such a huge mansion, possessed astonishing wealth, and carried herself with a noble temperament like an aristocrat.
Yet whether it was toward him, a young high school student, or toward Tani Ichiro, who clearly didn't look like a good person, Madam Rurie treated both of them with remarkable warmth.
Honestly speaking, based on how the two of them appeared right now, it would have been far more likely for Rurie not to let them enter the Munakata residence at all.
But the opposite had happened. Not only had she allowed them in, her attitude was extremely warm.
It was hard to tell whether she had some other motive or if her personality was simply this kind.
Compared to the overly friendly Madam Rurie, the behavior of Munakata Nakoto, who looked calm on the surface but occasionally revealed obvious hostility toward both him and Tani Ichiro, was actually more in line with normal expectations.
Meanwhile, when Tani Ichiro saw Madam Rurie personally pulling out a chair and inviting someone to sit, her every smile and glance full of charm and allure, his grin nearly stretched crooked across his face.
After everyone took their seats, the maid Takahara Ren began bringing out dishes one after another.
Loquat lobster, premium wagyu beef, Arctic surf clam, Siberian sturgeon caviar.
Although the cooking methods and plating weren't as elaborate as in restaurants outside, the ingredients themselves were top-tier, just like those expensive restaurants.
Tani Ichiro, who had always been part of the working class, rarely saw such things. Looking at the abundant dishes in front of him, his eyes widened, and since he was already hungry, he kept swallowing his saliva.
Meanwhile, Madam Rurie and Munakata Nakoto beside him had calm expressions, as if this was simply their daily food rather than something specially prepared because guests had arrived.
Observing their reactions, Hikari understood that Madam Rurie and the others truly matched the appearance of the dazzling Munakata residence. They were genuinely rich.
"Here, Hikari-kun, you're still at the age where you're growing. Try some of this seafood and beef."
Even in such luxury, Madam Rurie, sitting beside Hikari, remained extremely enthusiastic. She personally picked several pieces of seafood and beef for him.
"Ah, thank you, Madam," Hikari politely thanked her.
"It's nothing. Go ahead and eat," Madam Rurie said with a cheerful smile.
Hikari picked up a piece of marbled wagyu and put it into his mouth. He barely needed to chew before it melted away. It really was top-quality beef.
Watching Hikari savor the food slowly and Tani Ichiro wolf it down in huge bites, Madam Rurie took a light sip of red wine. As she gently swirled the wine glass in her hand, she smiled and observed them.
After the two of them had eaten quite a bit and were more than half full, the beautiful Madam Rurie finally spoke with a smile.
"Hikari-kun, and Mr. Tani, may I ask you both a question?"
"I'm just a little curious. How did you two get lost in the forest and end up at our house?"
There was a faint probing tone behind Madam Rurie's words.
After all, there were only three beautiful women living here without any men, and suddenly several unfamiliar men had appeared. Being cautious was perfectly normal.
Seeing Madam Rurie glance over with her charming smiling eyes, Hikari casually replied, "I went back to the countryside for a while during the holidays. This time I was planning to return to Tokyo. But on the way I got into an illegal taxi, and the driver dropped me off halfway. Then I didn't know which way to go, and while walking around I got lost. After wandering for a while longer, I ended up here at the Munakata residence."
"I see… Hikari-kun must have had a hard time," Madam Rurie gently swirled her wine glass. Her beautiful eyes swept across Hikari's youthful and handsome face before she turned to Tani Ichiro.
"And you, Mr. Tani?"
Compared to Hikari's calm composure, Tani Ichiro felt his heart tighten when Munakata Rurie asked him the question.
After all, his real identity was that of a wanted criminal, someone who couldn't show his face in the light.
But Tani Ichiro had struggled through society for over ten years. His skin was thick and he had some scheming ability.
Under the gaze of Madam Rurie's beautiful eyes, Tani Ichiro forced himself to stay calm and said with a smile, "Well, I'm actually a teacher in the city. But recently the teaching pressure has been too great, and I've been feeling suffocated."
"So I took some leave and planned to return to the countryside to rest. Unexpectedly the car broke down on the way, and when I tried to pass through the forest I got lost. It was raining heavily outside too, so while looking for help I ended up here. Hehe!"
The supposed teacher story was, of course, a lie.
He had embezzled public funds and was being hunted by the police, which was why he had fled to this desolate wilderness.
But to avoid being thrown out by the beautiful woman in front of him, he naturally couldn't tell the truth.
After hearing Tani Ichiro's words, Munakata Rurie didn't seem to doubt him at all.
She nodded and said, "So that's how it is. Mr. Tani must have had a hard time too. Please get some good rest. But I suddenly have a small request and hope Mr. Tani can help me with something."
"Uh… may I ask what it is?", Tani Ichiro asked nervously.
To be honest, he was somewhat wary of Madam Rurie's enthusiasm.
Someone treating him this well for no reason, could it be she wanted him to sell his body or take his kidney?
