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"I'll go wash the fruit."
Amamiya Natsuki quickly let go, not continuing to bully Komi.
When he came out after washing the fruit, Komi had already put on her stockings and was sitting upright on the sofa.
"Go wash your hands." Amamiya Natsuki came out with the fruit and sat beside Komi. "Come and eat some fruit."
"…"
Komi shook her head.
"Don't want to eat?"
"Mm-hmm."
Komi nodded quickly.
"These are the fruits I painstakingly washed," Amamiya Natsuki said, picking up a grape and looking at Komi. "You have two choices: either eat them yourself, or…"
Before Amamiya Natsuki could finish his sentence, Komi had already stood up quickly and walked nervously towards the bathroom.
"I-I'll eat them myself!"
Having a boy feed her something—that was just too embarrassing no matter how she thought about it!
After washing her hands and returning, Komi sat back down in her previous spot. When Amamiya Natsuki glanced over, she quickly picked up a Shine Muscat grape and silently began to eat it.
"There are also lychees; don't just eat grapes," Amamiya Natsuki said, picking up a lychee. "Do you want me to peel it for you?"
Komi quickly shook her head and swiftly took the lychee from Amamiya Natsuki's hand.
It wasn't like it was a stubborn jar lid; she could peel a lychee herself.
Under the bright light, the young girl's snow-white, scallion-like fingers gently peeled the dark red lychee skin, a rather pleasing sight.
After peeling the lychee, Komi parted her pink lips, just about to eat it, when Amamiya Natsuki suddenly spoke:
"Wait a moment."
"Hmm?"
Komi tilted her head, looking over with confusion.
"That's the lychee you just snatched from my hand," Amamiya Natsuki said seriously. "Now, please return it to me. If you want to eat, get one yourself."
Bullying!
He had clearly handed it to her just now, and now that she had peeled it, he wanted it back? He obviously had that kind of intention!
Komi couldn't help but puff out her pink cheeks, her pink lips slightly parted, and she whispered:
"…No."
Amamiya Natsuki pretended not to hear, reaching out his hand: "If you don't say anything, I'll take that as your consent."
Komi dodged backward, quickly picked up a whole lychee, and handed it over: "Here, I'll give it back to you."
"I want the lychee in your hand."
"No, only this one."
"Is Komi bullying me?"
The black-haired, long-haired girl's pink lips moved slightly, and she couldn't help but retort:
"You're clearly… playing the victim."
Amamiya Natsuki suddenly smiled and said:
"Komi is quite talkative today."
"…"
Komi's eyes widened at his words, and then her pretty face rapidly flushed at a visible speed.
How strange.
Normally, she could only talk this much with her mother. Why today… Could it be a lingering effect from yesterday?
Yes, it must be that.
Komi nervously retracted her gaze, no longer daring to make eye contact with Amamiya Natsuki.
Amamiya Natsuki, taking advantage of her distraction, snatched the lychee back:
"Now it's back to its rightful owner."
"…"
After teasing the little white rabbit for a bit, Amamiya Natsuki knew when to stop and turned his head to watch TV.
A moment later.
Perhaps worried that Komi might be bullied if she stayed outside alone, Juju emerged from the bathroom not long after.
"I'm done washing."
Juju's gaze shifted, looking at the two people sitting on the sofa. "Why are you sitting next to Shoko?"
Amamiya Natsuki ate a grape, his expression unchanged: "Of course, it's to bully Komi."
"Tch."
"I'm telling the truth."
"Don't try to fool me."
"…"
Being secretive makes people suspicious, but when said openly, Juju instead wouldn't believe him.
Komi quietly pursed her lips, looking at Juju with a wronged expression.
Juju, you've been fooled. He's telling the truth; he really is bullying me.
"Shoko, do you want to take a bath now?"
Juju placed her right hand on her hip and turned to look at Komi.
"Mhm, mhm!"
Komi quickly nodded, stood up swiftly, took her change of clothes from her school bag, and fled to the bathroom.
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Juju: "Do you want me to dry your hair?"
"No need to dry it. I'm not sleeping now, so natural air-drying is fine," Juju shook her head. "You only need to dry your hair in winter, otherwise it gets cold."
Amamiya Natsuki gestured:
"Come sit here."
"No," Juju sat at the other end of the sofa, her arms crossed over her chest. "I can sit here."
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"You're so far away, how will you feed me fruit?"
"Huh?" Juju's eyes widened. "You actually want me to feed you fruit? You wish."
"Then I'll just have to feed you," Amamiya Natsuki stood up and sat next to Juju.
"No, go away," Juju raised her short leg, her delicate, pink foot kicking towards him. "If I want to eat, I'll get it myself."
At that moment, her phone suddenly rang.
