Zziiing I pressed my head down, feeling the lingering headache. I sat still for a while, waiting.
Of course, with my eyes closed, I couldn’t see anything, but my halo was probably flickering in real-time, right?
I couldn’t say how long it took for the headache to subside. However, I could guess that I had at least been holding my head for a few minutes, unable to get up right away.
There was no one awake… no, wait, there was someone?
“You’re awake, Mika.”
“Uh-huh. Good morning, Hina-chan.”
“Is it still a good morning?”
“…?”
What’s this?
As I expressed my confusion with my gaze, Hina pointed toward the opposite side.
“…Eh?”
A dumbfounded sound escaped me without even realizing it.
Why on earth was Wakamo next to me, in that state…?
“Wow—”
“Well… be grateful that Nagisa is still sleeping, Mika.”
“Hina-chan, can I ask you for one favor?”
“As long as it’s not to take your side, I’ll think about it.”
“No, it’s not that. Please just kill me right now.”
“Nagisa will wake up before your halo is destroyed…”
“Guess that makes sense…?”
Stuck right against my side, I caught a glimpse of Hina, who subtly revealed remnants of last night.
How should I put it? Uncharacteristically, I had left plenty of marks on her skin. Seeing the red flowers blooming on her white skin made my head ache even more.
On the opposite side, Wakamo appeared to be unharmed, thankfully.
Lastly, if I moved a little further from where Hina was lying, I would see… Nagisa, sleeping soundly in an orderly position.
Whoa— that was worse than Hina. Anyone who saw it would question whether we had been in love or had abused her, given how messy it looked.
And every detail of last night remained vividly in my memory.
So clear… it felt as if Noa had personally visited my head overnight.
“Yup… the choice is with the strong, sis.”
“Wakamo-nee… this is so good… how can I not put it into words… hehe.”
“Sis… it’s really unfair if only I get to drink, right? Hehe. Taking a drink is the way to enjoy, so… um, I’ll feed you…”
After guiltily taking a sip and getting drunk, I, with my tongue half cut off, went wild, spilling ridiculous drunken ramblings.
And using the first slot for what I had vowed to share with Haruna, I went ahead and snatched what seemed to be Wakamo’s first kiss mixed with alcohol.
I even committed actual sexual harassment, boldly fondling Wakamo’s tail and ears as I pleased.
And that wasn’t even the end.
I don’t know if I should call it a lucky break, but thankfully, I hadn’t gone beyond experience with Wakamo.
But that didn’t mean this was a situation to feel good about. Not at all.
It was understandable since… Wakamo witnessed everything I did from start to finish.
…The way I was completely drunk while doing things with Hina and Nagisa, catching every moment like a hawk.
“Muhihi. Honey, you like this, right? Uh-huh?”
“Should I eat you up today?”
“Just stare blankly once… good boy.”
“Ugh… our honey is completely useless…♡ Sleep well. Smooch.”
“Wow. Wow—okay then. Wow. Wow…”
Crazy girl. Really, completely out of her mind. If you’re going to get drunk, at least sleep nicely!
Was she out of her mind, as she suddenly caught fire and decided to dive on top of Nagisa, who was just trying to get me to sleep?
Unlike usual, where Nagisa couldn’t even muster a sound… I mean, did I actually do this in front of Wakamo? Nagisa barely held out for not even 30 minutes before passing out?
“Hey, Hina… do you know? This place is supposed to be for sleeping… um, so let’s try cultivating it together. Sound good?”
“Hehe. You’re a wee one… Purf… huh? Hehe… shall I do it again? Won’t be able to, though…”
“Hina… I want some too. Uhm… Hehe.”
“Puhuh… so cute… Hina will sleep well too…”
Ah, seriously crazy. What kind of nutty person is this? I really wanted to kill that childish tongue.
In the midst of it all, unlike usual, where I would enjoy dominating my partner, I was continuously crushed without a single moment skipped.
Even Hina, who usually could last quite a while, ended up dozing off right away.
After that, I was relieved that I hadn’t messed with Wakamo.
No, before that.
“Wah—”
No matter how I think about it, this is absurd. How does a body that feels like it can withstand a heat-pressure bomb lose all reason after just one drink? Does that even make sense? Someone, please return my original alcohol tolerance…!
Now that I think about it, Wakamo didn’t seem drunk even after my first sip… not even after I fed her mouth-to-mouth.
…Wow, it’s honestly embarrassing to think about who would teach whom, especially with Wakamo around.
It’s the first time I’ve genuinely thought about wanting to die here after such an intense encounter, so where do I even begin to fix this?
If everyone had gotten drunk together, it wouldn’t matter. But no, I was the only one drunk, and I caused the ruckus alone.
And the results being something a student shouldn’t dare to indulge in at an academy city.
“Mika.”
“Uh, yeah?”
“I don’t think I need to ask how much you remember.”
“…”
“For now… just listen quietly. To be honest, I don’t have much thought about this incident.”
“Uh…?”
