Volume 03

Prologue, Chapter 01 and 02 were proofread by ChronicPanda.
Prologue
Chapter 01: Homeless Girl Elni
Chapter 02: Confrontation! Between the Queen and the Mad Dog….and also the Cat
Chapter 03: The hidden flavour is a Bunny and a Nurse?
Chapter 04: Way home through the rain
Epilogue




Prologue

Just how did it turn out like this?
While looking at the ceiling of the bath, I imagined tilting my head.
If I were to face right, a red-haired beauty. If I were to face left, a silver-haired beauty.
I was in the bath, trapped between those two beauties. Though covered in a towel, from the right two voluminous breasts and from the left two smaller, but incredibly soft breasts were pressing against my respective arms.
What’s more, both beauties said “It sure is cramped” and “Budge up” and started to press against me from both sides. Their finely chiselled features drew closer and their breaths tickled my ears.
This wasn’t good.
In my head, echoed the sound of my reasoning crumbling away and I covered my head with both my arms…




Chapter 01: Homeless Girl Elni

“Ah, no, not there….”
Along with the sound of rain from outside, an erotic voice echoed within my room.
“Yah, no… Not fair….”
I inadvertently tightened my grip on the fountain pen in my hand and looked up from my desk.
With such a seductive voice coming from behind me, I couldn’t concentrate on my homework. I sighed and turned around, facing the origin of the voice.
What I saw first were two beautiful, dangling legs. Red hair grown down to the waist. And white panties peeking out from a short skirt.
….I didn’t mind that she was playing a game on my bed, but she was too defenceless while doing that. Laying face-down on my bed while resting her chin on the pillow and playing the portable game console that she borrowed from my little sister, Nazuna, she didn’t pay any attention to her body-posture. Every time she dangled her legs, I could see her panties from her round hipline.
On top of that, her erotic voice moaned “A- Ahn…”. I averted my gaze from her panties and opened my mouth.
“Machina, can’t you pipe it down a bit?”
I called out to the red-haired girl—Machina Liebelei Orangelo, to which she turned around in response.
At that moment, her long, red hair swayed, then her amber eyes, her prudent features and her perfect proportions came into my vision.
Machina, who looked at me, with her appearance that resembled a queen, was the stepsister of our freeloading blonde beauty, Luna, and was also a hybrid devil.
Ever since we’d met, she had been angry with me for summoning her older sister, Luna, to the human world and had tried to make me her slave—-As a result, some conflict occurred.
I was injured during that conflict and was hospitalised for a little while, but I was able to reconcile with Machina.
After I was released from the hospital, I invited Machina to live with us and she accepted, but…. for some reason, Machina was always coming to my room to hang out, read manga or play games. Then she would fall asleep, just like that.
She dropped her guard around me, but I wish that she would be a bit more wary around me.
Actually, Machina saw my bed as her personal spot, so recently it has been giving off a sweet fragrance and whenever I’ve tried to sleep, I’ve been unable to calm down due to that.
I should air out my blankets on the next sunny day. Thinking that, I faced Machina.
“I won’t tell you to leave, but be a bit quieter. I can’t concentrate on my homework.”
I pointed that out with a gentle tone, to which Machina responded by briefly staring at me in puzzlement, then she giggled, amused for some reason and sat up. She sat on the bed with her legs crossed. She really looked like a queen.
“Well, Shinobu, I guess you want to play this game too?”
“No, not all.”
“Of course you would, after seeing me play it so happily….Eh? Wait. Did you say ‘not at all‘?”
“Yeah, I don’t really want to play it. I’m studying, so keep quiet.”
I told Machina off, as she stared in surprise. But Machina made a face, which showed that she didn’t believe me.
“Y- You don’t have to force yourself to say that. This game is really interesting.”
“Sorry, but not interested.”
Once again, I shot down Machina, who desperately tried to make me play. In response to that, Machina became teary-eyed for some reason.
“Don’t say that and try it! Here, come over!”
It was more of a request than an order. Machina was tapping on the bed beside her, with teary eyes.
I wanted to focus on my homework, but I felt sorry for her, so I went along with it for a change of pace.

I stood up from the chair and sat down on the bed. At that moment, Machina smiled and handed me the portable game console.
The game was an action RPG, which prioritised the player’s handling of the character.
I wasn’t particularly bad with this kind of game and I could clear it normally…or so I thought.
“Isn’t this pretty difficult?”
Machina sat closely beside me and leaned in to look down at the game console in my hands, so I couldn’t concentrate on the game at all.
My thigh was pressed against Machina’s and her soft breasts were pressed against my upper arm. Her sweet fragrance caused my nasal cavity to tingle.
Whenever Machina or my arm moved slightly, the sensation of her breasts pressing against my upper arm increased….The game no longer mattered.
Because of my absent-minded playing, the game console screen showed a “Game Over” in red letters, before a minute had even passed.
“…You suck.”
“Wait. The sun blinded me in this position.”
“…It’s raining, you know?”
“In my heart too.”
I gave Machina, who was pointing at the window, a random reply and was about to press the play button with a “Once more”. But as I reached out my hand, it was stopped.
“Shinobu, should I show you how it’s done?”
When I raised my head, Machina had brought her face, with a triumphant expression, closer. She was really close. So close, that I could feel her breath. Inadvertently I looked down at the game console and rejected her with a “It’s fine”. But
“Just listen to me!”
Machina brought her body even closer and started to explain it, in a good mood.
She probably wanted to boast about how she was better at the game than me, but her breasts were pressing against me even harder than before and her beautiful face was really close, so I screamed in my mind. Her two beautiful, pink lips with a happy expression on her face.
Against my will, I found myself being charmed by that expression and ignored Machina’s explanation.

“So? Understand it?”
Even though she asked me with such a smile, I didn’t understand anything.
“Sorry. I wasn’t listening at all.”
“Wh- Why!?”
When I apologised honestly, she got angry.
Though Machina frowned angrily, I somehow knew that she wasn’t seriously angry. And that was because her expression looked more sulky than scary and was somewhat adorable.
“…You’re cute.”
I remembered how she never showed me this kind of expression at the beginning and was a bit happy, that she had warmed up to me, so I carelessly revealed my true thoughts. To my words, Machina’s cheeks were dyed crimson.
Seeing that, awoke the instinct in me to tease her.
“What? You’re embarrassed?”
I poked Machina’s cheeks teasingly.
For a moment, a marshmallow-like sensation attacked my fingertip.
Oh, wow. Why was a girl’s skin so soft? While surprised, I waited for Machina’s reaction.
I thought for sure, that she would get angry about the teasing, but… I didn’t expect this. With her cheeks still red, Machina didn’t show any sign of opposing it and looked at me with upturned eyes.
“Geez…. Idiot…”
Because she said that, while embarrassed, I inadvertently stopped poking Machina’s cheeks. AsI quickly pulled back my finger, Machina’s pink lips drew closer and like a greeting, she softly kissed my fingertip.
On top of that, her well-formed lips slightly opened and my index finger was pinched between her upper and lower lip.
The sensation of soft and fluffy lips. A warmth that sent a shudder down my spine. My finger between her lips became hot and that heat even affected my cheeks. Machina smiled mischievously and licked my finger with the tip of her tongue while still looking up at me. Then she pulled her mouth away.
“Next time, I’ll bite.”
“….I don’t taste good.”
I answered in a cool manner, while feigning calmness, when Machina frowned for some reason and suddenly bit onto my finger.
“Ow! I haven’t done anything yet!”
“It’ll be too late when I wait for you to do something.”
What a cruel statement. Was I an at-risk criminal or what? As I rubbed my bitten finger, Machina faced sideways with a displeased expression and mumbled quietly.
“…It’s not fair, that I’m the only one getting excited.”
“What did you say?”
I couldn’t hear her quiet voice. When I asked her to repeat it, Machina turned her back to me and laid face-down on the bed. Then she rested her chin on the pillow and answered while sulking.
“Nothing. Stupid Shinobu…”
I didn’t really understand how, but somehow I’d made her angry.
“My bad. I apologise, so forgive me.”
I lowered my head, then Machina gave me a side glance.
Her sulking expression was quite cute too. While my thoughts wandered in that direction, Machina opened her mouth after a short period of hesitation.
“…Will you listen properly this time?”
“Yeah, I will. I can’t clear the game like this. Please teach me.”
“Can‘t be helped.”
When I pleaded to her, Machina nodded, not all that unpleased by it and straightened her body. Then she slightly relaxed the corners of her mouth and once again sat beside me while leaning towards me. Then she started explaining the game. The sound of the increasing rain served as BGM and when I answered in agreement to Machina’s explanations, there suddenly was a knock on my door and I heard a beautiful voice, that sounded like the ringing of a bell, say “Shinobu-san, can I come in?”.
That voice was Luna’s.
“Sure, come in.”
When I answered, the door opened and an unrivalled beauty peeked inside.
Her long, straight and shining blonde hair swayed, as she approached me. The name of the girl with the dynamite body that gave off a neat aura, was Luna.
She was the older sister of Machina, who sat beside me, and also a devil like Machina, but…. well, a lot had happened and she was currently freeloading at my place.
Luna wore a gentle smile, like always, and handed me the spare phone handset, with the words “It is from Tomoe-san”. Luna sat down on the bed on my other side and I thought that was it, but she then clung onto me, while still smiling.
Immediately, her two big, voluminous breasts enveloped my arm and buried it. I felt an indescribably soft sensation from the left and moderate elasticity and a body warmth that melted my brain from the right. My reasoning took a blow.
The gentle, older sister Luna, whose whole body gave off an aura that made you want to spoil her, lately had developed a tendency to cling to me, while smiling, either due to influence from Nazuna or from me previously saying “It’s okay to act spoiled with me”.
But doing that was bad in many ways. I tried to keep my composure, when Machina sneaked a glance at my face.
“Shinobu, your face is red.”
She smiled playfully and then clung to me like Luna. Machina’s big breasts pressed against my upper arm. They softly changed shape, their softness and elasticity transmitting onto my arm. This development wasn’t good. The stimulation was too strong. With that in mind, I slowly separated myself from Luna and Machina.
To them, a hug was just like a greeting.
It wasn’t good for my heart. I took a deep breath to calm my mind. Then I looked down at the phone, that I’d gotten from Luna.
Luna had said that it was from my mother, but what could she want?
My mother had left a day after Nazuna ran away from home and hadn’t even come home when she returned or when I was released from the hospital.
When she called a few days ago, she said her return might be delayed a bit. Her trip was supposed to last a week.
Now it had extended quite a lot. I inadvertently made a wry smile.
“….What? You’re not going to answer it?
“Shinobu-san, Tomoe-san is waiting.”
Urged by Luna and Machina, I pressed the call button and answered the call.
“Yo, it’s me. So, what’s up?”
“…Don’t be so cheeky or I’ll smack you once I’m home.”
“Ah, the reception is bad here. I couldn’t hear you well. Just let me say, I’m sorry.”
Her threatening voice made me break out in a cold sweat, so I quickly apologised. Then my mother said, sounding disappointed.
“Actually, I would like to hit you right now, but the situation here has changed a bit and it doesn’t seem like I’ll come back any time soon.”
“That’s go– I mean, too bad.”
“You just wanted to say ‘That’s good’, didn’t you?”
“By no means. There’s no way I would say that. I love you, Mom.”
“Disgusting!”
My mother shrieked something rude.
Her reaction hurt me. In the corner of my eye, Luna and Machina were making envious expressions for some reason, but I ignored them and asked my mother.
“So, when do you think you’ll be back?”
“Mh~ I don’t know yet. I’ll call you again once I know. You take care of things while I’m gone.”
“Yeah, leave it to me.”
I replied firmly with a nod. Then, my mother asked about a different topic.
“How’s it going on your end?”
“…Eh?”
“Hey, what’s with the ‘eh’? Did you do something?”
“N- No, nothing….”
I feigned ignorance, while averting my eyes.
My mother didn’t know about me getting injured and hospitalised, nor about Machina living here, since I didn’t report it to her. I feared that she would surely get angry, so it was hard to bring up.
My mother seemed to have noticed something in my tone, so she said doubtfully.
“…Did something happen?”
“Nah, nothing. Only that, Luna stayed up late reading a shoujo manga she borrowed from Nazuna, thus she lacked sleep and tried to make breakfast, while only wearing her underwear and an apron.”
I glanced at Luna, who was hiding her face with both her hands, probably out of shame.
“I was half-asleep at that time…”
Luna became bright red up to her ears and mumbled an excuse.
That was somewhat cute. I continued.
“Also, Luna was chased by Satou-san’s dog and was close to tears—”
“Sh- Shinobu-san! I told you to keep that a secret….”
Quickly interrupting me, Luna probably wanted to protest. She pulled lightly on my sleeve.
“You can not, Shinobu-san. Do not say anything else…”
Luna begged me with upturned eyes and red cheeks.
That was kinda erotic. I nodded and lightly patted Luna’s head. Then I brought the phone back to my ears and could hear some laughter from it.
“Seems like nothing has changed over there.”
“Yeah, nothing at all. The sun rose in the east again today.”
While saying that, I decided to tell my mother about Machina when she came home and was calm. That might just be postponing the problem, but my mother seemed busy, so it wouldn’t be all too wise to tell her now.
With that in mind, I simply shifted my gaze towards Machina.
“Shinobu, let’s continue the game.”
Machina leaked a spoiled voice.
Right afterwards, my mother exclaimed with a puzzled “Mh?” through the phone.
“Hey, Shinobu. Didn’t I hear a girl’s voice just now? Is there someone else besides Luna-chan there?”
“I’m Rika-chan. I’m behind Shinobu-kun right now.”
I tried my best to speak in a high voice.
“…Sounds suspicious.”
“Boys are more charming when they’re a bit mysterious, right?”
“Says a guy without any charm….”
What a horrible thing she’d said. I took a light blow, then I left the room to prevent Machina’s voice from being heard. I waited for my mother’s reaction.
After a short while, my mother sighed and said.
“Well, whatever. I’ll call again.”
“Yeah, bye.”
Seemed like I’d fooled her. When I was about to hang up relieved,
“–Ah, wait a minute, Shinobu.”
My mother said, as she seemed to have remembered something.
“Reminds me, I heard a typhoon is coming your way?”
“Yeah, the weather report said it will hit us tonight…”
I went down the stairs to the living room and checked outside, through the window.
“Though it might already be here.”
Even inside the house, the strong, howling wind could be heard and the rain swept against the windows.
—An out of season typhoon. The rainy season had only just begun and typhoon #5 had already struck ahead of time.
Judging by the situation outside, I would say a typhoon alarm could ring at any moment, not just tonight.
While I thought about that, my mother suddenly said teasingly.
“Shinobu, if Luna-chan comes to your room tonight saying “I’m scared of the typhoon”….be nice to her, you hear? By doing so, I’m sure Luna-chan will be more than willing to do some stuff, you know?”
“Stuff?”
I repeated back like a parrot, which my mother answered while giggling through the phone.
“You already know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t. No clue at all.”
“You really are shy.”
“OH! BAD COMMUNICATION!”
I replied, astonished, when my mother laughed and left a “Bye” and hung up.
“Geez, she says the weirdest things…”
I put down the phone, while grumbling, and just wanted to head back to my room, but before I could, I heard the front door opening and then an energetic voice saying “I’m home”.
When I went to the front door, a girl with big eyes and adorable features, like a cat— Nazuna stood there completely drenched from the rain. Then she noticed me and waved her hand.
“Brother, I’m home!”
Even drenched, Nazuna was a bundle of energy.
“Yo, welcome home. Didn’t you have an umbrella?”
“Yes, I had a collapsible umbrella. But the strong wind broke it. I thought I could fix it, but when I loosened my grip for just a moment, it was blown away…. and became a star.”
Nazuna made a sad expression and clapped her hands together saying “Rest in peace”.
“Is the wind that strong?”
I asked, surprised, to which Nazuna gave a big nod.
“Really strong. Kashiwagi-sensei stopped club activities and offered to drive us home in the car, but I refused since my route isn’t all that long. But the wind was stronger than I expected and a couple of times I was nearly blown away—It’s a small disaster!”
Nazuna said, exaggerating what happened, then mumbled “I should have let Sensei take me home in the car after all” and untied the ribbon at the back of her head. After that she lightly shook her head.
As she did that, small droplets fell down from her untied hair.
“I’ll bring you a towel. Wait a moment.”
Saying that, I turned my back to Nazuna, taking a towel from the bath anteroom and went back to the front door. There, I reached out for Nazuna’s head and dried her hair with the towel.
To that, Nazuna smiled happily.
“Ehehe, Brother~”
“–Don’t start clinging to me. You’re all wet.”
I said, to keep Nazuna, who had spread both her arms, in check. In response to that, Nazuna froze on the spot and pouted slightly.
“You’re so cold.”
“Because I’m cool.”
“But your heart is HOT!”
“You know your stuff.”
While saying that, I gently wiped her hair, like if I was petting her and Nazuna squinted in pleasure. That behaviour resembled a cat’s and made me to smile. Then I patted Nazuna’s head lightly through the towel and said.
“Good, now you’re not dripping anymore. Nazuna, go take a shower.”
“….Already over?”
“An extension will cost extra.”
I firmly informed Nazuna, who looked regretful.
“How much?”
Nazuna pulled out her wallet with a smile.
“Hey, don’t be stupid and go take a shower already or you’ll catch a cold.”
Ruffling her wet hair around made her hairstyle look like a bird‘s nest, whereupon Nazuna fled from my hand with a happy “Uaah~” scream and headed for the bath anteroom.
But suddenly she stopped, turned around and looked towards the front door.
“What’s up?”
I asked, when Nazuna made a slightly worried expression and said quietly.
“….Will Elni-chan be fine?”
“Mh? Elni?”
As I repeated back, the image of a slightly disappointing beauty that claimed to be a “Goddess” floated into my head.
That reminded me, that she was living in a tent under the bridge over the river bed…..Will she really be fine? Like Nazuna, I looked at the front door, then I opened it.
Immediately, a really strong wind blew inside the house. While the wind hit my cheeks, I shifted my gaze outside. I saw the signboard of some shop flying high through the air.

Watching that scene dumbfounded, I closed the front door, wordlessly, and turned around, saying.
“Impossible. Even Elni would take shelter somewhere on a day like this.”
“Y- You’re right. Ahaha.”
“Ahahaha.”
Together with Nazuna, I laughed cheerfully…. but I was worried.
Nazuna with her back to me, said “I’ll send her a mail later on” with a serious voice and headed for the bath anteroom.
After watching Nazuna leave, I locked the front door and moved to the living room. I watched the situation outside through the window, as I slowly grew more concerned as I listened to the howling of the wind.
“Guess I’ll call her…”
I pulled out my cell phone, from the pocket of my trousers and called Elni. But the call didn’t connect and I only got the answering machine.
“….Should I go check up on her?”
I just couldn’t stop my unrest. That’s when I ran into Luna, who’d come down the stairs.
“Ah, Shinobu-san. Did Nazuna-chan come home just now?”
“Yeah, she’s in the shower now. She was completely drenched by the rain.”
“….Is that so. I was so absorbed in the game that I did not notice.”
Luna made a regretful expression.
Mhm, Luna sure loved to welcome people back and send people off.
“Well, there are days like this.”
I patted Luna’s shoulders to console her and then headed for the front door. Doing so, Luna immediately called out from behind me.
“Where are you going, Shinobu-san? Machina is waiting, you know?”
“Sorry, but tell her that the game will have to wait for some other time. I’m going out for a bit.”
“Eh? Going out….but the wind, it is dangerous.”
I heard the concern in Luna’s voice, but without answering her, I silently put on my shoes. Then
“Ehm, Shinobu-san…”
Luna called out to me once again, so I turned around and gave a thumbs up, saying.
“—I’LL BE BACK.”
I’d always just wanted to say that line, but Luna made a fascinated expression.
“Shinobu-san, so cool…”
Mh, Luna was playing along surprisingly.
Stopping myself from showing a smile, I picked up an umbrella, opened the front door and headed outside.
Outside the rain poured down heavily and the wind was stronger than I could believe. My vinyl umbrella was blown around, after I’d opened it, by the strong wind and in a moment of carelessness it was blown out of my hand… turning it into a star.
…No wonder Nazuna had called it a small disaster. I looked towards my star umbrella, then started walking towards Elni’s house, while the wind made a whirling sound. But, after only a few minutes had passed since I’d left the house, my whole body was already drenched. I combed up the bangs that stuck to my forehead and sighed.
“I hope Elni has taken shelter…”
As a kid, I’d always gotten a strange kind of hype when a typhoon came, but not anymore.
Wincing from the strong rain and wind, I continued my march, when I saw a single girl carrying a travel bag over her shoulder staggering over from the crossing.
It was Elni. Surprisingly, she didn’t have her usual twin tails, but her shining silver hair hang down straight, so I hadn’t recognised her at first. But when she got closer, I noticed her French doll-like features and her crimson, gem-like eyes.
“Hey~ Elni!”
When I called out to her, she stopped and looked at me.
“Shinobu….”
When she recognised me, Elni’s eyes suddenly started to water, then she started running towards me…and clung to me just like that.
“H- Hey, what’s up?”
I asked, while agitated over the feeling of her soft body, when suddenly Elni started shouting as she cried.
“Shinobu! My house is gone!”
“….Eh?”
I inadvertently leaked a surprised voice from my mouth to her statement.
When I asked for details, she’d said that her tent had been apparently swept up by the typhoon and blown away. Elni continued explaining, with tears in her eyes.
“I heard a typhoon was coming tonight, so I had planned to stay at your house today. I had already packed my things and just took a nap, so that we could have a pyjama party all night long…”
Elni had been woken up by the unusual phenomenon and had just left the tent with her travel bag, when the wind blew it away into the flooded river, where it then drifted away.
“Sounds like you’ve had it tough.”
I gently reached out my hand to Elni’s head.
“But well, no need to worry anymore. It’s okay now.”
I smiled at her, while patting her head.
“Elni, stay over at my house. Looking after you won’t be a problem.”
I wanted to let her stay at my house, since it didn’t seem like she had anywhere else to go, when suddenly her crying expression from before disappeared. To my words, Elni’s cheeks reddened for some reason and she said.
“My, asking me to spend the night with you….”
“See you.”
Not joining in on her joke, I turned my back to her.
Immediately, Elni became close to tears and her saddened voice echoed “Wait, Shinobu~” behind me and two extremely soft swellings pressed against my back.
I felt my pulse raising and sighed quietly.
“Stop with the stupid things and let’s go.”
“Yeah, towards our love…”
“…When we’re home, I’ll build you a small dog house in the garden, so you can live there.”
I fired back a rather mean joke, to which Elni nodded nonchalantly.
“Mh, you mean as a watch dog? Leave it to me, Shinobu! This Mad Dog will protect the Nanjou household with all its might! Personal guards are in fashion right now!”
“Bones are fine as payment, right?”
“Grrrr!”
Maybe in protest, Mad Dog Elni intimidated me with an adorable growl.
I gave her a wry smile, then I hurried home in the strong wind, while exchanging jokes with Elni.

