"..."
"...."
"..."
Izuru, Kaguya, and Yukino walked side-by-side in an ambiguous formation—three people, two umbrellas—toward the school. No one intended to break the silence; only the vivid, heavy roar of the downpour filled the air.
Despite the quiet, the atmosphere wasn't suffocating. On the contrary, it was thick with a provocative, rosy aura because...
Their current arrangement placed Izuru right in the center, with Yukino and Kaguya on either side of him, each holding an umbrella over him. More shockingly, since both were using slim, single-person umbrellas, they had to press incredibly close to Izuru to keep the trio from getting drenched. They were so close, in fact, that their bodies were in total contact.
"..."
Izuru remained silent, but his face wore a look of such utter satisfaction that it seemed he "could die happy right now." Because they were pinned so tightly together—and because of the silent competition between the two girls as they walked—he occasionally felt the friction of unshielded physical contact. It was an extraordinary sensation that made him feel as if he were drifting toward paradise.
Previously, Izuru had assumed that if a girl's chest reached a certain level of "flatness," it would feel as hard as a steel plank. As it turned out, no matter how flat, a woman's chest is still a woman's chest. The sensation was different from a large bust, yet it provided a comparable level of bliss.
This was the refined observation of a man who, just yesterday, had "accidentally" enjoyed contact with Yotsuba's ample curves, and was now basking in the touch of two girls who—despite being remarkably flat—offered a sublime tactile experience!
In response to this, Izuru didn't act like a pathetic protagonist whose face turns beet-red as he stammers, "U-um, your thing is touching my arm." Nor did he act like a dense-as-a-brick protagonist who says, "You guys are squishing me, I can't breathe. You guys go ahead, I'll just walk in the rain,"—a sentence that would surely draw divine punishment for wasting a golden opportunity.
He didn't act like an impatient creep saying, "Hey, lean in more so it feels better," and he certainly didn't act like a stiff prude saying, "You women, stay away from me."
Izuru said nothing. He simply remained silent, accepting this gift from the heavens. After all, reaping benefits in silence is the path of the righteous!
Kaguya and Yukino seemed oblivious to Izuru's internal monologue, which bordered on that of a depraved middle-aged man. Although the occasional contact with Izuru's arms left them dying of embarrassment, every time they caught sight of each other's faces, their stubborn pride flared up. They endured the shame to maintain this ambiguous position, glaring at one another, waiting for the other to yield!
Enveloped in this strange, intimate tension, the three finally neared the school. However, as the familiar school buildings came into view along with students arriving with their own umbrellas, the heavenly sensation Izuru had been enjoying was suddenly replaced by a dark premonition.
"Why do we even have school today? I'm so done. Is it Friday yet? I need a break!"
"Woke up early for school just for it to pour like this. If it was gonna rain, why did it have to be right at the morning commute? God, are You intentionally targeting us students?!"
"That's nothing! I gamed until dawn and haven't touched my homework. Now I have to pull a double shift just to copy someone else's. You have no idea how much my heart is aching!"
"Wait, look. Those three sharing umbrellas... don't they look familiar?"
The students, who had been busy complaining and lamenting their fates, suddenly turned toward the direction their friend was pointing. There they saw the sight of Izuru, flanked by Kaguya on the left and Yukino on the right, walking in an incredibly intimate formation under two ladies' umbrellas.
"NOOOO! How is this possible?! The two flowers at the peak of our school's mountain, the two ice-cold beauties... are actually willing to share one man and shield him from the rain?! God, why are You so unfair to us?!"
"Is that the President, the Vice President, and Yukinoshita-san? Do they have some kind of complicated love triangle going on? And they're bold enough to show off like this in public. That's so cool, I'm jealous!"
"Damn you, you lucky bastard! How dare you flaunt your romance and scatter 'dog food' in front of us! Where are the members of the FFF Inquisition? Show yourselves and tie this heretic who defies the laws of nature to a cross for execution by holy fire!"
Instantly, the witnessing students erupted—some screamed hysterically, others whispered with burning curiosity, and some cursed with pure vitriol.
See, this was the reason Izuru felt a bitter sting amidst his pleasure. This world didn't just belong to him, Yukino, or Kaguya. It was a world populated by countless nosy people who lived for gossip!
Because of that, they lived under the scrutiny of others. The moment they did something slightly out of bounds, they would be pierced by meaningful glares and become fodder for wagging tongues.
However...
"..."
"..."
Seeing Yukino and Kaguya, who utterly ignored the stares and the whispers, remaining completely absorbed in their staring contest, Izuru's heart was suddenly filled with courage and confidence.
Even the two girls most affected by public opinion didn't care, so why should he? At worst, he'd be called to the dean's office for a lecture. Besides, in a country facing a declining birthrate crisis, teenage romance was met with a high level of tolerance—even support. No one was getting their parents called or facing expulsion just for dating.
As long as things didn't go too far!
So, what Izuru truly cared about were the feelings and reputations of Yukino and Kaguya. He himself wasn't particularly bothered by the prospect of being scolded by a teacher over this commotion.
Well, even if he were dragged away by a teacher, with his sweet tongue—I mean, his silver-tongued eloquence—he could surely use his gift of gab to win them over.
Therefore, there was no need to worry. Victory was already in his grasp!