Chapter 537

The next day, and the day after that, Tetsuya's complexion did not improve.

It was only natural. It would be stranger for him to be fine after taking such scathing criticism from his childhood friend and coming to the brink of having their ties severed entirely.

Unlike Tetsuya, who wore a perpetually sour expression like he had chewed on shit, Miyuki grew livelier with each passing day.

She didn't initiate conversation with Tetsuya unless it was absolutely necessary for her duties as class representative. During breaks and lunch, she showered me with unabashed affection.

It was as if she felt a sense of liberation—like she was finally free from being entangled with that bastard Tetsuya.

Of course, Tetsuya wasn't important enough to warrant true liberation, but at least on the surface, that was how she looked.

Regardless, Tetsuya slumped through class and even our club activities, dragging down the mood around him. As a little time passed, it became rare for anyone to approach him.

Whenever someone asked what was wrong, he dodged the question and continued wallowing in misery alone. Who would want to get close to that?

It was human instinct to avoid shit.

I hoped my ties with Tetsuya would naturally fade away just like this.

Carrying that hope, I gathered the scattered laundry in the Club Room one by one.

“What's wrong with him...? He's been drooping like that since last time...”

Renka asked cautiously, looking at Tetsuya, who was wilting like a green onion stem that had entirely lost its freshness.

I replied, secretly resting my hand on her waist out of sight of the others.

“I don't know. If it bothers you, President, you should say something.”

“I didn't scold him, but I did ask what was wrong. Since he wouldn't answer... there wasn't anything I could do. I just told him to go rest in the Lounge if he was having a hard time.”

“That's not right.”

“What isn't?”

“What did I tell you last time? I said you shouldn't talk to any men other than your father, your uncle, and me, right?”

“N-No you didn't...? You clearly said ‘people I could contact’...?”

“Did I?”

“You're totally insidious...! Trying to sneakily breach the contract terms, thinking I wouldn't remember...!”

Contract... What a slave-like choice of words.

Renka seemed to realize her blunder too. She let out a gasp and slapped her hands over her mouth.

I chuckled at her guilty reaction, snatched up a towel lying nearby, tossed it into the laundry basket, and spoke.

“Keep your schedule open today.”

“Today...?”

“Yeah. Let's go on a date.”

“A-A date...?”

Her eyes went wide with surprise, but naturally, she would be delighted and accept.

Or so I thought. However...

“I can't...? I'm busy today. I have prior plans.”

The answer that left her lips was completely outside my expectations.

She didn't sound like she was playing hard to get, either; it genuinely seemed like she had plans.

“Oh? Is something going on?”

“Yeah, there is. With Chinami.”

If it was a prior engagement with Chinami, it was no big deal.

Still, I felt a little hurt. She hadn't even considered including me.

“What are you two going to do?”

“You don't need to know. You don't have to drive me today.”

Her expression was so serious that I couldn't pry any further.

Did something major happen at her house? I was starting to worry.

“Alright, then. Tell me if you need help. I'll come running right away.”

“...Got it.”

What was with that tone?

It felt like she was anxious about me retaliating somehow... That was the vibe she gave off.

Suddenly, I wanted to dig into it.

“Hmm.”

“W-What's with that noise?”

“No. It's nothing.”

“I'm absolutely not meeting a man, so stop acting so suspicious...!”

I hadn't even thought of that... Renka was cute, taking it upon herself to report her innocence just in case I doubted her.

“Okay.”

“It's funny, though... Y-You run around seeing four women yourself...”

“Are you upset? If it bothers you...”

“Ah, shut up...! I'm not upset...!”

“Good thinking.”

“Don't touch me...! Ah, get your hands off...!”

Renka wriggled her waist this way and that to dodge my hands creeping along her lower back... I loved it.

She usually had a lot of anger, but it was great how she grew completely flustered when I actually touched her or whispered sweet nothings.

After finishing our enjoyable club activities, I met up with Miyuki in the Parking Lot.

Perhaps her Student Council work had finished early today, because she was waiting for me before Hiyori even arrived.

The problem was that Miyuki had no intention of getting into my car.

“I need to go somewhere for a bit... Do you want to head back first today?”

“Yeah? Where?”

“I decided to hang out with some friends.”

Miyuki's eyes darted up, down, left, and right.

It was the reaction she always showed when trying to tell a lie, so I decided to let the matter slide for her sake.

It wasn't like Miyuki was the type to cheat... I trusted her.

“Want me to drop you off?”

“No...? It's only a five-minute walk...”

She was blatantly radiating suspicious energy.

I wondered if she was going to an adult toy store with her friends or something.

“You go rest, Matsuda-kun. You couldn't sleep until late last night.”

“Well... alright. President and Master have plans too, so I guess it's just Hiyori today...”

Just as I said that to Miyuki, my Cell Phone buzzed, and a message from Hiyori popped up.

[I can't take your car today, sunbae-nim. I'm hanging out with friends, so I have to go into town.]

To think all four heroines have plans...

What an unlucky day.

I couldn't exactly control the heroines' interpersonal relationships, so I just scratched the back of my head and accepted it.

