Vol. 4 Chapter 2 – People Who Misunderstand

It happened in the middle of the night.

Although Kyuru had been acting a little strange, the fun festival night of eating cotton candy, eating yakisoba, and playing shooting games had already passed.

Yes, except for the frustration of not feeling even a bit excited when seeing Lisara eating a chocolate banana, it had been an enjoyable festival for Ryousuke.

‘I mean seriously, it is a chocolate banana. A banana. She was going aaan and putting that thing in her mouth. By the equation, that should absolutely cause massive excitement. A man who does not react is not a man. And yet, yet my dear son is…’

Ryousuke hid under his futon in his room and cried softly.

Thanks to having his erotic spirit drained by Lisara, his heart would not burn with passion.

Without a doubt, tomorrow morning there would be no towering active volcano rising in his crotch.

That, that was endlessly sad.

While he was lamenting, he heard the quiet sound of the door opening.

Even though the place was rundown, Ryousuke’s room had an air conditioner. He had cooled the room until right before bed and then closed everything. Which meant someone must have come in.

‘Even Caesar should not be able to turn a doorknob. As for Lisara and Kyuru… they have no reason to come to my room.’

Normally he would immediately imagine a girl sneaking into his room and get excited on his own, but the current Ryousuke had no such passion. Calmly, he concluded that he must have forgotten to close the door.

When he reluctantly tried to get up, the bed made a creaking gishi sound.

Ryousuke had only thought about getting up. He had not moved his body yet.

‘..A ghost?’

He thought that for a moment, but brushed away the fear as impossible and strained his eyes to look into the dark night.

A faint human figure came into view.

A small figure was on all fours, looming over Ryousuke. Their soft hair swayed as they slowly approached from the foot of the bed.

The figure stopped halfway and rose to a kneeling position. Their knees ended up right around Ryousuke’s waist.

Her softly wavy hair swayed.

His eyes were getting used to the darkness.

“…Kyuru?”

The figure did not answer anything. She simply stayed there, kneeling around Ryousuke’s waist which meant right near his crotch.

Ryousuke had no idea what was going on. He could clearly see that the person was Kyuru.

Kyuru moved both hands to the area around her chest and fidgeted.

As Ryousuke stared in confusion, wondering what she intended to do, the buttons of his pajamas were undone. One, then another, the buttons came undone and the front fell open.

“W… what are you…”

Raising his head in a panic and speaking out, Ryousuke noticed it for the first time.

Kyuru was only wearing underwear on her lower half.

Compared to Lisara, she was a little lacking, but even so, her slender legs were fully visible. And although most of it was hidden by the hem of her pajamas, a little bit of her panties, the triangle shape, could be seen.

“…o, o, oooooooooh!”

Ryousuke roared. Roaring was all he could do. Yes, that was the only thing he could do.

“Kyaa!?”

Kyuru, startled by the sudden situation, quickly backed away while covering her body with the pajama top.

“D… damn it!”

Ryousuke sat up and threw himself forward in front of Kyuru.

“Eh…?”

“In this… in this situation, in this situation that every boy in the world dreams about, I… I cannot think, I cannot think of doing anything. Before even thinking about touching you or pushing you down or whatever, when I look at you like this, the only thought I get is something like be careful or your stomach will get cold or something that pathetic!”

He pounded both fists again and again against the bed with a thud, thud, and cried his eyes out.

He crouched before Kyuru as if bowing down, gripping the hem of her open pajama top as she hid herself, and Ryousuke continued sobbing loudly. Even though if he just raised his head he would see Kyuru’s lower body clad in panties right in front of him, he did not feel even the slightest urge to look.

A girl wearing only panties, sitting down in surprise and landing on her bottom, should be cute, beautiful, and erotical beyond words. Surely it should be, surely without a doubt.

Yet Ryousuke did not feel like looking at all.

That was sad. Too sad.

“Damn it, even though the chance is right in front of me, even though glory is right here, I cannot even stand in the ring. No, worse, I cannot even make myself stand!”

“M… maybe, Ryousuke-san, you were drained by Lisara onee-sama…”

The door burst open with a loud clatter. Then the fluorescent light in the room flicked on.

“O… onee-sama…”

Kyuru let out an awkward, guilty voice. But ignoring her completely, Lisara in her pajamas marched straight toward Ryousuke and stomped hard next to the bed.

“Ryousuke, what is the meaning of this. You will explain everything properly.”

Her voice, not even trying to hide her anger, dropped onto the back of Ryousuke’s head. But Ryousuke had no intention of lifting his face. He just remained curled up.

“Ryousuke. No matter how you look at it, this is a scene where you brought Kyuru in and forced her clothes off!”

“E… um, o… onee-sama…”

Kyuru looked up timidly at Lisara, but

“Kyuru, be quiet.”

She was sharply scolded.

“P… please continue.”

“Ryousuke, look this way!”

Lisara forcefully pulled Ryousuke’s upper body up. Ryousuke did not even try to resist. After being raised, he simply looked quietly at Lisara with his tearful, reddened eyes.

“Lisara…”

“Eh, y… you were crying?”

The unexpected situation made Lisara take a small step back.

“Even a night crawling did not work…”

“Eh, night crawling?”

Lisara looked at Ryousuke in surprise, and Ryousuke gave a faint, cynical smile.

“I might not be able to do anything sexual anymore.”

Then his body collapsed limply and Ryousuke began crying softly again.

“Um, what exactly is going on here. Kyuru, could you explain it to me?”

After letting out a sigh at Ryousuke, who continued crying below her, Lisara fixed her gaze on Kyuru.

“A, ahahaha…”

Kyuru, who had been hurriedly putting her pajamas back on, flinched and gave a dry laugh.

“It seems the source of all this chaos is you, Kyuru, correct?”

“Your deduction is absolutely right, onee-sama…”

Having resigned herself, Kyuru sat down at the bedside.

“You are going to explain, right?”

Lisara sat next to Kyuru, in a position where Ryousuke, still sniffling behind them, was right behind her.

“Well, um… there are various circumstances involved in this.”

Kyuru spoke awkwardly, her words trailing off.

“What kind of circumstances?”

“Well, it is… um, various things…”

“You snuck into a man’s room at night half-undressed. And on top of that, into Ryousuke’s room.”

“Uu… when you say it like that…”

Kyuru turned bright red.

“Kyuru. Could it be that you… like Ryousuke?”

“T, that is not it, that is definitely not it!”

Kyuru waved both hands in front of her face in strong denial.

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

She nodded firmly over and over. Seeing that, Lisara breathed a sigh of relief. Behind them, Ryousuke began crying softly again.

“But if that is the case, then why… why did you do something like this… something like y, night crawling?”

“That is, well, Kyuru has various circumstances…”

“And I am asking about those circumstances. Listen, if something happened to you, I would not be able to face Uncle Zeria. And besides, you really, actually intended to…”

Lisara mumbled awkwardly.

