Volume 05

Prologue
Chapter 01: First Selfishness?
Chapter 02: Reason for Jealousy
Chapter 03: Premonition of the End
Chapter 04: Most desired Words
Epilogue




Prologue

“Now then, Nanjou-sama, let us proceed together—to our Paradise Lost!”
It was summer vacation after the troublesome end of term tests had ended. The maid, who had come in through my window, firmly grabbed my hand and relaxed the corners of her mouth.
This maid, Kaorun was somehow in a good mood, but I said wearily.
“Paradise Lost… Where do you plan to do?”
“Anywhere is fine as long as it is with you, Nanjou-sama.”
“…For real?”
“Yes, for real in it’s literal meaning. As long as it is together with you, Nanjou-sama, I will follow through fire, water or even inside the Miss’ bed.”
“And even to jail?”
“Wh- Why a jail? At this point you were supposed to make a remark about my mentioning of the Miss’ bed. Besides, you may seem to be motivated to do something, but a jail is certainly a place I cannot follow you to.”
After saying rude things so nonchalant, Kaorun laughed faintly and continued with a “That is because”.
“I will push all the fault on Nanjou-sama and escape overseas myself.”
“…I see. Seems I have to do it before I get done.”
“D- Do me before you get done…Nanjou-sama, you pervert!”
“Hey, don’t get weird ideas. Stop blushing and take away your hands from your clothes. What are you doing…”
“No, I believed it would please you…”
While saying so, Kaorun unbutton around her chest and smiled sexily.
“Nanjou-sama, I would not mind to show you when you come along with me.”
“Farewell.”
“Does your indifference not know any bounds?”
Kaorun made a slightly hurt face.
Sure enough, Kaorun’s behaviour got to me.
But she was just teasing me anyway. So I didn’t step into the trap. Upon that,
“P- Please wait, Nanjou-sama!”
Kaorun clung to me with a flustered voice. Then two soft breasts pressed onto my back and she said somewhat spoiled.
“…I have nowhere to go. Just for a short while will be sufficient, but please let me take shelter in your house. If you agree now, I will let Miss Cow-woman have the position of Maid #1. But please let me stay here at least as Maid #2.”
“No, the maid stuff aside for now, you ran away from Hijiri’s house, right? They’ll easily track you down if you stay here.”
While feeling the indescribable elasticity of her breasts on my back, I remembered Kaorun’s words.
—When I skimmed through my summer homework, Kaorun suddenly appeared with a travel bag. She was coerced by her Master Gogyou-san, Hijiri’s father, to do things she dislikes, so she ran away.
As a bad timing, Hijiri was away on a training camp with the Kendo club, so she had only me to rely on. That was what Kaorun said.
…By the way, Hijiri was my classmate and actually my fiancée.
Though I say fiancée, it’s only a formality and nothing official.
But due to certain circumstances, Hijiri wants to seduce me and previously threatened me with “If you don’t call me Hijiri, I’ll kiss you”, so I now called her by her name.
Well, that aside, now I had to deal with Kaorun.
“…First of all, we need to find a place for you to hide besides here.”
Kaorun seemed troubled, so I wanted to help her as much as possible.
I pondered rather seriously, but
“Mh, how strange. I cannot find any perverted books.”
the Kaorun in question got away from my back and searched curiously under my bed.
“…Hey, Kaorun.”
“I am occupied at the moment, so please come back later.”
“Ah, yes, sorry— Like hell. What are you doing!”
“Well, I wanted to study your preferences for future plans.”
“Stop that. More importantly, do you really have nowhere to go?”
I asked once more to be sure, when Kaorun fixed her posture and shook her head.
“I am afraid that is the case. Though I know of a few holiday houses of the Gogyou Household…”
“We can’t really use these places, since you ran away from them.”
There I suddenly remembered.
Speaking of holiday houses, I was sure that Gramps also had one.
“By the way, Kaorun, did you walk all the way here?”
“No, I came with the car…”
“I see. That’s good.”
“Good? What do you mean?”
“Yeah, my gramps got a holiday house. They shouldn’t find you there so easily… Let’s go there together.”
I thought it was a great idea, but Kaorun showed a bewildered expression.
“Ehm, you’re against it?”
“n- No. I did not expect you to do this much for me, so…well, it is not causing you any inconveniences? If it should I will—”
“Hey, hey, what are you saying at this point? Don’t show any weird reservations now. You can rely on my in times of trouble.”
Cutting into Kaorun’s words, I continued softly.
“Don’t worry, you’re not causing any troubles. Just wait a moment. I’ll get ready right away.”
“…Yes, I understand.”
After showing a bit of hesitation, Kaorun nodded small.
Seeing that, I pulled out my travel bag and started to pack my things.
For a while Kaorun sat well-behaved on my bed, but soon enough she lay down on the bed, hugged my pillow against her chest and said.
“…This pillow smells of a beast.”
“You sure are rude.”
I stopped my hands from moving and lightly glared at Kaorun, but she didn’t seem bothered and now went under my blanket.
“The blanket smells like you, Nanjou-sama.”
Kaorun made a somewhat happy expression. But suddenly she faced me and said warning.
“Nanjou-sama, please do not sniff the blanket later while saying ‘Maid Smell’. Since it is disgusting.”
“No, I don’t want to be told that by you, who’s sniffing my blanket while thinking ‘Nanjou-sama Smell’ in her head.”
“I was found out, huh…”
Upon my words, Kaorun blushed for some reason.
“…Whatever. Just don’t get excited over my smell. It’s disgusting.”
I said so in retaliation, but Kaorun pressed her hands on her flushed cheeks and looked down bashful.
“Oh my, to call me disgustingly cute…”
“Hey, no one said that. Actually, that’s a rather brass mindset.”
I retorted wearily, when Kaorun didn’t reply and happily hummed on my bed.
For now I ignored Kaorun and continued to pack my bag…

Once I finished packing, I stood up and shoulder the travel bag.
“Okay, let’s go.”
I called out to Kaorun, who was still on my bed. She got off the bed with a regretful expression and came closer.
“Nanjou-sama, do you have your handkerchief? Your wallet and cell phone?”
“Got them all.”
“What about a change of clothes and your toothbrush?”
“All clear.”
“And my ‘leaving’ kiss?”
“Will come now.”
I approached Kaorun as a joke.
“P- Pervert!”
Kaorun backed off with red cheeks.
It was a bit cute.
There I opened my mouth while I reached out for the door knob.
“Okay, I’m going to borrow the keys for the holiday house from my mother. You wait in the living room, Kaorun.”
“No, I am tired of waiting now, so I will accompany you. On this occasion, you may introduce me to your mother with ‘She’s my maid’.”
“…Please don’t follow me. I don’t even want her to think we’re acquaintance.”
“Your coldness knows no limits!?”
Kaorun received a shock.
I ignored her and was about to leave the room, but she grabbed my sleeve somewhat pouting and wouldn’t let go.
For some reason I didn’t felt like shaking off her hand, so in the end I entered my mother’s room together with Kaorun.
Upon that my mother was working on something her computer for her job.
“Mom, do you have a moment?”
When I called out to her, my mother stopped her hands and raised her head.
“Mh? What’s up, Shinobu…Oh my?”
Midway in her sentence, she noticed Kaorun. My mother said remembering.
“If I remember right, you’re… the Pervert Maid.”
“Yes, as you said, I am the Pervert Maid. So please do call me more insulting.”
Kaorun requested an abnormal thing, whereupon my mother sharpened her look and responded.
“You lewd Pervert Maid!”
Right away Kaorun’s cheeks coloured red and she pulled jerkily on my sleeve.
“Nanjou-sama, I like this person.”
My mother was liked by the Pervert Maid.
I was sure it was nothing but trouble for my mother.
I thought so, but my mother seemed unbothered and opened her mouth.
“So, what’s up?”
“Ah, yeah. Remember gramps’ holiday house? We’re going there, so give me the keys. Likewise I’m demanding a summer bonus.”
“…Maybe for Luna-chan, but you haven’t worked enough to earn a bonus.”
“What are you saying. I’m giving you a wonderful smile every day, aren’t I?”
I showed a fresh smile and approached my mother, but
“You’re annoying, so stay away.”
And with that my cheeks was lightly slapped.
There I displeased pressed my hand on my slapped cheek and glared at my mother.
“Y- You hit me! Not even my parents hit me before!”
“…Who do you take me for then?”
“A red demon from the heisei era?”
Right after I answered, a kick came flying.
…It hurt quite a bit.
“Good grief, you’re so not cute…”
My mother opened the drawer in her desk while sighing. She took the key for the holiday house out and then she pulled out a five thousand yen bill from her wallet. She put both into my hands.
Despites her words, my mother was kind.
“Mom, I LOVE YOU.”
“Sure, sure, same here.”
My mother said suited and now pulled out some kind of tickets from her pocket. She held it out to Kaorun.
“Uhm, this is?”
“Tickets for an amusement park. You also gave Nazuna and me tickets for a hot spring trip before. So this is a thanks for that. I got them for free, so use them freely.”
…Reminded me, when we held the Bridal Showdown with Luna, Hijiri and Kaorun here, Kaorun had said that she gave my mother and Nazuna a hot spring trip as a present.
I remembered it, when Kaorun once again pulled on my sleeve.
“Nanjou-sama, we were offered this chance, so how about we go to the amusement park in front of the holiday house?”
“Well, if you want to go, I’ll tag along…”
I nodded without giving it another thought, when Kaorun faintly relaxed her cheeks. Then she lowered her head to my mother with a “Thank you very much” and left by taking my hand.
“Ah, wait a moment, Shinobu. I have tickets for the other girls too…”
“Yes, but no thanks.”
“Hey, why are you answering, Kaorun— Hey, don’t pull on my hand.”
I warned her, when Kaorun turned her back to my mother and jerkily pulled on my hand. Then I was dragged by Kaorun to the front door, just when a silver-haired pretty girl, Elni came down the stairs.
Elni was a bit of a strange fellow that called herself a Goddess and she was currently freeloading at my house. Elni had probably slept until now. She was still in her pyjamas and her also hang down straight instead of being tied up in her usual twin tails. On her head was a nightcap. Elni noticed us and approached with a yawn.
“Mmh? Kaorun? Oh, you’re going somewhere with Shinobu?”
“Yes, right now I am embarking on a trip to Paradise Lost together with Nanjou-sama.”
“…I see. Make sure to be back for dinner.”
Still half-asleep, Elni rubbed her eyes and waved her hand lightly.
Being sent off by Elni, we went outside and there stood Kaorun’s car, which she rode here.
Exposed to the strong summer sun, I approached the car, urged by Kaorun. Suddenly my cell phone rang on an incoming call.
“Oh, it’s from Hijiri.”
When I pulled out my cell phone from my pocket, Kaorun came closer. Then she brought near her head and listened in.
In that moment, a pleasant fragrance hang faintly in the air, which excited me a bit.
I was cautious not to be found out about that and took the call while ignoring Kaorun for now.
“Hello? It’s me. Me, you hear. I just caused an accident at a nearby crossroad, you see…”
I played a little prank, when Hijiri asked confirming through the phone.
“Uhm, that sounded like an It’s me prank, but… it’s you, Shinobu-kun, right?”
“Yeah, the strong, kind and generous man, Shinobu-kun. Actually I’m in front of my house right now.”
“Fully naked of course.”
…Just for confirmation, I didn’t have a fetish for running around naked outside early in the morning.
Just now that sentence was said by the Pervert Maid, mimicking me.
I glared fiercely at that Pervert Maid, Kaorun, but she expressionless continued mimicking me.
“Hijiri, right now I’m freeing myself of the affectation called clothes and exposing my real self to gain enlightenment. Don’t bother me.”
“Ehh!? You’re naked outside…What if someone sees you!”
“Fufu, at that time I would surely get aroused. I want a little girl to look at me.”
“I, I didn’t know. To think you had such a fetish, Shinobu-kun…”
Kaorun continued further on Hijiri’s surprised voice.
“Hey, Hijiri, let’s go on an exhibitionism date in the park at midnight next time.”
“Such a sudden request troubles me! It troubles me, but if you insist, well, I’ll try hard…”
“No, you don’t need to. That was all just Kaorun’s joke.”
I interjected, when Hijiri made a sigh of relief beyond the phone.
“I’m glad. Just Kaoru-san’s joke…wait, Kaoru-san!? Kaoru-san is there?”
“Yeah, she’s right next to me… Were you really going to go along with the exhibitionism date? You’re surprisingly perverted.”
“N- No! I’m not perverted!”
Hijiri denied with a loud voice.
Her face was surely bright red. I pictured her flustered appearance. Inadvertently I smiled faintly, but
“Don’t get the wrong idea! I only said that to seduce you, Shinobu-kun!”
upon the word seduction, my smiled turned into a wry smile.
—Hijiri was an exorcist. Mainly she exorcised and sealed devils and she always worked hard to raise in the ranks of the exorcists to be able to fulfil a promise that she made with Kaorun in her childhood.
I believed that to be admirable, but with Hijiri’s words “For that Shinobu-kun’s help is necessary”.
Well, that being said, it didn’t mean as an actual combat force, but that she wanted my help as a partner on an onmyou technique.
However, that technique increased one’s power by mixing the male yang energy with the female yin energy, that is, it was necessary to do perverted stuff.
Basically, Hijiri was seducing me for her job.
“L- Like I said, I have not such a fetish!”
“Yeah, I get that…but what’s up? It’s rare for you to call me.”
“Ah, yeah. I called since I wondered if Kaoru-san is with you. Could you pass the phone to her if she’s nearby?”
Hijiri had an unexpected serious voice.
I replied “I’ll pass it over” and held out the cell phone to Kaorun.
“She wants to talk to you, Kaorun.”
“I understand.”
Kaorun nodded and took the phone from me.
“Ahn… Nanjou-samaa…Not while I’m on the phone…”
Suddenly she started to raise a bewitching voice.
“Hyan, if you tease me in such a place… Mm, I, can’t hold back my voice. The Miss will notice…”
“Wh- What are you two doing!? Aren’t you in front of the house?”
Even away from the cell phone, I could hear Hijiri’s agitated voice. But Kaorun didn’t react to that and said “Nanjou-sam, that feels good. Ahh…. Please more….Nha…!” bewitching. Then she hang up the phone.
“—All good now.”
“Not good at all! What the heck are you doing. She totally got the wrong idea there.”
“Do not worry. I think I am quite sure that the Miss probably noticed it was a joke on my part.”
I couldn’t put my trust into these words…
“More importantly, you didn’t have to tell her about your circumstances? I’m sure Hijiri could have helped you.”
“…Even if for argument’s sake the Miss should help me, she has her own situation to consider. I do not wish to cause her any trouble.”
Upon my words, Kaorun showed a slightly gloomy expression.
“What do you mean?”
I asked curiously, but Kaorun didn’t answer my question and opened the door of the car.
“Nanjou-sama, first of all, shall we head to the amusement park? I will explain things further afterwards.”
“I don’t mind, but if you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to force yourself to.”
“…Eh?”

Kaorun made a slightly surprised face. I continued while I opened the door to the passenger seat.
“Whatever you situation is like, I plan to help you out. Well, I get the feeling it will work out well in the end.”
“I understand. The same feeling the people had aboard the Titanic.”
“You’re as impolite as ever.”
Then we would go under, wouldn’t we! Is what I wanted to retort, but Kaorun’s smile came into my vision, so I stopped my words unmeant.
For a moment I was smitten by her sudden and happy smile.
“Nanjou-sama? Something the matter?”
“—That smile is, priceless.”
I played cool to cover it up, but
“That is disgusting, Nanjou-sama.”
Kaorun cut it down merciless.
“…Could you be bashful?”
“What part of me looks bashful? Do not speak nonsense and let us proceed already.”
Kaorun said wearily and got into the car.
Right then.
“Oh my, Shinobu-san?”
I heard a beautiful voice like the ringing of a bell from behind.
When I turned around, my gaze fell on a two females.
One was the reliable older sister of our house, Luna.
Her neat and beautiful appearance fascinated any onlooker, but despite her looks Luna was a devil.
Though to me that was a trivial matter.
Being a devil or not didn’t matter to me. Luna was a precious family member.
“Oh, you two were out?”
While saying that, I faced the red-haired beauty next to Luna.
She was Luna’s little stepsister, Machina Liebelei Orangelo. Half-human, half-devil, she was one of the freeloaders at our place.
When Machina met my eyes, she came closer with a smile.
“Shinobu, you’re going somewhere?”
“Yeah, seems I’m going on a trip for Paradise Lost now.”
“What the? I don’t get it, but take me along.”
Machina said somewhat spoiled.
Mh, it was a good opportunity, so should I invite Machina and Luna too?
I considered it, when Kaorun suddenly pulled on my arm from the driver seat. She forcefully pulled me into the car and quickly started up the engine.
“Hey, Shinobu! Why are you leaving me behind!”
“Shinobu-san, where are you going?”
Right away I could hear Machina and Luna’s sad voices, but the car drove away and their appearance disappeared soon enough.
“…We could have taken them along.”
“I am afraid that I cannot do that.”
“Why?”
I asked nonchalant, when Kaorun, serious or jokingly, answered with a faint smile.

“Because I want to have a date with just the two of us, Nanjou-sama.”

…Must been one of her usual jokes.
I made a sigh in my heart and reached out for the seat belt.
Then Kaorun suddenly faced me while still driving. Her cheeks were coloured in a light red and she smiled faintly.




Chapter 01: First Selfishness?

After driving with the car for around an hour, we arrived at Shirosaki Adventure Land. It was a huge theme park that combined an amusement park and an aquarium.
As it was summer vacation, it was filled with families and couples even on a weekday. Kaorun told me “I will go park the car, so please go ahead of me”, so I watched over the other guest at the entrance all alone.
…Kaorun, hurry up.
I felt uncomfortable, when a woman with her semi-short flattering approached me.
That woman had a well-proportioned figure like a model, wore a sleeveless shirt with a necktie and the beautiful, long legs peeking out of her short skirt were honey for my eyes.
She was a fascinating beauty.
…But on a closer look, that beauty turned out to be Kaorun.
She didn’t wear her maid clothes, so I didn’t recognize her for a moment.
“Forgive me, Nanjou-sama, I made you wait…”
“Nah, it’s fine… But I see you have changed.”
Seeing Kaorun in casual clothes was a fresh feeling and to be honest, she was pretty. That was why I unintentionally stared at her.
“Nanjou-sama, even if you stare that much, my clothes will not become transparent from it. Also, please stop your dirty gaze. How will you take responsibility when I get aroused?”
Kaorun said so easily killing the mood with her usual expressionless.
“…Don’t worry, no one is looking at you with such eyes. Shouldn’t you get your head and eyes checked?”
“You sure speak rudely. Your mouth needs to get checked, Nanjou-sama. And your eyes too. Not to forget to mention your visage, facies and face.”
“Visage, facies and face all mean the same. Don’t hurt me by splitting it in three terms.”
While saying that, I placed a light chop on Kaorun’s head.
Upon that, Kaorun made a slightly uneasy expression and asked.
“Could it possible be that you are dissatisfied that I am not wearing my maid clothes, Nanjou-sam?”
“…Huh? Why would you suddenly mention that?”
“Well, you have a maid fetish, so I believed that you would like to take me around in maid clothes and boast about it.”
“…Actually, I don’t want to be associated with a perverted maid, so please walk away from me.”
“You hurt me so easily!?”
Kaorun puffed her cheeks a bit in a pouting manner.
“Nanjou-sama, when you only say indifferent things like that, I will never call you ‘Master’, no matter how much you beg me for it.”
“I don’t have a maid fetish, so that’s fine by me. And should I ever want to be called that by someone, I would ask Luna for it.”
“…Is that so. I knew it, that person is my rival.”
Kaorun regarded Luna as her rival. But to be honest, compared to the real maid Kaorun, I got the feeling that Luna was far more competent as a maid. I believed that being called “Master” by Luna in maid clothes would ease my heart.
Well, these delusions aside, we came all the way to an amusement park, so we shouldn’t stand and talk here forever, but hurry up inside.
“C’mon, stop the jokes and let’s go inside.”
Urging her like that, I headed to the ticket office together with Kaorun. There we got two free passes from the tickets I got from my mother and went through the entrance gate.
The park was rather broad and I saw a lot of attractions like a merry-go-round, a ferries wheel and a rollercoaster.
“Anything particular you want to ride, Kaorun?”
Like a true gentleman, I asked for the lady’s opinion.
But the lady in question, Kaorun didn’t listen, as she only stared at a nearby family.
I casually looked at the family too, when a little girl spoiled took the hands of her parents and adorable pestered them about wanting to ride this and that.
The parents of the girl accepted it, as they matched their pace to the girl’s and slowly walked towards an attraction.
Kaorun watched that scene somewhat envious.
“…Kaorun?”
When I called out to her once more, Kaorun hastily averted her eyes from the little girl.
“What’s up?”
“…No, it is nothing. Let us hurry.”
Kaorun said covering up and walked away with fast steps.
Kaorun’s unusual behaviour felt out of place to me, but I didn’t say anything and followed after her.
After a while, Kaorun stopped and pointed at the merry-go-round.
“Nanjou-sama, let us ride that.”
“Mhm~ Riding the merry-go-round at our age is a bit embarrassing…”
I was hesitant, when Kaorun gently fondled my chin and showed a charming smile.
“Please abandon your shame here, Nanjou-sama.”
“…And you have a bit of shame.”
I replied wearily, when Kaorun frowned sullen.
“That sounds as if I do not possess any shame. You are being rude, Nanjou-sama. I am a maiden of radiant youth, unlike you, Nanjou-sama.”
“Well, I am a boy… Besides, if you want to ride the merry-go-round, then go alone. I’ll watch from here.”
“…Eh? To say ’If you want to do it, do it by yourself. I’ll watch you curiously from here’…Nanjou-sama, you are a pervert beyond help. What do you take a merry-go-round for? It is not a ridged wooden horse, you know?”
Kaorun said so with red cheeks.
The gazes from those around me hurt a lot.
“…I get it. I’ll ride it together with you. So stop telling weird jokes.”
“You should have been honest right from the beginning. You certainly are a tsundere, Nanjou-sama.”
“…Just to tell you, I won‘t get dere for you.”
“Is that so. A tsuntsun Nanjou-sama just for me.”
While we talked like that, Kaorun and I headed for the merry-go-round.
There I watched over the wooden horses and stood in front of a white horse that caught my eye.
“Oh, what a fantastic fur. I have decided! I’ll bet all my possession on this horse!”
“Daddy, stop with the horse racing already! Get a grip and work properly!”
“Shut up! Back out, little girl. The next one will win big!”
Playing along with the joke, I softly shook off the teary Kaorun. Then I mounted gallantly the horse. After that I showed refreshing smile and held out my hand to Kaorun.
“Okay, your hand please, Mademoiselle.”
“…Uhm, Nanjou-sama, please decide on either being stupid or cool.”
I was cautioned by Kaorun, so I pondered for a moment, then
“Don’t worry, Kaoru.”
I said loudly with a cool smile.
“When I win today, the debt is gone!”
“You choose the stupid one here!?”
The surprised Kaorun glared at me with half-opened eyes.
“Nanjou-sama, when you fool around too much, you will not be popular with the women. Please say something romantic once in a while.”
“Oh, then I should have said “Here, my Princess” and mounted you on the horse with a princess-carry?”
“…If you had done that, I would have made a roar of laughter without a doubt.”
Yeah and I would have gotten infected and laugh with her together.
“Well, romantic remarks don’t suit me. Give up on it.”
“Indeed. Brute remarks suit you better, Nanjou-sama.”
“…What? You’re quite cocky for a maid. Then lewd remarks suit you, dirty swine.”
Since she told me that they suited me, I made a brute comment.
Upon that Kaorun coloured her cheeks red and averted her eyes from me.
“…That was unexpected, so I got aroused a bit.”
“Uhm, I don’t want anyone to think that I know you, so sit away from me, okay.”
“No.”
Kaorun replied with a smile and mounted the horse next to me.
Then the starting signal sounded and with a rhythmical melody, the merry-go-round started to move slowly.
Upon that, the nearby kids showed a smile, but I couldn’t join the children’s naivety and felt only shame.
Within all that, Kaorun watched over the slowly spinning scenery and said quietly.
“…Having fun at an amusement park like this feels like a dream to me.”
“What an exaggeration. You surely have come to an amusement park before?”
I asked with a casual tone. Kaorun shook her head and answered.
“Today is my first time at an amusement park.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. Truth be told, as a child I admired amusement parks, though only for a little bit.”
Saying that, Kaorun narrowed her eyes and laughed.
At that time, I suddenly remembered the story Hijiri had told me before.
Kaorun, born a half-breed between a human and a devil, was being treated like a tool by the exorcists, is what Hijiri told me.
Most likely, Kaorun had only seen amusement parks on TV or in manga.
She herself claimed it to be “only for a little bit”, but… I guess she was actually envious of it? That also might be the reason why she stared so intensely at the family from earlier.
Upon thinking that, I felt my own expression stiffening up.
Still, I clenched my fist and forced myself to smile.
“Then enjoy yourself to the fullest, so that your first visit will become a good memory. If I’m good enough for it, I’ll assist you.”
So I said softly to Kaorun.
Upon that Kaorun was a bit surprised, then a smile bloomed on her face.
While looking at that smile, I thought.
Let Kaorun have a blast today.

* * *

After getting off the rollercoaster, Kaorun and I reached our hands out for our mouth nearly at the same time. …Before we had set the condition of “Whoever screams first, has to pay for the ice-cream”, so we continued to ride attractions with a scream-tendency, but neither of us would give in.
There we decided to ride the Shirosaki Adventure Park’s famous attraction, the huge rollercoaster as a final amusement.
To be honest, both, Kaorun and I underestimated it.
But the warning sign “People with a weak heart please refrain from riding” of the rollercoaster wasn’t just for show and while we didn’t scream, we certainly felt groggy.
“…I feel a bit sick.”
“Nanjou-sama, the world is turning around me. When did I become such an important existence?”
“That’s a rotation dizziness caused by the abnormal semicircular canals. In other words, a misperception.”
I puffed my chest with a “After all”.
“The world turns around me.”
“…I believe that is a misperception too.”
“Well, yeah.”
I nodded and slowly staggered onwards like Kaorun.
“Anyway, in the end our bet could not be settled.”
“…I’m fine with having lost.”
Kaorun said somewhat regretful. I continued while looking sideways.
“Treating you to an ice-cream isn’t much.”
“…Nanjou-sama, my affection points just increased a lot.”
“You sure are mercenary…”
Inadvertently I made a wry smile.
“But well, you’re a hidden conquest character, so raising your affection points is useless.”
“That is not true. My conquest route can be triggered by your own feelings, Nanjou-sama.”
…Mh? By my own feelings? Somehow I got the feeling though that she previously said it depends on money…well, whatever.
I shrugged my shoulders and ignored Kaorun’s words.
Then I suddenly heard various footsteps approaching from behind.

“—Kaorun-san!”

