Chapter 181

“Matsuda-kun, what are you doing?”

A voice laced with disbelief rang in my ear.

Waking from a comfortable sleep, I opened my eyes and saw Miyuki’s silhouette framed by the light spilling through the crack of the open window.

“...You’re here?”

“Yeah. What are you doing?”

“What do you mean? I was sleeping.”

“Why are you sleeping like this...?”

“Because it’s warm.”

“You idiot...!”

Miyuki whipped the kotatsu blanket off my legs.

A rush of cold air hit me immediately.

I scowled and snapped at her.

“What are you doing...? Put it back.”

Ignoring my warning, Miyuki touched my reddened legs, parting her lips in shock.

“How could you set the temperature to max...! You could’ve gotten a burn! Look how hot your legs are... Haa... You’re driving me crazy...”

“It is a little hot.”

“How can you sound so carefree?”

“It’s comfortable, what do you expect? If you were going to worry, you shouldn’t have bought it in the first place.”

“What kind of ridiculous logic is that? I’m speechless...”

Letting out a hollow laugh, Miyuki sat down and carefully began to massage my legs.

Thanks to her earnest touch and her natural body heat, sleep started washing over me again.

I wanted to lie here all day today. Together with Miyuki.

“If you want to sleep under here, make sure you adjust the temperature. Got it?”

I gave a half-hearted nod at the nagging.

“Yeah.”

“You’re so high maintenance... Look how red your skin is... We’ll keep an eye on it, and if it doesn’t go down, we’re going to the hospital.”

She was in full mom-mode today.

Suddenly, Midori’s image flickered in my mind. I wanted to feel the touch of a sensual, mature woman.

Not that Miyuki’s hands felt bad, of course; it was just a passing thought.

“A little lower...”

Was she dumbfounded by my shamelessness?

Miyuki just shook her head.

After silently massaging my legs for a long time to soothe the heat, she asked a question.

“Matsuda-kun, do you have plans for the break? Are you going to get a part-time job or something?”

“No.”

“Then let’s study. I’ll tutor you like I did last break. Along with Tetsuya-kun.”

How was it that the exact prediction I’d made after seeing my math quiz score was coming true right now?

Should I just be relieved she wasn’t making me do it before the break started?

Anyway, hearing about part-time jobs and the break reminded me that it was about time for Renka’s wallet to start running dry.

Since she was constantly buying figurines and spending money on food with Chinami and her other friends, hitting her financial limit was a foregone conclusion.

Originally, Renka would have started a part-time job over the break... but with the timeline all twisted up like this, I didn’t know what would happen.

I doubted that specific timing would change. As a student attending the Academy with plenty of things she wanted to do, she probably wouldn’t try to work during the semester.

Until the break arrived, I just needed to watch out for Tetsuya. It would be a pain if that bastard hijacked the event first.

The random events that popped up during her part-time shifts were the absolute highlight of Renka’s romance route.

I was already looking forward to it. It even gave me an erection.

To catch every single event, would I need to get a short-term gig at her workplace too?

I’d have to see how things played out and decide then.

“If we’re doing it every day of the week, I’m declining.”

“I won’t work you that hard. Just enough so you remember what we’ve already covered.”

“Why not just teach me up until finals instead?”

“I’m going to do that too, of course, so don’t worry.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. You were 14th on the last midterm... so let’s aim for the top ten this time. It might be tough, but try your best.”

14th place and 10th place.

It was a difference of only four ranks, but breaking into the top ten carried a certain weight that numbers alone couldn’t explain.

Could I really crush the momentum of the single-digit rankers?

I had forgotten all my math and was scraping by with 40s. Even assuming I had a protagonist buff, I was pretty skeptical.

“My best effort is enough?”

“Yeah. As long as you try your hardest, I’ll be satisfied.”

That wasn’t her looking down on me; it was an objective assessment.

The top ten was packed with students who studied hard and consistently, so she’d said that knowing it would genuinely be a difficult hurdle to clear.

I didn’t have much desire to argue the point either.

But it did spark my competitive spirit.

I might even be able to get a huge reward out of this.

Like proposing another threesome, for example...

In any case, it wasn’t like taking on the challenge would hurt me, so I ought to give it a shot.

A side quest had just popped up right on the main quest’s path. I’d have to be crazy to pass that up.

Though the side quest’s absurd difficulty level was a bit of a downside.

“When are we starting?”

“Hmm... after Christmas...? I’m thinking around then, if that works for you, Matsuda-kun.”

Miyuki’s voice grew a little quieter.

Mentioning Christmas must have reminded her of the conversation we’d had about a threesome with Chinami.

She was probably wondering how that was going right about now.

No, the perceptive Miyuki might already have a vague idea.

That Chinami and I had grown even closer.

“What about Miura?”

“Tetsuya-kun said he was fine with it.”

Just like a guy with zero pride, he had instantly babbled his agreement.

That perverted bastard was doing whatever he could to stick close to pretty girls.

You’ll be the only one getting hurt in the end anyway, so keep it up.

After we watched a movie and spent some time looking around the department store, Miyuki’s eyes curved into half-moons.

It happened right after she spotted an outfit displayed on a mannequin outside a clothing store.

“Matsuda-kun, try that on. I think it would look good on you.”

It was a fishnet top full of gaping holes—and worst of all, it was men’s clothing.