* * *

“…We finally made it back.”
I was a bit tired from walking through the downpour of rain and the gusts of wind.
Elni should be the same. Hit by the rain, her whole body was drenched like mine.
At this rate, both of us would catch a cold. I took Elni inside the house.
Doing so, we met Luna and Machina, standing worried at the front door. Once they confirmed my well-being, they made relieved expressions.
“Welcome back, Shinobu-san.”
“Geez, you’re totally soaked. Where did you go?”
“I’m back. I just went to check on Elni.”
“Elni-chan?”
When Luna asked back, Elni showed her face from behind my back and greeted her, with one hand.
“Hello, I’m the wingless Angel—Elni.“
“You’re as cheeky as ever…”
Machina said wearily, but Elni ignored it and continued by patting me on my shoulder.
“And this is a fine, drenched man.”
“W- Well, that I won’t deny.”
You won’t, huh. I was a bit surprised by Machina’s words, when suddenly Elni coughed.
“Then, dear Customer, this fine man—will you eat him here or take him to go?”
“Eh? Well, to go….”
For some reason, Machina played along. Then Elni smiled suspiciously and answered.
“That will be a million yen then, dear Customer.”
“Okay, I’ll pay by card—wait, that isn’t right!”
“Exactly!”
AsMachina tried to set her straight, Luna nodded in approval and said with a slightly angry expression.
“A million yen is way too cheap for Shinobu-san!”
“Ehh? S-Sister? I don’t think that’s the thing you should get angry about…”
Machina said, admonishing her and even Elni looked a bit surprised as she agreed with Machina.
“Y- Yeah. I wanted you to get angry about how I didn’t have any right to sell off Shinobu….”
In response to what they both said, Luna averted her eyes in embarrassment. Then she presented me with the towel in her hand, to avoid the topic.
“Sh- Shinobu-san, please wipe your body with this for now.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Luna’s cheeks had already turned red, so I didn’t say anything else, I just took the towel and wiped my wet hair with it. Seeing that, Elni reached her hand out to Machina and said.
“Machina, give me a towel too.”
“…There isn’t one for you. Actually, why are you even here? Hurry up and go back to your small house.”
Upon Machina’s cold words, Elni pouted. Then she angrily clung to Machina and rubbed her wet body against her.
“H- Hey, you’re making me wet! Stop it!”
“Feel the Goddess’ wrath!”
On a rare occasion, Elni was angry.
Well, it was understandable. Not only was it frustrating to have one’s home made fun of, but that home was even destroyed. This was totally Machina’s fault.
“Shinobu! Don’t just look and do something!”
“No, reflect on your actions for a bit.”
Machina made a shocked face upon my suggestion.
“….You’re taking her side, Shinobu?”
It was somewhat troubling, that she’d asked that with a weak voice. I quickly explained.
That Elni’s house was blown away by the typhoon and that I wanted Elni to stay with us for a while, since she had nowhere else to go.
When I finished my explanation, Luna made a sad expression, even though it didn’t concern her.
“That must have been tough, Elni-chan.”
“Yeah, it was. I no longer have a place to return to, except Shinobu’s arms.”
“Wait, that won’t do. Shinobu’s arms have a fully booked schedule!”
“Right.”
I replied, to Machina’s angry outburst and nonchalantly looked in Luna’s direction. To that, Luna made a serious expression and asked.
“Shinobu-san, are you still taking reservations?”
“Mh? You don’t need to make any reservations, Luna. Because I’ll offer them to you right now.”
Saying that, I spread my arms slightly. Then Machina and Elni raised their hands and asked.
“Shinobu, what about me?”
“And me?”
“Ask my secretary.”
I replied bluntly, then the two of them hit me repeatedly. It hurt quite a bit…
To escape, I separated myself from them. Then I faced Elni.
“Okay, enough of the jokes. Go take a shower.”
“Indeed. I heated the bath already, so please go warm yourself up.”
Mh, Luna would make the perfect wife. I put my hand on Elni’s head softly.
“Now hop into the bath.”
“…But you’re all drenched from the rain too, Shinobu. Why don’t you go in first?”
“I’m fine. You go in first or you’ll catch a cold.”
I patted her head lightly, when Elni puffed her chest and answered.
“No worries, idiots don’t catch colds. So you go in first, Shinobu.”
“Oh, alright.”
Her statement had a mysterious persuasive power, so I inadvertently agreed. Elni pushed me on my back towards the anteroom. I entered the bath and took a warm shower.
“…Wait. How can I accept this as a man?”
I twisted my neck on my realisation.
Urged on by Elni, I had ended up getting into the bath, but shouldn’t I have made the girl go in first, even by force?
“I screwed up…”
I turned off the shower and sighed.
“I better make it quick.”
Mumbling that, I’d just reached out for the body soap to wash my body, when
“Shinobu~ I’m coming in~”
I suddenly heard Elni’s cheerful voice, from the other side of the bath door.
I turned around in surprise, when I saw a faint silhouette through the door.
“Eh? W- Wait…”
I quickly wrapped a towel around my waist and without a chance to utter a protest, the door opened and Elni appeared.
My eyes focused on her snow-white skin. Her tender hands and feet. And her stylish thighs that peeked out from the bath towel.
Elni, with a bath towel wrapped around her chest, approached me, as I stared at her wide-eyed, and said to me with a smile.
“Shinobu, I’m here to wash your back, as thanks for letting me stay over!”
“N- No, it’s fine, you don’t need to. Don’t stand behind me!”
My heart made a loud THUMP THUMP sound while I averted my gaze from Elni and cowered. Then a noise could be heard from the anteroom and suddenly the door opened. There
“Hey, why are you going in when Shinobu is already inside!?”
Machina, clad in a bath towel, like Elni, entered the bath.
Her body wrapped up in a bath towel exposed the cleavage of her soft breasts and revealed her sexy thighs. When Machina made eye-contact with me, her cheeks turned slightly red, but she soon averted her gaze and glared at Elni.
“When you suddenly disappeared from the living room, I knew it was suspicious, so I came here…What are you doing here?”
Machina asked somewhat forcefully, but Elni showed no sign of being affected und just smiled.
“I was happy that Shinobu helped me, so I came to wash his back as thanks.”
Answering as such, Elni tilted her head and asked Machina now.
“But what are you doing here, Machina?”
“I, I’m here to take a shower, since you got my clothes wet and it would be bad if I caught a cold. W- Well, I also thought I might as well wash Shinobu’s back, while I’m at it….”
With her flushed cheeks, Machina sneaked a glance at me. Then Elni nodded in approval.
“Mh, is that so. …But, I already have that covered. So, you can just take a shower and warm up your body, Machina.”
“…No, I will be worried if you do it, so I’ll wash Shinobu’s back. You take a shower and get into the bath.”
“Even I can do it properly. You can get into the bath, Machina. I’ll wash Shinobu’s back.”
“That’s unacceptable. I’ll do it!”
“No, I will!”
“I will!”
Gradually, the volume of their voices increased. Even if I were to heat up in the bath now, I wouldn’t know where to look. Shyly I called out to them.
“Y- You two, how about you calm down a bit?”
I suggested, with a gentle tone, when suddenly Machina sharply pointed at me.
“Then we’ll have Shinobu decide who will wash his back! No complaints then, okay?”
“Yeah, good. Shinobu, who will it be?”
“Me, right? If you want… I’ll even step on you.”
“Then I’ll wear a school swimsuit!”
Machina smiled sexily, while Elni wore an angelic smile.
Looks like I couldn’t avoid making a choice. I averted my gaze from them and answered.
“….How about you decide with rock, paper and scissors?”
I tried a peaceful solution.
To that, both of them nodded obediently, to my surprise.
“Okay rock, paper and scissor it is. Just telling you, I’ll do ‘scissors’ first.”
“H- Hey! Mental warfare is cowardly! I’m bad at it!”
Machina smiled suspiciously and Elni panicked.
Elni desperately started to consider which sign to make, but Machina didn’t allow her to and opened her mouth.
“Here we go.”
“Uhm, Machina you coward!”
After the initial “First will be rock”, they challenged each other to “Rock, paper, scissors!”.
As a result, Machina had “rock” and Elni had “paper”. Victory for Elni.
Machina looked at Elni’s “paper”, widened her eyes in surprise and shouted
“Hey, why! I told you I would choose scissors, so you should’ve used my plan against me and brought out scissor yourself!”
“…I don’t know myself, why I choose paper.”
“Because your brain is paper! Idiot!”
Elni tilted her head, puzzled, whereupon Machina shouted in frustration and sat down on the frame of the bathtub with her shoulders dropped.
Upon that, Elni faced me with teary eyes.
“…Shinobu, Machina said something mean.”
“Really? I thought it was pretty smart.”
“Not at all! Whatever, you just sit down here, Shinobu.”
“Y- Yeah…”
There was no chance for me to escape, so I resigned myself and sat down on the bath stool like Elni had told me to.
Elni kneeled down on the tile right besides me and applied the body soap to a sponge. From my point of view, I could see her beautiful neck and her collarbone line and even her small breasts covered by the bath towel.
In the moment that I thought how beautiful she was, I made eye-contact with Elni.
“What?”
“N- No, nothing….”
I averted my gaze from the smiling Elni, when Machina mumbled “Pervert” in dissatisfaction.
I wanted to disagree, but it would only be an excuse. I closed my mouth, which I had opened to reply. Then Elni got behind me and put her hand onto my shoulder.
I felt her warm body temperature on my shoulder. Why did skin-to-skin contact feel so warm and pleasant while also making you excited?
“Okay, I’m going to start.”
Saying that, Elni washed my back by using the sponge, but just having Elni’s fingertips, which were gripping onto the front of the sponge, touch my body made my heart race.
“Shinobu, does it feel good?”
“….Y- Yeah.”
Not able to hide my agitation, I turned tight-lipped. To that, Elni leaked a happy “I see”, but suddenly rested her hand on me and said.
“….But I must say, you have a lot more muscles than I thought, Shinobu. And when I look closer, you’re scarred all over your body. How did you get this one?”
Elni asked while tracing over my right shoulder.
While getting a tickling sensation, I answered.
“I think that one is from when Gramps threw a wooden shuriken at me.”
As I remembered said incident, Machina suddenly stood up with a displeased expression.
“Geez, how long are you going to take, just to wash his back!”
Machina looked down at us and continued.
“You leave me no other choice but to help out.”
“Mh, but it was me, who won at rock, paper, and scissors. So I’m washing his back.”
Elni frowned, but Machina smiled dauntlessly and answered.
“Yes, you wash his back all you like. But—I’ll wash his chest!”
“….Huh?”
I leaked a surprised voice from my mouth unintentionally. But Machina ignored that and kneeled down in front of me with slightly red cheeks, after she’d grabbed the body soap.
In that moment, her big breasts swayed. When I shifted my gaze lower, a wonderful view of cleavage revealed itself to my eyes.
“Just give me a second…”
Saying that somewhat happily, Machina applied the body soap to her own hands and turned it into foam. Elni was using the sponge and there wasn’t another, but did she really intend on washing me with her hands? I looked at Machina, baffled, when my hunch became reality. Machina reached her hands out slowly and placed them on my chest.
Just by doing that my heart rate skyrocketed.
Then Machina moved her hands towards my collarbone and she became a bit misty-eyed.
“…It really did leave a scar.”
Looking at the scar on my chest, Machina said sorrowfully.
I suffered a cut across my chest when I shielded Machina.
I, myself wasn’t bothered by it, but Machina seemed to be.
“It doesn’t hurt anymore?”
Machina asked me, with upturned eyes, while she gently traced over the scar on my chest.
For some reason, a shiver ran down my spine, just from such a trivial thing.
“I, I’m fine, so don’t worry about it.”
I replied, with a faintly shrill voice and Machina smiled, relieved. Then she reached out with both her hands and washed my chest gently, like she was petting it. Every time Machina’s hand reached my neck, my breastbone, my collarbone or my abdomen, I felt my own cheeks getting hotter.
On top of that, when Machina moved her arms, her two big swellings swayed freely as to remind me of their existence. Sometimes swaying about with great elasticity. And at other times, with a boing. The darkness of the valley within her deep cleavage kept expanding and contracting, quite the hectic event.
“Shinobu… Should I wash your legs too?”
Machina smiled sexily and playfully, while she put her hands onto my thighs.
Now that was bad in various ways.
From behind, Elni had started to wash my arms after she’d finished with my back. Elni was in a good mood and was humming, but her breasts were pressed onto my back. Even through the towel, they were extremely soft and moderate sized swellings. They were fluffy. Fluffiness behind me and fluffiness in front of me.
…That wasn’t good. I stood up wordlessly and turned my back to them with one hand up.
“Okay, that’s enough….”
“Eh? Where are you going?”
“—The time has come. That’s all.”
I randomly brushed off the perplexed Machina and was about to head for the bath door. But it wasn’t meant to be and both my hands were grabbed firmly.
“Shinobu, you’ll catch a cold if you don’t warm yourself up properly in the bath.”
“Yeah. Get into the bath obediently.”
My right hand was taken by Elni and my left by Machina. Unable to shake the two of them off, I was pushed from behind by Elni and Machina. I got into the bathtub with my back to them. A previous guest still floated in the bathtub, a duck toy.
“Shinobu, properly submerge yourself up to your shoulders and count to one hundred.”
I was treated like a kid. Was she my mother or what? In the moment that I turned around to voice my complaints to Machina, who had said that in a teasing tone, a skin-coloured world appeared before my eyes.
To wash her body, Elni had untied the bath towel and was stark naked. Her skin white like porcelain. Modest breasts. And her little navel filled my vision, so I quickly averted my eyes. But like that, I shifted my gaze to Machina. She probably didn’t notice my gaze, as she reached out for her own bath towel and undid it without hesitation.
In that moment, her two, voluminous breasts swayed, as to present their own majestic sight. At the same time, her narrow waist and beautiful long legs came into vision. I immediately turned my back to both of them and sunk into the bathtub up to my mouth.
These two were defenseless beyond help.
I couldn’t get the image of Elni and Machina’s naked bodies, that I’d just witnessed, out of my head and was in agony by myself, while the two of them made a ruckus of KYAs, as if they had forgotten that I was here.
“Machina, your breasts sure are big…”
“Your skin is quite beautiful too—wait, ahn. Hey, don’t suddenly touch me. You…”
“Ahh…M, Mh…Here is payback.”
“N- No. Ahn….”
Just what were these two doing?
I could hear erotic voices from behind, so I couldn’t calm down at all. I was quite concerned about what exactly they were doing. But I couldn’t really take a peek.
I was once again in agony, when Machina suddenly leaked a voice.
“Geez, give it a rest already!”
“Ow! …How mean! You didn’t have to hit my head!”
“Shut up, you idiot! Don’t touch me so casually! The only ones, who are allowed to touch my body are me, Sister, Shinobu, Nazuna and….”
“Elni.”
“Yes, and Elni. If you ask me nicely together with Shinobu, I wouldn’t mind letting you—wait, that’s not it! You aren’t allowed to! Keep your hands to yourself!”
“Ow! You hit me again! Why are you so quick to resort to violence?”
….Mh? Wasn’t the situation getting out of hand? As I was pondering that, I heard Elni and Machina make loud noises.
“Uwaaah! So cold! What are you doing!?”
Just as I’d heard the sound of the water from the shower, Elni screamed. Most likely, Machina had sprayed cold water over Elni…Really, what were they doing.
I’d started to become weary of them, when suddenly Machina screamed this time.
“Kyaaa! Hey, stop it. Don’t cling to me! So cold! It’s so cold! Noooo! St- Stop…”
“Then you stop the shower, Machina, Hyaaan!”
Wh- Why were these two leaking such sensual voices? While getting excited, I let out a cough.
“You guys will catch a cold. So why don’t you stop now?”
I made this humble suggestion with my back still to them, but the two of them didn’t seem to hear me. The shower kept running and their charming voices continued to echo throughout the bath.
Why was I this embarrassed? I blocked both my ears and kept their voices out. … After a while, long legs suddenly entered the bathtub from the right and left of me.
Eh? Hold it. Why were the both of them coming in at the same time?
Machina probably came in because she’d finished washing her body, as she now had her hair tied up. Elni on the other hand, had let her hair down and both of them were giving off a different aura that was extremely erotic.
I was disoriented. Elni’s shoulder was pressed against my left and Machina’s against my right. Excessive water flowed out of the bathtub. As they sat down in the bathtub, they each leaked an erotic sigh. On top of that, the only thing covering their bodies were small towels.
There was no way that small towels like those could hide anything. Elni’s tight thighs peeked out from the transparent bath water. And Machina’s sideboobs were exposed from under the towel. I couldn’t see the important parts, but this embarrassment seemed to be too much for me anyway.
Not saying a word, I was about to stand up, when
“Hey, not yet, Shinobu. You have to warm yourself up properly first.”
“She’s right, Shinobu. You haven’t been in for long enough yet.”
Machina and Elni grabbed both my arms und pulled me back into the bathtub.
My escape ended in a failure and the situation took a turn for the worse.
“But it sure is cramped in here. Budge up.”
“It’s cramped over here too. You Budge up, Machina.”
The two of them changed their positions and started to pinch me between them.
On my right arm sturdy peaches. On my left arm soft marshmallows.
These respective sensations pressing against my upper arms in conjunction with having Machina’s beautiful face and Elni’s adorable face close by, made my mind go blank.
This was really bad. I stood up at once.
“…I’m going out. I’m at my limit in various ways. No matter what you say, I’m getting out!”
I declared in a loud voice—when a SNAP echoed through the bath. Suddenly, the bath was enveloped by darkness. A black-out. Taking this chance, I wanted to escape by taking advantage of the darkness, but
“Uwa, what’s this?”
Along with Elni’s flustered voice from the left, I received an attack that felt like I was being hit to my waist area. Elni had probably bumped into me when she’d tried to stand up.
While it was inevitable due to the darkness, it still surprised me and my foot slipped, making me lose my balance. With a PLUMP…. My face dived into something incredibly soft.
Then an adorable “Kyaa” scream. I felt an indescribable softness and elasticity on both my cheeks. There was also a sweet fragrance. I was already at my limit in various ways because of that, yet I also felt a sensation that was hard to describe on my back from two soft objects.
Don’t tell me, I was being sandwiched by Machina and Elni…?
That idea crossed my mind, when suddenly the buzzing of electricity echoed and I had the feeling that the surroundings had lit up, but my vision was still pitch black.
“Geez, get away from Shinobu already. He can’t move because of you.”
From above my head, I heard Machina’s angry voice.
Like I thought, I was being sandwiched….but I couldn’t breathe. Elni’s weight pressed onto me from behind and made my face bury itself into Machina’s big breasts. It was hard to breathe. Maybe she knew that it was just an accident, since Machina was only resting her hands on my shoulders and didn’t try to push me away angrily.
While I was glad for that, I was still suffering. The sensation of her breasts was without doubt pleasant, but it was painful to breathe anyway. The air in my lungs was about to run out.
Damn Elni, couldn’t she move away already?
With that thought in mind, I suddenly heard a noise from the anteroom. And then
“Shinobu-san, I brought you a change of clothes.”
Luna’s gentle voice sounded.
“That black-out just now really surprised me. Shinobu-san, are you al…h-huh? I am pretty sure that these are Elni-Chan and Machina’s clothes…?”
—Shit. I have to fool her. I have to fool her no matter what.
“E- Elni, hurry up and move!”
“…Your back sure is broad, Shinobu.”
“This isn’t the time for leisurely chatter! Move away already!”
If Luna were to see this scene, various things would come to an end. When I shook myself in Machina’s breasts,
“Yahn. Sh- Shinobu, not on my breasts… Hyan, N- No….”
Machina leaked a charming voice and made the situation worse.
Following that, Luna raised a surprised voice from the anteroom.
“Ehh? Not on her b- breasts…? Shinobu-san, d- do not tell me, you and Machina are….”
Losing her composure, Luna said sorrowfully.
“E- Excuse my intrusion~”
“Wait, Luna! That’s not it! Don’t get the wrong idea!”
I forcefully freed myself from Machina and Elni, and then quickly opened the bath door.
Upon that Luna, who’d had her hand on the door, turned around
“K- KYAAA!”
and screamed immediately.
“Wh- What? What’s up?”
I tilted my head and approached her, as Luna’s face became so red, that you’d think steam would start rising from her head. Fiercely averting her gaze, Luna leaned with her back against the wall and opened her mouth.
“U- Uhm, Shinobu-san, e- ehm, what should I do? Should I take off my clothes as well? Is that what is going on?”
In her confusion, Luna gushed out these words and I couldn’t understand her well. It was a mystery how she’d made a serious expression with her face bright red.
Why was she so flustered?
I once again tilted my head, when I heard Elni’s hasty voice “Shinobu! Shinobu!” from behind.
“Mh?”
I turned around slowly, when Elni on a rare occasion was as red as Luna and handed me a towel with a “Here!”.
Mh, I was sure that was the towel I had wrapped around my waist—wait a minute.
In that moment, I understood everything, I suddenly made eye-contact with Luna.
“Ehm, well, I, did not see….Hyaa!”
Luna averted her gaze from me, looking down and then raised a high voice.
“I, I am sorry. I saw it! But I will forget it! I will forget it, really!”
Shouting that, Luna sprinted out of the anteroom with her face still bright red.
…Wow. It was really embarrassing. My face felt like it was on fire.
I wrapped a bath towel from the anteroom around my waist and turned around. Just like Luna, Machina and Elni were red up to their ears and averted their gaze from me….

* * *

The bath was over. Machina, Elni and I sat on the sofa in the living room and wasted some time watching TV until dinner was done.
A spiritual show was running on TV and people were talking about their scary experiences. At first, I was watching it just to kill some time, but over time I became immersed in it. As I silently watched the show, suddenly there was a BEEP and the channel switched.
“Hey, Machina, it was just at a good spot, so don’t switch the channel.”
I complained to Machina, who had the remote control.
To that, Machina answered with a somewhat worried expression.
“Th- There’s a show I want to see…”
“I see. We’ll record it, so switch back already.”
“N- No. I want to watch it right now. I want to enjoy it in realtime. I want to add to the ratings!”
“…Were you always this passionate about a news show?”
I wearily asked further, when Elni, who sat across from Machina, asked casually.
“Could it be you’re scared of ghosts, Machina?”
Right after, Machina’s cheeks turned red.
“D- Don’t be stupid!”
She denied it with a loud voice. Then she crossed her arms and threw out her chest in embarassment.
“Th- There’s no way I am scared of ghosts! Ghosts, curses, they’re all just optical illusions of confused girls. Ghosts don’t exist in this world!”
While Machina tried to act tough, her cheeks slightly twitched.
Actually, an optical illusion of confused girls? ….Wasn’t she a girl?
There were a couple of things I wanted to say, but I wanted to watch the rest of my show first. I snatched away the remote control from Machina and switched the channel.
“H- Hey, Shinobu?”
“You’re not scared, so it shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
“Of course, it’s no p- problem…”
I asked to confirm it, when Machina nodded approvingly with a worried expression.
Mh, she herself said it was fine, so there was no problem. I shifted my gaze back to the TV screen and listened to the story.
Then Elni suddenly stood up. She moved over to the sofa that I was sitting on and sat down beside me.
“Mh? What’s up?”
I asked since I thought it was strange, when Elni who’d become pale, grabbed my hand tightly and answered.
“…I, I’m at an age where I want a plush toy.”
“What a complicated age that is.”
I got a bit excited over the sensation from Elni’s small warm hand, while I tried to look back towards the screen. This time Machina moved.
Like Elni, Machina sat down beside me. Her face had become pale and she firmly clung to my arm. Before I could open my mouth, she shouted.
“Th- There are no cushions, so I’m using you instead, Shinobu!”
“Well, if you want a cushion, there is one over there…”
I pointed to Nazuna’s cat-patterned cushion on the floor with my chin.
“But I want you!”
For some reason, she’d gotten angry.
I sighed and shifted my gaze back to the TV successfully this time, but my left hand was being held by Elni and Machina’s voluminous peaches were pressed against my right arm, so I just couldn’t calm down.
Or rather, the two were really scared of ghosts.
Elni raised a small “Uwah…” scream and Machina gritted her teeth and tightened her grip as she clung to my arm.
“If you’re that scared, should I switch the channel?”
I offered them help like that, when Machina and Elni shook their heads at the same time.
“A G- Goddess enjoys herself even while being scared, so I’m fine.”
“I, I’m not scared, so I’m fine. Rather, I’m enjoying it. Ahahaha!”
Elni was lightly trembling and Machina had an obviously forced expression on her face while she laughed dryly. I nodded with a “Hm” and then I pointed at the window to test them, saying:
“Oh, there’s a woman covered in blood outside the wind—-“
“UWAA!”
“NOOO!”
Before I could even finish my sentence, Elni and Machina screamed loudly.
…Mh, I felt a guilty, but it was a bit fun.
Both of them panicking with pale faces was somewhat cute. I continued with a serious expression.
“…Hey, hey. Now a male ghost holding a kitchen knife appeared at the door of the living room!”
“SCAAARYYY!”
“STOP IIIIT!”
“Mh, too bad, but there’s nothing I can do, since they appear even if you don’t want them to. Whoops, this time a blonde older sister appeared from the dining kitchen.”
With a perfect timing, Luna had appeared saying “Dinner is ready”, so I pointed at her. At that moment

“ “ KYAAAAAAAAAA!” “

Upon seeing Luna, Machina and Elni showed perfect harmony with their screaming.
Maybe she received a shock from their reaction, as tears started to swell up in Luna’s eyes.
Elni and Machina didn’t notice that and cowered on the floor scared with their heads between their arms.
“….Shinobu-san, am I that scary?”
“No, don’t worry about these two. They’re just a bit agitated after watching a spiritual show.”
“Ah, is that so.”
Luna made a relieved expression and came closer, but upon seeing that, Elni and Machina sprinted out of the living room screaming.
…Just how scared were the two of them?
“Sh- Shinobu-san….”
“Wait, don’t jump to conclusions. Those two were just agitated.”
I quickly explained to Luna, whose eyes had started to get wet.
“Those two sure are stupid. To mistake such a cute lady for a ghost….Mh, that show must have been incredibly scary for them then.”
I faced Luna while saying that. To that, I saw Luna make a confused expression.
“Uhm, Shinobu-san, by ‘cute lady’ you mean….me?”
“Mh? Who else but you?”
I replied flatly…..but wait. Now that I thought about it, didn’t I say something really embarrassing? I felt my cheeks getting hotter.
“Shinobu-san….”
With her eyes still wet, Luna formed a smile that made my heart skip a beat, then she suddenly hugged me.
And since I was sitting on the sofa, the usual height difference between us was gone, so her big, melon-like breasts pressed onto my face.
Luna wound her arms around the back of my head in a good mood, thus pressing her firm breasts against my face. Not just on my cheeks, I felt their softness and warmth all across my face. The only negative point was that I could barely breathe.
While hugging onto me, Luna whispered into my ears.
“Uhm, you are cool too, Shinobu-san.”
….Strange. I was really happy about these words.
I believed that I would be suffocated by Luna’s breasts, but for a moment, I thought that I wouldn’t mind that…