A dignified voice sounded.
When I turned around, there stood the black-haired, cool beauty, Gogyou Hijiri.
Next to her were Luna, Machina, Elni and even my little sister Nazuna.
“Why are you all here…?”
Hijiri took one step forwards, responding to my surprised self.
“Shinobu-kun, I had a matter to discuss with Kaoru-san—”
“Hey, Maid! I heard from Elni! What’s this stuff about a trip to Paradise Lost!”
“I believe such an excessive relationship is not good!”
Not letting Hijiri finish her sentence, Machina and Luna shouted displeased.
Upon that Elni and Nazuna followed after them.
“Shinobu! It’s a good chance, so let’s have fun together!”
“Brother, I want to ride the Ferris wheel!”
…Apparently Elni and Nazuna were only here for the fun.
Amongst them, Hijiri said reserved.
“Uhm, everyone, I have to discuss an important matter with Kaoru-san. So could you stay quiet for just a little moment?”
The moment Hijiri said so pleading— Kaorun took my hand and ran away.
“Ah, Brother and the maid are running away!”
“Fufu, a game of tag, I see. Fine—I’ll wait for three minutes.”
“What leisure stuff are you spouting, Elni! We’re chasing after them now!”
And even faster than Nazuna, Elni and Machina, who said that,
“Wh- Why are you running away, Kaoru-san!”
“Please wait, Shinobu-san!”
Hijiri and Luna came chasing after us.
On the other hand, Kaorun didn’t let go off my hand and continue to run without looking back. We entered a game center in the park and hide ourselves in the shadow of a crane game, where we breathed low.
….Mh, I ended up following without any real sign of resistance, but why was Kaorun running away from Hijiri?
Doubtful, I quietly called out to Kaorun.
“Was that alright? I mean, not listening to Hijiri.”
“Presently I am on a date with you, Nanjou-sama, so I will hear out her matter later on.”
“Eh? On a date? You seriously wanted to go on a date with me?”
“Yes. The reason to why I changed into casual clothes, was for that too.”
…Oh crap. I didn’t notice that at all.
“But why suddenly a date?”
“…As a matter of fact, when I observed the Miss and you and your date before, I came to want to experience the thing called date too.”
“I, I see…”
I was perplexed by the faintly blushing Kaorun and questioned further.
“But, why with me? As a beauty as yourself, you shouldn’t be short on other partners.”
“That is not true.”
Shaking her head lightly,
“You are about the only man that is willing to hang out with a devil as myself.”
Kaorun answered with a weak voice.
These words made my chest sting.
So I reached out my hand for Kaorun and gently patted her head.
“…Ehm, what are you doing out of the blue?”
“Well, just thinking what an honour it is to get a date with such a beauty.”
“N- Na- Nan- Nanjou-sama, that joke was not all that funny.”
On a rare occasion, Kaorun turned bright red.
While patting Kaorun’s head, I declared firmly.
“It wasn’t a joke just now. I’m happy to be on a date with you, Kaorun.”
“…Eh? Uh- Uhm, that is…”
Kaorun turned even redder. I continued softly.
“Besides, I told you that you should have a blast to make your first visit here a good memory. If you’re fine with me, I’ll tag along until the end.”
“…Are you telling the truth?”
“A handsome gentleman doesn’t lie.”
As always, I couldn’t stay serious until the end, since it was embarrassing.
Looking at me, Kaorun said with a sigh.
“…Uhm, that is not really convincing when said by a person, who is neither handsome, nor a gentleman.”
“I’m going home! The handsome gentleman is going home now!”
Shouting resentful, I stood up.
Upon that, Kaorun hastily clung onto my arm.
Instantly, her well-shaped beautiful breasts softly bended on my upper arm and the just right elasticity and warmth of her breasts was transferred through my arm.
That alone made me lose my composure, but Kaorun clung to me even stronger and said anxious.
“I am sorry, Nanjou-sama. I was just fooling around. I will apologize, so please do not leave.”
“Y- Yeah. I was just kidding too, so don’t worry. Anyway, get away quickly. We’re standing out and when they find—”
Before I could say it would be bad, I made eye-contact with Elni and Nazuna, who were walking along the passage inside the game center. Both of them came over with a smile when they noticed me.
“Shinobu~”
“Brother~”
Raising their voices, they came to cling to me just like that.
There I agile dodged their embrace, when Elni and Nazuna turned around at the same time and both showed a puzzled expression.
But soon enough their smiles returned and try tried to cling to me once more.
However, I couldn’t afford to be caught here, so I dodged them again.
As a result, tears started to dwell up in Elni and Nazuna’s eyes.
“You dodged twice, Shinobu! So mean! This is bullying!”
“Yeah! Bullying! Brother, bullying isn’t cool!”
“Wait, don’t make hasty conclusions. That wasn’t bullying. It’s my form of communication.”
“I don’t want such bad communication!”
“Yep, yep! Is there any love in it!?”
Elni asked that and I replied suited.
“A little bit, I think.”
“Then it’s fine!”
…It was fine.
I was a bit surprised, when Nazuna reserved pulled on Elni’s sleeve.
“El-chan, that’s not good. I’m sure Brother has lost his love for us. We have to work hard to get it back.”
“…Nazuna, don’t worry. I haven’t really lost the love. It’s always in my heart. What I lost is my fury.”
When I answered like that, Elni nodded in agreement.
“Certainly, I think you have become a bit more calm compared to when I first met you, Shinobu. But, are you fine with that? Regain your former self! Where has Shinomun gone to!?”
“Shinomun has graduated. From now on I’ll live with love, agony and encouragement as my selling points. And with that, farewell.”
While saying so, I took Kaorun’s hand, turned my back to the two of them and started walking.
“…Ah, Brother is running away again.”
“Shinobu! I’m tired of playing tag! Play with us too!”
Right away Nazuna and Elni gave chase, but I apologized to them in my heart and quickly sprinted outside, dragging Kaorun behind me. I increased the pace and continued to flee from them.
In the middle of this situation, Kaorun said somewhat happily.
“Like this, it is just like we are eloping.”
“Hey, don’t fool around and run. Let’s shake these two off quickly and resume our date.”
“Yes.”
Kaorun returned my squeeze of the hand firmly and nodded with a faint smile.

…For a while Kaorun and I walked around the park, but with a good timing we could mix into the crowd and let Elni and Nazuna pass by.
I watched them walk into the distant, then I treated Kaorun to an ice-cream like previously promised. We settled down on a bench.
There we caught our breath, when Kaorun pointed to a nearby attraction—The haunted house.
“Nanjou-sama, let us go inside the haunted house next.”
Along with her words, Kaorun suddenly linked arms with me.
“Wh- Why so suddenly?”
“Well, we are on a date, so I believe this extent is only normal.”
Replying nonchalant, Kaorun walked, dragging me along as we still linked arms.
While agitated by the squishy elasticity of her breasts that stimulated my upper arm, I clad myself in composure and followed Kaorun.
Then, at that moment.
“—So here you are.”
I heard a sharp voice from behind my back.
That voice was Machina’s. That meant… The girls found us?
With these thoughts, I sighed and turned around.
“…Huh? What about the others? You got separated?”
“No. We split up in two groups to search for you. I met with Elni, but she ran off somewhere saying ‘Shinobu won’t play with me, so I’m going to watch the hero show’…”
While saying so, Machina frowned and glared at Kaorun.
“Anyway, why are you walking around while linking arms with Shinobu? Hurry up and get away from him.”
“I do not want to. I am on a date with Nanjou-sama right now. Please do not interfere.”
Kaorun firmly rejected the approaching Machina.
Upon that, Machina was surprised with a “D- Date?” and draw closer to me for some reason.
“Hey, Shinobu! What this date stuff about! You won’t ever do that for me, but you go on a date with this maid?”
“No, well, what can I say…”
Overwhelmed by Machina, I prevaricated.
Seeing Machina like that, Kaorun said teasingly.
“Could it be, you are being jealous, Machina-sama?”
Instantly, Machina’s cheeks turned red.
“Wh- What are you suddenly bringing up! Th- There’s no way I would get jealous over someone like Shinobu!”
“…’Someone like’ sure is a mean phrasing. Do you hate Nanjou-sama, Machina-sama?”
“I didn’t say a single word about hating him!”
Machina raised her voice, whereupon Kaorun laughed quietly and replied.
“Then, you like Nanjou-sama after all?”
“Yes. —No, wait! Why does it have to be one of them? Rather than like or hate, well, I…”
“It is just that your body cannot help but get hot?”
“Yep, yep. When I think of Shinobu at night, I become—wait, no! Don’t make me say perverted stuff!”
Machina showed her special trait of getting tricked and retorting. Kaorun once again said teasingly.
“Truth be told, you are doing perverted things at night when you think of Nanjou-sama, right?”
“D- Don’t be stupid! I haven’t done that yet!”

“…Yet? That means, you have plans to do so in the future?”
“No! Of course I don’t! Don’t say weird stuff!”
While her head turned bright red, Machina desperately denied.
Kaorun ignored Machina and pulled on my arm.
“Nanjou-sama, let us ignore the perverted tsundere and continue with our date.”
“Who are you calling a perverted tsundere! And I won’t let that date happen!”
“…Grr. Why are you interfering?”
When Kaorun asked displeased. Machina took my hand and answered.
“When Shinobu is with a perverted maid like you, he might stray off the right path! Even Tomoe-san said ‘Shinobu is weak against maids, so I’m worried that he might do something strange’ and drove us here with the car!”
…Yeah, I was now aware that the girls came here to the amusement park with the help of my mother.
However, who are you calling weak against maids and will do strange things, is what I strongly wanted to declare.
“…Machina, where is that Tomoe-san now? I have something to tell her.”
“Tomoe-san went to a nearby café. She said she’ll continue with her job.”
While answering, Machina strongly pulled on my hand.
“More importantly, Shinobu, let’s get back together with everyone. Hijiri too, is looking for this maid.”
“Ehm…”
I promised to tag along with Kaorun today… What to do?
When I was troubled on how to react, Kaorun sighed and said.
“Nanjou-sama, any further escape seems impossible at this point. Let us regroup with everyone.”
“….You sure?”
“Yes. I enjoyed the amusement park plenty already. I am satisfied.”
Opposite to her words, Kaorun made a somewhat regretful expression.
So I said proposing.
“Then let’s enter the haunted house lastly and then go to everyone else. You wait here, Machina.”
“…Eh? Wh- Why are you leaving me behind? You want to be all alone with the maid that bad?”
“No, that’s not it. You’re bad with ghosts, right? Will you be fine?”
I hastily asked Machina, who made a lonely face for some reason.
Upon that, Machina strongly squeezed my hand.
“S- Surely, I’m scared, but I’ll be fine together with you. I’m coming along.”
“Ehm, you don’t really have to force yourself when you’re scared, you know?”
“Sh- Shut up! I want to stay with you! C’mon, let’s go!”
Machina said angrily and walked away, pulling on my hand. Right away, Kaorun followed after us and we three entered the haunted house.
The haunted house was an ominous Japanese style building and gave off an eerie aura. Furthermore, the interior was built rather genuine and mixed into a creepy BGM, you could even hear mysterious voices that were hard to differentiate between screams and groans.
…It really felt like something would appear.
I got a bad feeling. Then Machina’s hand squeezed tightly onto mine.
She was scared after all, as her little hand was shaking.
There Kaorun opened her mouth with a slightly quiet tone.
“…By the way, Machina-sama, are you aware that a person went missing in a haunted house?”
“I, I don’t! Actually, don’t bring that up here…!”
Ignoring Machina’s words, Kaorun started talking in a somewhat gloomy tone.
“Apparently it was a day of summer vacation, just like today. A certain girl—- Machina-san came to the amusement park with her friends to play…”
“H- Hey, why does the girl have the same name as me!”
“A mere coincidence.”
Sleekly replying to the flustered Machina, Kaorun continued her story.
“That girl, Machina-san was weak against ghosts, but in front of her friends she played tough saying ’I can enter something like a haunted house all by myself!’ and thus went into the haunted house all alone. Her friends sent her off with a wry smile and waited for her return.”
Somehow, the girl in the story seemed to resemble Machina quite a lot…Was it deliberate? I became doubtful, but didn’t interjected and listened to Kaorun’s story.
“Her friends continued to wait for her. However, no matter how long they waited, Machina-san did not come back. So her friends became worried and searched for her inside the haunted house, but they could not find her anywhere in the end….She was thereby claimed missing.”
Amidst the creepy BGM, Kaorun continued with a “But”.
“Apparently visitors of the haunted house sometimes spot it. The appearance of Machina-san trapped in a mirror and weeping.”
“….Wh- What a lame made-up story. It’s not s- scary at all.”
With her voice trembling, Machina told an obvious lie.
At that moment, suddenly a sad crying voice could be heard.
Upon hearing that fear-inducing weeping, we looked at each other…and timidly faced the direction of the voice. Then,
“Let me out of here…”

We saw the appearance of a girl shedding tears inside a huge mirror, as an attraction.
Right away,
“NOOOOOO!”
Machina raised a scream, jumped up and ran straight for the exit.
“Ah, hey, Machina—”
I tried to call her to halt, but Machina fled with a tunnel vision and she disappeared in no time.
While watching after her, Kaorun said isolated.
“…I never occurred to me that the haunted house might really have a mirror.”
Apparently the mirror in the haunted house was even outside Kaorun’s expectations.
“Don’t you think you went a bit overboard there?”
When I said so reproachful, Kaorun nodded guilty.
“…Yes. I think so too. However, just looking at her makes me want to tease her.”
“Well, Machina certainly is fun to tease.”
“That is not the reason.”
Denying outright, Kaorun tightly clenched her fists.
“…Machina-sama should be the same as myself… yet she is completely different from me.”
I didn’t really understand the meaning of her words.
But Kaorun had really sad eyes and I had no words to offer to her.
I didn’t understand anything and couldn’t say anything.
I slowly reached out my hand for Kaorun and patted her head.
“…Nanjou-sama?”
“For now, let’s go after Machina.”
Just saying that, I took Kaorun’s hand and started walking.
Upon that, Kaorun return the squeeze on my hand and smiled lightly…

Once I got out of the haunted house, I looked around for Machina together with Kaorun, but she wasn’t nearby.
She must have been quite agitated. She might have even escaped far away.
I searched for Machina a bit worried, when I spotted Nazuna in the corner of my vision.
On a closer look, Machina was next to Nazuna and clinging to her still trembling lightly. Machina must have been scared to death by the haunted house, but why was even Nazuna making a pale face?
“Hey girls, what’s wrong?”
I called out to them curiously, when Nazuna approached with tears dwelling up in her eyes.
“Big trouble, Brother. Machina-chan saw a real ghost in the haunted house. What if she’s cursed now?”
Nazuna was still close to crying, as she was genuinely worried.
Inadvertently I made a small wry smile and lightly patted Nazuna and Machina’s head.
“Don’t worry. It’s okay. I was with Machina and there was no ghost.”
“Eh? But Machina-chan said there was…”
“That was just an attraction.”
“Really?”
As Nazuna brought up the matter, Machina averted her eyes awkwardly and said covering up.
“C- Certainly, that was an attraction. I, I wasn’t scared at all, but I thought it would scare Nazuna, so I tried a little act.”
“…You’re so mean, Machina-chan. Why would you do that?”
“Uhh… I, I’m sorry.”
Feeling guilty over her lie, Machina apologized honestly. However,
“I’ll not forgive you! You deserve a punishment, Machina-chan!”
Along with her words, Nazuan swiftly got behind Machina’s back and started to tickle her sides.
“Ahahaha! Stop it, Nazuna! I won’t do it again!”
“Meow, meow!”
“H- Hey, Nazuna, not there… Ahahaha!”
Nazuna clung to the laughing Machina playful and wouldn’t let go.
I watched over these two, when Kaorun slowly came closer.
“Looks, like they are having fun.”
“Yeah, indeed. Why don’t you join—”
I started my sentence—but stopped halfway unmeant.
“…Why is it that Machina-sama can get fawned on like that?”
Eyes filled with envy, a sad profile and bitten lips.
…To be honest, I was bewildered.
Because I never imagined that Kaorun could show such an expression…I didn’t know what to do.
But Kaorun soon enough reverted to her usual inexpressiveness.
“Nanjou-sama, why are you looking upon me with such passionate eyes? Could it be that you are smitten by me?”
She cracked one of her special jokes.
Therefore I replied relieved.
“Well, you’re just so pretty. I think I was smitten because I don’t know much about you. I might have fallen for you, if you weren’t Kaorun.”
“Excuse me, then I would be a total different person.”
“Indeed…”
I made a deep sigh.
“…Hey, why does such a beauty have to be you?”
“Are you dissatisfied?”
“Gravely.”
When I gave an instant answer, Kaorun purposefully pretended to cry.
“So cruel. This is too much. I am going to cry.”
“Yeah, cry all you want. Tears make you stronger.”
Since it was troublesome, I gave a suited reply, when Kaorun frowned sullen and close the distance between us.
“Mh, what’s up?”
“Well, I was just thinking that I should take you up on your words and cry in your arms.”
“…Stop, Lady. Tears don’t suit you.”
“No, I will cry in your arms, Nanjou-sama. Though I only might pretend to cry and launch a body blow at you, but please do not mind that.”
“Haha, if you get that ardent with me, I’ll give you a passionate kiss as a thanks.”
I backed off one step while laughing. Kaorun brought her face closer and said.
“At that time, I will return that passionate kiss. Needless to say, with my tongue.”
“Stop it, Kaorun. If you were to do that, we would end up in a relationship where our lips pile up lies whenever our bodies touch.”
“…I have been wondering for a while now, but finicky remarks do not suit you, Nanjou-sama. They only sound somewhat comical to me.”
“You also easily say stuff that hurts people…”
“Goes for us both.”
When we talked like that,
“Shinobu! Don’t chat there casually and stop Nazuna!”
Machina sought help.
There I extended both my arms….and tickled Machina under her armpit.
“Hyan! Wh- Why are even you tickling me now, Shinobu!”
Even asked that, I could only responded that it was because it was fun. I continued to tickle Machina wordless.
Upon that Machina laughed even louder and struggled greatly.
As a result, Machina’s voluminous breasts bounced left and right and hit my palm.
Feeling a soft and squishy stimulation on my palm, I hastily tried to stop Machina’s movement, but
“Kyan!”
before I noticed it, I ended up seizing both of Machina’s breasts.
…No, no, while her breasts were certainly moving, I was supposed to grab her shoulders here.
By acting on an impulse, it had turned into an unbelievable situation.
I timidly looked at Machina, when she looked back at me puzzled, as she hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet.
“Ehm, well, what can I say. They’re so soft that I want them as my pillow.”
“…Eh? You mean you want to sleep on my breasts? You’re so bold— NOT! Don’t take advantage of the turmoil! You pervert!”
“No, you’re wrong! That wasn’t on purpose ! It was, well, God’s invisible hand, or rather…”
I made excuses flustered, when Kaorun softly whispered into my ear.
“Nanjou-sama, it is a sink or swim now. How about you cover it up with a finicky remark like before? You might be able to coax Machina-sama with it.”
…I believed that this situation was impossible to cover up.
But you never know until you try. I gave Machina a passionate look and opened my mouth.
“Machina, what I really wanted to touch was not your breasts, but your heart. But it seems I failed. I thought I had seized your heart, but…I was moved by your attractiveness.”
I was trying my hardest in my own way.
Immediately, Nazuna said a “You’re so cool, Brother!”, but Machina turned bright red and looked down.
She must be angry after all. I better apologize honestly now.
So I considered, but Machina said isolated while still looking down.
“…Why are you suddenly saying something so cool. That’s just not fair. I can’t get angry now, even if I want…Stupid Shinobu.”
Huh? I really fooled her?
…Mhm~ It might be weird for me to say it, but getting fooled like that was not good.
I was a bit worried for Machina’s future, when Nazuna pulled on my hand.
“Brother, Brother. Since we’re all here, let’s ride the Ferris Wheel together.”
“…Okay, but weren’t you with Luna and the others?”
“I got separated from them. I’ll call El-chan now, so let’s ride the Ferris Wheel while we wait. You too, Machina-chan, Miss Maid.”
“…Eh? The maid too?”
Due to the incident in the haunted house earlier, Machina seemed somewhat against the idea.
Kaorun lightly clapped Machina’s shoulders.
“Fear not, Machina-sama.”
While saying that, Kaorun made a thump-up.
“I also know a scary story with a Ferris Wheel.”
“I, I see. I would gladly hear it, but I’m afraid I’m not interested in the Ferris Wheel. Don’t mind me and go with the three of you. I’ll call Elni and Hijiri. Shinobu, lend me your phone.”
Taking Kaorun’s joke seriously, Machina told an obvious lie.
Most likely, she didn’t want to have Nazuna see her scared.
Since Machina usually played the older sister around Nazuna…
Well, I could understand her feelings, so I didn’t say anything unnecessarily and handed her my cell phone.
“You know how to use it?”
“Yeah, Elni taught me. …Oh my, your background image is a cat.”
“Yeah, that’s the cat we keep. Right now it is together with our father on the business trip…But you can change it if you want. I wouldn’t mind a sexy shot of you, Machina.”
“Okay. Then I’ll take a picture right awa—- wait, I won’t do that! Just go ride on the Ferris Wheel already!”
With Machina pushing onto my back, we headed for the Ferris Wheel.
Luckily for us, there weren’t many people lined up before the Ferris Wheel and we could board it soon enough.
I immediately sat down on the seat, when
“Meow.”
Nazuna sad down on my lap with a smile for some reason.
I believed Nazuna was behaving too spoiled, but she looked just so happy that I didn’t say anything and just sighed.
Upon that, Kaorun, who sat across from me, giggled.
“Nanjou-sama you are so forgiving towards Nazuna-sama.”
“Yeah! Brother is really kind!”
“Is that so. Well, I would like to be treated kindly by Nanjou-sama too, so from now on I will call him ’Dear Brother’.”
Saying that, Kaorun cleared her throat with a cough.
“I love you, Dear Brother.”
…Not good. Even though I knew it was just an act, I unintentionally became excited.
“Dear Brother, would you like to go the beach on the next holiday? I specially bought a new swimsuit for you.”
“Sorry, but not interested. Go with someone else.”
“…Somehow, you are acting so cold lately, Dear Brother. You were even walking arm-in-arm with some unknown girl before. Dear Brother, who was that person?”
“None of your concern.”
I averted my gaze from Kaorun and lit up an imaginary cigarette.
“…That is how you talk your way out. I knew it…You are having an affair, Dear Brother? Was I just plaything for you? The vow from that night…was it just a lie?”

“There wasn’t anything between us. Remember?”
I replied to Kaorun, who spoke with a crying voice, with a cold smile.
Right away, Kaorun purposefully broke down crying.
“So cruel! First you force me into this little sister play and then you toss me aside like this! You are a brute, Dear Brother! A lecherous beast! A perverted gentleman from the boob planet with a maid fetish!”
“…Hey, wait. Who are you calling a brute or lecherous beast! Don’t say such unwarranted stuff! Besides, what’s that about the little sister play! I don’t remember forcing you into that.”
Inadvertently I forgot my role and shouted.
However, Kaorun ignored me and depended on Nazuna.
“Nazuna-sama, my Dear Brother is being mean. Please help me.”
“Hey, don’t drag Nazuna into this. You’re forbidden to call me Dear Brother, Kaorun.”
“…Such a shame.”
For some reason, Kaorun dropped her shoulders lightly.
There Nazuna raised her hand with an idea.
“Then how about Brother calls the maid with ‘Onee-chan’?”
How did it come to this? I was wary, but since Kaorun’s face brimmed with expectation, I decided to go along with it for now.
“Kaoru-oneechan.”
“Yes, what is it? You want to rest in your sister’s breasts? Or do you want me to pet your head? You really are spoiled, Shinobu-chan.”
Saying that with red cheeks, Kaorun put up her index finger.
“Nanjou-sama, please once more.”
“…Kaoru-oneesan.”
“No, not ‘oneesan’, but ‘oneechan’ please.”
Kaorun showed a strange obsession…and in the end, I repeated “Kaoru-oneechan” countless times. But midway, Kaorun said a sexy, yet weird statement “…Somehow my body is getting hot”, so I decided to ignore it.
I averted my eyes from Kaorun and faced the window of the Ferris Wheel together with Nazuna.
“Uwa, we’re so high up, Brother.”
“Yeah. The—people just look like trash!”
“Certainly. …Incidentally, you two, this Ferris Wheel—isn’t it the best show?”
Kaorun and I made a bad impersonation.
Seeing us like that, Nazuna clapped her hands happily.
“I know about that! It’s from L*puta: Castle in the Sky! It’s Colonel M*ska!”
“If you get it, then kneel down! Beg for your life! Get the stone back from the brat!”
I continued my impersonation, when Nazuna shouted with a serious expression.
“—Baloose!”
“No, Nazuna-sama. The spell of destruction is not ‘Baloose’, but ‘Valuse’. Once the spell is chanted, Nanjou-sama will have say ‘My eyes, my eyeeeeees~!’.”
“Okay. Brother—Valuse!”
“—Shut up, brat.”
“Uhm, Nanjou-sama? That is from a different script. That sentence is from Princess Mononoke.”
“Shut up, pig!”
“I am not a dirty pig!”
No, no one even said that.
“…Actually, why are we chatting nonchalant in a Ferris Wheel?”
“We sure aren’t looking at the scenery.”
Nazuna made a wry smile, when Kaorun lowered her head a bit.
“My apologies. My interesting talk made you two so fascinated that you ended up forgetting about the original enjoyment here…”
“Doesn’t your self-confidence know any bounds?”
“…Nanjou-sama, please do not mimic me.”
“Yeah. You’re being rude to the maid, Brother. Even though her story was so interesting…”
“Eh? Uh- Uhm, thank you very much.”
Kaorun coloured her cheeks red a bit, as she didn’t expect to get praised.
“Oh, you’re being bashful?”
“N- No. Please do not speak of such weird things. And please let be your face the only weird thing.”
“Don’t say I have a weird face! Even like that, some people evaluated my face as handsome.”
“Who are these laudable people?”
“Me!”
Upon Kaorun’s question, Nazuna raised her hand and answered full of energy.
“…Ehm, anyone else?”
“I, myself.”
“Besides you?”
Upon this harsh question, I could do nothing but fell silent.
“…Are you telling me that is all?”
“That’s all.”
I replied with a nod, when Kaorun made a small sigh.
“…How lonesome.”
“Then give me some love if you’re sympathetic.”
“Are you sure? My love is expensive.”
“…I don’t want love that I can buy with money.”
When I acted cool, Kaorun shrugged her shoulders in disappointment.
“You sure are selfish, Nanjou-sama.”
“Yeah, My love is selfish, but I will never hurt only me.”
“—Nazuna-sama, please look over there. It is a flying bird.”
“Hey, I made a stupid remark here, so don’t ignore me and retort.”
Feeling a shred of loneliness, I imitated the two of them and looked through the window again.
We stopp our chatting and enjoyed the Ferris Wheel ride like it was due.
Both Nazuna and Kaorun started a quiet humming while watching the scenery outside. They seemed quite satisfied with the Ferris Wheel.
But when the Ferris Wheel reached the top and started to go downwards,
“…There is one thing I would like to ask you, Nazuna-sama.”
Kaorun shyly broke the ice.
“Nazuna-sama, are you aware of Miss Cow-woman— I mean, Luna-sama and Machina-sama’s, that is, circumstances?”
“Mh? What do you mean?”
“I am referring to, that is, them being…”
Seeing Kaorun at a loss for words, Nazuna must have guessed something. She made a lightly serious expression and opened her mouth.
“I know that Luna-oneechan and Machina-chan are devils.”
“So you were aware of it.”
Kaorun somewhat widened her eyes and asked after a short hesitation.
“…Nazuna-sama, are you alright with it? I mean, these two are devils. You do not consider them scary?”
“I don’t. I mean, they’re both kind and play with me. Besides—”
For a moment she stopped her words, then Nazuna said with a smile.
“They are part of my family. It doesn’t matter that they’re devils.”
“…Family, you say?”
Averting her eyes from Nazuna, Kaorun said somewhat envious.
“I am sure that Machina-sama is pleased about that.”
“Eh? And Luna-oneechan isn’t?”
“Because Luna-sama somewhat resembles myself.”
With a sad smile, Kaorun once again shifted her gaze towards the window.
When I saw her profile then, a pain ran through my chest for some reason.
Nazuna must have felt the same as me. Both of us couldn’t ask her for the meaning behind her words while the Ferris Wheel made it’s way down.
Then we got off the gondola,
“Nanjou-sama, it is about time that I return to the Gogyou Household.”
Kaorun said isolated.
Needless to say, I faced Kaorun surprised.
“…Why? Didn‘t you run away from there? You said it would get bad when you returned…”
“That was all a lie. Therefore, please do not worry about me, Nanjou-sama.”
Kaorun shed off her expressiveness and forced herself to smile.
“…Don’t lie so obvious. I can’t leave you al—”
“Nanjou-sama, it is alright. I do not wish to cause the Miss any inconveniences.”
Cutting into my words, Kaorun moved her gaze.
I followed her gaze and there stood Luna and Hijiri together with Machina and Elni.
They surely had assembled there by Machina’s call.
Noticing our gazes, Hijiri approached us as an representative of them.
“Kaoru-san, I heard about it from my father.”
“I apologize for causing you trouble. I will return to the Master at once.”
“You don’t have to.”
“…Eh?”
With a dignified expression, Hijiri gently embraced Kaorun with both her arms.
“I’ll do something about it. So, please don’t run away anymore.”
—The reason why Hijiri came after Kaorun. It was an action from Hijiri’s feelings towards Kaorun. I was sure that Hijiri had intended to help out from the beginning.
Still, Hijiri’s feelings should be quite obvious to Kaorun,
“Thank you very much, Miss.”
Yet, why was it that Kaorun showed such a lonely expression?
Not knowing the reason for it, that expression of hers alone remained strongly in my heart…

