NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36
“Nice to meet you, my name is Rindo Shizuna.”
“Nice to meet you too, I’m Shirasagi Satsuki.”
On the appointed weekend, Ryuichi arrived at the apartment where Satsuki was to live alone. And just as he’d said beforehand, he brought Shizuna with him, which surprised Chisa.
“Hey, why didn’t you tell me?”
“Wanted to make it a surprise, y’know? Definitely wasn’t because I was too lazy to call you or anything.”
“…So basically, you were too lazy, huh.”
Seated to his side, Chisa let out a sigh. Meanwhile, Ryuichi looked at Shizuna and Satsuki, who were happily conversing with each other. They’re really close, huh, he thought. They were getting along very well with each other even though they had only just met for the first time today.
“Well, those two’ve got something in common, after all. As in, they were both saved by you, fucked by you, and charmed by you.”
“And that’s all it takes for them to get all chummy with each other?”
“Well, we are talking about those two.”
Is that how it is? Ryuichi mused as he watched the two once more.
“And then, Ryuichi-kun saved me. That encounter with him changed me. ♪”
“Me, too. I regretted going to that club at first, but now I’m glad I did because it brought me a wonderful encounter with Ryuichi-kun. ♪”
The two of them were excitedly recounting how they met Ryuichi. As for Ryuichi, he couldn’t help but avert his gaze at the topic that made his back itch. Then, his eyes landed on Chisa, who smiled amusedly at him.
“So there are times when even you get embarrassed, huh. Not something you see everyday.”
“I’m not embarrassed; I’m just feeling uncomfortable is all.”
There wasn’t anything particularly wrong in denying it. Still, Chisa stroked his head and said, “I understand, I understand.” Both of them were very flashy-looking, but Chisa, who was older than Ryuichi, definitely had a calmer and more mature air about her.
“…You know, I think it’s nice that you have that side to you. It’s better if you show off your cute side more often rather than being so reclusive and intimidating like a wolf all the time.”
“I’m not trying to intimidate anyone, though…”
“Well, your face is intimidating.”
“You’re so rude, you know that?”
He lightly smacked her shoulder.
“That hurts, y’know.”
“That’s what you get for saying weird things.”
Again, their exchange was more like that of a brother and sister than a man and a woman. Shizuna and Satsuki watched them with smiles on their faces. It was nighttime when they had all gathered together, so it was soon time for dinner.
“I did some discussing with Satsuki earlier and we decided on shabu-shabu today.”
“Ooh~. Hot damn.”
For a meat lover like Ryuichi, the word shabu-shabu had a mouth-watering, luscious ring to it. Into a pot atop the table went vegetables, tofu, and other ingredients as well as meat. Today’s gathering commemorated the beginning of Satsuki’s life on her own, but for Ryuichi, it could be said that this very meal was the main event of the gathering.
“You know…you have three beautiful women gathered here with you, yet you have your eyes distracted by the meat?”
“Hah, looking at beautiful women ain’t gonna fill my stomach.”
“True enough,” the three women agreed. When all of the ingredients had been cooked sufficiently and were ready to eat, Chisa opened her mouth, beer in hand.
“Here’s to Satsuki beginning her life on her own!”
Thus began the party of one man and three women. To an onlooker, one tough-looking man and three beautiful women of different types surrounding a table would definitely look like a bunch of waiters entertaining a customer.
“Watching Ryuichi-kun eating so heartily is such a nice feeling.”
“Indeed it is. Ryuichi-kun, we’ve still got a ton more meat, okay?”
Apart from Chisa who was drinking her beer at a frightening rate, Shizuna and Satsuki were staring at Ryuichi who kept on eating. Ryuichi felt uncomfortable being stared at while he ate, but he couldn’t stop eating, either, so in the end, he prioritized eating over addressing them.
“…Geez, you really do put meat over us.”
“This again…? But well, I’ll admit this space we got going on here ain’t too bad, y’know? All three of you are pretty high-leveled girls, whether it be Shizuna, Chisa, or Satsuki. That’s why any meal I have with you girls tastes incredible.”
Those were Ryuichi’s heartfelt words. Well, seeing him say that without even bothering to stop eating stupefied Chisa, but she immediately giggled happily. It seemed she was happy hearing him praise her feminine side as well.
“I love seeing you eat a lot, you know? That’s why I want to cook so many things for you, too, Ryuichi-kun.”
“Man, I might not be able to live without you anymore. You’re seriously that good of a cook.”
“Really? Then I’ll cook for you for the rest of my life. ♪”
Give them the slightest of opportunities, and they would start conversing like a married couple. Their exchange was so harmonious and picturesque owing to the fact that they were of the same age. And perhaps more importantly, it was because Shizuna was the one who could venture the deepest into Ryuichi’s heart.
“…Really is nice to see, isn’t it?”
“Yup. Makes me a little jealous.”
