"Alright, let's talk about Kyoto!"
Airi had bounced back to her usual self. The Beautiful Girl Trio gathered around the Kyoto guidebook and began chatting in high spirits.
Things had looked dicey for a moment, but we managed to steer the conversation back on track. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
It was all thanks to Anju-onee-chan—or rather, Anju Hiyori-sensei.
I walked over to Hiyori-sensei, who had been listening to the girls from a short distance away.
"Sensei, thank you so much for earlier."
"Don't mention it. By the way, Ryouta-kun, why don't you join the conversation? You're coming to Kyoto too, aren't you?"
"Ah, yes."
Hiyori-sensei's mature, composed response felt more like a proper older sister than anyone I'd ever met. It genuinely impressed me.
A reliable older female teacher... The phrase had a wonderful ring to it.
With that thought in mind, I moved closer to the Beautiful Girl Trio to join their discussion, but—
"Hey, Ryouta. Your face looks gross."
"Hey! What the hell, Yuria?! That's pretty harsh out of nowhere! It's barely past noon and you're already throwing insults!"
"I wasn't insulting you, and it's not like it's suddenly okay after dark. This isn't some shady club, you know."
Yuria's sharp Downer Retort instantly crushed the dirty joke I had been forming.
"So, what dirty thought were you having this time? It was either Airi's chest or Hiyori-sensei's butt again, right?"
Yuria leaned in and whispered as if she could see straight through me. Unfortunately for her, this time it really wasn't anything perverted.
Even my trusted Understander hadn't realized I'd been directing respectful, wholesome eyes toward Hiyori-sensei in a genuine Wholesome Protagonist Move.
You don't have to assume I'm always thinking perverted stuff, Yuria.
Still, for the sake of her pride as my Understander, I decided to play along and pretend I had been.
"Yeah, of course. I was thinking about your thighs, Yuria."
"Wh-What?! You idiot!"
When I deliberately performed an exaggerated Thigh Watch on her impressive legs, Yuria scolded me even though she looked oddly pleased.
Since Yuria secretly enjoyed having her thighs admired, openly confessing to a Thigh Watch like this was surprisingly effective.
"Well, let's set Ryouta's perverted habits aside for now. Ryouta, is there anywhere you want to go in Kyoto? Any places you're interested in?"
"That's right, Ryouta! You've always taken such good care of me, so I'll follow you anywhere you want to go!"
"W-Well... I guess the Manga Museum, right? There's no better place to excite an otaku's heart."
Honestly, I didn't have much interest in historical buildings or tourist spots.
"Definitely! I want to go too!"
"See? That's what I thought, Yuria... Wait, ah."
""Eh...""
The instant Yuria reacted, I sensed the problem.
That's right... Because there hadn't been any risk of exposure lately, I'd completely forgotten.
Yuria had also been hiding the fact that she was an otaku!
You're up next, Yuria?!?!
Even more trouble was waiting just around the corner.