Oh no!
Oh no, no, no!
Looking at the two girls who immediately became confrontational and unyielding, Natsuki's forehead broke out in cold sweat.
This was the legendary romantic battlefield , wasn't it?
It clearly was!
Kaguya crossed her arms over her chest, her pretty face stern as she said:
"You're just a one-day maid, yet you can order your master around?"
"Natsuki just said that his summer homework isn't finished yet. As a maid, I naturally have the duty to supervise my master in completing his homework." Yukino retorted, not backing down at all, "Summer vacation is almost over. Letting Master neglect his studies to go out and play, that would be ordering him around, wouldn't it?"
Kaguya lightly bit her silver teeth and said:
"Moderate relaxation is beneficial to body and mind, and can even improve learning efficiency."
Yukino crossed her right arm over her chest and calmly refuted:
"But indulging in pleasure is losing one's ambition. Summer vacation is almost over, and Master's primary goal right now is to finish his homework."
Hey, hey, it's just going out to watch a movie, it's not to the point of losing one's ambition!
Clearly, neither side could convince the other.
Kaguya didn't want to argue anymore and turned her head to say:
"President, come out and watch a movie with me."
"No." Yukino said calmly, "Master isn't going anywhere today, he's staying home."
"…"
Kaguya and Yukino's gazes simultaneously fell on Natsuki.
At this moment.
Natsuki had only one feeling.
Regret.
Regret in capital letters.
If time could flow backward, he definitely wouldn't have let Yukino come over to be a troublesome maid last night!
Natsuki was well aware that it was impossible for all girls to get along harmoniously.
Even kittens and puppies have their preferences, and even if a harem ending was achieved, wanting all girls to live in harmony was still a dream, simply impossible to achieve.
Among the girls, Marin and Sayu had the best relationship, as they were comrades who had played Tetris together (lol). Juju and Shoko, being schoolmates, were closer than the others, while Kaguya and Yukino's relationship had been very ordinary from the start.
Like poles repel, opposite poles attract.
The two girls had similar personalities; both were proud and talented, and neither was a social butterfly who would actively build close relationships with others. There were many overlaps in their attributes, so their usual relationship was quite average.
It was fine when there were no conflicts, but now that a conflict had arisen, it instantly escalated into a true romantic battlefield!
Facing the gazes of Kaguya and Yukino, Natsuki felt his scalp tingle. He lightly coughed twice and suggested a compromise:
"Let's sit down and talk slowly… Or how about this, we can do homework while watching a movie at home?"
"…"
The air suddenly fell silent.
"Heh heh."
Then Kaguya and Yukino both scoffed in unison.
Oh no!
A cold sweat dripped down Natsuki's forehead.
He said the wrong thing.
The conflict between the two girls now was no longer about whether or not to watch a movie, but had escalated into a battle of wills. He either had to firmly choose one of them, or choose neither. Trying to offend neither would only make both of them angry!
Having never experienced being fought over by girls, he lost his head for a moment and ended up giving the worst possible answer.
Kaguya's pretty face hardened as she said:
"President, change your clothes. We're going out to watch a movie."
Yukino said calmly:
"Master, stay at home and finish your summer homework. I will supervise you throughout."
"You two, please don't be like this…"
Natsuki's forehead was sweating, and he could only cast a pleading look at Mrs. Shimizu.
But Mrs. Shimizu was smiling and watching the show from the side, with no intention of helping at all. When she saw Natsuki look over, she even smiled and gave him a cheering gesture.
"Whew…"
Natsuki took a deep breath, and his gaze quickly firmed up.
To achieve the full harem accomplishment, he had to overcome the challenge of the romantic battlefield no matter what!
This matter had to be resolved today. Whether he could do it or not, he had to do it. If he tried to drag it until tomorrow, the conflicts would only accumulate!
"Enough." Natsuki stood between the two girls, separating Kaguya and Yukino, and said in a deep voice, "That's enough from both of you. Listen to me first."
"What does the President want to say?"
Kaguya folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head, asking.
"No matter what he says." Yukino said calmly, "Master can only stay at home today."
"You…"
Kaguya immediately bit her silver teeth, looking at Yukino with annoyance
Yukino showed no weakness, meeting her gaze head-on.
The scent of gunpowder in the air grew thicker, as if a fight was about to break out at any moment.
However, the next second.
Natsuki suddenly acted, scooping up Kaguya in a princess carry.
"Eh, eh?" The scent of gunpowder on Kaguya immediately dissipated by more than half, and her pretty face quickly flushed, "Pre-President, what are you doing?"
They were clearly at odds, so what did it mean to suddenly pick her up?
Could it be… that the President was choosing her with his actions?
"You go sit on the sofa for a bit first."
