Haruno let go of Tatsuki and shot Yukino a look. "Wow, Yukino. Greedy much? You really trying to keep Tatsuki-kun all to yourself?"
Yukino answered flatly, "Please stop doing things that make Tatsuki-kun's life harder."
Tatsuki really wanted to say he wasn't bothered at all.
"Fine, fine. I'll lend Tatsuki-kun to Yukino for today," Haruno said with a bright smile. Then she winked at Tatsuki, voice syrupy. "Tatsuki-kun… make sure you give Yukino extra special attention, okay?"
Yeah. He heard the subtext loud and clear.
That attention wasn't the wholesome kind.
Yukino, already thoroughly… marinated, understood instantly too. Her face went hot.
"I-I'm going back to rest!"
With her mother right behind her—and living here now—she still wasn't bold enough to act on that kind of implication. She chose the safest option: flee while blushing.
Tatsuki glanced around at everyone else. One by one, they were all wiped out and headed back to their rooms.
Everyone except one.
Megumi was still there.
"Megumi," he called, "wanna sleep together tonight?"
Megumi blinked and asked softly, "Tatsuki-kun… you're still not satisfied?"
"…" Tatsuki rubbed his nose and let out a helpless laugh. "Of course you noticed. Your observational skills are scary."
He shrugged, honest. "It's not like I didn't get anything—Marin really gave it her all. I just… want to be with you."
Megumi's lips curved into a small, sweet smile. "Okay."
…
Time moved faster after that.
By now, the team's rhythm was smooth—no hesitation before each daily fight.
Today marked the end of Day Nine.
Out of nine deployments, Tatsuki got benched four times—first place in getting banned, which was basically the game screaming targeted harassment.
Still, whenever he was sent out, it was simple: erase the planet, end the fight, done.
And when he wasn't sent out, even if bigger Zerg units showed up, Haruno and the others handled it fine—plus Kanae was their safety net.
Somewhere along the way, the group formed a quiet, unspoken agreement.
Mrs. Yukinoshita and Mrs. Yuigahama never brought up why their transformations happened. (T/N: You prefer this names or Miyuki and Yua?)
Haruno and Yukino naturally checked each other, which meant neither of them got too bold with Tatsuki during this stretch.
Marin and Chika turned into little snack thieves—constantly sneaking in to learn from the master in private.
Eriri and Megumi were the only two who stayed openly at Tatsuki's side without hiding it.
Yumiko was… complicated.
She was bold and tsundere at the same time—always flipping between dominant and shy.
If Tatsuki finished a mission and went to see her, she'd act aloof and passive like, If you don't move first, I'm not moving either.
She'd hold out until he personally got his hands on her—until her eyes were wet and her pride finally cracked, but if she and Tatsuki were both chosen to stay behind at the base?
She'd march into his room on her own, aggressive as hell, full-on queen energy.
…Either way, she ended up melted into the mattress in the end.
Tomorrow was Day Ten—the final day of this Apocalypse Game.
Tatsuki figured nobody would show up tonight.
He was wrong.
Eriri appeared again.
"Lollipop," Tatsuki asked casually, "or ice cream bar?"
At this point, he'd gotten used to it. When someone came to his room, it was usually for that.
Eriri lifted her chin, proud as a peacock. "Give me white stockings."
He handed her a pair of white pantyhose. "What, you cold?"
"Cold my ass!" Eriri snapped, snatching them away. Then she leaned in and whispered in his ear.
When she straightened up, she looked smug enough to glow. "So? Bet you've never tried feet, huh? I've been practicing—my toes are super flexible. You're welcome."
Tatsuki stared at her, face dead calm. "Hate to break it to you, but Haruno and Yukino already pulled that move."
"…Huh?"
Eriri froze, then practically screeched, "Why are they so fast?! I literally just thought of that!"
Once again, Eriri felt her position as "Eri Kashiwagi" was under threat.
She started scanning the room like a detective hunting for inspiration.
The only thing she hadn't tried was… the back door, but she was scared it'd hurt.
Tatsuki's big brother was already hard enough for her to handle—no way she was letting him anywhere near that place.
Nope. Absolutely not.
Then her eyes lit up.
She yanked the white pantyhose on under her short skirt, walked to the door, and cracked it open. One hand braced on the doorframe, the other on the wall—she bent forward and stuck her head out to check the hall.
Nobody.
She turned back, cheeks burning, teeth biting her lip. "Tatsuki-kun—coast is clear! Hurry! You definitely haven't done it like this before!"
Tatsuki inhaled sharply.
That pose—right by the doorway—he was genuinely impressed. He hadn't expected Eriri to go this hard.
If someone opened their door at the wrong moment, it'd be a disaster.
"You asked for it!" he said, voice low.
Getting caught? Getting heard? He didn't care in the slightest.
There were eight or nine people here. Outside of the two moms, who wasn't one of his at this point?
He blinked—and vanished.
Riiip—!
Something tore.
…
At last, everyone gathered around the round table again, waiting for the final decision.
Every face was serious.
Today was the last day—meaning the most important day.
Even after what felt like a war zone of a night, Eriri sat at the table looking perfectly normal, like nothing happened.
It wasn't because she was tough.
Honestly, what she went through last night was hell.
At first she'd been standing easily, braced on the door.
Later, the door was wide open while Tatsuki carried her by the backs of her knees—or she hung there limp, barely able to hold herself up, with his hand supporting her like she'd forgotten how legs worked.
By then, she had no thoughts left at all.
When she came to, Tatsuki only told her, "You're fine. You just passed out."
Then he casually fixed her body like it was nothing. That was the only reason she had so much energy now.
And to be fair… Tatsuki didn't really know how to explain the rest.
At some point, Eriri couldn't keep quiet anymore—her voice slipped loose and echoed through the whole meeting room. The soundproofing was great with the doors shut, but people still opened doors.
Other than Chika, it felt like everyone had opened theirs at least once.
So now—during this tense, serious moment—everyone sat there with the same unspoken understanding.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Yukinoshita and Mrs. Yuigahama kept zoning out, thoughts drifting.
They had never seen Tatsuki get that feral… or last that long.
Mrs. Yukinoshita was starting to understand how twenty-plus girlfriends could actually coexist.
And Mrs. Yuigahama was starting to understand why Yui had looked so wrecked back then.
Then the system text appeared.
[Congratulations. You have survived to the final day of the 4th Apocalypse Game!]
[Today's decision is a joke!]
[Berserk Mode activated!]
[Restrictions weakened!]
[Under the Overmind's power, the swarm across the galaxy will breach time and space—endless waves pouring into this world!]
[Survive! Fight! This is the final shelter—humanity's last hope! Ra—]
The message cut off mid-word.