CH 30

“Hmm?”

I woke up with a start. The room was so dark that I couldn’t see clearly, but if I kept still, my eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness.

“Oh, right.”

I remembered everything that happened before I went to sleep. 

It was such a sweet and dreamlike time that I couldn’t help but feel grateful for having been reincarnated as Arashi.

“Su… Su…”

“…mmm… Touma… -kun.”

I was in Hisui’s bedroom, lying on a king-sized bed that they had prepared for this kind of situation. 

I received a lot of love and devotion from both of them before going to bed, and I realized once again why this house was called the “House of Captivity.” 

Above all, it felt like my soul was engraved with the fact that I couldn’t leave the two of them.

“… Oh man, I’m getting excited again.”

Both of them were already dressed, but it was more like they were wearing see-through negligees… well, would that still count as clothes? 

The two of them lying there were just too s**y. 

Of course, I knew they had that kind of attribute, but seeing it up close again made me feel so lively… or rather, it seemed like it was just the way Arashi’s body was made.

“I’ve thought about it before, but maybe Arashi had the potential to snatch the heroine away from the protagonist all along.”

As the third party, having a body with the potential to steal the heroine from the protagonist… I couldn’t say I was happy about it, but as I experienced earlier, it could be considered a powerful characteristic in dealing with the two.

“Shall we go to the bathroom?”

I carefully got out of bed so as not to wake the two and headed to the bathroom. Even though it was my first time coming to this house, I had already grasped its structure to some extent, so I knew exactly where the restroom and bath were.

“Phew~”

Precisely because only women lived here, every corner of the house was cleaned beautifully, and the bathroom was no exception. 

The house was quite large, and the interior was luxurious. 

When I thought about the power of the Hououin family’s wealth, as Shirayuki had said, it didn’t seem wrong for her to say that she could keep me locked up in this mansion and take care of me for the rest of my life.

“You can stay here forever, you know? As long as you’re here, that’s all that matters to us. You don’t have to worry about anything in life, even if you don’t feel any anxiety about living. Eventually, I plan to talk to Touma-kun’s family— Oh, it’s not like I’m going to hurt them or anything, okay? It might be to make them feel frustrated, though♪”

Hisui’s expression at that moment was joyful but at the same time, it was like that of a hunter looking to catch its prey

Well, I didn’t have any attachment to my current family, and even if this connection was severed, it wouldn’t be a problem at all… Rather, my heart had been screaming to be released from my current family and to be by their side.

“… Okay, here we go.”

I was satisfied to have unexpectedly finished quickly and left the toilet. As I tried to return to Hisui’s room, footsteps other than mine echoed in the hallway. I became scared, thinking it might be a ghost, but it turned out to be Shirayuki, who walked towards me.

“Oh, Touma-kun♪”

She didn’t walk around in her negligee and instead ran towards me, hugging me while wearing a jacket. 

However, even though she had a jacket on, it didn’t provide much protection. 

Just wearing it left her front exposed, and from the waist down, she was only wearing underwear, revealing her thigh and other parts of her skin.

“Did I wake you up?”

“Yes, it happened right around the time you left the room.”

“I see… sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.”

Shirayuki told me not to apologize, so I stopped there. 

I wondered if Hisui was also awake, but she was sound asleep, so it was safe to assume she wasn’t disturbed.

“My mother isn’t young anymore. That’s why it’s inevitable for her to be exhausted if she exercises a lot before going to bed.”

“Shirayuki-san is being clear about it, huh.”

“Fufu♪”

Hisui wasn’t young compared to us, but her beauty made her look like a college student, which was unfair. 

Even if we told people her age, they wouldn’t believe us because Hisui looked too young and youthful.

“What should we do? It’s still 2am in the middle of the night, but I’m already awake.”

“Well, let’s see… I might feel sleepy again soon though.”

“In that case, why don’t we talk for a bit? We can go back to sleep once we’re tired again.”

I nodded in agreement to her suggestion and followed Shirayuki to the living room. 

Even though it was just one room, I still thought it was quite spacious. Without any particular plans, Shirayuki and I stood in front of a large window and gazed at the starry sky.

The beautiful full moon was there in the sky full of stars… it made me feel as if it was blessing the two of us, who were truly connected.

“…Shirayuki.”

“♪♪”

I placed my hand on her shoulder and hugged her. 

It was something I did, thinking that it might be good to do it in moments like these, but judging by her reaction, it seemed to have been the right move.

“Touma-kun, there are so many things I want to say. The happiness overflowing in my heart is beyond words.”

“I’m happy too.”

“I’m glad… but—”

At that point, Shirayuki cut off her words and looked up at me. 

Her eyes were still dark, and they looked as if they were painted over by darkness, but I had a weakness for them, and I loved those eyes of hers.

“It’s still not enough. Even if you say, ‘Isn’t it enough already? What else could you want?’ I can’t help it because I want more. Is it selfish of me to want more time with Touma-kun, whom I have been waiting for so long, without limit?”

“I don’t think so. If anything, I’m glad you feel that strongly about me.”

Shirayuki smiled when I said that.

“You really do love heavy love, don’t you, Touma-kun… Hehe, I’m so happy that we’re so compatible.”

“…Actually, I never thought I’d be able to meet with Shirayuki and Hisui like this. So it’s only natural that you guys are the only ones in my eyes, right?”

“Yandere girls are the best,” I said, giving her a thumbs up.

After talking with Shirayuki for a while, it was time to return to Hisui’s room, but then Shirayuki suddenly said something.

“Touma-kun, there’s something I’ve been thinking about.”

“What is it?”

“I… I wanted revenge on Koizumi-kun. I wanted to unleash the anger I’ve been holding inside me, thinking about how many times he’s taken advantage of my body.”

“That’s…”

I didn’t say it so clearly, but I knew that Shirayuki and Hisui were holding a grudge against Yosuke… Although I couldn’t help but wonder about it considering their circumstances. 

Shirayuki chuckled and continued speaking.

“However, he didn’t intentionally manipulate everything… so I don’t think it’s right to take out our anger on him. Right now, I believe it’s much more meaningful to dedicate my time to you, rather than wasting my energy on that.”

Just like before, she took my arm.

“But it’s inevitable that we might be caught off guard and seen by others. It’s inevitable that we might be overheard… just like when he called when we were in your room, even if it wasn’t my fault.”

“Shirayuki, you have a really wicked look on your face, you know?”

“Is that so? Koizumi-kun and I are just old friends, and we don’t have a special relationship. So even if he falls in love with some other girl and learns the truth and despairs, it has nothing to do with me.”

Shirayuki’s eyes at that moment were cold and scary enough to make me avert my gaze.

Well, even if she had such a cold stare, my body was not reading the air as I was aroused by the tremendous softness I felt on my arm.

But, I had a feeling that the changes that would occur in this world would not be limited to just the two of us.

[Afterword]

We’ve come to an interlude.