Who on earth bought that kind of outfit to justify dressing a mannequin in it?

Even a guy overflowing with estrogen wouldn’t wear that.

I scoffed, threw an arm around Miyuki’s shoulders, and pulled her close.

Then I smirked and said, “Only if you wear one too.”

“It’s men’s clothing. I can’t wear it.”

“I’m sure they sell a women’s version.”

“Do you want me to wear it?”

“Yeah. A full-body one. Without any underwear.”

“Full-body...?”

I said that, but a full-body fishnet suit wouldn’t suit a girl with a pure, innocent appearance like Miyuki.

That outfit was tailor-made for Renka.

Just imagining her glaring at me, trembling in humiliation, was already making me excited.

“I’m kidding. Let’s just go. We’re going to be late.”

“Okay.”

Miyuki tightly held my hand as it slipped down from her shoulder.

Looking to anyone like a happy couple, we headed down to the parking lot pressed close together, got into the car, and drove toward Miyuki’s house.

Before the movie, Midori had called Miyuki to invite us over for a meal.

Arriving at Miyuki’s house, I finished parking while she went ahead to open the front door.

After that, I stepped into Miyuki’s home, which felt more welcoming and familiar than my own.

“Hello, Matsuda-kun.”

I saw Midori welcoming me at the entrance with a benevolent smile.

That gentle voice of hers... was simply the best.

I felt like she’d stroke my hair and coo praise even as I came.

Perhaps because she was dressed lightly, the wide curve of her hips stood out prominently.

Miyuki and Kanna were definitely natural births, weren’t they?

She must have had an easy delivery.

“Hello, ma’am. Have you been well?”

“Of course. Come inside quickly, it’s cold. Dinner is ready, so you can sit right down.”

“Thank you. Excuse the intrusion.”

Bowing my head, I entered the house and found Wataru sitting on the living room sofa, raising a hand in greeting.

He didn’t even bother standing up anymore since I came over so often.

I offered Wataru a polite greeting as well. Just as I sat down at the dining table, Kanna trudged down the stairs from the second floor, rubbing her eyes.

“It’s Matsuda-kun...? Why are you here?”

“To eat dinner.”

“Is that so...?”

“Have you been sleeping this whole time?”

“Yeah...”

An unrelated man was visiting; she could at least wash her face before coming downstairs.

She was so impossibly lazy... I wanted to take her in and raise her myself.

Slouching her way down the rest of the steps, Kanna took a seat next to Miyuki and covered her mouth to yawn.

She picked up her chopsticks and began to idly pick at her rice, but when Midori shot her a stern glare, she flinched and straightened up.

Her face looked just like Miyuki’s, but there was a massive difference in how she acted.

I chuckled inwardly. When Wataru sat down and offered a few pleasant remarks, I thanked him, and we shared our meal in a warm, amicable atmosphere.

“Eat a lot of vegetables.”

Miyuki said, handling her chopsticks gracefully.

There was a hint of shyness in her voice.

No matter how well her family knew about our relationship, fussing over me right in front of them was still a bit embarrassing for her.

I offered her a bright smile and a nod, picking up a vegetable just as she’d asked.

At that, the corners of Midori’s mouth ticked upward in a slow smile.

As for Wataru, he was busy devouring his side dishes... while Kanna rolled her eyes as if we were being ridiculous.

I didn’t think a full-body fishnet suit would suit Miyuki, but I kind of wanted to make Kanna wear one.

Her eyes were sharper than Miyuki’s, so I had a feeling it would actually look pretty good on her.

Plus, she seemed like the type who’d be incredibly aggressive in bed.

Anyway, it was a peaceful, completely ordinary household.

Things had been moving at a breakneck pace lately, so I should just take it easy today and enjoy this atmosphere.

With a few indecent fantasies thrown in along the way.

After the meal, I was taking a stroll around Miyuki’s small garden to digest when my Cell Phone buzzed.

[Hey.]

It was a text from Renka.

I was just starting to get bored, so I was glad to hear from her, but... “Hey”? Where were her manners when addressing her master?

She was practically begging to be punished.

I scoffed and sent a reply.

[What.]

[What?]

[Ah, it was you, President. I thought a friend had messaged me.]

[My name shows up as the sender. You did that on purpose, didn’t you?]

[Probably not?]

[It either is or it isn’t. What do you mean ‘probably not’?]

[It’s possible.]

[Are you playing word games with me?]

[No. Why did you reach out?]

[I can reach out if I want.]

Renka threw my exact attitude right back at me.

It was a decent comeback, but in exchange for her presumptuous provocation, I’d have to subject her to some public exposure.

[True enough. What are you doing?]

[I just got home.]

[Good job. You didn’t get lost on the way?]

[What are you talking about? Why would I get lost?]

Did she not understand? Was the joke too complicated for her?

Or did she understand, but was just acting like that because she didn’t want to play along?

Whatever the case, it was amusing.

[Never mind. So why did you reach out?]

[I wanted to ask you about that manga you bought last time.]

I thought she would ask what I did with Chinami yesterday, but she brought up the manga instead.

She was clearly bothered by it, but she was trying so hard not to meddle, which was quite admirable.

But without her usual busybody tendencies, it felt a bit empty, somehow.

[Ms. Asagao's Household Circumstances?]

[Yeah. That one.]

[What about it?]

[Did you read it?]

[Not yet.]