Chapter 102: The Troubles of the Junior
Upon hearing that Renako also had a younger sister with pink hair, Ren became somewhat interested.
Although Ram and Rem were sisters, the difference in their hair color was ultimately a bit disappointing.
Moreover, Ram seemed to guard against Ren as if he were a thief, whether she genuinely wanted to protect Rem or was just stubbornly resisting.
Even though she could already blush but remain expressionless while helping Ren clean up or filling in when no one was around, she still wouldn't allow Rem to serve him at night.
"Rem, when do you think would be a good time to talk to Ram about this?"
On this day, Ram accompanied Hitori and the others to Kessoku Band, while Rem stayed behind with Ren.
It was hard to guard against internal threats. Ram wasn't always around, and after prolonged exposure and interaction, once Ren discovered that Rem's affection for him had surpassed ninety, he often took advantage of Ram's absence to sneak around with Rem.
For instance, now, while Ram was away, Rem, who usually stood respectfully behind Ren, was sitting on his lap and leaning into his embrace.
"Sister probably already knows but has been deliberately acting that way all along."
Rem could also be considered his sister-in-law, after all, Ren had taken a liking to Ram first. And Ram's resolve was exceptionally high—on one night when only Yuno and Satou were home, she naturally climbed into her master's bed to serve him.
Afterward, it naturally didn't escape Rem's notice, so Ren and Rem had once interacted as brother-in-law and sister-in-law for a period.
And the relationship between a brother-in-law and sister-in-law was always extraordinary. Additionally, Rem was Ren's maid. Once Ram also began serving, only Rem was left waiting on the sidelines.
Yet the sisters insisted on staying together forever. So, even though Ram seemed to be constantly on guard against Ren, he eventually succeeded, and Rem became the first girl in his Harem with a different hair color.
"Is that so? Then next time, try persuading her to warm my bed together at night, okay?"
"Sister might not agree, but I'll do my best."
Warming the bed together...
Although she hadn't experienced it yet, Rem had heard plenty while waiting to clean up afterward. It always felt like it would be both embarrassing and humiliating, but Hitori and the others had deepened their bonds this way. Being able to endure it meant there was something captivating about it.
Moreover, this was a request from her master. As a maid, she couldn't refuse.
And so, when it was time to rest that evening, Rem discussed the matter with Ram.
"So, Rem, how far have you gone with Master?"
Ram wasn't surprised that Ren had taken a liking to Rem. Even though she didn't have pink hair, she was still a beautiful girl with a lovely figure.
She just didn't know how far things had progressed between them, as she had always been on guard and had never witnessed their intimacy firsthand.
"It hurts a lot at first…"
In the dim light, the blush on Rem's face was clearly visible as she poked a certain area on Ram's soft lower abdomen.
"Haven't you done everything already? How unfit as a maid."
"Isn't Sister the same?"
"Hmph, who told our master to have such abundant energy? If we don't agree, he'll definitely keep thinking about it. Rem, let's take tomorrow off."
It's perfectly normal for a young and beautiful maid to lose her professional composure. Ram felt no shame but rather took pride in this—didn't it prove she was attractive?
As for warming Ren's bed, hadn't they done that plenty of times during winter? Not just warming the bed, she had even served as his hugging pillow many times.
Rem was the same. So rather than picking a specific day, why not seize the opportunity? Attending to the master at night was part of a maid's duties. To prevent Ren from constantly thinking about them and affecting their future maid work, Ram decided to settle this quickly. Coincidentally, only Yuno and Satou were home today, as the others usually returned to their own homes to rest.
With the mistress absent, it was time to turn the tables and take charge.
"Huh?"
While Rem was still stunned, Ram pulled her out of the room. On their way, they encountered Yuno and Satou who had just left Ren's room.
"..."
Yuno gave them a faint smile. Ram and Rem merely blushed more deeply, having grown accustomed to such situations.
That night, Ren also began learning how to interact with the sisters.
The next day, Ram and Rem naturally took the day off—they had come prepared with corresponding determination, and Ren didn't disappoint them.
Daily life continued. During this period, Renako didn't come to play with Hitori and the others every day, but visited intermittently instead.
Through his observations during this time, Ren discovered that she seemed to be just an ordinary beautiful girl—the type who had no qualities besides being pretty.
If that were all, Ren's interest would have diminished somewhat. After all, every member of his Harem was beautiful—mere beauty couldn't capture his attention. But she had a younger sister, after all.
Seeing that Renako's affection for him had just broken eighty points, Ren contemplated whether he should ask her out alone. Nowadays, asking girls out was actually quite simple for him—even when striking up conversations with strangers, all he had to do was ask if they wanted to go on a date with him, and they would agree with surprise.
Though it wouldn't be that exaggerated with Renako, she would certainly find it difficult to refuse.
But before he could extend the invitation, Renako proactively came to confide in them about something.
While Ren was observing her, Renako had also been observing them. She noticed that Hitori and the others were exceptionally harmonious.
They didn't seem like friends, but more like family—even more comfortable than Mai's small circle. That harmonious atmosphere made her somewhat envious, and she realized she hadn't fully integrated into their group. It wasn't that Hitori and the others were excluding her, but that she lacked some unknown factor or condition.
Even so, she still wanted to confide in them, because Hitori and the others were truly gentle.
What she confided was actually about how exhausting it was to pretend to be an extrovert. After saying this, she shamefully lowered her head, not daring to meet anyone's eyes. After all, admitting such things was embarrassing and easily ridiculed. She had hesitated for a long time before deciding to confide in Hitori and the others.
"Not surprising at all, but Renako, it's already impressive that you could go this far. After all, not everyone dares to strike up conversations with us. If you feel tired, you can freely be yourself around us."
One of the great Angels, Karen, listened with a smile and patted the head of Renako, who was hanging it low. They had actually known about her situation for a while but never pointed it out, instead treating her with gentle kindness and sincerity in exchange for sincerity.
"Eh? So you seniors noticed all along?"
Renako couldn't believe what she was hearing. She thought she had acted quite well—even Mai and others in her class hadn't realized she was pretending.
"Well, we have a senior here who's just like you. Bocchi-chan doesn't even dare to pretend to be an extrovert, so Renako, you're really amazing. Don't worry that we'll laugh at you; we actually admire you a bit, right, Ren?"
After speaking to Renako, Karen patted Hitori's shoulder. The latter scratched her head sheepishly and grinned foolishly. Compared to Renako, she really wasn't as brave, but she was lucky.
"Right, so from now on, you don't have to play the extrovert around us. True friends won't mind that kind of thing."
Ren chimed in. The fact that Renako could open up to them meant they had already reached her heart—this was already at the level of close friends, and the next step up would be lovers.
"That's great~~ I was so worried before deciding to speak up, and I had mentally prepared to be isolated for my entire high school life."
Renako let out a long sigh of relief, slumping limply onto her desk with an expression of relief as if she had narrowly escaped disaster.
Before confiding, she had still been worried that her act as an extrovert might be turned into a joke and lead to her being isolated again. But she was lucky—Karen and the others weren't the type to do such things.
But what she wanted to confide wasn't fully said yet. After the worries in her heart came another new trouble, only this one was even harder for Renako to bring up.
"What's wrong? You still look troubled and conflicted."
Seeing this, Hitori took the initiative to care for this junior who shared similarities with her.
"Actually, there's one more thing I wanted to talk to you seniors about... it's just... I was actually confessed to by a classmate, and I don't know how to turn her down."
After hesitating for a while, Renako still spoke with a troubled expression about the other matter—she had actually been confessed to by Mai from her class.