"...My heart is still, without ripples."
Natsuki silently put down his phone and continued eating with Tsubame.
He just wanted Moeha to back down; he really didn't intend to take advantage of a junior high student, let alone Chika's sister.
Of course.
Haruno and Yukino are unrelated. One is a university student, the other a high school student. At most, they would only be morally condemned.
We should have the ambition of a Prime Minister. If others can have a sisters rice bowl, then we certainly can too.
However, not long after, his phone vibrated gently again.
Moeha sent another message:
"Senpai, you've already read it, why aren't you replying?"
"It took me so much courage to send Senpai a message, Senpai, please don't ignore me."
"Senpai Senpai Senpai~"
Following a string of messages was a rolling panda emoji, clearly indicating that she wouldn't give up until she achieved her goal.
Natsuki had no choice but to reply:
"There's a big difference between just saying something and actually doing it. Not many people truly follow through."
Moeha: "It's not just talk! I'll prove it to Senpai right now!"
"..."
One minute.
Two minutes.
Three minutes...
As expected, she's just a junior high student. Where's the promised proof?
After sending the message, there wasn't even a trace of her!
A moment later.
Natsuki was eating dessert after his meal when his phone suddenly vibrated gently.
Picking up his phone, he saw a photo sent by Moeha.
"Hmm?"
Natsuki raised an eyebrow slightly and subconsciously picked up his phone.
Hey, hey, it wouldn't be the kind of photo he was imagining, would it?
Click to view.
A photo appeared before his eyes.
The scene was familiar.
The location was Fujiwara's bathroom.
To be precise, it was in the bathtub, a selfie clearly taken from a low angle.
The protagonist of the selfie was, naturally, Moeha.
The junior high girl had a towel wrapped around her head and was sitting in the bathtub. Her slightly round face was flushed, clearly very shy. Because she was looking up, her mouth was slightly open, making her look exceptionally cute.
Of course, in most people's eyes, other parts were actually more attention-grabbing.
For example...
How white the moonlight was.
Even though she had covered herself well with her arms, the moonlight under the lights was still dazzlingly white, practically bursting forth.
If Juju saw this, she would definitely be clenching her small fists right now.
This level shouldn't even appear on a junior high student!
Natsuki sighed helplessly:
"A girl's curiosity is indeed too terrifying."
Just because she wanted to know who Aoi's mother was, she was actually willing to take a selfie to prove it.
Natsuki was about to send a message when, in the chat window, more pictures popped up again.
One.
Two.
Three...
A dozen or so photos popped out all at once.
Natsuki was shocked.
"Hey, hey, one selfie is enough for proof! Why send so many at once?"
"Is your curiosity really that strong?!"
As he inwardly complained, Natsuki subconsciously tapped on the image and began browsing.
These selfies were taken in various locations, some in the bathtub, some in the bathroom, indicating they weren't all from the same place.
It seemed that Moeha was busy taking selfies in different spots during the time she disappeared after sending the message, which was why there was no follow-up.
And upon closer inspection, these photos didn't even seem to have been taken on the same day.
"Unbelievable, today's junior high students are truly unbelievable; they have all sorts of selfie poses… They can even cover their bodies with one finger while taking mirror selfies, I'm learning new things…"
Natsuki sighed inwardly, suddenly recalling a saying.
The quieter a girl seems normally, the greater the contrast, which truly made sense.
Before Natsuki could decide what to say, the photos were suddenly withdrawn quickly.
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
Even through the phone screen, Moeha's embarrassment was palpable: "My internet was bad just now, I made a mistake!"
Natsuki finally knew how to reply:
"My internet was bad just now, the pictures didn't load."
Moeha: "…"
Liar!
You clearly read them all!
Moeha: "Th-that, it really was an internet issue just now, Senpai didn't save them, right?"
Natsuki said earnestly:
"Of course not, but it's best not to send photos like these to others in the future. It'll be very troublesome if someone saves them and then uses them to threaten you."
Moeha: "I didn't send them to anyone else! I only sent them to Senpai!"