* * *

After that, I told them that I intended to shelter Kaorun at my gramps’ holiday house, when Hijiri appealed that she may come too, whereupon the other girls expressed the same intention.
However, we all didn’t fit in Kaorun’s car. So we split into two groups and headed for the holiday house in Kaorun and my mother’s car.
Along the way, we dropped by at a big department store to buy cooking ingredients.
Then my mother mentioned that there was a river near the holiday house in which one could play, so all the girls said “I want to buy a swimsuit” and dragged me to a swimsuit store.
When we arrived at the swimsuit store, the girls started to skim through the swimsuits in high spirits.
On the other hand, I bought my swim trunks in a matter of minutes and then waited completely bored.
I couldn’t come up with anything else to do, so I let my gaze absent-mindedly glide over the swimsuit store.
“Shinobu-sam, Shinobu-san.”
Suddenly I was called out from behind.
I turned around and there I saw Luna peeking out her head from the curtain of the changing room.
From there, Luna beckoned me low-key.
“What’s up? Are you going to show me a sexy swimsuit?”
I asked in a casual tone, when Luna coloured her cheeks red and nodded small.
“Elni-chan chose this swimsuit for me. Will you take a look at it?”
“Eh? Elni did?”
…Was that safe? I got a really bad feeling. What if Luna was wearing a school swimsuit or the like?
Such thoughts crossed my mind, when Luna slowly opened the curtain.
Right away, my vision was filled with Luna wearing a daring swimsuit.
A thin Y string was covering barely covering the important parts, but you could safely say that she was mostly naked.
Her tense and melon-big breasts exposed themselves clearly to me and her cleavage of course, but also the side and bottom of her breasts were in plain view. Furthermore, her narrow waist, cute navel and her beautiful legs in the high leg cut were honey for my eyes.
“How is it, Shinobu-san?”
While turning bright red, Luna leaned forward and stroke a pose.
Upon that, her voluminous breasts bounced right in front of my eyes, whereupon the Y string slipped off and gave way for the main part.
In other words, it was completely visible.
Failing to notice that, Luna asked me with a worried expression.
“Uhm, does it look weird after all?”
“No, it’s not weird. It’s really pretty. So much that I want to touch it.”
“That you want to touch it?”
I insisted with my eyes as round as a plate, when Luna followed my gaze down on her own breasts.
Instantly, Luna noticed her immodest appearance, turned red quickly and turned her back to me with a small shriek.
But as a result, now her wonderful bottom was exposed to my eyes.
Moreover, the high leg cut swimsuit was about to slip down from her bottom and made her soft bottom halfway through visible.
Inadvertently I gulped, but as the gentleman I was, I swiftly close the curtain of the changing room.
Needless to say, I was reluctant to do so.
—Anyway. That swimsuit was too daring.
“Could it be, you’re an exhibitionist, Luna?”
“N- No! I was really embarrassed about it! But Elni-chan told me you would be pleased with such a swimsuit…”
Luna’s flustered voice came through the curtain, sounding just like she was talking to herself.
Certainly, I was really happy about Luna’s consideration. But.
“Luna, if possible, could you avoid wearing that swimsuit in front of others?”
“….Eh? Why is that?”
“Sympathize with the complex heart of a boy.”
I don’t want any other guy to see Luna in that daring swimsuit—Is what I couldn’t say, so I vaguely prevaricated.
“Yes. I understand.”
Luna readily consented.
“I also do not want any other guy besides Shinobu-san to see me like that. After all, I am Shinobu-san’s—”
My chest throbbed violently upon Luna’s words.
“Shinobu-san’s exclusive slave.”
…My hopes quickly changed into a sigh.
I dropped my shoulders and opened my mouth while turning my back to the changing room.
“Luna, stop with the slave stuff already. At least make it a maid. A maid, you hear.”
“Ehm, I believe Kaoru-san would get angry then…”
…Yeah. It was quite likely she would.
“Then make it older sister.”
“Eh? Older sister? Shinobu-san, you want me to become an older sister? Then I will call you ‘Shinobu-chan’ from now on.”
“No, no! I didn’t mean it like that.”
I couldn’t express my feelings as I wanted to. I shook my head and crossed my arms.
Mhm~ It was rather embarrassing, but I should tell her properly on this occasion.
After taking a small deep breath, I slowly opened my mouth.
“…Luna, I don’t think of you as a slave. You’re a precious family member. Nazuna, Mom and me all think so. So, stop this slave stuff”
I didn’t want her to call herself a slave.
Whenever Luna called herself that, I felt sad like I had been rejected.
Conveying these feelings properly, I waited for Luna’s reply with my back still facing the changing room.
Then I heard the curtain get yanked open— and before I noticed it, Luna had clung to my back.
“L- Luna?”
I became agitated by the elasticity and warmth of her big breasts pressing on my back, when Luna put her hands on my shoulder and stood on tip-toes.
“Thank you, Shinobu-san.”
Softly, she pressed a kiss on my cheek.
My cheeks turned red by her soft lips and my heart raced.
…Not good. I couldn’t seem to endure the shame.
“W- Well then, about time I take my leave. Don’t say slave anymore. Don’t catch a cold. Brush your teeth. See you next week!”
I cracked a joke to hide my embarrassment and got away from the changing room in an escape.
But, I was a bit concerned about Luna, so I turned around and…she showed a bright smile. Before I noticed it, I also smiled, as I got infected by her happy smile…

After parting with Luna, I sat down on a bench near the swimsuit store. There I waited for everyone to finish their shopping, when Hijiri came out of the swimsuit store.
Hijiri held onto a paper bag on her chest and approached me with a smile.
“Shinobu-kun, you’re already done with shopping?”
“Yeah, I am… You too?”
“Yeah. Kaoru-san chose a swimsuit for me. This will please— No! I’ll seduce you with it!”
“Hee, that’s great… So, where’s said Kaorun?”
I completely ignored the stuff about seduction, when Hijiri made a slightly regretful expression and answered.
“Kaoru-san went shopping for cooking ingredients…”
“I see.”
I made an agreeable response and suddenly remembered.
I should ask about Kaorun, as now with jus the two of us was a good timing.
“Hey, Hijiri. Why did Kaorun run away?”
“…Eh? She hasn’t told you anything?”
“Well, she told me your father coerced her into doing things she dislikes, but nothing specific…”
“I see. And yet you helped her. You’re really kind, Shinobu-kun.”
Saying stuff that made me embarrassed, Hijiri explained properly.
“I think I told you about it before, but we exorcists shelter and manage hybrid devils born between a human and a devil like Kaoru-san. But only on the paper. In reality they’re just used as convenient tools.”
With a somewhat gloomy tone, Hijiri continued.
“So we’re making them undergo special training, so that they can assist us in our job. Every year, around this time, we gather all of them in one place and coach them, so that they can properly do their job.”
Special training and coaching, huh.
By the sound of the words, it seemed like a training camp.
However, it made Kaorun run away. So it must be rather harsh.
I silently crossed my arms and listened to Hijiri.
“There are a lot of hybrid devils, so not everyone participates every year. Only those, who were called out to be the exorcist organisation. Also, Kaoru-san participated a couple of times in the special training.”
While saying so, Hijiri faintly clouded and she continued with a “But”.
“when she came back from the special training for the first time, Kaoru-san stopped calling me by my name.”
Along with her words, Hijiri clenched her fists strongly.
“Kaoru-san wouldn’t tell me what happened. Same for my father. No one would tell me what kind of training Kaoru-san received. But I can somewhat guess what Kaoru-san went through. That’s why I don’t want her to participate in the special training.”
Hijiri’s feelings for Kaorun became sporadically evident in her words.
“…Besides, I was a bit happy.”
“Happy?”
I asked back like a parrot, when Hijiri nodded small.
“Kaoru-san always tells weird jokes, but despite that, she had never been selfish. Because she’s under the impression that she’s a tool for us, she hates to cause trouble for us. She obeys everything. I always hated that…”
Saying remembering, Hijiri softened her expression and continued.
“So when I heard about Kaoru-san from my father, I was certainly surprised, but even more so I was happy. I was happy that Kaoru-san was selfish for the first time. I always keep relying on Kaoru-san, so I wanted to help her and immediately returned from my training camp with the kendo club. But when I saw Kaoru-san…. I realized.”
Stopping her words momentarily, Hijiri smiled powerless.
“That Kaoru-san had intended to return soon enough. She just wanted to play with you before the special training. She had no intention to cause us trouble from the beginning.”
Listening to Hijiri’s story, I suddenly remembered.
About Kaorun showing a bewildered expression, when I invited her to the holiday house.
…Like Hijiri had said, right from the beginning, Kaorun might have intended to return to Hijiri’s house before long. That was why she prioritized going to the amusement park rather than the holiday house.
“Kaoru-san is always like that. It would be fine to cause trouble or to act spoiled, yet she always watches over us from one step behind. She won’t come over to us…”
—I do not wish to cause the Miss any inconveniences.
Suddenly Kaorun’s words floated in my head.
Why did Kaorun keep her distance? Why wouldn’t she reach out for Hijiri? Why…wouldn’t she become a family with Hijiri?
Not knowing the answer, I felt vexed.
Albeit, Hijri laughed quietly and said.
“But, I’m not giving up. During this trip, I want Kaoru-san to realize that it’s okay to cause troubles and to act spoiled. I’ll work hard until Kaoru-san thinks of me as a family.”
“I see…”
Hijiri’s words made my chest a bit lighter.
“But, Hijiri, you say trip, but we’re actually runaways, you know? Realistically speaking, it’ll be hard to keep doing so. Do you have any plans?”
Hijiri showed a smile and a “No worries” to my question.
“I fear that the exorcists are going to come to take back Kaoru-san. But, the special training has a set period. If we manage to escape until that’s over…She should no longer have to participate.”
“…How long is that period?”
“In the past, when Kaoru-san participated in it, she came back after 2,3 weeks. So I don’t think it’s all that long…”
Hijiri said with a wry smile.
“This year it might work out, but next year they will be more cautious without a doubt.”
“Then let’s escape overseas next year. We’re fleeing the country.”
“Fufu. That might be good. Any particular country you want to go to, Shinobu-kun?”
Hijiri surprisingly went along with my half-joking, half-serious suggestion with a smile.
There we considered foreign countries for a while and talked about where we would like to go.
But when we were out of ideas, Hijiri shyly opened her mouth.
“Uhm, there is also something I would like to ask you, Shinobu-kun…”
With such a prologue, Hijiri asked with a serious expression.
“This morning, when I called you, what did you do to Kaoru-san?”
….Mh? Could it be Hijiri was completely misunderstanding after she heard Kaorun’s joking lewd voice over the phone?
“Hijiri, that was one of Kaorun’s pranks. I didn’t really do anything.”
“Really? You really didn’t do anything, well, perverted with Kaoru-san in secret?”
“There is no such thing.”
I denied clearly.
However, Hijiri lightly puffed her cheeks for some reason.
“…Sounds suspicious.”
“Eh, why?”
“I mean, you’re really close with Kaoru-san. And she also likes you…”
“Hee, what an honour.”
I honestly felt happy, but Hijri made a sulking face, as displeased over something.
“…Shinobu-kun, you’re grinning.”
“Attractive, isn’t it?”
“Yeah—wait, no! That’s not what I meant! Ah, but it’s not that it’s unattractive either, ehm… Right now it’s about Kaoru-san! I won’t be fooled even if you make such a handsome face!”
Though it wasn’t really my intention to make a handsome face…
I was a bit surprised by her reaction, when Hijiri suddenly brought her face closer.
With her pretty face close by, a somewhat refreshing fragrance hung in the air. Her long eyelashes, her smooth cheeks and her well-formed lips. I was smitten by all these, when Hijiri opened her mouth with a somewhat worried expression.
“What do you think about Kaoru-san?”
“About Kaorun? Well—”
“She’s my second lover. What are you asking that for now?”
“Yeah, Hijiri, everyone knows that Kaorun is my second lover. My first is Elni—wait, like hell they are!”
I retorted with full power. I turned around with attitude.
…I had no idea for how long she had been standing there, but my gaze fell on Elni, who made a strange face. Elni continued, still having a strange expression.
“Hm. I thought about it and I’m fine with just Elni as my lover. I’ll have Kaorun be my maid.”
“Hey, Elni, is that weird face your idea of my impersonation?”
“Meow!”
Elni saluted like Nazuna.
“Now you’re mimicking Nazuna? You sure love copying people.”
After I shrugged my shoulders, Elni said with a smile.
“Shinobu, a certain imitating artist once said: ‘I only copy people I love’. I’m just the same.”
“…I’m not really sure what you want to say, but what’s up? You need something?”
“Yeah. I came to get you two. Everyone is waiting for you. Hurry up and come.”
Most likely, everyone finished shopping while Hijiri and I were talking.
It would be bad to make everyone wait. I gave Elni a nod and stood up from the bench.
At that moment, Hijiri weakly pulled on my sleeve.
“Shinobu-kun, you haven’t answered my earlier question. What do you think about Kaoru-san?”
“The answer to that question is…”
“The answer is?”
Hijiri gulped down her saliva.
“…revealed after the CM.”
I replied in the form of a joke.
Upon that, Elni interjected with a narration tone, as she played along with my joke.
“Clung to by a silver-haired girl!? One morning, Nanjou Shinobu woke up besides an unknown sleeping girl with silver hair. While Shinobu is unable to comprehend the situation, the girl named Elni claims to be a Goddess…The heart-warming school love comedy ‘Kami Tsuki!’. Selling greatly within my imagination!”
“…Write ‘It’s not a rip-off, it’s respect!’ on the cover.”
I retorted like that to Elni’s long CM, then replied ‘Kaorun is a friend for me” to Hijiri casually.
Then we regrouped with the others and headed for gramps’ holiday house in Kaorun and my mother’s car…




Chapter 02: Reason for Jealousy

We arrived at gramps’ holiday house in the cars.
Since it was in the remote countryside, we were surrounded by fresh green and there weren’t any convenience stores nearby, let alone any vending machines.
Apparently my mother had stuff to do, so she left the words “Call me when you want to come home” and returned on the street we came from. After we watched my mother drove off, we entered the holiday house. However, when we went inside in high spirits, the interior was even dirtier than anticipated, since it hadn’t been used in a long time.
Fortunately, the electricity and gas worked, but we certainly would have to clean the place.
Determined, we gathered in the living room and thought about the splitting up the work amongst us, when Kaorun clapped her hands.
“Everyone, I have a great idea. We—”
“Guys, let’s decide with rock, paper, scissor.”
Like I would stand for getting involved into something weird again. I cut into Kaorun’s words and wanted to split the work with a peaceful manner.
But Kaorun wasn’t so naïve as to allow that. Kaorun swiftly got behind my back and put her arm around my neck. She said to everyone threatening.
“Everyone, please do not move! Make a ruckus and Nanjou-sama can say farewell to his life!”
“….Farewell to my life, what do you think you’re doing?”
“I will do something so incredible embarrassing that I cannot put it into words.”
Why was she showing a sexy smile now?
To be honest, I wanted her to stop. For a while now, Kaorun’s soft breasts pressed against my back and a sweet fragrance blew over from her…Even though I knew she was joking, I felt lightly unsettled.
Kaorun paid no mind to my worries and continued while happily pinching my cheek.
“Everyone, if you value Nanjou-sama’s life, please be obedient and listen to what I say.”
Kaorun forcefully enforced her own opinion like always, but the girl’s reaction was unexpectedly indifferent.
“You two, stop playing around and hurry up with the cleaning.”
“Brother, Miss Maid, let’s be serious here.”
Machina said wearily while Nazuna advised Kaorun and me.
Moreover, Luna and Hijiri were showing a wry smile. No one seemed to care.
Well, only Elni casually joined Kaorun and was having fun by pulling on my cheek…
“…Your plan failed.”
I sighed of relief and called out to Kaorun.
Upon that, Kaorun strongly clung to me with her arm still around my neck for no apparent reason. Her overly elastic breasts pressed against my back. Moreover, her beautiful face was really close and her thin, supple fingers petted my chin. Then she said, facing the others.
“Since no one seems to care, I will steal Nanjou-sama’s lips in retaliation.”
Instantly, Hijiri and Luna shouted hastily.
“No, Kaoru-san! Don’t do anything weird to Shinobu-kun!”
“Yeah! Please stop it! I will listen to whatever you say…!”
Upon Hijiri and Luna’s words, Kaorun smiled suspicious.
“Good, then you all will participate in a game.”
“Fufufu, prepare yourself, girls. The game of darkness will start now.”
For some reason, Elni said threatening, when Kaorun continued with “Truly a Death Game”.
…Huh, were they going to start a battle royal?
Inadvertently, I grimaced and interjected.
“Hey, don’t make it anything dangerous, okay?”
“Do not worry, Nanjou-sama. While I call it a game, it will be settled through cleaning.”
“Cleaning? Quite peacefully for a Death Game.”
“Yes. So please rest assured.”
Saying that, Kaorun looked over the other girls and started to explain the game.
“With the help from everyone, we will now proceed to clean up the place, but to increase the effectiveness in it, it will be conducted in the form of a game. The person with the most effort will receive a benefit while the one with the least effort will receive a penalty.”
“…Penalty? Like what?”
I asked curiously, when Kaorun once again smiled suspicious and answered.
“As far as I could tell, all sleeping quarters seem to be shared rooms, so person with the lowest score will come to share a room with me. I will take this opportunity to do something perverted, so please be careful that you will not be attacked in your sleep.”
“Certainly a Death Game…”
I replied while lightly trembling, when Kaorun pinched my cheek lightly and continued.
“On the other hand, the winner gets the privilege of sharing a room with Nanjou-sama. There even might be a ’One mattress, two pillows’ kind of development.”
“No, it won’t. Such a game is rejected. Rejected, you hear.”
I immediately appealed the game to be cancelled. However,
“C- Certainly, if we do it like the Maid said, the cleaning will be more effective.”
“You are right. We better finish the cleaning quickly.”
Machina and Luna said fidgeting, agreeing to the game. Then, Hijiri too, coloured her cheeks red and said while looking at me.
“I want to be in the same room as Shinobu-kun…So I’ll work hard.”
Instantly, Luna and Machina turned around at the same time and faced Hijiri opposing.
“So audacious, Goyou-san! It is not fair for you to hog it all by yourself!”
“Yeah! Hijiri, you pervert! Sullen Lecher!”
“I, I’m not a sullen lecher! Besides, I’m Shinobu-kun’s fiancée, so there should be no problem with us sharing a room!”
“That is not true! It is a big problem! Even I want to talk a lot to Shinobu-san! I will not lose to you, Gogyou-san!”
“My Sister is right! You just want to seduce Shinobu again! I won’t let you do so!”
When Luna and Machina said so, Kaorun clapped her hands.
“Now then, we have discussed the details—So let the game start!”
When Kaorun gave the starting signal, Luna, Hijiri and Machina sprinted out of the living room full of motivation.
It was impossible to stop them now…
I sighed and tried a last resistance.
“…By the way, what happens if I win the game?”
“What are you speaking of? The game is limited to females, so you cannot not participate, Nanjou-sama.”
“That’s some horrible treatment, really now…”
I was a bit dissatisfied, but I wouldn’t have a chance against Luna or Hijiri anyway, so I gave up on participating in the game and called out to Nazuna and Elni, who had remained in the living room.
“So, you guys are not participating?”
“Yeah. I’m afraid I can’t win against Luna-oneechan…”
“I see. And you, Elni?”
“The Goddess can’t work on an empty stomach, so I’ll pass.”
“…Well, even with your stomach stuffed, it wouldn’t change anything.”
“Indeed.”
Elni admitted with a smile.
There, Kaorun, who had also remained in the living room, opened her mouth.
“Elni-sama, Nazuna-sama, I will prepare dinner now, so would you mind helping me out?”
“Meow!”
Nazuna gave back a salute, when Elni mimicked her and also saluted with a “Meow!”.
And then, both of them headed for the kitchen with Kaorun.
I followed the three of them and while cleaning the kitchen together, I called out to Kaorun.
“Hey, Kaorun, you’re not participating in the game?”
“Yes, it is too troublesom—*cough*.”
After a cough to cover it up, Kaorun said with her usual inexpressiveness.
“There is no point in my participating in the game, since the person with the lowest score will end up sharing a room with me.”
“I see. I think I heard your real intent, but I’ll pretend I haven’t.”
Replying with that, I continued the cleaning. After that I also intended to help with the cooking, but Kaorun pushed on my back and chased me out of the kitchen.
“Hey, what are you doing? Let me help too.”
“Nanjou-sama, no men in the kitchen. To be frank, you are in the way, so please watch some TV in the living room.”
“Don’t say I’m in the way. I’m quite skilled at cheering and food sampling, you know?”
I turned around and puffed my chest, when Kaorun showed a weary expression.
“Please leave, as you are a bother.”
“…Kaorun, certainly I might not be any helpful, but, my motivation doesn’t lose to anyone. Accept my passion.”
“Please do not get burned. *blush*…”
“….Our conversation is so cold.”
“Indeed. Any colder and I would be catching a cold, so please get out already, Nanjou-sama.”
“Wait, wait. I’ll be serious, so let me help. I’m free anyway.”
As such I was talking with Kaorun, when I saw Elni open a bag of sashimi and sampling the tuna.
“Ah, El-chan, what are you doing. Don’t just eat it by yourself.”
Right away warned by Nazuna, Elni replied unbothered and with a smile.
“Nazucat, this is really good! Do you want to sample it too?”
“You know, El-chan, it’ll taste even better when we eat it together with everyone. Aw, El-chan, you dropped the sashimi.”
When Nazuna shifted her gaze to the slice of tuna that fell on the chopping board, Elni said covering up.
“Ohh, it’s still alive.”
“Geez, don’t fool around so much. Sit down, El-chan!”
Scolded by Nazuna, Elni guilty sat down formally on the spot.
Seeing that, Kaorun shifted her gaze back to me and said with a sigh.
“Nanjou-sama, I already have my hands full with just Elni-sama, so please take your leave now.”
“…Yes, sorry that our idiot causes you trouble.”
For some reason, I was ashamed and lowered my head to Kaorun. Then I left the kitchen behind me. Since I had free time, I went out into the garden and did my daily training. After that I nonchalant showed up in the living room, when there was already someone else.
That person— Hijiri wore the same maid clothes as Kaorun for some reason and was cleaning with a serious expression.
“Yo. I see you’re working hard.”
When I called out to her, Hijiri stopped her hands and came closer with a smile.
“What’s up, Shinobu-kun? Could it be, you were interested in me?”
“Haha, as if.”
I shook my hand and denied with a smile, when Hijiri dropped her shoulders dejected.
“…You say hurtful things so easily.”
“Don’t mind it. It’s my way of showing affection.”
“I, I see. Makes me kind of happy…”
…Eh? What was this reaction? I was joking, okay?
Not minding my surprise, Hijiri showed a smile and said.
“Shinobu-kun, I’ll work hard and win…and properly seduce you tonight. So, that is, look forward to it.”
“—That aside, why the maid clothes?”
I once again ignored the seduction comment, when Hijiri leaked a sad “You brushed it away again!”, then explained properly.
“I borrowed them from Kaoru-san. I thought it would be appropriate to wear while cleaning…”
“Hee, is that so.”
I made an agreeable response and once more looked at Hijiri.
…Mh, it suited her well. Really cute.
A black long skirt and a snow-white apron. Even wearing a maid hairbow, she was really charming.
When I stared at her, Hijiri fidgeted bashful and after a short hesitation, she changed her tone and asked expectant.
“H- How does it look, Master? Is it weird?”
“….Hijiri. How did you call me just now?”
“I called you Master.”
“…Once more, please.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Once more please.”
“Master.”
Hijiri said with a grin, which incredible raised my tension.
“I kind of, want someone like that at home.”
“R- Really? If you wish it, I’ll clean your house in this outfit too.”
I got the feeling that it would make me really happy. Just by imagining it made me form a smile.
But, when I thought about it, there was no need for it.
“Hijiri, I appreciate the thought, but we have Luna already, so it’s alright.”