“Onee-sama?”

“That is why, did you really… um… intend to have your first time with Ryousuke?”

“That is…”

“You even put on lipstick, you know.”

She could not see it in the dark, but under the fluorescent light Kyuru’s lips were shining red with a glossy lipstick. At least she was not wearing any other kind of makeup.

“This lipstick was given to me and… ah.”

Kyuru quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

“Given to you? By who?”

“Um, well, you see… I was told to put it on, or rather… um…”

“Told to put on lipstick?”

Lisara looked at her blankly.

“A, anyway, Kyuru has circumstances that mean she must tempt Ryousuke-san,”

Kyuru declared, having resigned herself.

“Tempt him!?”

“That is why, Lisara onee-sama, please do not get in the way.”

“And you think I can just say yes alright and accept that!?”

“You will accept it. After all, this is also for Kyuru’s sake.”

“For Kyuru’s sake? What is that supposed to mean?”

Lisara glared at Kyuru, not convinced in the slightest.

“I see. I get it now, Kyuru.”

Ryousuke slowly sat up behind them. The two turned back in surprise as he sat cross-legged on the bed and scratched his head.

“Seriously, you dragged me into something troublesome.”

“R… Ryousuke-san… you really understand?”

“Yeah, I understand completely.”

Hearing Ryousuke’s firm answer, Kyuru held her breath.

“What do you mean, Ryousuke?”

“Lisara, you are really slow on the uptake.”

“Ugh… s, sorry for being slow.”

“Kyuru did not come here because she wanted to do something like this to me.”

“R… Ryousuke-san…”

Ryousuke smiled at the shocked Kyuru. It was a gentle smile that seemed to say it is alright, I understand everything, you can feel safe now. At least, that is what he himself believed. Then he declared:

“Kyuru came here because she wants to become erotic.”

“Hahe?”

“Yes. To captivate the man she likes, she wants to practice the ultimate, absolute erotic power that could arouse even a dried up guy like me. Yes, it has to be that. Because!”

“B… because why?”

Lisara leaned forward.

“First, there is no way I am popular.”

“I see!”

Lisara agreed strongly. It made him feel like crying a little, but he ignored it.

“Second, she is ignoring all the steps that lead to an actual first time!”

“Steps?”

“Yeah. You give her a love letter, confess, go on dates, hold hands… hm, what is it?”

For some reason, Lisara lowered her face.

“Ahaha, even holding hands is one of the steps.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“I see… s, so that is how it is.”

She fidgeted a little.

“Anyway, moving on. After that. You flirt, act all lovey-dovey… your excited feelings talk through your eyes… that kind of thing.”

That was Ryousuke’s dream, not so much pure as maiden-like.

“Um…”

Kyuru gently raised her hand. Ryousuke smiled at her again.

“Do not worry, I will say everything for you.”

“Eh, no, that is not what I…”

“Listen, the final point. Kyuru does not have a condom!”

At that, Lisara and Kyuru both said:

“C, condom?”

“What is that?”

They tilted their heads.

“Come on, you cannot live in this world without knowing what a condom is.”

“Well we really do not know.”

Lisara pouted and stared at Ryousuke.

“Well, to be fair, I have only heard the name myself and never actually seen one. No, I should say I cannot bring myself to look at one. That section at the pharmacy is still way too high-level for me. I remember when I entered high school, thinking maybe I should secretly go buy one, but before that dazzling shining corner, I fell to my knees.”

It was a bittersweet page of youth.

“Um, so… in other words, it is something you need for your first time?”

“That is right. You should ask the health and physical education teacher next time. They will teach you properly.”

“It sounds embarrassing to ask…”

“Well, anyway, Kyuru only came here to challenge me to a mock battle, using me as a training partner. You get that, right, Lisara?”

“I do not really understand but… it is starting to feel like that might be true.”

Lisara folded her arms and nodded in agreement.

Beside her, Kyuru held her head in her hands.

‘Why, how can these two accept such a stupid conclusion so easily… I cannot tell them the real circumstances. If this continues, the deadline the day after tomorrow will…’

Someone tapped Kyuru’s shoulder lightly.

“Hyai!?”

“I will not ask the tactless question of who the man you like is.”

Ryousuke flashed a shiny grin and gave a thumbs up.

“It is really forbidden for a Shinigami and a human, but… when we return to the Shinigami world, we have our family circumstances to deal with too. At least while we are here, I will turn a blind eye.”

Lisara gave a bitter smile, as if she had no choice.

Kyuru could only return a stiff, strained smile at the two of them.

“That is right, Kyuru. Since you are struggling in the middle of youth, I have a wonderful present for you.”

Ryousuke stood up and began rummaging noisily under his mattress.

“What are you doing?”

Kyuru and Lisara both stood up without thinking, watching Ryousuke’s strange behavior.

“Do not rush… this one should be good.”

Several books slid out from between the bed and the mattress.

“These are my most precious of precious erotic books. Since they were rank S, I hid them in a special place. That is why they survived Lisara’s book-burning.”

“U, um… what do you expect Kyuru to do with erotic books?”

“You are such an idiot. These are filled with a boy’s dreams, hopes, and soul. Read them carefully, and become an erotic girl that everyone acknowledges, Kyuru!”

He thrust the erotic books into Kyuru’s hands. Kyuru could only let out a dry laugh, feeling dizzy.

“A, ahaha… erotic… an erotic girl…”

“By the way, Lisara, what are you doing?”

Next to Kyuru, who continued giving her dry laughter, Lisara was crouching down.

“Book burning.”

“…N, noooooo, do not take my erotic books away!”

“Good for you, Ryousuke. Tomorrow is garbage day♡”

And so, it was decided that the last remaining erotic book would also disappear from Ryousuke’s room.

“Uu, sniff… Kyuru, please overcome my sacrifice and become an erotic girl. And may your love be fulfilled!”

Crying tears of despair, Ryousuke shouted. Watching him, Kyuru let out a very long sigh.

“At this rate, nothing will move forward. Fine, Kyuru has lost.”

“Lost? Lost at what?”

Lisara, who had been retrieving the erotic books using tissues, looked up suspiciously.

“I will explain the circumstances properly. After that, I will have the two of you cooperate with me.”

Hearing Kyuru’s words, Ryousuke spoke quietly.

“In other words, the three of us are going to do erotic things together?”

A few seconds later, the erotic books thrown by Lisara and Kyuru slammed into Ryousuke’s face.

※ ※ ※

“Mina’s soul is being held hostage!?”

After hearing Kyuru’s explanation, Ryousuke slammed the dining table and stood up.

“Yes, that is correct. During the test of courage, Mina-san had her spiritual power drained by Galdabroeg, and it seems the spell used at that time has not lost its effect yet.”

Kyuru sipped her tea.

“If we want that spell undone, and if we do not want Mina-san to be used as a test subject, then by the day after tomorrow Kyuru must put on this lipstick and have her first time with Ryousuke-san… that was the demand.”

