"Little Shuya… you're not going to turn me into that kind of girl too, are you?"
Yuriko Takagi was no idiot.
In fact, she was an extremely intelligent woman.
Even Saya—the so-called genius of Fujimi Academy—was basically just a cute little dummy she had casually raised.
So it didn't take Yuriko long to figure out exactly what Rika was really talking about.
Still, seeing the awkward look on Shuya's face, she realized it might not be quite what she thought.
Instead of helping him out, she tilted her head with a playful smile and teased, "Well?"
"You?"
Shuya noticed the mischievous look in her eyes and shot her a hard glare.
Right now he felt like a boatman who had just rowed to the middle of the lake… only for his oar to snap, leaving him surrounded by nothing but oranges, hemp, wheat, and tangerine peels.
He really wanted to ask: Who the hell said older sisters are gentle and caring?
Step forward! Speak up!
This wasn't a caring big sister at all—she was clearly a troublemaking arsonist who loved stirring the pot.
Between Shizuka's mess and Yuriko fanning the flames, the situation had gone completely sideways.
Bad news: he was now officially labeled a pervert.
Good news: from the looks of it, Shizuka probably wouldn't mind sharing a bed with everyone in the future?
Just as Shuya was stuck with no way out, the mastermind and main culprit finally appeared.
"Little Shuya~ You're back?"
Shizuka Marikawa walked over in a disheveled nightgown, one shoulder slipping off, hair a total mess, and fluffy cute slippers on her feet.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she shuffled over lazily.
The second she reached Shuya, she squinted like she still wasn't fully awake, opened her arms wide, and whined cutely, "Hug~"
But she didn't get one.
"Hm?"
Shizuka opened her eyes when her arms closed around nothing. She found Shuya's palm pressed against her forehead, stopping her from getting closer. She looked up at him in confusion.
"Shizuka-nee," Shuya said through gritted teeth, "can you explain why Saeko-senpai 'smells like me'?"
"Eh? That?"
Still half-asleep, Shizuka pressed her index finger to her chin and thought for a moment.
Soon after, she raised her finger beside her head with a sudden "I got it!" expression.
Then she looked at Shuya with a proud, "praise me" face and said, "You already heard from Rika-chan? Well? Aren't I super smart?"
"Smart?" Everyone looked confused.
Shizuka blinked innocently and asked, "You've already taken Rika-chan, right?"
"Taken?" The group was even more lost.
"Yep!"
Shizuka nodded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Didn't I tell you before?"
"Rika-chan has always been super competitive since she was little, so she loves doing dangerous and exciting things."
"Plus, when it comes to men, she only wants someone strong enough to completely overpower and dominate her."
"So when I saw her come home tonight, I deliberately told her that Saeko-chan smells like you. I knew she'd definitely come looking for trouble."
"With your strength, Little Shuya, you could handle her in no time. If you just take the initiative a little, claiming Rika-chan should be super easy~"
"I even made up excuses for her and shared my own Little Shuya… I really worked so hard for her. But that's what best friends are for, right?"
"Later when I see her, I'm definitely going to make her thank m—"
Shizuka suddenly felt a hand land heavily on her shoulder from behind.
Her body trembled and she stopped mid-sentence.
The hand on her shoulder had veins bulging, trembling slightly.
It was very obvious the owner of that hand was not in a good mood.
"Oh really? Then I should really thank you, huh?"
Rika Minami ground out each word through clenched teeth.
She didn't even use her usual cute nickname. Instead, she said the full name very slowly:
"Ma-ri-ka-wa. Shi-zu-ka."
Even though what Shizuka said was technically true… she had just sold her out right in front of everyone!
Earlier, Rika had been trying to protect her best friend's dignity, carefully explaining things in the most roundabout way possible.
And this idiot had turned around and spilled everything in the most cheerful, innocent way imaginable.
What a great best friend~
"Rika-chan?"
Shizuka thought the voice sounded familiar and turned around. Only then did she realize not only Rika, but Rei and Saya were also standing there in a full circle around her.
She tilted her head in confusion. "Miyamoto-san? And Takagi-san too? It's so late… why is everyone still awake?"
"So many people… are we having a midnight snack?"
She paused, then puffed out her cheeks and complained to Shuya, "Geez, you guys are having a snack party and didn't even wake me up…"
"Whatever. You should just go back to sleep. Pretend none of this happened."
Rika facepalmed in defeat.
She already knew her best friend was insanely dense. Getting mad at her for it was honestly stupid on her part.
Looking at that clueless, adorable face, all her anger instantly melted away.
After all… she had chosen this idiot as her best friend.
Clap!
At that moment, Yuriko suddenly stepped forward and clapped her hands loudly to get everyone's attention.
Then she spoke in a graceful, drawn-out voice:
"Well then, it looks like the misunderstanding has been cleared up. Truly a cause for celebration~ Congratulations, congratulations!"
Shuya shot her another glare.
She was the one fanning the flames with wild theories earlier, and now she was the first one jumping out to say "all's well."
She played both villain and peacemaker. Did she really think she could just walk away like that?
Just wait. I'll get you back for this.
Yuriko blinked her beautiful purple eyes at him playfully, as if saying: I'll be waiting.
"And you!" Shuya turned to Shizuka, pinching the cheeks of the ditzy blonde beauty. "I'll deal with you later!"
"Really?!"
Shizuka's eyes instantly sparkled. She didn't even care that her face was being pinched.
She tried to throw herself into his arms.
Shuya held her head back with one hand and looked at Rika. "Since the misunderstanding's cleared up, we're good now, right?"
"No!"
Rika's eyes burned with new fire as she stared at Shuya and issued a challenge:
"I want to continue the fight we didn't finish earlier!"
"Why?" Rei asked, confused. "The misunderstanding is already resolved…"
Rika glanced at her, then looked back at Shuya and licked her lips.
"That was personal. This is different. This is Rika Minami officially challenging you."
"Shizuka was right—I love thrills, I love danger, and I especially love challenging strong opponents."
"So let me test it myself… whether the man Shizuka chose for me actually has what it takes to conquer me."
"If you really can… I wouldn't mind sharing you with Shizuka at all~"
"Or… are you not interested in me?"
With that, Rika unzipped her jacket and stretched seductively right in front of him, fully displaying her stunning, mouth-watering figure that would make any normal man's blood boil.