“I lost to Luna-san!?”
“No, no. It’s not about losing or winning. It’s just that Luna neatly keeps the house clean, so there is no need for you to come to clean.”
I made a hasty follow up to the shocked Hijiri, when she brought her face closer and said.
“Then I’ll clean your room.”
“No thanks.”
When I replied instantly, Hijiri frowned sadly.
“Why? Even if I should find a perverted book in your room, well, I won’t throw it away, you know?”
“That’s not the problem. Besides, I keep my room clean. It doesn’t need cleaning.”
“…I see. Too bad.”
Hijiri lightly dropped her shoulders.
“…Mh, I feel bad for turning everything down, so I’ll clean your room instead.”
“Y- You can’t! I’ll pass on that!”
Hijiri rejected my suggestion with a red face.
There I rested a hand on Hijiri’s shoulder and said gently.
“It’s okay, Hijiri. Even if I should find a perverted book in your room, I won’t steal it like Asada.”
“That’s not the problem! I can’t show these books to you!”
“…By these books, you mean you also have perverted books?”
I asked surprised, when Hijiri turned red up to her ears and hastily shook both her hands.
“No! Kaoru-san lent these to me with saying ‘Please study the male heart with it’. They aren’t mine! And I wanted to give them back right away!”
“But, since you’re so perverted, you couldn’t hand it over so easily?”
“No! There just wasn’t the right timing to return them!”
Not only turned her face bright red, but even tears dwelled up in her eyes as Hijiri denied desperately.
As might be expected, I teased her a bit too much.
I slowly reached out my hand for Hijiri’s head.
“Hijiri, it was a joke, so you don’t need to get that flustered.”
While saying so, I lightly patted Hijiri’s head. Then I turned my back to her.
“Now then, I should be going as I’m only interrupted your cleaning. Give it your all.”
“Ah, yeah. I will…”
Hearing Hijiri’s reply from behind, I left the living room and trotted around the house, when this time I met Machina.
In opposition to Hijiri, Machina was clad in dark blue maid clothes and mopped the hallway with all her might.
Also, Machina’s maid clothes were the one she wore at the cooking contest before and was boldly open around the chest.
Because of that, I could deeply look into Machina’s cleavage as she was bending forward in her mopping. Her voluminous breasts were bouncing in her maid clothes.
—Before I noticed it, I stared at the lewdly rampaging white peaches. I could have stood there watching it forever, but that would have certainly been rude. Coming back to my senses, I hastily averted my eyes from Machina’s breasts.
At that moment, I made eye-contact with Machina.
Upon that, Machina stood up and came over with a faint smile. Then she puffed up her voluminous chest and said confident.
“How’s it? All clean, right?”
Machina made a face that she wanted to be praised.
I smiled and reached out my hand for Machina’s head.
“Well done. Good girl.”
“Ehehe—Wait, don’t treat me like a good!”
Machina said angrily, but she didn’t shake off my hand and let it pat her. What was kind of cute.
“Your hair is so silky—There! Twintails!”
“G- Geez, don’t play with my hair…”
Since Machina said so, I now poked her cheek.
“Ohh. Your hair is silky and your cheeks are soft.”
“H- Hey, stop with the cheeks too.”
“…The cheeks are no good either, huh. No other choice then. I’ll make do with your breasts.”
“Yes, please use my breasts. I’m sensitive there, so be gentl—wait, what are you saying, Shinobu! My breasts are off-limits!”
Covering her breasts with both her arms, Machina hastily got away from me.
Just like Hijiri, I teased her a bit too much. Machina’s face was bright red and she looked down.
I wanted to apologize right away, but Machina said quietly while still looking down.
“…Uh- Uhm, Shinobu, I was just surprised because it was so sudden, but if you insist, I wouldn’t mind making an exception and let you touch them.”
For real? What brought about this change of heart? Why was Machina so kind?
“…Could this be a trap!?”
“Fufu, guess you saw through it—wait, no! It’s not really a trap, so if you want to touch them, go ahead…”
“Can I?”
“Yes. But in exchange, be really kind to me afterwards, okay? I want you to pat my head a lot like Nazuna, and…”
Listening to Machina made me realize that she was quite the spoiled girl. But,
“…Seems too much trouble, so I’ll pass.”
I showed a fresh smile and replied.
Instantly, Machina became teary-eyed and strongly stretched both my cheek.
“…Ehm, my cheeks hurt like hell.”
“Like I care, stupid Shinobu! Besides, what you mean too much trouble! It wouldn’t kill you to be a bit nicer to me!”
“If you want me to treat you nicely, you have to do the same for me. For starters, let go already. Let‘s go with a peaceful approach. …By the way, that was a playful gag on ‘let go’ and ‘let‘s go‘.“

“What are you making a triumphant face for! Just to tell you, that joke was lame!”
“Don’t say that! It’ll only hurt me!”
I rubbed my index finger into Machina’s cheek as a counterattack— when I suddenly heard an affected “Kyaa”, which directly followed a loud noise.
…I got a bad feeling.
I timidly turned around, when my gaze fell on Kaorun collapsed on the floor with the stainless steel bucket toppled at her feet.
Needless to say, the content of the bucket spilled out and floated the hallway.
Seeing that, Machina glared at Kaorun and shouted.
“What are you doing! I finally got it all clean. Now it’s ruined!”
“…My apologies. My foot was caught in the bucket and I tripped. I will wipe it right away.”
While apologizing, Kaorun took out a pocket tissue and spread it over the floor.
“Hey! Use the rag for it! You’re only making it worse!”
When Machina shouted discontent, Kaorun smiled boldly and replied.
“…Have you forgotten? This is a game, Machina. Obstructing each other is only natural. You are at fault for letting your guard down.”
“Damn! I certainly let down my guar—wait, that’s cowardly! Besides, why are you, who isn’t participating in the game, interfering?”
“Please do not mind such trivial matters, Machina.”
“It’s not trivial at all! Actually, Machina!? What are you casually calling my name for now! Add the ‘sama’ like you do with everyone else!”
When Machina demanded so, Kaorun shrugged her shoulders wearily.
“Demanding for others to call you with ‘sama’, who do you think you are?”
“U, Uhh…”
As she didn’t have anything to say back, Machina bit onto her lips frustrated and pulled on my sleeve for help.
There I petted Machina’s head in comfort.
“Machina, don’t let Kaorun’s words get to you. I’ll help you clean up, so let’s hurry up.”
When I said so, Kaorun frowned for some reason.
“….Nanjou-sama, you are taking Machina-sama’s side?”
Before I could answer that question, Machina puffed her chest and replied.
“Of course! After all he said that he would protect me! I take a bigger place in Shinobu’s heart than you ever will! I’m different from you!”
The moment Machina said that somewhat confident— Kaorun warped her expression sadly.
However, it was only momentarily and soon enough Kaorun returned to her usual inexpressiveness.
Still, both her hands were strongly clenched.
“…Certainly, I am different from you. I do not behave spoiled as you do.”
“What you mean spoiled? I’m not really behaving spoiled.”
“You are not aware of it yourself? I knew it, spoiled people think different.”
Upon Kaorun’s sharp gaze, Machina was overwhelmed and averted her eyes.
“I don’t really get it, but is it bad to behave spoiled? I’m sure even you act spoiled towards someone.”
“…It is not allowed for me to act spoiled. Because I am… a tool.”
“A tool? What are you saying? You’re a normal human.”
“I am not.”
Kaorun slowly shook her head.
“I am a hybrid devil born between a human and a devil. I am not human.”
Upon these words, Machina widened her eyes in surprise…Bewildered she opened her mouth.
“…Still, you have parents, right? At least with you parents, you act—”
“I was abandoned by said parents.”
Cutting into Machina’s sentence, Kaorun continued lonely.
“How can I act spoiled towards parents that abandoned me?”
Neither Machina or I could answer that question.
We merely dropped our gaze and just kept our mouths shut in silence.
Then Kaorun suddenly lowered her head.
“My apologies for speaking of such weird matters. Everything just now was a lie. Please forget about it.”
Saying that, Kaorun turned her back to us.
“Hey, Kaorun.”
“…I will return to prepare dinner. Forgive me for interrupting your cleaning.”
Even when I called out to her, Kaorun didn’t turn around and left.
Left behind, Machina and I couldn’t call Kaorun to a halt and just stood there for a while.
Amongst that, Machina said isolate.
“…That maid might resemble my sister a bit.”
“Kaorun resembles Luna?”
Finding it unexpected, I asked back, when Machina nodded small.
“You know, until Sister came here— the human world, she never acted spoiled towards anyone. She was always kind and strong, so I didn’t noticed it. But when I saw her coming to the human world from the demon realm and talk with you…I noticed it.”
For a moment Machina stopped her words and faced me.
“That she actually wanted to act spoiled to someone.”
While saying so, Machina lightly dropped her shoulders.
“Despite that, I always let myself be spoiled by her. Because I was made fun of by everyone in the demon realm as a hybrid devil, I relied on my kind older sister. Actually, I should have noticed it faster.”
Saying with a sigh, Machina shifted her gaze towards the floor.
“…Shinobu, that maid might want to act spoiled, but can’t, just like my sister. So pay some attention to her.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Nodding, I reached out my hand for Machina’s head.
“H- Hey, why are you suddenly petting my head?”
“Well, I was just thinking how kind you are.”
“D- Don’t tease me, idiot. You’re interfering with my cleaning, so go away!”
I had no intention to tease her, but I was chased away by the blushing Machina.
There I returned to the living room while pondering.
About the reason why Kaorun didn’t act spoiled in front of Hijiri.
Even though there was no way that Hijiri thought of Kaorun as a tool.
…I didn’t understand Kaorun’s feelings.

* * *

Conclusive, Hijiri won the cleaning battle.
Afterwards Machina tried her hardest, but fought in vain.
The favourite to win, Luna also apparently found some hidden perverted book of my grandfather and was troubled about it’s disposal, which allowed Hijiri to take the lead.
As a result, Hijiri took victory.
In other words, tonight I was going to sleep in the same room as Hijiri.
Luna and Machina had dropped their shoulders while Hijiri smiled for a while.
Still, Hijiri had claimed “I’ll work hard and win…and properly seduce you tonight. “, but what exactly was she going to do?
I was a bit excited— I mean, worried while I sat down for dinner.
For dinner there was a wide array of side-dishes as hamburger steak, fried stuff, fried potato and salad. It was a feast.
So Kaorun could cook stuff this delicious.
When I was astonished, Elni naturally snatched a fried stuff from my plate.
“…Hey, why are you eating from my plate?”
“Because I’m a Goddess.”
“Ah, I see. You’re righ—-as if! What are you doing, you idiot!”
First of all, I flicked Elni’s forehead and tried to snatch a side-dish of hers as payback. However, but Elni already had eaten all of hers and only left the vegetables.
There I made a small sigh, when Luna said with a wry smile.
“Elni-chan, I’ll give you some of my side-dishes.”
“Really?”
Luna nodded to Elni, who had sparkles in her eyes, with a smile and continued with a “but”.
“Only after you have eaten all of your tomatoes.”
“Tomatoes, red, hate.”
For some reason Elni spoke in fragments.
“Ehm, you probably have to eat them.”
“…Are you sure? If you make me eat tomatoes, it’ll turn into something unbelievable. When I eat tomatoes, incredible things like just now, where I couldn’t speak properly, happen. Therefore—”
“Here, Ah~”
Not letting Elni finish her sentence, I grabbed the tomato with my chopstick and held it out to her, when
“Yay~ Ah~”
Elni ate the tomato with a smile.
But soon enough she turned teary.
“Uwah! What a terrible taste~! That’s why I hate tomatoes!”
She said angrily.
“…You’re an idiot.”
“Fufu, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Elni replied to the weary me with her chest lightly puffed up.
“How brass can you get? Actually, You aren’t a kid, so properly eat your tomatoes.”
When I told her advising, Elni looked at my vegetables and opened her mouth dissatisfied.
“But, you’re leaving behind your carrots too, Shinobu.”
“It’s okay for me. Because Machina will eat them for me.”
“Eh? Me? Well, I don’t mind…”
I brought up the matter as a joke, but Machina surprisingly went along with it. Colouring her cheeks faintly red, she opened her mouth.
“…Ehm, what are you doing?”
Considering it strange, I asked her, when Machina brought her face closer with her cheeks still red.
“Y- You didn the ‘Ah~’ with Elni, so do so for me too.”
“Well, I don’t really mind…”
While saying so, I grabbed the carrots with my chopstick and held them out to Machina. But before Machina could eat the carrots, Kaorun suddenly leaned over and ate them.
“…Hey, why are you eating them?”
“Because there were carrots.”
Kaorun answered the frowning Machina with a triumphant face.
Upon that, Elni and Nazuna said admiring.
“I see. You say some profound things, Kaorun.”
“That was a bit cool.”
“Why! It wasn’t profound, nor cool!”
“How rude. I was only thinking of Nanjou-sama’s health and wanted to express that it is not healthy to be picky with food.”
“Then just say so! Besides, there’s no point in you eating the carrots!”
“You do have a point there. Then I will present Nanjou-sama my own carrots instead. Nanjou-sama, Ah~”
“Carrots, orange, hate.”
I mimicked Elni and rejected with broken speech.
Upon that, Kaorun shrugged her shoulders wearily.
“Then I have no other choice, but to make it easier for Nanjou-sama by feeding him mouth-to-mouth.”
“That only makes it harder!”
I retorted wearily, when Elni clapped her hands.
“When it comes to making it easier for Shinobu, Luna should feed him by pinching the carrots between her breasts.”
No, that was rather hard too. To begin with, Luna wouldn’t agree to something like that.
So I thought, but Luna blushed and unbuttoned two buttons around her chest. Like Elni had said, she pinched the carrots between her breasts. Then she held out her voluminous breasts to me.
“Uhm, Shinobu-san… go ahead.”
Even if she said so, since the carrots were buried in her deep cleavage, I had no clue how to eat them.
What to do…
When I was greatly perplexed in my mind, Kaorun helpingly extended her chopsticks towards Luna’s breasts.
“Nanjou-sama seems to be troubled, so I will take it upon myself to eat these carrots.”
Along with her words, Kaorun plunged her chopsticks between Luna’s breasts.
“Hyan! K- Kaoru-san, that is not the right one! Please do not grab any weird places!”
“…Weird place? Where would that be?”
She sexual harassed Luna with all her might.
“Yah…. Nah… Kaoru-san, please stop it…”
“Yeah! What are you doing to Sister!”
“Sexual harassment.”
How could Kaorun say that so openly.
I respected her a bit, when Hijiri jerkily pulled on my sleeve.
“Shinobu-kun, if you want, I can eat your carrots.”
I was grateful for her suggestion, but
“Brother, you can’t be picky.”
I was warned by Nazuna, so I turned down Hijiri…

…After dinner, we cleaned up with everyone and then returned to the living room, where we started to chit-chat. Then we took turns for a bath and Nazuna looked extremely sleepy after she came out of the bath. While listening to everyone’s talk, she nodded off, then suddenly opened her eyes only to nod off again. It would be better if she went to bed already, but she probably wanted to stay with everyone, so she rubbed her eyes numerous times and fought against the sleepiness.
But she seemed to lose the fight.
After a while, Nazuna’s eyes closed and she emitted sleeping sounds.
There I lightly shook Nazuna’s shoulders and called out to her.
“Nazuna, if you’re sleeping, sleep in your bed.”
“Or alternatively you sleep in the Goddess’ arms.”
“…Yeah, thanks, El-chan.”
Taking Elni’s words seriously, Nazuna clung onto the self-proclaimed Goddess with sleepy eyes. Then she peacefully fell asleep in Elni’s arms like that.
“…Elni, carry Nazuna to her bed like that.”
“I can’t do that. That surpasses the strength of the Goddess.”
Elni said a line like Sh*nron and tried hard to life up Nazuna, but sadly failed to. Buried under Nazuna, she pedalled her arms and legs.
“Not a human chair, but a Goddess chair! No, a Goddess bed! At this rate the god-slayer Nazucat wiiiill….!”
Shouting that, Elni looked at me for help.
I had no other choice but to pull away Nazuna from Elni.
Upon that Nazuna leaked a “meow, meow” as a protest in her sleep, but I ignored it and carried her to her room. There I lay her onto the bed and petted her head.
“Sweet dreams.”
“Yeah~ Dreams you have when you’re awake~ Wake up and dream~.”
My cool words were answered by Nazuna’s weird sleep talking.
What kind of dream was she having….
For a while I watched Nazuna’s sleeping face with a wry smile, then I decided to go back to the living room.
However, midway I suddenly heard a scream from the living room.
“…What?”
Curiously, I swiftly headed to the living room, when
“S- Someone, help! Sister is weird!”
“I am not weird. It is your fault for being so cute, Machina.”
My gaze fell on Luna, who pushed down Machina with a sweet voice. I was at a loss for words at this totally unexpected situation, when Luna rubbed her cheek against Machina’s and then placed a kiss on both of her cheeks and forehead. Followed by a storm of kisses on both ears, the neck and collarbone.
…What was up with Luna?
She clearly was behaving strange. I approached Hijiri and Elni as to ask them about the matter of things.
For some reason, Kaorun lay face down on the table, sleeping. But for now I left her alone and called out to the other two.
“Hey, what happened here?”
“…Ehm, when we were at the department store, Tomoe-san made us buy juice, but on a closer look, it turned out to be alcohol. I only noticed that minutes earlier.”
Saying that, Elni held out a can with a melon on it to me.
I took it and looked at it, when I read the letters “Chuuhai” on the can.
“…Basically, Luna is drunk?”
“Yeah, Luna-san and Kaoru-san drank it without realizing it was alcohol. So Kaoru-san fell asleep immediately, but Luna-san… turned into that.”
Following Hijiri’s gaze, there was Luna, still kissing Machina.
…I had heard that usually suppressed emotion surfaced when one was drunk, but Luna sure loved physical contact.
As such I had totally become an onlooker, when Hijiri went to interfere, as she couldn’t watch anymore.
“Uhm, Luna-san, don’t you think you should stop at this point?”
“Why? I am just, in love with Machina.”
Adorable frowning, Luna made a pouting face.
…Not good. That was frigging cute.
Hijiri probably thought the same as me, as she smile and leaked a “So cute”. She softly patted Luna’s head.
Upon that Luna smiled happily…and clung onto Hijiri.
Machina took that chance to stand up and get away from Luna. Seeing that, Elni also followed Machina’s example and took her distance to Luna.
On the other hand, Hijiri, clung to by Luna, smiled in utter bliss, but when Luna started to kiss her on the cheeks like with Machina, Hijri hastily bended backwards.
“L- Luna-san, you can’t. Please stop.”
“…You are cute too, Gogyou-san.”
“She’s not listening!? —wait, Hyan… Mm… Not there…Yah…”
When Luna sucked on Hijiri’s ear with her pink lips,
“Hah, Afuh, Hah, Hah….Mm….!”
Hijiri’s body trembled in shivers and watered her eyes. Then she relaxed and entrusted her body to Luna. Upon that Luna smiled playful, got behind Hijiri and continued to suck on her ear. Furthermore, she got a firm hold on Hijiri’s breasts from behind.
“Mm… No… Not my breasts…”
Hijiri said begging, but Luna showed a bewitching smile that send a shiver down your spine and answered.
“Ufufu. I will not stop. Please feel all good.”
Along with her words, Luna strongly fondled the big breasts.
“Ahhn…Afuh…Not so… strong…”
“Why not? It feels better like this, right?”
“That’s not…Hahn… true… Nhaahn….!”
“Gogyou-san, you do not need to hold back. Actually, you are already about to—-, are you not?”
Luna whispered something into Hijiri’s ear quietly.
Upon these words, Hijiri turned bright red up to her ears in shame and shouted with tears in her eyes.
“N- No more! Help me, Shinobu-kun!”
I was a bit surprised at the sudden call for help…I clenched my fists and bit my lips.
“Damn! Can I only stand here and watch?”
“D- Don’t abandon me, Shinobu-kun! Actually, I’m done for! It’s so embarrassing!”
Hijiri leaked a surprisingly cornered voice, so I stopped playing around and called out softly to Luna.
“Luna, Hijiri seems against it, so could you let her go already?”
“Do not want to. I am not letting go.”
“….Nothing I can do then.”
Being turned down by Luna with a smile, I readily stepped back.
Instantly, Hijiri said with a face close to tears.
“Sh- Shinobu-kun, do you not care what happens to me…?”
“No, of course not! It was a joke! I apologize, so don’t make such a face!”
Seemed my playing around went a bit too far.
Hijiri really looked like she was going to cry, so I hastily went to stop Luna.
I quickly got behind Luna and snatched her away from Hijiri with a cat grip. After that I gently petted Hijiri’s head as an apology.
There Luna watched over Hijiri and me, then angrily raised her voice.
“Shinobu-san! We have to talk!”
“Y- Yes! What do you want?”
Inadvertently I asked with formal speech, when Luna sat down on the spot and lightly clapped onto her thighs.
“Shinobu-san, please sit down here!”
“…Eh? Why your thighs? Isn’t it usually a formal sitting for a lecture?”
“Just sit down here, please!”
Luna said pouting.
That was kind of cute, but sitting down on her thighs was rather embarrassing, so I sat down on a cushion.
As a result, Luna scowled lightly.
“Geez! You are so mean, Shinobu-san!”
“…S- Sorry.”
I had no clue what she was angry for, but for now I bowed my head.
Upon that, Luna asked angrily while patting my head.
“Shinobu-san! Do you understand why I did such things to Machina and Gogyou-san!?”
“…Ehm, isn’t it because you’re drunk?”
“Not at all!”
Luna continued while tousling my head.
“Because you are not paying attention to me! Please play with me more!”
Saying that, Luna playful clung onto me.
In that moment, soft melon-like boobs pressed onto my body.
But I had no time to become intoxicated by the flexibility of her huge breasts.
“Mm… *kiss*…”
Luna kissed my ear and furthermore used her tongue to lick my ear.
Her hot breath tickled the inside of my ear while her warm tongue and gentle licking tortured me in various meanings.
“H- Hey, stop it.”
“Ehh. What is the problem? I, love ears. I always wanted to touch your ears, Shinobu-san.”
“I, I’ll let you touch them next time all you want, so stop licking.”
“…*nom*”
“No, that doesn’t mean that you can bite on it!”
To be honest, the play-biting with my ear pinched between her soft lips made my spine shiver in pleasure. However, things would go bad at this rate. I hastily stopped Luna, but
“There, there.”
Luna didn’t give up and this time gently pulled on my earlap.
“…Uhm, pulling too is kinda…”
“Mh, then what am I supposed to do?”
“Please leave me alone.”
“…You are so cold, Shinobu-san.”
“Th- That’s not really true. Certainly, I’m cool, but inside I’m hot, is what Nazuna said.”
“Then please also drink, Shinobu-san.”
Luna held out the Chuuhai can with a jerk.
There I blushed and played around to fool her.
“Oh my, what are you going to do by getting me drunk?”
“I am going to kiss you a lot.”
“For real!? That simplifies things. Cheers—wait, I can’t! I’m still a minor!”
Unconsciously I reached out my hand for the can, but soon enough I pulled it back.
Upon that, Luna puffed her cheeks with a “Muh~”, then suddenly put the can back on the table and grinned.
…What was with this devilish smile?
I became a bit worried, when Luna put her right hand around my neck. Following, Luna grabbed the can on the table with her left hand and drunk it. Then she brought her face closer to mine.
“…Eh? You couldn’t be—Mmg!?”
Without time to stop her, Luna covered my lips.
Her soft lips overlapped with mine and the juice flowed into my mouth just like that.
—At that moment, my thoughts came to a complete stop.
My cheeks became burning hot. My head was dizzy and my body felt fluffy. Nevertheless, I felt an indescribable euphoria in my chest.
…Don’t tell me, I got drunk on the juice?
I suspended my thoughts and was in a daze for a short moment.
“Meow, meow.”
Luna said what Nazuna would say and licked my whole lips like a cat would do.
“Your lips are so soft, Shinobu-san.”
The tip of her tongue pecked at my lips.
…This wasn’t good. I had to do something before my reasoning gave in…!
“H- Hey, someone stop Luna! Otherwise this will be bad in various ways!”
I immediately sought help from everyone.
However, no one responded to my shout.
When I shifted my gaze to everyone, Hijiri, Machina, Elni, all of them had retreated to a corner of the living room and showed no signs to move from there. The at these times reliable perverted maid Kaorun also was sleeping face-down on the table.
My only option was to escape.
So I thought, but Luna looped both her arms around my neck and sealed my movements. After that Luna did nothing, but stare at me intensively.
Her beautiful features. Her clear emerald green eyes that sucked you in. Her glamorous well-shaped pink lips. These were all so close that my heartbeat raised.
Amidst that, Luna brought her face even closer and said with a sweet voice.
“You are so handsome, Shinobu-san….”
“I know!”
Despite the situation, I cracked a joke, but Luna didn’t seem to have heard it and continued to stare at me.
“You are cute, kind and told me, a devil, to stay by your side. So I…”
Stopping her words for a moment, a smile bloomed on Luna’s face.
“I love you very much, Shinobu-san.”
Along with her words, she stole my lips once more.
My lips were covered by her soft lips and she slowly shoved her tongue into my mouth. Luna’s hot tongue entwined with mine and her hot breath shook my heart.
While my reasoning crumbled away, Luna pushed in her tongue even further and opened my mouth wide with her hot tongue. There her tongue ran rampage in my mouth.
That action was too stimulation as to put into words. When her tongue licked the gingival, a shiver ran down my spine.
And after Luna finished her intense kiss, she slowly got away from me.
In that moment, a thread of saliva was drawn and dripped down on Luna’s breasts.
Luna’s cheeks were flushed and her eyes wet. She once again clung to me spoiled. Her hug now was stronger than before and throughout wrested my reasoning.