“Do not be ridiculous! There is no way I will allow Mina to be used as an experiment!”

Lisara raised her voice angrily.

“There is nothing to gain by yelling at me! And besides, Kyuru also… absolutely cannot forgive Mina-san being made a test subject!”

Kyuru shouted back at Lisara with the same anger.

“…Calm down, both of you.”

Since he had shouted earlier, Ryousuke had calmed down a little faster than the two of them.

“The desire to protect Mina is the same for all of us.”

“…You are right. I am sorry for yelling, Kyuru.”

Lisara bowed her head, and Kyuru bowed as well.

“No, Kyuru was also at fault. I was worried about Mina-san and lost my temper.”

“I was the same. No matter what, we must protect Mina from that coward Galdabroeg.”

“Yes, absolutely.”

“So then… the condition to free Mina is the first time?”

Kyuru nodded firmly at Ryousuke’s question.

“But why does it have to be… you know… the first time with Ryousuke?”

Lisara asked while blushing at the words『first time』.

“It seems they want to know the secret of Ryousuke-san’s soul. Apparently it can be examined during a first experience.”

“The secret of my soul? Do I even have such a secret?”

“Well, Kyuru has no idea. But it is true that things that should be impossible keep happening, like awakening Gram or recovering instantly even after your life force is drained. Still, it seems they intend to tell Kyuru that secret as well.”

“But even so, Ryousuke and Kyuru having their first time is…”

Lisara glanced at Ryousuke.

“Oh my. As long as the lipstick is applied, it does not have to be Kyuru. Onee-sama could take Kyuru’s place and have her first time with Ryousuke-san. In fact, if Lisara onee-sama would be the one to do it, Kyuru would be overjoyed.”

“Eh, me? With Ryousuke?”

Lisara stared at Ryousuke’s face in shock.

‘Me having my first time with Ryousuke. Eh, but… we already held hands so maybe that counts as the preliminary step, b… but that does not mean… first time or anything, ah but he already saw me naked, no no, that is not the point, not the point at all, so um… why am I even thinking about this, I am ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous, this is improper, absolutely improper…’

Her face reddened as she continued staring at Ryousuke.

“Um, Lisara?”

“Do not look at me!”

Even though she was the one staring at him, she irrationally yelled at Ryousuke…

“Nngh, unfair…”

“So, Ryousuke-san, you will cooperate with us, right?”

Kyuru asked with a bitter smile that assumed he could not possibly refuse, but Ryousuke folded his arms and groaned.

“Can the two of you not remove the spell cast on Mina yourselves?”

“That is impossible. Lisara onee-sama and Iria-san performed the dispelling on Mina-san and the others who were affected by Galdabroeg the other day. Those two are the strongest Shinigami in this area right now. If they cannot do it, unless we get the full support of the Restall family headquarters, then… well…”

“I do not know about the headquarters either. If a Shinigami who is involved with Stanza has that much confidence, then…”

“Indeed. And since we are being monitored through Mina-san, there is no way we can rely on the headquarters’ power in the first place.”

“I see…”

“So, Kyuru believes the only option is for Ryousuke-san to cooperate.”

Hearing Kyuru’s words, Ryousuke groaned.

“Y… yeah, I want to do anything I can to help Mina, but…”

“Eh… that is surprising. Kyuru hesitated over many things, but Kyuru thought Ryousuke-san would immediately agree without question.”

“Hah, of course I want my first time. No, there should not be a single guy who does not want it. But, but there is something!”

“Could it be you are thinking of something girlish like wanting your first time to be with the person you love?”

“Well, there is that too, but the issue is much more fundamental.”

“Fundamental?”

Kyuru blinked rapidly.

“Because my erotic spirit was drained by Lisara, I do not feel anything like that at all.”

“…Now that you mention it, that is true. Earlier your reactions were also weak.”

Hearing Ryousuke’s answer, Kyuru slumped in disappointment, then slowly turned to look at Lisara, who was still blushing and glared at her.

“Lisara onee-sama, you will take responsibility, right?”

“Eh, what what?”

Apparently she had not listened to a single word of the conversation between Ryousuke and Kyuru.

“Before deciding who will have the first time, if Ryousuke-san does not return to being Ero-suke, there is no way to save Mina-san.”

“Eh, really?”

“Well yeah, no matter how motivated the other side is, if I am not… well, this is a biological issue, so a first time is impossible.”

“I see…”

Lisara sounded genuinely impressed by Ryousuke’s explanation.

“So, onee-sama. In order to make sure the first time gets done by the day after tomorrow, you will help Kyuru tempt Ryousuke-san. Specifically, you will study using those books you confiscated from Ryousuke earlier!”

“That means… those erotic books?”

“Yes. Fortunately, we still have time, so let us study first thing tomorrow morning. Then we will give Ryousuke-san erotic stimulation everywhere we can and revive his life energy!”

When Kyuru stood up, Lisara made an openly disgusted face.

“Hold on, Kyuru, you are not seriously saying that, right?”

Seeing that expression, Kyuru gave a dark, wicked grin.

“Ufufu, I was not exactly eager about this mission, but thinking about how I get to bully onee-sama a little makes it rather enjoyable. Oh yes, maybe I should slip an erotic book under onee-sama’s pillow for sleep-learning!”

“N… no, n… nooooooo!”

Lisara flailed and struggled but Kyuru dragged her away.

“Even though a harem is waiting for me, I cannot feel anything. Haa… even if they do all kinds of things to me, I probably will not feel happy at all. This painful half-alive torture… how sad…”

Watching Lisara being dragged out of the room, Ryousuke slumped.

“No, I should just drink some tea.”

He used the hot water from the magic bottle and poured tea.

“Oh, the tea stalk is standing.”

Inside the cup, a tea stalk was standing straight up.

“So that means what I think it means, right? If it stands, mine will stand again… it must be a sign of good luck!”

Right as he rejoiced, the tea stalk sank.

“What is going to happen to me…?”

※ ※ ※

“Now then, Lisara onee-sama.”

Morning. On the tatami floor of the Japanese-style room Lisara and Kyuru shared, a single book lay open.

“This is one of the books onee-sama confiscated from Ryousuke-san last night.”

Lisara frowned at Kyuru’s words.

“So this is one of those erotic books meant for boys, right?”

“Yes, exactly. Though, considering Ryousuke-san had been protecting it so desperately, rather than calling it something for normal boys, it would be more accurate to say it is for perverts like Ryousuke-san.”

Kyuru said something terrible without hesitation.

“P… pervert… well, yeah, I cannot really deny that.”

Lisara was terrible too.

“Oh my, I would prefer you say that after reading the contents of this book.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just skimmed through it a moment ago and… well, it is intense.”

“I… intense how?”

“It is erotic…”

Kyuru turned her face away, cheeks going red.

“S… so that means… in the human world this is the kind minors cannot read?”

“That would be correct.”