"To think I let Senpai see so many embarrassing photos, I'll kill myself! I'll hold my breath and kill myself right now!"
"…"
She must have truly reached the limit of her embarrassment; Moeha didn't even ask who Aoi's mother was before going offline.
"Senpai, let's go."
Natsuki put away his phone, finished the last bite of dessert, and left the restaurant with Tsubame and Aoi.
The journey was silent.
After returning home with Tsubame and coaxing Aoi to sleep, Natsuki didn't linger with her today and quickly bid farewell.
He absolutely had to visit the Midnight Theater today.
Sadako wanted mahjong company.
The Human Faced Dog wanted to chat with Sayu.
Most importantly, Yandere Kaguya, if not appeased for a long time, might turn dark again and chop down everyone else in the theater with a hatchet.
It wouldn't be an issue if Senpai was around, but Aoi was also there. Once the Theater opened, Aoi would be drawn into it, so he could only leave.
"Senpai, I'm heading back now."
Natsuki stood at the entrance, speaking softly.
"Be careful." Tsubame nodded gently, "Text me when you get home."
Natsuki raised his right hand, pointed to his lips, and said:
"Before I leave, shouldn't Senpai give me a safe kiss?"
Tsubame's pretty face flushed, and she glared at him:
"There's no such thing!"
Natsuki stepped forward half a pace and embraced Senpai's soft, slender waist.
"Then I'll just take it myself."
"Don't…"
Just as Tsubame was about to change her words, her voice was choked in her throat. Her eyelashes fluttered shut, and then she subconsciously wrapped her arms around Natsuki's neck, beginning to respond.
A moment later.
"Th-that's enough!"
Tsubame pushed Natsuki away, panting, her pretty face flushed like fire. One hand wiped a silver thread from the corner of her lips, while the other tightly clutched her chest, her eyes filled with shame and anger.
Before, it was just an honest kiss, but now, as soon as they kissed, he started getting handsy… Lewd! Increasingly lewd!
Natsuki wiped the corner of his lips and said seriously:
"Senpai, thank you for the hospitality."
"Pfft~" Tsubame lightly spat, "Natsuki-kun can go home now."
Natsuki licked his lips, shamelessly saying:
"Actually, staying a bit longer is fine too…"
"One hundred percent no!" Tsubame crossed her arms over her chest and shouted in embarrassment, "Natsuki-kun, don't push your luck!"
"…"
Natsuki reluctantly walked out the door and arrived at the train station, just about to take the train home, when his right pinky finger suddenly trembled.
"Is it Chika?"
Natsuki immediately felt guilty: "Could it be that Moeha's matter has been discovered?"
He took out his phone from his pocket and saw Chika's message pop up:
"President, help!"
Natsuki couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It was good that she wasn't demanding an explanation; it seemed the matter hadn't been exposed yet.
Chika: "A super disgusting Evil Spirit appeared at home! It follows me wherever I go. I've tolerated it for a long time, but I can't stand it anymore!"
Natsuki: "I'll be right there."
The journey was silent.
He soon arrived at Chika's house.
"President, just come right in." Chika stood at the doorway, eagerly awaiting him, "My parents are out traveling, so it's just Moeha and I at home."
"Then I'll come in." Natsuki said as he stepped through the door, "Speaking of which, today seems to be the first time I've entered openly. It truly feels better to sneak in."
Chika casually closed the door, then bent down to retrieve a pair of slippers and placed them in front of Natsuki.
"Before, it was only out of necessity, sneaking in didn't feel good at all."
Natsuki asked while changing his slippers:
"What about that Evil Spirit that's been following you?"
"It's in my room." Chika said, full of resentment, "I went out today and spent the whole day shopping with friends. I don't know where I offended that Evil Spirit, it just had to follow me, all the way from the shopping mall back home. Maybe it was a stalker in its past life!"
Natsuki stroked his chin and said:
"Even a stalker wouldn't follow just anyone. In the end, isn't it because secretary Chika is too cute?"
"Hmph hmph, of course."
Chika put her hands on her hips, raised her chin, and snorted twice proudly, showing no shyness at all.
