"Ryouta! Hurry up, hurry up!"
"I heard you, stop nagging. Ah, there it is."
I fished the house key out from the bottom of my bag. No sooner had I unlocked the door than Miyama swung it wide.
"Excuse meee!"
"Honestly, Airi. Line your shoes up properly."
"Hmph, I was just about to! Jeez, Yuria, you’re like a nagging older sister."
She really was... In fact, I wished I could trade my own sister for Yuria.
"Ryouta-kun, excuse the intrusion."
"O-Oh... come on in."
Kuroki made a point of looking me in the eye as she spoke before stepping out of her loafers and entering the house.
To think that Rui Kuroki was actually in my house...
It was a turn of events I never could have imagined back in junior high.
(Actually, it’s probably because of how we were in junior high that she’s so fixated on me. It’s a side effect of her obsession with perfection...)
Regardless, when was the last time I’d even had a girl over?
It had to be that summer vacation back in junior high, when Tanaka and I had a "Study Session"—which was really just an excuse to binge-watch anime in Ryouta’s Room all day.
I hadn't been nervous at all then since I was totally comfortable with Tanaka, but now the situation was the complete opposite.
After all, the High School’s Three Great Beauties were gathered in this house today.
"Hey, hey! Where’s Ryouta’s Room?"
"M-My room is right at the top of the stairs, first door on the right... but."
Before they could head up, I stepped in front of the three of them to block the way.
"Please. Give me three minutes. I really need to tidy things up."
"Denied. Stop stalling and let us in already."
"Yeah! Airi wants to sit down already!"
"Ryouta-kun? I don't really mind if it's a bit messy."
"Well, I mind!"
It wasn't exactly a pigsty, but it certainly wasn't in a state fit for girls. I couldn't tell myself, but for all I knew, the place reeked.
"Fine. Then can we at least wait in the hallway? Right outside Ryouta’s Room?"
"Eh? U-Uh, sure."
At Yuria's request, we moved up to the second floor.
Once I’d led them to my door, I entered after emphasizing one more time that they had to "Please wait," then shut the door behind me.
There was no way I had time to hide the figures or the tapestries, and honestly, I didn't even have a place to put them. Since they already knew I was an otaku, I decided to prioritize something else...
"Forget the mess, just use the deodorizing spray!!"
I grabbed the bottle I usually douse the room with after... taking care of business, and began spraying it frantically.
At—at least let me do something about the smell!
"Okay, three minutes are up! Excuse meee!"
"H-Hey! Miyama!"
It was highly debatable whether three minutes had actually passed, but Miyama led the charge and barged into Ryouta’s Room.
Yuria and Kuroki followed close behind, and all three of them began scanning the area.
"So this is Ryouta-kun’s room..."
"Whoa, you’ve got a ton of merch."
Tapestries featuring suggestive illustrations hung from the walls, and a three-tier steel rack was packed tight with figures. In one corner stood a large, five-tier bookshelf containing nothing but light novels—the Wall of Light Novels. The space was a quintessential otaku den.
Even for someone like me, it was embarrassing to have such a private sanctuary put on display.
"Ryouta’s room is incredible! Wow, look at all these hanging scrolls of girls!"
Calling tapestries "hanging scrolls"... well, she wasn't technically wrong.
"Hmph. I've known for a while, but you’re a total otaku, Ryouta."
Yuria spoke with an air of "I’m definitely not one of you." Despite her attitude, I suspected Yuria's Room wasn't all that different. I just had to pray she didn't let her guard slip today.
Sniff, sniff... "Huh? It smells really strongly of deodorizing spray in here!"
"I just sprayed it a second ago."
"You didn't have to worry about that~"
"I did. I thought it might smell like a guy's room."
"Eh? I actually like Ryouta’s scent, though."
Sh-she... likes my scent!? Wait, do I even have a specific scent!?
"Right, Yuria? Ryouta smells good, doesn't he?"
"Well, yeah... I guess. I don't really dislike the way he smells, either."
I couldn't wrap my head around it. Just what kind of scent was I giving off?
"Anyway, shouldn't we drink the juice we bought? I’m getting thirsty."
Kuroki pulled a two-liter bottle of apple juice out of the shopping bag.
"Ah, Ryouta-kun. Could we borrow some glasses?"
"Oh, right. I'll go get some, but..."
Wait. If I left the room now, these three would be left alone in here...
I didn't think they were the type to go rummaging through my belongings, but still...
"What's wrong, Ryouta-kun?"
"Ah, nothing... You three go ahead and grab those cushions and make yourselves comfortable."
Leaving the three of them behind, I stepped out and headed down the stairs alone to fetch the glasses.
Is it really okay to leave them alone in there...?
But no matter how we ended up here, they were technically guests, and I couldn't exactly make them do the heavy lifting.
Well, I'm sure it'll be fine... right?