“N… no, that is not allowed! According to the treaty between humans and Shinigami, any Shinigami who has not reached adulthood in the Shinigami world is considered a minor!”

“Even if you say that, it is already here!”

“Well… we did learn in Shinigami-world classes that there probably are not any high school boys who have never seen erotic DVDs before…”

“Well, Kyuru does not intend to think too deeply about that. Besides, Kyuru does not even know whether this is truly something bad or not.”

Kyuru flipped through the book.

“What is this, it is full of wet girls.”

“Onee-sama, you need to word that a bit more carefully. Said like that, it sounds a little… no, very dangerous…”

“Eh, really?”

“Good grief. As you can see, this book has many photos of girls fully clothed being splashed with water or covered in something slippery.”

Just as Kyuru pointed out, the book was filled with pictures of girls getting sprayed with water while still dressed, wearing see-through swimsuits, and so on. Countless such photos were lined up.

“I see. Why are they going out of their way to do something like this?”

“It should be considered one of the perverted tastes and preferences.”

“Girls being wet is?”

“Onee-sama, your wording… haaa, whatever. Please look closely at the photo.”

Kyuru pointed at a picture of a girl being splashed with water under the summer sky.

“What about it? She looks troubled from getting soaked.”

“Wrooooooong!”

“Kya!”

With a thud, Kyuru slapped the book.

“Onee-sama, are your eyes just decorative holes!?”

“Even if you say that, I do not really see…”

“Fine, look here. Look carefully right here!”

What Kyuru pointed at was the girl’s crotch. It was wet and…

“What is this──────!”

※ ※ ※

“It finally got quiet…”

Turning off the morning wide-show that was dripping with cheap drama, Ryousuke lifted himself from the sofa. Until a moment ago, he could hear Lisara and Kyuru screaming『Gyaa』and『Kyaa』from the Japanese-style room, but it seemed to have finally stopped. The reason he even turned on a wide-show he had no interest in was simply because their noise was too overwhelming.

“Waan!”

Caesar barked. Then he tapped the empty water dish with the tip of his paw. Because of Lisara and Kyuru’s loud commotion, Ryousuke had apparently failed to notice Caesar’s request for water the whole time.

“Sorry, sorry.”

He stood up, bowed lightly to Caesar, and picked up the dish. Caesar watched him with a satisfied expression.

He filled the bowl with tap water and dropped in a few pieces of ice, then set it in front of Caesar.

“Wan!”

A single bark of gratitude, and Caesar began drinking.

“Well yeah, you’d be thirsty…”

Ryousuke wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled wryly. A Tokyo July was practically full-on midsummer. Most households probably had their air conditioners running at full throttle.

However, in this house—where he was housing Lisara and Kyuru—sadly, he could not always let the air conditioner do its job.

Yes, because electricity costs money!

Still, hot was hot. There was a limit to how much he could endure the heat island effect, where everyone else’s air conditioner exhaust ended up roasting him too.

After talking it over, the three decided on a system: the dining-living room would get air conditioning from noon until bedtime. Because at least dinner time and the moments after a bath should be comfortable.

Ryousuke’s room and the Japanese-style room where the girls slept would be cooled for only thirty minutes before sleeping.

That was the arrangement. They planned to survive July like this, then decide on August’s air-conditioning usage—during summer vacation—based on the electric bill.

Which meant that during this time of day, the air conditioner was off. In other words: it was hot. The kind of steadily rising heat you could feel on your skin, the kind that made the sound of cicadas soak into your bones… the house was full of that seasonal atmosphere.

“You’re drinking a lot…”

Caesar was desperately gulping down water. Since he was a German Shepherd, a breed suited to Germany and other colder climates, this sticky city heat was probably hitting him hard.

Even so, this dog among dogs, the number-one『most wanted to be hugged by the neighborhood』dog, never complained once nor showed any sign of exhaustion…

“I guess I’ll have some barley tea too.”

Influenced by Caesar’s enthusiastic drinking, Ryousuke opened the refrigerator door. He took out the bottle with the barley tea pack inside and filled a cup to the brim.

“Gulp, gulp, gulp… puhaa.”

The chilled barley tea cooled his body from the inside. As he reached for the bottle to pour a second glass because it tasted so good, a cold shiver ran down his back.

He pulled his hand away from the bottle, tossed it back into the fridge before it warmed up, and slowly, very slowly turned around.

Standing there were Kyuru smiling brightly and Lisara wearing a somewhat stiff smile. Both of them wore denim shorts—who knows where they got them—and on top, they wore very familiar shirts… in other words, Ryousuke’s white T-shirts.

“…You two are not thinking of doing something bad, are you?”

“Oh my, that is very rude of you. Kyuru and onee-sama always think about wonderful things, no matter when or what.”

“Liar.”

The denial came instantly, without missing a beat. Kyuru’s smile froze for a second, but she immediately recovered and changed the topic.

“It is extremely hot today too, is it not?”

“You do not need to tell me that.”

“So we have one very good idea. Right, Lisara onee-sama?”

“Ah, yes, th… that is right.”

She was reading from a script…

“…Ahem.”

Kyuru looked disappointed but cleared her throat and put on a bright smile.

“Ryousuke-san, do you know about uchimizu?”

“Uchimizu… that thing where you sprinkle water outside?”

“Yes yes, that is the one. If you sprinkle water in front of the house, the temperature inside drops a little.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that.”

It was obvious Kyuru was scheming something, but if this suffocating heat could be eased even a little, Ryousuke did not mind playing along. That was his honest feeling.

“So, shall we sprinkle water on the small yard in front of the living room?”

It was not large enough to be called a yard, but there was a patch of grass in front of the living room.

“And the grass must want water in this heat too.”

“Well, that’s true.”

So far, there was nothing to object to in Kyuru’s proposal. And sprinkling water did sound refreshing and appealing.

“Alright, let’s water the yard. There’s a hose attached to the faucet outside.”

Ryousuke rolled up the sleeves of his T-shirt and started walking.

For some reason, Lisara and Kyuru followed behind him like a pair of baby birds behind their parent.

“I can handle this alone, you know?”

“Oh my, were you planning to monopolize the refreshing coolness of the water spray?”

“Sou desu ne.”

“…Well, whatever.”

No matter how he thought about it, it should clearly be hotter outside under the direct sun, but thinking more deeply felt like a pain. Ryousuke stepped out through the front door.

“So hot…”

As expected, the sun was not simply shining down—it was blazing intensely, stabbing down at them.

“This has easily passed thirty degrees…”

“It’s… hot…”

“Sou… desu ne…”

Kyuru and Lisara both let out tired voices immediately.

“See? You should have stayed inside.”

“Oh my, it’s just as hot inside the house.”

“Sou desu ne.”

“Well, I guess that’s true… but Lisara, what’s wrong with you? You’ve only been saying『sou desu ne』this whole time.”

“Sou desu ne.”

“…What is going on with you?”