If Shoko were suddenly praised for being cute, her head would probably already be buried in her chest by now.
"President, hurry up." Chika urged, "Let's go to the room and eliminate that Evil Spirit first."
"Mm."
Upon entering Chika's room, Natsuki looked up and saw an Evil Spirit squatting in the corner, barely maintaining a human form, wearing a trench coat, with something resembling a camera hanging on its chest. It indeed looked very much like a stalking pervert.
"That's the one."
Chika pointed a finger.
"Can… you see me?"
A hollow, ethereal voice drifted out, and the stalker Evil Spirit's body quickly began to twist and deform.
"Evil Spirit Exorcism."
Natsuki didn't waste words, calmly activating the Evil Spirit Exorcism.
Invisible, transparent flames immediately ignited on the Evil Spirit's body, quickly burning it to ashes.
"It's finally gone…" Chika breathed a sigh of relief, clutching her chest, "A whole semester has passed, and I still can't ignore these Evil Spirits."
Natsuki looked at Chika and said:
"The reward for eliminating the hotel anomaly has been issued. Do you want to use a duplication scroll to copy Evil Spirit Exorcism?"
"Eh…" Chika blinked, thought for a few seconds, and then quickly shook her head, "Never mind. While the Evil Spirit Exorcism is incredibly useful, it's not a true necessity yet."
Natsuki raised an eyebrow slightly, already having a guess in his mind:
"Then what is the true necessity?"
Chika raised her chin, her voice clear:
"Of course, it's that skill that converts fat into energy, so you can eat as much as you want without getting fat!"
Natsuki: "…"
As expected.
The skill to never get fat no matter how much you eat is truly the divine skill in the hearts of gluttons.
"President, please sit for a moment." Chika opened her wardrobe, took out a change of clothes, "I haven't showered yet, I'll go shower first."
Natsuki raised his hand and said:
"I've also sweated a lot; I want to shower too."
Chika replied without looking back:
"You can shower after I'm done, President."
Natsuki said:
"That's too much wasted water. We can shower together and I can help scrub your back."
"In short, no." Chika glared at him, "Moeha is still at home. You can shower after I'm done, President."
"…"
Natsuki sat down in the room, casually took out a coin, and lightly tossed it to charge.
Lucky Goddess's Favor was incredibly useful, but its drawback was the occasional need for bad luck.
Fortunately, after all this time, everyone had gradually gotten used to it.
Click.
The door was suddenly pushed open.
"Sister, something bad has happened…" A Moeha suddenly pushed the door open and barged in, then her eyes widened in disbelief, "Eh eh eh? Senpai?!"
Natsuki raised his right hand and casually greeted her:
"Moeha, good evening."
"Se-Senpai, it's really you?!" Moeha's face quickly flushed red, clearly remembering the photos she had sent earlier, and her voice became a stutter, "Se-Senpai, why are you in Sister's room?"
"Chika said an Evil Spirit has been bothering her, and she called me to help exorcise it." Natsuki didn't hide anything. Although this Moeha wasn't a player, her luck was very bad, and she had already encountered two Strange Tales, so she could barely be considered half an insider, thus there was no need to hide the truth. "Chika is showering in the bathroom."
"Oh, I see…" Moeha's face was crimson, and she turned and slipped away, "Goodbye, Senpai!"
"…"
However, not long after, the door was quietly pushed open again, creating a small gap.
Moeha poked half of her small face in, stammering softly:
"Um, Senpai, are you busy right now? Could you help me with something?"
Natsuki casually asked, "What's wrong?"
"My friend gave me a rhinoceros beetle before, and I was just about to feed it when I suddenly found it missing. I can't find it anywhere," Moeha said pitifully. "I don't even dare to go back to my room now."
Natsuki nodded and said, "I understand. So, the pet rhinoceros beetle has turned into a rhinoceros beetle assassin."
Rhinoceros beetles are very popular in Japan, symbolizing bravery. Many ancient samurai and generals had rhinoceros beetle-like horn decorations on their helmets.
In modern times, one of the summer joys for Aoi is catching insects and fighting rhinoceros beetles.