Natsuki carried Kaguya into the living room, went directly to Mrs. Shimizu's side, and set the Young Lady down.
"President…"
Kaguya immediately furrowed her delicate brows, unhappy.
"Wait a moment." Natsuki stopped Kaguya, "I'll go ask Yukino what's going on. If there's no good reason, we'll go watch a movie."
Kaguya then pursed her lips, turned her head to glance at the maid Yukino not far away, gave a soft hmph, and then averted her gaze.
Natsuki turned and came to Yukino's side, taking her soft hand in his, and whispered:
"Let's talk on the balcony."
Yukino did not refuse, following him to the balcony.
"Yukino is not herself today." Natsuki had calmed down by now, and mimicking Yukino's usual gesture, he pressed his fingers to his temples, "Why do you insist that I stay and not leave the house?"
Based on his understanding of Yukino, after discovering Kaguya had come over to play, she should have intentionally hidden. But not only did she not hide just now, she even deliberately stood out to block him… In short, it was quite strange, unexpected.
Yukino slightly turned her pretty face away and said:
"No reason…"
"I don't believe it." Natsuki interrupted, "The Yukino I know is never someone who acts on impulse."
Yukino lightly raised her delicate brows and said:
"What kind of person am I in your eyes?"
"Excellent, cute, and kind-hearted, goes without saying, everyone knows that." Natsuki said softly, "Besides that, Yukino is also a self-disciplined person, and not only that, she adheres to the life creed of absolute correctness and never lying."
"So…" Natsuki held up a finger and gently shook it, "Arguments are one thing, but Yukino wouldn't abandon her life principles for a momentary battle of wills, would she?"
Yukino: "…"
"Alright, it's because of the Future Diary." Yukino raised her right hand, gently pressing her fingers to her brow, choosing to tell the truth, "…When I left in the morning, I looked at the Future Diary, and the diary entry showed that you would leave home today for some reason, and once you left, you would never be able to return."
"I see."
Natsuki nodded lightly.
Things were as he thought; Yukino had indeed deliberately stopped him for some reason, otherwise, she would most likely have hidden and avoided meeting Kaguya.
"It could have been explained so easily, why didn't Yukino say anything just now?" Natsuki asked, puzzled.
Yukino folded her right arm across her chest, her pretty face hardening, and retorted:
"What do you think?"
Natsuki: "…"
Alright, he asked a foolish question.
As the saying goes, like poles repel. Yukino and Kaguya had many overlapping attributes, and their relationship was originally very ordinary. Just now, when faced with Kaguya's questioning, Yukino's temper clearly flared up, which ultimately led to the fight.
"Understood, I promise not to step out of the house today." Natsuki raised his right hand in assurance, then lightly coughed twice and said, "…You go ahead and be busy, I'll go talk in the living room for a bit."
Now that he knew why Yukino insisted he stay, the battle wasn't over yet. There was still a Kaguya in the living room who needed to be appeased.
Natsuki walked into the living room and sat down next to Kaguya.
Mrs. Shimizu was playing on her tablet, and Kaguya sat beside her, eyes straight ahead, as if she hadn't even noticed Natsuki's arrival.
Even Kaguya has a temper.
In fact, when she was still the Kaguya, her temper was quite significant. If she encountered a boy she liked who was two-timing, or even hiding a maid at home, she would have already turned hostile and left!
"I've already clarified…" Natsuki began softly, trying to take the Young Lady's soft hand, but Kaguya dodged him, "It wasn't intentional to argue with you."
"While doing a fun quest, Yukino opened a very mysterious Future Diary, the diary I told Kaguya about."
Natsuki continued to persistently try and grasp Kaguya's soft hand, while also continuing:8
"This morning, an entry appeared in the Future Diary saying that if I left home today, I would never be able to return, which is why Yukino wouldn't let us go out on a date."
"Eh?" Kaguya was startled, her beautiful eyes widening, and she couldn't help but turn to look over, "What does 'never be able to return' mean?"
"What is Natsuki-kun talking about?" Mrs. Shimizu also looked over in surprise, "Don't scare us."
Natsuki said softly:
"I'm not intentionally scaring you. It's the literal meaning. This world is full of dangers, and anyone can have an accident."
Kaguya bit her lip, furrowing her delicate brows and saying:
"President, don't be a jinx."
"Yes, yes." Natsuki nodded, gently pinching Kaguya's fingers, and said softly, "The content in the Future Diary is just a possibility for the future, not something that will definitely happen. Perhaps there will be danger, or perhaps nothing will happen. As long as we are careful, we can still go out on a date…
Before he finished speaking, Kaguya couldn't help but glare at him and said:
"President, just stay at home and don't go out."
Regarding Natsuki's safety, Kaguya naturally wouldn't be unreasonable and insist.
