Chapter 48: Kurumi: You'll Have to Take Responsibility~ (End of Volume 1)
Satoru was quite an honest person who didn't particularly like lying.
He did genuinely like Kurumi.
And he felt his chances of success shouldn't be too low.
Regardless of whether the reasons were forced or not, he had indeed helped Kurumi fulfill her wish, even encountering life-threatening dangers—these were indisputable facts.
He somewhat felt that his previous performance had been quite "cool"!
So even if she were to offer herself in marriage, it would be quite normal, right~!
...It wasn't that he hadn't had such thoughts, though he quickly dismissed them.
For the sake of his own safety, helping someone solve a problem and then expecting them to offer themselves in marriage—wasn't that thinking too highly of himself?
This wasn't some cliché third-rate novel—how could such convenient things happen?
He had helped many girls so far, and while not to the extent of threatening his life safety, many had moved both the other party and himself.
But up until now, most of them were just friendships, with nothing beyond that.
Even now, though there seemed to be many girls around him, how many of them actually had feelings for him?
Mei and Ayano, for instance, were more like friends to him, and there had never been any particularly intimate behavior between them.
As for Asahi, it was probably more out of gratitude, and as for Muku... well, that was even more complicated.
Even if she genuinely had romantic feelings for him, Satoru could only politely decline.
After all, no matter what, he couldn't possibly go after a little girl, could he?
...Though her figure was so voluptuous that even mature onee-sans would marvel at it.
His only girlfriend, Nia, had a somewhat "slender" figure, with little room for "development."
Now, Kurumi, who had just appeared, perfectly matched his preferences in every way, and with the element of danger eliminated, of course he felt a bit excited!
"See, you really are just after her body. I told you, young man, just admit it~"
"...Alright, I admit it. I do like Kurumi quite a bit, but so what? I like everyone here. Does that mean everyone should marry me?"
So, he might as well lay his cards on the table.
He was never a one-woman man to begin with, something he had made clear even when he started dating Nia.
And in daily life, he had always been open about it, never holding back.
Heh, which was probably why no one had ever been willing to join him~
"..." xN
Still, his words caused subtle changes in the expressions of the girls present.
Mei and Asahi covered their cheeks with their hands, slightly embarrassed, and shifted away a little. Mukuro narrowed her eyes, looking quite pleased.
Only Ayano shot him an annoyed glance before continuing to eat...
Though her face was subtly turned away, and a faint blush had spread across her fair cheeks.
Unfortunately, someone didn't notice this at the moment.
"It's not entirely impossible, you know~"
But Nia glanced around and chuckled teasingly.
Others might not know the situation, but she understood it all too well.
These girls' affection for a certain someone was just too high!
To put it exaggeratedly, even if he asked them to marry him right now, some might actually agree!
"So stop talking nonsense, Kurumi. Don't listen to her. The Service Club doesn't take rewards."
"...Ara~ With Satoru saying that, I don't even know how to respond~ I was actually thinking about whether I should offer myself to you~"
"Stop joking. Be careful, or I might actually take you seriously... Huh?"
Satoru didn't take Kurumi's teasing seriously.
After all, Kurumi always spoke like this—her words were incredibly alluring, and most men wouldn't be able to handle it.
But at that moment, Kurumi did something that stunned not only him but everyone else present.
She walked over to Satoru, sat down beside him, wrapped his right hand in both of hers, and pulled it into her soft embrace. Then, lifting her head, she looked up at him with a light laugh, her flawless, fair cheeks tinged with an irresistibly alluring blush...
"I'm not joking~ How could a girl joke about something like this~ Satoru saved me, and right now I don't know where to go or what to do. If Satoru would take me in, I'd definitely repay you with my body~"
Kurumi gently brought her lips close to Satoru's ear, whispering softly to him. The proximity was so close that it made Satoru's ear feel slightly tingly...
"You'll have to take responsibility, you know~"
But her voice was just loud enough for everyone present to hear, and everyone's expressions became particularly subtle.
Th-this won't do!
A beautiful young woman directly living in a vigorous young man's home—no matter how you look at it, it's very dangerous!
This absolutely won't do...
"Then Little Kurumi can repay through physical work~"
But just as Satoru was still hesitating whether to agree immediately or pretend to hesitate before reluctantly agreeing, Nia directly answered.
As his girlfriend, she would actually willingly accept this kind of situation—it was just too strange.
But actually, seeing her current appearance made it clear she wasn't as calm as she seemed on the surface.
Nia directly wrapped her arms around Satoru's neck, then leaned her body over, sitting completely on Satoru's lap. She looked at Kurumi with a relaxed expression, while Kurumi smiled back at her...
However, between the two of them, there seemed to be some inexplicable sparks flashing, confronting, and colliding—creating a feeling that made it impossible for others to approach...
Um, could this be considered "fighting over a lover"?
Seeing this scene, Satoru sitting in the middle couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
When he used to read those novels, he always thought the male protagonists in such situations were enviable, but now that he was experiencing it himself, he realized how much pressure there actually was!
So he quickly looked to the side, wanting to seek help from the others.
Unfortunately, everyone was either eating or chatting—no one was looking at him.
And when they occasionally glanced his way, their eyes seemed to carry a bit of anger.
Um, what did he do wrong???
Speaking of which...
Do you two have to compete so intensely? You're even using Reiryoku now, hey!
Sigh, overall, having this beautiful Spirit move in doesn't seem like such an appropriate course of action...