* * *

During the night, at half past eleven. There was suddenly a knock on my door.
Who was it, so late at night? I wondered, when I heard the voice of a suspicious girl.
“Excuse me~ I’m from Elni newspaper~ Nanjou-san, would you like to subscribe to us? If you sign up now, I’ll throw in a kiss from me as an extra.”
“I don’t need that. Go home.”
I turned her down bluntly, when the door opened with a CLICK and Elni’s face appeared.
“Don’t say that, okay? Please.”
While saying that, Elni sneaked into my room. Then she curiously looked around and tip-toed towards my bed. She crawled into my bed, untied her twintails and let her hair hang straight. She pulled out a yellow nightcap from her clothes and put it on.
“—All good now.”
“No, not good. What are you doing?”
I dropped a light chop on Elni’s head, snatched away her nightcap then put it on myself.
“Hey, give it back. I always wear that when I sleep.”
“I see. But don’t sleep here.”
“…I’ll lend you that cap, so can I stay here?”
I took off the cap from my head and put it on Elni. Then I pointed at the door of my room with a “Go back”. But Elni didn’t move a step away from my bed.
“What’s the problem, Shinobu? Just think of me as a pillow. I’ll surely be useful.”
“…Useful for what? Can you emit alpha waves or what?”
“No, but I inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. I’m sure that’s the reason for global warming.”
“You’re a troublesome fellow.”
“Yeah, humans are born sinful. But rest assured. I photosynthesise when a spotlight is shined on me.”
“You’re amazing. Good, if you’re self-sustaining, then your dinner from now on will be just light and carbon dioxide.”
“A- Anything but that~”
I said with a smile, when Elni apologised with a rather serious expression.
I made a small sigh and rested my hand on Elni’s head.
“So, why are you here? Weren’t you girls having a pajama party?”
I remembered how Elni happily shouted “It’s a pajama party” and headed to Nazuna’s room a few hours ago.
I was sure that Machina and Luna participated too….
“Why are you here? Did they all tease you by calling you an idiot?”
“Only Machina said that. Nazuna-chan and Luna played with me. But Nazuna-chan dozed off, so the party was called off.”
Then Elni continued with a sad expression.
“Since I took a nap, I’m not sleepy yet, but Luna and Machina went back to their own rooms and Nazuna-chan just fell asleep on me. And whenever I close my eyes, I see the ghosts from the TV show….so I was anxious.”
“I see. Then do you want to sleep together?”
“Yes, I want to.”
I asked as a joke, when Elni gave a quick reply with a smile. She rested her cheek on my pillow and closed her eyes. That scene was unfair, she was too adorable, but… troubling. I scratched my head and pondered what to do, when there was suddenly a knock on my door.
“…Shinobu, are you still awake?”
It was Machina’s voice that asked that.
“I am, but… what’s up?”
I called back through the door, when the door knob turned and Machina stuck her head in to take a peek into the room.
Machina made a somewhat worried expression and entered my room, while hugging onto a pillow. Like Elni, she curiously looked around and then approached my bed.
“Hey, why are you here!”
Upon noticing Elni, who’d rested her cheek on my pillow, Machina raised an angry voice.
Elni answered to that with a smile.
“Shinobu and me get along really well, so we sleep together.”
The moment Elni said that somewhat proudly, Machina moved.
She approached Elni, slammed the pillow she was hugging onto the bed with both hands and shouted.
“I’m way closer to Shinobu than you! Besides, that’s my spot there!”
No, this was my bed.
For a moment, these words of refusal wanted to leave my throat, but it might be better if I stayed out of this. Machina seemed somewhat tense and even Elni was frowning for some reason.
“This is Shinobu’s bed, not your spot, Machina. Besides, my closeness to Shinobu doesn’t lose out to yours! That’s why we’re sleeping together. You’re not scared of ghosts, so you can sleep alone, can’t you? I’m here because I’m scared. You go back to your own room, Machina.”
“I, I’m not really scared, but I thought Shinobu might be scared, so I came over. Shinobu is a shy boy, so he won’t say it himself if he’s scared, but I’m sure he’s frightened. Right, Shinobu?”
“….Ghosts, curses, they’re all just optical illusions of confused girls. Ghosts don’t exist in this world.”
“You don’t have to play tough, Shinobu. I’m willing to sleep together with you.”
Well, it was all fine that she’d said that all gently, but I’d just repeated her words from earlier in the living room. Actually, sleep together…?
I tried to imagine the scene of sleeping together with Machina and Elni and came to a conclusion instantly. —-Absolutely impossible. If I were to sleep besides these two beauties, I wouldn’t get a wink of sleep out of nervousness. …Okay, let’s scram. I mumbled that in my mind and faced Machina and Elni.
“Hey, why don’t the two of you sleep together if you’re scared? I’ll lend you my bed and just sleep on the sofa in the living room. So use the bed without any reservation.”
I slowly retreated while giving a fake smile, when Machina shouted hastily.
“Th- That won’t do! What if a ghost appears!”
“Mh? I think Elni will chase it off by biting it? I mean, Elni is currently supposed to be our personal guard.”
I shifted my gaze to Elni, who then averted her gaze and said.
“…As of this moment, the Goddess has graduated from being a personal guard.”
“Oh, congratulations. Next work hard to become a district guard.”
While saying that, I turned my back to Elni and Machina and headed for the door. But
“No. You sleep here too, Shinobu.”
“Yeah, I want Shinobu to stay here.”
The two of them grabbed me by my arms.
“Ehm, I think the bed is too small for three people. Don’t mind me and just sleep together, you two. You won’t be scared together, right?”
I argued and tried to shake off their hands. But they just grabbed on even tighter and didn’t let go.
“Just come here.”
“Yeah, be obedient! That one will spout fire if you resist!”
Elni pointed to Machina when she said “That one”. Then Machina brought her lips close to my ear,
“Fire~ —Wait, as if I could spout fire!”
She exhaled warm air into my ear, sexily , then came back to her senses and shouted angrily.
But her indescribably sweet breath caused a shiver to run down my spine and my body temporarily lost its strength.
Maybe she was waiting for that opening, as Elni pulled on my arm. Machina also followed her lead.
The result was that I was being pulled towards the bed.
D- Damn, teaming up was cowardly.
I fought desperately. But when I struggled, Machina said “Geez, don’t touch me in weird places” while she blushed and Elni labelled me “Pervert” with a smile.
My movements were sealed by these words, so I was put down on the bed.
Elni rested on my left side, Machina on my right.
Elni used my arm as a pillow and closed her eyes with a faint smile. On top of that she rested her thigh onto my upper body and her hand onto my breastbone.
That only made me lose my composure, but there was also Machina on my right.
Machina rested her head on the pillow she’d brought with her and laid sideways with her back to me. But Machina’s elastic and soft butt touched me, increasing my excitement.
Furthermore, both were emitting a sweet fragrance unique to girls, which increased my heart rate even more.
There’s no way that I could sleep like that. I gave a small sigh, as Machina stood up and turned off the lights. The room was embraced by darkness.
After a short while, Elni starting to make quiet snoring sounds.
…Hey, hey, what happened to not being able to sleep due to the nap?
Wearily I closed my eyes in an attempt to sleep quickly too, but no matter how hard I tried, my mind was strangely clear and had no intention of sleeping.
I opened my eyes in the darkness and looked at the ceiling, trying to figure out what to do.
“…Hey Shinobu, still awake?”
Suddenly, Machina called out to me.
“Mh? Need something?”
I glanced over to Machina. Machina still had her back to me, but hesitantly started speaking with “Ehm, well…” and then said in a quiet voice.
“You know, I was hiding it, but actually…. I’m scared of ghosts…”
Machina confessed the truth, but I already knew that.
“…Well, you say hiding, but it was quite obvious.”
I retorted with a wry smile, to which Machina answered with a somewhat shy voice.
“I knew you would notice it. After all, you’re watching me so attentively….”
“A- Am I?”
With question marks in my head, I asked back, Machina affirmed clearly.
“Yes. I mean, neither Elni nor Nazuna-chan noticed it.”
Yeah, that was because they were kinda stupid—-erm, a bit aloof. Normally, anyone would notice. But well, I was happy that she’d honestly confessed the truth. So
“Machina,”
I reached out my hand and gently patted Machina’s head.
“…Remember how I told you before, that I would protect you? No matter what happens, I’ll come to your aid…. So sleep easy.”
I could say these embarrassing words, since Machina wasn’t facing my way. But Machina gave no reaction. I felt my cheeks getting hot and regretted what I’d said. Then Machina suddenly moved. She turned around from her sideways position and hugged me. And then she said.
“Thanks.”
Y- Yeah, I shouldn’t have said anything.
Her two breasts pressed onto me softly and a warm hand was pressed onto my breastbone. Also Machina’s thigh was placed on my leg.
In no time, the situation had gotten out of control. I was even more awake now, my eyes wide-open.
After a while, Machina started breathing quietly since she’d fallen asleep, but I was far from doing the same.
Elni on my left was being herself and emitted somewhat charming breaths and had entwined her tender legs. Machina emitting charming breaths like Elni, suddenly reached out for my shoulder and grabbed it tightly.
The fragrance of a girl, the soft sensation of her body and her warm body temperature sure were pleasant, but even more so nerve-wracking. My sleepiness kept fading away.
“….Not going to happen.”
I gave up on sleeping and just stared blankly at the ceiling while listening to Elni and Machina’s breathing along with the ticking of the clock’s second hand.
…I wonder how much time had passed. When the room started to slowly light up, Elni suddenly moved. At first, I thought she was just moving in her sleep, but it was too strange for that. She was breathing roughly and trembling lightly, like she was having a nightmare.
“Elni?”
I called out to her to confirm if she was alright. But at the moment, I saw Elni’s face, I was at a loss for words.
She was crying. Sorrowful, scowling, tears flowing out of her closed eyes, Elni was crying. I had never seen Elni like that. Since she always smiled so cheerfully, I had never imagined that she could make such a sad expression too.
—Suddenly Elni clung to my arm. So tightly that it hurt. Her little hand was trembling as it was resisting something while clinging onto my arm. And….she said with a faint voice.
“…Mom….”
Actually I couldn’t understand most of her words. But names of people, I’d never heard of, spilled out of Elni’s mouth one after another with an endless flood of tears down her cheeks.
“You’re all…. Idiots…”
She was mumbling really quietly. But I couldn’t understand any of it since she was crying.
Whenever Elni tightly grabbed my arm, it hurt like if I was being tied up.
Was she always crying alone? Always smiling when she was around everyone and when she was alone, like this…
“It’s okay….”
A voice leaked unintentionally from my mouth.
“It’s okay.”
I repeated it to soothe her and kept petting her head. Until Elni once again emitted quiet sleeping sounds, I kept doing so…. gently…




Chapter 02: Confrontation! Between the Queen and the Mad Dog….and also the Cat

“Hyaa!”
I was suddenly woken up by a high pitch voice.
What? When I opened my eyes, what came into vision was a beautiful, blonde girl.
“…Luna, huh?”
She looked shocked with her eyes wide open, but I was still sleepy. It was a long-awaited holiday. It didn’t hurt to laze around once in a while.
“Sorry, but let me sleep. I was only able to fall asleep late at night…”
“Wh- What were you doing up so late?”
Luna’s voice trembled with unease.
For a while now, Luna seemed to be confused by something. Although I found it strange, I was going to go back to sleep, until I noticed that there was a red-haired girl at a hairsbreadth from me.
It was Machina. Her long eyebrows, soft cheeks and charming well-shaped lips were pretty close. On top of that, there was suddenly a sleepy “Mm” from behind me. Someone was clinging to my back.
I felt a soft sensation and a warm body temperature. When I carefully turned my neck around, I spotted a silver-haired beauty.
It was Elni. At the break of dawn she had a nightmare, but she seemed to have calmed down now. There were no traces of her tears left and she was making an innocent sleeping face.
Yeah, that was good, but… this situation was extremely bad, wasn’t it?
I felt a cold sweat break out on my forehead and shifted my gaze to Luna, since she’d misunderstood the situation like I’d expected. Tears had already started welling up in her eyes.
“….Only I am left out!”
Along with her words, Luna turned on her heel and sprinted out of the room with a “Fueeh~”.
“No, wait, Luna! It’s a misunderstanding!”
I quickly sprung up from the bed…pulled the blanket over Machina and Elni, then I hurried out of the room after Luna. I went down the stairs into the living room and called out to Luna, who had her back to me.
“Luna, listen to me. You’re misunderstanding the situation. You see, they watched a spiritual show yesterday and were scared. So, at night they came into my room to sleep in my bed all on their own. I tried to resist, but they wouldn’t get out of the bed…”
I explained desperately, and then Luna turned around and began pouting on a rare occasion. Her well-shaped eyebrows were creased into a frown and her cheeks were slightly puffed out.
That expression of hers was rather cute. I had these out of place thoughts, as Luna said dejectedly.
“Lately, you are leaving me out of things, Shinobu-san.”
“Eh? Really?”
I had no memory of occasions like that, but Luna replied with a “You are” and pressed her lips together tightly.
“Even yesterday you went into the bath with Machina and Elni and had a lot of fun…”
“Th- That was them just coming in on their own. I wasn’t really leaving you out of it….”
I tried to explain, as Luna stared at me.
“That is not the only case. Shinobu-san, when Nazuna-chan or Elni-chan hug you, you smile at them and pat their heads…yet you never do that to me….”
Well, that was only because my head goes blank whenever Luna hugged me, making me unable to react in those situations.
But Luna’s eyes became wet, with a depressed expression on her face.
“Ehm, Luna….”
I took one step forward towards Luna to attempt to cheer her up, but then my foot suddenly got caught on something and caused me to trip.
I quickly tried to regain my balance, but I bumped into Luna, who was right in front of me and we collapsed together. Therefore Luna was pushed onto the sofa, but I continued to fall and before I had noticed it, it was too late.
Luna’s beautiful face was right in front of my eyes and my lips had touched Luna’s cheek.
It was just a momentary kiss. I immediately pulled my body backwards to remove my lips from Luna’s cheek, but it obviously wasn’t a situation where I’d be able to brush it off as a joke.
The remaining sensation of Luna’s cheek on my lips was by no means an illusion. Luna turning incredibly red was real too.
Wh- What now? It might have been an accident, but I’d forced a kiss on a girl.
Confused, I stood up straight for now and put my hand on the sofa, that’s when I felt something out of place.
An indescribably soft sensation. As I pondered about the sensation and moved my hand, a pleasant elasticity repelled it and an erotic “Ahn” escaped from Luna’s mouth.
Th- This sensation, was it…? In my astonishment, I looked down doubtfully, as I realised that my assumption was correct. I was fondling Luna’s breast with all my might.
But Luna’s big breast couldn’t be enveloped by hand alone, and was spilling out of it. Furthermore, Luna didn’t say anything and looked at me completely embarrassed with wet eyes, because of that my consciousness was blown away for a moment. But soon enough, my chest filled with guilt and I quickly moved away from Luna.
I was the worst. Not only did I kiss her, I even fondled her breast…..
“S- Sorry, that wasn’t on purpose!”
Holding up the hand that I’d used to fondle her breast, I quickly spouted an excuse, but then I realised something. With my phrasing, didn’t it mean that the kiss was on purpose?
I’d dug my own grave. At this rate I would be hated by Luna. I felt my stomach ache and looked at Luna expectantly… Huh? Now this I hadn’t expected.
Luna was looking at my face with red cheeks, but then suddenly an adorable smile bloomed on her face and she softly entangled her hands around my neck.
In that moment, a sweet fragrance enveloped me and at the same time her pink, well-shaped lips slowly approached me and then softly placed a kiss onto my cheek.
From the soft sensation of her lips on my cheek, I received a shock that spread through my body. I became completely unable to utter even a single word.
Still smiling, Luna stood up from the sofa.
“I will go prepare breakfast.”
Saying that, she disappeared into the dining kitchen while humming in a good mood. ….Speaking of that, I’ve heard that a kiss is a greeting in foreign countries.
I was sure for Luna too, it was just a greeting.
But they sure were soft….
As I reminisced about the kiss, I suddenly spotted an unfamiliar travel bag.
“Ah, so I stumbled over that…”
I remembered that the bag belonged to Elni. She probably had her personal stuff in there… I bumped into it pretty hard.
“I better apologise to Elni later.”
Mumbling that, I put the bag on top of the sofa, left the living room and headed for my own room.
Luna was going to prepare breakfast, so I should go wake up Machina and Elni.
Not to mention that I couldn’t stay calm as long as they stayed on my bed….
With that in mind, I opened the door. Machina and Elni were still sleeping, while emitting sleeping sounds.
“You two, it’s about time to get up.”
I called out to them gently, but neither of them reacted.
“Hey, wake up. It’s morning, Machina, Elni.”
I raised my voice a bit, whereupon Machina and Elni raised their bodies, but shortly after fell back onto the mattress with closed eyes.
“Hey, don’t go back to sleep.”
I wearily approached the bed, but then Machina and Elni leaked quiet moans.
Upon hearing that, I noticed that something was off about them, so I peered at them to check upon their condition. Their faces were somewhat pale.
“Are you okay?”
I asked worried, and then Machina and Elni answered weakly.
“I feel weak….”
“My head hurts….”
A cold? I reached out to their foreheads with my hand and checked their temperatures. The body temperatures that I felt on my palm were slightly hotter than usual…. That was a cold without a doubt.
The reason was most likely due to them showering with cold water yesterday.
“I’ll go get a thermometer, so wait a bit.”
I should take their temperatures, just in case. I petted their heads lightly, then I left the room and once again headed for the living room. I took two thermometers from the shelf, then Luna peeked in from the dining kitchen.
“Ah, Shinobu-san, I have finished preparing breakfast. Do you want to eat?”
“Eh? You’re done already?”
“Yes, I only needed to warm it up.”
It only needs to be warmed up? I glanced at the clock on the wall, which showed half past nine.
It could be that Luna and Nazuna had already finished their breakfast. Even on a holiday, these two had well-organised life-styles. They always finished their breakfast by half past eight.
“Sorry, I’ll be back real quick, so keep it ready.”
“Yes, I will be waiting.”
When I glanced over at Luna, her cheeks had turned red.
That was somewhat erotic. I left the living room while scratching my head, and then I ran into Nazuna at the stairs.
Nazuna had worn her school uniform and had shouldered her bag for club activities. Upon seeing me, she faced me with a smile.
“Morning, Brother~”
“Yo, morning. Club activities today too?”
“Yeah! I’m going to train hard to master the cat claw!”
Nazuna replied, while filled with energy.
Lately Nazuna, who had won against everyone in the karate club regardless of their grade or gender, was working hard on a new technique.
Well, when she attended our gramps’ dojo, she’d learnt new techniques at the same speed as our super talented father.
No normal middle school student could win against her.
Either way, our father forbade Nazuna from going to the dojo when she reached middle school.
Our father had said, “Unlike Shinobu-kun, Nazuna-chan is mentally weak like me. So we can’t let her learn any dangerous techniques”.
Due to that, Nazuna was working hard at the school’s karate club today too.
“Brother, I’ll have a training match soon, so train with me again.”
“Sorry, but no. You’re no match for me.”
I turned her down bluntly, but Nazuna puffed up her cheeks.
“Now you have said it! Don’t forget these words!”
“Yeah, I’ll remember until lunch.”
“Geez! Once I come home, we’ll train!”
“Sure, whatever.”
“And after the training, you’ll play a game with me!”
“…Don’t mix in an order for playing so casually.”
I calmly pointed that out, but then Nazuna made a regretful expression.
“I thought you would fall for it….”
I wasn’t Machina, so I wouldn’t be deceived so easily.
But, it wouldn’t hurt to play with Nazuna once in a while.
“I’ll play with you when you’re home, so give it your best at club activities.”
When I petted her head, Nazuna saluted with a smile.
“Meow!”
After her energetic reply, she headed for the front door still smiling.
“She sure is energetic….”
Mumbling that, I climbed up the stairs and returned to my room.
“Okay, I got the thermometers….”
I started talking, but stopped inadvertently.
“Gnnnh…”
“Let go….”
On my bed, Machina and Elni were grabbing onto my pillow and were fighting over it.
Maybe due to their current condition, the two of them were breathing heavily and had red faces. Yet they both pulled on the pillow weakly and continued to quarrel.
“That’s mine…. Hah, hah…You have your own pillow, don’t you….”
“Why are you so obstinate… Hah, hah…. Shinobu’s pillow is mine….”
“No way. I… Ugh…. I feel sick….”
“Auh… My head…”
While saying that, they both let go of the pillow and went limp.
“…You guys have a cold, so stay put.”
I made a weary statement.
….When did it start to rain? While I listened to the soothing sound of the rain, I checked their temperatures and said with slightly widened eyes.
“Ohh, you both are perfectly synched with your temperatures at 38° C.”
“Hey, don’t say we’re perfectly synched….”
Looking quite weak, Machina said.
“What if I don’t just catch a cold, but her stupidity too?”
“Then you’ll be a Mad Dog like Elni. Try to bark.”
“Woof—-wait, don’t make me do stupid things! Don’t group me together with that idiot!”
While bright red Machina became angry, but then Elni while pouting shouted.
“Hey! What’s up with all these ‘idiots”! It’s a grave sin to call an idiot an idiot!”
“What, I’m just pointing out the truth.”
“Kuuh, how mean! You and your prolific pelvis!”
“M- My bottom has nothing to do with it! You…!”
Machina pulled on Elni’s cheek, but Elni didn’t give in and pulled on Machina’s cheek as well. But they were not feeling well. After a short while, they had depleted all their strength and collapsed exhausted onto the bed.
I let out a small sigh, and gently took Machina’s arm.
“Here, I’ll carry you to your room, so c’mon.”
When I called out to her, Machina glanced at Elni,and then sharply pointed at her and asked.
“Hey, what about that idiot?”
“Mh?”
I shifted my gaze to Elni, who had entrusted her cheek to my pillow with a smile.
It didn’t look like she wanted to leave here. Well, she had a cold, so I’ll let it slide.
“I’ll let Elni sleep here. You rest in your bed.”
I answered like so, but then Machina frowned for some reason, and shook off my arm.
“Then I’ll sleep here too.”
“…Eh? I don’t mind, but… no fighting, okay?”
I said warningly, but both Machina and Elni gave me awkward stares while not accepting my condition.
Geez. I stood up with a wry smile.
“For now, eat something and take your medicine. I’ll ask Luna to make some porridge, so behave yourselves here.”
After I confirmed it with their nods, I headed for the living room.
I realised that I had gone back and forth between my room and the living room a couple of times now. With that in mind, I opened the door to the living room.
That’s when I saw Luna sitting on the sofa absent-mindedly.
She’d probably finished the preparation for my breakfast. With a faint smile, she was tightly hugging the cat cushion against her chest.
“Shinobu-san…”
“Yes, it’s me, Shinobu-san. Good that you could tell…. So, what’s up?”
“It, It is nothing. Really. I am not thinking about the kiss. I am just surprised by your manliness. Breakfast is ready, so please eat it quickly!”
After saying that really quickly, Luna pushed against my back while turning red, so we entered the dining kitchen together.
“A Japanese style breakfast, huh?”
I sat down on the chair and looked at the dishes on the table.
White rice and tofu. Miso soup and pickled vegetables. Along with a grilled mackerel.
“I’m digging in.”
I placed my hands together and put the food into my mouth. Then I looked at Luna.
What I saw were her enchanting emerald-green eyes, her soft slightly red cheeks and her charming well-shaped lips.
I ended up being captivated by them, until Luna noticed my gaze and slightly tilted her head.
“Something the matter?”
“N- Nothing.”
I quickly averted my gaze, then I coughed to hide my agitation—wait a minute. Enticed by Luna, I had started to eat breakfast and had totally forgotten about Machina and Elni.
Those two would surely get angry if they found out about this. Feeling guilty, I opened my mouth.
“…Hey, Luna. It’s about Machina and Elni. They both caught a cold.”
“Eh? Really?”
“Yeah. I took their temperatures earlier and they were both at 38°C.”
Luna made a worried expression. I nodded to her and continued.
“I want them to take the medicine, so could you make some porridge for them please?”
“Yes, if that is all, I will make it right away.”
When I asked her that, Luna stood up immediately, faced the kitchen and put on her apron. The white-black cow-pattern apron was a present from me to Luna. It was cute and it suited Luna very well.
When I watched Luna cooking from behind, for some reason my heart started to beat faster.
Luna was so charming that for a moment I had the stupid urge to hug her from behind. I shook my head to get rid of that thought, then I stood up and returned to the living room.
Once there I took the cold medicine, sat down on the sofa and read the morning newspaper, waiting for Luna to finish the porridge….
Taking the tray from Luna, I left the living room and headed up the stairs.
In the middle of the tray was a crock and the cold medicine then on the side there were pairs of bowls, cups of water and spoons.
When I arrived at my room, I held the tray with one hand and reached for the doorknob… when I heard the sound of quarrelling mixed in with the noise of the rain.
“Go away, idiot!”
“Don’t say idiot! You go away instead, Machina!”
It seemed like Machina and Elni had begun fighting again.
I opened the door with a sigh, as Machina and Elni thrusted the pillow in their hands upon each other’s faces, while breathing heavily on the bed.
“…A new game?”
I asked wearily, but then Elni said in an attempt to seek help.
“Listen, Shinobu! Machina hit my head!”
“Mh. That wasn’t nice of Machina.”
When I said that, Machina made a shocked expression for a moment, then frowned soon after and shouted.
“It wasn’t my fault! To begin with, it’s her fault for pulling on my hair!”
“And I told you, that wasn’t on purpose!”
“Then apologise already! Since it really hurt!”
“You hit me before I could apologise! It hurt for me too!”
While saying all that, they continued to thrust the pillow at each other’s faces.
Mh, I couldn’t really allow them to waste their strength when they had a cold, so I approached them and reprimanded them by shouting.
“Hey, don’t fight, you two! Sit down!”
…Mh, the ‘sit’ was meant as a joke, but Machina and Elni sat down formally on the bed, like scolded dogs.
They were surprisingly obedient. A bit surprised, I approached them while still holding the tray. Then I sat down on the bed. Thereupon, Machina and Elni approached me curiously and sat down on either side of me. Now I opened the lid on the crock and put the porridge into(-on) the two bowls.
“Here, porridge for both of you.”
I handed each of them a bowl. Following that, I handed Machina a spoon and wanted to do the same for Elni, but
“You hold it, Shinobu.”
For some reason, Elni didn’t accept the spoon.
“Ah~”
Then she opened her small mouth, acting spoiled.
I hesitated for a moment, but since she had a cold, I was going to be generous today. I scooped up the porridge with the spoon and after I cooled it down a bit by blowing on it, I started to bring it towards Elni’s mouth.
But suddenly, a hand appeared from the side and pulled on my arm that held the spoon. Then Machina opened her mouth and ate Elni’s porridge.
“It’s good.”
Machina smiling was quite cute. On the verge of being captivated by her, I glanced over at Elni.
Elni had her mouth opened still and was blankly staring at Machina. Suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes and she pulled on my sleeve.
“Yeah, that was Machina’s bad.”
I gently patted Elni’s head and made an “Ah~”, even though it was embarrassing. Elni opened her glittering, well-shaped lips with a smile and I put the porridge into her mouth.
“Hot, hot! I have a cat’s tongue!”
Due to me failing to cool down the porridge, Elni let out a small scream.
“Whoops, sorry, sorry. Are you okay?”
I did something bad to a sick person. I let her have a gulp of water and patted her head once more, but Elni’s eyes were still teary.
Okay, this time I would feed it to her after I’ve cooled it properly.
I scooped up the porridge with the spoon, but this time Machina pulled on my sleeve. I faced her and for some reason Machina raised her chin and opened her pink lips.
“…What are you doing?”
I asked bewildered, and then Machina turned bright red. After that she became teary eyed and she pinched my cheek.
“You’re so insensitive, Shinobu! Do that to me too!”
That? Could it be that she wanted the “Ah~”?
Mh, they say that one gets lonely when they’re sick and Machina could act spoiled too.
“But when I think about it, you can eat by yourself, can’t you? Why should I have to do such an embarrassing thing? Why don’t the two of you do that ‘Ah~’ by yourselves? I’m sure it’ll be fun. C’mon, try it, Machina.”
“F- Fine, here, Ah~ —wait, what are you making sick people do! You do it, Shinobu!”
While shoving the spoon into my mouth, Machina got angry.
“Sure, sure.”
I took the spoon, which was forced into my mouth, out and scooped up the porridge. This time I was going to do the “Ah~” for Machina, but then I noticed.
This would turn into an indirect kiss. Was that alright?
There I was with a spoon that had just been in my own mouth.
I considered going to wash the spoon in case she disliked it, but Machina showed no such signs and opened her mouth. Although her cheeks were reddish, that was probably due to her cold.
Mh, disliking it aside, it was still rather embarrassing.
I felt my cheeks getting hotter and once I fed Machina the porridge, Elni pulled on my sleeve right after.
“Shinobu, feed me too.”
She asked with pleading eyes, so I couldn’t turn her down. I fed her the porridge, then Machina pulled on my sleeve again. So I fed Machina again and then Elni immediately started to pull on my sleeve. Then Machina again, then Elni again…. And so that continued.
A hectic series of turning left and right.
In the end, I fed all the porridge to them with “Ah~”s.
Normally I would have stopped midway, but despite all my complaints, Machina and Elni were really sick. It wouldn’t hurt to spoil them a bit.
After making them take the medicine, I picked up the tray with the crock and everything on it, and then stood up.
“Okay, I’ll take these down. Now don’t fight, you two.”
“We won’t.”
“Yeah, we won’t.”
Machina and Elni nodded firmly, both in a happy mood.
….I wondered why I didn’t trust them at all.
I left the room with unease and went to the dining kitchen, where I planned to wash the dishes, but then Luna appeared from the living room with a smile and called out to me.
“Shinobu-san, leave the washing to me.”
“Sure and while you’re at it, wash away my dirty past too.”
I felt bad leaving all the work to Luna, so I wanted to brush it off with a cool joke, but Luna frowned for some reason and said.
“Shinobu-san, you are not dirty!”
“Ah, well, sorry. Please take care of it.”
Since I made her angry, I withdrew immediately.
How damn weak of me.
I stood there dejectedly and had become excited by Luna’s behind as she washed the dishes, but then I suddenly heard a loud clattering noise from the second floor.
“…What was that?”
Luna’s hands stopped and she tilted her head.
“That probably was Machina and Elni…”
“Eh? The two of them have a cold, don’t they?”
“I’m sure they’re just testing their limits. Leave them be.”
Soon enough they would exhaust themselves and sleep. Or so I thought, but the noise continued and I even heard their quarrelling voices.
“Geez….”
I let out a huge sigh and left the dining kitchen. I ran up the stairs and quickly flung the door open.
“Hey, you guys, cut it out al—-Eh?”
I had planned to reprimand them, but I stopped mid-sentence because I was at a loss for words.
How should I describe this situation?
In a single sentence, it would be “Two beauties entangled”.
Machina was on top of Elni and was holding her down by pressing her onto the floor. Their clothes were loose, exposing their necks, collarbones and dazzling thighs. Their breathing was heavy and their cheeks red.
“….Excuse me for interrupting you when you are busy. Take your time.”
I was surprised that their relationship was like that. It was a huge surprise.
“Okay, I should tell Luna about it.”
After I said that in a loud voice, the door was violently swung open and Machina jumped out hastily.
“S- Sh- Shinobu! You’re wrong! It’s a misunderstanding! I don’t swing that way!”
Of course I knew that. But Machina is too cute when she’s flustered, so I wanted to tease her a bit.
I smiled and gently clapped Machina on the shoulder.
“Machina-san, you do not have to deny it. I, myself am quite understanding and think that two girls should be allowed to love each other.”
“Why are you speaking so politely? Don’t take it seriously! I prefer you, Shinobu!”
“Eh? Me?”
Why would my name pop up now? I asked back in surprise, but then Machina turned bright red up to her ears and shouted in denial while shaking both her hands.
“N- No! I made a mistake just now! I prefer a man!”
“Ah, that’s what you mean.”
Geez, I wished that she would refrain from making such easily misunderstood statements. That had ended up making me excited quite a bit. To hide my agitation, I played calm. Now Machina faced Elni and shouted at her to get help.
“Hey, you say something too! Or Shinobu will misunderstand!”

