Chapter 297: It Really Went Off!
Chapter 297: It Really Went Off!
“My eyes…”
Himekoji got excited and almost blurted out the good news to everyone. But halfway through, he thought of something and quickly changed his words,
“Eye… drink!”
“Drink?”
“Here, Akito.”
Yuigahama kindly handed Himekoji a cup of poured Kuchikamizake.
Being blind really makes drinking inconvenient, she thought.
Extra sympathy and tenderness flooded Yuigahama’s eyes at that moment.
“Ah, thanks.”
Himekoji took it with a forced smile, screaming internally about the close call.
Good thing he was quick-witted!
If Yukinoshita and the others found out his sight was back now, that would be bad.
An exciting “Clothing Explosion” might happen any minute. Being able to see wasn’t good right now.
So, the far-sighted Himekoji decided to keep pretending to be blind!
……
“Ara~? Himeman~? Why’s your gaze so focused on me? It’s completely bare~”
“Huh? Wh-where? Besides, I can’t see anything!”
Himekoji had just decided to fake blindness when put to the test!
Was he found out? Had Kasumigaoka noticed him looking earlier?
Kasumigaoka Utaha’s words instantly made Himekoji unsure if she was teasing or serious.
“Oh? Didn’t our eyes just meet? We totally exchanged gazes. I thought your eyes were better?”
“Eye contact? I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Himekoji frantically shook his head denying it.
“Exchange?! You exchanged something through your eyes?! What was it?!”
Eriri nearby actually believed it right away.
“Secret~”
Kasumigaoka lifted her finger to her lips, deliberately making Eriri overthink it.
“Are you dumb?! I just said there was no eye-contact exchange! Why ask what we exchanged?!”
Focusing too much on eyes and gaze risked exposure!
Himekoji could only snap at Eriri in annoyance.
“Alright now, everybody’s here! Drinks first, drinks first!”
Afraid these two would keep arguing endlessly, Himekoji quickly shifted the topic.
“Hold on, Onii-chan. Didn’t you say your eyes would heal in three days?”
Unexpectedly, Akiko decided to pile on right then.
Could he really be found out so fast? First Kasumigaoka, then my own Imouto?
Himekoji mentally grumbled, feeling guilty. But his tone became even more forceful instead—
“Yeah, three days! Three days later! So they won’t be fine until tomorrow. Got a problem with that?”
A textbook case of sounding brave but trembling inside.
“Hmm?”
Yukinoshita suddenly frowned and stared at Himekoji.
Something felt very off about this conversation.
That Himekoji’s eyes would heal in three days was his own lie and excuse. It might be understandable if Kasumigaoka didn’t know, but why did Akiko say this?
Akiko was there when the old doctor told them the truth.
That Akiko asked this despite knowing the truth baffled Yukinoshita greatly.
But Himekoji’s reaction baffled her even more.
Logically, knowing this lie gets exposed tomorrow and facing a lifetime of darkness… shouldn’t his instinctive reaction be gloom, sadness, and pain?
Yet Himekoji’s tone now was nothing like that. Strangely, it felt more like the guilt and frustration of someone thinking, Don’t blow my cover, idiot!
Guilty? A liar should feel guilt alright. But this guilt wasn’t the kind Yukinoshita imagined he should feel.
……
“Yeah, three days! Three days later! So they won’t be fine until tomorrow. Got a problem with that?”
“I do! Just now, his eyes were super pretty! For a second, they sparkled!”
Hah?
Did regaining my sight make me even hotter this time?
Himekoji instinctively reached into his pocket for the little mirror he carried everywhere to check meticulously. Thankfully, as his hand was halfway there, reason kicked in —
No mirror! Can’t look!
Looking would be admitting it!
Right then, Yukinoshita’s gaze swept over. Their eyes locked for an instant before Himekoji flinched and looked away in slight panic.
……
Hmm? That reaction?
Turning away requires sensing the other’s gaze first.
Yukinoshita’s confusion deepened.
Himekoji didn’t catch this detail though. He coughed softly, clearing his throat: “Ahem, Akiko. No need to use such roundabout flattery about my looks in front of everyone. It’s embarrassing.”
“Now, everyone, please taste my be…”
“Ara~ Himeman’s perversion and grossness are really consistent as always~ Refreshingly so.”
