Chapter 46: Taught Fried Horse Mackerel

Translator: Soafp

TL: And we are back.

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I received a message from Kikawa Moegi, so I headed to the guest room where she was sleeping. I turned on the hallway lights, went downstairs, crossed the corridor, and knocked on the door a few times.

Slowly, the door opened. I tried not to wake up the two sleeping girls by making any noise.

“Good evening…”

“Yes, good evening.”

“Uhm, it’s a bit awkward to ask…”

“You need to use the bathroom and you’re afraid to go alone, so you want me to accompany you, right?”

“…………Is there no other way to put it?”

“I thought a direct approach would save time. It would be troublesome if there were delays in you going to the bathroom and you ended up having an accident due to the slight time loss.”

“…………Even so, I’d appreciate it if you could put it in a more subtle way…”

“I see. I apologize. Well then, let’s go quickly.”

“Y-yeah.”

She left the room and followed behind me. We were quite close, and she subtly held onto the hem of my pajamas. It was cute and made my heart skip a beat.

Outside, it was raining heavily and the wind was strong. The sound of the rain and the strong wind gave a slightly eerie feeling. However, her presence was stronger in my mind than any fear.

“Ugh… It’s creepy…”

“There’s nothing to worry about. As I mentioned before, there has never been any supernatural occurrence in this house.”

“But there might be today by chance…”

“I understand how you feel, but it’ll be fine.”

She was walking with her legs together and was having a hard time making progress. It seemed like she had been holding it in for quite a while.

“W-Wait a minute. I need a moment to calm down…”

“Are you okay?”

“M-Maybe… I might not make it…”

She turned pale. She seemed to be thinking of the worst-case scenario. I should reassure her.

“It’ll be alright. Even if you have an accident, I won’t tell anyone. I’ll clean it up right away.”

“Don’t talk to me like I’m going to pee my pants!　I won’t leak!　And even if I do, I told you to keep it subtle!”

“I’m sorry…”

“Ah, mou.. I feel a bit better now…”

“That’s good… Uhm… Let’s go to the bathroom and make sure there’s no flooding.”

“……Okay, but for now, thank you for being more subtle.”

I stopped in front of the bathroom door.

“I’ll wait outside.”

“Yeah… And, uhm…”

She had a facial expression that seemed like she wanted to say something. But it’s okay, I understood everything she wanted to say. She didn’t want me to hear any sounds from inside the bathroom. I’m a gentleman, so I’ll respond immediately.

“It’ll be okay. I’ll play the story of Momotaro on my phone to cover any sounds.”

“Oh, yeah. Thank you for your consideration…”

“You’re welcome.”

She entered the bathroom, and I started playing the story of Momotaro on my phone.

[Once upon a time, in a certain place…]

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Afterward, she went to the sink to wash her hands, so I followed her.

“Uhm… I’m reflected in the mirror, right? I’m not smiling creepily or anything, right?”

“No, you’re not.”

She closed her eyes, washed her hands, and then quickly left the mirror without looking at it. I followed suit… She must have been told a really scary story. She usually avoids scary stories as much as possible because it can disrupt her daily life. Just seeing a scary story commercial on TV would make her change the channel and avoid it for three months. That’s how serious she is about it. That’s why, even though she’s easily scared, she can live alone… But this time, after hearing a scary story from Gindou Kohaku, she became unable to do anything.

I also dislike scary stories and try to avoid them. However, I can go to the bathroom alone. Well, at least… haunted houses are a different story…

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I returned to the front of the room once again.

“Th-thank you… f-for coming with me… because I couldn’t go alone…”

“No worries, don’t mention it.”

“And, I was a bit confused earlier, so I spoke forcefully… I’m sorry…”

“It’s alright. You were in a tough situation, so anyone would react like that. But staying up late is the enemy of beauty. Let’s go to sleep quickly. You won’t be able to wake up tomorrow if you stay up too late.”

“Y-yeah, let’s do that… Goodnight…”

“Goodnight.”

I left the room and went back upstairs. I’m glad she didn’t cause a major flood.

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[Moegi PoV]

I recalled a past memory when I used to live with my mother after my parents separated.

[I-I can’t go to the toilet, Mommy!]

[Don’t worry, Mommy will go with you.]

I was scared to go alone, so my mother always held my hand.

[M-Mommy, a-are you there!?]

[I’m here, so it’s okay.]

[I-I’m scared, so please sing something.]

[Alright, I’ll sing the song of Momotaro… Momotaro-san, Momotaro-san, please give me one of the millet dumplings from your waist…]

Even when I was inside the toilet, I would keep checking if my mother was still there and asked her to sing for me. It’s a nostalgic and cherished memory. It calms my heart.

I felt a similar sense of reassurance earlier, just like back then. The strong back of a mother by my side, full of love. It’s as if… my mother has come back to life… It must be an illusion, but it feels so real. It made me feel lonely again.

But… I want to experience that sense of reassurance and love once more.

…What am I thinking? I shook my head lightly to interrupt my thoughts.

