Chapter 334: A Lone Counterattack

“Hey hey hey! Are you two seriously splitting me half-and-half now?!”

Himekoji had no idea how to even begin complaining.

Two girls licking one face?

No normal person could do something so ridiculous, right!

Himekoji had initially thought Akiko and Mashiro were just joking around.

But then he almost forgot a crucial thing:

Neither Akiko nor Mashiro counted as normal!

Normal logic didn’t work on them at all!

Only when those two slippery little tongues licked him simultaneously—zap! A shiver like an electric shock ran through his whole body. Right then, he finally accepted this absurd-yet-undeniable reality:

He, Himekoji… was being carved up by these two girls suddenly on the same wavelength!

Carved up!

Akiko on the left, Mashiro on the right.

Though he had the mindset of a victim, the pleasant sensation flooding his body wasn’t a lie.

Probably, even having both arms around them wouldn’t feel this great?

No, it could never compare to this moment!

He struggled to decide which side felt better right now…

But at least, the selection had been successfully completed.

Covered in a sticky, wet mess, Himekoji secretly breathed a sigh of relief inside.

Yet even as he relaxed, he steeled himself silently:

Since the task was done, he couldn’t keep greedily indulging like this! It was disgraceful!

After all, Nanami was watching right beside them!

Himekoji could sense Nanami teetering on the brink of exploding. The glare she shot him practically spat fire.

No good! He had to push these two little troublemakers away, quick!

He thought it, and even tried to act on it.

But alas, his body failed him when executing the brain’s command—it seemed to short-circuit and cut corners.

His hands suddenly went limp, like his whole body was soaked in warm water, utterly strengthless.

What should have been a forceful shove became a token resistance—almost like a gentle stroke.

Damn it! It looked even more like he was enjoying it!

Wasn’t this touch practically encouraging and approving them?

Thus, Akiko and Mashiro grew even more zealous, like two gentle, well-behaved kittens licking clean a can… they diligently cleaned Himekoji’s face…

…

“Waaahhhh! You… you’re utterly outrageous!!!”

Nanami, unable to bear it any longer, had finally snapped!

Why wouldn’t they include her?

Why?!

Of course, even if they did include her, she absolutely wouldn’t join in!

R-right… right?

After all, she was the only normal person left among the four! The final hope for their entire dysfunctional little group!

If even she joined…

No! Absolutely not!

Just picturing herself joining the shameless, face-licking brigade—completely shattered common sense and evaporated sanity…

A wave of cold disgust washed over Nanami. She frantically shook her head, driving the disturbing image far away.

“You! Enough! Stop this nonsense!!!”

The last bastion of conscience in this farce, Aoyama Nanami, exploded!

Charging forward like a shot—hands shooting out—she cleanly shoved aside Akiko and Mashiro, one in each direction.

Before either girl could react, she grabbed the real culprit, the pervert, Himekoji by his collar. She hauled him up from the floor.

Then, thoroughly annoyed… she landed a solid kick right on his rear end.

“Enjoy?! I’ll give you ‘enjoy’! I’ll really give you ‘enjoy’! See what you’ve turned your imouto and Mashiro into, huh?!”

“Huh?”

His sister and Mashiro becoming like this… it wasn’t his doing!

He gets jumped on by them, and suddenly… the blame lands on him out of nowhere?

Deep down, Himekoji felt this blame was way too much to shoulder. He wanted to protest… But as he turned around… he saw Nanami’s flushed, furious face… eyes brimming with tears… The words of argument instantly clogged his throat.

“…Sorry.”

The excuses he’d just formed instantly swapped out for that.

Fine, he’d just treat it as his mistake.

Himekoji never got anything right anyway.

Seeing Nanami’s expression like this… it just made his chest feel tight.

Apologizing felt… marginally better.

“Forget it! I’m done with all of you!”

Utterly predictable… she slipped right back into the Kansai dialect. Nanami yelled this statement, then slammed her palms over her face. Clatter, clatter, clatter—she raced out of the restaurant.