For example, a certain cow-herding demon boy's biggest hobby is fighting insects with people.
Even ants can bite, and a rhinoceros beetle's horn is not just for show; it can also injure people, which is why Moeha didn't dare to go back to her room.
"Let's go," Natsuki said, standing up. "Let's find the rhinoceros beetle."
"Thank you, Senpai."
Moeha quickly thanked him.
Upon entering Moeha's room, Natsuki's gaze was immediately drawn to the full-length mirror in the corner, and his eyes quickly became subtle.
It was a rectangular full-length mirror leaning against the wall. The style was nothing special, just an ordinary mirror, mainly for girls to try on clothes.
However, the mirror looked more and more familiar.
"I remember…"
Natsuki recalled the photos Moeha had sent him earlier. The mirror selfies where she covered three points with one finger, was this mirror the main prop?
Seeing Natsuki looking at the mirror without speaking, steam quickly rose from the top of Moeha's head.
Liar!
Big liar of a President!
He said the internet was bad and he didn't see it. He was indeed lying!
"Se-Senpai, don't look…"
Moeha's voice was filled with shame, as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"Cough…" Natsuki lightly coughed, changing the subject. "Did you open the window today?"
"After waking up this morning, I opened the window to air out the room," Moeha looked down at her toes, her voice full of shame. "But the screen window should have been closed."
Natsuki said speechlessly, "Check if the screen window is closed."
"Eh? Eh? Eh?" Moeha widened her eyes. "I forgot to close the screen window?"
Natsuki sighed and asked again, "When did Moeha discover the rhinoceros beetle was missing?"
"Just now…" Moeha looked up, pointed to the table, and whispered, "The rhinoceros beetle is usually kept in that box. I just wanted to feed it some food, and then I found it was gone."
Natsuki said, "Was the box closed just now?"
Moeha blinked: "It seems… it was closed?"
Natsuki said expressionlessly, "What does 'it seems' mean?"
"S-Sorry…" Moeha lowered her head in shame. "I don't remember clearly."
Accidentally sending all the lewd selfies, and to a boy she secretly admired, caused a critical hit of ten thousand points to the junior high girl's maiden heart. She still hadn't recovered, her mind was indeed blank, and she couldn't remember anything.
"The case has been clearly understood. Now, let's reconstruct the case," Natsuki clenched his right fist and lightly struck his palm, then said, "After Moeha woke up this morning, she first turned off the air conditioner, then opened the window for ventilation. During this time, she noticed the rhinoceros beetle on the desk and opened the box to feed it… The evidence is the uneaten leaves inside, which look very fresh."
"During this period, Moeha was probably in a hurry to go out shopping, so she forgot to close the box and the screen window."
"Finally, the rhinoceros beetle crawled around, successfully escaped, and is now nowhere to be found."
Moeha looked up, her eyes sparkling, and said admiringly, "Senpai is amazing!"
"Don't praise me," Natsuki waved his hand. "No one else entered your room. Even a Aoi could analyze it."
Moeha: "…"
"Rhinoceros beetles are not good at flying, and they don't like to be active in the sun. Their active time is usually at night and in the evening," Natsuki looked out the window. "The window faces south, and the sun is very good during the day. The possibility of the rhinoceros beetle flying out is minimal, so it's highly likely still in the room."
Moeha said pitifully, "But I've searched the entire room, and I still haven't found where the rhinoceros beetle is."
Natsuki said, "Have you checked under the bed?"
Moeha shook her head: "…No, I haven't."
"Since you haven't checked, you can't say you've searched everywhere," Natsuki took out his phone, turned on the flashlight function, squatted down to search the corners, and quickly said, "…Hmm, found it."
"Eh?" Moeha supported herself on her knees, curiously peering under the bed. "Senpai, that fast?"
"Rhinoceros beetles naturally like dark places."
Natsuki spoke while reaching out, preparing to catch the rhinoceros beetle from under the bed.
However, before he could reach it, two soft and sweet masses pressed against him, followed by Moeha's frantic cry for help:
"He-Help… Help!"