"Where is she!?" "Shiina Mashiro, where did you go!?"
Aoyama Nanami's voice rang throughout the dorm, laced with a thick Kansai accent that always slipped out when she was panicked.
She stomped down the stairs in her fuzzy slippers, still in her morning pajamas, and headed straight for the kitchen. "Mahiru, have you seen Mashiro?"
Shiina Mahiru, serene as ever, was standing at the stove in an apron, calmly flipping eggs on a hot pan. Her elegant demeanor didn't shift an inch as she replied with a gentle smile, "Isn't she in her room?"
Nanami shook her head frantically. "No! There's no sign of her! Her bed's still neat!"
Mahiru pondered for a moment, then suggested nonchalantly, "Then try Nozomi's room. Sometimes Mashiro likes to sleep there."
"Huh?" Nanami froze. Her mouth hung open for a second. Did she hear that right?
Before she could fully react, Ogiwara Sayu, who had just entered the kitchen rubbing her sleepy eyes, smiled playfully. "What's with that face, Nanami?"
"W-Wait, are you serious!?" Nanami stuttered. "Mashiro's a girl! Nozomi's a guy! What if his girlfriend sees them!? Won't that be a huge mess!?"
Mahiru looked at her with a knowing expression and asked softly, "Nanami, who do you think Nozomi's girlfriend is?"
Nanami blinked. "Isn't it… Misaki-senpai?"
Mahiru nodded. "Yes. But Sayu and I are also his girlfriends."
Nanami's head tilted slightly. "Oh, I see… Wait, WHAT!?"
(I feel the reaction would have been more exaggerated if I wrote it in Japanese but, I don't want to step on anyone's toes. Lemme know in the comments if I should edit it )
Her voice cracked as realization crashed down on her.
"Y-You're kidding, right!? Mahiru, Sayu… you two…!?"
The two girls exchanged a glance and nodded with a serene kind of unity.
"That's right," Mahiru replied, brushing her bangs aside.
Aoyama Nanami's mind short-circuited. Only one word could sum up this ridiculous situation.
"Harem!"
She shouted it like it was a forbidden curse.
"Nozomi's a freaking harem protagonist!? Don't tell me everyone in Sakurasou is part of his reverse harem!?"
Sayu stifled a laugh. "You're part of Sakurasou now too, you know."
Nanami's expression twisted. Her brain lagged for a full five seconds.
"D-Don't say weird things! I'm not part of anyone's harem! I just transferred here!"
Sayu waved it off. "Relax, Nanami. Nozomi's not that kind of guy. He's kind, gentle, and he respects boundaries. We're with him because we want to be."
Still unconvinced, Nanami looked at the two girls suspiciously. "This is way too weird… Is Mashiro seriously part of his harem too?"
Mahiru giggled softly. "Maybe. She's quite fond of him."
"This is a crime! A total crime! Brainwashing innocent girls and turning them into his personal fan club—this is textbook villain behavior!"
Nanami balled her fists with righteous fury, eyes blazing. "I won't stand for this! I'm going to make sure Mashiro hasn't been corrupted!"
The two girls watched with mild amusement as Nanami stormed upstairs like a knight on a holy mission.
"Let's get back to breakfast," Sayu said, rolling her eyes with a smile.
"Mmhm," Mahiru nodded, flipping the eggs with practiced ease.
Cooking had become a quiet joy for the two girls—a way of giving comfort, not just to Nozomi, but to each other. Perhaps it was because they never truly had a warm home growing up. Taking care of others had become their silent redemption.
Nanami, meanwhile, stood outside Nozomi's door, steeling herself. "Here goes!"
She flung the door open. "Nozomi, stop your nefarious harem crimes—!"
But the room was quiet.
Nozomi wasn't there.
Instead, curled up peacefully in his bed, was Shiina Mashiro. Wrapped tightly in his blanket, she was like a fluffy white dumpling, with just her small face peeking out.
Nanami froze, her momentum drained.
She had come ready to scold and protect, but now… now she just looked like some kind of pervert barging in.
"A-Ah… Mashiro…?"
Looking at Shiina Mashiro's peaceful, angelic face—so serene and gentle in sleep—Aoyama Nanami felt her resolve falter. Her delicate breath, her snow-white cheeks nestled against Nozomi's pillow, and the way she curled up like a kitten under his blanket all stirred an odd warmth in Nanami's chest.
But school awaited.
Suppressing a guilty sigh, Nanami approached the bed and gently shook her shoulder.
"Mashiro, it's morning. Time to wake up."
"Mmm..."
Mashiro stirred slowly, eyes fluttering open like a sleepy cat. She arched her back in a cute stretch, arms raised lazily, her soft voice barely above a whisper.
"Good morning, Nanami."
Nanami exhaled. Her tone shifted into that of a responsible elder sister.
"Mashiro, you can't keep sleeping in Nozomi's room like this. Seriously! He's still a guy, you know. Even if he's reliable, that doesn't make him safe. He already has a girlfriend. Or... are you trying to be his girlfriend too?"
Nanami paused, realizing just how nervous she suddenly felt. Why did she care so much about Mashiro's answer?
Mashiro tilted her head, her amber eyes blinking as if processing a deep philosophical question. Then, with complete calm, she replied:
"No."
Nanami sighed with relief. "Right? I knew you wouldn't—wait, then what were you thinking?! What if someone saw you walking around in just your nightwear? You need to be more conscious of these things!"
But then—
"Mashiro doesn't want to be a girlfriend," she said in her usual calm, expressionless tone. "Mashiro wants to be Nozomi's pet."
The silence was deafening.
Nanami froze. Her brain took a full ten seconds to register the words.
"P-Pet?! Did I hear that right? No, that's—NANI?!"
(Insert that gif from jojo)
She suddenly exploded with righteous fury. "What do you mean, a pet?! Has he been training you or something? Like a pervy cult leader?! Don't tell me Nozomi's actually some hidden boss-level harem tyrant!"
Just then, the door creaked open.
Nozomi stepped in, holding Yukino's hand, and raised an eyebrow at the chaos.
"Nanami... is that really how you see me?"
Caught mid-outburst, Nanami turned to see him and immediately flushed deep red. She stammered.
"W-Why are you just standing there?! Say something!"
But then she straightened, hands on her hips, cheeks puffed. "And don't try to weasel out of this! Sayu and Mahiru just told me they're both your girlfriends! Now Mashiro wants to be your pet?! You—you trained her, didn't you?!"
She backed up cautiously, eyes full of suspicion. That's when her gaze shifted and landed on Yukino.
"Wait... Yukinoshita?! When did you get here?! And why are you... holding his hand?!"
Yukino's cheeks flushed a brilliant pink. Her gaze flicked to Nozomi, clearly hoping he'd take over the explanation.
He did.
With an easygoing smile, Nozomi lifted their entwined hands and nodded.
"Let me reintroduce her properly. This is Yukinoshita Yukino. She's my fiancée. She stayed with me here at Sakurasou last night."
Nanami's mouth dropped open. Her brain blue-screened.
"Fiancée...?! As in, official? You mean—besides your multiple girlfriends, you also have a fiancée?!"
Her voice pitched into incredulity. "What about Frieren, and Miss Fern, and even Sakurajima-Senpai?! Don't tell me they're—"
Nozomi gave her a lazy smirk, lips curved with mischief.
"If you're that curious, Nanami, you could always ask them yourself."
"Like hell I will!"
She spun around dramatically.
"Ughh... my soul is not ready for this! I need at least three days to process everything!"