With one eye squinted nervously, Eriri Spencer Sawamura glanced furtively toward Yuki Suo and Kato Megumi, who were still absorbed in their game. The rhythmic clicking of controllers and the cheerful sound effects from "Little Sister Conquest Battle" filled the room, providing a thin veneer of normalcy.
Meanwhile, someone's hand was making itself entirely too comfortable on her leg.
Specifically, the part of her leg wrapped in black knee-high socks.
Eriri's face burned. This bad egg! If anyone noticed, she'd never be able to show her face again! With a surge of embarrassed indignation, she reached down and pinched his waist—hard.
Hozuki Nozomi released her lips with a soft chuckle, apparently completely unbothered by the pinch. He leaned close to her ear, his breath warm against her skin.
"Eriri Spencer Sawamura," he murmured, "are you enjoying this?"
She could feel his smile without seeing it.
Eriri's blush deepened impossibly. She bared her小巧的虎牙 at him in a fierce glare, her fangs on full display.
"Enjoy my foot! Stop messing around! Can't you see I'm trying to initiate Kato into otaku culture?"
Hozuki Nozomi's laugh was soft, disbelieving. "Then you might want to actually put some effort into it. From where I'm sitting, Megumi still seems pretty clueless about the whole thing."
"That's because she's too slow!" Eriri declared triumphantly, then slapped his wandering hand away. In one fluid motion, she slipped free of his embrace and put distance between them. "Don't come near me! I'm going to demonstrate my real skills now!"
Hozuki Nozomi watched her go with an amused smile, making no move to stop her.
What Eriri didn't notice—but Kato Megumi certainly did—was that the computer screen reflected everything. While ostensibly focused on the game, Megumi had been tracking their entire interaction in the glossy surface.
She was a little speechless.
Hozuki Nozomi really didn't treat her like an outsider, did he? First secretly kissing the cute maid Ayano, now cuddling with Eriri right behind her. Megumi found herself wondering: if he decided to hug her like that, would she agree or refuse?
She felt a bit like a little lamb who'd wandered into a wolf's den.
Hozuki Nozomi was definitely the hungry wolf in this scenario.
And yet.
All day long, he hadn't made a single move toward her. He'd simply played games with her, recommended several light novels, and let her borrow them to take home.
Kato Megumi felt... strange. A little disappointed, if she was honest.
Why hadn't he made a move?
Was it because he was prioritizing Sawamura's feelings?
For some reason, that thought made her feel slightly dissatisfied with Eriri.
"Megumi," Hozuki Nozomi said as she prepared to leave, "make sure to read those recommendations carefully. And please come again tomorrow—I'll teach you some special knowledge."
Kato Megumi noticed Eriri's cheeks puff out in a fierce glare directed at her.
She nodded calmly. "Okay. I'll come again tomorrow."
Hozuki Nozomi insisted on walking her to the station, watching until her train departed before heading home.
When he returned to his room, an unexpected sight greeted him.
A pair of slender, beautiful legs extended from beneath his bed, the rest of their owner's body hidden underneath. The legs kicked slightly, as if their owner was searching for something.
Hozuki Nozomi stared at the scene for a long moment.
"Eriri Spencer Sawamura," he said flatly, "what exactly are you doing under my bed?"
The legs froze.
After a beat, Eriri crawled out awkwardly, sat on the edge of the bed, and pretended to casually arrange her golden twin-tails, as if she hadn't just been caught snooping.
"N-nothing! I was just... checking for mice!"
Hozuki Nozomi raised an eyebrow. "Mice. In my room. Really?"
"You never know!"
"I'm not that kind of unclean person, Eriri. Think before you accuse."
He closed the door behind him, his gaze turning distinctly dangerous.
Eriri's bravado crumbled instantly. She shrank back, scooting her small frame away from him along the bed.
Under his continued stare, she finally cracked. "Yuki said you hid special things under your bed! I was just curious..."
Hozuki Nozomi maintained his serious expression as he moved closer, pressing her shoulders gently. "And did you find anything special?"
"No..."
He couldn't help but find her guilty expression endearing. "Actually, you're looking in the wrong place."
Before she could process this, he scooped her onto his lap in one smooth motion. "All my good stuff is in my blankets, Eriri. If you stay tonight, you can search there as much as you want!"
"Ah! What—what are you doing?! Put me down!"
Eriri's protests were accompanied by instinctive struggles, but her cheeks had already bloomed with telltale red clouds. His words carried implications that made her head spin. Who keeps good things in their blankets?! This pervert! Everything he said had double meanings!
Hozuki Nozomi simply kissed her cheek, smiling against her skin. "Eriri, tell me—are you still going home tonight?"
Her trembling intensified. "I... I have to go home! My mom will worry!"
"Then I'll call Sawamura right now and explain—mmph."
"Don't you dare!" Eriri clapped a hand over his mouth, utterly flustered.
He gently removed her hand, mischief dancing in his eyes. "Choose, Eriri. Do I explain to your mother, or will you?"
She struggled for a moment longer—purely for show—then slumped in defeat.
"Fine! I'll tell her myself! You only know how to bully people!"
Looking thoroughly aggrieved, Eriri pulled out her phone and typed out a message.
[Mom, I'm staying with Kasumigaoka-senpai tonight. Don't wait up.]
Sawamura Sayuri's response came quickly: [Okay. Don't do anything too strange.]
"Strange plays," Eriri muttered weakly, then turned to glare at Hozuki Nozomi. "Happy now, pervert? Mmph—!"
Very happy indeed.
"Hozuki Nozomi! Eriri Spencer Sawamura! Dinner's ready!"
Shiina Mahiru's voice filtered through the door at what felt like both an eternity and no time at all.
Eriri's response came in fragments, her voice unsteady. "Ah! I... I know! We'll... be out soon..."
One small hand pressed against Hozuki Nozomi's hair as her delicate form trembled and finally relaxed.
Hozuki Nozomi surfaced with a satisfied smile, looking down at the girl whose eyes had gone dreamy and unfocused, whose cheeks burned with lingering heat.
"Eriri Spencer Sawamura," he said warmly, "I think you've learned something valuable today. Your doujinshi skills should improve considerably after this experience."
Eriri glared at him weakly, raising a hand to cover her eyes. "Pervert. Don't talk about it. Learn my head... You bully me and then make jokes. I hate you."
Hozuki Nozomi gathered her into his arms, stroking her golden hair gently. "Sorry. It's all Eriri's fault for being too cute."
She didn't respond verbally, but her body betrayed her. She leaned into his embrace willingly, then lifted her head to press a coquettish kiss against his chin.
"Bad egg," she murmured against his skin. "Don't say anything else."
A pause.
"Just... find me some new underwear."