When my neck was kissed afterwards, I lost my senses and grabbed Luna at both her shoulders.
There was no longer a shred of reasoning within me. With the intent to go for everything, my eyes faced Luna’s lips—when at that time.
“Hmm….”
Suddenly, Luna drooped her head, like with a doll whose switch had been turned off, and inclining her body, she fell into my arms just like that.
Then she shut her eyes and peacefully fell asleep.
There I regained my senses and was gravely ashamed of myself.
To lay my hands on a drunk girl, just what was I thinking….!
I was sure everyone else was struck dumb too— No, they even might look at me with scornful eyes.
Filled with worries, I timidly turned around, when the living room was empty, except for the still on the table sleeping Kaorun.
…Could it be, they ran away and left me behind?
When I realized such, I made a sigh of relief.
Though I ultimately might have been saved by that, I had a somehow complicated feeling.
…Well, for now I should carry Luna to her room.
With that thought, I held Luna and leaving the living room, I walked down the hallway, when I saw Hijiri, Elni and Machina sneakily talking in front of the stairs.
“..Ehm, was it really okay to leave Shinobu-kun behind?”
“I’m certainly a bit worried. Machina, go check upon Shinobu.”
“Yes, okay—wait, why me! You go, Elni!”
“…I’m kinda scared, so no. You won’t know what Luna will do to you in her current state when she catches you.”
On a rare occasion Elni behaved timid while Machina said to her wearily.
“You always call yourself a Goddess, but at the crucial time you’re of no use.”
“C- Calling me useless is rude! As a Goddess I can’t silent after you say all that. State your request, Machina! Whatever request it’ll be, I’ll at least listen to it!”
“There’s no point if you only listen to it! Hurry up and go check on Shinobu!”
“…Ehm, why don’t we go together?”
Elni, the coward.
I made a wry smile and called out to the three of them while approaching.
“Hey, I just brought the Luna in question.”
Instantly, all three trembled their shoulders in a shiver and ran away all at once.
However, while running down the hallway in panic, Elni, who was the rearguard, stumbled and was about to fall.
There Elni clingingly reached out her hand for Machina, who was running in front of her, as not to fall.
But her hand mistook her target and grabbed Machina’s skirt. While pulling down the skirt, Elni fell down.
In that moment, Machina’s soft bottom clad in white panties showed up
“Kyaa!”
and Machina, her legs caught in her pulled down skirt, was also about to fall down, when she reached out her hand towards the vanguard running Hijiri.
However, just like Elni’s hand, it grabbed the skirt and while pulling down Hijiri’s skirt, Machina fell down.
As a result, Hijiri’s legs were also caught in the skirt and with her pink panties exposed, Hijiri fell down.
…By the way, the skirt of the first fallen victim Elni was flipped up and gave view to light blue panties.
“…Impressive teamwork.”
I mumbled while looking down on the three, then I left the place with the words “I’ll also carry Kaorun to her room after this, so you guys stop playing around and go to sleep too”.
Right after, I heard Machina and Elni quarrelling while Hijiri tried to calm them, but I paid it no mind and carried Luna to her room.
Then I returned to the living room and approached the even now sleeping Kaorun.
“Uhn~ Nanjou-sama….No tentacles…”
Kaorun made some weird sleep-talking.
“…Nanjou-sama…. Both the Miss and Miss Cow-woman dislike it… Please stop the tentacle play already…”
“What kind of dream are you having.”
I retorted lightly, when Kaorun suddenly opened her eyes. Then she faced me, touched over both arms while half-asleep and then tilted her heads.
“Nanjou-sama, what happened to your tentacles?”
“There’s no way I have such things.”
When I replied wearily, Kaorun mumbled “…It was a dream, huh” somewhat regretful.
“…Just for reference, what kind of dream were you having?”
“I had a dream where you had tentacles, Nanjou-sama.”
“What a messed up dream. Why tentacles of all things? Did I get cursed?”
“No, there was no such thing, Nanjou-sama. Just like in Kafka’s ‘Metamorphosis’, where the protagonist one day wakes up as a bug, you also woke up one day with tentacles, Nanjou-sama.”
“Quite the crazy setting.”
“Crazy, you say?”
For some reason, Kaorun made a surprised expression.
“In my dream, you were quite pleased about having tentacles, Nanjou-sama. With a loud voice, you shouted ‘I’ll become the tentacle king!’ and attacked the Miss and Miss Cow-woman.”
“That’s not me.”
“What are you speaking of? Ignoring my pleads to stop, you tied your tentacles around the Miss and Miss Cow-woman’s voluminous breasts and firm thighs. And at the very end, you shoved the tentacles into their mouths, you know? Then you watched over the blushing two and fell into a hazy laughter.”
“That was a nightmare.”
“You do not have to force yourself, Nanjou-sama. Truth be told, you were imagining my dream and getting excited, were you not?”
“Don’t be stupid. C’mon, get back to your room and sleep already.”
“Do not want to. I will sleep right here, so please do not mind me.”
Saying that, Kaorun once again rested her cheek on the table.
“Hey, don’t sleep here. Your exhaustion won’t get away if you don’t sleep in your bed.”
“I am not exhausted, so I am fine. Also, you do not need to worry about me catching a cold either. Please leave me alone.”
“I can’t do that. If you don’t listen to me, I’ll forcefully get you into your bed.”
“…Forcing me into my bed, Nanjou-sama, you pervert.”
“No, I didn’t mean it like that. C’mon, don’t say weird stuff and get to your room.”
Saying so, I pulled onto Kaorun’s arm, but Kaorun resisted by clinging to the table.
“…Why are you so against it?”
I asked doubtful, when Kaorun answered with a quiet voice.
“Because I ended up in the same room as Machina-sama.”
Ah, right. Because Machina had scored the lowest in the cleaning battle, she had to sleep in the same room as Kaorun as a penalty.
Kaorun was against that?
When I pondered about that, Kaorun said while looking down.
“I will end up saying mean things again, when I share a room with Machina-sama. Therefore, I will stay here.”
“So you say, but Machina is kind, so she’ll be worried and come for you.”
“…Are you sure? I always say mean things to Machina-sama. Worrying about me despite that would be strange.”
“That’s not true. Even during the cleaning Machina was concerned about you. Why don’t you use this opportunity to get friendlier?”
I advised so, but Kaorun showed hesitation.
“…Kaorun, if you don’t agree quickly, I’ll carry you to your room like a princess.”
“Please just try it if you think you can do.”
“Okay, I won’t hold back.”
“…Eh? Nanjou-sama?”
She probably had thought I was joking. Like I said, I carried her like a princess, when Kaorun showed a surprised expression.
“N- Nanjou-sama, this is rather embarrassing, so please let me down.”
“Don’t worry. You’re heavier than I imagined, so I won’t hold out for long.”
The moment I said that, I received a chop on my head.
“Ow. It was just a little joke, so don’t hit me.”
“Even as a joke, it is rude to call a woman heavy.”
“Sorry, sorry. You’re not heavy, Kaorun. Around 46kg I guess?”
I asked in a casual tone, when I received another chop to my head.
“Nanjou-sama, it is bad manners to ask a woman for her weight.”
“Excuse me for that. But if you’re going to caution me about that, use words and not your fist.”
“I am at an age where I want to express myself with my body instead of words.”
“That’s yet another unpleasant age…”
I replied while shrugging my shoulders. Still carrying Kaorun, I left the living room and walked down the hallway. There Kaorun blushed and jerkily pulled on my clothes.
“Ehm, Nanjou-sama, I will properly return to my room, so I would like you to put me down already…”
“Mh? Could it be you’re bashful?”
The moment I said so teasingly, my head tasted a third chop.
“…Wait a sec. Why did I have to get hit now?”
“A reflex— I mean, it is my way of showing affection.”
“Oh, you’re a S?”
“No, I am neither a S, nor a M.”
For a moment she stopped her words, then Kaorun said with a loud voice.
“I am a H!”
“…I’m not sure how to react to that answer.”
Well, talking like that, we arrived in front of the room, so I let Kaorun down and turned my back to her.
“Okay, get along well with Machina.”
“Yes, I will try my best.”
“Good, do that. Good night.”
“A pleasant night, Nanjou-sama….with a pleasant tentacle dream.”
Leaving ridiculous words behind, Kaorun went into the room….

After parting with Kaorun, I also headed for my room and when I opened the door, there was Hijiri wearing a yukata.
For some reason, Hijiri was sitting formally on the ground and had her head lowered. Upon noticing me, she raised her head and said shyly.
“I, I might be inexperienced, but I’ll do my best to be of your service. Th- Therefore… Take good care of me.”
…Oh right, I was sharing a room with Hijiri.
I had completely forgotten about it, so I was quite disturbed.
…It might be too late for it, but wasn’t sleeping in the same room bad? Technically there were two beds, but if she seduced me like before it would be dangerous.
I had no confidence in my endurance on various fronts, so I, while feeling bad for Hijiri, passed by her and crawled into my bed.
“H- He ignored me again!”
“…You also go to sleep quickly, Hijiri.”
I replied nonchalant to Hijiri, who had raised a sad voice.
Upon that, Hijiri mumbled “….It isn’t effective at all, Kaoru-san”, then approached me and sat down on the bed. She then looked at me peering. On that occasion, Hijiri’s voluminous breasts bounced and allowed a sneak peek into her deep cleavage.
Not noticing that, Hijiri brought her face closer and said pleading.
“Shinobu-kun, would you keep me company for just a little bit?”
“…*snore, snore*”
“I was rejected!”
She leaked a crying voice and downhearted headed for her own bed. But after a while she recovered and called out to me from her bed.
“Uhm, Shinobu-kun…”
“Shinobu-kun is currently in a deep slumber. If you have any business, wait for the ‘beep’ tone and then state your three sizes.”
As to show that I had no interest in a conversation, I made a “Beep” tone, when Hijiri asked timidly.
“Ehm, you want to know my three sizes?”
…Huh? Not only didn’t she give up, but she played along?
Regardless of my surprised self, Hijiri blushed and said.
“…It’s embarrassing, but if that’s what you want, I’ll tell you. From the top, 89, 58—”
“*snore, snore! Snooo~re!”
When I interrupted her with snoring sounds, Hijiri giggled quietly.
“You’re really shy, Shinobu-kun.”
“Call it reserved.”
I replied discouraged, but Hijiri mumbled delighted.
“Your blushing face is cute…”
“Don’t fall for me.”
I replied suited, then I turned around and closed my eyes.
There Hijiri suddenly said softly.
“Thanks, Shinobu-kun.”
“…Mh? Why so suddenly?”
I turned around on the sudden gratitude, when Hijiri showed a smile with “For Kaoru-san”.
“After becoming friends with you, Kaoru-san shows a lot more expressions now. She often smiles and seems to enjoy every day. I’m happy about that. So, thank you, Shinobu-kun.”
Hijiri continued with a gentle voice.
“Please treat Kaoru-san nicely from now on too.”
“…Yeah, of course.”
I replied with a firm nod.
Upon that, Hijiri blushed lightly and said adding.
“Also, uhm… please treat me nicer too.”
“Y- Yeah, okay. Then let’s play together tomorrow.”
“Yeah, let’s. It’s a promise.”
“There is no need for promises between us.”
Hijiri reminded while I once more turned around and answered half-hearted.
“…Uhm, I’m not sure I understand that, Shinobu-kun.”
“It means to trust me.”
“I see. Okay. I trust you.”
…I had said it randomly, yet Hijiri readily put her trust in me.
Then we decided to go to sleep in preparation for tomorrow, but when Hijiri turned off the lights, I heard a noise from outside the room and Machina came plunging into the room.
“What’s up, Machina?”
“A whole lot is up!”
When I straightened up my upper body and asked, Machina came over to my bed and said with teary eyes.
“Shinobu, that maid keeps telling scary stories. I don’t want to return to that room.”
“…What’s she doing…”
I mumbled wearily, when following after Machina, Kaorun entered the room.
Kaorun made a sorry expression and bowed down deeply when she met my eyes.
“I apologize for the trouble. The conversation with Machina-sama was at a dead-end, so I just…”
“Just, my ass! I’ll sleep here, so you hurry back to your own room!”
“Machina-sama, you cannot interrupt the Miss and Nanjou-sama’s sweet time alone. I promise not to tell any more scary stories, so let us return.”
“Like I could trust your words! I’m never going back there!”
“…Uhm, all things considered, you did lost the cleaning battle, Machina-sama, so please obey my words.”
“No! Besides, I never obey anyone!”
Machina answered Kaorun, who was trying to calm things down, and faced sideways.
….Still, never obey anyone, huh.
To try it, I held out my palm towards Machina.
“Mh? What’s up, Shinobu?”
“Machina, your hand.”
“Yes.”
Machina obediently rested her hand on my palm.
“The other.”
“Yes.”
“High Five.”
“Yay~”
“Boobs Five.”
“Be gentle—wait, what are you making me do!”
Machina had presented her voluminous breasts, but then hastily covered them with both her arms. Then I shifted my gaze back to Kaorun and said.
“Kaorun, as you can see, Machina never obeys anyone. Sorry, but you have to give up.”
“Well, she only looked like an actor to me.”
“So cute, Machina-san.”
When Kaorun and Hijiri said so, Machina turned red and crawled into my bed.
…Well, normally I would chase her out, but Machina was really bad with scary stories. She probably came to me, since she was too scared to sleep alone.
As it couldn’t be helped, I should grant her the exception of sleeping together today.
So I thought, but as Machina was really scared, she strongly clung onto me once I got under the blanket.
The sensation of her soft body, her sweet fragrance and her body warmth accelerated my heartbeat.
“Ehm, Machina, it’s a bit hot like this?”
“Then lower the air conditioning. Or take off the blanket.”
Apparently for Machina there wasn’t the option of getting away from me.
However, I wouldn’t be able to sleep out of nervousness at this rate. How could I get away from Machina? Pondering like that, I suddenly felt a gaze on me.
Curiously I faced it, when I saw Hijiri lightly puffing her cheeks.
“…Shinobu-kun, you’re kinda lovestruck.”
“N- None of your concern.”
Since she hit bull’s-eye, I ended up refusing her bluntly on reflex.
Upon that, Hijiri dropped her shoulders dejected, turned her back to me and rested her cheek on her pillow.
Somehow, I felt rather guilty.
Kaorun couldn’t stand to watch it either and softly called out to Hijiri.
“Miss, please cheer up. And you can say a piece of complain to Nanjou-sama.”
“…It’s fine. I don’t want to be hated by Shinobu-kun for saying strange things.”
Not good. For a moment the impulse of wanting to embrace Hijiri and pet her head ran through my head.
Kaorun probably felt the same as me, as she got into the bed and comfortingly started to pet Hijiri’s head…Like that, she stayed on the bed.
Apparently, Kaorun intended to sleep in this room too.
Well, Hijiri wasn’t saying anything, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
Like that, I happened to sleep together with Machina while Hijiri slept with Kaorun.
But, I couldn’t sleep in this situation.
After a while after turning off the lights, Machina started making peaceful sleeping sounds, but sleepiness wasn’t coming over me at all and I counted sheep with my eyes closed.
Then I suddenly could hear quiet footsteps from the other bed.
Following, I heard the door opening.
Either Hijiri or Kaorun probably went to the toilet.
Thinking that, I counted sheep again, but even as time passed, no one returned to the room.
…Could something have happened?
I became a bit worried and slipping out of the bed, I left the room. I looked into the living room and kitchen, but there was no one there.
“Strange.”
While tilting my head, I tried my luck by turning on the outside lamp and getting out into the garden. There my gaze fell upon Kaorun. Kaorun was absent-minded staring at the starry sky and when she noticed me, she smiled faintly.
“What’s up? Can’t sleep?”
“No, I am just reflecting on my actions.”
“Reflecting? About what?”
I asked in a casual tone, whereupon Kaorun slightly dropped her shoulders and answered.
“…I tried to get along with Machina-sama, but in the end, I ended up saying something mean again. I even caused troubles for the Miss.”
Saying that with her shoulders dropped, Kaorun looked down.
“…Do you hate Machina?”
“That is not the case. I am just jealous of her.”
Slowly raising her head, Kaorun said lonely.
“I am a hybrid devil. For as long as I can remember, I lived as a tool for the exorcists. In reality, everyone except of the Gogyous treats me like a tool. I myself considered that as a given. Because I am an impure devil…”
Kaorun lightly bit onto her lips, then continued with a “However,”.
“She should be the same as me, yet… She is completely different from me.”
Saying so, Kaorun hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth.
“The Miss told me that Machina-sama is a hybrid devil like me. …Despite that, Machina-sama is different from me and blessed with that circumstance.”
“Blessed?”
Inadvertently I grimaced.
“What do you know about Machina? Machina also… has a lot of things going on, you know?”
Her beloved mother was killed by humans. Because she was a hybrid devil she received continuous hatred by humans and despise for being incomplete by devils.
However, she didn’t give in to all that.
I was attracted to that strength of hers, so I wanted to protect her.
“Don’t say blessed so easily, when you know nothing about Machina.”
“…Certainly, Machina-sama might have had her share of suffering. But—”
Stopping her words for a moment, Kaorun denied it with a quiet voice.
“Machina-sama should be loved by someone, even if only for a moment. Luna-sama or me are… different.”
“…You know about Luna?”
A thin voice leaked from my voice. Kaorun replied quietly.
“Nothing of detail. Just about her being a devil and the cross-shaped wound on her left hand. Also, by her awkward behaviour for acting spoiled in front of someone, just like mine, … I somehow understood.”
“…And what?”
On my question, Kaorun made a short pause, then answered.
“I imagine that Luna-sama was never loved by anyone. She could not act spoiled. Acting spoiled was… not allowed. Therefore, Luna-sama does not know how to act spoiled. She tries to do so with you, Nanjou-sama, but it always appears somewhat hesitant…”
Upon Kaorun’s words, I was really taken aback.
Indeed, at the beginning Luna was always reserved, even though she loved physical contact… Until I told her it was okay to act spoiled, she never acted spoiled dallying.
Actually she wanted to be spoiled, yet, despite that, she didn’t know what to do… since she never acted spoiled before….
Upon realizing that fact, my heart wavered and my chest became hot.
My eyes became watery because I noticed Luna’s feelings.
And because I didn’t know what kind of life Kaorun had been living.
“…You also couldn’t act spoiled?”
My voice trembled lightly. Kaorun answered with her voice trembling too.
“Yes. Until I met the Miss, I could not act spoiled with anyone. But…! I am a tool and the Miss is my master. Acting spoiled is… not allowed to begin with. Therefore, I was jealous of Machina-sama…!”
Showing her emotions, Kaorun shouted.
“Machina-sama can act spoiled. To Nanjou-sama, Luna-sama, Elni-sama or Nazuna-sama, to all of you she acts spoiled. She should be the same as me… yet she is completely different!”
Faint tears dwelling up in her eyes, Kaorun clenched her fists.
“Truth be told, I was frustrated when she said ‘I’m different from you’ to me during the cleaning. As a matter of fact, Machina-sama is correct. The Miss calls me her family, but…I just don’t know how… to respond to that…”
Kaorun looked down again with her shoulders lightly trembling.
I softly rested my hand on Kaorun’s head.
“..Kaoru, let me tell you one thing.”
I opened my mouth quietly.
“Devil or half-breed, that doesn’t matter. You’re not a tool. Whatever anyone else says, I deny it. You are Kaoru. My precious friend, Kaorun.”
Filled with feelings, I continued with a “So”.
“You can act spoiled with me. If you don’t know how, just tell one of your usual jokes. I’ll tag along… until you’re satisfied.”
Saying so, I petted her head, when Kaorun’s shoulders trembled even greater. She opened her mouth quietly and tried to say something, but… in the end, she closed her mouth again.
Instead, she strongly clung to me and pressed her soft and warm body against me.
Normally I would get nervous without a doubt, but strangely enough, I remained composed and continued to gently pet Kaorun’s head.
Kaorun then stayed a while in my arms. When she finally had calmed down a bit, she got away.
“…Thank you very much, Nanjou-sama.”
She lowered her head a bit with flushed cheeks.
“As an expression of gratitude, you may do something perverted to me.”
Like that, she cracked a joke.
…She really was awkward in acting spoiled.
I made a wry smile and petted her head once more.
After that, we two returned inside the house, but at that moment.
“….Mh? Machina?”
I spotted Machina hiding in the shadows of a tree in the garden.
“What are you doing there?”
“Ehm, well, that is…”
Seeing Machina hesitate to answer, I guessed the gist of it.
“You were listening in?”
“…Sorry. When I woke up, you were gone, so I came looking for you and heard voices…Since it was about me, I couldn’t help but being interested…”
When Machina replied so, it became even awkward for Kaorun and she closed her mouth, averting her eyes from Machina.
Still, after a short silence, Machina took a step forward and timidly called out to Karoun.
“Uhm, can I ask one thing?”
Machina asked Kaorun, who was a bit on guard, with a serious expression.
“Who gave you the name ‘Kaoru’?”
“…I heard that my parents did.”
Not understanding the intention behind the question, Kaorun answered bewildered.
Upon that, Machina dropped her gaze down and opened her mouth.
“In the past, my sister said that she doesn’t really like her own name. She got the name ‘Luna’, because she was abandoned by her parents on a night with a full moon. But, she said that she actually wanted a name given by her parents.”
There Machina raised her face and looked straight at Kaorun.
“Unlike my sister, you properly got your name from your parents, right? It might not be convincing coming from me, but I think your parents properly loved you…”
While saying so, her cheeks coloured red and Machina once more averted her eyes from Kaorun.
…Oh, Machina was trying to cheer up Kaorun in her own way.
Kaorun seemed to have noticed that too. She was a bit surprised, then faintly smiled.
“Thank you, Machina-sama.”
“I, I did nothing that warrants a thanks. Also, you don’t need to call me with sama.”
“…Eh? Why?
When Kaorun asked, Machina turned even redder and chewed on her words “That is, well, you see…”.
“Could it be you prefer ‘dono’ over ‘sama’?”
“How does it come to that! That’s completely wrong! I’m saying you can act spoiled towards me!”
After shouting so, Machina made a taken aback expression and hastily pressed her hand on her own mouth.
Seeing that, Kaorun smiled faintly.
“…You’re cute, Machina.”
She gently said.
Instantly, Machian turned bright red up to her ears and turned around.
“N- Now then, I’m returning to my own room now. I’ll be waiting, so let’s have a decent talk this time, Kaoru.”
Saying that, Machina swiftly left us behind.
“…Machina called me by my name for the first time.”
Saying it somewhat happily, Kaorun bowed down to me lightly, then started slowly following after Machina.
After watching over her, I also returned to my room and lay down on the bed.
Machina was back in her room, so I should be able to sleep now, but
“Uhn~ Shinobu-kun, you pervert…”
Whatever kind of dream she was having, Hijiri was emitting sleeping sounds mixed with strangely sexy breathing, so in the end I didn’t get any sleep due to the nervousness…




