Chapter 36

“Pleased to meet you, I’m Rindo Shizuna.”
“It’s a pleasure, I’m Shirasaki Satsuki.”

On the promised weekend, they gathered at the apartment Satsuki had rented to live on her own.
True to what Ryuichi had mentioned beforehand, bringing Shizuna along had completely caught Chisa off guard.

“Hey, you could’ve at least given me a heads-up, you know.”
“It’s what they call a surprise. I definitely didn’t just find it too bothersome to message you.”
“…So it was too bothersome.”

Sitting right beside Ryuichi, Chisa let out an exaggerated sigh.
Beyond Ryuichi’s line of sight, Shizuna and Satsuki were already chatting away cheerfully.
Even though they were supposedly meeting for the very first time today, seeing how well their wavelengths matched up, Ryuichi thought they were getting along awfully fast.

“Well, those two share a common denominator, don’t they? The shared experience of getting saved by you and then getting claimed and bewitched by you.”
“You think people bond just over that?”
“Well, precisely because it’s those two, you know?”

Is that so? Ryuichi muttered inwardly as he looked between the two of them again.

“Back then, Ryuichi-kun saved me. That encounter completely changed my life.”
“Same here. At first, I regretted going to that place, but now I’m just so glad it brought me such a wonderful encounter with Ryuichi-kun.”

Both of them were actively gushing over their respective meetings with Ryuichi.
Faced with a topic that made his spine itch, Ryuichi instinctively looked away.
When he shifted his gaze, he found Chisa grinning broadly right back at him.

“Even you get embarrassed sometimes, huh? That’s a rare sight.”
“I ain’t embarrassed, it’s just giving me second-hand cringe.”

His denial wasn’t technically wrong.
Yet Chisa simply patted Ryuichi’s head with a knowing there, there expression.
Though both sported flashy looks, having the older Chisa around still gave off a distinct aura of relaxed composure.

“…It’s nice that you’ve got sides like that, too. Instead of puffing your chest out and trying to intimidate everything around you like some stray wolf, showing off a cute side like this suits you way better.”
“Never meant to intimidate anyone in the first place…”
“Your resting face does all the intimidating for you.”
“You’re a real pain in the ass, you know that?”

He gave Chisa’s shoulder a light, playful chop.

“Ow, what was that for?”
“For running your mouth.”

The banter between the two of them felt less like a man and woman, and more like an annoying older sister and her younger brother.
Shizuna and Satsuki watched the exchange with fond, amused smiles.
Since everyone had gathered by nighttime, dinner time rolled around almost immediately.

“After chatting with Satsuki, we decided on shabu-shabu for tonight.”
“Ooh~, seriously?”

Shabu-shabu. To a meat-lover like Ryuichi, that word sounded like absolute heaven.
Aside from meat, plates of vegetables and blocks of tofu were piled around the hotpot sitting in the center of the table.
While this gathering was technically meant to celebrate the start of Satsuki’s independent living, Ryuichi wouldn’t have batted an eye if someone told him stuffing his face with food was the main event.

“Seriously… You’ve got three gorgeous women gathered right around you, and your eyes are wandering straight to the meat?”
“Hah, staring at beauties isn’t gonna fill an empty stomach.”

Fair enough; the three women all nodded in silent agreement once he put it that way.
Once all the ingredients had boiled through and reached peak deliciousness, Chisa raised a beer can with a bright smile.

“Alright, to mark the grand beginning of Satsuki living all by herself, cheers!”

And with that, a banquet featuring one lone male and three gorgeous women officially commenced.
Surrounding a single table were a rugged, menacing-looking guy and three stunning women of completely different styles; from an outsider’s perspective, it wouldn’t have looked entirely out of place as a hostess lounge treating its patrons.

“Watching Ryuichi-kun eat always puts me in a good mood.”
“It really does. Ryuichi-kun, there’s still plenty more meat left, you know?”

While Chisa was busy downing beer at an alarming pace, Shizuna and Satsuki spent the entire time gazing fondly at Ryuichi as he kept eating without stopping.
Ryuichi felt slightly awkward being stared at so intently, but his hands wouldn’t stop moving, so satisfying his appetite ultimately took top priority.

“…Seriously, you care more about meat than any of us, don’t you?”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing… But hey, you gotta admit this is a pretty great setup, right? Shizuna, Chisa, and Satsuki are all top-tier women. Sharing a meal in the exact same space as you lot is about as good as it gets.”

It came straight from the bottom of Ryuichi’s heart.
Since he kept shoveling food into his mouth mid-sentence, Chisa gave him an exasperated look, though she immediately broke into an amused, affectionate giggle.
At the end of the day, Chisa clearly enjoyed hearing Ryuichi acknowledge her feminine appeal.

“I just love watching Ryuichi-kun eat so much. That’s why I always want to cook all sorts of delicious things for him, too.”
“I might never be able to leave Shizuna now. Her cooking is seriously that good.”
“Really? Then I’ll make it for you for the rest of our lives.”

The moment he showed even a sliver of an opening, Ryuichi and Shizuna would seamlessly slide right into sounding like an old married couple.
That was the inherent strength of their peer-to-peer dynamic—their wavelengths matched effortlessly.
More than anything, the fact that Shizuna had carved out a home deeper inside Ryuichi’s heart than anyone else played a massive role in it.

“…Must be nice.”
“Yeah. I’m honestly a little jealous.”

Chisa and Satsuki clearly understood that unspoken bond, casting fond, envious looks toward Shizuna.
The Shizuna who smiled in front of Ryuichi possessed a truly radiant, breathtaking presence.
She prioritized Ryuichi above everything else, placed her absolute trust in him no matter what happened, and possessed the quiet tenacity to lean on him the moment trouble struck.
Being strong was great, but genuine vulnerability could sometimes be an equally powerful charm.

