"Kushida-san?"
Ichinose looked at Kikyo Kushida curled up on the sofa and had a bad feeling.
So late at night,
a girl had appeared in Ren-kun's villa, and it was Ren-kun's rumored girlfriend who had been causing such a stir lately. The meaning was obvious.
"Ichinose-san..."
Kikyo Kushida felt guilty. No matter how many girlfriends Katsuragi Ren had, she was still the latecomer.
"Good evening, Kushida-san~"
Not as guarded as Ichinose, Airi, who was expecting, set Mochi down from her arms, changed her shoes, and sat on the sofa on the other side.
Airi didn't want to get involved in all that drama at all. For her,
being able to stay by Katsuragi Ren's side forever was enough.
"Eh, is that Kushida from Sae's class?" Hoshinomiya looked at Kikyo Kushida in surprise.
As Sae Chabashira's best friend, Hoshinomiya might know Class D better than Sae Chabashira herself.
Hoshinomiya knew Kikyo Kushida, who was one of the more noticeable students in Class D, quite well.
However, Hoshinomiya was skeptical about Kikyo Kushida, who had the image of an angel just like Honami.
Hoshinomiya vaguely felt that Kikyo Kushida and she were the same kind of person.
"Hoshinomiya-sensei... Good evening." Kikyo Kushida greeted Hoshinomiya stiffly.
Late at night, coming to the villa with Ichinose and Airi...
the identity tied to the last fingerprint in the system
was about to be revealed.
[This bastard... he even got involved with a teacher?]
Kikyo Kushida was numb now. No wonder Katsuragi Ren's only known girlfriends were Ichinose and Airi...
Who would believe it if there was a third one?
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have believed it either.
"Kushida, I'll call you Kikyo from now on. We'll be getting along from now on, after all."
Sitting down next to Kikyo Kushida, Hoshinomiya noticed the hickey on Kikyo Kushida's neck. She affectionately hugged Kikyo Kushida's arm and revealed the hickey Ren had left on her own neck as well.
Kikyo Kushida looked at the hickey on Hoshinomiya's neck and understood something.
Katsuragi Ren had indeed left that mark on her on purpose.
That deliberate act meant her identity as Katsuragi Ren's girlfriend had been acknowledged by Ren.
Hoshinomiya wasn't the only one doing it. Ichinose and Airi also quietly bared their necks.
Without exception, all of them had marks Ren had left behind.
"What are you talking about? Let me hear too." Katsuragi Ren, who had finished showering, walked out of the bathroom and came into the living room with his wet black hair hanging down.
"Ren!"
"Ren-kun~"
"Ren~"
Seeing Katsuragi Ren come out, the three girls' eyes lit up as they greeted him.
"Bastard..."
Seeing how sweetly the three girls addressed Katsuragi Ren, Kikyo Kushida thought about the way she addressed him, which felt completely out of place next to theirs, and could only mutter under her breath.
"Chie, welcome home."
"Honami, welcome home."
"Airi, welcome home."
Without favoring anyone or sounding perfunctory, Katsuragi Ren greeted each girl seriously. Finally, he flicked Mochi, who was biting his bathrobe. "And you too, Mochi. Welcome home."
When he nudged Mochi with his foot, the cat still refused to let go of his bathrobe. Katsuragi Ren bent down, grabbed Mochi by the scruff of the neck, picked her up, and tossed her into Hoshinomiya's arms.
Seeing Mochi trying to squirm out of her arms, Hoshinomiya hurriedly soothed the kitten. "Mochi, be good~"
Unlike Koharu, who only liked kissing Katsuragi Ren, Mochi was much more docile.
Lying quietly in Hoshinomiya's arms, those big innocent eyes looked at Katsuragi Ren. "Meow~"
There were too many people demanding attention, so Mochi, the clingy one, was temporarily pushed aside by Katsuragi Ren.
Sitting on the sofa beside Ichinose, Katsuragi Ren pulled her into his arms, soothing Honami, who looked like she was about to sulk.
"Ren~"
Airi leaned toward Katsuragi Ren.
"Airi, help me dry my hair." Katsuragi Ren lightly bit Ichinose's reddened earlobe, then gave Airi an order.