"Alright then." Natsuki agreed, then whispered, "Are you not angry anymore?"
"Heh."
Kaguya withdrew her right hand, folded her arms across her chest, and a condescending, disdainful smile appeared on her face, "President is truly adorable."
Natsuki: "…"
He had indeed overthought it.
Even though the truth of the dispute was known, the fight had not disappeared; it was just not as overtly confrontational.
Especially after a while, when Yukino came over after hanging the laundry and sat on Natsuki's other side, the air immediately became oppressive.
With Kaguya sitting on his left and Yukino on his right, it was a scene everyone envied, yet Natsuki wasn't happy at all. Instead, he felt as if he was sitting on pins and needles.
Kaguya and Yukino ignored each other. Although he tried hard to liven the mood, it was useless; neither girl wanted to acknowledge him either.
At times like this, saying more meant more mistakes, saying less meant fewer mistakes, and saying nothing was still a mistake. It was simply a living hell!
Natsuki had never imagined that a fight between girls could be so terrifying.
It was too terrifying.
Truly like living a year in a day, every second felt incredibly long.
Natsuki even wanted to hold both girls down, like he did with Marin and Sayu, and play a game of Tetris with them, but he could only imagine it in his mind. If he actually dared to put it into practice, he would surely die a terrible death.
"Kaguya, have a grape?"
Natsuki picked up a grape and offered it to Kaguya like a treasure.
Kaguya leaned back on the sofa, playing with her phone, and said without lifting her head
"No."
Natsuki was helpless, then looked at the maid Yukino:
"Yukino, would you like some watermelon?"
Yukino folded her arms across her chest, her voice cold as she said:
"If Natsuki-kun has nothing good to say, he can choose to remain silent."
Smack!
Natsuki almost wanted to smash the fruit plate.
You two are going too far!
Believe it or not, I'll plant a lust mushroom on you right now and show you who's the real head of the household!
"If you don't eat it, I will."
Natsuki gobbled down the grapes and watermelon in a few bites, not even spitting out the grape skins, then stood up directly.
"Stare––"
Kaguya and Yukino looked over in unison.
"Don't worry." Natsuki inexplicably felt a head shorter. "I'm just going to the restroom. I promise I won't leave the house."
Kaguya and Yukino exchanged a silent glance, then said nothing and looked away.
Bang!
The door closed.
Natsuki washed his face, took out his phone to check the time, it was only nine in the morning.
Time was actually so long... This life was unlivable!
There was no other way. Mrs. Shimizu, that fun-loving person, couldn't be relied on. Natsuki could only seek help from others. After a while, he finally found a relatively reliable solution online.
Call for reinforcements!
As the saying goes, family scandals should not be publicized. The current situation was like a husband and wife arguing. It was fine to quarrel behind closed doors, and they might even come to blows. But once an outsider 'appeared', the couple would instantly calm down and entertain the guest.
Especially Kaguya and Yukino, both of whom were proud girls, would absolutely not let others see them as a joke.
He'd just get through today's battle first. Once the two separated, he'd slowly coax them one by one later.
Having found a way to save himself, Natsuki immediately began to call for people.
"Senpai, help!"
"Eh, Junior, what's wrong?"
"Marin, call Sayu, come over for a gathering at noon... A proper gathering, everyone will be here."
"Ai, come quickly, your Miss is about to fight with someone else."
"Juju, come play with Shoko. Everyone's here, we're about to enter the dungeon, come for a gathering."
"What, you said you're not coming?"
"Then I'll go to your house tonight."
"..."
Having finished calling, Natsuki put away his phone with satisfaction, walked out of the restroom with a slight smile, then returned to sit between Kaguya and Yukino, leaning back in a relaxed posture, and casually picked up the remote control to turn on the TV.
"Strange..."
Kaguya and Yukino both noticed Natsuki's change.
Just now he was so cautious, afraid of saying a wrong word or taking a wrong step, but now he suddenly became so calm?
Twenty minutes later.
The doorbell rang.
Natsuki sat still, turned his head and said:
"Yukino, open the door."
Yukino pursed her lips, got up and walked towards the entrance. As a maid, she should naturally do things.
"Yukino-chan, good morning."
Soon after, Marin's bright and clear voice rang out.
"Marin?"
Kaguya looked over at the sound, and found that Marin was not alone; beside Marin, there was also Sayu.
Yukino responded softly:
"Good morning."
"It's so boring being home alone." Marin put her right hand on her hip, her smile bright. "So I came over to play."
Sayu said from the side:
"Yukino-chan's maid outfit is so cute."
"...Thank you."
Yukino thanked softly.
"Yukino-chan wasn't forced to wear the maid outfit by Natsuki, was she?" Marin said with both hands on her hips, "If Natsuki forced you, I'll help you beat him up."
