Upon approaching my girls without extracting the three from me, I immediately got swarmed by them, asking for the same treatment. For those looking from a distance, this situation would probably be taken as my entrance to a blooming flower garden

Hina led the charge then Hiyori. Thankfully, Saki and Elizabeth already got their fill, they even high-five each other before giggling in satisfaction. Also, the chuunibyou playfully whispered something about her interaction with Hanabi, I might have been taken in by her agreeable personality, my prince. When wouldst thou take her in as our sister? Hast the embers of passion yet to be ignited?

That earned her a flick on her forehead again. Of course, I already controlled my strength. Its more like a hit of rubber band than something that would leave a mark on her wide forehead.

Elizabeth stuck her tongue out in response before laughing and doubling down, Aha! My prince neither denied nor dismissed my question. Hanabi-senpai, this princess looks forward to our next meeting.

And with Hanabi hearing that exchange, the girl lifted her head to look at us. I used that moment to pinch her bloated cheeks. But as though she grew thicker skin in the short time that we were not together, she didnt give way to other girls, keeping her monopoly of my chest.

Luckily for her, my girls didnt mind it that much. In fact, theyre also quite intrigued by how the goofballs mind works. She kept saying theres nothing between us but from what I heard, she also kept on claiming that Ive caught her like a fish in the net. She cannot escape my grasp anymore.

The girls contradiction was making them amused.

Anyway, as my girls come at me one by one, sometimes, they would ask for an intimate exchange like a kiss on the lips or nibbling on my neck.

And when it came to the turn of Sumire and Umi who somehow also joined up with them because of Chii the former still acted the same as earlier while the latter shyly but assertively approached me.

Although Umi was like her cousin who seldom talked, the way she conveyed her thoughts through actions was extremely adorable. And thats why I cannot help but keep on doting on her the same way I dote on Ria and Aya.

As for Sumire... well, shes still trying to hang onto Asahis name, saying she doesnt want to betray her idol.

Due to that, I showed her an exchange of messages between Yue and me when I told her about her number 1 fanatic getting closer to me.

She said shed give her seal of approval once I showed her a photo of us together.

So, I did. The girl nervously posed beside me when Akane took our photo. Of course, at this point, Hanabi had to take a step back or shed be caught in the frame too.

Once I sent the photo to Yue, Sumire overheated or rather, her mind couldnt take it anymore. In the end, I ended up holding her until she regained consciousness which also resulted in another shock for her when the first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was my face closely observing her.

In her mind, shes probably thinking of hiding in a hole somewhere but cant do it because Im securely holding her.

Well, Yue was currently busy memorizing a script at that particular moment that her reply became a video call so she wouldnt waste time typing on her phone.

Due to that, Sumire and Umi finally got to meet their favorite singer even if its only for a minute. And with it, Sumire finally got the confirmation that everything I told her was true.

Nonetheless, shes still in a state of disbelief.

I had to stay by her side and guide her on walking as we moved to a quieter place, away from the buzzing gossipers. Shimura, Misumi, and the others also looked like they wanted to follow us but decided not to in the end. Somehow, theyre probably aware that theres still a gap between them when it comes to their closeness with me.

Ah. Right. Theres also Nina who boldly squeezed in among my girls. However, she couldnt approach me because of Sumire. My girls and I were aware of her presence.

Instead of Chii, Nami was the one who started talking to her. And as always, shes raving about her fantasy that Im a Noble of the Night controlling them.

That made everyone laugh at her but at the same time, it made some of my girls interested in her. For example, my chuunibyou princess.

Anyway, we soon reached a new place but knowing that I wouldnt be able to stay with them for long, Akane told me their plan.

As we all moved to somewhere quieter, ignoring the eyes that followed us, the cucked boys were enraged again but they couldnt do anything. I saw Mami next to Ogawa with a complicated expression. I guess she decided to still stick by his side after that flimsy confession earlier. Tadano was staring at Ninas back. Is he also becoming conscious of her?

Well, boys are that simple. If a girl gives them a little bit of attention, theyll think that the girl is interested in them.

Good thing I honed my skills in trying to understand those signs before. Furthermore, I was someone who never really cared about whether the girls I stole were interested in me or not. Making them believe that I controlled them was enough.

Fukuda was still bitter at seeing Chii hang around me. He even approached Kushii and An-rin, maybe thinking that they could help him. Unfortunately for him, those two are cheering for me as well.

As for Miyoshi... Kanzaki only gave him a dismissive glance before running to my side. After what he witnessed a few days ago, Im surprised hes still trying to get her attention.

Ah. Right. Sakuma, on the other hand, was gloomy again. It seems like my advice earlier didnt work. When Setsuna-nee and Juri arrived in the middle of the match, that Satsuki lookalike had no time to spare with him as she became the supportive older sister. Still, from what I heard from him, he stayed by her side and attended to her. Just that, when the two women went to the waiting room to see Satsuki, he got left behind.

What a poor soul. Too bad. I have no time to spare to console his weary soul.

Lastly, as for girls and our other schoolmates, they were wondering what was happening. Although some accepted that something was going on between me and the girls surrounding me, no one could voice it out. Perhaps theyre afraid to be wrong or theyre just intimidated by my girls appearance. I mean, even though they didnt outnumber them, their beauty was all above-average to top-notch. Uh, in my eyes theyre all top-notch, no exceptions. Hence, theyre not confident to call them out.

Maybe some of them made their own interpretation that it was impossible for me to be in a relationship with all of them and stuck with the label close friends. And in the same sense, some would also think that theres more to it, wondering if I already kissed the girls or had sex with them.

Yeah. Human minds are that dirty after all. Theyre not wrong anyway and I couldnt care less about their fantasies. As long as they stay away from my girls, they wont have any problem with me.

Anyway, back on the topic.

With Akanes lead again, she told me what they all planned. Like I previously guessed, they all seemed to be talking about whether to take the bus or train. And after further deliberation, they opted to take the train rather than the bus which more often than not wouldnt be empty when arriving at the bus stop. The seats wont be enough for them.

Besides, with Hanabi among them whose house was in the opposite direction, some of them suggested that she sleepover at one of the girls houses. Of course, she declined it right away. She only met them today. Theyre neither friends nor sisters yet. And given her newfound attachment to me, the goofball declared that shed rather stay with me.

Or... theres no problem for her to commute alone.

At the moment, thats the current issue theyre asking me to decide.

Babe...? With her voice laced with a tinge of uneasiness, Hanabi called out to me.

Mhm... What about this? Ill walk you to your bus stop

Unfortunately, thats the best solution I have. Given that I will be with Shizu maybe until late in the night and I still have to prepare for the camping trip tomorrow morning, taking her home to stay the night is out of the question; not to mention she didnt have permission from her mother yet and its entirely a suggestion made on the fly.

Y-yes! Hanabi smilingly nodded as she heaved a sigh of relief.

Like I thought, she was also not ready for it yet. But with that, her close-to-blind trust in me was once again highlighted...

May Matsuri forgive me for corrupting her twin sister.