To Machina’s request, Elni purposely imitated a “sob sob” crying voice.
“Shinobu, Machina forcefully pushed me down. It seems she’s an S character.”
“I see. Well, that’s her forte. Nothing we can do about it. Right?”
“Yes, you’re right. If you beg for it, I won’t mind stepping on—-wait, I don’t have such a forte! Don’t say weird stuff!”
Machina denied in a loud voice, but suddenly she staggered and was about to collapse.
I reached out to support Machina’s body, and then Machina leaned against me powerlessly, due to her making a ruckus when she had a cold.
“Hey, are you okay?”
I’d teased her a bit too much. Reflecting on my actions, I took a peek at Machina’s face.
“Shinobu…. My head hurts…”
Machina leaked out, while acting somewhat childish.
Though she herself probably didn’t intend for it, she was currently quite sexy. Wet eyes and blushed cheeks. And her pink lips made it hard for me to face her.
“Come, I’ll carry you to the bed….”
Agitated by Machina’s big breasts that were pressed against my body, I lent her a shoulder and carried her over to the bed to let her rest. Machina was moaning painfully, but that was also kind of sexy. When I turned my attention from Machina, I made eye-contact with Elni.
Elni sat on the floor and extended both her arms acting spoiled, while saying.
“Shinobu, carry me to the bed too.”
“You can walk on your own, so don’t be lazy.”
I said, while pulling Elni up and carrying her to the bed.
I might be spoiling her, but it was inevitable, since she was sick.
I made an excuse in my mind, then I sat down on my chair and watched over the two of them. I was ready to interfere if they started to fight again, but after only a few minutes Machina started to make sleeping sounds, either due to the medicine or the exhaustion from their fight.
Seeing that, Elni mumbled quietly.
“Her sleeping face is cute.”
Elni poked Machina’s cheek.
“Stop it or you’ll make her angry again.”
I warned her, when Machina, maybe half-asleep or awake, bit onto Elni’s finger. Elni let out a small scream, but didn’t say anything as she’d probably realised that she reaped what she sowed and then entrusted her cheek to the pillow.
One would think that she would close her eyes now, but instead she kept staring at me.
“What’s up?”
I asked in curiosity, but Elni only smiled and said.
“Shinobu, lend me your arm as a pillow.”
“Nope.”
I was about to be swayed by her angelic smile, but I turned her down flatly since it was embarrassing. But Elni continued to smile and mumbled an “I see” and said nothing more.
That was rare. To think she would give up so easily….
“What’s up with you being so reasonable?”
I asked surprised, but Elni smiled with a slightly lonely expression.
“As long as you stay by my side, that’s enough…”
Seeing that sad smile, I suddenly remembered what had happened at dawn today.
The image of Elni crying while having a nightmare floated in my head.
“….What do you usually do when you catch a cold?”
“Sleep through it.”
“All alone?”
Elni didn’t answer, but still continued to smile sadly.
Then, after a long silence, she mumbled quietly.
“….In the past, I liked catching a cold, since I used to be spoiled back then. I was happy when I was cared for. But now…”
Elni suddenly stopped talking and forced herself to smile.
“Just kidding. Actually I’m an idiot and I’ve never caught a cold before. To be honest, I’m faking it right now! I fooled you, Shinobu!”
“….I see. You got me there.”
I couldn’t bring myself to smile properly.
Nor could I think of anything tactful to say.
But I still had something I could do.
I slowly stood up from the chair,
“Ah….”
Elni sat up and made a worried expression for a moment.
“I’m here.”
I felt pathetic for only being able to say such apathetic words. But then I took a novel from my bookshelf and approached the bed. Once there I took Elni’s pillow, spread it and sat down on it right beside the bed.
“Shinobu?”
“I like to read while listening to the sound of the rain. Don’t mind me.”
While saying that, I drew closer to the bed and opened the book on my lap with one hand while resting my other arm right next to Elni’s head. Then I gave Elni a side-glance.
Elni shyly opened her mouth.
“…Can I, Shinobu?”
“Sure, do what you want.”
I sighed in my mind at the gruffly voice that came out of my own mouth.
Why couldn’t I say it properly even at a time like this?
I’d started to regret it, but then I suddenly felt a pleasant weight and warmth on my arm.
When I looked there, Elni wore a bright smile and happily nestled her cheek against my arm. That sight was just so cute that I had to quickly avert my gaze and looked down at my novel.
But the words didn’t make it into my head and I couldn’t concentrate on the novel at all. Only the sound of the rain rang in my ears and facing the window I mumbled.
“….It sure is pouring down.”
“Yeah…”
Elni agreed and said with a quiet voice.
“…I don’t really like the rain.”
“Mh? Is that so? Sure it’s annoying when it rains every day, but sometimes it’s soothing to hear it raining.”
“…Not for me.”
On a rare occasion, Elni strongly disagreed.
“Once it rains, no one leaves the house anymore.”
“Well, yeah, there aren’t many who like walking through the rain.”
“Yeah. That’s why… I become alone. Because everyone is at their own house…. I’m all alone…”
Elni’s hand lightly touched my arm. Her hand was slightly trembling and she made a sad expression with teary-eyes.
“It’s okay.”
I closed the novel and put it on the floor and reached out for Elni’s head with my hand.
“You’re not alone now, right? Everyone’s here.”
“…I’m happy for that. But I’m worried. …I’m scared.”
“Why?”
“Because everyone will leave me again…”
Her quiet mumbling was muffled by the sound of the rain.
But it could not do anything to hide the tears spilling out of her eyes.
“Elni?”
“It’s nothing.”
Elni wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her clothes and turned her back to me.
I wanted to say something to her, but I didn’t know where to start, so I couldn’t do anything. I didn’t notice it.
When I met her in the city, she was always smiling.
And even when we parted, not once had she shown a sad expression.
She never showed her weakness to us.
That was the reason why I’d never noticed what sad feelings Elni embraced all the time.
“…I’ll always be here.”
After a long silence, I could finally convey my own feelings.
But apparently I’d waited too long. All I got back as a reply were quiet sleeping sounds.
“Sorry for not noticing…”
I gently petted Elni’s head.
“Next time I’ll tell you properly.”
There was no point in conveying my feelings when she was sleeping. I was bad at conveying my feelings, but next time I would tell her properly face-to-face.
These thoughts crossed my mind while I listened to the rain…

* * *

….I felt a sense of discomfort in my body.
My body felt slightly heavy and somewhat hot.
Maybe I was tired because I’d nursed Machina and Elni yesterday.
Machina and Elni had completely recovered now, but since they would start to fight whenever I took my eyes off them, I’d lost count of how many times I had to interfere.
“….I better go to bed early today.”
Tomorrow there was school. Attending class tired was a bad idea.
“For now, I’ll just finish this quickly.”
Mumbling, I continued to clean up my bookshelf in my room bathed in the evening sun.
When I pulled out a book, I found a hidden book at the back.
The name of the book was “The Great Blonde Beauties Assembly – A perverted summer vacation”.
I took the book and looked at the cover. On there a blonde, scantily-clad girl winked.
“Right, I hid it here.”
The book was forced on me by my friend Asada (the pervert) and I didn’t know what to do with it, so I had completely forgotten about it. Like a squirrel, that had forgotten where it had hidden its food.
“Shinobu!”
Machina entered my room without knocking first.
She had already recovered and approached me with a steady pace and without hesitation.
“Listen to me! That idiot took my game—-“
Machina shouted angrily, but when she looked at my hands, she stopped mid-sentence and her cheeks turned red.
“S- Sorry, Shinobu. I’ll come by again later….”
“Yeah and knock then.”
It certainly was embarrassing, but I believed that it would be my loss if I let it show. I didn’t try to hide the book clumsily and continued to hold it out in the open while responding indifferently…. But that wasn’t wise. For a moment, Machina hesitated at the door and once again looked at the book in my hands. Then she frowned for some reason and her earlier embarrassment was gone. She approached me directly, snatched the book from my hands and flipped through it while turning red.
…Yeah, that was certainly awkward. I faced Machina uneasily, but then she grumpily mumbled while still looking down at the book.
“…What’s with this book?”
“Ehm, do you find anything wrong with it?”
I felt a strange pressure and inadvertently asked her politely. Then Machina suddenly closed the book with a fierce bang.
“Blonde Beauties Assembly….”
She threw the book wildly onto the bed and shouted.
“Why not a red-haired! Next time get a red-haired one!”
“Ah, yes. I will do so.”
….Mh? Wait. Why was she angry at me?
I wondered while lowering my head, and then Machina nodded satisfied with an “As long as you understand” and then pulled on my arm.
“Okay, let’s go, Shinobu.”
“Eh? Where to?”
“To my room! That idiot won’t let go of the game console that I borrowed from Nazuna. You say something to her, Shinobu.”
By that idiot she probably meant Elni. Because of the size of the room, Machina and Elni were sharing it… and had started fighting again.
Sighing, I headed for their room, but when I opened the door and went inside, Elni was nowhere to be seen.
“Huh? That’s strange.”
Machina looked around the room and tilted her head puzzled.
“Where did that idiot go?”
“….Ran out of the house? … Guess not.”
I mumbled, while taking the game console that was left on the desk. That’s when Machina raised her voice.
“Sh- She can’t! Why would she run away just because of a little fight!”
“…Fufu, despite all your fighting, you do worry about her.”
When I saw Machina’s worried expression, I smiled unintentionally.
To that Machina’s cheeks turned red and she turned her back to me. Then she tried to leave the room.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“Sh- Shut up! I’m going to look for that idiot!”
Hiding her embarrassment, Machina shouted angrily. Then she headed for Nazuna’s room. Mh, they were fighting a lot, but Machina might have taken a liking to Elni. With that in mind, I also headed out to look for Elni…. but we found Elni faster than I had imagined.
Elni was blankly watching the evening sun in the garden and for some reason she gave off an aura of incredible sadness. I hesitated for a moment to call out to her.
But Elni turned around slowly, and smiled as she made eye-contact with me.
That smile lacked her usual brightness and looked somewhat weak.
“What are you doing here?”
“…I was watching the evening sun.”
Saying that, Elni once again started to look at the evening sun.
“Why don’t you come inside? Machina is looking for you.”
“Okay.”
Even though she nodded, Elni didn’t move and continued to watch the sun.
Seeing her like that made me worry that she might disappear at any moment.
Before I noticed it, I had put on sandals like Elni and had gone down into the garden. Then I stood beside her.
Elni’s silver hair, the evening sun shining upon it, glowed orange and was really pretty. Yet Elni smiled sadly.
“…How mysterious.”
Suddenly, Elni muttered desolately.
“I see the evening sun… but I don’t have to leave….”
“…Yeah, you don’t have to leave. Stay here.”
I reached out my hand and gently petted her head.
But Elni didn’t give me her usual smile.
“If only days like this would never end….”
Still watching the evening sun, Elni made a really faint smile.
It was as if she was expecting these peaceful days to come to an end.
“It’s okay.”
I said somewhat loudly.
“Sure, everything has an end, but… everyone will be here. So it’ll be okay.”
“….Yeah.”
Elni gave a small nod and continued to watch the evening sun.
I mimicked her and continued to watch the sun together with Elni, when
“—Ah, there you are.”
Suddenly, a voice came from the side. When I turned towards it, I saw Machina standing at the window of the living room.
Machina had a somewhat worried expression, but when she looked at Elni, she tilted her head thoughtfully.
“What’s with the weird face?”
“Th- That’s rude!”
Elni retorted like she usually would, but it lacked any energy.
Machina had probably noticed that too since she swallowed whatever she’d wanted to say. She headed over to Elni and presented her with the game console.
“…Today you can play with it.”
“Eh? Really?”
Elni was surprised and while continuing to face the side, Machina brushed it off by saying.
“I, I’m going to watch TV now, so you can play with it all you want.”
“What? You’re going to watch Dora-chan?”
“Yes, that raccoon-like face is just too—-wait, I don’t watch such a childish anime! Besides, it doesn’t even air today! Shinobu, you idiot! Lech! Pervert!”
I’d just teased her a bit, but was called mean things in return.
Well, I knew that she was just hiding her embarrassment, so I honestly apologised to Machina and returned to the living room together with Elni.
Once there, Elni sat down on the sofa and started to play with the game console that she’d gotten from Machina. Machina turned on the TV while Elni glanced at her, so I decided to return to my own room.
I left the living room and reached my room, but noticed the door was open for some reason.
“Huh? Weird…”
Was someone inside? I peeked inside through the open door. In my room was Luna. What did she want? With that in mind, I opened my mouth, but… Luna was behaving strangely.
Her cheeks were red and while looking down at something on the bed, she shyly reached out her hand. But then she shook her head to stop herself.
But her gaze was still fixed on top of the bed. I curiously followed Luna’s gaze, then I saw the book with the scantily-clad blonde girl winking from earlier.
GYAAA, is what I wanted to shout, but I suppressed it and pondered how to overcome this situation.
What would a gentleman do when the blonde girl that lived with him found a forbidden book about the same blonde hair that she had?
Confused, I considered what to do, but then Luna moved. She reached out for the forbidden book with resolve.
No more. I couldn’t endure this situation. I secretly tried to leave, but because of my agitation, I carelessly hit my knee on the wall, which made a louder noise than I would’ve expected.
In that moment, Luna’s shoulders trembled greatly in surprise and she turned around anxiously. When she made eye-contact with me, she shouted with her face still red.
“I, I am sorry. I am so sorry! I was not looking! I have not looked yet!”
“…Yet?”
I asked back unintentionally, and then Luna shook her hands in denial. Saying “U- Uhm, but it says blonde beauty…. So…”, Luna was losing her head over this.
“I am sorry!”
She covered her face with both her hands and slipping past me, she sprinted out of the room.
Seeing that, I just stood there for a while…
Later, Luna came to my room with a “Dinner is ready” like always, but it was rather awkward still. On our way down to the living room, Luna looked at me like she wanted to say something and when we reached the bottom of the stairs, she turned around and opened her mouth shyly.
“Uhm, Shinobu-san… Do you like women with blonde hair?”
Luna’s cheeks turned red and she asked with a somewhat serious expression…. Now I was trapped.
Because I didn’t know the right answer.
After a short moment of hesitation, I chose to give the safe response “I don’t hate them”.
Upon hearing that Luna’s face brightened and a bright smile formed on it. Then she hugged onto me tightly and went into the dining kitchen in a happy mood.
“…Was it the correct choice?”
I wasn’t too sure, but Luna seemed happy, so it was fine. I followed after Luna relieved.
When I showed up in the dining kitchen, everyone else was already there and when I sat down, it was dinner time.
As I started to eat, Elni looked at the hamburger steak side-dish and said with her usual energy.
“I love hamburger steak. Shinobu loves them too.”
“Hey, don’t decide that on your own. Well, I do love Luna’s hamburger steaks…”
Pleased that Elni was back to her usual self, I leisurely made a retort. But Elni just said “It’s delicious!” and happily shoved the hamburger steak into her mouth as if she didn’t hear me.
Her smile was infectious and made me smile too. As I put the hamburger steak into my mouth, Elni seemed to recall something and said.
“That reminds me, do you like blonde hair, Shinobu?”
“Pft!”
I snorted unintentionally. Then I coughed to brush it off.
“O- On what basis do you ask that…?”
Careful not to let my agitation show in my voice, I said that, but Elni and Machina, who both sat across from me, looked at each other and then opened their mouths and said.
“Great Blonde Beauties Assembly.”
“A perverted summer vacation.”
Upon hearing Machina and Elni’s words, Luna’s cheeks turned red.
I covered my face with both my hands.
“I want to be a clam.”
I said that while shaking, as Nazuna who sat beside me raised her arm while filled with energy.
“And I want to be a cat! More rice!”
Yeah, I hoped that she could become a wonderful cat. But I wished that she would understand the grief of her brother.
I let out a big sigh, but then Elni raised her arm like Nazuna and said.
“I want more rice too!”
“Yes, I understand.”
Luna took the rice bowls from Elni and Nazuna, stood up and headed for the rice cooker.
With that opening, I leaned over the table to approach Elni and Machina and asked quietly.
“…Why do you know about the contents of my book too, Elni?”
“Mh? Machina told me.”
Elni answered honestly and then I faced Machina. But to that Machina answered “It just happened…” with a non-chalant attitude.
You never knew if these two were getting along or not.
I tilted my head, as Luna returned and handed Elni and Nazuna their refilled rice bowls. Taking their bowls, Elni and Nazuna made happy expressions and resumed eating their meal.
Seeing that, Machina faced Elni with a weary expression and opened her mouth.
“Unlike Nazuna, who moves around during her club activities, if you eat so much you’re going to get fat.”
Elni answered with a smile.
“It’s okay. I don’t get fat no matter how much I eat.”
“…I am envious.”
Luna said enviously, then everyone stopped eating their meal. Everyone focused their attention on Luna’s perfect body. The gazes of the girls were intently fixed upon her body.
“You aren’t really fat, Luna, so it isn’t really a problem if you eat a bit more.”
“E- Ehm…”
Luna stuttered after hearing my honest opinion. Machina recalled something upon staring at her and said.
“Ah, that reminds me, Sister, you did say that your brassiere got a bit tight. Could it be that your breasts grew bigger again?”
The moment Machina said that, Elni and Nazuna’s expressions changed.
The two of them stood up suddenly and approached Luna quickly. Upon reaching her, they started to fondle Luna’s breasts for whatever reason that was going through their heads.
“Uwa… That’s amazing, Luna-oneechan. They’re so big and soft.”
“Mh, that’s quite the volume. They were already too big for my palms, but you’re saying that they’re growing even bigger….”
“U- Uhm, you two, it hurts a bit.”
Luna said reluctantly, which caused Elni and Nazuna to look at each other before starting to fondle Luna’s breasts in a gentle, circular motion.
At that moment, Luna’s body trembled.
“Mm…Uhn…N- No, you two, sto….Hyan…”
Luna’s voluminous breasts were lifted up, squeezed together and fondled. They formed a lot of shapes.
Enjoying the sensation of Luna’s breasts, Nazuna and Elni didn’t hear Luna’s protest and continued to curiously touch her breasts. Luna’s cheeks gradually turned redder and she started to emit an erotic voice, but then Machina stood up.
“Hey, stop it, you two.”
Becoming weary of what they were doing, Machina gave Nazuna a pat-like tap on the head, while she mercilessly dropped a chop on Elni’s head.
“My sister doesn’t like it!”
Machina reprimanded them, then Nazuna and Elni bowed to Luna and apologised.
That scene put a smile on my face and then I started laughing out loud.
“You guys are just like sisters.”
When I said that, the four of them looked at each other, then gave a parrot-like reply of “Sisters?” in unison.
“Yeah. Luna and Machina are real sisters, but Nazuna and Elni fit in just as much. Luna is the oldest daughter, the second would be—-“
“Me.”
Elni raised her hand and interrupted me. But seeing that, Machina raised her own hand in opposition.
“No, the second daughter is me. Right, Shinobu?”
“That’s not true. I’m the second. Shinobu thinks so too.”
Machina and Elni leaned forward, seeking my opinion.
That’s when Nazuna stuck her head in between Machina and Elni and said with a smile.
“Brother, don’t forget about me.”
Most likely, Nazuna just didn’t want to be left out, but….strangely enough I had a really bad feeling about this.
As I watched Machina and Elni begin to quarrel like usual, Nazuna raised her hand and said.
“—Let’s decide who’s fit to be the Nanjou family’s second daughter with a contest!”
…It had become troublesome.
Looking at everyone that had gathered in the living room, I sighed in my mind.
After Nazuna’s suggestion, it was decided that the Nanjou family’s second daughter would be decided in a contest. The type of contest that was decided upon was a quiz tournament after some quarrelling.
That decision was probably influenced by the TV. But that wasn’t important now. It didn’t even bother me.
The problem was that I’d gotten involved in this.
I ended up in the predicament of being responsible for thinking up questions and being the judge. The only good thing about it was that Luna had been dragged into it like me and was appointed my assistant. It was reassuring to have Luna by my side.
When I shifted my gaze to the side, Luna who was sitting beside me smiled back.
That smile soothed me and I shifted my gaze to the table in the living room.
At the table sat Elni, Machina and Nazuna. Each of them had a table bell in front of them as a replacement for a buzzer.
The plan was that those who knew the answer would ring the bell and the fastest one would get to answer.
Now then, since I was entrusted with the role of being the moderator, I had to act my part.
I cleared my throat with a cough.
“Okay then, I hereby declare the start of the first play-offs for the Nanjou family’s second daughter. The judging will be brought to you by me, Nanjou Shinobu, and the Nanjou family’s older sister, Luna.”
Then Luna and I bowed and all the participants applauded.
“Thank you. Next I would like to introduce the participants.”
I faced the table and opened my mouth.
“First we have entry number one. She’s worshipped by the guys in class as “the Queen”, the red-haired beauty, Machina.”
“Fufuh. Well, I’ll play with you seriously.”
Machina smiled confidently and by appearances only she was the most befitting for the title of the second daughter.
“Next we have entry number two. A perfect beauty as long as she doesn’t speak. The self-proclaimed Goddess with the innocent smile, Elni.”
“Hello, I’m the Goddess. Not long ago I offered my seat to an old lady in the train, but she got off the train at the next stop. It was really awkward.”
Elni told us with a heart-rending expression. She was considered to be far away from the title.
“And lastly we have entry number three. A middle school girl that loves cats. Despite her adorable appearance, she belongs to the karate club. The Nanjou family’s lethal weapon, Nazuna.”
“I’ll try my best to win! I swear on my grandfather’s name!”
Nazuna said energetically. Her age didn’t make her look like a second daughter. Even now she was enjoying ringing the bell on the table.
Upon seeing that, Machina asked Nazuna in confirmation.
“Hey, are you really going to participate, Nazuna? I won’t show any mercy in the contest.”
“Meow!”
Machina warned her kindly, but Nazuna replied energetically and for some reason hugged Machina.
“Hey, what are you….”
Machina showed a confused expression in response to Nazuna’s hug, but she didn’t shake her off and accepted it with a faint smile.
But then Nazuna started to tickle Machina’s side as she continued to smile.
“Ahahaha, hey, Nazuna, stop it….”
Machina reprimanded her while laughing, but then Elni made her move. Following Nazuna’s example, Elni got behind Machina and tickled her sides.
“Kyaa! G- Geez, stop it, you two! Ahaha!”
Elni and Nazuna tickled Machina for a while, then they puffed out their chests for some reason and pointed firmly at Machina while saying.
“Machina-chan, pride will be your downfall. If I were serious, you would be dead now!”
“That’s right, Machina! The contest has already started!”
Nah, stop lying. You two were just playing around.
I wanted to retort like that, but looking exhausted Machina faced Nazuna with a surprised expression and said.
“N- Not bad for a girl with a cute face. You aren’t Shinobu’s sister for nothing….”
“And me?”
“You’re an idiot.”
After Machina insulted Elni, who had asked that while smiling, she then pointed at Nazuna.
“You’ll regret making me get serious. I won’t show any mercy.”
“Yeah! I’ll be serious too! I won’t to lose to either of you, Machina-chan, Elni-chan!”
Most likely Nazuna just wanted to play together with them. But her words were only fanning the fighting spirit of these two as they smiled fearlessly.
“Nazucat, you’ll regret being born into the same era as me.”
Now all three of them faced Luna and I as if to urge us to start the contest.
Okay, the talking was done, so let’s start. After I winked at Luna, I started off by saying “Okay, let’s start the quiz” and then asked the first question.
“Question one: The queen of Louis XVI of France, Marie Antoinette had a famous saying ‘If there’s no bread, let them eat XY’. Now what exactly did she say that she wanted them to eat?”
I asked this first question as a freebie and soon enough Machina rang her bell.
“Yes, Machina-san.”
When I prompted her for an answer, Machina who was filled with confidence replied.
“If there’s no bread, let them eat ‘mist’!”
“Are you a monster? That answer would shock even Marie Antoinette!”
I inadvertently forgot my role and retorted, but then Nazuna rang her bell with an “I know!”.
“Yes, Nazuna-san.”
I waited for Nazuna’s answer with high expectations and then she said with a smile.
“If there’s no bread, let them eat ‘my manly head’!”
“…Nazuna, you mean the children’s hero for love and justice. Besides, Marie Antoinette was a woman.”
I inserted a retort once again, but then Elni shouted out “…A woman! I know!” and then raised her hand with a “Here!”.
“No, don’t give me a ‘Here!’. What do you think the bell is for! Ring the bell! The bell!”
I retorted at full power, and then Elni quickly rang her bell and answered.
“The correct answer is: ‘If there’s no bread, will you have dinner? A bath? Or…me?’!”
“Totally wrong! Why is it suddenly a newlywed wife!? Sure, if she said that, I would get a bit excited—-wait, you don’t need to take notes, Luna! Does no one know the answer?”
I looked at the other members, but they all looked puzzled and clueless.
So Luna gave a wry smile and opened her mouth.
“Ehm, the correct answer is: ‘If there’s no bread, let them eat cake’. It is said to be a sentence spoken before the French revolution when the peasants were poor and short on food.”
When Luna explained, Machina said angrily.
“To tell them to eat a cake at such a time, there sure were some cruel people back then.”
“Yeah, well you’re no better, since you told them to eat mist….”
I said wearily, then Machina turned red and Luna continued with a wry smile.
“But it’s also said that these words were not actually said by Marie Antoinette. Now continuing with question two.”
Like previously arranged, now Luna would ask the question.
“Which women are said to be the world’s three great beauties? Please name all three.”
By the time Luna faced the participants, Machina had already rung her bell.
“Yes, Machina-san, your answer?”
I asked, and then Machina said, while filled with confidence like before.
“Mom, Sister and I!”
“…Yeah, I can understand where that came from, but it’s not about your personal opinion, but rather about common knowledge. Also, it’s quite arrogant to call yourself one. Wrong answer.”
After I said that, Machina made a displeased expression and then Nazuna rang her bell.
“Yes, Nazuna-san, your answer?”
When asked that, Nazuna said with a smile.
“—I don’t know!”
“Then don’t ring the bell! We’re asking for an answer! You are clearly just playing around!”
“Meow!”
Nazuna replied energetically, so it seems like it was on purpose after all, but then Elni quietly rang her bell.
“Yes, Elni-san, please give us the answer.”
When I asked her expectantly, Elni said with a smile, like Nazuna.
“I don’t know either!”
“Good, at least you’re honest—as if, idiot! Why are you guys acting so unnecessarily stupid? Take this a bit more seriously!”
I spoke out, but then Luna said with a regretful expression.
“Uhm, Shinobu-san, I do not think they are acting stupid, that is….they are being serious.”
“That’s even worse.”
“F- For now, I will give a hint.”
Well, at this rate it was unlikely that we would get the right answer, so it couldn’t be helped.
“Okay, here is the hint: The world’s three great beauties are ‘Cleopatra’, ‘Yang Guifei’ and ‘Ono no XY’. So, how does Ono no’s name continue?”
By revealing this much, everyone should know now. And as expected, Nazuna immediately rang her bell and said with a smile.
“Ono no Imoko!”
When I heard the answer, I inadvertently buried my head in my arms.
….Could it be that the question was too hard?
“Th- The correct answer would have been Ono no Komachi….By the way, abroad Helen is often named instead of Ono no Komachi.”
Luna explained with a wry smile, then the participants looked at her in admiration.
Yeah, common knowledge questions were no good for them.
I opened my mouth while sighing on the inside.
“Question three: I learned martial arts from my grandfather, but what is the school called?”
Technically, I’d talked to a few of them about the name. So I thought that someone should have the correct answer, as Nazuna mumbled “I might know this”. She rang the bell and answered happily.
“The Nanjou school of mental obliteration!”
“No! Only the mental part was right! Actually, how could you even mistake it! You went to gramps’ dojo during your elementary school days too!”
As I was shouting that, Machina said “I know”, then rang her bell and answered.
“The Nanjou Shinobu school of complacency!”
“No, no, why am I suddenly the founder of it? That’s wrong. Even looking at me with those hopeful eyes won’t make the answer correct.”
I retorted, and then Elni rang her bell.
“Yes, Elni.”
“Thanks for the wait, I’m the Goddess.”
“No one was waiting! Just answer!”
Urged to answered, Elni said with dead-serious eyes.
“Your school is called ‘Special Elni Killer’!”
“…Hoo, when did you become my master? Fufu, maybe I should ask Elni-sensei for a lesson in martial arts?”
I showed my fist as a joke, then Elni averted her gaze and shouted.
“I have nothing to teach you anymore, Shinobu! Sorry, you already know all secrets!”
“Geez… Does no one remember the name?”
I glanced at the participants and they all averted their eyes awkwardly.
….Eh? They all really didn’t remember? But I’d mentioned it to them numerous times?
Could it be that, they actually didn’t care a single bit about me…?
I felt a bit heart-broken, but then Luna raised her hand slightly and answered.
“Ehm, the correct answer is the ‘Nanjou School of the mental moon-state water”, right?”
“Y- Yeah. Nothing less from my Luna. That’s correct. Mh, currently Luna is in the lead.”
I was happy, so I petted Luna’s head, but then the other idiots shouted in displeasure.
“Wait, Sister isn’t even participating!”
“We can’t win against Luna-oneechan!”
“Shinobu only favours Luna!”
“—Okay, be quiet. Next up is question four. This is the last question. The one who answers this correctly will be the Nanjou family’s second daughter.”
I was getting tired of it by now, so I said that lazily but Machina, Elni and Nazuna were still filled with energy. Everyone nodded enthusiastically.
“Now for the last question: When Luna washes her body in the bath, where does she start?”
Now one of them should be right with their random answers. I asked this question randomly, which caused Luna to turn red with an “Ehh?”.
Regardless of that, Elni rang her bell and answered.
“Her boobs!”
“The left one or the right one?”
I questioned further, then Machina answered “Right!” while Elni and Nazuna replied “Left!”.
“Now then, Luna-san, which one is correct?”
“U- Uhm….Do I have to answer?”
Luna asked with red cheeks, after I presented her with an invisible microphone.
At that moment, all the participants who were aiming for victory shouted “Yes!” in unison.
“Ehm, I wash them…. both at once.”
“Both? And how?”
For some reason, Elni leaned over and asked. Luna answered that reluctantly.
“Uhm, by lifting from the bottom…..”
“I don’t really get it, Luna! Show us!”
In response to Elni’s request, Luna with her clothes still on, lifted up her big breasts from below and showed her washing movements. When her hands went upwards, her big breasts swayed.
That’s when I faced Luna, whose face was bright red, and said.
“Victory goes to Luna! Congratulations! Luna is the Nanjou family’s oldest and second daughter!”
Right after I said that.
“That’s unfair! Besides, I wasn’t even serious!”
Machina shouted in displeasure while Elni shrugged her shoulders and said.
“Looks like the question went around and I lost.”
“….Nah, you lost even without that. And also, your excuse is lame, Machina. Listen, the title of the oldest and second daughter of the Nanjou family goes to Luna. It’s set in stone now. The quiz tournament is over.”
I was being uncooperative, so Machina raised her hand and said.
“Then let’s decide on the third daughter now!”
“Yeah, good idea! How should we decide it this time?”
Machina and Elni were completely motivated, but I no longer had any intention of playing along. Nazuna was making a sleepy face, probably tired from playing around.
“…Then do your best, you two.”
I cleared away the bells together with Luna, which made Machina and Elni look at us in surprise.
“Eh? Why are you putting the bells away? Help us with the contest.”
“Yeah. The night is still young. Right, Nazucat.”
Nazuna was asked to agree, but she was clearly sleepy, so she rubbed her eyes and answered.
“I’m fine with being the Nanjou family’s cat…”
“Hey, hey, Nazuna. Aren’t you being too modest? Actually, you’re already half-asleep, aren’t you?”
“That’s not true. I love Brother. And Brother loves me. Luna-oneechan loves Brother too.”
“Hey, don’t drag Luna into this. You as well Luna, you don’t need to go along with her joke and raise your hand. C’mon, go to your room and sleep.”
“Mhm~ There’s no morning without a dawn….”
Saying that, Nazuna jumped into my arms and emitted sleeping sounds. With no other choice, I carried Nazuna on my back to her room.
Luna opened the door of the living room for me with a smile and left the room together with me. From behind Machina and Elni’s voices could be heard. Not like that, not like that either. They were discussing the contents for the contest.
….Actually, these two got along very well, didn’t they?
With that in mind I went up to the second floor and laid Nazuna on the bed in her room.
Then Nazuna grabbed onto Luna’s arm as she woke up.
“Luna-oneechan, sleep together with me.”
Luna replied with a nod as she smiled.
Mh, they once had a fight, but they were even closer now.
I watched over them with a smile, but then Nazuna suddenly grabbed my arm.
“You too, Brother.”
“Eh? Me too?”
I was surprised. Then Luna grabbed my hand with a red face.
“It does not happen often, so sleep together with us, Shinobu-san.”
“No, tomorrow, I….”
I turned her down like you would turn down a superior, who asked you out for a drink. But neither Luna, nor Nazuna let go of my arms.
“Brother, before you slept together with Machina and Elni, right? So it should be fine if you sleep with us too.”
“She is right. It is fine, right?”
After being told that by Nazuna with a smile on her face, Luna followed it up with a question and with that….I lost my way to escape.
With no other choice left, I laid down on the corner of the bed and quickly crawled near the wall to the point that I was about to kiss it. However, Nazuna and Luna pulled me back towards them and positioned me right in the middle of the bed.
The light was turned off then Luna and Nazuna laid down beside me. They used my arms as pillows and closed their eyes.
Mh, Nazuna had always been like that, so it didn’t bother me, but it was different for Luna. Her sweet fragrance and the sensation of her soft hair, along with her big breasts pressing against my body. Their sizes were indeed that of watermelons.
I was tired only moments ago, yet all my drowsiness was blown away instantly.
Even when these two were quietly asleep, my drowsiness didn’t come back. I pondered what to do, but then Luna suddenly moved.
“Uhn…”
She leaked an erotic voice unexpectedly. Then she moved, her hands reaching towards her own clothes and suddenly she started to take off her top.
“Eh? E- Ehm, hey, Luna-san…?”
Right in front of me as I watched in confusion, Luna also began to take off her skirt and was in her underwear now. Then she hugged tightly onto me.
….Eh? What was with this situation?
Her supple fingertips were grabbing my shoulder and her soft thighs were entangled with my legs. I distinctly felt her body temperature, but also the softness and elasticity of her breasts which melted my brain.
“Wh- What’s up, Luna?”
I called out to her, but the only reply I got was the sound of her breathing.
H- Huh? Was Luna half-asleep? Which reminded me, Luna said she always slept in her underwear…. So this was just her usual habit?
Luna smiled and tightly hugged onto me as if she was having a blissful dream.
This was certainly not good. My reasoning was about to collapse at any moment. I felt bad for Nazuna and Luna, but I would leave now.
I carefully pulled out my arm from under Nazuna’s head, then I reached out with my right hand that was now free towards Luna, when
“Shinobu-san…”
In her sleep, Luna mumbled my name suddenly and brought her body even closer to mine. As a result of this: My palm ended up pressing onto Luna’s breasts, since she moved closer when I was reaching towards her.
An enormous volume and a juicy elasticity. Luna’s erotic and curvaceous body.
“S- Sorry!”
I apologised by reflex in a small voice and got away from Luna by quickly pulling my hand back.
But probably due to the amount of force with which I had pulled back the arm that Luna had been resting on, Luna slowly opened her eyes.
Did I wake her up? I considered apologising once more, but Luna, still half-asleep, put her arm around my neck. Then like that she pulled me against her big breasts and emitted sleeping sounds.
“H- Hey, let go.”
“Don’t go wild….”
She was indeed half-asleep. But when I tried to get away, Luna hugged onto me tightly.
By doing that, her voluminous breasts were obviously pressed against my face.
Ohh, so this was the rumoured breast-pillow.
Embraced by softness, warmth and a sweet fragrance, my whole body felt pleasant and became paralysed.
But staying in this position would be bad in various ways.
I moved my head as to somehow free myself from Luna’s embrace.
In that moment, I strongly felt the sensation of her breasts. On top of that
“Yahn…”
Luna let out a charming voice.
….Just what kind of test was this?
While clinging to what was left of my self-control, I removed myself from Luna’s breasts, but then I received another surprise.
Probably due to my movements, the shoulder strap of Luna’s brassiere came off.
In other words, her ripe, bountiful fruits popped out of the brassiere and the important part nearly came into my vision.
I finally got away, however Luna once again began to cling to me still half-asleep.
That was bad. I approached my limit, but thenI heard Nazuna sleep-talking from behind me.
I faced her and saw Nazuna’s peaceful sleeping face.
“….Can’t screw up.”
She mumbled quietly while I fought, unable to sleep. Luna clung to me tightly, but I didn’t give in. For the whole night, I continued to fight my desires…