Kasumigaoka interrupted him coldly, mid-sentence again.
“Utaha Senpai, what now?”
Himekoji was utterly confused. He had no clue what he said wrong.
That was a super normal sentence! Where on Earth was it perverted and gross?!
“I really don’t want to taste your… below… in front of so many people~”
Kasumigaoka’s words made the other girls instantly realize her implication, all of them blushing deeply.
“Eh?! Akito, your demand is way too much!”
“Onii-chan, exactly how many of… that… do you have?! There are six of us here!”
True to form, Kasumigaoka had twisted things again.
Himekoji rubbed his temples with a headache. “I said ‘next part’ not in that meaning!! Could you please stop interrupting and twisting my words? Senior, what exactly fills your mind?”
“My mind is filled with… you, Kikan-kun, of course.”
Himekoji wasn’t buying it:
“Quiet! While imagination is vital for a writer, please control yours and ensure it’s wholesome!”
“Being told that by an unwholesome pervert hurts,” Kasumigaoka pretended to wipe nonexistent tears, playing pitiful.
…
Himekoji and Kasumigaoka’s “flirty bickering” struck Yuigahama, making her eyes widen in shock.
Yesterday, this senior suddenly visiting Kyoto was already surprising, but there was at least the reason of being “industry peers” or “coming along from the Book Signing Event.”
Seeing their completely natural argument now suggested a much closer relationship.
Those jokes weren’t something ordinary “industry peers” could share!
“A-Are, Yukino-chan, Kasan and Akito, they…”
Faced with Yuigahama’s question, Yukinoshita could only shake her head helplessly.
For gossip, Yuigahama was far ahead. If even Yuigahama didn’t know, then she herself certainly wouldn’t.
…
“Senpai, I beg you, the next part…”
“Even if you beg, I won’t taste your… that part in front of so many people.”
“Hey! Using this joke once is enough!”
“Fine, fine, can’t say no to you. Then how about you taste my that part instead?”
“That’s still the exact same joke?!” Himekoji felt like going insane. “Utaha Senpai! You’re saying these things in front of juniors who admire you! Protect your image as their senior!”
“Hold on! Who admires this shameless black-haired girl!?”
Eriri jumped out first to protest.
The second voice was Mashiro’s —
“Want to learn.”
Mashiro got corrupted!
Tragedy!
“Don’t learn that!”
Idiot, have you any clue how dangerous that thinking is!?
…
“Latecomers have no right to talk!”
Only after Himekoji pulled out this final trump card did Kasumigaoka shut up resentfully.
“Alright, please everyone help taste this. My friend said it should be quite good.”
“It’s not some weird drink, is it?”
Yukinoshita was overly cautious, yet she was often proven right.
“It’s just a drink. How could it be weird?” Himekoji smiled awkwardly.
“True, but for a pervert like you, Himekoji-kun, putting computer parts in drinks could be considered normal too, right?”
Another person who loved opposing him was Aoyama Nanami.
Luckily, both were just talking. Honestly, they reached out and each took a bottle of “Kuchikamizake”.
The eight “Kuchikamizake” bottles in the middle disappeared instantly.
…
“Huh?”
Himekoji suddenly noticed something wrong.
Where was the bottle of plain water he specifically prepared for himself earlier?
He swore it was right in front of him!
Wait!
He recalled carefully: things seemed like this —
He called out “drink,” and Yuigahama casually picked up the bottle in front of her and passed it over.
Meaning, the thing he now held in his hand was the dangerous explosive that caused Clothing Explosion.
And that bottle of plain water had ended up in the hands of one of the other seven.
Trouble!
Things were spiraling out of control!
If the plain water reached Akiko, Mashiro, or Nanami, it might be okay; they were just here for the fun anyway.
But if Kasumigaoka, Eriri, Yuigahama, or Yukinoshita — if any one of them didn’t drink the Kuchikamizake, the mission would fail!
Calm down! Stay calm!
Himekoji warned himself silently. Panicking now was too early.
He acted nonchalant, twisted off the bottle cap, pretended to taste it, all while secretly observing.
Yuigahama, Akiko, Mashiro, and Eriri didn’t hesitate. They tilted their heads back and gulped down the Kuchikamizake.
Yukinoshita, Kasumigaoka, and Nanami paused for a moment, but then resolved themselves as well.