If the Munakata family hadn't clearly shown astonishing wealth and if he himself hadn't already been penniless, Tani Ichiro might have suspected they were planning to rob and murder him.
Seeing Tani Ichiro's nervous expression, Madam Rurie covered her mouth and laughed. With a charming and captivating look she said,
"Oh my, there's no need to be nervous. It's not a big deal. I just want to ask Mr. Tani Ichiro to be my daughter Nakoto's home tutor for a while."
"This child isn't very serious about studying, and her grades aren't very good. She really needs some tutoring, so I'd like to trouble you, Mr. Tani."
Hearing this, Tani Ichiro immediately relaxed and waved his hand with a smile.
"Oh, that's nothing at all. Not troublesome, not troublesome."
"Madam Rurie has taken me in, and I'm truly grateful. Tutoring can be left to me, no problem at all. After all, I'm a teacher. Hehe!"
After Tani Ichiro agreed, Madam Rurie immediately smiled, looking quite happy.
Meanwhile, Munakata Nakoto, who was eating beside them, suddenly darkened her little face. She clearly looked unhappy, as if she didn't want tutoring, but she didn't say anything and simply continued eating silently.
Then Madam Rurie suddenly turned to Hikari and asked, "Hikari-kun, may I ask how your grades are at school?"
Hikari casually replied, "They're alright."
Madam Rurie immediately smiled.
"Judging from Hikari-kun's appearance, it's probably more than just alright, right? To be honest, looking at your refined and gentle manner, your grades must be near the top of the class."
"If Hikari-kun has time, could you also help auntie tutor Nakoto?"
"With just a teacher's guidance she might not listen, but communication between people of the same age might work better~"
Since he had accepted her hospitality and food, and while speaking she even placed a big lobster into his bowl, Hikari had little choice but to nod.
"Alright. Talking with Miss Nakoto about studying isn't a big problem."
After getting Hikari's agreement, Munakata Rurie looked even happier.
Meanwhile, Munakata Nakoto seemed frightened by the idea of tutoring. Her little face remained stiff the whole time, clearly showing she was unwilling.
After that, the group continued eating, only chatting occasionally.
Once Tani Ichiro had stuffed most of his stomach full, he began to feel a little annoyed.
Because he noticed that perhaps due to Hikari's younger and more handsome appearance, the young maid and the young lady Munakata Nakoto looked at Hikari far more favorably than they looked at him.
Even Madam Rurie seemed slightly more enthusiastic toward that boy.
This made Tani Ichiro, now full and satisfied, feel somewhat unbalanced. His dislike toward Hikari gradually increased.
After dinner, the group sat in the living room to rest and chatted casually for a while.
Madam Rurie suddenly said to Munakata Nakoto, "Nakoto, it's time to go study, isn't it?"
Then she turned to Hikari with a smile.
"Hikari-kun, if you don't mind, could I trouble you to accompany Nakoto and teach her a little?"
"Sure," Having just finished a plate of fruit that Madam Rurie had asked the maid Takahara Ren to bring, Hikari nodded and agreed.
"Thank you for the trouble, Hikari-kun," Madam Rurie thanked him, and Hikari nodded in response.
Upon hearing it was time to study, Munakata Nakoto looked unhappy. Without saying anything, she got up and walked alone toward the second floor.
With Madam Rurie smiling and gesturing, Hikari followed behind the twin-ponytail young lady and also went up to the second floor.
Munakata Nakoto clearly didn't seem to want to go upstairs together with Hikari. Her steps were noticeably quick.
Hikari didn't mind and slightly quickened his pace as well, following behind her the whole way.
In the end, just before Munakata Nakoto closed the door, Hikari stepped into her room as well.
Aside from being very spacious, with exquisite furniture and decoration, Munakata Nakoto's room wasn't too different from an ordinary girl's bedroom.
It was pink and cute, filled with a faint fragrance unique to a young girl.
After the door was closed, Munakata Nakoto, who had shown little reaction before, finally seemed unable to hold back her emotions.
Seeing Hikari looking around, she spoke in an unfriendly tone.
"Hey, what are you looking around at? Don't tell me you're trying to find some underwear or something. That's disgusting."
"And why are you breathing so heavily? Are you trying to pollute the fragrance of my room?"
Seeing Munakata Nakoto suddenly change her attitude and put on the spoiled, arrogant young lady demeanor, Hikari smiled. He wasn't very surprised.
"I was just taking a quick look. My breathing is normal too. I think you're overacting, Miss Nakoto."
Hikari wasn't surprised at all by her sudden change in attitude.
From the moment they first met, he had already noticed that Munakata Nakoto carried faint hostility toward him, and it seemed quite strong.
When he agreed to Madam Rurie's request to tutor her, he had clearly seen Munakata Nakoto glare at him in resentment.
Although he didn't know exactly what about him had provoked the young lady's dislike, he wasn't surprised by the hostility she was showing now.
Ignoring Munakata Nakoto's gaze, Hikari casually walked around her bedroom.
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