He did not feel like digging deeper, so Ryousuke headed for the faucet next to the parking space. A hose was attached there—it was where Ryousuke’s father used to wash the car. Now that his father was on a long overseas assignment and had sold the car, it was unused…

“Alright, let’s sprinkle some water.”

He pulled the hose out to the yard and lifted the nozzle slightly upward. When he twisted the handle, water burst out in a strong shower—and then Kyuru’s voice echoed from behind him.

“《Water Rug》!”

“What!?”

The gushing water suddenly curved and shot toward Lisara.

“Hey, run!”

“Sou, sou desu— pwah!”

Lisara did not even try to run and got splashed from head to toe.

“Kyuru, what are you doing!?”

“Oh my, how mysterious that water can bend like that.”

She played dumb…

“More importantly, Ryousuke-san, look, look at onee-sama’s appearance.”

“Her appearance…!”

He unintentionally lost his breath.

Because Lisara was wet. Her white T-shirt had turned see-through!

“…Tch, so this was your goal.”

Something inside his heart stirred. Something that flickered and shook his soul…

“…………”

Lisara, her face red, silently endured Ryousuke’s gaze while dripping wet.

Her white T-shirt clung to her skin, revealing parts of her body, and beneath it—

“Hmm… are you wearing a swimsuit underneath?”

What he could see through the wet white T-shirt was not a bra, but what looked like a school swimsuit.

“As expected of Ryousuke-san, you noticed quickly.”

Kyuru sounded a little disappointed.

“I told onee-sama she should be naked under the T-shirt, but she absolutely refused. She also refused to wear only underwear… so the swimsuit was the compromise.”

“No problem. That’s totally fine.”

“Really?”

“You don’t understand, Kyuru. Fetishism in everyday life exists, but so does fetishism of the extraordinary.”

“Extraordinary…?”

“That’s right. Wearing a shirt over a swimsuit. If you go to the beach, you see it everywhere. And sometimes it gets wet by waves. But when that swimsuit is a school swimsuit, that changes everything. And on top of that—!”

Ryousuke put strength into his voice. At the same time, the look he gave Lisara became sharper.

“…U… uuh…”

Feeling his gaze, Lisara turned her face aside, blushing even harder.

“Denim shorts. Lisara is wearing denim over a school swimsuit. If possible, I’d want her to unbutton the front so I could see the swimsuit clearly!”

“Uwaah… he’s hardcore…”

Kyuru looked at Ryousuke with a gaze that was definitely not admiration.

“One of my dreams, you know… someday, someday, I want to see a school swimsuit bottom when a uniform skirt gets flipped by the wind. And seeing a swimsuit through a wet shirt has a totally different summer charm compared to seeing a bra.”

“…Uh, well, please fulfill that dream someday. Anyway, onee-sama, this is Ryousuke-san’s request. Come on, unbutton your denim.”

“D… don’t say something so stupid! This is my limit! The fact that I, of all people, am showing myself like this to Ryousuke is already insane!”

Lisara glared at Kyuru.

“You barely have anything that sticks out anyway, so I think you should learn how to decorate yourself a little.”

“What did you just sayyyyy!?”

Lisara tensed her shoulders and marched toward Kyuru—which of course meant she was moving closer to Ryousuke.

Which made the see-through swimsuit even easier to see.

Ryousuke’s soul began to heat up, bubbling.

“Hmm, maybe one more push,”

Kyuru murmured behind them.

“What do you mean one more push!?”

“Onee-sama’s erotic level, of course.”

“W… what are you—”

Before Lisara could finish her protest, Kyuru loudly chanted:

“I question the red before me. Reveal what is hidden, 《Last Question Vafsluznir》!”

“Eh, since when can you even use dispelling spells…?”

Ryousuke’s eyes turned into dots. No—turned into dishes.

Because right before his eyes, Lisara’s clothes vanished, leaving only the wet T-shirt. Her denim shorts and even the swimsuit underneath disappeared.

Feeling Ryousuke’s gaze, Lisara frowned and looked down at her own body.

She froze.

“………………”

A long silence.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

A scream rose up, naturally.

Lisara hurriedly crouched down.

“W… why, why did even the swimsuit disappear? That was the one Ryousuke bought for me…”

“Ihihihihihi.”

Behind her, Kyuru let out a wicked, mean-spirited laugh.

“Kyuru, you switched it, didn’t you!?”

“Correct. You look wonderfully erotic and charming now, onee-sama.”

“U… uuu…”

Lisara groaned in frustration, desperately tugging down the hem to hide her butt.

“Ryousuke-san, how about this? Has your erotic spirit revived?”

“This is… this is doing something! Something is coming over me!!”

Ryousuke shouted reflexively. Lisara let out a terrified 『Hii!』at his voice… but because she was crouched down trying to hide everything, she could not move.

“Yes! A complete success.”

Kyuru pumped her fist and pointed at Lisara.

“Now, go finish her off, Beast Number One!”

“Waaaaaaaaan!”

With Kyuru’s command, Ryousuke let out a beastly roar and charged toward Lisara.

“W… wait, you can’t be serious! Hey, no, s… stop! Not outside for my first time! At least inside the house, or a hotel, or—!”

“…Her priorities are strangely off.”

Hearing Lisara’s scream, Kyuru tilted her head. In front of her, Ryousuke finally lunged toward Lisara—

—and walked right past her.

“Kyyaaaaaa… wait, huh?”

Lisara raised her head in shock. Kyuru felt the same. Why was the beast-mode Ryousuke not pouncing on the prey right in front of him?

Ryousuke kept walking, then plopped flat onto the ground behind Lisara.

“…Ryousuke?”

“Ohh… the wet T-shirt clinging to her, the half-exposed butt… this is true aesthetic perfection. It’s so beautiful. It’s amazing.”

A blissful sigh escaped him.

“Whaaa— no, stop— hey! What are you looking at!? Don’t look at my butt!”

Still crouched, Lisara scrambled forward in a panic. Ryousuke pursued her on all fours, crawling after her.

“Do not worry, Lisara! As a proper pervert, I will absolutely not touch you. I will only gaze at you, admire you, and carve this art into the back of my mind!”

“That logic— that touching is the only problem— FIX IT!!”

“…Hmm. If he’s satisfied with just that, it means his erotic spirit still hasn’t fully recovered.”

Watching Lisara hop forward and Ryousuke crawl behind her, Kyuru began plotting her next move.

※ ※ ※

“We were just one step away, onee-sama.”

“One step away from a total catastrophe!!”

Lisara screamed without thinking. After the water-sprinkling see-through mega-operation ended, Kyuru shamelessly suggested they should plan another strategy to revive Ryousuke’s erotic spirit.

“Now now. It seems onee-sama dislikes exposure-type strategies, so this time the plan will not involve stripping or transparency.”

“Kyuru, let’s stop this already. I mean… you know, a first time is something that has to be treated with more importance.”

“Well, I can understand why you would not want it with Ryousuke-san.”