She dashed back to her room—PONG!—slammed the door shut, locking herself inside.

“A-Aoyama…”

Himekoji only managed to reach a hand out toward the girl’s retreating back… before letting it drop uselessly…

…

Akiko and Mashiro stood frozen nearby, exchanging glances. It seemed they finally realized things might have gone too far. They both hunched their shoulders timidly… like kids who’d messed up big time… terrified of getting scolded.

“Sigh.”

Himekoji rubbed his temples, a headache pounding.

That scene had indeed been absurd. Of course Nanami was furious.

“Onii-chan, why are you just standing there?”

Apparently trying to make up for earlier, Akiko stepped forward and gave Himekoji a gentle nudge.

“Huh?”

Himekoji’s mind was still chaotic, not catching her meaning immediately.

“Akito is really such an idiot.”

Even Mashiro couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Go on.”

Mashiro pointed at Nanami’s room, urging Himekoji to comfort her.

Though Nanami was now her rival.

Mashiro wanted to win fairly.

This situation wasn’t the result she wanted.

“Uh, okay…”

Himekoji finally snapped back to reality, realizing what he needed to do. He quickly scrambled to his feet.

“Onii-chan, wash your face first!”

“I know!”

…

The “Akiko-Mashiro Alliance” – which treated Nanami as an enemy – had ultimately achieved nothing worthwhile.

Even after landing a few small blows early in the fight, they had foolishly helped the enemy instead.

Showing mercy might be a big mistake in war.

But so what?

Nanami was Akiko and Mashiro’s friend.

Could anyone just stand there unmoved, watching their friend on the verge of tears?

She was their friend…

That feeling, perhaps, mattered more than this war.

And they didn’t yet have the energy left to judge right or wrong.

…

Water splashed on his face. Himekoji quickly washed his cheeks and hurried out of the bathroom towards Nanami’s room.

He arrived quickly but hesitated at the door.

His mind was actually still foggy.

He couldn’t process it – neither Akiko and Mashiro instantly ganging up together and eating separately, nor Nanami’s tear-filled, furious, bright-red face.

Knock knock knock!

Himekoji finally knocked on Nanami’s bedroom door.

“Huh?”

Before he could even mentally prepare, the door swung open from inside. Nanami stood there.

“Pfft!”

Seeing Himekoji’s dumbstruck expression, Nanami unexpectedly laughed.

Where was the barely-contained-tears anger from before?

“W-What are you laughing at?”

Himekoji suddenly felt his brain short-circuit.

He couldn’t understand his Imouto or Mashiro before. Now, he couldn’t even understand Nanami.

“Laughing at how you’re so young, yet already have white hair,” Nanami said teasingly.

She stood on tiptoe, patiently and carefully picking rice grains from Himekoji’s hair – which was still messy with them.

Only now did Himekoji remember. In his earlier panic, he’d just quickly washed his face but forgotten the rice entirely.

“A-Are you… not mad anymore?”

With Nanami on tiptoe so close, Himekoji didn’t dare move a muscle. His heart still raced nervously.

Her shift from one mood to the other was baffling, like two different people.

“Why would I be mad?”

Nanami countered.

“B-Because… because…” Himekoji fumbled for words.

Nanami smoothly picked up the sentence.

“Hmph! Those two… those two think this will make me back down? Ridiculous! Giving up without a fight? Never! My resolve? It’s SUPER resolved now! Honestly… feels like my fighting spirit got fired up even more!”

“Ah…”

Himekoji gaped slightly, stunned for a second.

“S-So that look before… that was fake?”

“Half and half.”

Only when saying this did Nanami cast a sideways glance at Himekoji. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears, carrying a hint of faint grievance.

“One minute, seventeen seconds.”

“What?”

Once again, Nanami said something Himekoji couldn’t grasp.

“Including your bathroom trip to wash your face… barely passing marks.”

“Huh?”

Himekoji still didn’t understand.

“Come in.”

The next instant, Himekoji was pulled inside Nanami’s room by the wrist.

…