I lay down in my own bed. As I’m positioned in the middle between the two, I have a clear view of their adorable faces on both sides. Seeing their peaceful expressions, I couldn’t bring myself to disturb them, so I asked him for help. At first, I hesitated, wondering if it was okay to ask, if it wasn’t presumptuous of me, but… asking him…

—-It feels like it was the right decision.

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[Izayoi PoV]

I woke up as the alarm clock rang and headed downstairs with a slight trace of sleepiness. I could hear the sound of someone cutting something coming from the living room.

“Good morning, Izayoi-kun. Sorry for using the kitchen without permission.”

“No problem at all.”

It seemed that Gindou Kohaku was preparing breakfast. She’s so domestic, and yet there’s a certain charm to her being in her sleepwear…

“Breakfast will be ready in a little while, so please have a seat.”

“Yes.”

Are the two of them still not awake…? I knew that Hihara Karen is not a morning person, but I didn’t expect the same from Kikawa Moegi… Breakfast will be ready soon. I should probably go wake them up.

“I’ll go wake the two of them up.”

“I’ll go once I finish preparing, then.”

“No, please let me handle this.”

“Is that so? Well, please take care then.”

“Yes.”

I left the living room and headed to the guest room. When I entered, I saw both of them sleeping comfortably on their backs. Hihara Karen had her belly exposed, and her face had a slight smile.

Kikawa Moegi held Hihara Karen’s hand and had a satisfied expression. It’s a pity that I won’t be able to see their sleeping faces, more precious than angels, any longer, but I have to wake them up.

“Hihara-senpai, please wake up. It’s morning.”

“Mmm… You can’t buy me halfway around the world.”

It seems like she’s still half-asleep. I wonder what kind of dream she’s having? She’s smiling so happily, so it must be a dream with a great sense of fulfillment…

“Please wake up.”

I shook her shoulders. However, she didn’t wake up easily. I shook her forcefully, repeatedly. Finally, she opened her eyes, still slightly drowsy, but…

“Senpai, please wake up…”

“Hmm… Huh? Where’s Demon Lord Izayoi?”

“Wake up quickly instead of being half-asleep. Breakfast will be ready soon.”

“Oh, yeaaaah… right.”

She seemed to still have some sleepiness lingering as she swayed her head and made her way to the living room. However, her foot got caught in the blanket, causing her to stumble and fall towards me.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just five more minutes like this…”

She leaned against me and closed her eyes. I can hear her breathing. I want to wake her up, but there’s nothing I can do. I’ll go wake up Kikawa-senpai first. It’s not like I want to stay like this.

“Kikawa-senpai, please wake up.”

“Mmm…”

She woke up immediately and realized the situation.

“Oh, sorry. Thank you for waking me up.”

“No problem. Breakfast is almost ready, so let’s go.”

“Yeah… Eh? What’s wrong with Karen-chan?”

“She said five more minutes like this. So, I will stay like this.”

“Ah…I see, I will go a head then.”

After realizing the situation upon waking up, Hihara Karen was surprised and flustered.

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After the three of us had dinner together, they left the house early. The reason was that it would not be good if they were seen leaving the house with me. It would be a disaster if any strange rumors were to be spread about the girls.

After the three of us had dinner together, they left the house early. The reason was that it would not be good if they were seen leaving the house with me. It would be a disaster if any strange rumors were to be spread about the girls.

Today, the three “Masou Shoujo” are talking side by side. In the center is Kikawa Moegi. To the left of her is Gindou Kohaku and to the right is Hihara Karen.

“As I thought, I’m not very good at getting up early.”

“What do you meant with ‘early’?　Getting up early means getting up at 4 am.”

“Isn’t that too early?”

I spent a leisurely morning at school that day, albeit a little early.

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This day was nothing special, but the school handed out a letter about how to use the Internet. What’s more, I didn’t know about it, but it seems that the newspaper club was on hiatus. I was surprised to hear from Sasamoto.

When did this happen? I can’t hide my feelings, but from what I’ve heard, it seems it was recently. It seems that even the teachers were outraged by the newspaper.

It was just another day like that.

After school that day, Gindou Kohaku invited us to a study session in the library…

“Oh, this place is not good.”

As expected, the library was filled with numerous books and desks and chairs for studying. There were other students who had the intention to study, but there were empty seats scattered around, so we found a corner to study.

“This place is also not right.”

“Oh, this place is also not good.”

It was quite challenging to find a suitable spot with the three of them. Although they had no need to study at all, they all took it upon themselves to teach me. It was a bit of a blow to my pride since I should be mentally older than them…

“Izayoi-kun, you have a lot of spelling mistakes, you know?”

“Izayoi, you made the same mistake earlier, you know?”

Gindou Kohaku kindly advised me, while Hihara Karen lightly tapped my head, perhaps to boost my determination.

“You need to be more aware of this.”

Kikawa Moegi gave me precise guidance. The three of them wanted me to achieve good grades, so they guided me every day.

The attention from the people around us was intense, and it was quite challenging, but I couldn’t disregard the feelings of the three of them. So, until the day of the test, I immersed myself in studying.

And finally, the day of the midterms arrived.

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