Kyuru leaned in from below and looked up at Lisara.

“Eh, no, it’s not because it’s Ryousuke, it’s just…”

“So that means if it’s Ryousuke-san, it’s OK, correct?”

Alright, settled! Kyuru clapped her hands together.

“Why does it turn into that!?”

“Then let me ask. Do you have any other way to save Mina-san? We are talking about that perverted Shinigami Galdabroeg. Under the name of 『experimentation』, who knows what he might do to Mina-san’s breasts.”

“T… that is…”

“Right? Just imagining it hurts your heart. And of course, it is not because Kyuru is excited about putting onee-sama in a difficult position.”

“…Kyuru?”

“Ahem. Besides, Lisara onee-sama and Ryousuke-san are already connected through Gram. At this point, becoming one physically would not be a problem.”

“It would be a problem! What do you think someone’s first time is!?”

“A toy?”

“Kyuruuuuuuuuuu!”

Lisara’s eyes sharpened into triangles as she trembled and shouted Kyuru’s name.

“It is a joke, a joke. But Lisara onee-sama, Mina-san is no joke. If Galdabroeg only did perverted things that would still be horribly pitiful for Mina-san, but—”

Kyuru cut her words and her expression turned serious.

“That man looks down on humans. Who knows what he will do to Mina-san’s soul. In the worst case, we have to consider the possibility that Mina-san could be destroyed…”

“…I know that.”

Lisara’s face clouded.

“That is why, Lisara onee-sama, no matter what, you must have a summer first time with Ryousuke-san by tomorrow.”

“Auu… even if my head understands, my heart…”

“Onee-sama, do you really hate the idea of having it with Ryousuke-san?”

Kyuru looked straight at Lisara.

“Eh…”

“If you absolutely, completely, under no circumstance ever want to give your first time to a man named Kaga Ryousuke, then—”

“N… no one said… I mean, no one said it was that awful, or that I completely hated the idea, or anything like that, it is just, you know, I also have dreams about my first time, like any girl would. So it is not that I hate Ryousuke, or anything like that, it is just um, that, well, I… I mean…”

As Lisara’s voice grew smaller and smaller, she continued mumbling excuses that were not really directed at anyone. Kyuru spoke to her.

“Kyuru thinks that, if it comes down to it, Ryousuke-san would be fine.”

“Eh!?”

Lisara jerked her head up like she had been hit by a shockwave and stared at Kyuru.

“Kyuru is the heir to the Zeria family. Once we return to the Shinigami realm, Father will decide my partner anyway. The same applies to onee-sama, does it not?”

“Well… yes, that’s true.”

“And Kyuru does not hate Ryousuke-san that much. He is a pervert, a fool, a clown, a lecher, a pervert, and a pervert, but he does treat girls with care.”

“K… Kyuru… e… could it be that you—?”

“Kusu kusu, I think it is a little different from that.”

“…………”

Lisara stared intently at Kyuru, who gave a small, bitter smile. Why… why did it make her chest feel tight? Why did her heart ache?

“Onee-sama?”

“Eh…”

Kyuru’s voice snapped her out of it, making her blink.

“What is wrong?”

“A… ahaha, it’s nothing, really, nothing. Anyway, Kyuru, as the older sister figure, I cannot force the sacrifice onto my younger sister. Yes, um, if it’s for protecting Mina, then… I… I can do it.”

“Kusu, if that is what onee-sama says, then that is fine.”

Kyuru spoke amusedly.

“Well, there is no need to rush and decide who’ll do it. Right now, we first need Ryousuke-san to want to have a first time. For that, we must revive his erotic spirit.”

“His erotic spirit… uuu, yes, you are right.”

“I am glad you understand.”

Kyuru smiled sweetly, like a doll. After letting out a soft sigh, she continued.

“While onee-sama was taking a shower, Kyuru rechecked the erotic books.”

With a thud, she spread open one of the books.

“So, what is it this time?”

“It seems that stepping on him is already old-fashioned.”

“There you go again saying something weird…”

“According to this erotic book, the new wave is『to sandwich』!”

“To… sandwich?”

“Yes, to sandwich. Ah, but…”

Kyuru nodded, then immediately cut her words and looked at Lisara with an apologetic expression.

“What?”

“Haa… with onee-sama’s chest, there is nothing to sandwich anything with.”

Twitch—Lisara’s cheek stiffened.

“If you’re going to say that much, Kyuru, then YOU—”

“Ah, but!!”

Without letting Lisara finish, Kyuru suddenly raised her voice.

“But! Do not worry onee-sama!”

Kyuru shouted loudly, like some salesperson on a street corner, exaggerating her reassurance on purpose.

“When it comes to sandwiching, it is not only the bust. A girl has two more, yes, TWO more places she can use!”

Overwhelmed by Kyuru’s force, Lisara could only nod rapidly.

※ ※ ※

Zlurururururu.

The loud slurping of somen echoed.

When it comes to summer, lunch means somen. Or more accurately, they had no financial power to prepare extravagant midday meals. Either way, lately they had been eating somen every single day for lunch.

Naturally, one gets tired of it.

Because they were tired of it, today they changed it up by using hiyajiru instead of regular dipping sauce. hiyajiru¹

“This is really delicious.”

Lisara slurped the somen.

It was unavoidable that it made loud slurping sounds. They had ground sesame in a mortar, added myoga, green onions, shiso, and grated ginger, then mixed in miso paste. That was diluted slightly with water and used in place of regular tsuyu. tsuyu²

Unlike normal dipping sauce, it was thick, so the slurping naturally became louder.

“It has vegetables too, so it’s healthy.”

Kyuru also slurped happily.

But to Ryousuke’s eyes right now, the two girls barely registered. Even the flavor of the chilled soup he had gone out of his way to prepare felt distant.

All Ryousuke could think about was what awaited him in the afternoon.

For now, it was fine. While eating like this, nothing serious would happen. But afterward…Kyuru definitely would not back down.

Of course, having erotic things done to him or being made to watch was enjoyable. Thanks to the morning chaos, he already felt his life force returning quite a bit.

But precisely because of that—he feared what came next. He was terrified that he would get too excited, lose control, and then end up drained by Lisara again, collapsing like before.

‘And I cannot afford to fall apart again if we’re going to save Mina. At this rate, I might be fully recovered by tomorrow… After we finish eating, I should hide in my room right away…’

While he was thinking all that, the somen had already been completely eaten.

“…Thanks for the meal.”

After putting his dishes in the sink, Ryousuke hurried toward the hallway—only to stop.

“Ufufufu, where do you think you are going, Ryousuke-san?”

Kyuru had grabbed his arm firmly.

“Uh, well, I thought I’d take a little nap in my room…”

“Kusu. Before that, you can keep Kyuru and onee-sama company for a bit, can’t you?”

Kyuru pulled his arm downward, making his upper body lower, a wicked grin on her face.

“W… what now? What are you planning this time?!”

