Chapter 189

I motioned Chinami over, and she scurried up to stand in front of me.

Perhaps sensing the sudden heaviness in the mood, she tucked her hands into her hoodie sleeves and fidgeted.

I flashed her a warm smile.

"What's wrong?"

Chinami gave a little shiver.

It seemed she liked the low, deep rumble of my voice.

Whether it was Miyuki, Renka, or Chinami, they all loved that deep register. I really had been blessed.

"A-Ah, it's nothing..."

Like hell it was nothing.

She was definitely thinking about something weird again.

Seeing her bring her sleeve to her mouth and gnaw on the fabric, she had to be imagining something lewd.

"Would you come a little closer?"

Chinami took a step forward.

A step so tiny it was barely noticeable.

Smiling faintly, I closed the rest of the gap myself and gently tapped her cold-reddened nose with my finger.

Then I carefully pulled her into a hug.

"I'm a very greedy person."

"...Yes... I suppose you are..."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well... because you just said so yourself, Junior...?"

I closed my coat around Chinami, tucking her deeper into my embrace after that characteristically absurd answer.

"Umyap..."

Letting out that bizarre squeak, she squirmed in my arms.

She tried to break free, but when she realized it was no use, she meekly buried her face in my chest.

I softly rested my chin on the top of her head as it poked out from the collar of my coat.

"Do you want to hang out with Miyuki and me on Christmas?"

"...Christmas...?"

"Yeah."

"With Junior Hanazawa...?"

"Yeah."

"Why...? Aren't you two going to hang out by yourselves...?"

"Like I said, I'm a greedy person. Don't make any other plans that day."

"..."

"Got it?"

"C-Can I think about it and let you know...?"

They seemed to have grown quite close since they exchanged contact info...

Was she planning to ask Miyuki about it first?

Either way, them getting closer was a good thing for me.

"You can do that."

"Okay..."

With Miyuki, I had subtly brought up my preferences through that ridiculous porn analogy. It had somehow worked, but I couldn't pull a stunt like that with Chinami.

I would just have to steer the mood in that direction naturally.

I didn't know if this move would be a total whiff or a shot on goal.

It wasn't like I could read women's minds; I couldn't always make the perfect choice.

But rather than wasting time hesitating and agonizing over what to do, it was better to just push forward and force my will.

My head hurts.

I just wanted to enjoy Christmas without a single thought, but there was too much to worry about.

I absolutely hated complicated situations like this, but what could I do?

My goal was to somehow build a harem without the usual rom-com cop-outs like pairing the extra girls off or abandoning them entirely. I needed to be more selfish and bolder here.

The next day, during PE class.

Silently grumbling at the teacher who forced us out onto the field to play ball on such a freezing day, I trudged over to the corner bleachers and flopped onto my back.

From there, I admired Miyuki and her friends as they played volleyball.

They said pretty girls only hung out with other pretty girls, and that was spot on.

Bread Girl gave off a gloomy and ditzy yet sickly-beautiful vibe, and the Vice Representative looked like she would actually be quite refreshing if she just took off her glasses...

The rest of them were all above average in looks as well.

It was a shame their PE uniforms weren't bloomers, but forcing them to wear those in winter would cause health issues, so I let it slide.

I was lying there in a comfortable position, watching the girls play volleyball, when—

Whoosh—!

A basketball came flying toward me in a high arc. I scoffed.

It would be a crime if Doki-Aka, a game packed with every old-school cliché in the book, didn't have an event like this.

The only problem was that this ball wasn't accidentally knocked over by the girls—it came from the guys.

Smack!

I casually swatted the ball away with a wave of my arm, sat up, and glared at the boys playing on the nearby court.

"What was that for?"

The group of guys exchanged uneasy glances before Tetsuya scratched the back of his head, walked up to the bleachers, and offered an apology.

"Sorry... It slipped while I was passing..."

Just how hard did he pass it for the ball to fly all the way up to the bleachers, a full meter higher than the court?

Don't tell me this bastard threw it on purpose?

Since the guy was always pulling weird stunts, I couldn't help but be suspicious.

If he really had thrown it on purpose, Tetsuya was voluntarily reducing himself to a supporting role... no, an extra.

Tossing a stray ball to mess with the protagonist, only for the protagonist to effortlessly catch or swat it away...

It was exactly the kind of thing a jealous extra would do to a flawless main character.

I grabbed the ball as it bounced off the back wall and rolled back to me, tossing it right back to Tetsuya.

"Watch it. What if I'd been sleeping?"

"Sorry, I'll be careful next time."

"Whatever."

I gave a half-hearted reply and lay back down on the bleachers. Tetsuya bounced the ball between his hands like he was juggling, then threw it back to the other guys.

Then he tried to park his ass right next to my head.

"Move your ass. It stinks."

I made no effort to hide my disgust, and Tetsuya's face twisted into a scowl.

The guy opened and closed his mouth like he had something to say, but eventually just sighed and walked back to the court.

He didn't tack on any irritating, uncalled-for remarks today.

Did he have a change of heart after Miyuki mentioned she'd made Christmas plans with me?

No, I couldn't expect someone like Tetsuya to have that level of common sense.

"Matsuda-kun, wake up."

As I lay there with my eyes closed, killing time, Miyuki's voice reached my ears.

I limply offered her an arm. Miyuki let out a soft chuckle before straining to haul me up by my hand.

After wiping the volleyball sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, she sat down next to me with her knees pressed tightly together.

