Chapter 627 - Girls' Get-Together
The next day—or rather, still today.
After failing to get to sleep properly, I finally passed out around five in the morning, slept right through the morning, and ended up waking up in the early afternoon.
My university is on summer break, and I have training with Kanata tonight, so I can justify the temporary disruption to my rhythm as necessary… but on this particular day, you could say my timing was bad.
Even if I had been up since morning, the present situation wouldn't have changed, but at least I would have had more time to mentally prepare.
So, allow me to describe the somewhat fantastical scene currently unfolding in my castle—a room in the Yotsuya dormitory—at three o'clock in the afternoon.
The main stage is the living room, furnished with a large table and sofa.
While not exactly cramped, the tabletop is laden with an array of what look like high-end store-bought sweets, and handmade treats boasting a quality that could easily be mistaken for them.
And sitting side-by-side on the sofa are three figures with white, black, and blonde hair.
I mean, look, I'd heard they were planning to do something soon, but still…
Couldn't they have a little consideration for the person being ambushed on the day of? When the doorbell rang and I opened the door to find the Yotsuya heiress herself, I was, to put it mildly, astonished.
And more than anything…
"Can a girls' party held in a guy's room truly be called a girls' party…?"
"You're in a separate category."
"For various reasons, we need you here, Haru."
"If we count Haru-chan, then we're all girls anyway."
"Hey, you, the last one. You want an extra-bitter espresso?"
Behind the assembled ladies, separated by the back of the sofa, I was busy preparing drinks in the kitchen area. My muttered complaint was apparently heard loud and clear by all three.
This is beside the point, but I feel like my real-world eyesight has been mysteriously improving lately.
It's not that far, but being able to clearly read Nia's little 'words' from a distance is pretty impressive, if I do say so myself.
I wonder if that gift has some strange magic on it besides the disguise effect—
As if to escape reality, I turned my now-excellent eyes to the window, but the high, narrow window—likely for security reasons—only offered an unchanging view of the sky.
The blinds are usually open, so it lets in plenty of sunlight, but according to Nagomi-san, it's designed so that no one can see in from the outside, no matter how hard they try.
I've decided not to think too deeply about how that works. It's probably one of those two-way mirror things. It must be.
It's just Yotsuya Development being Yotsuya Development.
"…Alright—here's your coffee, black."
"Thank you."
"Sora-san, a café au lait with no sugar."
"Thank you very much."
"And an espresso for the troublemaker."
"Yep, yep. Thanks for the espresso with two sugars and lots of milk~"
And for me, a café au lait with two sugars. And with that…
"Well then, ladies, please enjoy yourselves…"
I tried to make a swift retreat to my bedroom, but two pairs of arms shot out from the sofa and grabbed me. The flawless teamwork even included Ashe teleporting in front of me to snatch the cup from my hand without spilling a drop.
"Why???"
"Rather, why would you think you could get away in this situation?"
"I told you we need you here!"
"You're such a sore loser~"
And so it was, at three in the afternoon, teatime.
The girls' party siege, which had been planned while I was fast asleep, was perfectly executed. Even if that hadn't been the case, information had likely been deliberately withheld from me. There was no escape route left.
◇◆◇◆◇
One guy, surrounded by women. That said, with others watching, Sora, Nia, and Ashe wouldn't dare cling to me so openly.
In fact, they usually ignore me and start fawning over each other, so it can even be more peaceful than a one-on-one where the atmosphere can get weird in an instant—but my inner peace was nonexistent.
Seriously, I can't talk or move carelessly. What am I supposed to do?
If there was even one more person, things would be different, but with just four of us, it's unbearably awkward, and the difficulty level of the situation is just too high.
Fortunately, the three of them get along extremely well, which belies their true relationships with each other, but—
"Seriously, this whole thing is just… I don't know…"
"""…"""
That's what makes it so… complicated.
While they don't cling to me one-on-one, a situation where they cling to me as a group of three can occur… and when that happens, it's game over.
The room was dark, the blinds with their excellent light-blocking properties shutting out all trace of the afternoon sun, and the lights were turned off as well.
We were a huddle of four, pressed tightly together in front of the large, rarely used wall-mounted monitor—who planned this? Are they trying to kill me in the most specific way possible?
And for some reason, Nia and Ashe, flanking me on either side, and Sora-san, perched on my lap atop a cushion after winning a round of rock-paper-scissors, were all silent.
They were all watching the home theater screen with a mysterious tension, where a strangely unsettling intro was playing out.
Their 'girls' get-together' has been held several times before.
I'd heard from each of them that the recreational activities change each time based on their mood. Sometimes they just chat, sometimes they play analog games, and it's all so heartwarming that it makes me worry, like, "This is great, but are you guys really okay with this?"
But today's plan was 'movie appreciation'—ah, yeah, I see now.
It is the height of summer, so I kind of get why Sora said, "we need you here," and why they suddenly chose my castle as the venue.
"Why did you pick a horror movie when you're all bad with them???"
"""…"""
Say something, you guys. Don't get sucked in by an opening sequence where nothing is even happening yet.
I mean, I knew about Sora (no tolerance for any kind of intense fiction) and Nia (who once vehemently refused to enter a haunted house), but Ashe, you too?
With a princess and a fairy securing both my arms, and my partner acting as a feather-light weight on my lap, I truly couldn't move. The ladies were all frozen in a state of obvious caution and tension, and they didn't react at all to my exasperated comment.
Nia, on my right, what are you trembling at? That's the beautiful blue sky meant to establish the peaceful daily life in the movie.
Ashe, on my left, could you please stop squeezing my arm while maintaining a blank expression? At this rate, I'd like to ask what you plan to do with my poor left arm by the time we reach the climax.
And Sora-san, please decide whether you're going to be scared or embarrassed.
It can't be helped that you went along with Nia's playful suggestion and ended up winning, but the girl, frozen stiff for two reasons, has been tense and motionless for a while now. I'm actually starting to worry about her.
What is this?
Since I had no one to talk to, I said it again, this time out loud to myself.
"What is this?"
"""…"""
My battle had only just begun.