Returning home all alone and finishing my shower, I watched TV by myself until, overcome by boredom, I tried calling Renka.

“Hello.”

She picked up fast. A true slave of mine.

“Where are you?”

“I told you I was busy. I'm hanging up.”

Click.

She cut the call right there.

I let out a hollow laugh at the red letters indicating the call had ended, then tried contacting Chinami.

However, the pointless dial tone just dragged on. Chinami didn't answer.

Hiyori was the same. She ignored my call, just like Chinami.

Well, I didn't know if they were ignoring it or just hadn't seen it, but regardless, they weren't answering.

Are they collectively bullying me or something?

Or are they having a girls-only get-together?

While mulling it over, something Renka had said popped into my head.

It was about chocolate.

She had brought up chocolate out of nowhere while resting in my arms, and I'd wondered what that was about.

I'd brushed it off since she hadn't given me any that day, but thinking about it now, Renka had likely taken the heroines out to make some together.

I was struck by the sudden certainty that the four of them were at a chocolate workshop right now.

Figuring it out like this ruins the surprise a bit...

It's because Renka blabbed that I noticed. I'll have to discipline her with a spanking.

Still, since she took the lead and gathered the heroines, I can afford her some leniency.

But why chocolate, of all things? Valentine's Day is still a long way off.

No. Let's not think too deeply about it.

I have way too much free time left today.

In times like this, sleeping is the absolute best solution.

With that thought, I turned off the TV.

Patter—!

At the same time, the sound of rain striking the window reached my ears.

This kind of signal always came when something good was going to happen, so I definitely had nothing to worry about.

The one disappointing thing was that tomorrow was the weekend.

Because of that, I had planned to gather the heroines today and watch a movie together. It was a shame that plan had fizzled out.

I'll just have to accept my lot in life.

Putting my mind at ease, I closed my eyes.

Do you know the feeling of trying to take a light nap, only to fall into a deep sleep?

Sleeping for a long time, yet waking up completely clear-headed... That kind of feeling.

When this happens, you end up unable to sleep on time that night, and you stay wide awake all day.

People naturally need time to just laze around.

Checking the time, it was already past ten o'clock.

I had slept entirely too long. Of course, I didn't have any pressing tasks, but starting the first day of the weekend like this made me feel like I was wasting it.

And there wasn't a single heroine inside the house, not even Miyuki.

Honestly, I had expected them to come over after finishing the chocolates. It was utterly deplorable.

Is it time to re-establish discipline?

Thinking that, I rose from my futon—

“What's this?”

—and discovered four beautifully wrapped boxes resting right in front of the windowpane.

Just how long have these been here?

Did they drop them off while I was asleep? That's the only logical explanation.

I wasn't a heavy sleeper by any means, yet I hadn't noticed anyone entering or leaving at all.

Did they get possessed by the Tooth Fairy or something? What incredible stealth.

Thinking about it carefully, I couldn't remember the exact time, but I did feel like I'd heard some whispering near the engawa through my sleepy haze.

That must have been when Miyuki unlocked the door and slipped the chocolates inside with the other heroines.

A smile naturally bloomed on my lips the moment I saw them. I carefully picked up the four boxes, one by one, and moved them to the table.

Then I stood quietly, examining the boxes that oozed with the four girls' individual personalities.

I could tell whose was whose at a single glance just from the colors alone.

It was like the answers were already laid out for me, but I still turned my gaze to the leftmost box with a pleased expression.

In Miyuki's case, she had drawn a cute character on it.

It looked exactly like the Miyuki drawn on the sticky note we had left at the ramen shop.

Since that felt like the first step heralding the true beginning of our relationship, the memories came rushing back fresh.

There was even a handwritten letter, which the others didn't have.

I'll have to read this later.

Chinami, true to form, had drawn Momo-sama, whom she adored so much.

The drawing boasted such flawless perfection that I almost thought it had been printed.

It was cute. Sometime soon, I would have to request the company to make an ahegao Momo-sama for her.

Renka had drawn a hand holding up the middle finger.

It lacked any sincerity whatsoever. She had just scribbled it with a pen, practically begging for a beating.

As for Hiyori... there wasn't a drawing, but her box was quite large, as if she were trying to win through sheer quantity.

When I unwrapped it, I found an enormous amount of chocolate inside, just as I'd expected.

It was enough to completely pack the star-shaped box. No wonder it had felt so heavy when I moved it over.

And while all the other heroines had wrapped theirs with ribbons, hers alone was tied in the shape of a half-finished flower.

I guessed she just hadn't wanted to copy the others.

Regardless, to think I would receive such gifts from not just one, but all four of them...

It made me even happier since it was practically guaranteed they hadn't made these separately, but had gathered to make them together.

The timing was a bit sudden, though.

But thinking it was because the heroines' feelings for me were just that great, I not only understood; my chest even swelled with emotion.

I thought the thrill would be lessened because I already knew, but that wasn't the case at all.

I felt like I could fly. I would have to subject my teeth to some suffering as I tried them one by one.

Things like this were tastiest when shared... but they had probably given them to me with the intention that I eat them alone.

If I was going to eat all of this, I'd have to prepare myself for a few cavities, not to mention putting on some serious weight.