Chapter 112: Soothing

Translator: Soafp

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[Moegi PoV]

Sitting on the sofa with no energy left, he stared into the void, not saying anything. He appeared to be an empty shell, devoid of his usual enthusiasm and gentle demeanor.

“Hello? Izayoi-kun? It’s your Kohaku~”

Kohaku-chan whispered into his ear, but he remained silent, his eyes lacking their usual highlights. Normally, he would have a grin on his face, but now he was mute. Overwhelmingly so… Oh, wait, he’s still aware.

“Izayoi-kun…”

Kohaku-chan moved away from his side and approached us.

“Izayoi-kun seems to be in quite a slump.”

“Kuro has yuzu pepper on his wound, so it must be bad. There’s no helping it.”

“Ugh, Izayoi-kun, he is always so lovey-dovey, but…”

Kohaku-chan let out a frustrated sigh. But there was no other way. He was clearly going through a tough time, so the usual methods might not help him recover.

That’s why Karen-chan stepped up. She was wearing a maid outfit, her face beet red like a boiling octopus, and she moved closer to him. She had a headband and a predominantly black mini skirt.

She had worn a similar outfit during the play, but it seemed much more embarrassing this time.

“T-today only, Izayoi is my m-m-master! S-so, please, you may command anything!”

Her speech pattern! Her speech pattern was all over the place! Her eyes! Her eyes were spinning in confusion! Well, I understand that it’s embarrassing…

“…Cute.”

Ah! He reacted a bit! A glimmer returned to his eyes, and there seemed to be a slight chance he would emerge from his cocoon of despair.

“But, uh, you know, such extreme things are only for special relationships… Well, but I can give you a head pillow, for example. Come on, lean your head here…”

She sat on the sofa and pointed to her lap. Her thighs looked soft and beautiful, although she appeared slender.

“Is this okay?”

“It’s fine.”

Even when he was told it was okay, he seemed hesitant, his head swaying. He’s quite chicken-hearted in situations like this. She seemed to understand that, as she grabbed his head and gently placed it on her thigh.

“Th-This is…”

“I can even clean your ears if you want…”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“What…really? Please!”

He seemed to recover too quickly, didn’t he?! The power of Karen-chan in a maid outfit is terrifying!

“How about it?”

“I’m happy!”

“Feeling better?”

“I’m feeling much better!”

“Alright… you’re just impossible to deal with…”

She smiled faintly as she said that. Her expression was a bit different from usual, with a slight smile. She continued cleaning his ears with a cotton swab she must have prepared in advance.

“What a sneaky person…”

“I wish I could have done it…”

Their envious gazes were directed at them. Aoi-chan had a soft spot for him and was giving him special care, while Kohaku-chan’s gaze was straightforward.

But for now, it was Karen-chan’s turn.

“How is it?”

“I feel so happy!”

“Has your spirits lifted?”

“They’ve lifted!”

“Is that so… well, it can’t be helped.”

She couldn’t help it, even as she said that. She had a slightly different expression, thin and delicate, while she continued to clean his ears.

“Addictive, isn’t it…”

She smiled thinly as he said this.

“Is it okay if it becomes a habit?”

I don’t quite get the meaning of that phrase, but it sounded really nice!

There was something alluring and maternal about her, making you feel like you were returning to your childhood innocence. Should I call it “babyness”? I don’t know what this feeling is! She’s always referred to as the main heroine, but there’s no doubt that she feels that way.

He completely entrusted himself to her, and he relaxed as time passed.

“Alright, now for the other side…”

“I’ll do it this time.”

Once Karen-chan finished cleaning one of his ears, Kohaku-chan, who had changed into a maid outfit without us noticing, was sitting on the opposite side of him, facing off with Karen-chan. She moved quickly and stealthily.

“Is this a second-rate attempt?”

“Just a pure desire for Izayoi-kun to be pleased.”

“She’s so sneaky…”

Despite her short skirt, she lifted it slightly, revealing her white thigh even more. Uwaaaaaa… those thighs look really well-toned! Can I rest my head on them?