Chapter 03: The hidden flavour is a Bunny and a Nurse?

At dawn Luna finally let go off me, so I quietly snuck out of the bed and left the room. Because it had been nerve-wrecking all the time, I was quite weary and my body felt heavy.
“…For now I’ll grab a drink.”
My throat was dry, so I headed for the living room, when I found someone else there.
It was Elni. In the dim-light room without the lights on, she sat quietly on the sofa.
“Morning. You’re up early.”
When I called out to her, Elni hastily rubbed her eyes with both her hands.
…I couldn’t tell because it was so dark, but could it be she was crying?
“Elni?”
I approached her, whereupon Elni looked downwards and said while averting her head from me.
“…Mor…ning….”
Her voice was somewhat chipped.
She was crying after all. I silently sat down beside her and gently stroke her head.
Upon that, Elni suddenly draw closer to me.
“…A morning greeting is such a great thing.”
Elni uttered forlornly.
“Good morning, good night. When I say it, the same words come back to me. And even when I sleep, someone is close by. How mysterious. It makes me feel very warm…”
While saying that, Elni appeared close to tears.
“….Did you see a scary dream?”
I remembered how she had a nightmare before, so I asked kindly.
Upon that, Elni nodded powerless.
“I hate dreams. They only show me things that will never be and make me remember bad memories….”
Elni’s hand on my knee clenched strongly and trembled a bit.
“…You can wake me up when it gets too bad.”
I somewhat strongly patted her head.
“Then you have someone to talk to and get your head patted like this…. Even I can do this much.”
“…It won’t bother you?”
“Not at all. Stay with us forever.”
When I said that, Elni was close to tears again.
But she didn’t say anything…. She just stayed quiet and smiled vaguely.
I also didn’t say anything further and stood up from the sofa.
“Okay, I’ll go sleep in my room. If anything’s up, just come to me, okay?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Elni regained a bit of her energy and showed her usual smile.
I returned to my room relieved and got into my bed. There I immediately fell asleep due to my tiredness.
But in a blink of an eye, it was time for me to get up, so I had to go to school with a lack of sleep.

* * *

I was sleepy. So sleepy that I couldn’t keep my eyes open. On top of that, my body felt dull. I could collapse any moment.
“I wanna go home…”
It was break time and with my head on my desk, I sighed.
“Nanjou-kun, you look sick. Are you okay?”
I raised my head, since I was called out kindly.
Upon that I saw a beauty with glamorous long, black hair.
Graceful features, voluminous breasts, a firm waist and supple long legs.
The cool beauty in front of me was my classmate Gogyou Hijiri-san.
Actually she was part of an exorcist family that sealed and exorcised devils and the such and had tried to exorcise Luna and Machina, who were devils, before.
But when she realized that these two didn’t mean any harm, Gogyou-san had spoken with the exorcists, so that they would be left alone.
With such a kind personality, Gogyou-san wasn’t just popular with the boys at school, but also with some of the girls, specially some junior girls, who gave her tremendous support.
“You better go to the infirmary when you feel sick. Need my help to get there?”
Gogyou-san smiled gently. I was most grateful for her sentiment, but I answered with a wry smile.
“No, rather than sick, I’m just lacking sleep. I had a tough day yesterday because of a few things….”
“Mh? Something happened?”
“Yeah. Actually, that typhoon blew away Elni’s house. So she’s staying with us right now, but she’s on bad terms with Machina…”
I explained with a sigh. About Elni’s fight with Machina and the trouble of the quiz tournament.
“—What’s more, they made me promise to tag along with them after school today.”
“Tag long….For another contest?”
“Yeah.”
Before I could nod, the voice of a third person butted in.
When I faced it, Machina had suddenly returned and sat down on her own seat (beside me) while continuing.
“That idiot claimed ‘Cooking isn’t fair’ yesterday. And when I asked why, she replied ‘Because you can’t cook, Machina’! That totally was a challenge towards me!”
“…But as a matter of fact, you can’t cook, right?”
I asked wearily, when Machina puffed her chest and answered.
“It’s fine. I looked it up on the internet yesterday. As long as you follow the receipt, anyone can pull it off.”
Where did that confidence come from?
I got a bad feeling, when Gogyou-san said surprised.
“Looked it up on the internet?…Orangelo-san, you can use a computer?”
“Eh? Yeah, I can. It’s easy.”
Mh, unlike Luna, who was totally bad with machines, Machina learned to use the electronics in the house in no time, probably due to her ability to adapt quickly. So she immediately understood how to use a computer and once in a while looked up things on the internet.
“That’s amazing, Orengelo-san. I have absolutely no clues about computers. I know that I have to learn it, but I’m still bad with it…”
Machina averted her eyes shyly, when Gogyou-san looked at her admiring.
“It, It’s nothing that special. Besides, if you want, well… I wouldn’t mind teaching you.”
Gogyou-san widened her eyes in surprise on these words, but soon afterwards she smiled and said a “Thanks.
Mh, I recently noticed that Machina was quite kind to people close to her.
At home she obviously got along with Luna, but she also treated Nazuna kindly and rarely kicked me now.
That was kind of cute. Thinking about that, I said to Gogyou-san.
“Since Machina offered it, why don’t you come over for a lesson?”
“Really? I can intrude onto you?”
“Sure, come by. It would be really helpful if you come today already.”
Just Luna and me would be unable to stop Elni and Machina. So I said this to Gogyou-san in an attempt for help. Upon that, Gogyou-san turned red for some reason and lightly nodded a “Yeah”.
“….It’ll be my first time going to a boy’s house…”
“Mh? Said something?”
“N- Nothing!”
Gogyou-san hastily shook her hands, when the chime rang and our homeroom teacher Hiiragi-sensei showed up.
“Okay, Nanjou-kun, until later then.”
“Sure.”
Gogyou-san returned to her own seat in a happy mood.
Seeing that, Machina frowned for some reason.
“…I wonder if Gogyou is also after the title of the second daughter of the Nanjou family.”
“As if.”
After I retorted, I suppressed a yawn and concentrated on class, but…. My eyelids became heavy and I was sleeping before I knew it.
Hiiragi-sensei’s voice sounded somewhat distant and when my consciousness came back for a moment, a sweet fragrance put me into a pleasant mood.
What was it? I opened my eyelids curiously.
In that moment, my vision was filled with amber eyes, a pulsating bridge of the nose and glamorous well-formed lips.
Mh? Why was Machina’s face so close by? Was I still dreaming?
I was confused, when she noticed my look. Machina said with a wry smile.
“Geez, class is still on-going. Dozing off is rude to Hiiragi-sensei.”
Machina surprisingly said something diligent.
Then I noticed that I had leaned onto Machina’s shoulder. But because of my sleepiness, I couldn’t move my head well.
“…Sorry. That was foolish of me.”
“Eh? Ehm, I wasn’t really blaming you, okay?”
“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. Please forgive me.”
“Hey, don’t say weird stuff, Shinobu. Just sleep.”
I heard Machina’s fazed voice and dozed off when someone called out to me.
“Hey, Nanjou-kun, you’re in class. When you sleep here, I’ll get ang—-Hyaa! Wh- Why are you glaring at me, Orangelo-san?”
“Shinobu is sleeping. Keep it quiet.”
“But I’m teaching here!?”
I got the feeling that I heard Hiiragi-sensei’s saddened voice.
But I was too sleepy and in the end, I slept through the whole class.
Though while I got rid off some of my sleepiness, my body still felt dull.
And on top of that, at the end of fourth period, I noticed that I forgot my lunch box at home, so I made a big sigh.
Upon that, Machina besides me tilted her head and called out.
“What’s up, Shinobu? Let’s eat already.”
“…Machina, I forgot my lunch. I’m done for. Give me your whole lunch.”
“N- Not the whole thing. But I can share it with you….”
“Really? Then just give me 1/3 + 2/6 + 3/9.”
“Sure, if that’s— wait, when I think about it, that’s everything!”
“…You saw through it after all, huh.”
I was talking with Machina like that.
“Yo, what’s with the ruckus?”
I turned to the sudden voice, when there stood my classmate with the uselessly handsome face, Asada, holding his lunch box in one hand.
Asada was a hopeless guy, who was a lecherous pervert with a siscon, but also one of my few friends.
I shrugged my shoulders to Asada, who had approached with his usual stupid expression, and said.
“…Asada, I forgot my lunch. I’m done for. Hand over your lunch box.”
“While you look frail, you sound like a thief…”
Asada retorted wearily, then put down his lunch box on my desk and opened his mouth.
“Nanjou, if you forgot your lunch, why don’t you go buy some bread at the school store? But you have to hurry or it will sell out. And if you need money, I could lend you some…”
“No, I’m not really short on money, but it’s a pain to go to the store.”
My body felt dull and to be honest, I didn’t want to move overly.
“Okay, Machina. You go to the school store and buy bread for me.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Machina nodded obediently and stood up.
I was waiting for her usual midway retort, but Machina asked me normally “What bread do you want?”.
…H- Huh? I didn’t expect that reaction. I thought for sure she would angrily reply “Why do I have to go for you!”…
I was surprised. Then Gogyou-san, who sat besides Machina across the passage, stood up.
She made a complex expression as she approached us. Then she said whispering.
“Nanjou-kun, Orangelo-san, I heard a familiar voice from the hallway….”
“Mh? A familiar voice?”
“So what?”
Together with Machina, I tilted my head and shifted my gaze towards the hallway. Just like Gogyou-san said, I heard a somewhat familiar voice of a girl.
“—You. Yes, you. You posses some good luck. But if you wear these divine goods, your luck will increase even further!”
The voice continued.
“This divine cosplay originally costs 30.000 yen per piece, but right now you can purchase it for merely 10.000 yen! What do you say, Miss? …..Eh? You’ll buy one? Even though it costs 10.000 yen? Im- Impossible!”
“Geez, Elni-chan. Stop doing this. Let us hurry to Shinobu-san.”
“B- Bu Luna! This girl said she would buy my divine goods! I’m happy, so I’ll give it to for free! …Eh? You’ll pay? I, I don’t need the 10.000 yen—-wait, waaah, I really don’t need the money!”
…Yeah, I got a really bad feeling.
Like me, Machina also noticed the voice from outside as she grimaced.
Then the CLATTER noise of the classroom door opening echoed and two beauties appeared.
I was surprised that both of them wore our school uniform, but I recognized them anyway.
One of them was a girl with shining silver hair tied up in twin tails, skin white as snow and extremely finely chiselled features. It was Elni.
And the other one was a peerless beauty with dazzling blonde hair till her waist and a dynamite body on the level of a model, wearing a gentle expression. It was Luna.
“Shinobu-senpai, hello!”
“Hello, Shinobu-kun”
When the two of them noticed me, they approached with a smile and opened each their mouth.
“Hey, Shinobu-kun, would you mind to spend lunch break with us? I prepared a lunch box for you.”
“You will, right, Shinobu-senpai?”
Luna smiled sexily while resting her small hand on my chin and Elni happily clung to my arm….Ehm, was this a dream?
The situation was just too aloof from reality that I was confused and couldn’t say anything. Then Luna pulled away her hand from my chin, grabbed the sleeve of Elni’s uniform and said quietly.
“Elni-chan, Elni-chan. Shinobu-san is not reacting. I think I played the senior role well, like you told me…. But Shinobu-san does not seem to be all that happy…”
“Mhm~ Shinobu might have no interest in older girls.”
“Ehh? Th- That is not good! I will even do embarrassing things, so please tell me how to please Shinobu-san!”
Luna begged with teary eyes while jerkily pulling on Elni.
M- Mh, apparently the two of them standing before me was no dream, but reality.
“…What are you two here for?”
To hide my agitation, I made a weary expression and asked. Machina and Gogyou-san affirmed too.
“Yeah, what’s up with you two? Why are you here?”
“Ehm, if you’re here to hang out, it would be better to come after school. You’ll be thrown out when a teacher finds you. You two really stand out, so it’s better that you leave quickly.”
Gogyou-san warned them kindly, but Elni smirked and answered.
“Hijiri, don’t sweat the details.”
“Ehm, I can’t really approve of outsiders entering the school on their own…”
Gogyou-san informed Elni with a wry smile. But Elni just drew closer to Gogyou-san.
“Hijiri.”

“Mh?
“Elni Fire~”
Elni gently blew into Gogyou-san’s ear. In that moment, Gogyou-san raised a coquettish “Mmah…” voice.
Seeing that, Elni opened her well-formed lips and suddenly nibbled on Gogyou-san’s ear.
“Hya… Ah… No. Sto… Mm…”
Gogyou-san tried to get off Elni, but it seemed like she couldn’t muster any strength. Her cheeks turned red and her body trembled shuddering. She grabbed my hand, seeking for help.
“Mmah… N- Nanjou-kun….h- help…. Uhn…”
Wh- What to do? Gogyou-san’s cheeks redden even deeper and tears dwelled up in her eyes. That was extremely erotic. And that she heavily breathing sought my help was even more stimulating.
But well, I better stopped Elni now. The folks in class, boys and girls alike, blushed and focused their gazes on Gogyou-san and Elni. It would be troublesome if they stood out too much. Thinking like that, I wanted to speak out to restrain Elni, but Machina moved before I could. Machina smiled playful and moved right next to Gogyou-san. Then, just like Elni, she opened her glamorous pink lips and attacked Gogyou-san’s ear with her mouth.
Right after, Gogyou-san raised once again an erotic voice and her knees started to tremble. Upon seeing that, Machina and Elni looked at each other and now started to suck on Gogyou-san’s ears. In reaction, Gogyou-san increased the grip on my hand.
“Fuh…Mah… N_ Nanjou-kun, I… I’m already… Ahh…”
Wait, wait, wait. Now this was going too far. I immediately had to stop Elni and Machina, but for some reason my hand wouldn’t move. Gogyou-san’s seductive expression was too charming, so I couldn’t avert my eyes and just observed for a while.
“S- Stop it, you two. Please get away from Gogyou-san.”
Luna hastily reprimanded Elni and Machina, which brought me back to my senses.
“Give it a rest, Elni, Machina. Gogyou-san doesn’t like it.”
I said urging, when Elni and Machina looked at each other and then got away from Gogyou-san.
Finally released, Gogyou-san staggered and snuggled to me with heavy breathing.
“A- Are you okay?”
The soft sensation of her voluminous breasts, the sound of her heavy breathing near my ears and the hectic beating pulse.
I asked her while in agitation over her clinging. Then suddenly arms were twined around my back.
“Hah, hah… Sorry…. Can’t muster any strength….just a bit longer… like this…”
She said disruptive and let her breathing calm down in my arms.
Seeing Gogyou-san like that, Machina and Luna made a somewhat envious expression and Elni said “Sorry” apologizing.
And the guys in class glared at me with their eyes full of envy and shouted at me.
“Nanjou! Not fair! Let me take your place for a moment!”
“Right! It’s not fair when it’s only you, Nanjou-kun!”
“No, actually, I’m envious of Gogyou-san!”
“….Eh? What the? Hey, who was that! Who is envious of Gogyou-san? Because that’s the same I thought just now!”
With a loud ruckus, my classmates attacked me with angry shouts.
I got the feeling that there were some unsettling statements among them, but I was too scared, so I decided to ignore them. I pondered how to calm this ruckus, when Gogyou-san suddenly got away from me. She made eye-contact with me and turned red up to her eyes for some reason.
“Is your body better now?”
I had intended to ask kindly, when Gogyou-san moved her mouth like a goldfish while still bright red.
“I, I did—something shameful to Nanjou-kun!…”
Gogyou-san said regretful, then she shouted a “Sorry!” and sprinted out of the classroom.
…Ehm, shameful? Just by clinging to me?
Yeah, Gogyou-san was just so innocent.
I was a bit surprised. Then Machina, who was looking after Gogyou-san, said.
“Gogyou is surprisingly cute too.”
“Yeah, Hijiri is cute.”
Elni affirmed Machina’s words. On a rare occasion they agreed on something.
Actually, they worked together quite smoothly when they teased Gogyou-san.
Why did these two only get along at times like this?
When I was innerly amazed, Luna watched over Elni and Machina with a wry smile, as she probably had the same thought as me.
Then I sighed lightly, faced Elni and Luna and opened my mouth.
“…So, what are you two here for?”
Elni aside, Luna wouldn’t come to school without a proper reason. There Elni pulled out something from the handbag in her hand and answered with a smile.
“You forgot your lunch, Shinobu, so we came to deliver it.”
“Eh? Really? Thanks.”
I said my gratitude while Elni presented me the lunch box and puffed her chest full of pride.
“I carried it all the way here while trying hard not to eat it!”
That wasn’t really a matter to be proud of. Seeing her like that, Luna made a small sigh.
“Elni-chan ate lunch together with me, but on our way to school, she glanced at the lunch box a couple of times…”
…If not for Luna, Elni might have devoured it. But when I saw Elni smiling happily, I couldn’t say anything back.
I took the lunch box from Elni and petted her head lightly.
“Thank you, Luna, Elni. You saved me.”
I properly said my thanks and continued with a “Reminds me…”.
“What’s up with these uniforms? How did you get them?”
It was pretty unlikely that they stole them, so they probably borrowed them from someone. I pondered about that, when Elni spun around once, stroke a pose and answered.
“I got them from a woman that I met at the volunteer works. She said I could have them, since she graduated and won’t need them anymore.”
Elni, striking a pose like a model, was not-exaggeratingly cute and the uniform suited her well.
“By the way, I wear a freshman uniform while Luna wears a senior one.”
The girl from whom Elni got the uniforms surely grew up over her school days. Comparing Luna and Elni, the growth became apparent. But despite that, the uniform Luna wore was still a bit tight around her chest.
“Uhm, Shinobu-san…It does not look weird?”
Luna showed a worried expression when she noticed my gaze.
To be honest, she looked incredible cute.
“It suits you two pretty well and—”
Before I could say “cute”, my classmates opened their mouths.
“Miss, you’re home-staying at the Nanjou household, right?”
“Ehh? She’s the rumoured foreigner that was a maid-labelled slave? Unbelievable. What’s so good about Nanjou-kun?”
The guys from class approached at my desk, where my classmate (big-breasted) Minami faced Elni.
“Actually, who’s this cute girl with the silver hair? Your friend, Nanjou-kun?”
On Minami’s words, everyone else shut up. They faced Elni and uttered stuff like cute. Then they took a step forwards.
At that moment, Asada, who had watched quietly so far, stood up and jumped in front of our classmates. Then he said altered.
“Okay, okay~ Ask your questions about them through their manager.”
When did he became her manager? I became inadvertent wearily, when Asada turned around and showed a smile.
“Nanjou, get out of here before it gets out of hand. I’ll hold them off here.”
“A- Asada, you…”
“Surprised? Heh, I know what you’re thinking, Nanjou. Sure, I’m a pervert, but I’m not so low as to lust over the girl of my friend!”
For some reason Asada appeared really cool and I was amazed.
But in a matter of seconds, Asada was pushed aside, trampled down and deserted by our classmates.
But Asada didn’t give up. Even while laying on the floor, he snuck a peek under the skirts of the girls.
It was strangely praiseworthy how he could pull that off. I just cheered on Asada, whishing him the best, when our classmates approached Elni and called out to her.
“Ehm, what relationship do you have with Nanjou?”
“Mh? Me? I’m—Shinobu’s lover!”