"What were you talking about with Tetsuya-kun?"

"We weren't talking about anything."

"I saw you two talking."

"Were you stalking me?"

"Oh, come on, I wasn't stalking you...! My eyes were just drawn to you, that's all..."

"Why were your eyes drawn to me?"

"Because you're lying on the bleachers on a freezing cold day."

"What's wrong with that?"

"It's not exactly normal, is it? The ground has to be freezing..."

"True enough. Are you done with volleyball?"

"Yeah. We won."

"Good job. No betting involved?"

Miyuki let out a weak laugh and shook her head.

"The other girls brought it up, but I told them we shouldn't."

"Why?"

"Well, it might make the game more fun and competitive, but... things could get out of hand. Christmas is the day after tomorrow. What if someone gets hurt?"

Our Miyuki was always so thoughtful.

She knew how to look out for others.

"By the way, Matsuda-kun."

Miyuki's tone dropped slightly as she continued.

It sounded like she wanted to talk about something serious. I would have to listen closely.

"Yeah."

"You remember that promise I made about it being just a one-time thing, right?"

There was no context, but I knew immediately what she meant.

She was talking about the threesome.

Looking at her with a serious gaze, I replied.

"I know."

"Okay... that's all I needed."

Miyuki patted my thigh, checked the time, and then called out to the other students to put the balls away.

For Miyuki to bring that up today of all days... it meant she had steeled her resolve as well.

I made a silent vow once again: I would have to treat her really well for a while after the threesome.

Wait, had I ever not treated her well?

"Junior."

"Yes, Master."

"After careful deliberation, I have arrived at the conclusion that I wish to spend Christmas with you and Junior Hanazawa."

What was with this mechanical tone? That was new.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. But I also want to spend time with Renka. My heart aches when I think of Renka being all lonely by herself."

"I understand."

"So, about that... Would it be alright if we met up late in the evening, as long as it's okay with you and Junior Hanazawa...? I can head over to where you two are."

Late in the evening... that sounded strangely suggestive.

"Of course, that's fine."

"That's a relief. But what do you plan on doing when we meet?"

"I plan on finding a restaurant with a nice atmosphere to grab a quick beer."

"B-Beer?"

"Yeah. Have you never had any?"

"Occasionally...? I don't drink often. Every now and then, Renka craves a drink, you see? I only ever have a little bit with her then."

If she had said she'd never drank at all, it would be one thing, but if it was just that much, she should be fine.

I would stick to the plan. A light buzz would help us muster up some courage.

For Miyuki and Chinami, of course, but also for me.

"You aren't opposed to drinking or anything, right?"

"No. It's fine."

"That settles it, then. We'll go with that plan."

"Got it."

Chinami's voice sounded quite stiff.

Was she nervous because she had always spent Christmas with her female friends, and now she was spending it with a guy?

No, she might actually be picturing dirty things in her head.

Chinami was a pervert, after all.

Hoping to ease her tension, I gently patted the back of her head. She let out a soft "Hehe..." and I watched as she trotted away.

Afterward, I walked up the hill for a stroll and spotted Renka sitting on a bench.

She was staring at her phone alone again.

Had a new figure been announced? Or was she reading manga?

Sneaking up behind her very carefully, I peeked to see what she was doing.

[Part-time worker wanted for a plastic model shop in Akihabara.]

[Hourly wage: 1,000 yen. Duties include cashier work, stocking, and helping build plastic models. Preferential treatment for applicants with knowledge in this field.]

[For those highly interested in figures!]

[If you can treat our figures as carefully as your own body, come to our store! Industry-leading benefits! Apply via this link!]

[Part-time worker wanted]

[Floor serving, any gender, 20+ years old, hourly wage 1,200 yen, minimum 3-month commitment.]

She was looking at part-time job postings.

True to her nature, Renka was prioritizing subculture-related jobs.

Feeling mischievous, I leaned in, put my lips right next to her ear, and asked.

"Looking for a part-time job?"

"Hyaaaah!!"

Renka threw both arms up in the air, jumping in utter terror.

Watching her shudder and leap up from her seat as if she had just seen a ghost, I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly.

"Sorry. I didn't think you'd get that badly startled."

"Hah... Hah... Hey! Why are you snooping at my phone without permission!?"

Was that really the important part here?

Then again, for someone like her, it probably was.

"I wasn't snooping. My eyes just wandered over."

"You sneaked up and looked, so you were snooping!"

"Fair enough. But why a part-time job? Are you going to wait tables?"

I deliberately left out the figure shop ad and acted like I had only seen the waitressing post. Renka's expression softened slightly as she replied.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why...? It's normal for students. Working a part-time job during vacation for pocket money."

"True. But if you're going to get a job, wouldn't it be better to work at your uncle's place?"

"It's fine if I just go help out occasionally, but it's too far to commute every day."

"You could just eat and sleep there."

"I can't really sleep unless it's in my own house, in my own room."

"You slept just fine at the Hotel last time..."

"Stop! Stop it!"

Renka frantically cut me off.

It seemed bringing up the Hotel had embarrassed her.

As always, she glanced around to see if anyone was nearby. Then, crossing her arms, she jerked her chin toward the Club Room.

"Stop spouting nonsense and get to work."

"You keep saying that. But I already finished all the work."

"If you're done, then go practice. The tournament is right around the corner; do you have time to slack off?"

"Then watch my downward strikes."

"Me?"