Chapter 03: Premonition of the End

…Somehow I felt the presence of someone.
A sweet fragrance tickled my nasal cavity and felt a pleasant weight on my right arm.
What was it? Did Nazuna sneak into my bed again?
Thinking so, I opened my eyelids, when my vision fell on shining beautiful silver hair that was shine on by the morning sun. Finely chiselled features like a French doll. Smooth cheeks, coloured in a light pink. And well-formed lips.
For some reason, I woke up next to the sleeping Elni.
Elni used my right arm as a pillow and showed an innocent sleeping face.
“…She’s so cute.”
Inadvertently I played with her cheek by poking it— It wasn’t the time for this. Hijiri was sleeping in the same room. This situation was extremely bad. I couldn’t have Hijiri misunderstand.
“Elni. Wake up, Elni. Wake up and dream~.”
I shook her shoulder with a quiet voice, when Elni opened her eyes a bit.
“…Mmh? Oh, morning already?”
“Don’t give me that ’morning already’. Why are you in my bed?”
When I retorted lightly, I suddenly saw Hijiri straighten up her upper body in the corner of my vision. Timidly straightening up and turning around, Hijiri narrowed her eyes and watched us glaringly.
“…What are you two doing?”
“Eh- Ehm, all by herself, Elni—”
“It’s not fair that only Elni is allowed to! I’ll sleep together with you too!”
“…Huh? Eh?”
Hijiri cut into my words with an angry voice, slipped out of her bed and came closer.
But as she was still half-asleep, her tread was staggering and uncertain. Furthermore, during her sleep her clothes became messed up, exposing her voluminous two breasts clad in a pink brassiere and even her firm thighs.
Hijiri approached my bed in that condition and collapsing, she placed her cheek on my thigh, where she nodded off just like that.
Her sleeping face was as cute as Elni’s and while I gazed upon her glamorous lips, I remembered the kiss I had with Hijiri during the exorcist test before.
Hijiri’s lips had been so soft…
Before I noticed it, I had brought my face closer to Hijiri’s lips, but soon enough I returned to my senses and stopped my movement.
“…That was a close call.”
Mumbling that, I first wanted to lay Hijiri onto the bed, so I took her into my arms and moved her onto the bed. Then I lay her next to Elni, who had gone back to sleep.
Upon that Elni squirmed around and sweetly clung onto Hijiri. In reaction to that, Hijiri opened her eyes a bit and still half-asleep, she mumbled “Shinobu-kun, I’m so happy…” quietly, then she embraced Elni back tightly.
…That was a somewhat erotic scene.
The girls entwined with disordered clothes. An erotic world that interweaved innocent sleeping faces and brilliant skin.
I got quite excited on their sleeping posture, so I decided to leave the room before I got funny ideas. Going down the stairs, I went out into the garden and took a deep breath. Sucking in the fresh morning air into my body calmed down my feelings. There I spotted Nazuna doing karate exercises on the middle of the garden. Her movements were refined and vigorous beautiful.
“—Like that, Nazuna trains to have her body remember the technique, so that it can execute the technique unconsciously.”
I had time, so I commented, when Nazuna noticed me. She came over with a smile and raised her hand full of energy.
“Morning, Brother~”
“Yeah, morning.”
I returned the greeting, when Nazuna said still smiling.
“Let’s practice together, Brother.”
“Sorry, but I decline. I already quit Karate. During my time in the Karate club in my first year of middle school, I came to know that Karate skills can even kill, so I became unable to practice it from the fear of that. Or to be more frank, practice is hard and a pain in the ass.”
“…Truth is, you told your seniors, who worked the first-years hard and said unreasonable things, an even more unreasonable thing of ’I can’t stand your faces!’, then run havoc and defeated all the seniors, which made them chase you out of the club, right?”
“…How do you know about that?”
“The adviser Kashiwagi-sensei told me about it. You’re amazing, Brother. So cool!”
…That bearded old geezer told Nazuna some unnecessary things.
“Nazuna, rumours always get exaggerated. Certainly I was mischievous in middle school, so I made a ruckus at the Karate, Judo and Kendo club, but I quit all of them on my own accord. I wasn’t chased out.”
I joined in hope to gain something from it, but I didn’t learn anything from middle school clubs. So I spent a lot of time at my gramps’ doujo.
“Well, that’s the reason I won’t do Karate exercises.”
“Then be my opponent.”
“Oww! My stomach and head hurt…”
It was too troublesome, so I feigned illness to fool her.
But Nazuna wouldn’t get deceived like Machina. Staring at me, she said spoiled.
“Let’s play together, Brother. If you play with me, I’ll wash your back as a thanks.”
“A man’s back doesn’t exist so that woman can wash it. It exists to tell of it’s manliness to the woman. So I decline your offer. Also, you‘re no match for me as an opponent, so I decline that too.”
“Uh~ Your words are so cool, yet so mean…”
Nazuna dropped her shoulders dejected, but soon enough she raised her head and shouted strongly.
“But! Your confidence won’t last forever, Brother! The Nazucat, who mastered the cat paw, is different from the Nazucat of before! I’m super Nazucat!”
“Oh? The gentle Nazucat awoke to super Nazucut by fierce anger—Like that? …Interesting. Try me.”
I beckoned Nazuna in a challenge with jerking my index finger.
Upon that, Nazuna closed the distance between us in mere seconds.
“Meow!”
She launched a sharp high-kick.
Moreover, it was a Brazilian kick. A high-grade skill that changed the kick’s trajectory midway.
She probably learned it from the TV or a manga… But it was still immature.
I completely saw through her due to her small preparation movement, so I warded off her kick with ease and while taking a step forward, I clipped Nazuna’s leg and lightly pushed her abdomen.
Instantly, Nazuna, who was standing on one leg, lost her balance and fell flat just like that.
Nazuna somehow managed to absorb her fall, but I looked down on her and exaggeratedly shrugged my shoulders in disappointment.
“That attack was super Nazucat? Or were you playing around? If it was a serious attack, then you know you don’t stand a chance. Do you still want to continue?”
“Grrrr!”
When I provoked her, Nazuna puffed her cheeks and shouted while pointing at me.
“Brother! I only used 80% of super Nazucat’s power! I’ll show you 100% now!”
“Hoo, that’s intriguing. Then show me your strength! Your full power! I’ll completely smash you!”
“I won’t lose, Brother! If not super Nazucat, who else will—do it!”
“…I don’t really get it, but whatever! Now try your best! To chance history, that is!”
Like that, I played with Nazuna for a while.
But after all I saw through all of Nazuna’s attacks, so she was no match for me. So when Nazuna started to breathe heavily, I loosened my stance and took a breath.
“Fuh, worked up a good sweat.”
“…You’re not sweating at all, Brother.”
Pointing that out, Nazuna seemed somewhat depressed.
“Uhh, to think I didn’t hit you even once…Why are you so strong, Brother?”
“Because otherwise I can’t protect what I have to.”
..Not good. I seriously answered her casual question.
Feeling ashamed, I scratched my cheek, when Nazuna opened her mouth remembering with “Reminds me…”.
“Brother, you learned a new skill from grandpa, right?”
“Yeah, I did…Gramps told you?”
“Yeah, he told me when I met him recently. Hey, what’s the new skill like?”
“It’s a dangerous skill. It’s arrange with a penetration type, so it harms the interior and exterior of the body at the same time. When you master it, you not only can defeat a human, but even a bear.”
I explained precisely, but Nazuna tilted her head with “Interior of the body? Exterior?”.
“I don’t get it.”
She laughed.
“…Well, you’re more of the intuition type.”
Positively said, a genius. Negatively said, a ferocious child. At school, Nazuna was outstanding in her subsidiary subjects, but the rest was average at best. I couldn’t help but worry if she properly did her summer homework, but this year Luna and Machina were around, so as a last resort we all would help her on the last day.
…If my mother were here, she might call me a “Siscon” again.
Pondering like that, I left the words “I’m going to take a shower” behind and turned my back to Nazuna. I wanted to eat something before my shower, so I walked with the kitchen as my target. There I heard the cutting sound of a kitchen knife on a chopping board.
Was it Luna?
Thinking so, I showed up in the kitchen, but there didn’t stood Luna in the kitchen, but instead Kaorun.
Kaorun noticed me and grinned on a rare occasion.
“Good morning, Darling <3.” “GYAAAA!” “…Uhm, do you not believe that a sudden scream is rather mean? I feel a bit like crying.” “Ah, my bad. I was just surprised. And my scream was meant as a little joke.” “What a lame joke.” I apologized in a casual tone, when Kaorun frowned lightly. “Sorry. I’ll do my best to make it funny next time.” “I will not forgive you. If you seek my forgiveness, please reply to my ‘darling’ with ‘honey’.” “Roger.” When I nodded, Kaorun started anew and grinned once again. “It is a nice morning, Darling.” “Honey Flash!” “This is wrong on so many levels!” I said so, since I considered it funny, but Kaorun go angry. “Good grief. Shinobu-sama, you just do not understand a maiden‘s heart.” “What’s a maiden’s heart? Does it taste good?” “It has a sweet, yet bitter Marmalade Boy taste.” First time I heard of that. “…Just for reference, how does a boy’s heart taste?” “I do not know. Shinobu-san, you are interfering with my cooking, so please go away.” “Sure, sure. I get it.” While nodding, I felt something was amiss. I stared at Kaorun. “What is the matter, Shinobu-sama?” “…Huh? Kaorun, you’re calling me by my first name for a while now.” Realizing the origin of the amiss feeling, I asked so, when Kaorun faintly blushed and answered while looking back at me. “Y- Yesterday you told me that it was okay to act spoiled. Therefore I will call you by your name from now on.” “I don’t really mind… but why so suddenly?” “…I, In the future I believe that the Miss will become Nanjou Hijiri, so I want to use this opportunity to get used to calling you by your name. The reason the Miss started to call you so surely had the same reason.” “…When you think too far ahead, the dead will laugh at you.” “At that time, I will turn the laughing dead into crying corpses.” I didn’t really understood her, but it sounded reassuring. Inadvertently I smiled, reached out for Kaorun and patted her head. However, at that moment “…Auh” Kaorun’s face turned so bright red that she might as well emit steam and she looked down. “S- Stop, Shinobu-sama…That is embarrassing. I am… not used to such treatment…” Kaorun said so with a shy and fickle voice. Damn, that was cute. I unconsciously fell into a daze and continued to pat her head. Kaorun accepted that, albeit quite embarrassed. “N- No more. That is enough…!” Quickly getting away from me, she fled with her face still bright red. …Mh, I found an unexpected weakness of Kaorun. Next time she goes overboard with her pranks, I should shut her up by patting her head. With these thoughts, I headed to the bath in a good mood and took a shower. I was flooded by the pleasant, warm water, when I suddenly heard a noise from the anteroom. And then, “Why did you go in first?” I heard Machina’s pouting voice and then the bath door opened. “I said we should go in together, Nazuna……..Eh!?” Looking over my shoulder, there stood Machina naked. My vision fell onto her well-formed, big breasts, her narrow waist and her beautiful, long legs that inadvertently shook my heart. When I turned my gaze upwards, Machina stared at me with a perplexed expression and froze up perfectly on the spot. First of all, I covered my body with both my arms “No, you pervert.” and the moment I blushed, “NOOOOOO!” Machina raised a scream and covered her body. However, I considered myself the victim, so I replied firmly. “Sc- Screaming at that, you’re so rude! Actually, what’s up with you! Hurry up and get out! Just to tell you, this is frigging embarrassing!” “Sorry! I’m so sorry, Shinobu! I didn’t see! I didn’t see anything!” “…What did you not see?” “Your---wait, nothing! Forget that! Forget it, you hear! I really didn’t see it! So…I’m sorryyyy!” Machina left the bath while saying so. ….She definitely saw. Anyone would notice when she turned bright red like that. But well, I got a sight too, so I couldn’t complain. Actually, rather than complain, I felt like expressing gratitude. Thanks, Machina. I mumbled in my heart, then I left the bath behind me… After my shower, I lazed around in the living room for a while, when the girls showed up and we all ate breakfast together. Though Luna was still missing, as she probably was still sleeping. It was a rare occurrence, so I should go wake her up… I stood up, left the living room and headed for Luna’s room. However, when I stood in front of her door, I suddenly remembered the kiss I shared with Luna last night, so my hand inadvertently stopped it’s intent to knock. ---I love you very much, Shinobu-san. Luna’s words floated in my head and my cheeks became hot. But Luna’s love was probably meant as a family. As a matter of fact, Luna kissed even Machina. Making a fool of myself for having weird expectation was too embarrassing. I took a deep breath to calm my feelings, then I knocked anew. “Luna, are you awake? It’s morning.” As such I called out to her, but there was no reply from Luna. Guess she really was still asleep? I continued to call out to her numerous times, but I still didn’t get a reply. There I declared a “I’m coming in” and opened the door. Then I shifted my gaze onto the bed. Luna seemed to be in a deep slumber, as she emitted regular sleeping sounds. But unlike the other girls, Luna’s sleeping appearance was strangely erotic. Her well-formed, glamorous pink lips, her pretty neck and collarbone line. Charmed by it, I started to get a funny feeling, so I shook my head to the sides as to get rid of it. “Luna, breakfast is ready. Wake up.” “….Mm.” While I called out to her, Luna leaked a bewitching breathing and covered her face with the blanket. “Hey, wake up.” I grabbed the blanket with a wry smile and pulled it away at once. Instantly, lots of snow-white skin expanded before my vision. ---Luna was only wearing sexy, black panties. Even face-up, Luna’s big breasts maintained a hemisphere shape and showed off it’s firm elasticity. Moreover, her small navel and soft thighs were in plain view, so I hastily pulled back the blanket over her. Then I back off to get someone else to wake up Luna, but “Owah!” in my agitation, my legs entwined and I fell down on the spot. A loud noise sounded through the quiet morning. Upon that Luna leaked another bewitching breathing and straightened up her upper body while pressing the blanket to her chest. Her eyes were seemingly sleepy and I saw that she didn’t really comprehend her own state of affairs. As a matter of fact, Luna looked around curiously and when she noticed me, she tilted her head and asked. “…Uhm, Shinobu-san, why, am I here? For some reason, my memories of yesterday are unclear…” Apparently, Luna didn’t remember anything from yesterday. Well, if she didn’t, that was fine. I hid the fact that she got drunk and attacked everyone and just gave a fuzzy smile… * * * After breakfast, the matter of playing outside popped up, so we left the house and walked down the woodland path heading to the nearby river. Because we were in the country side, the path wasn’t paved well and weeds grew wherever they wanted. Stones in all sizes were laying around everywhere and made the path bumpy. Continuing to walk down that path, we arrived at the river, which hadn’t change from the time I had been here before. It was still a playground for the locals. There were high school boys and girls, children and even families. Watching over that, we headed for a nearby plain changing room. After splitting up with everyone, I quickly changed into my swim trunks, then spread a vinyl sheet near the river together with two parasols. Just when I was going to give myself a treat with a bit of reading, there were voices behind me. “Oh my, you already set everything up?” “And here I thought about helping out…” When I turned around, there were Machina and Elni. Machina wore a black bikini with a high exposure rate. Her voluminous breasts were generously put onto display and her great figure was standing out. On the other hand, Elni wore an adorable pink bikini. Compared to Machina, her chest was moderate, but her slender body was extremely attractive. Inadvertently I was charmed by their swimsuit appearances, when Machina came a step closer and asked timidly. “…Hey, Shinobu, how’s it? Does is suit me?” “Y- Yeah, it really suits you. Looks great, but…isn’t it showing a bit too much skin?” “But Elni said boys prefer this kind of swimsuit…” …Again Elni, huh. Why were Luna and Machina taking Elni’s words for real? I was a bit astonished, when this time Elni talked to me. “Shinobu! How’s my swimsuit?” “Ohh, that’s a nice material of your swimsuit.” Since she asked how her swimsuit was, I honestly evaluated the swimsuit’s value. “Elni Punch!” Needless to say, she got angry. Because Elni pressed circling on my cheeks in a pouting state, “The swimsuit is nice, but you, Elni, are even nicer wearing it!” I leaked my real thoughts in my haste. Elni puffed her chest confidently. “W- Well, I’m a Goddess, so it’s only obvious.” So Elni claimed, but her cheeks seemingly turned a bit red. That was a bit cute. Such thought crossed my mind, when now Kaorun and Hijiri showed up. Kaorun wore a blue bikini with a pareo around her slender waist. Her white thighs peaked out lightly and dazzled my eyes while her model-like symmetric figure stole my heart. Hijiri was somewhat hiding behind Kaorun and remained there while approaching us. “…Miss, how long do you plan to hide yourself?” “B- But, now that I think about it, this swimsuit is rather embarrassing. I bought it on your recommendation, but… it’s weird after all. After I left the changing room, everyone has been staring at me…” Hijiri curled herself up even more while saying so. Seeing Hijiri like that, Kaorun made a small sigh and suddenly made a beautiful full-rotation. Pushing her onto the back, Hijiri was made to stand before me. Upon that, my vision got filled with Hijiri wearing a bold leopard-patterned bikini. That leopard-patterned bikini had the same exposure rate as Machina’s and exposed Hijiri’s wealthy body quite provocative. …No wonder everyone’s gazes were gathered on her. A black-haired cool beauty was wearing such a provocative outfit. Even I couldn’t get my eyes off--- wait, not good, not good. Considering it rude to stare, I was about to avert my eyes, but Hijiri accepted my gaze and was pressed forward by Kaorun from behind. Then she shyly lowered her waist with her voluminous breasts bouncing, leaned forward and emphasizing her breasts---she took a leopardess pose like a gravure idol. Keeping that pose, Hijiri showed some kind of hesitation, but opened her mouth while blushing. “G- Gwar~ I’ll eat you!” “In a sexual meaning <3” …Somehow, something outrageous was said just now. Now even my cheeks became hot and I averted my eyes from Hijiri. “…I knew it, you’re perverted, Hijiri.” “N- No! Certainly I said ‘I’ll eat you’, but I didn’t mean it in a weird way! It was Kaoru-san, who said the perverted stuff! It wasn’t me! C’mon, you say something too, Kaoru-san! Shinobu-kun is misunderstanding!” Hijiri desperately sought a follow up from Kaorun, but “…Miss, you are a bit naughty.” Kaorun coloured her cheeks red and averted her eyes from Hijiri. “K- Kaoru-san! Why are you saying that! Clear up the misunderstanding!” “Miss, there are also loves that start with a misunderstanding.” “…Uhm, I’m not sure what you’re getting at.” As such Kaorun and Hijiri talked, when finally Nazuna and Luna showed up. Nazuna’s small body was clad in a orange one-piece swimsuit and since there was few exposure, big brother was relieved. However, the energetic Nazuna in a swimsuit was adorable even when you took out my family patronization, so I was worried that she might get hit on. Meanwhile Luna was, she was…well, I couldn’t put it into words well. Luna wore a dazzling white bikini and compared to Machina or Hijiri, the exposure rate was low. Still, even then it strongly emphasised the existence of her huge breasts and my heart was captured by her narrow waist, her smooth, long beautiful legs and small ankles, with no way out. Furthermore, Luna had changed her usual hairstyle by tying up her glamorous blonde hair into a ponytail…..My heart wouldn’t stop racing. Thus, I forgot my words and just continued to stare at Luna. Amidst that, Nazuna pushed Luna’s back with “C’mon, Luna-oneechan” to make her stand before me. Pushed from behind, Luna blushed sexily and slowly held out something she had been holding on to me. Looking at it, it turned out to be sunblocker. “Shinobu-san, could you rub this onto me?” “Yes.” Without even the option to decline and forgetting all my shame, I nodded on a conditioned reflex. There Kaorun, who had watched over us, clapped her hands. “Then I will apply the sunblocker to Machina.” “…Eh? You sure?” “Yes, as thanks for yesterday.” Kaorun replied softly, whereupon Machina smiled happily. But soon enough she hastily looked sideways and said with a quiet voice. “Ac- Actually I wanted Shinobu to do it, but if you insist, I’ll make do with you, Kaoru.” “Yes, thank you, Machina.” Kaoun smiled faintly and slowly rubbed the cream onto Machina’s back. Watching over these two, now Elni raised her hand and said. “Okay! Then I’ll rub the sunblocker onto Hijiri!” “…Elni, I’m sorry, but I also want Shinobu to do it---wait, Uwaah! I get it! You can do it! So don’t pull on my swimsuit!” “Mh, then it’s all good. Just give me a moment, Nazucat. After Hijiri, it’ll be your turn.” “Yeah! Thanks, El-chan! In return, I’ll also rub it onto you! And since I have nothing to do while I wait, I’ll help you rubbing it into Gogyou-san!” “Y- You’re going to rub it into me too, Nazuna-chan? That makes me happy…” “Muh! A complete different reaction than to me! Damn you!” “Hyan! Don’t touch my butt!” Like that, everyone got the sunblocker applied, when Luna said “Shinobu-san, me too please.” and sprawled on the vinyl sheet while untying her bikini top. ….I was close to a nosebleed. Her plump breasts pressing on the vinyl sheet oozed out and her smooth back. Her bottom was defenceless in front of my eyes. All of that stimulated me. …I guess, she would get angry if I were to touch her bottom? But she might forgive a small feel as a joke. Such a wicked thought crossed my mind for a moment, but I shook my head to get rid of that idea. Then I carefully and gentle, like caring for a flower, touched Luna’s back. “Mm…” There Luna leaked a bewitching breathing. “Wh- What’s up? Did it hurt?” “No, I am fine. It just felt so pleasant. Please continue like that.” These words trigger more unnecessary delusions in my head, but I emptied my heart with repeated deep breath and rubbed the sunblocker onto Luna. But suddenly Luna once again raised a bewitching voice. “Nha…Yah…Sh- Shinobu-san, I will do my bottom by myself…Hyan…No…Stop… Mm!” Despite these words, with no intention to stop----not me, but Elni fondled Luna’s butt. While I had made no progress, Elni had finished applying the sunblocker to Hijiri and Nazuna and was now happily touching Luna’s bottom. “You are so bold, Shinobu-san…Even though….there are so many others around…Hahn…!” “No, it’s not me. Elni is playing a prank on you.” “Yeah! The Goddess! Your butt is so soft and feels good, Luna!” Elni told her envious impression, whereupon Luna said somewhat angrily. “Geez, you cannot do that, Elni-chan. And here I hoped----No! Ehm, I was surprised!” Luna protested like that, when Elni didn’t show any sign of guilt and whispered quietly into my ear. “…Shinobu, that’s your chance to touch her butt now. Her bikini is untied, so she can’t turn around.” “Ohh, right. Thanks, Elni.” I gave Elni my honest gratitude and lightly poked Luna’s butt. Upon that, the squishy feeling of her butt attacked my fingertip and it’s elasticity softly forced back my finger. “Wow….” Inadvertently I leaked a voice of admiration, then I suddenly came back to my senses. …J- Just what was I doing? I gave in to my desire and was readily tempted by Elni. I was the worst. “S- Sorry!” Hastily apologizing, I left the words “I’ll go cool down my head” behind and left the place behind me in my escape. …I couldn’t face Luna. She trusted me with applying the sunblocker, yet I betrayed that trust. I was ashamed of myself. So for a while I continued to reflect on my actions alone, when I made the decision to properly apologize to Luna. With heavy steps I was going to go back to the girls. However, on the way, “Big trouble, Shinobu-sama!” Kaorun came running over in a panicked state. “What’s up? You’re in such a hurry…” I was a bit surprised. Kaorun answered with a somewhat pale face. “Th- The Miss, she nearly drowned!” “What! Where is she! I’ll go immediately!” Right away I followed after Kaorun. Upon that, I could see Hijiri laying powerless near the river. …This wasn’t good. Did she swallow water? Was she breathing? What about her pulse? I ran over to Hijiri in a haste and examined her. My vision fell on her slender nose line. With her eyes closed, the long eyelashes stood out sexily---wait, no! I had to quickly check upon her condition. Is what I thought, but on a closer look, Hijiri’s cheeks were lightly flushed and her voluminous breasts were slowly going up and down. Furthermore, out of nervousness, her fists were tightly clenched. Yeah, she totally didn’t drown at all… To affirm the situation, I looked at Kaorun with half-closed eyes, when she avoided my gaze and said monotone. “What are you doing, Shinobu-sama? Please hurry and fondle the Miss’ breasts!” “..No, normally when someone drowns, you give a heart massage and CPR, you know?” “Then give the Miss a kiss--- I mean, CPR please!” …Our scheme was more than obvious. This surely was another part of the seduction plan. Once I realized that, I replied wearily and slovenly. “I leave the CPR to you, Kaorun. I’ll do the heart massage.” “I understand. Now then, Miss, prepare yourself---!” Along with her words, Kaorun readily hung over Hijiri, when “EHH!? That won’t do!” Hijiri hastily straightened up and got away from Kaorun. …As I expected, Hijiri was perfectly fine. Hijiri snuck a peek at me while saying to Kaorun protesting. “Kaoru-san, that’s not part of the plan. Why aren’t you following the plan?” “…Miss, it has been said since ancient times that to fool your enemies, you first have to fool your allies!” “Uhm, what’s the point in fooling me in this situation?” Kaorun was merely acting on her own personal desire. However, it might be possible that Kaorun promptly noticed that the plan failed and took the fall by herself before I could blame Hijiri----Or was that just overthinking on my part? Anyway, I approached Kaorun , place a light chop onto her head and said softly. “Kaorun, occasional pranks are all fine, but I was really worried this time. So don’t much such jokes again.” “…Yes. My apologies, Shinobu-sama.” “Ehh? Kaoru-san apologized honestly…?” In the corner of my vision Hijiri raised a surprised voice, but I paid it no mind and just patted Kaorun’s head. There Kaorun pleasantly narrowed her eyes even while being embarrassed. Seeing that, Hijiri raised another surprised voice. “K- Kaoru-san is strangely meek. She suddenly calls Shinobu-kun by his name and is honest with him… So strange.” While saying so, Hijiri stared at me. Or to be more accurate, she was inspecting my body somewhat happily. I became a bit embarrassed and covered my body with both my arms. “Don’t stare so much at me, you perv.” “N- No! That’s not what I was looking at your body for!” “Miss, you do not need to hide it. After all Shinobu-sama has a sturdy and firm body. He has no excessive muscles or fat, so it charms you unmeant….But on a closer look, he is covered in scars all over. Why are there so many scars? I can even see a sword wound…?” I answered Kaorun’s question with a casual tone. “Yeah, most of my wounds were inflicted on me by my father or gramps. I hardly suffered any in official matches, you know?” “…No, I find it more surprising that you got wounded by a relative…Especially the wound on your chest stands out. How did you get that one?” Upon Kaorun’s words, Hijiri dropped her shoulders dejected and answered. “…That wound was inflicted by me…” Oh right, such a thing happened. Previously, I was cut by Hijiri’s sword when I covered for Machina and the wound I suffered there remained perfectly on my chest. Personally, I didn’t care about it at all, but Hijiri seemed pretty bothered about it. For a while she dropped her shoulders and hung her head. But then she raised her head with attitude and said with a serious expression while gazing upon my scar. “Shinobu-kun…I’ll take properly responsibility for having scarred you!” That statement was sure to bring about a misunderstanding. Inadvertently I made a wry smile. “That was an accident, so you don’t really need to worry about it.” When I said you, Kaorun clapped her hands. “Then let us settle it like this: In exchange for getting scarred by the Miss, please take her first time, Shinobu-sama.” “…Farewell.” Not playing along with her joke, I walked away to find Luna. Thereupon, I spotted her quickly. Luna had sat down near the river and was having fun by putting her long legs into the pretty clear stream. Luna was watching over Elni, Nazuna and Machina playing around by splashing water on each other. There I took a deep breath in my heart and approached Luna. “Ah, welcome back, Shinobu-san.” When Luna noticed me, she gave me a soft smile. …I had touched her butt, yet she didn’t seem angry at all. However, I had to be a man and properly apologize. “Ehm, Luna, about earlier…” “Earlier? Did something happen?” “Well, yeah, you know, when I, uhm, touched your bottom…” I pathetically stuttered, whereupon Luna showed a smile while blushing. “Shinobu-san, please do not worry about that. You are a man after all, so, uhm, I believe that it cannot be helped. But, next time you want to touch it, please ask me properly, okay? Because it would surprise me when it is all of a sudden.” As always, Luna was so kind. Soothed by that kindness, I followed Luna’s example and watched over the other girls. There Elni stared into the river with a serious expression. Then she swiftly plunged her hand into the water. “Got ya~!” Elni proudly held up the big fish in her hand. She was just like a bear… While I considered it a formidable action, Elni passed the fish to Machina with a smile. “Machina! Accept my feelings! Eat it all up!” “Oh my, thanks---wait, what am I supposed to do with this! Sister, pass!” Machina rolled up the struggling fish, then threw it towards Luna. Thereupon the fish flew onto Luna’s breasts and crawled into her deep cleavage. “Hyan! Yahn, n- no. Shinobu-san, please take it out!” “Eh? Me? Well, okay…” Luna seemed troubled, so I should help her. There I quietly took a stance and took aim. “There!” I grabbed the tail of the fish. Mh, a wonderful catch, if I may say so. However, when I pulled out the fish, Luna’s swimsuit got greatly disordered and forced out the important parts. In other words, I could see her pretty pink spots.
“…I- It wasn’t on purpose!”
In an awkward silence, I said so timidly, whereupon Luna raised a small scream and tried to cover her breasts with her arms.
But in that moment, her voluminous breasts revealed her full magnificence and bounced greatly…. I petrified completely.
There Elni and Machina, who had watched over us, frowned and came over.
“What are you getting weak over. Shinobu!”
On a rare occasion Elni continued angrily.
“Let your only weakness by your Achilles heel!”
“You sure love a certain passionate tennis player.”
“Yeah! If you’re serious, you yourself will change! If you’re serious, everything will change! From now on, if you make a blunder, make a guts pose!”
Since I made a blunder, I decided on a guts pose, like Elni told me.
But soon enough Machina pulled on my cheek.
“…Uhm, it hurts, you know?”
“Shinobu you pervert.
I had nothing to say back.
I apologized to Luna, then played in the river with everyone until the sun set.

* * *

On the way back, we walked the woodland path in the evening sun, when Nazuna came talking to me.
“Hey, Brother. When I was playing at the river, the locals told me that there will be a festival at the nearby shrine tomorrow.”
“Mhm.”
“That sounds fun.”
“Really? Crowded places are just annoying.”
“That’s not true. It’s fun. There’s going to be even fireworks.”
“I don’t need flowers en masse, a single is just fine.”
I replied like that, when Nazuna clung onto my arm.
“Brother, let’s go to the festival.”
Nazuna said spoiled , whereupon Machina opened her mouth agreeing.
“Shinobu, since Nazuna wants to go, let’s go there for her sake.”
“…You claim it’s for her sake, but actually you want to go yourself, or am I wrong?”
“Well, since you already figured it out—wait, no! It’s not for me, but for Nazuna! Besides Hijiri also said she wants to go! Right, Hijiri?”
Machina turned the matter to Hijiri. She nodded with a smile.
“Yeah, I want to go to the festival. Let’s go together, Shinobu-kun.”
“Mh, I’m not sure.”
I acted up for a bit, when now Luna said with a smile.
“Shinobu-san, I want to go to the festival as well.”
“Okay, then let’s go.”
I gave Luna an instant reply.
Seeing that, Machina and Hijiri frowned for some reason.
“Hey, Shinobu! You’re favouring Sister too much!”
“Shinobu-kun, it’s not good to play favourites.”
…It was just a little joke, but why did they get so angry?
Doubtfully I calmed down Machina and Hijiri first, then we talked about going to the festival together while heading for the holiday house.
However, Kaorun didn’t join our circle.
She kept a certain distance and continued to walk behind us.
Kaorun was expressionless like always, but for some reason she appeared gravely lonely, so I fell back from the others and called out to her.
“What’s wrong?”
“…No, it is nothing.”
“Doesn’t look like it. Did something happen?”
When I asked so, Kaorun suddenly stopped and said quietly.
“Today was a fun day…So I became a bit lonesome.”
“…Lonesome, huh.”
Certainly you felt a bit lonesome when a fun day came to an end. But
“The fun stuff won’t end with today. Tomorrow we’ll have even more fun.”
with a mindset like that, the lonesome feeling would disappear.
With a bright tone, I grinned at Kaorun.
“…Indeed. It might be just as you said, Shinobu-sama.”
While saying so, Kaorun still had a lonesome expression and continued with “Therefore”.
“I need to enjoy myself if only for now.”
For some reason, Kaorun’s tone sounded discomforting.
Just like she expected these slack times to come to an end.
—And then, that expectation became reality.
Suddenly, the wind stopped and the bug’s voices disappeared.
Everyone else noticed something was amiss too. They stopped and looked at each other.
Amidst that, Hijiri showed a stiff expression and opened her mouth.
“No way, a barrier?”
“…It appears they have found me.”
Upon Hijiri’s words, Kaorun said resigned.
In that moment, a tall beautiful woman and three men with swords in their hands appeared from the trees in the area.
I didn’t know the men, but I recognized the woman. She was the observer during Hijiri’s previous exorcist test.
“…Tachibana-san.”
Facing the woman, Hijiri mumbled.
“Playtime is over. We’ll have her return at once.”
The woman—Tachibana-san approached Kaorun with a tone that didn’t allow discussion.
“…You’re going to take Kaorun with you?”
I stood covering in front of Kaorun. Tachibana-san shrugged her shoulders and sent the men a look.
“Do it—”
Before Tachibana-san could finish, I moved. I stepped in fiercely and crossed the distance, closing in to the man in the center.
Victory to the one who moves first. The man put his hand onto his sword to draw it, I chopped that hand. At the same time, I rammed my fist into his face. At once, I grabbed the man at the nape of the neck and raised him up. Then I tossed him to the left side.
For a bit, that should stop the movements of the at least two men.
Making that judgement, I turned to the other man on my right.
At that moment, I heard a sharp wind-cutting sound and something hit the man. The man was sent flying just like that.
…Was it Machina’s air bullet?
I looked at Machina, when she was holding up her right hand and sending Tachibana-san a fierce glare.
“Shinobu’s enemies are my enemies. I held back for now, but if you wish to continue, I’ll show no mercy.”
When Machina said so, Hijiri approached Tachibana-san and opened her mouth.
“Tachibana-san, I share Machina’s opinion. Please just leave.”
“…You believe this will end with just that?”
Tachibana-san continued with a hard voice.
“Even if you manage to escape our grasp, it’ll only worsen your standing as an exorcist.”
“I don’t care.”
Hijiri declared without hesitation.
“Say what you want. I won’t hand over Kaoru-san.”
“Yeah, no matter how often you come at us, we’ll chase you away like today.”
I nodded in agreement with Hijiri. Tachibana-san frowned. She opened her mouth to say something…but instead of words, she let out a deep sigh. Then she looked over us
“Could you give me some time alone with Hijiri-sama for a moment?”
and said.
Hijiri gave back a nod and faced us.
“You guys go ahead of me.”
“…Will you be fine?”
“Yeah, no problem. I can trust Tachibana-san.”
“I see…”
If Hijiri said so, it should be alright.
Abiding Hijiri, we took the worried looking Kaorun and headed back to the house.
…However, on that day, Hijiri didn’t come back.
For the time being, I got a short mail saying “I won’t be back tonight” from Hijiri on my cell phone, but even when I sent a mail to ask about the situation, I didn’t got a reply.