Even as he said that, Ryousuke could not help but grin slightly, wondering what they were about to do to him.

“Kusu kusu. Onee-sama, please demonstrate the new-wave sandwiching!”

“U… uu… I’m going, Ryousuke.”

Lisara stepped in front of him, raising one arm high like she was about to start a pro-wrestling match.

“W… what— guhgehh!?”

Suddenly, Lisara pulled his head under her arm from above, pinning him in a headlock. The classic pro-wrestling move.

“Ow ow ow ow ow! W… what the hell is this!”

This was not enjoyable. Not enjoyable at all.

“Hmm, the plan was for him to be sandwiched between your thighs… onee-sama, you chickened out.”

“I can’t do something like that!”

The two argued but Ryousuke had no idea what they were talking about. They were supposed to be trying to stimulate his erotic spirit.

But what was erotic about a headlock? He absolutely did not understand.

“If it were at least Kyuru doing it, I might get to feel the softness of her boobs pressing against my temple and feel at least a bit blissful… but Lisara? She’s… kind of stiff.”

“Excuse you!”

“Gugagagagagaga!”

She tightened the hold even more.

“Hmm, it does not seem to be making him happy at all.”

“Of course not! It hurts! Sure, I’m a pervert. There are times when being stepped on or having my butt smacked makes me go hee-haaa. But there is a proper mentality behind those things! This—this is just painful pro-wrestling! I can’t get excited by this! I can’t! Please help me, Lisara-sama!”

“Uh, um… what do we do, Kyuru?”

“Hmm, the erotic book said that being sandwiched under the armpit makes men happy, but…”

“A・rmp・it.”

PISHA─────N.

A thunderbolt struck inside Ryousuke’s head. A massive one.

“U… uoooooooh, damn it! For me to overlook something like this… tsk, my soul still isn’t back to full power!”

Ryousuke began trembling violently.

“What is wrong with you?”

“I’m crying over my own lack of awareness. So that’s it… my occipital lobe is currently feeling Lisara’s armpit, isn’t it!”

“Ugh… w–when you put it like that, it sounds extremely unpleasant…”

“Damn it! To not notice the existence of such a treasure… stupid me, stupid stupid stupid!”

“Can I ask you one thing?”

“What?”

“An armpit is… just an armpit, right?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“And what part of that… is supposed to make you excited in that way?”

Lisara looked at Ryousuke with eyes like she was staring at some unknown creature.

“Good grief, Lisara, you really are such a fool— higuu!”

Her grip tightened painfully around his head…

“So why, then?”

“Listen. Boobs, down there, the soles of the feet, the navel, the butt, and the armpits— they are all treasures! Yes, treasures are always hidden. Meaning… any place a girl tries to hide is a treasure to a man!”

He declared it with full conviction.

There was no reaction.

“Huh? I thought I’d just taken one step closer to the ultimate truth of the universe?”

“Kyuru, for the sake of every girl on earth, may I just give him a proper punishment now?”

“Uu… I cannot bring myself to stop you…”

“Thank you, Kyuru.”

“W–wait!”

The moment Lisara put more strength into her arm, Ryousuke shouted.

“At this point, what now?”

“Punishing me is fine. But let me say one thing, Lisara.”

“And what is that?”

“I have already recognized the armpit as a treasure. No matter how tightly you squeeze my head from here on, all you are doing is bringing my head closer to your armpit. Meaning… the pain that is about to come is nothing but a reward for me!”

The room fell silent.

After a few seconds, the headlock loosened—followed by Lisara’s long, heavy sigh.

“I curse the misfortune of having to rely on this…”

After that, Lisara and Kyuru began cleaning up the dishes as if nothing had happened… leaving Ryousuke alone, ignored even by Caesar, sulking miserably in a corner of the room.

※ ※ ※

Outside, it was already completely night. In this city you could not hear anything refined like the chirping of insects, but the thick, stifling humidity alone was more than enough to scream『summer』.”

After eating oven-baked chicken thighs for dinner, Lisara had once again been dragged into the tatami room by Kyuru.

“Right about now should be the time when Ryousuke-san is deciding whether to get into the bath.”

Kyuru glanced toward the bathroom.

“You are not seriously thinking of barging into the bath, are you?”

“Oh my, for onee-sama you are surprisingly sharp.”

“No way.”

Lisara spoke firmly.

“First of all, why am I always the one who has to carry out these plans? It makes no sense! Sure, I said I wouldn’t sacrifice Kyuru because I’m the older sister, but if it’s only about reviving Ryousuke’s life force, you could do it too!”

“Oh my, you finally noticed?”

Kyuru giggled softly.

“Well, if that is what onee-sama says, then it cannot be helped. This time, Kyuru will do it.”

“I have no idea what you’re planning, but do whatever you want.”

“But… are you really okay with that?”

“With what?”

“Ryousuke-san’s erotic spirit is almost fully restored, right?”

“Yes, I think it’s about time.”

“Which means… if Kyuru ends up exciting him, he might attack me, and there’s a high chance my first time will happen right then and there.”

Kyuru shivered slightly as if frightened.

“That is… but see, Ryousuke looks like that, but he’s actually quite gentle, so he wouldn’t attack you.”

“Oh my, this is a special situation, remember? For Mina-san’s sake, the agreement for a first time already exists.”

“T… that’s…”

“And if Gram awakens, Kyuru will not stand a chance. Ah… even if it’s for Mina’s sake, a maiden will bloom and fall tonight… ahhh…”

Kyuru dramatically collapsed in tears.

“Gram… if that thing goes wild…”

“And onee-sama, are you really fine with it?”

“Fine with what?”

“With Ryousuke-san’s first partner being this Kyuru. When in truth, onee-sama would rather—”

“What… what kind of nonsense are you talking about!”

Lisara shouted louder than she had all day.

“But, well… yes. If I think about Kyuru, then that’s right!”

Lisara stood up abruptly.

“Lisara onee-sama?”

“If you ended up damaged goods, I wouldn’t be able to face the Zeria family! Fine, I’ll go too. For your sake, Kyuru. For your sake! For your sake!!”

“Ahh, what a kind and noble onee-sama!!”

Kyuru collapsed dramatically again.

Her face, however, was quietly giggling.

“Whew… I don’t know if today was horrible or actually pretty great…”

Ryousuke undressed and entered the bathroom.

Just letting the steam cover his body made all the day’s fatigue wash over him.

“Sigh…seriously, what is that Galdabroeg bastard thinking. Telling me to have my first time to free Mina. He must be a damn pervert.”

Galdabroeg was probably sneezing somewhere, but Ryousuke didn’t care.

He sat on the bath stool and scooped hot water from the bucket to pour over himself.

“If I make sure to lock my room tonight, then surely nothing else will happen today…”

Still, even if he locked the door, the problem of how to free Mina’s soul would remain.

To be honest, Ryousuke hated the idea of『first time』 being the condition. But since both Lisara and Kyuru said there was no other way, he had no choice.

