Rather than sarcasm, I can actually feel the enthusiasm in Rachel's voice. It is as though a new door full of possibilities was opened to Blondie. Truthfully, I did not know a smell could kickstart a comradery between household girls. A bad one at that, too! I swear these girls bond over the strangest of things. Who would have known they were always at each others' throats, looking at this scene unfolding before my face!

"It's nothing extravaganza. But sure. I'll teach you." Kurokawa nods at Rachel, whose eyes are full of curiosity. " By the way, we never have guests coming over, so there are no slippers. You guys will have to go barefoot on the inside. Is that okay?"

"I have no issues." Replies the class rep in her funny-half-serious voice. At this point, Laura's entire face is buried in her palms.

"Me, too." Without showing discomfort, Rachel quickly follows Kurokawa and sits on the floor.

"Me, three." Says Han, waiting patiently in line with a tearful face. "Rather than slippers, I'd prefer a face mask..." He sounds hopeful.

Too bad for the guy. The moment he asks for that, I already know what the answer will be. At the end of the day, this world is that of an adult fantasy. Why on Earth would the developers hide the beauty of their characters with face masks?

"Yeah...there's no face mask... Sorry."

"Sniff... Bummer. Sniff..." The protagonist wipes his nose with a shirt sleeve.

"Oh, I won't be needing..." But before I finish my sentence, Kurokawa has already brought something for me.

It has bunny ears, white fuzzy fur, and a pink nose. I know what it is. It is Kuro's slippers!!!

"Here you go, C." The bookworm flashes me a warm smile while handing me two objects. "The floors inside are pretty cold. I don't want your feet to be like that. I'm sorry if the size is small compared to your feet. Once everything is done, I'll get you a good pair."

"Oh! Thank you! You're too kind!" Instinctively, I reach out and take the items from her hands.

Chotto matte! Hold on a minute!

What is with these blatant preferential treatments?! Should we not do this in front of everyone and behind closed doors? What about the others? What are they going to think about this?!

"What's wrong?" Kura stares at me with her innocent emerald eyes. "You don't like it?"

"No! That's not it!" The eyes are on me now. Sheer peer pressure is making me suffocate. "I think I shouldn't wear these. Y'know... since no one but me has it, it feels unfair."

Yes, I know Kuro wants the best for me, going as far as sacrificing herself like this. Still, I do not feel comfortable being on the receiving end like this while Knowing others will suffer. Of course, it goes the same for the other girls. The reason why they are not saying anything and letting Kurokawa have this moment must be because they share the same thoughts. As different as these yanderes may seem, when the topic of their infatuated target arises, they strangely behave similarly.

"I think there's nothing unfair, though?" The bookworm leans her head on one side.

Oh crap... I think Kurokawa is about to use words to trap me again...

"What do you think? Laura? Rachel? Is this unfair to you two?"

No! You can not be asking those girls! You know very clearly what their answers are going to be!

"Laura, please!" Looking at my girlfriend, I plead. Within these girls, the only person I can count on to have a sense of justice is the class rep herself. I do not have high hopes for Rachel as she will most likely follow Kurokawa's idea of fairness. As for Kuro... well... the situation begins because of her. I doubt she would change her idea relatively soon. Plus, I still remember the talk about a harem earlier with her. Engaging in a logical debate with the bookworm only proves my non-existent brain worse than I initially thought it would.

"C, the best resources go to the most important person. I think Kurokawa made an excellent decision!" Laura nods to herself continuously while praising the bookworm. I swear I saw her flashing a thumb up at one point.

"I'm with Wawa on this, darling." Rachel merrily announces. Nearby, Kurakawas eyes twitch a couple of times.

Finally, as I hopelessly glance at Han, the guy is trying to look elsewhere to escape talking to me.

"The sun is going down real slow." Do not state the obvious, idiot! What the hell is the sun supposed to do in the afternoon? Do taxes? Make a joint? File for divorce?