Chapter 04: Most desired Words

On the next day, I received a mail from Hijiri saying “You don’t need to worry about me. Please go with everyone to the festival”.
I told Kaorun about that, but she stayed depressed.
Kaorun herself was trying to act like always, but while making breakfast she cut her finger with the kitchen knife or she tripped on even grounds, thus unable to hide her agitation.
After dinner, Kaorun kept an absent-minded state with her elbow rested on the table.
“Hey, Kaorun.”
“…”
“Ehm, Kaorun?”
“…”
“Kaoru-sa~n.”
“…No reply. It’s just a corpse.”
“No, don’t call yourself a corpse.”
After retorting lightly, I said as brightly as possible.
“We’re all going to the river now. Do you want to come with us?”
“I appreciate the thought, but I still have to prepare for dinner.”
“…We just had dinner, you know? Well, though you didn’t eat much.”
While saying so, I took Kaorun’s hand.
“C’mon, let’s go together. Staying at home won’t solve anything.”
I said encouraging, but Kaorun didn’t seem to listen, as she started be absent-minded again. …This was a serious case of depression.
Unable to watch this any longer, I half-forcefully dragged Kaorun with us to the river.
But even at the river, Kaorun stayed absent-minded as ever. The change of atmosphere was in vain.
There we decided to wait until evening and invite Kaorun to the festival.
I was worried about Hijiri, but the depressed Kaorun was on my mind too.
So I hoped that the festival at least would serve as a change of atmosphere.
Taking Kaorun with us, we walked around twenty minutes from the holiday house to the shrine. Climbing up the stone stairs, we passed through the shrine archways.
On top, a large crowd was enlivening the grounds.
Watching over the grounds, I saw stands like goldfish-scooping, fried octopus balls or grilled squid lined up. The tempting smell of food hung in the air.
Seeing that, everyone had sparkles in their eyes.
“It’s my first time to a Japanese festival, but… it looks fun.”
“Indeed.”
Replying to Machina with a smile, Luna also watched over the stands in an excited state. As for Kaorun, she glanced at women wearing yukatas, then said to me with a small voice.
“Shinobu-sama, please take a closer look at the bottom of the woman in the pink yukata. I dare to say that she is not wearing any underwear.”
“…For real?”
Unmeant I followed Kaorun’s look, but
“Shinobu-sama, that was a lie.”
teased by Kaorun, I got red in the face.
But well, maybe due to the atmosphere of the festival, Kaorun seemed to have cheered up a bit, so I was relieved.
There Nazuna came closer with cotton-candy in her hand. Next to her was Elni, playing with a yo-yo balloon in her hand.
“Here, cotton-candy for you, Brother.”
“Oh, thanks. I see you got a yo-yo balloon, Elni.”
“Yeah!”
When I called out to her, Elni proudly showed off her yo-yo balloon. But because she did so too hastily, the balloon slipped out of her hand and burst upon falling onto the ground.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
Looking down on the broke balloon, Elni raised a scream.
Her expression was close to tears.
“Sh- Shinobu~”
“No, don’t come crying to me. All I can say is that it’s no use crying over spilt yo-yo balloons.”
“Oh my, you say some clever things, Shinobu-sama.”
“Not clever at all!”
On Kaorun’s words, Elni puffed her cheeks lightly and replied.
“Shinobu, I’m sad! So give me all of your cotton-candy!”
“…Are you pulling my leg??”
“I’m pulling your cotton-candy.”
“That’s not what I meant. If you want it, buy some yourself.”
Saying so, I handed her a thousand yen bill, when Elni thanked me with a smile and walked away to the stand. Soon enough she came back with grilled squid in her hand.
“I’ll give you half of my grilled squid, Shinobu!”
“Really?”
“Yeah, because it’s a calamity to eat too much calamary.”
“Oh my, Elni-sama says some clever things too.”
“…You think so?”
I wearily replied to Kaorun, who had clapped her hands, when now Nazuna came over.
“Brother, Brother. I’ll also share my fried noodles with you!”
“Oh, thank you!”
Saying my thanks once again, I took the fried noodles from Nazuna, but
“Shinobu! I’ll give you my fried octopus balls!”
“Brother! Shaved ice!”
“Shinobu! A chocolate banana!”
“Brother, a candied apple!”
Elni and Nazuna brought more and more food to me.
…I should give a fair warning here.
“Hey, don’t buy it if you can’t eat it alone. I’m still eating my cotton-candy. Don’t load it all off on me, share it with the other girls, too.”
“Meow!”
Upon my words, Nazuna saluted and handed over the candied apple to Machina.
“Then I’ll give my chocolate banana to Luna.”
Elni shoved the chocolate banana into Luna’s mouth.
“Mmg!? E- Elni-chan, such a big banana will not fit. St- Stop. Yahn…”
Luna phrased it strangely erotic. Also, Luna eating the forcefully entered banana from Elni, was even more erotic.
Like always, Luna was a natural erotic big sister.
Such thoughts crossed my mind as I tasted my cotton-candy again. There Kaorun called out to me with a wry smile.
“Shinobu-sama, you have cotton-candy stuck to your cheek.”
“…P- Purposefully! I’m appealing on my cuteness. Leave me alone.”
I replied distracting, since it was embarrassing. I hastily reached out for my cheek.
Upon that, Machina, next to me, laughed lightly and said.
“Shinobu, not that one, but the other. Should I get it off?”
“Yeah, lick it off with your tongue.”
…No, wait. Damn Kaorun was mimicking me. I should give her a proper warning for once.
I turned around with that mindset.
“Geez, you’re such a baby.”
Machina naturally placed her hand on my shoulder and licked my cheek with her tongue.
A sweet fragrance and the sensation of a warm tongue. Also the warmth from her hand on my shoulder. I looked at Machina stiffly.
“Now it’s off— wait, what are you making me do! Shinobu you pervert!”
She only noticed her own action now, suddenly turned bright red and protested.
“…Ehm, I didn’t say anything, you know? Kaorun was just imitating me. Actually, notice it before you actually do it.”
“Sh- Shut up! It was said so natural that I ended up doing it on reflex! Besides, Kaoru is at fault for saying such strange stuff!”
“Well, yeah.”
I nodded and faced Kaorun together with Machina.
But our gaze fell on a maid wearing a Gund*m mask.

Receiving our gazes, that maid simply said.
“I’m a Gund*m.”
“…Is that so.”
“Sorry to have bothered you.”
Inadvertently, I and Machina averted our eyes. However, the Gund*m aka Kaorun continued unbothered, in fact even somewhat frolic.
“Right now I’m a Gund*m, but usually I work as maid.”
“That’s quite a Gund*m.”
When I retorted, Elni raised her hand and interjected.
“Just like Kaorun usually works as maid, I work as Goddess!”
Elni declared proudly for some reason. Then Nazuna also raised her hand and followed up on that.
“And I work as little sister.”
“Then I work the house chores.”
Even Luna said so now, so I decided to play along with everyone.
“In that case, I work as a martial artist. What about you, Machina?”
“Eh? Me? I’m, ehm…”
Seeing Machina at a loss for words, Elni answered in her stead.
“Machina works as a dominatrix.”
“Yes, that’s right. Oho~hoho~! I’ll step on you, so kneel— wait, I’m not a dominatrix! Don’t say weird stuff!”
Like always, Machina was tricked and then retorted.
After Machina pinched Elni’s cheek, she suddenly shifted her gaze onto a target shooting stand.
“Hey, Shinobu, what’s that?”
“A target shooting, as you can see. You stuff a cork bullet into the gun and try to bring down the gifts on the display, so that you’ll get it. …Want to try it?”
“N- No, thanks. It’s a game for kids.”
“Don’t say that. We’re at a festival, so I don’t think it’s all that bad to act a bid childish. I’ll play too.”
“…I- If you insist, I’ll play with you.”
Machina said bashful and stood in front of the target shooting stand with me.
There Elni also lined up besides me and opened her mouth.
“Shinobu, me too! I might not look like it, but target shooting is my pride!”
“Hoo. Then show me your skills.”
Replying so to Elni, I paid the man at the target shooting stand the fee for three people.
Then Elni started to stuff the gun with the cork bullet with a serious expression.
On the other hand, Machina, who had claimed it to be a kid’s game, also took up the gun with in a somewhat excited state.
However, not a single of Machina’s bullets hit the gifts and she frowned.
“…I’m not hitting at all.”
“Hahaha, you suck, Machina. Watch my great Goddess’ skill!”
Elni puffed her chest full of confidence and took a hundred yen coin out of her pocket. Then she flipped up the coin into the air. At once she aimed the gun and pulled the trigger.
Right away, her cork bullet hit a caramel box and perfectly brought it to a fall. Moreover, catching the falling hundred yen coin with her hand— would have been cool, but she missed it and the coin fell onto the ground.
The hundred yen coin made a loud noise and rolled away.
“Uwaaah! Wait!”
Elni chased after the coin…. tripping midway.
While watching that, I made a small sigh.
“…She’s such a sad fellow.”
“It would have been cool enough if she had done it normally.”
—Well, like that we enjoyed the festival. Suddenly a loud BOOM sounded, as the firework started in the night sky.
“Wah, it’s so pretty, Brother.”
“Pretty? My profile is?”
“No, the fireworks.”
Ignoring my joke with a smile, Nazuna looked up to the night sky.
I followed her example at looked up, but the fireworks were far away, which left me rather unsatisfied. Everyone else probably felt the same.
“Let’s go somewhere, where we can see the fireworks better.”
Upon my suggestion, everyone nodded with a smile…

Leaving the shrine, going for a place with a better view on the fireworks— our feet headed to the nearby riverbed. When we reached the riverbed, there were already plenty of other people, watching the endless flowers blooming in the night sky and smitten by the beautiful sight.
“It’s really pretty…”
Luna leaked an admiring voice.
Her profile enlightened by the brilliant firework was so beautiful that I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
Luna seemed to have noticed my gaze, as she shifted her look from the fireworks onto me. Then she smiled.
…How beautiful, I thought.
Her soft smile deeply touched my heart and the roaring of the fireworks seemed so far away.
Unmeant I reached out my hand and touched Luna’s cheek.
“What is the matter, Shinobu-san?”
“N- Nah, nothing.”
I hastily removed my hand from her cheek and scratched my own cheek distracting.
I couldn’t tell her that I just wanted to touch her.
While I felt my cheeks getting hot, I pretended to watch the fireworks, then looked at Luna once more. …She indeed was beautiful.
And not just Luna.
Enlightened by the fireworks, everyone looked really pretty. Luna, Machina, Elni, all of them… Mh? Kaorun was missing.
Noticing that, I at once checked the near area, but Kaorun wasn’t to be seen close by.
“Hey, where did Kaorun go to?”
I asked everyone. The girls took off their gazes from the fireworks and watched over the area.
“Huh? That’s strange. She was here until just a moment ago…”
“Don’t tell me she got lost…!”
Nazuna tilted her head while Machina made a slightly worried face.
I clapped Machina onto the shoulder and Elni told her reassuring.
“Machina, Kaorun isn’t me, so she won’t get lost.”
“Then, why isn’t she here?”
On Machina’s question, Elni crossed her arms and pondered, but her expression gradually shifted from cheerful to gloomy. Now both Elni and Machina made a worried face.
There I took out my cell phone and called Kaorun.
“…No good. It won’t connect.”
Not able to contact Kaorun, I got worried for some reason.
“I’m going to look for her.”
Before I noticed it, I had started running.
Soon enough, Elni lined up next to me.
“…Elni?”
“Shinobu, let’s all split up and search. That way, we’ll find her quicker.”
Saying that, Elni smiled.
There I turned around and looked at the other girls.
“Shinobu-san, we will go search over there.”
Luna waved her hand lightly and walked off with Machina and Nazuna.
…Everyone was worried about Kaorun.
Thinking that, my chest got hot for some reason and with these warm feelings, I searched for Kaorun in the crowd.
But she was nowhere to be found and my earlier worry increased.
Worrying that Kaorun went off somewhere all by herself, I continued to run under the night sky, which started to get cloudy, without stop together with Elni….

The gloomy riverbed, removed from the crowd. There was Kaorun.
Kaorun was watching the night sky, even after the firework ended, alone with a somewhat sad expression. She just looked like a single beautiful flower on a stalk. A perfectly beautiful picture just by herself. She certainly was pretty. But she also looked gravely lonesome and sad.
“…What are you doing here all alone?”
I called out to Kaorun.
Kaorun seemed to have noticed Elni and me, as she wasn’t surprised and slowly shifted her gaze onto us. Then she opened her mouth lightly.
“My deepest apologies for causing you troubles, Shinobu-sama, Elni-sama. Being together with everyone was just so much fun that…I became scared.”
“Scared…of what?”
Kaorun didn’t answer the question and averted her eyes, then said.
“…Truth be told, I had intended to return to the Gogyou Household after a full day of fun with you, Shinobu-sama. But you were even kinder than I had anticipated and even the Miss covered for me. Luna-sama, Machina-sama and Elni-sama also treated me kindly. That is why…I became scared.”
There she stopped her words and raised her gaze to the pitch-black night sky once again.
“It was a night like this on that day….”
Along with her words, Kaorun slowly started to talk indifferent like always.
“For as long as I can remember, I was in the exorcist organisation. I did not know the faces of my parents. But, just once, I located my parent’s whereabouts behind the exorcists’ back and tried to meet them.”
While talking, Kaorun lightly clenched her fists.
“I thought that they might help me. That my kind parents might get me out of here. I believed so at the bottom of my heart. Therefore, I continued to walk for a very long time, not feeling any exhaustion.”
Kaorun’s faintly lively voice
“Strangely enough, no one came after me. Escaping was not an option and even if I tried, I was dragged back immediately, yet not a single one came after me. …Now that I think back on it, it was all too convenient. I am afraid they leaked the information on purpose to make me head for my parents.”
changed into a resigned sigh.
“…I had wanted to get help. I thought my parents would help me. However, upon arriving at my parents’ house, my supposedly mother was innocently smiling with her child. They looked so happy that I also…wanted to be part of it.”
With a trembling voice, Kaorun continued with a “However,”.
“my mother told me, who had come by so suddenly, ‘What’s wrong, little girl? Where’s your mother? You can’t wander off on your own, you know?’. She said that with a very gentle voice. That is why I couldn not say anything back. I came to realize.”
Killing her expression and with only her voice and clenched fists trembling, Kaorun said.
“That I had no place in this happy family. I was abandoned by my mother and forgotten. Once I realized that, I ran away from my mother. I no longer, had a place to return to….All that was left to me was being a tool.”
Straining her eyes, she looked into the night sky and continued sadly.
“…I no longer remember the face of my mother. What I remember instead is that I walked alone under a pitch-black sky. Under a broad sky without the moon or stars, in a world without colours and sounds, I, who is neither human nor devil, wandered about as left behind….”
With her usual inexpressiveness, but with tears dwelling up in her eyes, Kaorun slowly spun her words, “At that time, I thought…”.
“—Ahh, this is my life. Without knowing where to go, continuing to walk all alone. This is me, is what I thought.”
Upon hearing these words, a pain ran through my chest.
I at least had heard that hybrid devils like Kaorun were treated like tools. But coming to know what it meant in reality….made me freeze on the spot, unable to say anything.
Then, after a short pause, Kaorun opened her mouth again.
“…From then on, I ceased to think and just lived as a tool. Still, I met the Miss. The Miss, as a first, treating someone like me as a person. She gave me a place to belong to. So I thought that I wanted to stay by her side, become her family, but…”
Midway, Kaorun’s shoulders trembled lightly.
“Returning to the exorcist organisation will get this denied again. They will tell me that I am a tool and cannot become the Miss’ family. I am scared of that. The closer I get to everyone, the more unbearable is the thought of getting it denied…I am getting so incredible scared.”
Saying that, Kaorun bit strongly onto her lips as to endure something.
Not daring to show tears, she looked down while her shoulders continued to tremble lightly.

—I want to protect her.

I couldn’t stand seeing her like that. I wanted to show her a smile, so I reached out my hand for Kaorun.
“You don’t have to go anywhere. Just stay with us.”
Sentiments implied, I gently patted Kaorun’s head.
“I’ll protect you if anything happens. So, don’t make such a face.”
After patting her head….I gently offered her my hand.
“Everyone’s waiting. Even Hijiri will be back soon. …Let’s go back together.”
Kaorun looked at my hand for a while, but after a moment of hesitation,
“…Yes.”
she showed a smile and took my hand.
Then we decided to go back to the other girls with Kaorun.
But on the way, Elni, who had stayed silent the whole time, opened her mouth hesitantly.
“…I think you better go see your mother once more, Kaorun.”
Kaorun stopped upon these words and Elni continued while looking at her sadly.
“Curse her or whatever. Just go see her and tell her your feelings….otherwise, you’ll come to regret it.”
Elni’s tone was a mixture of gloominess and sadness.
Kaorun didn’t answer Elni and just stared down with her mouth closed.
But after a short silence, she said quietly.
“…In the past, I had once considered to go to see her again. I wanted to ask her why she abandoned me, why she did not love me. However, that answer can easily be guessed. Because I… am a filthy devil. Going to ask a question to which I already know the answer… will just hurt me.”
“…It’ll hurt because you still feel for your parents, even now, right? Because you still believe in them. Even with such a faint hope, it’ll always hunt you. Keeping it vaguely won’t save you. You properly have to find… an answer.”
Elni said strictly. But, it was the truth. Just like Elni had said, she had to resolve the matter at some point. Putting the answer on the shelf would only hurt you. …And telling that to Kaorun was surely a hard role. Elni was close to tears and continued on.
“Humans are bound to die one day. You don’t know if that will happen tomorrow or in a year. This might sound extreme, but you might not ever see her again if you don’t meet her tomorrow. If you have something to ask of her, it’s better that you hear the truth from her mouth.”
There Elni changed her tone and clapped on my shoulder with a smile.
“If you’re too scared, you can take Shinobu with you. Shinobu is reliable, so he’ll help if something happens. You also have Hijiri. You have a proper place to return to, Kaorun. Don’t pay any mind to what others say. Just believe in Hijiri’s words, that you are her family.”
Saying so, Elni laughed gently.
Kaorun seemed troubled, but looking at me, she asked worried.
“…You will also come with me, Shinobu-sama?”
The answer was obvious.
“Yeah, I’ll.”
I replied with a big nod.
I believed that Kaorun should cast away her parents, just like they had abandoned her. There was no need to stay attached to them forever. When those who hurt Kaorun are her parents, then I would protect her from them.
Determined like that, I once again patted Kaorun’s head.

Probably because the fireworks had ended, the riverbed had turned quietly, as if the earlier crowd had never been there.
I had called Nazuna on her cell phone and arranged that we regroup at the shrine. Elni, Kaorun and I walked towards the shrine without saying anything.
Amidst that, Elni broke the ice.
“…Kaorun, do you still remember where your parents’ house is? If you don’t, should I look into it?”
“Look into it, you can actually do that?”
When I interjected, Elni puffed her chest proudly.
“I’m a Goddess after all. I have a few friends amongst the exorcists. I think, I’ll know about it soon enough.”
“…You are unexpected resourceful.”
I was somewhat surprised. Kaorun smiled softly and said.
“It is alright, Elni-sama. I still remember the location. Because it is close here.”
“I see. Then how about dropping by tomorrow or so?”
“…Tomorrow, you say?”
On Elni’s words, Kaorun showed a bewildered expression.
“I believe that to be a bit too sudden…”
“Make hay while the sun shines, right? If it’s close by, you better go quickly. You’ll only suffer when you delay it.”
“…You, are right. I understand.”
Kaorun nodded, but her expression was gloomy and she continued to walk once again wordless.
There I exchange a look with Elni and we both reached our hands out for Kaorun. I grabbed Kaorun’s right hand while Elni took the left.
Kaorun showed a slightly surprised expression, but returned the squeeze of hands with a smile. So we three headed for the other girls at the shrine while holdings hands.

* * *

…At night, I went out into the garden of the holiday house and called Hijiri.
After a long ringing, Hijiri picked up the call.
“Hijiri? Where are you right now?”
“…I’m at Tachibana-san’s house now. My father is here, too.”
“That your father is there means… something happened?”
Hijiri’s powerless voice made me worry.
When I asked worried, Hijiri answered quietly.
“I heard about Kaoru-san’s father from my father and Tachibana-san. And my father said that Kaoru-san doesn’t have to attend the special training if she doesn’t want to. But after hearing the story about her father…I became scared.”
“Scared?”
“…I didn’t really know anything. So I became scared that Kaoru-san might come to hate me once she knows the truth.”
Hijiri’s voice trembled.
So I said a “Don’t worry” with a somewhat loud voice and continued.
“Whatever it is, Kaorun won’t hate you for it. Everyone can tell on a glance that she loves you. So hurry up and come back.”
I said so to reassure her, but Hijiri didn’t reply, it was just an awkward silence.
There I opened my mouth to change the topic.
“Tomorrow, we’re going to visit Kaorun’s parents.”
The moment I said that, I could hear a gasp through the phone.
“…Kaoru-san brought that up?”
“No, Elni suggested it. Kaorun seemed to be hesitant, but decided to go anyway. I’ll tag along, so if you like, you also—”
“I can’t go.”
Hijiri cut into my words with a small voice. She added a “…Sorry”.
“What’s wrong?”
I asked with a firm tone, but Hijiri wouldn’t answer me.
There I made a small sigh.
“Hijiri, I have a favour to ask.”
I said.
“Kaorun might come back hurt after meeting her parents. Therefore, I want you to tell her then that she’s your family.”
“…I wonder if Kaoru-san will accept that.”
“Of course. That’s what Kaorun wants.”
I declared so with conviction.
“…Thanks, Shinobu-kun. Can I entrust Kaoru-san to you tomorrow?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Replying in a soft tone, I ended the call with Hijiri.
After that I didn’t feel like going back to the house and sleep, so I absent-minded looked up to the night sky.
“Shinobu-san?”
I was then called out from behind.
I turned around and there stood Luna.
“What’s up?”
“Well, just…”
Luna smiled vaguely and stood next to me. She slowly opened her mouth.
“Just now, I heard from Elni-chan. That you are going with Kaoru-san to meet her parents tomorrow…”
“…I see. Elni told you everything.”
“No, she did not tell me anything. But I could tell by watching Kaoru-san that something had happened. And that she is worried about meeting her parents. …But even though I noticed that, I… ended up feeling jealous.”
Jealous.
A faint pain ran through my chest on that word.
Luna didn’t know her parents. Abandoned by her mother…she had no one to fawn over.
“…Have you ever felt like seeing your mother?”
When I asked her by gently resting my hand on her head, Luna nodded small.
“Ever since I was small, I have always been wondering how my mother looks like, what her voice is like or how she smiles. And I believed that she was a gentle, smiling person, that she had a reason for abandoning me.”
While saying so, Luna forced herself to smile.
“But everyone except me knew my mother. Saying ‘The whore disappeared and left a troublesome kid behind’, they all talked bad about my mother. It seems my mother was hated by everyone.”
Luna strongly clenched her fists and continued with a “So”.
“I thought that at least I had to love my mother. I decided to take her side, since being only hated would be too sad. That’s why I still love my mother, even now. If I could meet her…I would like to do so.”
Still loving a mother that abandoned you was a mindset I couldn’t take.
…I found it stupid. She should just curse her and cry. But, even more so, my chest became hot from sadness. The forced smile on her profile strangulated my heart.
“…I told you before.”
So I gently reached out my hand and embraced Luna.
“It’s okay to cry when you’re sad. You can depend on me. You don’t have to force yourself.”
Because she was a devil, she would get abandoned again if she caused trouble.
It might be that Luna was still thinking like that.
So I should tell her once and for all.
“Whatever happens, I’ll never come to hate you, Luna. You can cause troubles. At times… depend on me.”
Along with my words, I tightly embraced Luna.
Upon that, Luna slowly twined around her arms around my back and quietly let her tears fall.
While I felt Luna’s warm body, I thought.
Hijiri should do the same.
Luna and Kaorun were always walking a step behind and watching us.
But they were cowardly and lacked the confidence to take that one step forward.
Still, both Luna and Kaorun were reaching out their hands.
So when they were one step behind, we should just take that step. We should just grab their hands and pull them along. Like this, we should embrace them.
If we held them dear, we had to do this….or the distance between us would never by bypassed.
—So, hurry up and come back, Hijiri.
It wasn’t my role to grab Kaorun’s extended hand. The only one who could grab Kaorun’s hand and pull her along was… Hijir.
…When I suddenly looked up to the night sky, I saw two small stars twinkle mellow in the clouded sky.