"..."
The two girls walked into the living room, and then immediately greeted Kaguya.
"Kaguya-chan, long time no see." Sayu smiled sweetly. "I miss you."
"Long time no see." Kaguya then smiled. "I'm sorry I couldn't go to the airport a few days ago because I had something to do."
Family scandals should not be publicized.
When 'outsiders' came to visit, the Miss, who considered herself the mistress of the house, certainly couldn't greet them with a straight face.
With the arrival of Marin and Sayu, the oppressive and heavy atmosphere, which had been caused by the battle over Natsuki, immediately lightened considerably.
This was not over yet.
Not long after Marin and Sayu came in, the doorbell rang again.
Yukino, without being told, silently got up and went to open the door.
"Yukino-chan, good morning."
Another familiar voice rang out.
"Eh, Senpai?"
Kaguya turned to look over, only to see a well-built pink-haired girl standing in the bright sunlight at the door. Who else could it be but Senpai.
Not long after Senpai entered the house, the doorbell rang again.
This time, Juju and Shoko came to play.
As more and more girls arrived, the previously oppressive and dull atmosphere completely disappeared, replaced by various clear voices.
By now, Kaguya and Yukino knew exactly what was going on.
They hadn't arranged a gathering for today at all, but everyone had gathered together by coincidence; it was clearly Natsuki's doing.
But it had to be said, although the method was shameless, it was quite effective.
In front of everyone, neither of them could continue their cold war, and the crisis naturally vanished into thin air.
"President, you're quite clever."
Kaguya couldn't help but puff out her pink cheeks.
"Thank you for the compliment." Natsuki smiled and said, "I also think I'm very clever."
Miss Kaguya's cheeks puffed out even more, and she couldn't help but say:
"...I wasn't complimenting you at all!"
To actually call everyone over as reinforcements, how shameless, utterly shameless!
As they were speaking, the doorbell rang again.
This time, it was secretary Chika, whom they hadn't seen in a long time.
"Hahahaha." Secretary Chika, wearing a white sun hat and with a dark black bow clip on her forehead, put her hands on her hips and laughed brightly, "Long time no see, everyone, I'm back!"
Behind Chika, another small head popped out, it was Moeha:
"Senpai, Senpai, and me! My sister and I came to play together."
Compared to the 'group darling' Chika, Hayasaka, who was behind her, was quite low-key. She quietly came to Kaguya's side, sat down, and then whispered:
"Miss, are you hurt anywhere?"
Kaguya was startled, and whispered:
"Eh, what's wrong?"
Hayasaka bit on a lollipop and casually said:
"I heard you got into a big fight with someone over a man, and I was worried if you were hurt."
"Who, who was fighting over a man?!" Kaguya's pretty face instantly flushed red, and she quickly denied it, "And there was no fight at all!"
"What a pity, it seems there was no fight." Hayasaka tilted her head and looked over, sighing, "But the President didn't lie to me about the Miss crying because she lost a man, did he?"
This Hayasaka took two glances and guessed what had happened, and now she was naturally fanning the flames without hesitation.
Kaguya's pretty face flushed red, and she couldn't help but clench her fists, shouting in embarrassment:
"President, come here!!"
"What's wrong?"
Natsuki walked over inexplicably, completely clueless.
Kaguya clenched her fists, biting her silver teeth in annoyance and saying
"You, you actually said I..."
Natsuki asked, puzzled:
"What did I say?"
"Kaguya-chan~" Chika pounced from behind, hugging Kaguya tightly and rubbing against her, asking curiously, "What did the President say?"
Kaguya: "..."
How could she possibly say something like crying because she lost a man!
"Don't press on me." Kaguya felt an incredibly heavy weight on her shoulder. "Have you been eating too much lately?"
"No way!" Chika absolutely refused to admit it. "My weight hasn't increased at all!"
"I can testify." Moeha said from the side, "Sister weighed herself last night, and there was indeed no change, but her chest seems to have gotten..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Chika suddenly reached out, her pretty face slightly red, and covered Moeha's mouth:
"The President is still here, don't discuss such things in front of him."
"Hm?" Hayasaka gently raised her eyebrows, looked down at her own chest, then looked at Chika's chest, "Chest... got bigger?"
Projecting from herself, Hayasaka suddenly thought of a possibility, smiling as she looked at Natsuki, but her eyes seemed to be looking at kitchen waste in a sewer, and she whispered:
"It looks like the scumbag President succeeded, did he even eat Moeha too?"
"Don't slander my innocence." Natsuki said seriously, "Moeha and I are pure, nothing has happened."
"Heh." Hayasaka tilted her head and looked over, "Does the scumbag President dare to say he hasn't even thought about it?"
"Imagination is not a crime..."
"You're despicable!"
"..."