Since the Beautiful Girl Trio had ended up coming over to my house, I inevitably had to walk home with them.
(Why did things turn out like this...?)
Even heading back now, I had no time to hide all the creepy otaku merch strewn around my room.
I was usually so open about it that I didn't even bother covering my light novels, but the idea of these three invading my private space filled me with unavoidable shame.
It was the ultimate romcom harem scenario—bringing three beautiful female classmates right into my room—but under these circumstances, I couldn't bring myself to enjoy it... Sigh.
Sure, if it had been just one of them dropping by individually, I could've relaxed and hosted without a care... but all three at once? I could already picture it devolving into an otaku-exposure fiasco like that shopping trip, at the slightest slip-up.
(For now, I need to warn Yuria not to react to my anime stuff.)
"Somehow, walking home with all four of us feels so fresh, huh~?"
"Like, even just us three heading back together has been a while, yeah? Rui's been at practice basically every day lately."
"Sorry about always leaving you hanging? It's 'cause I'm swamped with the Track and Field Club. You were lonely without me, right, Yuria?"
"N-No, not lonely at all!"
"Hehe... Oh, sure you weren't."
The three walked ahead of me, chatting away happily.
Being out here walking home with them made it obvious how they drew stares from everyone around—salarymen heading home from work, a jogging old guy, a grandma walking her dog, even kids from elementary school. Every passerby tracked them with their eyes.
They stood out that much, and the space they occupied together had this exclusive, untouchable vibe.
(With the prodigy Kuroki, busty beauty Miyama, and the school's No. 1 gal Yuria all in one place, it's no surprise.)
Walking alongside such dazzling girls, I couldn't shake the feeling of being out of my depth.
No way a slimy loner like me belonged in their sparkling extrovert world.
Even though I was technically walking home with them, I kept my head down and trailed behind, pretending to be some random stranger.
"Hey, Ryouta!"
"H-Hya, y-yes!?"
Miyama's sudden call startled me so bad my voice cracked.
"Yo, Ryouta... what the hell was that voice?"
"Ryouta-kun, you nervous or something?"
Yuria and Kuroki turned to eye me too.
"I-I'm not nervous! Just... you guys are really only here for the script reading, right? You'll head out after that, yeah?"
"「「「............」」」"
As if they'd rehearsed it, all three fell silent.
These girls... don't tell me they plan to hang around.
"Hey hey! Your house has games, right, Ryouta? Airi wants to play pico-pico~!"
"Oi, Miyama, not even thirty seconds later..."
"Don't get mad, Ryouta. Games are no big deal, right?"
"Yeah, Ryouta-kun. We're all hanging out together—loosen up a bit. Okay?"
Wait—did Kuroki just say 'hanging out'?
Could they have never planned on doing the script reading at all?
"Everyone! Let's hit this convenience store~!"
"Good idea. We'll grab snacks and drinks here to take along?"
"Roger that. C'mon, Ryouta, let's go."
"Uh..."
I got swept along into the convenience store.
☆☆
After our detour, shopping bags in hand, we reached my house.
"This is Ryouta-kun's place, got it?"
"Waaah~ So this is Ryouta's house~"
"Hmm."
Kuroki gave the tour of my house to Miyama and Yuria like she owned the place.
Hey, this is my house...
"Ah, Ryouta~! ...Wha—!"
We hit the absolute worst timing: my shitty older sister came striding up from the other direction, bumping into us right at the front door.
(Why do you always show up at moments like this...!!)
"Uh, um, h-hello... Kuroki-san, thanks for always looking after my little brother."
"Come on, big sis. Why the formal talk?"
She was all bravado around me, but she was a textbook extreme homebody loner—polite as hell around outsiders.
"And... you two... Whoa, those boobs are massive!! Like three times mine!"
"Hoe? You mean me?"
"There's a gal too... those thighs are straight-up erotic..."
"Eh, me?"
This sister's being ridiculously rude to total strangers... Just scram already...
"Ryouta. Your big sis is... kinda off, huh."
"Kinda? She's way off."
"Ryouta's big sister kinda looks like Ryouta~!"
"Oh, yeah? Ehehe..."
She blushed, totally buying it as a compliment from Miyama.
No way in hell that's a compliment.
"Uh, anyway, I'm heading out for about an hour... But first—Ryouta, over here."
"Me?"
"Get over here!"
She yanked my arm, dragging me a short distance from the trio.
"Ryouta!!! Listen up!?"
"Wh-What?"
"Eek! Use protection, no matter what!!! Especially those two—they're way too erotic!!!"
"Just get lost already—right now!"
My unhinged sister slunk off alone into the evening streets.