“Alcohol… well, I suppose it’s something we can drink. Since, as you said, you lived without ever tasting something you were originally allowed to. The conclusion is… well, it’s highly regrettable.”
Hina glanced over at Wakamo after saying that. Did she feel a bit sorrowful about how she blew off her first kiss due to alcohol?
“…I didn’t expect things to turn out this way either. I usually had to drink in bulk to feel tipsy. But Wakamo-chan… ahahaha.”
“Mika, whether you want to expand your partners or not… I think that’s a problem to resolve between you and Nagisa. It would be painful to diminish the absolute amount of love I can receive, but that’s not something I need to meddle in.”
“Hina-chan, I’m so sorry…!”
“In the first place, this was something already anticipated at the moment you accepted me, so there’s nothing you really need to apologize for, is there…? As long as this love doesn’t fade away, that’s enough for me, Mika.”
Hina extended her arms toward me. While she subtly shut her eyes, it was clear what she wanted.
The kiss that followed was,
“…weird taste. Let’s brush our teeth before Nagisa wakes up, Mika.”
“Right…”
For entirely realistic reasons, it was far from satisfying.
“Ah.”
“What? Is there something wrong?”
“Um, about yesterday… I enjoyed it. It doesn’t have to be alcohol, just sometimes… hmm.”
“…Ahaha.”
It was painfully obvious what she was trying to say, making me awkwardly let her words slip. Reflecting on such memories of last night this way? That’s just cruel.
*
After putting on a yukata and brushing my teeth, I found that one of the sleeping princesses had woken up. Wrapped in the blankets with her face buried in her hands was the shy and pure-hearted Wakamo.
Hina moved aside, as if suggesting we talk, and began checking her gun.
“…Did you sleep well?”
“…”
“Sorry, I kind of dragged you here by force… sorry, Wakamo-chan.”
“So now… you’re no longer going to call me sister?”
“But if I do that, it’ll mess up the lineage, right? Since sister is polite to both of them.”
“Everyone already knew that was my way of strategically targeting those around me… so now it’s unnecessary.”
Well, if it’s one person from either Nagisa or Hina, that’s one thing… but tricking them both at the same time was realistically quite challenging. It was only natural to get caught.
“You said you didn’t want me to call you that before. So, didn’t you dislike it?”
“Not at all… I was just embarrassed. So, please.”
“Okay, Wakamo-nee.”
The moment I uttered it, a memory of a certain insane girl who babbled like ‘Camonnee’ came to mind, and I quickly pushed that thought away.
…Though I could erase the thought, this dark history will likely never fade away for the rest of my life. Wow—
“I’m sorry. No, I apologize…”
“…Why?”
“Well, I took your first kiss without permission, and… dragged you into such a situation where you couldn’t even look away…”
“What I intended to give had indeed been for you. So, there’s no need to apologize for something so trivial. If it had been a bit more romantic, validating each other’s love would have been perfect…”
“That’s the part I’m apologizing for… Sigh. The first button got misaligned due to one foolish mistake of mine.”
“I was the one who decided to offer you a drink last night. So please don’t berate yourself too much. If the first button got misaligned, can’t we just sew a new one on?”
As Wakamo lowered her hands from her face, her cheeks were a bright red. It wouldn’t be strange for it to burst at any moment.
More importantly, how did Wakamo turn out to be such an ideal partner? Obedient, devoted, and deeply understanding…
…Thinking back, Wakamo did seem to have unexpectedly strong pure-hearted tendencies in the original story.
Moreover, the destructive instincts that tarnished those traits had been somewhat rehabilitated, placing them under Wakamo’s control in this scenario…
This is simply the ideal wife, isn’t it?
“Actually, I also have a desire that you wouldn’t want to accept someone like me this way. Yes. If such a happening resulted in you accepting someone undesired, that would only trouble you, wouldn’t it?”
Let me correct myself. She’s not just an ideal wife; she is already the epitome of one.
Responsibility… honestly, calling for responsibility over just one first kiss feels a bit excessive.
The problem is the memory of fondly stroking Wakamo’s tail like a piece of dough makes me feel like I should be held accountable for that.
Honestly, I want to argue it was beyond my control…
“If I’m not to your liking, if I’m insufficient… then I’ll try to be good enough… So… when you’re truly ready to take me into your heart, please don’t push me away. I’m begging you——”
“…Eek.”
“Ah?!”
With my hand snuck under the blanket, I gently caressed Wakamo’s fluffy tail.
“In a situation where I should be held accountable, I won’t run away. If I receive love, it’s only natural to return it.”
“Ah… just hearing that makes my heart feel like it’s about to burst… I don’t know where to put my body… Fufufu…”
Yeah, even if it’s now embarrassing to call myself a man. I was still born as a man.
A man’s heart should be as vast as the Pacific Ocean——
“Mika-chan, you better kneel immediately.”
Ka…?!
The moment I made eye contact with Nagisa, who had crossed her arms, I genuinely pondered.
Could starting with a cute greeting as ‘honey’ get me even a little bit of forgiveness?
“What are you doing not kneeling right away?”
My body moved faster than I anticipated.