“Hey, no taste at all.”
Kasumigaoka muttered after taking a sip.
No taste?
So the one who got the plain water must be Senpai!
Her quick comment was a massive help!
“No taste? Impossible!”
Himekoji feigned shock, trotting eagerly towards her offering his own untouched Kuchikamizake,
“Utaha Senpai, try this bottle?”
“Sure, happy to exchange with Kikan-kun.”
Kasumigaoka swiftly swapped bottles with Himekoji.
“Cheers!”
Kasumigaoka clinked her bottle against his, gesturing for him to go first.
“Cheers!”
Himekoji suspected nothing. He tilted his head back and drank it all in one go.
His home-brewed “Kuchikamizake,” limited by ingredients, hadn’t been much. Divided into seven, each tiny bottle held only 50ml. Himekoji drained it into his mouth instantly.
However—
This taste was not right!
As he drank what he thought was pure water, Himekoji instantly sensed something wrong!
How could pure water have such a thick, rich, and fragrant taste when it hit his taste buds?!
Oh damn, he was tricked!
So sneaky! Truly like the Evil God who was best at weaving traps!
Without a doubt, what Kasumigaoka got was Kuchikamizake!
What to do?
If the pure water ended up in the hands of any one of Yukinoshita, Eriri, or Yuigahama, the mission would fail, right?
There was no extra Kuchikamizake left!
Himekoji noticed that everyone there had already downed the small bottle of liquid in one gulp.
The only fix Himekoji could think of now was to keep that sip in his mouth that he hadn’t swallowed yet!
Who exactly drank the pure water?
……
“Ah!”
After a loud scream, they heard a sharp ripping sound of fabric —
“Pop!”
All at once, in an unbelievable way, Akiko’s Uniform top, striped mini skirt, sexy bra, and lace Underwear blew up together. They burst all over the sky, turning into fluttering bits of cloth.
It was like fireworks, rising and falling, all colorful and filling their eyes.
“Blue for the Uniform, pure black for the bra, bold purple for the Underwear…”
Himekoji instinctively followed along in his thoughts,
“Huh, wait, why is Imouto’s bra and Underwear so bold and trendy in color and style? Oh, right, I think I gave them to her…”
Himekoji mumbled to himself and suddenly remembered something. He quickly clamped his hand over his mouth.
Damn it, he was supposed to be “blind” right now!
How could he see colors and styles?
Luckily, at that moment, the effect of the Kuchikamizake everyone drank started to kick in one after another. Screams rang out non-stop and drowned out Himekoji’s words in an instant.
Akiko, exploded!
Mashiro, exploded!
Nanami, exploded!
It was over— the three people not even part of the mission targets had all gotten Kuchikamizake!
Such rotten luck!
As Himekoji turned his head to look, Kasumigaoka in front of him had her clothes explode too, as expected.
She was so close that bits of her blown-up bra even landed on his forehead, giving off a sweet, milky scent…
Himekoji nearly got all excited and puffed up, but thank goodness he was still a “weak” patient.
“Phew—”
Himekoji took a big, deep breath!
He sternly reminded himself not to get distracted by the beauty around him.
Beauty is like a knife over your head—fail the mission and he’d be dead for sure!
Out of the remaining three—Eriri, Yukinoshita, and Yuigahama—which one was it?
“Ah!—”
That voice, it was Yukinoshita!
Yukinoshita exploded!
“Yikes!—”
Yuigahama exploded too!
That means the one who drank the pure water was Eriri!
Surrounded by six beautiful girls without a stitch on, the view was amazing, but Himekoji didn’t budge. He just gave each one a deep look to memorize it in his mind, then resolutely turned his gaze away.
The mission was what mattered!
His life came first!
If he lived, there’d be more chances later!
And now, it was time for that sip of Kuchikamizake he kept in his mouth without swallowing to work its magic!
Heh heh, all thanks to his clever thinking earlier!
……
“Huh, wait, where is that sip of Kuchikamizake I had in my mouth?”
As he said it, Himekoji suddenly recalled something bad,
“Oh no, earlier when he was counting Imouto’s Underwear colors, he found that sip annoying, so he… he swallowed it!”
Swallowed it…
Swallowed…
Down…
Gone…
What The Fuck?!
……
……