Elni unwavering told a lie. Needless to say, my classmates raised their voices in surprise.
There Machina said to Elni wearily.
“Lover my ass. You can lie without getting red. But you’re just a freeloader.”
“Yeah, just like you, Machina.”
Elni admitted honestly, but that statement made my classmates give an expression like they were hit by a thunder and they shouted.
“H- Hey, we haven’t heard of this, Nanjou. Sure we saw you getting along with Orangelo-san, but to think that you were living together!”
“Living together under the same roof, I’m so envious! Of Orangelo-san that is! I want to live in Nanjou-kun’s house too!”
“Hey, again, who was that! Which boy had the same thought as me just now!”
….Seemed like I wouldn’t get to have lunch now.
I wasn’t really surprised about that. Then I heard excited voices like “Where are the blonde and silver-haired beauties!” and “Look around the sophomore classes!” from boys in the hallway.
Reminded me, when Luna brought me an umbrella to school before, the boys were making a ruckus too. Mhm~ If the ruckus grew any louder, a teacher would surely come by.
…We better go elsewhere.
I concluded such, grabbed my lunch box and walked away while pulling on Luna’s hand with a “Let’s go”.
Strangely enough, the worked-up classmates obediently made way when I just said “Move aside”.
What a surprise. I walked slightly surprised and Elni and Machina followed behind me, so we left the classroom together.
Meanwhile, I could hear whispering voices like “…Damn, from that look, I thought I would get killed” from my classmates in the classroom.
A cruel statement. I innerly dropped my shoulders. Luna firmly returned my hand holding and asked “Where are we going?” with a smile, so I regained my spirit and pondered where to go.

….In the end, I took Luna, Elni and Machina behind the gym. I thought that we could eat our lunch here peacefully, but Elni said with red cheeks for some reason.
“Sh- Shinobu-senpai, bringing me to such a desolate place…What are you going to do to me?”
“…Eh? He brought us to this desolate place with these intentions….?”
“I- Is that so, Shinobu-san? All of us at the same time…. How bold…”
Playing along with Elni’s joke, Machina and Luna turned red.
“No, I won’t do anything.”
For now, I dropped a double chop on Elni and Machina’s head with my hands. Upon that Machina and Elni raised an “”Oww”” in perfect harmony.
Seeing that, Luna pulled on the sleeve of my uniform and reprimanded me with a gentle tone.
“Shinobu-san, violence is not good.”
“Ehm, this is kind of my whip of love…”
I made an excuse while scratching my head, when Elni for some reason imposed a stop to Luna by holding out her palm.
“It’s okay, Luna. That’s a sign of the close relationship between Shinobu and me.”
“Well, an expression of affection so to speak.”
Elni said with a smile while Machina reddened her cheeks. Then Luna mumbled “Affection…”, faced me and shouted with a serious expression.
“Shinobu-san, please hit me too!”
….Eh? What was she saying out of the blue? Inadvertently I was shocked and—
“Luna, If you want to be hit, then show the great me your butt! I’ll spank you as you want! In a sixteen beat!”
“Oh, a sixteen beat—wait, Elni! Don’t say weird stuff by mimicking me!”
I hastily retorted, but it was already too late. Luna had turned red and pushed out her bottom towards me, like Elni had said.
Her beautiful, long legs and her well-shaped hipline peeked out from the skirt. Luna looked at me somewhat worried over her shoulder.
Inadvertent I lost my senses and raised my hand. And when I was about to bring my hand down on her plump butt, I shook my head in disbelief. Then I dropped a chop on Elni’s head, who had watched over my behaviour quite curiously.
“Ow! Shinobu, it hurts!”
“Shut up. I’ll hit you in the sixteen beat, like you wanted it!”
“Uwaaah!”
Elni raised a sorrowful scream, but when I gave her an after service of petting her head once I was done hitting her, she mumbled a “Candy and the whip” while making a not so displeased expression.
A weird fellow like ever. But today I felt that this weird side of hers was also charming. When I gently petted Elni’s head….I felt a gaze on me.
When I turned to it, Luna was puffing her cheeks lightly and looking at me with a sulking expression.
“…Shinobu-san, it is not fair that it is only Elni-chan. Please do it for me too.”
“No, no, I can’t really hit Luna when she hasn’t done anything bad…. Right?”
I turned to Machina for help. But Machina, standing besides Luna, made a displeased expression and said.
“Hey, Shinobu. Do it for my sister too! Or do you want to make her feel left out?”
Wh- Why are you somewhat angry? Help me out, here. I complained such in my head and approached Luna with my hand raised.
But since Luna looked at me with hopeful eyes and blushed cheeks, I stopped my coming down hand halfway.
I couldn’t bring myself to hit her.
My hand staggered powerless, then lightly hit onto Luna’s head.
“…It feels kind of different.”
“Sorry, but that’s the best I can do.”
I answered such and Luna showed a sad expression.
“…Even though you do it for Elni-chan, Machina and Nazuna-chan…you will not do it for me, Shinobu-san?”

“Yeah, well, I can’t really bring myself to and violence isn’t good anyway. You too, wouldn’t hit me when I asked you to, right?”
“That is not true.”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
“I certainly would.”
“…Hoo, they why don’t you try it?”
On a rare occasion, Luna didn’t resign, so I spread my arms and uttered a challenge.
Upon that Luna approached me with a serious expression and lightly pulled on my ear.
That much I still told off as cute, but then Luna brought her face closer and bit onto my ear with her well-shaped pink lips.
The sensation of her soft lips along with her warm breath. She gently nibbled onto my ear, it was like a cat’s play-biting.
My pulse increased immediately and I hastily tried to get away from Luna. But her extended arms blocked my escape. Luna grabbed my shoulder with her hands and continued to nibble onto my ear while clinging to me.
Wh- What? Was Luna angry?
Melon-like big breasts pressed onto my upper arm and Luna continued to stimulate my ear with her warm breath. Her expression looked somewhat happy.
“…When I see that, Luna actually might be the type to enjoy teasing?”
“Mhm~ Sister might unexpectedly be like that.”
Elni and Machina each gave a comment while remaining a spectator and watching Luna and me.
Don’t just look and help me. I wanted to shout out such, but it was quite unlikely that these two, who teased Gogyou-san, would help me.
So I became a demon and placed a light chop onto Luna’s head with a “Stop it”.
Upon that Luna finally released my ear from her mouth and happily said her gratitude to me.
…Why did I have to get this exhausted before lunch?
I sighed and sat down on the spot. When I opened the lunch box, the other three followed my suit and sat down.
However, incomprehensible to me, Elni took my chopsticks, grabbed a octopus shaped sausage from the lunch box before I could stop her and then
“Shinobu, Ah~”
She held up the sausage before my mouth.
I had thought for sure that Elni would eat it herself, so I was surprised now. But on that opening, Machina leaned over from beside and ate that sausage.
“Wh- What are you doing, Machina! That was Shinobu’s sausage!”
Elni got angry, but Machina just said “My bad” nonchalant.
“Okay then, Shinobu. As compensation, Ah~”
Then she grabbed a sausage from her own lunch with the chopsticks and brought it to my mouth.
Seeing that, Elni leaned over like Machina and ate the offered sausage.
“How dare you! You glutton!”
“I don’t want to be called that by you!”
There the two of them started one of their usual fights and Luna took away the chopsticks from Elni. Then grabbing an omelette side dish with it,
“Shinobu-san, here, Ah~”
Luna fed me with a smile.
Yeah, there was no need for that. Just give me back my chopsticks.
I couldn’t taste anything out of embarrassment.
After that, I played along with a couple of Luna’s “Ah~”s, then took back my chopsticks and started to eat normally. Machina and Elni were pulling each other cheeks like they always did during a fight….
But it was said that teasing is a sign of affection, so I left them be. Luna watched over them with a worried expression, when Machina and Elni broke up by turning away from each other.
Well, it was a daily occurrence, not worth any attention.
…Like that I spent my lunch break with the three of them.
Being at school was something new for Luna and Elni, so the time went by in a flash due to the joy and the chime rang.
There Machina and I sent off Luna and Elni at the front gate and then returned to the classroom.
By the way, when we came back to the classroom, Gogyou-san noticed me and turned bright red while she once again bowed down with a “Sorry for earlier”.
I told her not to mind it, when for some reason Gogyou-san mumbled a “…You’re so kind” with still red cheeks and then returned to her seat.
When I looked after her, Machina pinched my cheek for some reason…

* * *

Then classes were over and I returned home with Gogyou-san, who wanted to learned about computers like agreed on earlier.
“Ex- Excuse my intruding.”
Gogyou-san said so with a somewhat nervous expression when she entered the house. Then Elni showed her face from the living room. I had told her about Gogyou-san coming during lunch break, so she wasn’t really surprised and just smiled boldly. She said.
“Hijiri, Welcome to my castle, the Elni castle. This Elni castle lets anyone enter, but never lets anyone leave. Well, come in. Luna is making some tea.”
For a mere freeloader, she behaved like the owner of the house.
“Gogyou, you can ignore her. She’s an idiot. Don’t make eye-contact or she’ll bite you.”
“Machina! Such mean words right after you come home! Who are you calling an idiot! Who will bite you! If that’s what you want, I’ll bite you! And also, welcome home!”
“Pft. As if an idiot like you could actually bite anyone. Just give it a try if you think you can. And also, I’m home!”
Seeing the behaviour of these two, Gogyou-san gave a wry smile and whispered to me.
“Nanjou-kun, could it be they actually get along well?”
“…Who knows? To be honest, I don’t know.”
I replied and then we went to the living room with Luna, who came to greet us.
There Machina, Gogyou-san and me put down our bags and relaxed over a cup of tea that Luna made for us. Then Elni suddenly stood up from the sofa and said.
“—Okay! Time for the cooking contest!”
“Yes, bring it on! Let’s go, Gogyou.”
Upon Elni’s words, Machina stood up and took Gogyou-san’s hand.
But Gogyou-san showed a perplexed expression on having her hand taken.
“…Eh? Uhm, I came for the computer….”
“That’ll be for later! C’mon, this way.”
“Yeah, you cook with us too, Hijiri.”
Having her arms taken by Machina and Elni, Gogyou-san was dragged to the dining kitchen.
Machina was dragged into their contest as a replacement for Nazuna, who was absent due to her club activities, while she was dumbfounded.
But what would happen if Gogyou-san won? Would she come to live here too? She would come to wake me up, I would come to wake her up instead, we would watch TV together, I would peep on her changing and she would peep on me instead.
…Yeah, if I were to engage in such a relationship with the popular Gogyou-san, the guys from class would surely get pissed. Thinking that, I peeked my head into the dining kitchen.
There the girls had put on aprons and were looking into the refrigerator.
Mh, girls in aprons sure were a fine sight. Machina and Gogyou-san wore the apron over their uniforms, which was quite charming.
Of course Elni wearing the apron over her casual clothes was cute too, but sadly enough Luna didn’t wear an apron.
It seemed that Luna would not participate in the contest. She showed them where the cooking utensils were and warned them to be careful with the fire and knives.
She was indeed the model oldest daughter. An reliable older sister.
When I watched over the girls, Elni and Machina came over and grabbed my arm.
“Shinobu, no boys in the kitchen.”
“Yeah. Wait patiently in the living room.”
With that they forcefully banished me to the living room.
With no other choice left, I sat down on the sofa and relaxed, when Luna came back. She sat down beside me and talked to me with a smile.
“I am looking forward to their cooking.”
“…I’m worried about the stuff not done by Gogyou-san though.”
Luna, who was chosen to be a judge like me, looked happy. But I sighed and replied.
In that moment, I could hear a loud noise from the dining kitchen. Following Gogyou-san’s surprised voice.
“Ah, you can‘t, Orangelo-san. Wh- What are you doing!”
“Eh? I can’t do that?”
“O- Of course not! That’s a no-go! Also the buds of potatoes are poisonous. You can’t eat them…!”
Along with Gogyou-san’s panicked voice, I got a very bad feeling.
Then I could hear more worried voices from Gogyou-san and Elni.
“Ehm, Orangelo-san, I don’t think that’s on the receipt…”
“It’s okay.. It’ll make it spicy.”
“Uwaah! Machina! The other stuff aside, this one is clearly not good!”
“Oh come on, you two are exaggerating. It’s fine, it’s fine.”
A few seconds after Machina said that, Gogyou-san and Elni’s screams sounded.
I was worried. For a while now my heart wouldn’t stop racing, but was that because the beautiful Luna was in front of me? Or was my heart in tumult like when you shake your eyes worried?
Like that I escaped from reality, when Luna said “I will go get some medicine just in case” with a rather serious expression. I put my hands together in a prayer.
…I spent the time like that, when Gogyou-san, Machina and Elni peeked in their heads into the living room. Gogyou-san’s face was pale, Elni’s stiff and Machina’s was full of confidence while she opened her mouth.
“Okay, Shinobu. Which dish will you eat first?”
“—Gogyou-san’s!”
I gave an instant answer. Machina’s was no good. From what I heard, Elni’s still might be eatable, but Machina’s definitely was no good. I’ll just say I can’t eat anymore after I finished all of Gogyou-san and Elni’s food.
With these thoughts, I named Gogyou-san. Upon that Gogyou-san nodded, temporarily returned into the kitchen and then put down a tablet with a plate before me.
When I looked at it, I recognized a rice omelette on the plate.
An appetizing flavour came at me and I clapped my hands together with a “I’m digging in”, then grabbed the spoon.
I felt Gogyou-san’s gaze on me when I split the rice omelette in a mouthful part with the spoon. I put it into my mouth and chewed it well.
Ohh, the eggs, tomato ketchup and chicken rice made a perfect combination. Also, the sweetness and fluffiness of the eggs was the best. I smiled unmeant.
“This is good…”
When I uttered so, Luna also tried the rice omelette. Right after a smile broadened on Luna’s face.
“It is delicious. Gogyou-san, please tell me your receipt next time.”
“Y- Yeah. Thanks.”
Gogyou-san smiled bashful, when Machina and Elni also reached out for the spoons. They too praised Gogyou-san’s dish highly. In no time, the rice omelette done by Gogyou-san was gone. Then Luna cleared away the tablet, when Machina stood up and faced me.
“Okay, Shinobu, which next?”
“Eh? W- Well, Elni’s.”
I said when Machina smiled happily for some reason.
“I see. You’re saving the best for last, huh.”
….Just where did her confidence come from? It was doubtful, but for now I faced Elni and called on her.
“Okay Elni, yours please.”
“Yes, that makes 3000 yen.”
“You’re charging!? Just bring it out.”
Then Elni averted her eyes and after she looked like she made a resolve, she suddenly bowed.
“Sorry, Shinobu! I was hungry, so I ate what I cooked by myself… It’s all gone!”
What an idiot. I was astonished, when Gogyou-san gave a wry smile with “I told you…” while Machina made an astonished face like me when she proclaimed “You’re such an idiot”.
But there Elni smiled profound and continued with a “But”.
“I can cook it again immediately. Five minutes…No, three minutes will be fine. Luna, Hijiri, come here for a bit.”
Saying that, Elni took Luna and Gogyou-san to the kitchen.
“What’s Elni plotting now?”
“Who knows? It’s the idiot we’re talking about, so it can’t be any decent.”
Sadly I couldn’t deny Machina’s words that easily.
Then I waited for a few minutes. I talked with Machina, who happily smiled while saying “Cooking is surprisingly fun”, then Elni came back to the living room.
“Sorry to make you wait.”
Elni appeared with a face full of confidence, when shortly after followed a bunny girl and a nurse in mini-skirt . ….Mh? A bunny girl and a nurse in mini-skirt?
I once again looked at the bunny girl and nurse in mini-skirt, who had appeared so suddenly. With a closer look, the red bunny girl was Luna and the nurse in mini-skirt was Gogyou-san.
Luna wore a red leotard that boldly presented her cleavage and exposed her back and shoulders. Her beautiful legs were covered by black mesh tights. A red butterfly necktie was tied around her neck and on her head she wore an elegant pair of pink bunny ears.
Gogyou-san was wearing a pink nurse outfit with a nurse cap on her head. And since she was a nurse in mini-skirt, her skirt was incredible short, which exposed her sexy thighs and nearly gave a view under her skirt.
Opposite to the proud Elni, Luna turned red and covered her breasts with her hands while Gogyou-san likewise turned red and stretched her short skirt with both her hands.
Then Elni approached me, who was at a loss for words due to the surprise, and said while clapping onto my shoulder.
“Here, Shinobu, these two are my dish. The costumes are a hand-downs, but they suit them quite well. Feast on them well.”
“Well, it surely suits them, but what do you mean by feast on them? Besides, the costumes are hand-downs? Who did you get them from?”
“From the woman, who also gave me the school uniform. She said I could have them since she quit and that she would start anew.”
“…What exactly did that woman quit?”
“I call on my right to remain silent.”
I questioned her, when Elni’s mouth formed into an “へ” and flicked her finger while facing Luna. Then Luna came closer, stood before me and slouched.
In that moment her big breasts bounced and the two swellings became pointing, bringing their deep cleavage close to my eyes. The ripe fruits looked like they could pop out of the leotard at any time and Luna said bashful in her embarrassment.
“Sh- Shinobu-san, will you take a bath? Will you have dinner? Or will you have a…B- Bunny?”
Right after a shock like being hit by thunder ran through my whole body.
She probably arranged it with Elni before. Her words plus her erotic pose were incredible destructive…I couldn’t bring out any words.
For now, I gave Luna a generous applause.
Next up, Elni approached Gogyou-san and gave her a syringe. Gogyou-san took the syringe and sighed, then she draw closer to me.
With every step Gogyou-san took, her thighs fluttering peeked out from the mini-skirt and I almost could look under her skirt. While I was getting the run-around by that fluttering rhythm, Gogyou-san stopped before me and said with a dignified expression while pointing the syringe at me.
“If you don’t eat—-you’ll get an injection!”
They indeed arranged it beforehand and these words and pose were from Elni.
But just like with Luna, it had incredible destructive power. I forgot my words and blankly looked at Gogyou-san.
“Uhh…”
Gogyou-san’s dignified expression suddenly changed into bright red.
“Th- That’s why I didn’t want to do it! Nanjou-kun is shocked by it too!”
Tears dwelled in her eyes, she turned around and crouched down.
“N- No, that’s not it! I’m excited! You both are so cute that I want to eat you up!”
I desperately shouted a follow-up, when Elni murmured a single sentence.
“…That sounds like sexual harassment.”
“You’re one to say! Actually what were you thinking, making those two a dish!”
“It was to please you! Anything wrong with that? If so, say it!”
…Silence is golden. Happy at heart, I closed my mouth and fell silent.
Upon that, Machina made an angry expression and cut in.
“Hey! Sure enough, Sister and Gogyou are cute, but they can’t be recognized as food!”
Machina said that and I faced Elni with a smile, when I said.
“Elni-san, that was a feast.”
“Ehh? Sh- Shinobu, what are you saying?”
“Well, I don’t hate such ideas. It’s a mental play. Yeah.”
“Only obvious, since it’s an idea from the Goddess.”
I tried an affirming approach, when Elni puffed her chest and face Machina. Machina groaned frustrated, then
“Wait a minute!”
She grabbed Elni’s hand and left the living room.
Soon enough I could hear the conversation between Machina and Elni from the hallway, but I didn’t understand it well.
“…Just do… too… give me…”
“But… costume… only…”
Their voices gradually became fainter.
“…What’s up with Machina?”
“I wonder.”
“She took even Elni-chan with her.”
Gogyou-san and Luna tilted her head as a nurse in mini-skirt and bunny girl. Surrounded by these wonderful costumes, my heart was racing quite fast.
Gogyou-san had sit down on the sofa. Her thighs peeked out from the short skirt and I caught a glimpse of her white panties. I hastily averted my eyes.
But then my gaze fell onto Luna.
The bunny girl costume probably only didn’t fit her around the chest, as the leotard was about to fall down, so I once again averted my eyes.
“What’s the matter, Nanjou-kun?”
“Shinobu-san, you seem somewhat strange?”
“That’s rude. I’m completely normal.”
I was completely agitated even while saying that, when the door opened and Elni and a maid appeared. Mhh? A maid? I widened my mouth in surprise as Machina was wearing maid clothes.
A dark blue one-piece with a snow-white apron with frills. On her head she wore an apron dress with the same frills.
Machina’s cheeks were blushed and she approached me while her short skirt flattered. With her head lowered, she said in a small voice.
“Th- Thanks for the wait… Master.”
…Was I dreaming? Our Machina was meekly calling me “Master”. Her embarrassed expression was quite cute too.
Machina looked at me biding, then continued with her cheeks still red.
“I will bring over your dinner now, so please wait for a moment, Master.”
“Ah, yes, thank you.”
For some reason my speech turned polite towards the maid. Seeing that, Machina giggled elegant and headed for the dining kitchen.
“Shinobu loves maids, noted.”
“…Hey Elni. Don’t take weird notes—-wait, Luna, you also don’t need to.”
Well, I did not dislike maids, but I honestly was just surprised by the gap to the usual Machina. However, it was not bad. Suddenly my heartbeat increased, so I completely forgot.
—That I wanted to avoid Machina’s cooking.
When I noticed it, Machina had come back to the living room with a plate on a tablet….But at this point, it was already too late to escape.
The smell was different. The smell hanging in the air was hardly appetizing and was similar to the irritating smell of chemicals. Gogyou-san and Elni had seen how Machina had cooked it, so when Machina approached, they stood up from the sofa and took a stance that allowed them to run away at any time. I got a really bad feeling, but… well, I had a strong stomach. Once I got stranded on a mountain with my grandfather, I even ate snakes and frogs. If it was for survival, I could eat anything.
I made my resolve while I waiting for Machina to bring over her cooking with her flattering short skirt.
But when I placed my gaze on the cooking before me, a shiver ran down my spine.
“…What’s this?”
“It is curry, Master.”
The maid Machina was really charming saying that with a smile.
But that stuff before me was curry? Wasn’t that an insult to actual curry?
Surely, there existed a kind of curry called green curry in the Thai cuisine. Unlike the similar yellow curry of Japan, the green curry was a spicy dish.
But what if the curry’s colour was…. purple? What if bubbled suspicious? What would you do then?
“E- Ehm, Miss Maid? I do believe that this curry does appear to be a somewhat different— from the curry that I am used to see….”
“This is a curry from the demon realm.”
I glanced at Luna. Luna’s face was pale and she strongly shook her head.
But Machina said with a smile.
“Please help yourself, Master.”
“Ah, yes.”
The smiling Machina was so cute that I ended up taking the offered spoon.
But my hand didn’t move at all.
“Ehm, Miss Maid, this curry somehow smells like thinner. Will I be fine eating it?”
I stiffened up, when Machina suddenly moved.
“Geez, Master is such a baby.”
Having some kind of misunderstanding, she snatched the spoon from my hand, scooped the curry (?) with the spoon and said with a smile.
“Here, Master, Ah~”
“Ah, thanks. Ah~”
Being called master, I unmeant opened my mouth.
When I hastily tried to avert my face, it was already too late. A stimulant entered my mouth.
“Uwa…”
Gogyou-san made a shriek while Elni and Luna looked worried.
“…It might be better to call an ambulance.”
“Th- The stomach medicine…”
Everyone watched over me worried (expect Machina, who was smiling) and when I chewed timidly, a pain ran through my mouth and tears dwelled up in my eyes. I couldn’t say anything about the taste. Only that it hurt. It was neither sweet, spicy or bitter. All that was there was pain.
Th- That was a first for me…
What would happen if I were to swallow this? I felt an indescribable fear, but I couldn’t just spit it out. However, leaving it in my mouth was also torture.
I mustered my resolve and swallowed it.
“…Huh? I can see my late grandpa.”
“Sh- Shinobu-san? What are you saying? Your grandfather is still alive! Are you okay?”
I heard Luna’s voice somehow distant. Dream or reality, I saw my grandpa, Nazuna, my mother and father. And for some reason also a huge Saint Bernard dog coming over to me.
“Eh? Are you Patr*sche? What? I have to tell you ‘I’m tired too’? Are you a death god?”
“N- Nanjou-kun? What’s up? Patr*sche is not a death god. Also, there isn’t a dog anywhere here!”
I heard Gogyou-san’s panicked voice in the distant, but it just felt too unreal. Patr*sche at my feet was way more realistic.
On top of that, mysteriously a flowerbed was spreading out before me now.
“So beautiful…”
I mumbled that and dropped my spoon, then my vision turned pitch black.