* * *

—This is my parents’ house. Like that Kaorun guided me inside, where an adorable maid greeted us with a “Welcome, Master, Milady”.
We sat down and got handed a menu. Kaorun and I ordered an omelette rice.
“—Wait, this is just a maid café!”
“You are a bit late to point that out, Shinobu-sama.”
Kaorun continued half-wearily.
“Truth be told, you wanted to visit a maid café, did you not, Shinobu-sama?”
“Well, I was indeed interested. But, today we came to meet your parents, right? You said it’s close to the holiday house, but you didn’t mean this café, did you?”
“No, I merely dropped by here, since I thought we should have an early lunch. …If they still live in the same place like before, it is close to here.”
For a moment a shadow dropped over her expression, then Kaorun opened her mouth with “More importantly, Shinobu-sama” to change the topic.
“How do you suppose we look to others right now?”
“A pervert and a gentleman?”
“No, it surely must be an angel and a lewd beast.”
“Fufufu.”
“Ufufu.”
We laughed dubious, then the waitress (maid) approached our table in a bit frightened state with our orders.
“Th- Thank you for the wait. Ehm, what would you like me to write on your omelette rice?”
“Write ‘Pervert Maid’ on hers please.”
“Eh?”
“Well then, please write ‘Pervert Gentleman’ for this man.”
“Ehh?”
The waitress was perplexed by our unexpected answers. However, she really write what we told her and then left quickly.
“…It was just a little joke.”
“Yes. Moreover, she did not cast a deliciousness-increasing spell on it.”
“I think that varies from store to store.”
“Well then, you cast the spell instead then please, Shinobu-sama.”
“Valuse.”
“…Enough of that. Please cast the spell properly.”
“I’ll do it when you also do it, Kaorun.”
When I replied as such, the expressionless Kaorun formed a heart with both her hands
“Become delicious~ Moe Moe Kyun Kyun~”
and chanted the spell.
“Okay, time to dig in.”
“…Please wait a moment. You promised to do it as well, Shinobu-sama.”
“Oh, this omelette rice is good.”
“Ignored? You take pleasure in putting me to shame, do you not? As expected of a perverted gentleman.”
“No, you’re a perverted maid, so I thought you would be more happy if I neglected you.”
“I am not that perverted.”
Flatly denying, Kaorun dropped her gaze and looked at her own omelette rice with ‘Pervert Maid’ written on it.
“Incidentally, Shinobu-sama, I heard that the Chinese mindset of a balanced meal to prevent illness implicates the traditional medicine that eating liver is good for your liver and that eating heart is good for you heart.”
Staring at her omelette rice, Kaorun continued.
“Going by that theory, when I eat this omelette rice, I would turn into a ‘Pervert Maid’, would I not?”
“It’s too late for that anyway, so don’t worry.”
“…Next time, I will serve you an omelette rice with ‘Boob Alien’ written on it, Shinobu-sama.”
“Hey, when I eat that and turn into a ‘Boob Alien’, how will you take responsibility?”
“I will let you touch them. Though only if you marry the Miss, that is.”
Kaorun cracked her usual jokes.
Like that I ate my omelette rice while chatting with Kaorun, but Kaorun ordered a dessert after finishing her omelette rice and was reluctant to leave the store.
She really might be uneasy about meeting her parents.
Kaorun was more talkative than usual and avoided the topic of her parents. But we couldn’t stay here forever.
I grabbed the bill and stood up.
“About time we go.”
“Uhm, Shinobu-sama, just a bit—”
“No.”
Shaking my head, I reached out my hand for Kaorun’s head.
“There’s no poin tin delaying it any further. I’m with you, so be brave.”
When I gently petted her head, Kaorun nodded lightly.
Then we left the maid café and drove in Kaorun’s car for a while, when we got onto a peaceful residential street.
Getting off the car, the constantly uneasy Kaorun headed for an ordinary detached house. The nameplate had the last name “Takase” and the first names “Shigeru”, “Ayaka” and “Nagisa” written on it. Obvious enough, “Kaoru” wasn’t written on it.
That fact pierced my chest hurtful.
Even though her own wasn’t anywhere on it, Kaorun kept staring at the nameplate.
“…It’s here?”
When I asked so, Kaorun gave back a faint nod. Then, when I tried to rin the doorbell, she firmly grabbed my hand.
“Don’t worry. I’m with you.”
Reassuring her, I once again tried to ring the doorbell—when the front door opened and a single girl appeared.
Probably in middle school? It was a cute girl in a school uniform.
Upon noticing us, she showed a friendly smile and opened her mouth.
“Do you need something?”
“…Y- Yeah. We came to talk with Ayaka-san.”
I answered with a glance to the nameplate, whereupon the girl energetically shouted “Mom, you have a guest!” inside the house. Then she approached us while leaving the front door open, gave us a bow with a smile and left for some place.
I atched after her leaving.
“Hello.”
Then I heard a soft voice.
Shifting back my gaze to the front door, there stood a beautiful woman, smiling gently.
Her face somewhat resembled Kaorun’s, so she must have been Kaorun’s mother, Ayaka-san.
But she was completely different from the image I had of her in my head. She appeared really kind and nothing like a person that would abandon her own child.
Ayaka-san approached us still smiling and asked confirming.
“Ehm, nice to meet you, I guess?”
Upon these words, Kaorun bit her lips and looked down.
Instantly, Ayaka-san lowered her head with a sorry expression.
“I’m sorry. I take it that we have met before? I don’t have any past memories, so I don’t remember well…”
“…No memories?”
When Kaorun raised her head, Ayaka-san smiled sadly.
“The doctor said it’s ‘Memory Loss’. He encouraged me with ‘They might return some day’, but I still don’t remember anything.”
“…Since when did you lost your memories?”
Upon Kaorun’s cracked voiced question, Ayaka-san put her index finger on her cheek and answered.
“Eighteen years ago, I think. When I came to my senses, I was in a hospital bed. I didn’t remember anything, was a bit scared and somewhat sad.”
Saying so remembering, Ayaka-san invited us inside the house with “Would you like to talk inside?”.
But, even invited in and seated at the table, we didn’t know what to talk about. Since Ayaka-san had no memories, she wouldn’t be able to answer any questions.
…How was Kaorun feeling right now? And what was going through Ayaka-san’s head?
Ayaka-san just kept looking at Kaorun, who had her mouth shut and stayed silent.
Her look was quite gentle. But, Kaorun absolutely avoided to look into these eyes.
“…Ehm, the girl earlier is your daugher?”
I couldn’t take the long silence, so I opened my mouth. Ayaka-san nodded a “Yes” with a smile.
“This year she got into second year of middle school, but she’s quite mischievous, which troubles me. She totally comes after her father.”
…Her father, huh. Since she also forgot about Kaorun, it was safe to assume that Ayaka-san’s current husband was a different man than Kaorun’s father.
“Uhm, you said it’s memory loss, so you forgot about your husband too…?”
When I asked to confirm, Ayaka-san shook her head.
“I met Shigeru-san after my memory loss. When I was plagued with the uneasiness of the memory loss, he always stayed with me. He was really kind.”
Ayaka-san told us happily, but in contrast, Kaorun’s expression got gloomier.
It just was pointed out that Kaorun’s own father was forgotten by her own mother.
Even if she expected it already, it surely wasn’t a pleasant feeling.
I made a big sigh in my heart.
…There might have been no meaning in coming here.
What should she tell Ayaka-san, who didn’t remember anything? Even if Kaorun complained now, the current Ayaka-san wouldn’t be able to comply with it.
Because she painfully realized that fact, Kaorun couldn’t say anything.
Still, Ayaka-san seemed concerned with Kaorun, as she eagerly called out to her. In response, Kaorun only gave short answers like “Yes” or “Right”, so the conversation didn’t last long.
Despite that, Ayaka-san didn’t seem offended by it and showed a gentle smile. And while still wearing that gentle smile, she opened her mouth as she remembered.
“Reminds me, I still haven’t asked your name. Would you please tell me?”
“…My name is Kaoru.”
When Kaorun replied so albeit a bit hesitant, Ayaka-san smiled with “It’s a good name”.
“The fragrance of a soft wind, the fragrance of the fresh green leaves, the fragrance of blooming flowers, at the time of that sweet smell…because you were with me…the world seemed more beautiful…So, the child will…”
—It came sudden. Halfway, Ayaka-san’s voice started to tremble and big tears rolled out of her eyes. Then she faced Kaorun like she had suddenly noticed something.
“…Hey, when did I met you? Right now, I remembered a bit of my past. My words just now, someone….someone really precious told them to me.”
Slowly reaching out her hand for Kaorun, Ayaka-san said quietly.
“You see, it seems I gave birth to a child before I lost my memories. Could it be, you are—-”
“No.”
Shaking off the reaching out hand,
“I am not your child.”
Kaorun denied strongly.
“…Y- Yeah. I’m sorry for suddenly saying something so strange.”
“Indeed. You really…. say some… strange things.”
With her voice trembling sadly, Kaorun averted her eyes from Ayaka-san.
Before I could bring up anything,
“Shinobu-sama, it is about time we take our leave.”
Kaorun stood up. Without any time to stop her, she left the living room. Soon enough I chased after her, whereupon Ayaka-san called out to Kaorun.
“Kaoru-chan, please come by again.”
On these words, Kaorun bit down on her lips while her shoulders trembled lightly. But as she couldn’t endure it, she slowly turned around and reached out her hand for Ayaka-san.
“…Mother.”
Only I could hear that squeezed out word.
“Mh? What?”
Ayaka-san asked back while tilting her head.
With just one step closer, she would be able to touch that gentle smiling face.
Yet, Kaorun slowly put down her extended hand and turned her back to Ayaka-san.
“…Please stay well. Please always stay healty on good terms with your family.”
Leaving behind just that, Kaorun grabbed my hand and ran out escaping.
Kaorun’s small hand squeezed mine so strongly that it hurt. Her feelings were conveyed through that hand. I couldn’t hold back and opened my mouth when we were out of the house.
“Was that alright? She’s your mother. Why didn’t you admit it?”
“…I am certain that this woman would be hurt if she knew that her own child is a devil. I do not desire to destroy her happiness.”
This woman. That way of calling was just too sad.
“It is weird. I should be hating her, yet when I saw the smile of that woman…I ended up wanted to protect that gentle smile.”
That were most likely Kaorun’s true feelings. But, was she content with just protecting it? Was she really content with not being able to touch that smiling face or feeling the warmth of her mother?
“Kaorun, you still can—”
“Shinobu-sama, just seeing that smile is enough for me.”
Softly cutting into my words, Kaorun forced herself to smile. Close to tears, but absolutely not allowing them to flow out… It was just a sorrowful smile.
I couldn’t say anything more and just returned to the car while firmly holding her hand.
Upon that, there were Hijiri, Tachibana-san and one man standing in front of the car.
The man had a finely chiselled face like an actor, but had a sharp glint in his eyes and a strict appearance. His whole body emitted an aura of dignity.
“Nanjou Shinobu-kun, I take?”
Asked by the man, I nodded for now.
“Thanks for always taking care of Hijiri. I’m Gogyou Sougo, Hijiri’s father.”
After that short self-introduction, Sougo-san faced Kaorun.
“Kaoru, were you able to have a proper talk with your mother?”
Upon this soft-toned question, Kaorun looked down and lightly shook her head.
“I see…”
Sougo-san made a faint sigh and after a short hesitation, he opened his mouth.
“…Kaoru, I killed your father.”
Instantly, Kaorun raised her head and her eyes rocked in confusion.
Not avoiding her gaze, Sougo-san slowly started to talk.
“Your father was a devil named Kyoura. He took the lives of many humans. Even famous exorcists were killed by him. But in the confrontation with us, he lost his own live. Not because we were stronger. But rather because he protected the infant you, without killing anyone.”
Sougo-san continued with a heavy tone.
“At his death, Kyoura said: ‘At least save this child’. He was a proud devil, but he lowered his and pleaded to a human. Your father, protected you until the end.”
When Sougo-san finished talking, Tachibana-san opened her mouth, taking over.
“Originally, you, who inherited the blood of a strong devil, should have been disposed off. However, against all opposition, Sougo-san let you live. That alone should have been enough, yet he even took you in a few years later. …The reason you are alive is because of Sougo-san’s efforts. Gratitude is the least you—-”
“Stop it.”
Sougo-san quietly cut into Tachibana-san’s words, then pulled out something from his pocket and held it out to Kaorun.
“I held on this for your father. He wanted me to give it to you, once you had matured.”
What he held out was a small, white envelope. That envelope had dark red spots everywhere.
Most likely bloodstains. Kaorun surely must have noticed that too. Taking the envelope with her shaking hand, she slowly opened it.
“…A letter?”
Pulling out a writing paper from the envelope, Kaorun read through it.
Upon that, tears gradually dwelled up in Kaorun’s eyes.
“What does it say?”
When I asked softly, Kaorun wiped her dwelled up tears and started to read out the letter aloud.

“Kaoru, when you read this letter, I’m no longer in this world. So I believe I have to tell you, my daughter, properly.
I’m a devil. For my own desire I killed countless of humans and devils….A worthless man that kept building up sins.
But, the worthless guy I was, your mother, Ayaka still loved me. She granted me, a devil, warmth for a first time.
But because Ayaka was involved with me, the exorcists targeted her like me. I didn’t care where or how I dropped dead. After all, you reap what you sow. Considering what have all done, it’s a natural retribution.
However, Ayaka is different. You, Kaoru, are different. You are different from me and should become happy.
With that in mind, I erased Ayaka’s memories. The memories of her bitter past of being born into a miserable life, the memories of me and of you. I erased it all.
So Ayaka won’t remember you.
You can hate me all you want. Just don’t hate Ayaka. She really loved you. Every day was a bliss for her, dreaming of your growth.
Same for me. When you were born, for the first time I knew how it is to cry of happiness. What happiness is. How wonderful life is.
If possible, I wanted you to call me ‘Dad’. But that wasn’t meant to be. I have sinned too much. In time, I’ll surely killed by the exorcists.
When that happens, you’ll be under the control of their organisation. It’ll be hard and you might stop resisting against being used as a tool.
But still, I want you to live. Even if you can’t smile or be happy. You might think that life itself is pointless.
However, your life is my salvation.
I love you, Kaoru. To me, you’re more important than myself or anything else in the world.
Kyoura.”

After finishing reading out the letter, Kaorun pressed the paper lovingly onto her chest.
There Hijiri slowly approached Kaorun and timidly opened her mouth.
“…Kaoru-san, we are responsible for the death of your father. So I thought it’s only natural for you to hate us. I thought that we had no right to become your family. But, still—”
With wet eyes and her voice trembling, Hijiri reached out her hand to Kaorun.
“I won’t give up on you! I love you, Kaoru-san! Love you so much! I want you to stay with me! I know I’m being selfish. I’m sure I’m pretty selfish. But, I don’t want you to be gone, Kaoru-san! I still want you to be a sister to me from now on!”
Hijiri’s hand reached out amidst her crying voice.
That hand, without any hesitation, was grabbed by Kaorun. Clinging onto Hijiri with her shoulders trembling and sobbing….Kaorun cried.
Kaorun didn’t cry when she said that she was envious of Machina or when she was scared to return to the organisation. Even when her own mother didn’t remember her, she didn’t show any tears. But now, that Kaorun was crying loudly.
…Ah, right.
The words Kaorun desired the most were spoken by Hijiri. Because she had something else most precious, she didn’t took the hand of her mother.
—The person for Kaorun to fawn over wasn’t her mother, but Hijiri.
That might be sad.
But even if she couldn’t fawn over her own mother, even if she couldn’t see her anymore, Kaorun had Hijiri with her. She had a family with Hijiri.
So she should be alright now.
Looking at Hijiri and Kaorun embracing each other, I really considered them to be sisters.
For a while I watched over their embrace, then Sougo-san placed his hand onto my shoulder.
“Nanjou-kun, I heard about you from Hijiri and Kaoru. ….You seem strong.”
“No, no, I’m still green.”
I lightly shook my hand, but Tachibana-san interjected with a smile.
“There is no need to be so reserved, Nanjou-dono. You easily chased away my men the other day. I believe you are way stronger than an imprudent exorcists.”
“I see. No wonder that he has such a good look then. That’s a rocking pair of eyes.”

Sougo-san said somewhat happily, then opened his mouth with a serious expression.
“Nanjou-kun…Any plans to become an exorcist?”
“None.”
I somehow had a bad feeling, so I flatly denied.
But Sougo-san grabbed me at my shoulders and said.
“Don’t worry. I’ll teach you the exorcist spells. You’re going to be Hijiri’s husband. When you start to train now, I’m sure you’ll become an excellent exorcist. Support my Hijiri.”
…Huh? For Sougo-san, the marriage of Hijiri and me was already a determined matter? …This situation was extremely bad. Seeking help, I faced Hijiri and Kaorun.
Upon that, Hijiri and Kaorun, whensoever she stopped crying, said smiling.
“Shinobu-kun, come over now. I’ll help you with your training.”
“I will lay out your mattress in the Miss’ room then.”
I had not a single ally here.
“B- But, my family is waiting, so I have to return to the holiday house now…”
“Well then, come over once you went back. Kaoru and Tachibana can bring everyone over with the cars. You don’t have to worry about anything.”
Being strongly urged by Sougo-san, I couldn’t turn him down and was heading to the holiday house in the car with Tachibana-san driving. Inside the car, Sougo-san endlessly explained about the exorcist organisation and the exorcist training seemed rather interesting.
Actually, I became a bit interested in it. But when we got back to the holiday house, Sougo-san’s expression twisted when he saw Elni and turning on his heels, he went back to the car.
Seeing that, Elni chased after Sougo-san with a smile and stood before him.
“Ohh, I knew it, it’s you, Sougo. It’s been a while.”
“You got the wrong person. I don’t know you. I have business to attend to, so I’ll excuse myself.”
“Don’t be so cold. I’ll tell your wife about that.”
“Stop! My daughter is here! So don’t speak of that!”
Apparently, Elni was acquainted with Sougo-san.
Hijiri and Kaorun didn’t know that either, as they widened their eyes in surprise.
However, it seemed that Sougo-san had a weakness with Elni. When Elni declared that she was coming along with me to the Gogyou mansion, Sougo-san said “Make it some other time” hastily and after taking us home, he went home.
—Well, like that, the short life at the holiday house came to an end.

* * *

The night after coming back from the holiday house, I was laying absent-minded on my own bed.
Then suddenly the window of my room opened and Kaorun peeked in her head.
“Good evening, Shinobu-sama.”
“…Why are you always coming in from the window?”
“Shinobu-sama, just like Santa Claus comes in through the chimney, I come in through the window. Please do not give it too much thought.”
“You’re like a thief.”
“Eh? Stealing your heart?”
“No one said that. What are you here for?”
When I straightened up my upper body and asked, Kaorun answered with a slightly serious expression.
“As a matter of fact, I came with a piece of information for you, Shinobu-sama.”
“Information?”
“Yes. Starting tomorrow, I will return to the exorcist organisation and participate in the special training. You have been taking care of me so far, I thought I should let you know about it….”
“No, wait a sec. Wasn’t Sougo-san going to do something about that?”
Sougo-san’s influence should have exempted Kaorun from the special training.
“…Don’t tell me, something happened?”
“No, I decided to go by my own will.”
“…Why? The special training is hard, isn’t it? Why would you specially go there then?”
“If I do not go there, it will cause troubles to everyone in the Gogyou Household. That alone made me want to go there, but there also was another reason for it.”
“Another reason?”
“Yes. I want to become a strong sister that the Miss can boast about and also a maid fitting your standards, Shinobu-sama. Therefore, I will not give in to something like this special training.”
Saying so, Kaorun smiled lightly.
“Shinobu-sama, I will not run away anymore. I will work hard so that I can stand besides the Miss. First of all, I will finish the special training quickly and surprised everyone upon my return.”
“…I see. I’m looking forward to that.”
“Please do. Most likely, I will return as an even better maid as I already am. So when you see me and want me to make your personal maid, just say so anytime please. I will immediately start to call you ’Master’ then.”
“Now that’s a deal! Come back quickly and show off your wonderful maidness.”
When I replied so, Kaorun blushed for some reason and said timidly.
“…So, I have a little favour to ask of you, Shinobu-sama. May I have your permission?”
“Yeah, just say it.”
“I will allow myself to do so then. Uhm, when I return safely…would you please grant me a reward? I am still a bit uneasy, so I believe I can give my best with that…”
“Well, sure if it’s anything I can do…What do you want?”
When I asked, Kaorun turned bright red up to her ears and looked down.
“….Please, pet my head.”
She answered with a quiet voice.
“Eh- Ehm, you’re fine with just that? You could ask for some more, well, like the amusement park before—”
“It is fine. That alone is enough for me.”
Softly cutting into my words, Kaorun continued, still looking down.
“I had never known that having your head gently petted by a man could feel so pleasant and made me so happy…”
While saying so, Kaorun raised her head and continued with “Therefore” smiling.
“With such a reward, I can overcome anything.”
“…I- Is that so. Then I’ll pet your head all you want once you’re back.”
My cheeks turned hot from the embarrassment, but I replied with a firm nod.
Upon that, Kaorun opened her mouth with her cheeks still red.
“Uhm, I feel bad for only asking favours of you, so I would like to thank you in some way, also considering the latest case…”
“It’s okay. I didn’t do anything special.”
“Th- Then I will merely express my feelings of gratitude.”
Along with her words, Kaorun suddenly moved.
Instantly, a sweet fragrance tickled my nasal cavity.
“*kiss*”
And I felt a warm and soft sensation on my cheek.
…I was, kissed?
It took me a few seconds to realize that.
Before I noticed it, Kaorun had turned her back to me and walked towards the window.
“…Your ears are bright red, Kaorun.”
When I said isolated, Kaorun said flustered with her back still to me.
“Th- They are not red or anything. You are imagining that. It is a misjudgement. You merely are under that impression. It is also late at night, so I will excuse myself. Good night, Shinobu-sama!”
Talking so quickly, Kaorun walked away eagerly with her back still to me.
I softly called out to her.
“Kaorun, you can call me any time, if something happens. I can listen to your lamenting.”
“Th- That I cannot do! When I hear your voice, I will get aroused!”
Here I kindly offered her, yet Kaorun replied with one of her special jokes.
After I thought how she couldn’t be honest like always, I made a wry smile, just when Kaorun turned around slowly and said reminding with her cheeks still red.
“Shinobu-sama, please do not forget about the reward matter.”
“Yeah, I won’t. So give it your all.”
“Yes. I will give my best for the reward.”
Nodding firmly, Kaorun showed a smile.
Judging by that, she should be fine.
Watching Kaorun leave through the window, I once again lay down on my bed and closed my eyes…





Epilogue

One summer day, I was sleeping pleasantly in my room, when my body was suddenly shaken around.
“Please wake up. It is morning already. Please wake up and pet my head already.”
“Mhm~ What? It’s summer vacation, so let me sleep in.”
“No. I hurried back for this very day. So please wake up already. Otherwise I will give you a kiss.”
“Yeah, do that. Whatever you want. I’m still sleepy.”
I replied so with a half-asleep face, then turned around and tried to get back to sleep. However,
“…*kiss*…”
I felt an indescribable soft and warm sensation on my cheek, so I hastily jumped up.
Upon that, there was Kaorun with flushed cheeks in front of me.
“Y- You, where did you come in from? Actually, when did you come back?”
“Earlier I came back from my special training and stopped by the Gogyou Mansion. There I placed a kiss on Hijiri-chan’s cheek and then came to see you, Shinobu-sama.”
“…You don’t seem tired at all, even though you had that special training.”
“Yes, every single night at the special training, I was thinking of Hijiri-chan and you, Shinobu-sama. Strangely enough that made me rather frustrated, so I quickly got the special training over with and came back.”
“Nothing less of a perverted maid.”
While somewhat astonished, I smiled faintly unmeant.
Because I noticed that Kaorun was calling Hijiri by her name now.
Therefore, I reached out my hand for Kaorun’s head like promised.
“Well done.”
I gently petted her head.
Upon that Kaorun was a bit surprised, but then showed a bright smile.
…As I thought, a smile made Kaorun cuter.
While petting Kaorun’s head, I thought so.
There Kaorun suddenly brought her face close to me
“As a matter of fact, I thought of a nice idea while being on my way here.”
“A nice idea?”
When I asked back, Kaorun nodded a “Yes” and brought her face even closer while continuing.
“Previously, when you were seduced by Hijiri-chan, you got a nosebleed and fainted, do you remember?”
“Yeah, ‘cause I’m an innocent boy.”
“…Certainly, your innocence does not comply with your appearance. Either way, you are Hijiri-chan’s partner. If you keep being that weak against females, it will interfere with the usage of the yin-yang technique. There my idea comes into play.”
“How?”
When I asked casually, Kaorun faintly flushed her cheeks and answered.
“My idea was, that I myself get you used to a female’s body, Shinobu-sama.”
“…This is one of your usual jokes, right?”
“I am not joking around here.”
Along with her words, Kaorun slowly closed her eyes.
“For starters, let us start with a kiss. Go ahead.”
“No, even if you say ‘go ahead’, I can’t suddenly kiss you. I’m the type that values a good mood.”
“Stop acting like a girl.”
Kaorun opened her eyes and laughed lightly.
“Well then, I will make an appropriate mood now.”
“…It’s time for breakfast, so I’ll be going now.”
Replying so, I sprinted out of the room in an escape…

* * *

After that, I was caught by Nazuna and Elni to join in the radio exercise, so I was dragged out of the house by the two of them.
But upon in arriving in the park, it was still too early for the radio exercise, so Nazuna and I sat down on a bench together. There we watched Elni chatting with the elders.
Then Nazuna talked to me.
“Brother, seaside school is getting close. This year, you’re also going, right?”
“Since Machina insists on going.”
The seaside school (voluntary extracurricular classes) in high school were held together with Nazuna’s middle school, so Nazuna was looking forward to it.
Last year, I trained with my gramps and I had intended to do the same this year, but Machina and Nazuna urged me strongly, so I decided to go to seaside school.
“Speaking of, will Gogyou-san come to seaside school too?”
“Who knows? I haven’t heard anything.”
“I see. I hope she comes too…”
“Yeah. I’ll ask her on the next occasion.”
We talked like that, when speaking of the devil.
I spotted the jogging Hijiri in my vision.
“Ah, it’s Gogyou-san.”
Noticing her, Nazuna raised her voice with “Gogyou-san~!” and Hijiri stopped. Then she faced us and came closer with a smile.
“Morning, Shinobu-kun, Nazuna-chan. What a coincidence to meet here.”
“Yeah, indeed. …At any rate, are you jogging every morning?”
“Yes, I am. What are you two doing here?”
“Radio exercise!”
When Nazuna replied full of energy, Hijiri smiled softly.
“I see. That’s healthy.”
“Yeah! I’m prepared to die for health!”
“Isn’t that contradicting?”
I retorted to Nazuna and looked at Hijiri.
“That aside. Hijiri, do you have any plans next week?”
“…Eh? Could you be asking me out on a date?”
“No.”
I flatly denied the blushing Hijiri and continued.
“You know, there’s seaside school next week. Nazuna, Machina and I are going, but we were wondering what you were going to do.”
“Ah, I’m going there too. Since I have a job request at the place where seaside school is held.”
“Job? You mean as an exorcist?”
“Yeah, we got a request for an inquiry. There might be a devil hiding, so I have to investigate it.”
“I see. Working hard even during vacation, huh.”
When I made an agreeable response,
“…Is that true?”
suddenly the voice of a third person butted in.
I turned to it surprised, when my gaze fell onto my classmate Minami.
“…You, why are you here?”
“Ehm, I came to join my little brother on the radio exercise before my morning practice…”
While saying so, Minami approached us and asked with a serious expression:

Continue with Volume 06