"It's my phone…" Juju heard the ringtone, took her phone out of her school bag. "Eh, it's my sister?"
Juju quickly stood up, lowering her voice:
"I'll go to the balcony to take a call."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded. Taking a call was a serious matter, so he naturally wouldn't tease her.
Juju stepped into her slippers and hurried out, but her feet were still wet, and she nearly slipped.
"Slow down."
Amamiya Natsuki reached out and pulled Juju into his arms.
The next moment.
A soft, gentle voice suddenly came from the phone.
"Sister, are you okay?"
"Eh, eh, eh?!"
Juju, who was about to get up, froze. She quickly looked at her phone, only to realize her finger had accidentally touched the screen, unexpectedly answering the call.
"I'm fine," Juju quickly said. "I just accidentally slipped."
"Um… Sister, it sounds like there's a boy's voice next to you?"
Juju took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down: "It's my friend's younger brother talking."
Amamiya Natsuki exerted a little force, holding Juju in his arms, not letting her get up.
"What are you doing?"
Juju turned her head nervously, glaring at him.
Amamiya Natsuki's eyes signaled: Since it's a younger brother, it's normal to be a bit willful, right?
At this moment, the girl on the other end of the phone spoke again, her voice soft and gentle, sounding easy to bully:
"Sister, are you really at a friend's house?"
Juju quickly replied: "Of course I am."
"Um, Sister has been a bit strange lately. She always comes home very late, always spacing out alone, and her favorite cosplay hasn't produced any new works," the sister's voice on the phone was exceptionally soft, sounding very easy to bully. "Sister never used to have friends, and she never told me before. Suddenly staying overnight at a friend's house makes me worried… Sister, if you encounter anything, you must tell me. Don't hide it alone in your heart."
"Don't worry, I'm fine," listening to her sister's nagging on the phone, Juju's voice softened, and she no longer went to the balcony. "I've met some really good friends recently, and I'm really playing at a friend's house."
Amamiya Natsuki took Juju's other hand and wrote on her palm:
"Words alone aren't enough. Tell her you'll video call her."
"How can I video call in this position?!"
Luckily, it was just a regular call earlier, not a video call invitation. If her sister saw her sitting in a boy's arms, she would definitely misunderstand!
Amamiya Natsuki wrote back: "We'll video call with Komi later."
"That might work…"
Juju hesitated for two seconds. To reassure her sister, she whispered: "I really am at a friend's house. I'll video call you later so you can see my friend."
While Juju was talking, Amamiya Natsuki reached out, took a grape, and brought it to Juju's mouth.
Juju instinctively opened her mouth and ate the grape.
"Are you really sure?" her sister on the other end of the phone sounded a little surprised. "It won't bother you, will it?"
"Of course not. Shoko is taking a bath right now. Once she comes out, we'll video chat."
"That's good."
"…"
Ending the call, Juju couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
"Open your mouth."
Amamiya Natsuki brought the grape to Juju's mouth.
Juju instinctively acted tough: "I won't eat it."
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"You've already eaten three grapes just now."
"You knew I was on the phone and still fed me? I couldn't refuse, could I?" Juju flushed with anger and embarrassment. "Let go of me quickly."
It's not like I forced it into your mouth. You could have refused if you wanted to!
"No," Amamiya Natsuki held Juju with one arm. "I want to eat grapes too."
"If you want to eat, get them yourself."
Amamiya Natsuki leaned in close: "If you say that, what I want to eat won't be grapes anymore."
"…Lewd!"
Juju's small face quickly flushed red. Faced with the threat, she didn't have the backbone to stay tough. She reached out, took a grape, and, blushing, brought it to Amamiya Natsuki's mouth: "Eat it quickly."
"Eat one more."
"You need to know when to stop!"
"…"
As they spoke, the doorbell rang again.
Amamiya Natsuki reluctantly let go of Juju, got up, and went to open the door.
"Natsuki-kun, good evening."
Koyasu Tsubame smiled brightly, standing outside the door, "Am I late?"
"You're actually quite early," Amamiya Natsuki said, stepping aside from the door, "Please come in, Senpai."
"Excuse me for intruding."
Koyasu Tsubame stepped inside and, seeing Juju on the sofa, greeted her with a smile. A social butterfly never gets stage fright.
Juju, on the other hand, had a slight social phobia. After greeting her, she hugged a pillow and sat on the sofa, watching TV.
"Natsuki-kun, I bought some fruit." Tsubame-senpai was quite diligent, carrying the items directly to the kitchen. "I'll go wash the fruit."
It was already past seven in the evening. After Senpai, Kitagawa Marin and Chika arrived one after another, but the Sheltered Ojou-sama remained nowhere to be seen.
It wasn't until nine o'clock that Shinomiya Kaguya and Maid Hayasaka finally appeared.