“I think I’m softer and more comfortable to sleep on.”

Just like a spider. She spun a web and trapped her prey! But it’s not meaningful if the prey doesn’t get caught… Oh, yeah, he’s definitely caught.

“Ugh, the feeling of almost seeing something but not quite is unbearable…”

“Hey! You can’t do that kind of thing!”

Her seductive invitation was a bit naughty. The more you struggle to break free from the entwining threads, the more entangled you become. He couldn’t help but be conscious of her.

“Well, may I?”

She pointed to her thigh with her finger, inviting him with a gesture. He swayed and was drawn towards her…

“Hey, I’m here!”

“Ha!”

He awakened to Karen-chan’s words. Then, Kohaku-chan gently enveloped him with both her hands and spoke in a sweet, cat-like voice.

“Izayoi-kun, do you not like my ear cleaning?”

“Uh, well…”

With determination and a strong will, she held onto his other hand, showing her usual spirit. She looked up at him with a slight upward gaze.

“Are you not satisfied with me?”

“Uh, well, it’s not like that…”

“But you were about to go to Kohaku instead of me… Am I not as reliable as Kohaku?”

“That’s right…Izayoi prefers someone older and more dependable…”

“Ah, no, …. I”

What is this new kind of chaos… both of them oozing an aura of despair… It’s clear that it’s an effective tactic based on what’s happening in front of me.

Just as I was thinking that, Aoi-chan stepped in to stop the two of them.

“That’s enough… Kuro is in trouble.”

“That’s true…”

“You’re right.”

Thanks to Aoi-chan’s intervention, the chaotic situation was diffused.

“Kuro.”

“Yes?”

“Feeling better?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

“I’m glad, then.”

Here it is! Aoi-chan’s “unconscious” head-pat and smile. What an innocent smile without ulterior motives. There’s no calculation or deceit, which makes it an incredibly effective move.

“H-Hello….”

“If you keep using ‘Nadepo’ and ‘Nicopo’ unconsciously like this, there’s nothing more to say.”

“Even I! I’m just relieved that you’re safe, Izayoi-kun!”

Now, Kohaku-chan started petting and winked. Her wink had such a sparkling impact that it felt amazing, but I couldn’t help but feel it was a bit different from Aoi-chan’s. Maybe it’s just me.

“Nikopo and Nadepo work because she used unconsciously. You should stop pretending to be a natural and innocent heroine.”

“Unconscious, you say?”

“Stop lying! Acting like a natural and innocent heroine, it’s about time you quit that!”

“Hmm? I… don’t really get it.”

“Whatever.”

While these two were chatting, Aoi-chan brought in a large pair of goggles.

“This is VR. I won it in some contest.”

“Is it okay for me to try it?”

“Yeah, it’s a sword fighting game.”

He put on the goggles and started the game.

“This is amaaaaaaazing! Ooooooooh, w-watch out!”

From the outside, it looked quite surreal, and being inside the house made it potentially dangerous.

“Ouch!”

He accidentally bumped into the table, and it seemed the confusion from the different visual perspective caused him to lose his balance. He stumbled around and then grabbed onto something to steady himself.

“Uh, what’s happening, Izayoi-kun? Is that…?”

“I’m really sorry!!!”

His right hand ended up on her ch*st, causing Kohaku-chan’s face to turn red. Although he couldn’t see, he must have sensed something from the touch and quickly removed his hand. But the momentum was too strong, and his right hand…

“I-Izayoi…! What on earth…!”

His hand ended up touching her chest again, and she was clearly taken aback. Kohaku-chan had a modest bust compared to the others, and it seemed this situation was too much even for her.

And then, his hand moved again, at incredible speed, towards Aoi-chan’s direction, and without a doubt, it ended up on her ch*st.

What is going on with this mysterious trajectory?

“Kuro?”

“Are you for real, I’m soooooooorrryyy!”

He tried to move away, but his legs got tangled, causing him to lose balance and fall towards me. It was dangerous, so I tried to support him, but instead, he tried to regain his balance at an unusual speed, and both of his hands ended up grabbing both of my breasts.