On the one hand, I think the stares of my girls make him act like that. After all, the dead eyes of anyone in these three could bring the next ice age. On the other, his behavior is too smooth and virtually flawless. I cannot help thinking this mofo is learning. And he is learning fast! Perhaps stepping away from the spotlight of this world has enabled Han to have a subjective point of view. Why could you not have developed something like that sooner, you bastard bitch!?

"Haaaah..." A sigh quickly escapes my chest. I do not know why I even bothered in the first place, knowing this outcome was more or less inevitable. "I'll put on the slippers."

"Hehe!" Kurokawa beams brightly after seeing her objective achieved.

Accepting my defeat, I walk inside Kuro's house to do what everyone does and put the bunny slippers on. As Kurokawa said, the sizing is off when I try to fit all my toes. But if I just put four of them, it is comfortable. As long as I do not look down, there should not be a problem. Otherwise, I would see a ridiculous sight where my pinky toes stick out of the bunny slippers near their ears.

Not gonna lie, but the fuzzy bunnies wrapping my feet look like they have a gigantic tumor growing out of their heads. The happy expressions on the face do not help one bit. On the contrary, my toes and their smiles create an eerie look. Have you ever heard of the expression 'like a sore thumb'? Today, Let me give you a new one that should be even more relatable: sticking out like a spare toe.

"Like I thought, they look good on you, C!" Kuro is the quickest to acknowledge the peculiar look of my feet. I really do not know whether this was a setup or a coincidence. After all, we are talking about Kuro, the thinker. When I am still thinking of what to do tonight, she has already thought of ways to deal with the aftermath and other possible routes for two days later.

Right after the bookworm, Rachel comes close to my legs and starts poking the pinky toes sticking out. "Hehe! This is cute as heck! Your pinky toes are super soft, darling!"

"Please don't touch it like that..." Aaaaand... she continues playing with them after looking up at my face with a huge smile. Man, she looks like a cute, happy baby.

As for the class representative, after ignoring my plea, she now nods while focusing her amber eyes on my feet, giving me obvious signs of approval. I wonder how long until she approaches me to do the same as Blondie.

"Can I touch them, C?"

Speaking of the devil...

"Sure you can!" What do I have to lose now? Come on in, everyone! Go touch my toe until you pass out or something...

At least, now that the girls are paying attention to me, the horrid smell coming from Kurokawa's mother's room should be less noticeable. A few minutes earlier, people were trying to hold back from puking. Now, they are all smiling and joking without care. If some slight skinship and embarrassment can help the girls ease the difficulty of getting used to this place, I have no problem doing it a while longer.

I needed their help. Sacrificing my dignity means nothing when putting next to what these girls can achieve. If being a tool can help them, I would gladly be one. Besides, this is mere child's play if we are comparing them to what I had to do in the past to save them.

Out of nowhere, Han looks at my feet and comments: "They do look cute on your feet, though."

Instantly, everyone turns at the guy, and cold sweats form on his forehead at the speed of light.

"W-what did I do this time?" Han fumbles with his words. "I don't think I said anything wrong!?"

"Han...you know I don't swing that way, right?" Feeling exhausted by the protagonist, I dig into my palms. I already have enough on my plate. "For the love of the good god above, please do not say that out of the blue."

"I just complimented you! I thought it was a nice gesture!"

"And I need you to shut the hell up..." I pray to the heavens for mercy.

"Let's go inside. It's not a good idea to stand idly at the entrance." Fortunately for Han, since I am about to lose my mind over his antics, Kurokawa clasps her hands, reminding everyone we are still at the front door of her house.

"Unfortunately, my Mother is not yet home. I have no clue when she is back, so I guess we will have to stay in my room until she returns to have a...chat with her. Don't worry too much about dinner. We have enough food in the fridge for everyone. Of course, I can not make anything as lavish as Rachel's. You will have to excuse me for it."

*Gatan*

The door closes behind us.

(Sorry for the delay, peeps. I got stuck in a writer's block. Got out now. I also got caught in two motorcycle accidents. Feels like this year is not mine.)

BTW, this is Arc 3: Everyone lies.)