"Natsuki-kun, good evening."
Shinomiya Kaguya said softly. For some reason, this Sheltered Ojou-sama clearly didn't seem as happy as she was during the day.
"You're the only one left," Amamiya Natsuki whispered, "Why are you only just arriving?"
"I…"
Shinomiya Kaguya moved her pink lips, a hint of hesitation appearing on her pretty face. Just as she was about to speak, Ghost Mama had already pounced on her.
"Kaguya-chan, why are you only just here? Mama was so worried!"
"Something just delayed me a bit," Shinomiya Kaguya tilted her head to the side, "I'm fine, don't hug me."
"Mama sent you messages, but you didn't reply."
"My phone wasn't with me at the time."
"…"
Amamiya Natsuki turned to look at Maid Hayasaka, who was behind Kaguya, and asked with his eyes:
"What happened?"
Maid Hayasaka's expression was cold and stern; she did not answer, only shook her head slightly.
"Kaguya-chan, you're finally here!" Fujiwara Chika heard the commotion, turned to look over, "We were just waiting for you to come and eat watermelon together."
Kitagawa Marin volunteered, "I'll go get the watermelon."
With Shinomiya Kaguya being the last to arrive, the atmosphere became lively again.
To be precise, Miko was still missing, but Miko usually only arrived after ten-thirty.
After eating watermelon together, to avoid "involving" Hayasaka in the game, Shinomiya Kaguya had Maid Hayasaka return home first.
"Yes, Miss."
Hayasaka Ai exited smoothly, switched identities, and made a dazzling appearance as the junior, Hanamori.
"Senpai, good evening."
Hayasaka Ai stood prettily outside the door with her hands behind her back, her smile sweet and her voice clear. "Did Senpai miss me?"
Just now, she wouldn't even say an extra word, as if she were a stranger, but now she's immediately acting spoiled, without even a blush. It truly is you.
But then again, between Maid Hayasaka and Junior Hayasaka, the spoiled Junior Hayasaka is indeed cuter.
"Very much so," Amamiya Natsuki narrowed his eyes, "So much so that I want to eat you."
Hayasaka Ai covered her chest with both hands: "I'm sorry, Senpai actually wants to do sesshou things in front of everyone. It's too shameful, please forgive me for not being able to accept it."
"So, why are you all so late?"
Amamiya Natsuki said, glancing at the Sheltered Ojou-sama in the living room. Compared to the daytime, Miss Kaguya now seemed noticeably downcast.
"Well…" Hayasaka Ai's smile disappeared, and her expression turned stern. "I'll tell you after we clear the dungeon tomorrow."
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"Why not say it now?"
"Saying it now won't solve the problem," Hayasaka Ai pursed her pink lips, "We're entering the dungeon tomorrow, so Senpai shouldn't get distracted."
Amamiya Natsuki retorted:
"Don't you think saying half and leaving half is even more distracting?"
"It's better for Senpai to be distracted than for Senpai to be a playboy." The stern Hayasaka from moments ago vanished, replaced by the energetic Junior Hayasaka again. "Hello, Senpai; goodbye, Senpai."
"…"
When they were alone, he could still bully her, but now that everyone had arrived, the situation was reversed; even Komi couldn't be bullied.
"All the remaining ingredients for the Witch Potion have been found." Compared to Marin, the Sheltered Ojou-sama was more efficient at searching. "They should arrive tomorrow, so we can try to make the first batch of potions tomorrow."
"That's amazing, you actually collected so many things!" Kitagawa Marin stuck out her tongue, "Kaguya-san, you worked hard."
Hayasaka Ai next to her raised a hand to cover her mouth, barely suppressing the urge to retort.
The one who worked hard was clearly herself; the Miss merely moved her lips. Other than that, she did nothing at all and completely reaped the benefits!
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"Whether the potions can be successfully made is still unknown. After all, it's not officially certified by the game, so everyone shouldn't think too much about it for now. Let's clear the dungeon first."
"Natsuki-kun is right." Fujiwara Chika nodded in agreement. "It's almost twelve, by the way. I still don't know what the Theater looks like."
"Oh, I just thought of something!" Kitagawa Marin suddenly raised her right hand. "Yesterday night's campus was almost identical to a real school, so does that mean amusement parks can also be simulated?"
"The last time I went to Disneyland was in junior high, and it was a weekend. I only remember there were super many people, and I almost got crushed." Kitagawa Marin said expectantly, "Natsuki, Natsuki, after we clear the dungeon, let's record and simulate Disneyland, okay?"
Stop, do you know what the strongest legal department in the Western Hemisphere is called? A warning lawyer's letter is about to fall from the sky!
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence: 9 Reader for hundreds of additional chapters and over a dozen stories