* * *

I woke up on a warm and soft sensation.
Someone was gently stroking my head and it felt really pleasant…. who was it?
I opened my eyelids and reflected in my eyes were two voluminous swellings, brilliant black hair and a kind expression.
“…Gogyou-san?”
“Mh? You came to?”
Gogyou-san peered at me and asked with a worried expression.
“How do you feel?”
“Eh? A- Ah, fine, I guess…”
The warm sensation of soft, yet firm thighs. And Gogyou-san’s big breasts that blocked half of my vision.
I hastily averted my eyes and answered. Then Gogyou-san made a sigh of relief.
“Good. When you started to have cramps, I thought you were done for. But you said ‘It’s fine, it’s fine’ and lay down on the sofa, so for now I just watched over you…”
Yeah, I had no recollection of my actions. The only things I remembered were that I ate Machina’s cooking and that I saw a flowerbed.
And now I noticed that my body was strangely numb. I tried to clench my fist, but I couldn’t even muster half of my usual strength.
I felt anxious about getting up and sighed while resting on Gogyou-san’s lap.
“It’s a miracle that I’m still breathing now…”
“That’s such an exaggeration…. or maybe not.”
Gogyou-san gave me a wry smile, but her expression changed into a serious one midway.
“Nanjou-kun, don’t force yourself to get up. I want you to tell me if you feel anything wrong with your body. Then I’ll take you to the hospital.”
“O- Okay. Sorry to trouble you…”
Certainly I felt sick, but not so much as not being able to get up. I should recover after a while. But Gogyou-san’s lap pillow was so pleasant and soothing.
Maybe because I suffered that incident, Gogyou-san’s kindness moved my heart and if I may say so myself, I forgot my shame on a rare occasion and let myself be spoiled.
I rested my cheeks on Gogyou-san’s thigh and closed my eyes. Then suddenly my head was petted. The sensation of smooth fingertips and a warm palm. It was without doubt pleasant, but
“…Ehm, going as far as to pet my head is really embarrassing.”
I modestly said. Gogyou-san hastily removed her hand from my head.
“S- Sorry. Your sleeping face was just so cute…”
“Cute? Me?”
I asked back in surprise, when Gogyou-san nodded with a smile.
“Yeah, when you sleep, you remind me of a husky, so cute are you…”
“R- Really? But isn’t a husky scary, since it has a face like a wolf?”
“That’s not true. It’s cool and cute. I love it.”
Gogyou-san said a bit sulking.
Weird. It wasn’t like she said that she loved me, but I became excited.
Then I opened my mouth to change the topic.
“Ehm, well, the husky aside… it’s rather quiet here. Did the others go somewhere?”
I asked, when Gogyou-san explained with a wry smile.
That because of the cooking contest the fridge was empty, everyone went shopping for dinner. Actually only Machina and Elni were planned to go, but Luna wanted to come along, so the three went shopping while entrusting me to Gogyou-san.
Yeah, Luna made the right decision. If these two were to go shopping just by themselves, you wouldn’t know what they ended up buying. And leaving the reliable Gogyou-san behind was also right. But there was one problem. Gogyou-san made a pitiful expression and then said desolate.
“…Orangelo-san said she would make dinner by herself. And that she wouldn’t fail this time…”
I immediately got up with a shriek.
“A- Are you okay, Nanjou-kun? Please calm down.”
“No, impossible. As if I could calm down. I’m outta here. Anything more of that and I’ll die.”
I talked rapidly while a cold sweat broke out on my forehead. Gogyou-san asked somewhat surprised.
“Ehm, out of here, but where to?”
“Mh? Somewhere far away…?”
“You have no destination in mind?”
Now that she mentioned it, I hadn’t. My grandfather would call them immediately if I were to go there and I didn’t really want to stay at Asada’s house. And my training spot (with a roof) in the mountains was known to Nazuna.
Then suddenly my sleeve was pulled, so I shifted my gaze back to Gogyou-san.
When our eyes met, she bashful averted her eyes and said shyly.
“Uhm, if you have nowhere to go, that is… do you want to come over to my house?”
“Eh?”
I widened my eyes, when Gogyou-san shook her hand hastily.
“Ehm, only if you want. If you don’t, that’s fine.”
After she said that, Gogyou-san looked down embarrassed.
That was cute. I asked agitated.
“I’m grateful for the offer, but… is it really okay? It won’t be a bother?”
“N- Not at all!”
Gogyou-san denied strongly, then took my hand.
“I want to help you when you’re troubled…”
Damn. Her gentle smile suddenly made my eyes watery.
“Thanks.”
Agitated, I honestly said my gratitude. I quickly got ready, then left the key for the front door at the usual hiding spot and left the house together with Gogyou-san.
For a while I would take shelter at Gogyou-san’s house…




Chapter 04: Way home through the rain

Leaving the house and walking for a while, we reached a huge mansion.
…Could it be Gogyou-san was a rich missy?
I went inside astonished when offered. What I saw there was an entrance hall thrice as big as our, a large hallway and
“Welcome home, Miss.”
An elegant figure appeared from the hallway: A maid.
A black long skirt with a snow-white apron. On her head a hairbow.
She looked lightly older than Gogyou-san and me. She had an outstanding style with extremely finely chiselled features like a model. Her black hair was cut semi-short and a little shaggy on the side.
Her beauty amazed me, but she didn’t show any kind of expression.
She was completely expressionless.
The maid glanced at me and said still expressionless.
“Miss, who might this delinquent be? I cannot appreciate that you bring home trash with you.”
What cruel words. Actually, I got the feeling that she really looked at me like I was trash. Quite strangely, considering that was our first meeting.
I inadvertently made a wry smile, when Gogyou-san said in a rare angry tone.
“Kaoru-san, Nanjou-kun is my friend. Don’t tall him trash, even as a joke.”
Upon Gogyou-san’s word, the maid lightly bowed her head.
“I beg your pardon. I only had intended to please the guest in my own way, but it appears I did not succeed.”
The maid said, not reflecting on her actions at all.
Gogyou-san made a sigh, then faced me.
“Sorry, Nanjou-kun. Don’t mind her and come in.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
I took my shoes off and entered the house, when the maid opened her mouth still expressionless.
“Miss, you are quite bold to bring over a boy when your family is out. Should I lprepare you a sure-working aphrodisiac?
The moment the maid said so, Gogyou-san turned bright red.
“N- No! That’s not what I brought Nanjou-kun over for! Stop saying weird things! Nanjou-kun will misunderstand!”
Gogyou-san hastily denied. It was kind of cute.
But I didn’t hear anything of her parents being absent before.
“Should I really stay over when your parents are gone? I can go back if it’s a bother.”
“Ehm, go back where to?”
“…Into someone’s arms?”
I remembered how I couldn’t return home and gave a random answer, when Gogyou-san grinned.
“It’s not a bother, so stay. You let me stay at your house before too.”
Reminded me, before I nursed Gogyou-san at my home, when I found her wounded after an exorcist mission. But Machina was the reason for that, so Gogyou-san really didn’t need to mind it.
I told her that, but Gogyou-san continued with a “Still” and a smile.
“I was happy. So let me repay you now.”
After she said that much, it was too awkward to decline.
“Thanks. Then I’ll take you up on your words.”
“and jump in your arms.”
Gogyou-san and me turned surprised to the cutting in third voice. Expressionless as ever, the maid winked while she said.
“But I must say I am surprised. It is pretty big news that the Miss stayed over at a boy’s house. I have to inform the Mistress of this.”
“S- Stop it! My mother will misunderstand!”
“Then the Master—”
“Even worse! Just stop it!”
Gogyou-san started to panic, when the maid said unchanged expressionless.
“Miss, if you desire me to stop, please give me an order.”
“E- Ehm, I want you to stop.”
“That phrasing is not good. Please say it more strongly, like you are scolding me.”
“Don’t tell them!”
“…*blush*”
For some reason the maid blushed on Gogyou-san’s order.
….What a weirdo. I averted my gaze from her, but Gogyou-san lined up besides the maid with a wry smile and explained.
“Nanjou-kun, this is Kaoru-san. She works here.”
“Nice to meet you, trash… I made a mistake. Nanjou-sama.”
I thought what a cruel mistake that was, but didn’t retort. My instincts told me to keep low. So I left just a neutral “Hello” as an answer.
There the maid bowed down.
“Nanjou-sama, casually call me Kaorun—and I’ll air your guts.”
“Then don’t tell me that, Kaorun.”
…Aw, shit. I retorted on reflex. Even though I wanted to keep low.
I regretted it, when the maid, Kaorun suddenly flipped her skirt. Just when I saw her brilliant thighs and black stockings…..she pulled out a knife from a hidden holster beneath her skirt and shoved it to my throat without hesitation.
When I looked down, the dagger knife, over ten centimetre long, suspiciously shined near my carotid artery. I looked at Kaorun surprised, when she said while still not changing her expression at all.
“So, any last words?”
“No need to bury me. No need for funeral offerings. Don’t let the living mourn for the dead. Actually, seeing you so close-up, you sure have long eye-lashes, Kaorun.”
When I replied with my hands still in my pockets, Kaorun’s expressionless brighten up a bit and turned into a slight surprise.
Then Gogyou-san hastily got between Kaorun and me to stop her and lowered her head.
“Sorry, Nanjou-kun. That’s her idea of a joke.”
“Yeah, I could tell.”
I could tell that she wasn’t serious by watching her movements. She showed no expressions, but when I looked into her eyes, I understood that she had no intention to kill me.
Since they completely lacked willingness, I knew it was a joke.
“Well, it was a lame joke though.”
“…Should I have said ‘I’ll kill you and then myself!’?”
“No, ‘I love you so much that I want to kill you’ would have been better.”
Since it didn’t really matter, I gave an appropriate reply, when Karorun made an impressed expression for some reason.
“As you would expect from a friend of the Miss. I am impressed. Please do call me a dirty pig.”
“Ohh, you’re one of the rumoured perverts?”
“Pervert Maid…..That sounds like the title of some lewd video, but please do not let yourself get excited. It would be disgusting.”
“—-Okay, Gogyou-san, I’m imposing on you.”
“Yeah, come in. I’ll show you the living room.”
Together with Gogyou-san, I ignored Karoun. Upon that Kaorun raised a surprised voice saying “You two are ignoring me!?” while she followed after us.

“…But is it really okay? Your parents won’t say anything about it?”
“It’s fine. Besides, I was a bit insecure without everyone out of the house. So I’m happy with you here, Nanjou-kun…”
A bit taken aback by Gogyou-san’s shy words, I faced Kaorun.
“Hey, Maid. She said she’s insecure.”
“How regrettable. Even though I am present.”
“Isn’t it because you are here?”
“I cannot deny that. Miss, I do feel hungry.”
“Yeah, I’ll go make dinner soon. Go wait with Nanjou-kun in the living room.”
Maybe it was a usual thing, but Gogyou-san paid no attention to the maid abandoning her work and simply lead me into the huge living room. Then she left again.
She was most likely heading to the kitchen. This maid was totally useless.
She sat down at the table in the living room together with me and made no attempt to go help Gogyou-san. I was astonished, when Karoun suddenly opened her mouth.
“By the way, Nanjou-sama, I heard that when you visit someone in Kyoto and they serve you rice with green tea, it is a sign that they want you to leave.”
“Mhm.”
“Nanjou-sama….Would you like some rice with green tea?”
“Nah, just give me tea.”
“How impudent!!”
After Karoun said astonished, she left the room and came back with a tablet filled with tea and snacks. She put the tea in front of me and said expressionless.
“Please go home once you finish your tea.”
“Kaorun, fetch me the remote control of the TV.”
“You are not reacting to me at all!?”
While leaking an appalled voice, Kaorun handed me the remote control. Then she said expressionless, yet with somewhat hopeful eyes.
“Nanjou-sama, please turn on channel 6.”
“Make do with channel 8.”
“Who do you thin you are!?”
“The great Shinobu. And you?”
“A maid.”
“See now. That’s the difference between us.”
“There is no longer any reason to it!?”
Despite my words, I switched to channel 6.
Channel 6 showed a program about aliens or whatever that I didn’t really understand.
Watching that program, Karoun dainty ate the snack rice crackers and said.
“Quite amusing, these people.”
An humourless evaluation. Actually, don’t eat snacks before dinner. To begin with
“You’re a maid, so shouldn’t you help with cooking?”
When I added on what she was hired for, suddenly Karoun purposely covered her face with both hands and imitated a crying.
“Usually I work as hard as a workhorse, so at least when the Master and Mistress are gone, I want to rest my wings at ease….”
SOB, SOB. Kaorun imitated a crying, then she suddenly raised her head with an “Ah” and continued with a nonchalant face.
“Just to tell you, when I say rest my wings, it does not mean that I actually possess wings. Please do not misunderstand that part, just because I am as beautiful as an angel.”
“….Karoun, want to go see a doctor?”
“Such pitying eyes!?”
I looked at Kaorun with desultory eyes, when she said sulking.
“Nanjou-sama, even when you think that, you do not put it into words. At this point, you should have complimented me about it. After all, women always like to dream.”
“Well, my bad.”
Reflecting on my actions, I cleared my throat with a COUGH, then said while looking at Karoun.
“I wonder if God has noticed that you ran away from heaven.”
“Oh my, how flattering…. I take it that you have fallen for me?”
“No, what are you taking it serious for?”
I said wearily to the blushing Kaorun. Upon that, Kaorun hit on the table and shouted.
“What a cruel joke!”
“What are you getting angry for? You’re so weird…”
I grumbled. Then Kaorun said advising.
“Nanjou-sama, I am a hidden conquest character, you know? If you do not raise my affection points or flags, the Kaorun route will not appear. Please be careful of that.”
“….Dinner still not ready?”
“Are you paying attention to me!?”
I mumbled while looking at the TV, when I heard Kaorun’s shocked voice.
“Hey, you’re noisy, Kaorun. I’m watching TV here, so pipe it down.”
“You are no longer interested in me!?”
When I warned her, Kaorun groaned sorrowful, then stared at me and continued with an incomprehensible preface of “Are you sure about this?”.
“Nanjou-sama, if you do intend to conquer the Miss, you also need to raise my affections points. That is because I am an reliable asset. I have watched over the Miss growing up, since she was small. I do know a lot of things about the Miss.”
“Hee, that’s amazing.”
“Yes, it is amazing. Well, that was all a lie though.”
“Mhm~ Whatever. Anyway, the commercials started, so can I switch the channel?”
“You practically ignored what I said!?”
Kaorun leaked a surprised voice while still being expressionless. Then she fell silent for a while, only to suddenly start to stare at me.
“…Something’s up?”
I really couldn’t ignore her gaze now, so I shifted my gaze from the TV to Kaorun and asked. Then she made a slightly serious expression and opened her mouth.
“…Nanjou-sama, who exactly are you?”
“Just an handsome guy.”
I tried a frivolous answer, but Kaorun made a big sigh.
“Should I have said I’m an English gentleman?”
“…If I were to turn two blind eyes to it, you would be an handsome English gentleman.”
“What’s the point if you turn both eyes blind? Anyway, so what?”
Kaorun hesitated for a short moment, then opened her mouth.
“Someone who did not even flinch when a knife is pointed at his throat, is far from normal. Who are you to the Miss? Are you really just a friend?”
“Yes, a friend. I got her cell phone number and mail address. Moreover, I know of her profession.”
Upon my reply, Kaorun silently stared at me for a while. I had nothing to feel guilty about, so I firmly stared back, when Kaorun said with her cheeks flushed for some reason.
“Please do tell me your cell phone number and mail address too, Nanjou-sama.”
“Wait, how did it even get to that?….I don’t mind though.”
While surprised, I pulled out my cell phone from my pocket and exchanged addresses with Kaorun.
“Please do save me under ‘My angel’ in your address book.”
….Whoops. Reminded me, I didn’t tell any of the others that I left the house.
“Excuse me, Nanjou-sama? Did you perceive what I said?”
Mh, I should contact Luna or Nazuna later on…
“Could it be you are feeling ashamed, Nanjou-sama? Well, I do can understand why. After all you exchanged addresses with such a beauty.”
“Okay, ‘Pervert Maid’ saved.”
“…Please wait. Nanjou-sama, did you do just save my address under a weird name? Please let me have a look at your cell phone.”
“Don’t let it bother you, Pervert Maid.”
“…I will cut you.”
Kaorun gave me a fierce glare while staying expressionless.
It was quite scary. With no other choice, I opened my address book and changed “Pervert Maid” into “Kaorun”.
“Nanjou-sama, what about the ‘My angel’?”
“You’re so impudent…”
Spending the time by speaking with Karoun about this and that, I waited for Gogyou-san’s home-cooking.
After a while, the dishes were lined up on the dining table and their appetizing smell spread to the living room.
The dishes were fried stuff, salad and snow-white rice with miso-soup.
“Okay, Nanjou-sama, please do try my self-made cooking. I worked my hardest to prepare it for you, so please do not make any leftovers.”
Kaorun, who had lined up the dishes together with Gogyou-san, openly declared her lies. Gogyou-san once again didn’t say anything and just gave a wry smile. But I had to retort once.
“…No, you didn’t do anything, Kaorun.”
“No, actually I was also cooking. Moreover, I gave you chocolates on valentine’s day this year. Therefore this fried one belongs to me.”
“Don’t fabricate such lies! And don’t take my fried one! Actually, we met for the first time today, so how could I have gotten any chocolates from you!”
“Then please do look forward to it next year. Also, please eat your tomatoes.”
She probably hated them, as Kaorun pushed her tomatoes to me.
“Such a sloppy maid…”
I turned unmeant weary, when Gogyou-san said while scratching her cheek.
“Sorry, Nanjou-kun, that she’s such a weirdo…”
For some reason, Gogoyu-san appeared to be really embarrassed.

…After dinner, I relaxed watched some TV in the living room together with Kaorun. Then Gogyou-san encouraged me to take a bath, so I had her lead me to the bath.
The anteroom was rather spacious and I was surprised at it’s size, when Gogyou-san with a smile and Kaorun with a giggle said.
“Now then, Nanjou-kun, take your time.”
“It is truly regrettable that you cannot go in after us, right, Nanjou-sama. Let me give you a piece of advice beforehand. Please do not drink the bathwater after we get out of it.”
For now I ignored Kaorun and said my gratitude to Gogyou-san.
“Thanks. I’ll take you up on your words and take me time.”
“Yeah.”
Gogyou-san nodded and left the anteroom, while Kaorun took one step forwards and said mindful.
“Nanjou-sama, no one will come to wash your back, so please do not raise your hopes.”
“Oh, Karoun, you were still here?”
“Now you are treating me as air!?”
Now I said to Kaorun, who had widened her eyes, mindful.
“Kaorun, I know I’m quite attractive, but don’t peep on me.”
I said so with a smile while closing the door of the anteroom, when I heard a mumbling voice from beyond the door.
I was somewhat interested in it, so I perked up my ears.
“…Miss, this is a rare chance, so how about you take a peep? It is a good chance to get a look on various parts of a male.”
“Wh- What are you saying? If I do that, Nanjou-kun will hate me!”
I could hear Kaorun’s monotone and Gogyou-san’s flustered voice.
“It will be fine, Miss. You just do not have to be found out.”
“No means no.”
“If you say so. Then in your stead, I will…”
“That’s a no, too!”
“Ah, Miss, please do not pull on me! Ahn. No.*crash*”
“D- Don’t raise such a weird voice!”
…I knew it, Kaorun was a weirdo.
While listening to the fading voices, I plenty enjoyed the glorious wooden-built bath.
Then I got out of the bath and returned to the living room, to find Kaorun there.
“Kaorun suddenly stood up, grabbed my arm and dragged me to the guest room without consent.”
“No need to thank me.”
“Kaorun said with a nonchalant face, but she couldn’t hide her excitement for the coming event, as her cheeks turned red. She closed the sliding door with an erotic smile and drew closer.”
“Do not tell the Miss about it.”
“She was a pervert maid after all. Kaorun made a playful smile and reached out for her maid clothes—wait a minute! Don’t seriously take off your clothes!”
I stopped my monologue, regained my senses and warned her hastily, when Kaorun giggled.
“Just now you were excited, right? What were you expecting, you pervert.”
“Sh- Shu up, idiot.”
“What do you mean with idiot!”
Since she hit a bulls-eye, I gave a curt reply. Whereupon Kaorun said angrily and then coughed to change the topic. Her expression stiffed up a bit.
“Nanjou-sama, the Miss will take her bath now.”
“I see.”
“Yes, the Miss does trust you, Nanjou-sama. That is why she, although in a different room, defenceless exposes all off her body, even though a male is present under the same roof. Her voluminous breasts, her tight waist and firm bottom will be exposed in the bath.”
Why would she phrase it so that I got an unnecessary fantasy?
I wished she would stop it, when Kaorun got a step closer to me and said warning.
“Nanjou-sama, please do not betray the trust the Miss has placed into you. If you do happen to betray her trust, peep on her bathing or sneak into her room….I take you know what will happen?”
“Yeah, she actually might confess to me.”
I seriously affirmed Kaorun, who gave me a fierce glare. Upon that, her glare got even fierce and she said.
“Then shall we bet on it?”
“Wait, why are you going along? You should reprimand me. Reprimand.”
“You good-for-nothing.”
“Call me a gentleman.”
I shrugged my shoulders, when Kaorun made a serious expression and said.
“Gentleman.”
There I likewise made a serious expression, pointed at Kaorun and said.
“Maid.”
“We two get along.”
“Hey, don’t decide that on your own. Don’t get into my mattress. Get out already.”
“All you do is complain. I laid out this mattress, you know! If you have a complain, state it after you defeated me!”
Kaorun said while pulling out a card game from under her skirt.
“…I would like to sleep already, since I’m lacking some sleep.”
“Then you must defeat me quickly.”
“You’re such a pain…”
I played cards with Kaorun against my will…

It was late at night with an heavy downpour. Kaorun finally stood up.
“I feel satisfied now, so I am taking my leave.”
“…After hours of playing cards, it’s more like you get sick of it rather than satisfied.”
Midway Gogyou-san came in to check upon us and joined our card game, but since it was late, she had returned to her room earlier.
Despite that Kaoru, who was probably frustrated about repetitive losses against me, just remained here….and before we noticed it, it was the dead of the night.
I, who was forced to accompany her, said complaining.
“I’m tired. Go away already.”
Maybe due to the fact that I ate Machina’s cooking when I was already feeling bad, but my body felt somewhat dull. I wanted to sleep quickly and recover my strength.
I waved my hand with a SSH, SSH to chase out Kaorun. Upon that, Kaorun lightly puckered her lips.
“How nasty of you, considering we happily played late into the night.”
Then Kaorun elegantly dropped a maid-like curtsy.
“Then rest well, Nanjou-sama. For eternity….”
Leaving some ominous words, Kaorun left the room.
“…She really is a weird maid.”
I mumbled while nonchalant approaching the window and looked outside.
Outside the rain was coming down heavily while sometimes a thunderbolt flashed and it’s thunder sounded.
“It’s pretty close by…”
“Soon enough it will hit your head, Nanjou-sama.”
I surprised turn to the sudden voice coming from side. Beside me stood Kaorun, whenever she even came back.
Astonished about Karoun, whose presence I didn’t sense at all, I said wearily.
“…Are you that bored? Get out of here already.”
“So unfriendly. Now then, Nanjou-sama, this time for sure I wish you a slumber from which you will never—Aw, please let me finish. Please do not drag me on my neck. Such harassment~”
Throwing Kaoru, who was giving off a strangely erotic voice, out of the room, I once again looked outside the window.
“….Nanjou-sama, if you mumble mama now, you will be like Sune-chama.”
“Give it a rest already! Get out!”
I chased away Kaoru, who peeked in her head through the sliding door, and made a big sigh. I was tired and wanted to sleep quickly, but that maid might play a prank on my for revenge while I sleep. For a while I alarmed watched the thunderbolts, but…there were no signs of Kaoru coming again. Thinking I could finally sleep, I turned off the lights relieved, when I suddenly heard a knock on the sliding door.
She got some nerve. I better tell Kaoru off fiercely once. I pulled open the sliding door and shouted.
“What time do you think it is! If you don’t stop it, I’ll spank your ass!”
“S- Sorry! I know coming so late is rude! Please forgive me!”
….Huh? Why was Gogyou-san right in front of me? Where was Kaoru?
I faced Gogyou-san with my head tilted. Gogyou-san was wearing a sleeping kimino, but it looked like a yukata and she was hugging onto a pillow.
For now I lowered by head with a “Sorry, I mistook you for Kaoru”, then asked.
“What’s up so late?”
“E- Ehm, can we talk inside?”
“Yeah, I don’t mind. I mean, it isn’t even my house.”
I nodded and let Gogyou-san into the room.
But what could she want in the middle of the night? Wondering, I sat down on the tatami mat.
Then for some reason Gogyou-san sat down exactly next to me and fell silent while hugging onto her pillow.
….Mh? Pillow? I had only noticed now, but why was she carrying a pillow with her? Did she want to have a pillow fight? But with just us two it would turn out to be quite lonesome.
I thought about that, when a thunderbolt stroke nearby. A loud noised sounded and soon enough the thunder followed.
In that moment, Gogyou-san tightly hugged onto my arm.
“Eh? Hey, Gogyou-san?”
When I faced her, Gogyou-san’s eyes lacked their usual dignity. She had an anxious expression and whenever a thunder sounded, her shoulders trembled.
“…Could it be you’re scared of thunder?”
I asked, when Gogyou-san nodded powerless after a short pause.
“Sorry. I know it’s pathetic, but I have been bad with thunder since I was a kid. It’s scary…”
While mumbling that, Gogyou-san was lightly trembling like a small animal.
I placed my hand on her hand and petted it gently.
“Don’t worry about it. Everyone has one or two things he’s bad with.”
When I said that, Gogyou-san showed a somewhat relieved expression and clung to me even stronger.
“Thanks, Nanjou-kun.”
“S- Sure…”
I wasn’t so low as to get funny ideas with a frightened girl. Or so I was supposed to be. But then what about the current situation where I lay back-to-back with Gogyou-san in the same mattress, before I noticed it.
Moreover, when a loud thunder sounded, Gogyou-san clung to me from behind…. Recently I was experiencing similar situations, wasn’t I? Judging by my previous experiences, I wouldn’t get any sleep tonight either… What to do?
Puzzled, I decided to get an afternoon nap tomorrow and spent the night without sleeping.

* * *

SPLAT, SPLAT. Someone was slapping my cheeks.
“Damn pig. This is what you want, right, you damn pig?”
A monotone voice with no feelings in it. The hand slapping my cheeks wasn’t exerting much strength either.
…Who was that? I opened my eyelids, whereupon I saw a maid.
“Just Kaorun, huh. Let me sleep some more. I barely got any sleep yesterday.”
“Hah. Does that mean you had plenty of fun last night?”
“One of your usual jokes? Sorry, but I’m sleepy. Save it for later…”
Somehow my body felt heavier than normal and my head hurt. Moreover I felt a chill. I turned over to escape with my still dizzy consciousness. There was a black-haired girl sleeping. Her innocent sleeping face was extremely cute that my heart raced… then I turned pale at once.
“…Kaorun, this is a misunderstanding.”
“Rape?”
“No, really, that’s not it. There’s a reason why Gogyou-san is sleeping here.”
“Because you took her virginity.”
“I said no! The thund….”
While I pulled up my dull body, I stopped my sentence half-way. It could be that Gogyou-san was keeping her fear of thunder a secret from Kaorun.
Then how should I explain it? A cold sweat started to break out on my forehead and Kaorun giggled.
“It was just a humorous remark. The Miss believes that I do not know about it, but I am aware that she is scared of thunder.”
Then Kaorun gently patted the head of the sleeping Gogyou-san. She looked way more charming than with her usual expressionless look.
Kaorun gazed at Gogyou-san with a smile, then shifted her gaze back to me and lowered her head.
“Nanjou-sama, thank you very much for helping the scared Miss last night.”
“Ehm, it wasn’t anything special…”
I was embarrassed, so I averted my head unmeant, when Kaorun said quietly.
“If you only had pushed her down then….”
“That was one remark too much. Actually, should you be saying that as her maid?”
“On a demand?”
“Nope.”
I rejected her flat out and tried to get out of the mattress, but my legs got tangled up and I fell down perfectly.
“…What are you doing, Nanjou-sama? Is that a new kind of play?”
“Yeah, an original play where you trip like this. I call it the human vacuum cleaner.”
I joked while I tried to get up, then staggered and for a moment my vision momentarily became cloudy, maybe due to a fever. Like that I fell flat down onto the tatami matt. I hastily tried to get up, when
“Nanjou-sama, excuse me for a bit.”
Kaorun’s hand reached out for my forehead. Her somewhat cold hand felt pleasant on my hot forehead.
“…You have a cold.”
“No, I’m faking it.”
I played though, but Kaorun said wearily.
“That is what you get for running around naked yesterday.”
“Who did such a thing? Don’t say—”
“Bam.”
Cutting into my words, Kaorun flicked my forehead.
As pathetic it was, that forehead flick send backwards onto the tatami matt.
“You weakling. So troublesome. Please be aware that if it not were for an excellent maid like me, you would have been dead.”
She said triumphing, then dragged up my body and put me back into the mattress. Incredibly she then pushed Gogyou-san, who was sleeping besides me, onto the tatami matt. She pulled her up and began to move her.
“H- Hey, what are you doing….”
I dumbfounded watched Karoun expressionless dragging the sleeping Gogyou-san. She shrugged and said free from any guilt.
“My form of expression affection. Well, that was a lie though.”
“….Actually you’re just a freeloader wearing maid clothes, aren’t you?”
“How rude!”
I said wearily, when Kaorun continued indignant.
“Despite all this I am a proper maid. My dishes are on a professional level. Cooking and making the laundry is a piece of cake for me. Moreover I can handle swords, knifes and pistols. I am a perfect maid.”
Talkative and somewhat confident, Kaorun explained, then faced Gogyou-san, who was sleeping tightly even while being dragged around, and opened her mouth.
“I am well aware that it is my duty to wake my master. But the Miss has a hard time waking up. Therefore—”
“You can play various pranks on her while she sleeps?”
“Yes. The Miss is so cute that you want to mess with her. Nanjou-sama, will you join me?”
“No, I won’t. Why are you inviting me so casually? I turned you down, but you really are the lowest.”
“When the value is the lowest, it cannot decrease any further. Fufufu.”
Kaorun smiled suspicious and dragged the sleeping Gogyou-san out of the room.
After a few seconds, I could hear Gogyou-san’s scream, so I faced the closed sliding door.
“…What’s Kaorun doing?”
The moment I said that, the sliding door opened and Kaorun showed her head.
“You called for me?”
“No, I haven’t!”
I denied on reflex, since I was surprised, but Kaorun made a doubtful face.
“You just told a lie, did you not?”
“…Yeah.”
I sat up straight, when Kaorun said monotone while still expressionless.
“Well, you are scary when angry. So please do forgive me with this.”
Now Kaorun threw me something that she had held in her right hand.
I casually predicted the trajectory of the thrown object and caught the light blue thing.
What was this? It felt strangely warm. I looked at it with my head tilted…The thing in my hand was a light blue brassiere
“…Eh?”
Inadvertently I looked at it once again, but without doubt it was a brassiere.
Why was a brassiere in my hand? I stared at it in confusion, when
“N- No, Nanjou-kun! Please give it back!”
Gogyou-san’s flustered voice sounded and in the next moment, the brassiere was snatched away by an incredible fast hand.
When I raised my face, I saw Gogyou-san, whose clothes bared open widely. She wore her yukata-like sleeping kimono, but it was in a complete mess and she hid her breasts with one arm. Everything else though was in plain view.
Her tight waist and light blue panties pinched in between her brilliant thighs. Moreover Gogyou-san held onto the light blue brassiere, which she took from me earlier, with a bright red face.
Gogyou-san had worn that brassiere?
I was at a loss for words in my surprise, when Kaorun said expressionless.
“By the way, the Miss has an E-cup.”
“K- Kaoru-san!”
Gogyou-san lost her head, when Kaorun sharpened her gaze for some reason.
“Miss, Nanjou-sama…Please do sink it deep into your memory that the bigger is not always the better. It is the enemy to women.”
Kaorun said somewhat resentful and closed her eyelids. Now Gogyou-san lowered her head to me and then turned her back to me, heading for the sliding door.
I watched over this dumbfounded, when Gogyou-san shouted angrily after she opened the sliding door.