Chisa and Satsuki looked at Shizuna enviously, seemingly aware of this fact as well. Shizuna had a truly beautiful presence when she smiled in front of Ryuichi. She always put him first in any situation, trusted him unconditionally, and had the resolve to rely on him immediately if something happened. While being strong was certainly ideal, sometimes weakness could also be a great source of charm.
“What’s the matter?”
Shizuna’s eyes were wide in confusion seeing Chisa and Satsuki staring at her. Her lovable appearance made Chisa put her can of beer down and embrace her.
“Shizuna-chan, you’re so cute. Will you be my wife?”
“Wife?!”
Incidentally, Ryuichi did not miss the fact that Shizuna’s face contorted at the smell of alcohol the moment she was hugged by Chisa. It hadn’t been that long since she started drinking, but she had already drunk quite the amount. It wasn’t surprising then, that Shizuna would think she smelled bad when she was hugged.
“……?”
“…Ahaha.”
“She reeks…doesn’t she?”
“Yes… Sob.”
It looked like Satsuki had the same thought. Although apologetic, she left the alcohol-stenched woman in Shizuna’s hands, since Ryuichi had a question he wanted to ask her.
“How have things been since then?”
“Since then…? Oh, Akira? I’ve been getting a ton of calls from him. I haven’t been answering them, though.”
“Wow…isn’t he totally becoming stalker-like?”
“It’s definitely very creepy. But I think I’ll be okay here.”
Ryuichi let out a sigh, thinking that she still had to be on her guard since one wrong move and she could be in serious trouble.
“I’m just gonna say, you have to be careful, okay?”
“I know. I didn’t tell him where I moved to. I’m not going to see him again until he cools down.”
“Still. Make sure you call me straight away if you feel anything off; don’t tell me when it’s already happened, cos then it’d be too late.”
“Ryuichi-kun… Okay. ♪”
Although she had said that she would be okay, she must’ve still been feeling somewhat anxious. Ryuichi’s words, though not completely, seemed to have helped alleviate said anxiety.
“We still have plenty of meat and tofu in the pot. Here you go.”
“Ah, thanks.”
He received an extra serving from Satsuki and resumed eating once more. He chucked a piece of tofu into his mouth, but quickly downed a cup of barley tea since it seemed to have been hotter than he’d expected. Seeing this, Satsuki’s shoulders trembled and she laughed, perhaps because she’d had a slight premonition of it beforehand.
“The shabu-shabu isn’t going anywhere, so take your time and eat it slowly, okay?”
“…Okay.”
Their exchange was completely like that of an older woman and a younger boy. Just as Ryuichi was eating his meal wholeheartedly, Shizuna’s shout echoed through the room.
“R-Ryuichi-kun~~~!!”
“Huh? …Ohh~.”
Chisa was planting kisses on Shizuna’s cheek. Shizuna, who was under attack by the onslaught of booze-stenched kisses, was reaching her hand out to Ryuichi and Satsuki for help. Satsuki, compelled to help her, made her way for Chisa, but it seemed that this made her Chisa’s target instead.
“Satsukiii! It’s your turn now!”
“Huh? Whaaaaaat?!”
Satsuki was sacrificed, taking the place of the now-freed Shizuna. Shizuna, looking exhausted, took refuge by Ryuichi’s side and breathed a sigh of relief.
“That was horrible…”
“Good job surviving that. Chisa’s a pain in the ass whenever she’s drunk.”
“Who are you calling a pain in the ass?!”
“C-Chisa-san, this is embarrassing!”
Satsuki had the biggest breasts of the three, and they were currently being fondled by Chisa. She’d completely turned into a perverted old man, and Ryuichi remarked to himself that this was what made her a pain in the ass.
“Shizuna, you haven’t had much to eat yet, have you?”
“No, not really. Alright, it’s time for me to eat a lot, too!!”
“Satsuki’s boobs are huge. These puppies are way past ‘big’ and entering ‘massive’ territory… They’re just so big. What cups are these?”
“P-Please stop… Uwah?!”
The two beauties got entangled with each other in front of Ryuichi and Shizuna, who were eating their shabu-shabu quietly. Ryuichi continued to stuff his mouth full of meat without paying any particular attention to them, to say nothing of Shizuna.
After dinner time was over, Shizuna and Satsuki headed for the bath, leaving behind Chisa who had passed out due to the alcohol.
Since they had decided to sleepover at Satsuki’s place today instead of going home, Ryuichi would be borrowing her bath later as well.
“Sheesh, what a chaotic night this was, huh…but it wasn’t bad.”
It was loud, but fun, that’s for sure. He decided to close out the day by helping himself to the best desserts possible before having a good night’s sleep. However, it was at that moment that Ryuichi received a call on his phone.
“Who is it?”
When he grabbed his phone and looked at the screen, he saw the name of his shitty old man.
“…Tch.”
He conspicuously clicked his tongue and, phone in hand, headed for the front door. Chisa, who had awoken at some point, was staring intently at his retreating back.