“But still… for me it’s one thing, but a first time is a huge deal for a girl. Whether it’s Lisara or Kyuru… I don’t know, but having it happen like this is just too cruel.”

Feeling gloomy, Ryousuke lowered his shoulders—just as the bathroom door creaked open.

“Wha—!?”

He frantically covered his crotch with a towel and turned around.

“Ehe, we came in.”

“Well, you know… it’s part of the guardian’s responsibility…”

Wrapped in bath towels, hair tied up, stood Kyuru and Lisara.

“H–hey! This is reverse sexual harassment! Actually, this is straight-up pervert woman level!”

Ryousuke protested desperately while hiding his lower half.

But—there was no way such a protest would work on Kyuru.

“Oh my, we only came to wash your back, that’s all. Right, onee-sama?”

“E— ah, y… yes, that’s right.”

Lisara’s answer was awkward.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, it’s just… Ryousuke’s naked body is right in front of me, you know?”

Lisara whispered, embarrassed.

“Oh please, you saw boys in swimming class, didn’t you?”

“T–that’s not the same!”

“Ahem, if you two are going to argue, I would prefer you return to your rooms…”

Ryousuke suggested timidly.

“Oh my, that is not very like the usually aggressive Ryousuke-san.”

“Listen here, being the one who looks and being the one who is looked at are completely different! I want to fantasize, not be the subject of someone else’s fantasy!”

“Ryousuke-san, that is what we call being selfish.”

Kyuru grinned, then ignored Ryousuke’s wishes entirely and began preparing to wash his back. Lisara reluctantly followed her lead.

‘From a certain angle this is a harem, sure… but damn it, being this naked feels way too vulnerable. And they get to hide behind bath towels? That’s unfair. Before feeling happy, I’m more like… tense. Embarrassed…’

As he was thinking that, the two girls started working.

Surprisingly, Kyuru was quick and efficient in wiping his back. Lisara was a bit awkward, but still careful and steady.

“Hehe, some of the humans we make contracts with are elderly. We receive lessons for this kind of thing.”

Sensing his surprise, Kyuru said proudly.

“S–so that means you’ve learned even naughtier techni— ow!”

Lisara pinched his back.

“There is no such thing!”

“S–sorry.”

“Hmm, but… Kyuru thinks that if it were with Ryousuke-san, even that kind of training might be nice.”

“Hey now, don’t mess with me too much…”

Ryousuke slumped, having zero belief in Kyuru’s words. There was no way he was someone who girls found attractive.

“Oh my, is that so?”

Kyuru chuckled softly and—slip—removed her bath towel. Even Ryousuke, still looking down, understood what happened. The falling towel entered his field of vision.

“W… whaaaaaat!?”

It was so shocking he couldn’t raise his head. If he looked up, it might turn out to be a dream—that was the only ending his brain could imagine.

“Onee-sama, your turn.”

“U… um…”

“L–Lisara tooooooooo!?”

Ryousuke’s heart pounded like crazy. In this moment, for the first time ever, he felt gratitude toward Galdabroeg. Being in a bath, surrounded by two naked girls—what greater ambition could a man have?

Getting his body washed while the two giggle around him, then washing them back while they giggle again…

Was a dream like that even allowed to come true?

“No… it’s fine. It’s fine! Yes, this is a humanitarian act to save Mina, not an erotic act or immoral behavior. Caesar, my master of love and popularity… I will finally rise to your level today!”

Tears of passion streamed down his face as he finally lifted his head. With determination, he looked at the two towelless Shinigami beauties—

And what he saw in the mirror was…

“Swimsuits… you’re… wearing swimsuits…”

Ryousuke forced out the broken words.

“Of course. There’s no way we’d be naked, no matter what.”

“Lisara. You… you… do you really enjoy trampling on the dreams, hopes, and pure, fragile heart of a guy who doesn’t get any girls!?”

At this rate he could probably cry tears of blood.

“Oh my, it seems to have had the opposite effect.”

Kyuru murmured, genuinely surprised.

“Of course it did! Edging is—edging is a grave crime, you know!!”

“Yes yes, we are very sorry.”

Lisara said with a bitter smile, then spoke to Kyuru.

“Kyuru, we’re retreating.”

“Uu, I really thought the bath was definitely going to be the place for all sorts of things…”

The two stood up together and turned their backs to him. In the mirror, their backsides were reflected.

Lisara’s slender body line, with not a trace of unnecessary fat.

And yet, her butt and thighs had the unmistakable softness of a woman.

Kyuru’s body had slightly rounder curves. She wasn’t fat, but because she was still young her waist wasn’t tight yet. Still, like her chest, her butt was starting to fill out nicely.

Two contrasting silhouettes of two different girls.

And both wearing school swimsuits. Their butt lines stood out even more clearly.

And then, the final blow of the day—or rather, a miracle—descended.

Maybe it was because they were crouching, but both of them… their swimsuits and butts had shifted a little.

“Yo…”

“Nn…”

Lisara and Kyuru, at the same time, slipped their right index fingers between their swimsuits and butts and quickly fixed the position.

“Stooooooooop!”

Ryousuke couldn’t help but shout. There was no way he could be satisfied with witnessing this miraculous one-shot only through the mirror.

“W-what?”

“What is it?”

Both of them stiffened at the sudden scream.

“Nn~. Nice, that’s a good angle.”

He formed a square with his thumbs and index fingers, framing those butts like some kind of artist. No, he wasn’t just some artist. At this moment, Kaga Ryousuke was an artist devoted to the beauty of fetishism.

“Um, Onee-sama… is it just me, or do you feel a really sticky gaze on us?”

“Oh, what a coincidence. I feel the same way.”

Kyuru and Lisara whispered to each other. Meanwhile, Ryousuke was utterly obsessed with getting the perfect butt angle. He crouched, viewed from the side, from above, moved his face closer and closer… While strictly following the pervert’s promise never to touch, he desperately tried to burn the scene into his mind.

“Okay, Onee-sama.”

“Yes, Kyuru.”

“Ready, set—”

Both of them shouted at the same time, flung open the door, and dashed out.

“Ah, hey!”

Slip, tumble, crack.

They slipped on the bubbles, fell, and crashed.

“Th-that last sound, what was it, Kyuru?”

“Um, I have a really, really bad feeling about it…”

When the two of them fearfully looked back, there was Ryousuke, who had smashed his now enlarged son onto the floor and was foaming at the mouth…

“Haa~. So this means we can’t do anything tonight, huh?”

Kyuru looked up at the ceiling.

“Were you actually planning to do something?”

“Oh my, so Lisara Onee-sama was planning to have her first experience at school? How daring.”

“Th-that’s not true at all!”

Kyuru smiled wryly at Lisara, who pressed in close, and let out a sigh.

“I don’t know if it’ll be at school or the hotel or when we get home, but this has become a real pain… Haaaaaaa…”