“What are you doing so early in the morning, Kaoru-san!”
“A physical exanimation. You sure have grown, Miss. Now please hurry up and change. You have an appointment today, right?”
“Y- Yeah, I have, but….I want you to stop doing these things before Nanjou-kun.”
I listened to the fading voices of Gogyou-san and Kaorun, then sprawled and groaned quietly.
“…I think my fever went up with that….”
I put my own hand on my forehead, when it was hotter than expected…

Gogyou-san frowned lightly when she looked at the thermometer.
“It’s high. 38.6°C.”
Upon Gogyou-san’s words, Kaorun also peeked at the thermometer, then faced me and said.
“What a surprise. Even Nanjou-sama can catch a cold.”
“I’m actually a quite sensitive guy. It’s probably because it was a different pillow.”
“For a sensitive guy, you sure slept well in someone else’s house.”
“I’m nearly dying, so sorry I am.”
I said with a sigh, when Gogyou-san reached out her hand and gently petted my head.
“Nanjou-kun, for now rest well. I’ll call your family for you.”
“No, I can’t be pampered like this. Actually, what time is it now? What about school?”
“Nanjou-sama, the current time is half past twelve. Please take a paid leave for today and rest from school.”
“Paid leave?”
“Yes, the Miss has an appointment. Well, she has work. She’s going out soon.”
Kaorun answered, when Gogyou-san nodded apologetic.
“Yeah, I have to go now.”
“I see. Then it’s about time I also head—”
“Bam.”
When I was trying to straighten up, Kaorun flicked my forehead.
I fell down back on the mattress by this weak attack.
“Do not overexert yourself. You should take advantage of the Miss’ good-will.”
“But she’s going out. Staying here when nobody is home is…”
“It poses no problem.”
Cutting into my words, Kaorun said with her chest puffed.
“I will be present, so it is fine. You just have to concentrate on getting better, Nanjou-sama.”
“She’s right, Nanjou-kun. Kaoru-san will nurse you, so rest assured.”
No, that worried me even more. I stood up, grabbed Gogyou-san’s hand and begged.
“Don’t go, Gogyou-san. Don’t leave me alone!”
“No, I am present, you know?”
Kaorun raised her hand and Gogyou-san nodded.
“It’s okay, Nanjou-kun. Kaoru-san is here.”
“No, well, that’s not it…”
“…Could it be you will be lonely?”
I said reluctant, when Kaorun looked at me and said teasing.
Upon that Gogyou-san got surprised, then smiled gently and patted my head.
“That’s so cute, Nanjou-kun…”
“Wait a minute. It’s a misunderstanding. I just—”
“Yes, yes. Mommy is busy with work, so please be a good boy and sleep.”
Once again cutting into my words with a flick to my forehead, Kaorun then faced Gogyou-san.
“Miss, please leave this to me and ready yourself.”
“Ah, yeah.”
Gogyou-san nodded and returned her gaze towards me.
“Nanjou-kun, please tell me your home phone number. I’ll contact them for you.”
“O- Okay.”
I no longer had any strength to resist, so I told Gogyou-san the phone number. Then I entrusted my cheek to the pillow. I waved Gogyou-san, who was leaving the guest room, and closed my eyes.
“*Stare!*”
I felt an immense glare.
I opened my eyes. Kaorun was staring at me.
“…Uhm, what?”
“No, just wondering how your condition is.”
“Condition? Mh… I feel a bit cold.”
“Is that a roundabout way to say ‘Warm me up with your body’?”
“…I feel like throwing up.”
“Wh- What a thing to say! That will hurt even me!”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I really feel sick.”
“…You do not have to hate me this much.”
Kaorun felt despondent.
“No, that’s not! I meant I’m feeling a nausea. I don’t hate you!”
“Well, I realized that.”
I hastily made a follow up, when Kaorun said smoothly.
D- Damn you…I straightened up my body as to give her a chop, but I couldn’t muster any strength and fell back down.
“…What are you doing? Please refrain from doing strange things and sleep obediently. Do you even realize that you are sick?”
“Right back at you, do you realize you’re nursing me?”
“You want me to warm you up with my body after all?”
For some reason Kaorun blushed.
…Yeah, let’s ignore her. I got back into the mattress and closed my eyes.
Soon enough I dozed off, probably because I was tired, and my consciousness faded.
“Your sleeping face is unexpectedly cute.”
Kaorun said something, but I couldn’t hear her. I fell asleep just like that.

* * *

My body was suddenly shaken in my sleep and a gentle voice called out to me.
“Brother, wake up. Brother.”
“…Nazuna?”
“No, the maid.”
“—Pft!”
The moment I opened my eyelids, Karoun’s expressionless face entered my vision and I snorted unmeant.
“Nanjou-sama, this is not a time to be surprised. We have an emergency.”
“No, you were the one, who startled me….”
I wearily retorted, scowled on my headache and straightened up my body.
“So, what’s the emergency? Did aliens attack or so?”
“Please save your sleep-talking for when you sleep. A devil attacked.”
“Eh? Devil?”
“Yes, you do know of the Miss’ profession, right?”
“Y- Yeah.”
Overpowered by Kaorun, who had changed her expression into a serious one at some point, I nodded.
“She told me she’s an exorcist.”
“To be more precise, the Gogyou Household has a high status amongst the exorcists. Well, to put it simply, they are an elite.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Along with the Kamo, Tsuchimikado and Tachibana, they are called the four Deva.”
“That’s a cool name.”
“It makes you laugh– Excuse that. Please pretend that you did not hear that.”
While saying that, Kaorun took my arm.
“Well, as you can see, the Gogyou Household has earned themselves the grudges of devils like that. In precaution to that, charms are placed all around the mansion, but…”
There Kaorun made a sigh.
“It appears the charms were ripped off. Disguised as a guest, the devil invaded openly from the entrance hall. I was careless too. I did not realize it it was a demon, so I opened the door and let it into the house, since it claimed to be your acquaintance.”
“…My acquaintance?”
“Yes, a blonde big-breasted devil. There was also a red-haired and silver-haired one. I could not really confirm their presences, but they are not human.”
…Huh? That really rang a bell.
“These three claimed that I let them meet you, but I cannot obediently hand over a guest to a devil. So I threw a smoke bomb at them.”
“How cruel…”
I sighed unmeant, when Kaorun gently clapped onto my shoulder.
“Nanjou-sama, I do not know what is going on, but the Miss entrusted you to me. I will protect you at all costs.”
Kaorun probably felt uneasiness from me and misunderstood.
“It will be fine. Please trust in me. Just consider yourself of board of a sinking ship.”
“…No, it’s not good when it’s sinking, is it?”
“We will swim together when it comes to that.”
Seriously or joking, Kaorun said with her usual expressionless face. Then she pulled me up on my arm. I was surprised how unexpectedly strong she was. Kaorun lent me a shoulder while we started to walk.
“Ehm, where are we going? If possible, I would like to see the devil, who came to visit me.”
Most likely the blonde, big-breasted devil Kaorun spoke of was Luna while the red-haired one was Machina and the silver-haired Elni. They most likely got a call from Gogyou-san and came together to pick me up. And it was probably Elni, who destroyed the charms.
“What you saw was a blonde devil, right? So I can presume.”
“…Presume? So your life is in danger after all.”
“Hey, hey, don’t say such dangerous stuff. She’s my friend. Friend, you hear. I’ll go see her, so you wait here, Kaorun.”
“Nanjou-sama, you will face them alone…?”
“Yeah, you would only complicate things.”
When I said that, Kaorun stopped as she understood.
“…I am well aware of your intentions now.”
“Ohh, you understood.”
“Yes. To think you were thinking about me to that extent…”
“…Huh? What are you suddenly saying?”
I didn’t understand what she meant, so I asked with my head tilted. Kaorun answered while her cheeks turned lightly red for some reason.
“You do not need to play dumb anymore. You want to sacrifice yourself, so that I can get away. As you would expect from the man that the Miss trusts. I am about to fall for you.”
“Uhm, that wasn’t—-”
“Please rest assured, Nanjou-sama.”
Cutting into my words, Kaorun raised the volume of her voice and said.
“I might not look like it, but I am somewhat different from a normal human.”
“…Well, you are pretty.”
“Eh?”
My unexpected comments made Kaorun widen her eyes in surprise on a rare occasion.
“…*blush*”
“Oh my, you’re embarrassed.”
Kaorun averted her red face from me.
I thought for sure she would reply “Of course”.
I thought how unexpected that was, when Kaorun moved.
“Excuse me, Nanjou-sama!”
As quick as her words, I was pushed down on the spot. In that moment, something swept over our heads.
I was familiar with that attack. It was Machina’s air bullet.
Immediately tried to call out. But when I was pushed down, I had hit the back of my head and grimaced in pain while Kaorun pulled on my arm and dragged me along the hallway.
“Ow! I’m grinding on the floor!”
I unmeant raised a scream, when Kaorun said while dragging me.
“Please endure a bit of pain. It is better than to die.”
“I’m about to die right now!”
“Humans do not die from just that. We are running!”
Kaorun increased the running speed, when I heard an angry voice from behind.
“Hey! What are you doing to Shinobu! Let him go!”
“Help me!”
Inadvertently I sought help from Machina. But Kaorun reacted to it.
“Do not worry. I will not let them put a finger onto you, Nanjou-sama.”
“That’s not really something a person that exerts violence in the very moment says!”
“Please do not speak! Or you will bite your tongue!”
“First let go off me!”
At the moment I was exactly treated like a human mop. Maybe because I was sick, but I couldn’t raise up my upper body and was still being dragged around.
I was about to faint for real as my vision turned snow-white. Then Kaorun stopped with a small scream
“…What‘s up?”
I staggeringly got up and followed Kaorun’s gaze. There stood a beauty with her silver hair tied up in twintails.
It was Elni. She had sat down on the table in the living room and nonchalant ate snacks while watching TV.
That alone was shocking, but there were a couple of tags scattered around her.
Apparently it really was Elni, who ripped the charms around the mansion.
That probably was what Kaorun was shocked about. With wide open eyes, she looked at Elni.
“That…are the snacks I was looking forward to!”
“You’re shocked about that?”
I inadvertently retorted, when Elni noticed us. She turned to us, looked at me and smiled happily. Then she approached us while holding the snacks in one hand.
“Shinobu, these are really good!”
“…Hey, don’t just go off eating snacks in someone else’s house!”
I wearily reprimanded her while I gave Kaorun a side-glance. She was watching over Elni with a blank expression.
“…Could it be she really is you friends, Nanjou-sama?”
“Yeah, that’s right. She’s—”
“Shinobu-san!”
A beautiful voice cut into my words.
I turned to the voice, where my gaze fell onto a blonde beauty with a dynamite body.
“Ohh, a goddess.”
“It is a devil, Nanjou-sama. Besides when she is a goddess, I am an angel.”
“…Aren’t you embarrassed saying that?”
I asked, when Kaorun lightly blushed, but changed into a serious expression. Then she opened her mouth while glimpsing at Elni.
“It appears this person is your friend, but what is your connection with the devil over there?”
“Ehm, she…”
Before I could answer, the blonde beauty called Luna shouted.
“—I’m Shinobu-san’s slave!”
After Luna’s exclamation, Elni took advantage of it and said with a loud voice.
“And I’m Shinobu’s lover!”
Upon Luna and Elni’s words, Kaorun puffed her chest for some reason and answered.
“Then I am Nanjou-sama’s maid!”
“No, why are you guys competing!”
Inadvertently I dropped a light chop on Kaorun#s head and retorted.
Then Kaorun said somewhat sadly.
“You have a slave and a lover, but you have no need for a maid…”
“Hey, don’t get the wrong idea here. They aren’t my slave and lover. They are my family. Family, you hear.”
“…Family it is?”
Kaorun showed a confused expression, then looked at Luna and Elni alternately.
“Nanjou-sama, these two are not human. The blonde girl is a devil while this silver-haired girl is…”
Kaorun faced Elni and frowned.
“She does not appear to be a devil, but she feels different from a human. You, what are you?”
“Mh? Me? I’m a Goddess.”
“…A certain philosopher claimed that God is dead.”
“I’m surprisingly tough.”
Elni proudly puffed her chest, whereupon Kaorun made a small sigh.
“Either way, she is not a human either. And she is still your family?”
“Yeah. It doesn’t matter if devil or non-human. They are my family.”
“…Is that so.”
I affirmed sedulous, when Kaorun faintly smiled and Luna smiled whole-heartedly.
—But Elni was different.
Elni showed a perplexed expression and smiled awkwardly when she made eye-contact with me.
“Anything wrong?”
“…Nothing.”
Elni averted her eyes from me and said distracting.
“Anyway, Shinobu, who’s this maid? A friend of Hijiri?”
“Mh? …Yeah. She works here as a maid…”
I faced Kaorun while I said that—when
“Get away from Shinobu!”
Suddenly I heard Machina’s angry voice along with a sharp wind sound.
I faced to it, when a wind bullet came at Kaorun. I hastily clenched my fist and stood covering in front of Kaorun.
But because I was feeling unwell, I couldn’t move as I wanted to and the wind bullet directly hit my face. I flew spinning through the air and clashed on the floor like that.
“Are you okay, Shinobu-san?”
“Nanjou-sama, hang in there!”
“Wh- Why are you getting in-between! Stay with us!”
I heard everyone’s voices, but I lost my consciousness there.

* * *

My head hurt. My body was still dull and wouldn’t stop shivering.
…After that, Kaorun had brought me from Gogyou-san’s house over to mine with the car, but my cold took a turn for the worse due to the ruckus and I quietly groaned in my bed.
Then there was a knock on my door and Elni peeked in her head.
“Shinobu, are you okay?”
“No, I’m done for. Once that tree loses all it’s leaves, I’ll surely…”
I coughed on purpose, but on a rare occasion Elni didn’t play along with the joke and smiled faintly.
“Shinobu, it’s just a cold, so you’ll be fine.”
….Somehow the aura around her was different. I kind of felt something was out of place. Elni approached my bed and reached out her hand to my forehead.
“You still have a fever.”
“I would be dead if I hadn’t.”
I didn’t want her to worry too much, so I cracked a joke, but it didn’t seem to work.
Elni sadly cast down her eyes.
“…Sorry, Shinobu. It’s my fault.”
“Mh? What’s up so suddenly?”
Elni didn’t had her usual cheerful smile, but made an expression somewhat close to tears.
“I’m sure you got the cold from me. Yet I only fought with Machina and caused you trouble.”
“I don’t really consider it trouble. Don’t worry about it.”
I smiled at her, but Elni continued with her clouded expression.
“Sorry. I was so happy that you invited me over… that I let myself pampered to much by you.”
“Hey, hey. That’s so not like you. Acting a bit spoiled is fine. I don’t mind it, okay?”
That were my honest feelings. But Elni shook her head powerless.
“…I can’t cause you any more trouble…So I’ll go home.”
“Home?…Your house was blown away by the typhoon. You have no place—”
“It’s okay.”
Elni kindly cut into my words and reached out her hand for my head. She patted my head in a regretful parting and then waved her hand lightly.
“Bye, bye.”
With a sad smile, Elni turned around.
“Hey, wait. You can stay here until you found a place to stay at. There’s no reason for you to leave so suddenly.”
“It’s not sudden. I had considered it for a while now. The house with Luna, Machina, Nazuna and you was so warm that I merely prolonged my stay here. Besides—”
Her small back trembled and Elni said over her shoulder.
“I can’t… become your family.”
Her words sounded just like a rejection and painfully tightened my chest.
“Sorry, Shinobu. I like… being alone. Being with everyone is fun too, but in the end I prefer to be alone…”
I immediately knew it was a lie.
When she had a cold, she had told me that she hated the rain, since she would be alone then.
And when she watched the evening sun, she looked incredible lonely.
Good morning, good night. She said she was happy about such trivial words.
“Elni…”
I reached out my hand to stop her. But Elni left the room without saying anything.
Just before she left the room, she turned around once… and smiled.
“Shinobu, it’s not like this is farewell forever. When I’m in trouble, I’ll rely on you again. Please take care of me then.”
Now her smiled looked her usual one.
But I felt that it was somewhat forced and I searched for words to stop her.
But I couldn’t find the right words…In the end, I couldn’t say anything.
I just watched over Elni leaving.
“…Nothing to be done.”
Having Elni around was fun. So I had considered to let her stay here forever.
But that were just my own selfish thoughts. Elni had her own circumstances. I couldn’t keep Elni in the house forever just for my own selfishness.
I tried to convince myself like that, when Elni’s sad smile that she showed me earlier floated in my mind…and wouldn’t disappear.
“Hah…”
I sighed and got off the bed, it started to rain outside.
“Will Elni be fine?”
I mumbled and dragged my dull body out of the room.
I was a bit thirsty. I went to the living room to get something to drink, when there Machina sat on the sofa with a displeased expression.
“What’s the matter?”
I called out to her. Machina looked at me worried, then turned away in her bad mood and answered.
“It’s nothing, really. More like, what’s up with you? You have a cold, you should properly rest.”
“Well, I was kinda thirsty.”
I answered like that, when Machina stood up from the sofa and said.
“Then just sit down. Will tea be fine?”
“Eh? Yeah…”
I nodded confused. Machina went into the dining kitchen and came back with a cup of tea.
“Here, Shinobu.”
“Y- Yeah, thanks.”
I was surprised at Machina’s kindness while I moved the cup to my mouth. Then I asked while looking around the living room.
“…So, where’s Luna?”
“Sister went shopping. She was in high spirit to make you something that recovers your energy.”
“I see. Did she take an umbrella with her?”
Outside the rain was falling quietly. I asked while looking through the window. Then Machina said while she looked out of the window like me.
“No problem. She did take an umbrella with her.”
“Good…”
I nodded and blankly stared outside.
…After a moment of silence, I opened my mouth.
“So Elni left for real?”
I asked to confirm, when Machina strongly clenched her fist. For a moment, she showed a sad expression, but soon enough she frowned and said displeased.
“…That idiot left. I feel better now with her gone.”
“Are you seriously saying that?”
“Of course. That idiot never listened to me, was arrogant and only said selfish stuff…Yet, yet she was liked by everyone…”
Machina looked down and her voice trembled.
“She really is an idiot. Why would she leave? I don’t understand it. She said ‘Bye, bye’ with a teary face…She could have just stayed here…”
Machina mumbled while resting her still clenched fist on her knee.
“To hell with ‘I’ll be fine alone’. That idiot…”
Suddenly, I remembered Elni forcing herself to smile, even though she was close to tears….She said she liked being alone.
I knew it was a lie, but Elni had her own reasoning. It might not be my place to stick in my head. But it didn’t seem like I could her alone like that.
For a while now, Elni’s sad smile on the parting wouldn’t leave my head.
I wanted to talk to her once more.
I stood up from the sofa and headed for the front door. I could hear footsteps from behind me and turned around, when Machina made an expression like she wanted to say something.
But Machina didn’t say anything and just lined up beside me. Together we stepped outside.
Inadvertently I formed a smile, whereupon Machina blushed and said.
“….Let’s hurry and drag that idiot home.”
“Yeah, let’s.”
I nodded and Machina and I spread out umbrellas. Then we started walking through the rain. My body felt heavier than I thought and soon enough I began to stagger and gasp for air.
“Shinobu, are you okay? You look pale. Wouldn’t it be better when you go bac—”
“I only go back with Elni.”
I said sharply. Machina showed a troubled expression and sighed.
“You idiot…”
While saying that, Machina took the hand of me, who was staggering.
Being pulled on that hand, I dragged my heavy body along while I continued to walk with Machina towards the riverbed.
Before, Elni’s house had been at the riverbed. By now it had been blown away by the typhoon, but I felt that Elni would be there.
Embracing that hunch, I continued my walk, when I spotted Elni ahead of us.
She stood on the bank of the riverbed and just blankly watched over the river without doing anything. Even now her appearance looked so fragile and close to tears that my chest hurt.
“…What are you doing?”
A voice leaked unmeant from my own mouth. Elni reacted with her shoulders trembling.

“Shinobu? And also Machina?”
When she turned to us, Elni momentarily made a happy expression, but it vanished soon enough.
While averting her eyes from Machina and me, Elni opened her mouth.
“What’s the matter, you two? Taking a stroll in this rain? That’s not good. You have a cold, Shinobu, so you shouldn’t get out at a time like this.”
Elni spoke talkative.
…Actually she must have realized it. That we came to fetch her up.
Yet, Elni continued to talk distracting while feigning ignorance.
So I wanted to tell her straightforward. I approached Elni.
“Elni, we came to get you. Let’s go home together.”
I offered her my hand.
But Elni didn’t took my hand.
She took a step backwards as scared by something and lightly shook her head.
“Sorry, I can’t go with you. I’ll stay here.”
“…Why? What’s the point of being alone here?”
I once again reached out my hand, when Elni shook if off powerless.
“I told you earlier.”
Forcing herself to smile, Elni said.
“I like being alone. So… let me be alone.”
Then Elni turned her back to us, when Machina suddenly raised her voice.
“Why are you telling such a lie?”
Upon Machina’s words, Elni’s shoulders trembled lightly.
“…I’m not telling a lie.”
“Then you really want to be alone? Even though Shinobu said it was okay to stay, you want to stay all alone from now on?”
“Yeah. To begin with, I was living alone. That won’t change now. I’ll be fine, even alone.”
“That’s a lie. I can easily tell that it’s a lie.”
“…It’s not a lie. I—”
“Then! Why were you crying?”
Cutting into Elni’s words, Machina continued.
“You thought I wouldn’t notice? I was in the same room. You were always crying in your sleep. Yet when morning came, you forced yourself to smile…Actually you hate being alone… So why are you leaving by yourself?”
Machina raised her voice further while shaking her fist.
“Unlike me, you’re being liked by everyone. Everyone gives you a smile. Yet…why are you letting go of that! Was it not fun for you? To you, are we just… unimportant existences that you separate yourself from immediately?”
“—No!”
Upon Machina’s words, Elni denied in a loud voice that echoed around.
“That’s not it! It was fun! Everyone was there, it was warm and I always wanted to stay there! But it’s no good…”
When Elni turned around, she was no longer smiling. She was just making a teary expression and biting on her lips like she was enduring something.
“I’m different from everyone. I can’t be with you forever. So when I stay with people I like… the parting will just be painful.”
With her voice trembling, Elni made a face of resign and faked a smile.
But it was far away from being called a smile. Rather it was warped in tears.
“One day, everyone separates from me. It’s always like that. And that won’t change. That’s why I’ll stay alone. Then—”
“What stupid things are you saying…”
Machina didn’t let Elni finish and shouted while her eyes filled with tears.
“Everyone separates? You’ll be alone? Why are you thinking like that? I… I’ll stay with you! I’ll stay by your side! So stop your stupid talk… and come home with us already!”
“What… are you saying? Didn’t you hate me, Machina?”
“Yeah! I hate you! You’re stupid, selfish and carefree! Everyone likes you! The complete opposite of me. That’s why I hated you!”
Machina continued with a crying voice.
“In that house are Shinobu, my sister and Nazuna. That should have sufficed for me….yet…”
Machina shouted pleading.
“I hate it when you’re gone! Come home with us! Elni!”
Ekni desperately tried to endure. But she couldn’t.
“You’re… not being fair…”
Elni mumbled while big tears rolled out of her eyes.
“Actually I didn’t want to return…. But when you say all that…”
Elni trembled on her whole body and anything further was said in a crying voice.
“It makes me want to go back to everyone. Stupid Machina….”
Slowly, Elni hugged onto Machina.
In that moment, a tear run down Machina’s cheek…and both of them cried together.
Machina tossed aside the umbrella and tightly embraced Elni.
I approached the two of them and held the umbrella over them so that they wouldn’t get wet.
“…Let’s go home.”
When I said that, Elni and Machina hugged onto me. I accepted them with a smile and wiped away the tear in my own eye.
…Then we three started walking under two umbrellas.
On our way home.
Reminded me, Machina had called Elni by her name properly for the first time.
I was thinking that, when Elni said forlorn.
“…Rain might not be so bad after all.”
Yeah. When going home together like this, rain wasn’t all too bad.
The street was hazy from the graceful June shower. We slowly made our way home.




Epilogue

In the end, my cold had gotten worse.
By the time I had returned home with Elni, my fever had raised even higher and made me not to want to leave my bed. I was somewhat happy that Luna nursed me the whole time. Obviously I had been absent from school.
Today I finally recovered and Gogyou-san came by to pay me a visit. But for some reason, the girls suggested we hold a party for my recovery and once again dragged Gogyou-san into it.
Elni and Machina ignored me, the star of the party, and made a ruckus. While watching over them, I called out to Gogyou-san.
“Sorry that they dragged you into it again…”
“No, it’s okay.”
Gogyou-san lightly shook her head.
“It might turn out that… I won’t be able to participate in such things anymore.”
“Eh?”
I was surprised. Gogyou-san gave me a sad smile and said:

Continue with Volume 04