“Is something wrong?”

Shizuna blinked in pure bewilderment under the matching gazes of Chisa and Satsuki, and the sheer adorable innocence of her reaction made Chisa set her beer can down and lunge into a tight hug.

“Shizuna-chan, you’re so cute. Won’t you be my bride?”
“My… bride!?”

For the record, Ryuichi didn’t miss the subtle flinch of discomfort that crossed Shizuna’s face the second she got enveloped in that heavy wave of alcohol fumes.
Though Chisa hadn’t started drinking all that long ago, she had already put away a considerable amount of booze.
It was no wonder Shizuna found the alcohol stench wrapping around her a bit hard to handle.

“……?”
“…Ahaha.”
“Oh my… Is that so?”
“Yeah… chuckle.”

Satsuki apparently arrived at the exact same conclusion.
Apologizing silently to Shizuna, Ryuichi figured he would leave her to deal with the tipsy woman for a while, since there was something he wanted to ask Satsuki anyway.

“How have things been since then?”
“Since then…? Ah, you mean Akira. He’s been calling and messaging quite a bit. Well, I haven’t been answering, so we haven’t actually talked.”
“Doesn’t… that sound like he’s dangerously close to becoming a full-blown stalker?”
“It’s genuinely creepy, I know. But I’m convinced this is the right move.”

While it felt like things could easily spiral into a disaster if she miscalculated, Ryuichi let out a heavy sigh, realizing they still needed to keep their guards up.

“Not that I’m one to talk, but keep your guard up, alright?”
“I know. I haven’t told Akira where I moved. I’m planning to stay out of sight until things blow over.”
“Even so. Once something happens, it’s already too late—if anything feels off, give me a call immediately.”
“Ryuichi-kun… Yes.”

Though she insisted she was fine, a lingering shadow of anxiety clearly still haunted Satsuki.
At Ryuichi’s words, while her worries weren’t magically erased entirely, a visible weight seemed to lift from her shoulders.

“There’s still plenty of meat and tofu left, you know. Here.”
“Ah, thanks.”

Accepting the fresh portion scooped onto her plate by Satsuki, Ryuichi resumed eating.
Popping a piece of hot tofu into his mouth, he discovered it was far hotter than anticipated and hurriedly chased it down with a gulp of barley tea.
Watching his flustered reaction, Satsuki found something deeply amusing about it and shook with quiet laughter.

“Shabu-shabu isn’t going anywhere, so please eat slowly.”
“…Yeah.”

It was a dynamic that felt entirely like an older sister looking after a younger boy.
Just as Ryuichi was peacefully enjoying his meal, a sudden shriek echoed across the room.

“Ryuichi-kuuuuun~~~~~!!”
“Hm? …Ah.”

Chisa had ambushed Shizuna and was planting sloppy, alcohol-soaked kisses all over her cheek.
Trapped in the clutches of the reeking, clingy woman, Shizuna stretched a desperate hand out toward Ryuichi and Satsuki, silently begging for rescue.
Realizing she had to intervene, Satsuki stepped in to pull Chisa away from Shizuna, which promptly resulted in Satsuki becoming Chisa’s next target.

“Satsuki! You’re gonna keep me company instead!”
“Eh? Eeeeeeeeeeeh!?!?”

Swapping places with the liberated Shizuna, Satsuki threw herself on the sacrificial pyre.
Exhausted and thoroughly drained, Shizuna retreated to take refuge right by Ryuichi’s side, letting out a massive, heartfelt sigh of relief.

“That was… genuinely harrowing.”
“Good work out there. Chisa gets real obnoxious when she gets sloshed.”
“Who’s obnoxious, you little—?”
“Ch-Chisa-san, that tickles!!”

Boasting the most bountiful chest among the three women, Satsuki instantly found her generous assets getting groped by a handsy Chisa.
Turning into a textbook lewd old man, Chisa proved Ryuichi’s point, prompting him to mutter an internal told you so.

“Shizuna, you haven’t eaten much, have you?”
“True. Alright, I’m gonna eat a ton now, too!!”
“Satsuki, your boobs are amazing. Not just large, we’re talking about explosive territory here… Seriously, what cup size even are these?”
“St-Stop, please… Uwaah!?”

While Ryuichi and Shizuna peacefully continued eating their shabu-shabu, the other two gorgeous women wrestled noisily in the background; ignoring the chaos entirely, Ryuichi simply focused on stuffing more meat into his mouth.
Before long, dinner time came to a close, and after leaving Chisa, who had promptly passed out from the alcohol, sound asleep on the floor, Shizuna and Satsuki headed off toward the bathroom.
Since they were staying over tonight instead of heading home, Ryuichi planned to borrow the bath once they finished.

“What a noisy night… Good grief, but it wasn’t a bad way to spend it.”

It had been loud, but genuinely fun.
Ryuichi figured that after capping off the night with the ultimate dessert right before sleep, he was guaranteed to drift off into a solid, peaceful slumber.
Just as those thoughts crossed his mind, however, his smartphone vibrated to life with an incoming call.

“Who’s this?”

Pulling the phone out and glancing at the screen, he found a single, unwelcome name floating there: Old Bastard.

“…Tch.”

Letting out an overt, frustrated click of his tongue, Ryuichi grabbed the phone and headed toward the genkan entryway.¹
Unnoticed by him, Chisa, who had apparently been awake for a while, watched his retreating back with a sharp, steady gaze.