I’m about an F cup, so I’m the second largest after Kohaku-chan. Well, not that it matters.

Is he doing this on purpose…? But then again, it’s in VR, so could it really be a miracle?

He quickly let go and took off the VR goggles, then bowed deeply.

“I’m really, really sorry!!! I didn’t do it on purpose, it’s just an unbelievable series of coincidences, but I didn’t do it on purpose!”

“I understand… Well, it’s a bit too much of a coincidence… And besides, something similar happened before.”

“Well, if you’re apologizing so much… I guess I’ll forgive you. It doesn’t seem like you did it intentionally, and you seem genuinely sorry… But seriously, what is this miraculous chain of four consecutive lucky accidents?”

“I’m really sorry! I can’t believe something like this happened! I’m really sorry! I’m acting weird, I know! I’m so embarrassed!”

I vaguely remembered that something similar had happened with Kohaku-chan before. She blushed even more at the memory. Kohaku-chan was covering her chest with her hands, but it seemed like she was leaning towards forgiveness. He was still bowing, not lifting his head at all.

“Well, I’ll forgive you. I can tell you didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Thank you so much!”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Grandma used to say you shouldn’t let just anyone touch your body, but it’s okay if it’s someone important. So, don’t apologize so much, okay?”

“Aoi-sama…”

She smiled and gently patted his head again. In his mind, she had become a goddess.

“Moegi-senpai, I’m sorry too!”

“It’s okay, really… As long as it wasn’t on purpose.”

“Thank you!”

His kneeling continued for a few minutes.

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He was reflecting on what had happened earlier. He stood on the balcony of his second-floor bedroom, feeling the breeze.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing…”

Once again, the glint of despair returned to his eyes.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“I… I’m just worried that everyone was secretly upset about it…”

“Everyone said they forgave you. Including me, of course.”

“But what if deep down they really were upset?”

“Don’t worry; I guarantee they’re not.”

Maybe I should tell him that everyone likes him for who he is?

“Were you really not upset, Moegi-senpai?”

“I was surprised, I guess… But you really don’t have to worry about it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely sure.”

He always tends to overthink things, especially when it comes to us. He quickly recovers from his own issues or just abandons his thoughts, but when it’s about us, he thinks deeply. But I wish he could relax a bit more and not overanalyze things…

“Is it that you don’t trust your girlfriend’s words?”

“Huh, my… girlfriend!?”

“Why are you so surprised? I mean, we’ve all confessed and accepted the harem thing, right? So, I’m technically your only girlfriend, right?”

“R-right!”

“Yeah. So, if your girlfriend says you don’t need to worry, do you still worry?”

“Well, I mean…”

“You mean?”

“I don’t really…”

“Don’t really?”

“I don’t worry at all…”

“That’s better.”

Referring to himself as her girlfriend must be incredibly embarrassing for him… I should probably refrain from saying it again.

The evening sun illuminated us, and the wind gently brushed past us. The fact that we were sharing this moment together secretly made me happy.

“Should we tell everyone about, you know, our current relationship?”

By ‘our current relationship,’ he probably meant our romantic relationship. I’m not sure if keeping it a secret is the right thing to do, but I think it’s better not to say anything for now.

“I think you don’t need to tell them. If you do, everyone might get flustered. Rushing them to make a judgment is not what you want, right?”

“You’re right. So, let’s keep it a secret.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Our secret romantic relationship is… well, it’s a bit complicated, with mixed feelings of guilt towards others. But there’s also happiness.

“A lover, huh… Moegi-senpai is my lover, and she’s my girlfriend… Man, this is the best!”

“When you put it that way, it’s embarrassing…”

“Sorry. I’m just so happy! I can’t believe someone as wonderful as you is my girlfriend. I’m really lucky!”

He smiled, genuinely happy from the depths of his heart. When I saw that smile, I realized once again that I truly loved him. I couldn’t help but smile from the heart as well.

“I’m lucky too.”

We laughed together, and in that moment, I felt that we had truly become lovers.

End of Lightning’s Thoughts arc