"Mhm mhm~"
Without any unhappiness or jealousy, Airi obediently went back to the room to get the hairdryer, came behind Katsuragi Ren, and dried his hair.
[This guy... he's way too good at this.]
Kikyo Kushida watched in a daze.
Why did this scene, which should have turned into total chaos, feel so warm instead?
Turning her head and looking doubtfully at Hoshinomiya, who was quietly petting the cat, Kikyo Kushida wanted an answer.
Shaking her head, Hoshinomiya didn't give Kikyo Kushida the answer she wanted and only showed a gentle smile.
Katsuragi Ren really was a playboy, so much so that he had already pulled Kikyo Kushida into their circle.
But Katsuragi Ren also wouldn't neglect the girls who were already with him just because someone new had appeared. Ren never broke the promises he made to them.
Without showing special favoritism, Katsuragi Ren paid attention to everyone's feelings.
Although he occasionally had a mischievous streak, it only showed up in harmless little things.
"Honami, have you put on a little weight?"
Wrapping his hands around Honami's waist, Katsuragi Ren pinched the girl's small belly through her clothes and whispered into her ear in a voice only she could hear.
Soft and very comfortable.
"I did not."
No girl would admit to gaining weight, and Ichinose was no exception.
"Really? I thought I'd been treating you well." Katsuragi Ren said with some regret.
"I heard that when a girl is loved, she starts filling out a little. So Honami must not be loved."
"I understand. Love goes both ways. It doesn't matter if only I like Honami. Honami doesn't like me at all~"
"So it was just me getting ahead of myself."
Ichinose had never seen Ren act this pitiful before. She felt the hands around her waist loosen.
Ichinose panicked.
She pulled Katsuragi Ren's withdrawn hands back and wrapped them around her waist again.
Placing Katsuragi Ren's palm back on her small belly, Ichinose lowered her head, blushed, and whispered, "Mhm... I gained a little weight."
"Chubby Honami~"
The successful Katsuragi Ren curled the corner of his mouth.
"Ren-kun!"
Katsuragi Ren's "Chubby Honami" snapped Ichinose awake instantly.
Everything before that had just been Katsuragi Ren teasing her.
Ichinose puffed up her slightly round cheeks.
Katsuragi Ren gently bit Ichinose's puffed-up cheek. "So cute~"
"Ren, me too!"
Airi, who had finished drying Katsuragi Ren's hair, also leaned her face over. To make it easier for Katsuragi Ren to bite, Airi puffed up her cheeks too.
"Good, good, good. Airi is cute too."
"Ren, Chie wants one too." Stuffing Mochi into Kikyo Kushida's arms, Hoshinomiya leaned in as well.
"Chie too."
Holding Mochi, Kikyo Kushida looked at the cat in her arms, not knowing whether to put her down or keep holding her.
Seeing Kikyo Kushida's dilemma, Ichinose reached out to her. "Kikyo, give Mochi to me."
Taking Mochi, Ichinose hugged her just like Katsuragi Ren had hugged her.
Sitting back on the sofa, Kikyo Kushida looked at the three girls surrounding Katsuragi Ren and felt a little sour inside.
Katsuragi Ren had also done things that intimate with Kikyo Kushida before, but that was only during those moments.
At other times, Katsuragi Ren's attitude toward her was still very bad.
So Kikyo Kushida didn't dare expect any of this.
But Kikyo Kushida seemed to forget,
in the past, Katsuragi Ren had a bad attitude toward her because the two of them hadn't really had that kind of relationship.
After humoring the three girls, Katsuragi Ren looked at Kikyo Kushida, who still sat there without moving, and raised an eyebrow.
"Kikyo, is your self-esteem so low that you don't think you're cute?"
Looking at Katsuragi Ren in confusion, Kikyo Kushida didn't understand what this bastard meant.
"Honami, Airi, and Chie all let me bite them, but Kikyo didn't react at all. Isn't that low self-esteem?"
"Or could it be..."
"Is Kikyo some kind of celebrity? Acting all aloof like that."
Understanding what Katsuragi Ren meant, Kikyo Kushida proudly raised her neck. "Hmph, I'll reluctantly let you, bastard, take a bite."
Leaning in front of Katsuragi Ren, Kikyo Kushida puffed up her cheeks just like the three girls had before.
With that, Kikyo Kushida successfully fit in.
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