As I expected, my shameless suggestion that came like a shot from a blind angle hit both Hina and Kazuha-nee alike.
My girl had her eyes blinking in confusion. It took her a few seconds before it clicked in her head. Hina then smacked her lips provocatively as a kind of sweet yet thorny snickering was produced from her mouth.
"Un. That sounds fun. It's been years since I last rolled in the same bed as Kazuha-nee. Now you'll join us."
Somehow, other than understanding my intention, Hina rode and supplemented her own improv with a tinge of innocence which gave it a different meaning than what I was meaningfully hinted at.
Furthermore, from how confident she sounded, I could guess that I was pulled from her real experience. Perhaps a few years ago, Kazuha-nee played with the young Hina and slept in the same bed. Akane and I used to occasionally sleep in the same bed too when we were younger, after all.
Unfortunately, we're dealing with Kazuha-nee here. If I consider our previous interaction that got me rolled around her palm, even if she failed to reach the same level of shamelessness as me, she's definitely someone who wouldn't be toppled by a single suggestive phrase.
"So, this is how you want to play, Ruki-kun." Before her attention shifted to Hina, Kazuha-nee whispered that in a volume that only I could hear.
At the same time as she said that, Kazuha-nee's hand slid down from my head to my ear. Initially, she gently let her index finger trace the edge of my ear. However, by the end of her sentence, she eventually clutched it in between her index and middle finger while her thumb played on my earlobe, kneading it as she threateningly conveyed how she could twist it at any moment.
She then continued as a reply to the girl, "You're right. I'd become so busy in college that I stopped playing with you and Kazuo, hmm? Sure. Let the three of us roll in your bed."
She probably thought that she played it well but in my mind, I was already convinced that, at the very least, this furtive action of holding my ear hostage had proven that this attempt affected her. If I wanted to fully drag her off her imaginary throne, the course of action should be to continue attacking or follow up with another shameless suggestion to chip down at her defenses and make her vulnerable to teases.
Since Hina was already on the same page as me, I projected our success. However, as luck would have it, our momentum got interrupted by Auntie's voice who was shouting from downstairs, asking us if she should bring a snack or drinks to Hina's room.
With the option to pretend not to hear her being nonexistent, Hina eventually answered her.
Kazuha-nee and I looked at each other and communicated through our eyes, laying down our arms to agree to a ceasefire.
"Too bad, huh?" She said as she let go of my ear but before retracting her hand, she pinched my earlobe to get a small bit of reaction from me.
"Indeed. You're a tough nut to crack, Kazuha-nee." I shrugged and didn't give her the satisfaction from that attempt.
"Heh. I'd say you're still young to defeat me. Gain more experience first."
In a way, it became something like a mind game for us. And for all my experience, I could admit that she was the most formidable opponent I had seen.
Hana's shamelessness was laughable compared to Kazuha-nee. Nonetheless, we could argue that their circumstances were different from each other. Hana used to match my shamelessness for her comfort while Kazuha-nee was the same kind of a creature as me when it comes to being shameless.
By the time Hina finished conversing with her mother, we already disengaged and resumed the last few steps to her room.
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"I must say, that's a great assist, Hina. Too bad, we're against someone as experienced as Kazuha-nee."
"Hehe. What if I chose to help her in taking you down, Ruki?" Hina replied. From the way she leered at me with a hint of mischievousness, she really considered that option.
Well, while that would be a little tough to handle, the outcome would be the same. We'd be interrupted in the middle of it.
But then again, imagining the two teaming up or even if it's not Kazuha-nee and Hina, being challenged was somewhat exciting even if it's kinda dumb finding out who's the most shameless.
"If that's the case… I'd like to see you try."
"Pfft. Next time I will. Watch out though, I might craft another scheme to win against you."
"Girl, you don't announce that kind of thing. That aside, I'd stand by my words. Try it and see who will win."
"You two. Stop murmuring and flirting with each other. Go in first before doing that." Kazuha-nee interjected from behind us.
At this point, we finally reached Hina's room so instead of firing back at the woman who was tasked to look after us, we followed her words.
With Hina's excitement of showing me her room becoming reignited, she quickly reached for her knob and pushed the door open, revealing the interior of her room.
The first thing I noticed was the curtained window. Yeah. The same window that was directly in front of Ogawa's room.
That's where she often interacted with the idiot since their childhood days. Now, however, it's like a window that will only be opened when she wants some fresh air.
She didn't want to deal with the guy anymore, after all. Nonetheless, since Kazuha-nee would sometimes also show up there, she didn't shut it off completely.
Apart from that, the view inside her room wasn't that unfamiliar to me anymore. The girl already gave me a glimpse of this through our video calls, after all.
Nonetheless, as this was my first time stepping in here, I just did the same as when I first stepped inside my other girl's rooms. I stood in the middle and inhaled the air occupying the room. Then I spun once, scanning everything in sight.
Not counting the wonderful lingering scent of Hina that I inhaled, I could easily see the image of the girl just from the arrangement of the room. Neat and meticulously organized for a certain specific reason.
The pieces of furniture, including her bed, as well as her belongings such as books, clothes and other relevant items of a high school girl, were arranged in a way that they would be shown easily at a certain angle.
And that certain angle was what was always shown as her background during our calls.
And yep. She used to have a different arrangement for Ogawa to see from his room. But after the shit that she pulled and how the girl fell in love with me completely, that was scrapped. Now, even if she opened her window, there was nothing for the guy to see anymore.
Simply put, somewhat petty but, that's in character with Hina. While it's kind of negative of her to be that vengeful against her childhood friend, it was reasonable. Besides, it would wear off eventually.
Anyway, returning to the present, as soon as Hina saw what I did, a tinge of red flashed across her face. Despite her excitement, seeing me shamelessly inhaling the air in her room made her embarrassed.
"Ruki! You don't have to do that!"
And likewise, Kazuha-nee who was still by the door was shaking her head as she looked at me like I was some kind of a freak.
"You're really something else, Ruki-kun."