In the Kessoku Band members' group chat.
Jhin: "My date's been postponed. Do the defendants have anything to say?"
Nijika: "Huh!? Sorry, Jhin."
Kita: "How about we go drag Miss Gotoh out of her house for you?"
Ryo: "Congratulations on the postponement."
Jhin: "Kita, no need for that. There's still plenty of time during summer break. Just let her take it easy."
Ryo: "Well then, just like we talked about before, pick one of the three of us to be your girlfriend for a day."
Nijika: "Ryo! Bocchi-chan is in this chat too, what nonsense are you spouting!"
Hitori: "I think Ryo's idea is pretty good. I'll have to ask you all to fill in for me this once."
Jhin: "?"
Nijika: "?"
Kita: "?"
Ryo: "?"
Hitori: "Did I say something weird? Just hang out with Jhin for a day in my place."
Ryo: "Jhin, I'll be here tomorrow [Address]."
Jhin: "Sorry, I have plans tomorrow. Bye."
[Jhin has gone offline]
Jhin wiped a cold sweat that wasn't actually there from his forehead and let out a long sigh. He couldn't let that topic continue any further.
At a signal from Jhin, Nymph accompanied Gabriel to find a secluded spot to demonstrate her black-ops tech from Synapse.
To think it could even make Gabriel ignore her games... Maybe I can approach it from this angle to pull Gabriel back from her fallen state.
After a moment of thought, Jhin decided to wait and observe for a while before making a decision.
Now that he was alone in his room, Jhin took out the "conquest guide" his sister had given him from his phone case. His date with Hitori Gotoh was off the table for the time being, so he might as well use this time to deepen his relationships with the others.
Mastering excellent time management skills is also one of the required courses for running a harem.
After consulting the contents of the paper several times, Jhin decided to invite Sakaki Yumiko on a date first tomorrow. He already had a place in mind; it just depended on whether Sakaki Yumiko would agree.
With that thought, he immediately called her: "Yumiko, are you free to go on a date tomorrow?"
"Huh?! A d-date?" Sakaki Yumiko's voice suddenly shot up several octaves. It seemed the sudden invitation had startled her.
"Yeah."
Before Sakaki Yumiko had time to think, Irisu Makina, attracted by her exclamation, came running over. "Who's Yumi-Yumi going on a date with?"
"See you tomorrow," leaving those three words, Sakaki Yumiko quickly hung up and put the phone in her pocket. "Miss Irisu, you must have misheard."
"Huh? Impossible! Daddy said my ears can even hear a mouse digging a hole."
"I don't think Jhin ever said that."
"I don't care! Yumi-Yumi must be secretly going on a date with someone."
"I-It's not a secret date with Jhin! He invited me!"
Irisu Makina's eyebrows shot up, her eyes widened, and her small mouth formed an "O". Her gasp seemed to break through the dormitory roof. "Daddy actually invited you on a date?"
That did it. The girls who had been in their own rooms in the dorm all ran out upon hearing Irisu Makina's shriek, surrounding the two of them and chattering away like sparrows.
Sakaki Yumiko felt a headache coming on. She reached up and rubbed her temples. She could have enjoyed a private date with Jhin, but now it looked like that was all down the drain.
Irisu Makina also realized she had ruined things for someone else. She tapped her own little head with an apologetic look and prepared to tiptoe away.
"Don't worry, everyone will get a turn. Just don't follow Yumiko tomorrow, okay?" Kazami Kazuki soothed the restless girls who were agitated about not being the first to be asked out by Jhin. "After all, you wouldn't want your own dates to be interrupted by others, would you?"
Suou Amane remembered the paper Kazami Kazuki had given Jhin earlier. "Kazuki, that thing you gave him wasn't some kind of date schedule, was it?"
"I'd never do something that boring. I just provided my little brother with some reference information for his dates." Kazami Kazuki pouted. She wasn't the type of woman with an overwhelming need for control. Writing down what to do, when, and where for a date was completely meaningless.
Giving analysis and suggestions was the biggest help she could offer for her brother's dates. The rest of the planning was up to him. That's what makes it exciting, isn't it?
Suou Amane was still a little concerned about the contents of that note. "What kind of information about us did you reveal to Jhin?"
Kazami Kazuki kicked off her white slippers and lazily lay sideways on the sofa. Her long, silver hair draped over her body like a thin blanket woven from high-grade silk. Her fair fingers picked up a cherry from the fruit bowl on the coffee table and popped it into her mouth.
"Just revealed a few of your little quirks, that's all."
Quirks and hobbies are two completely different things. Hobbies can be things like reading, sports, or cooking—things that are perfectly fine to have out in the open. Quirks, on the other hand, are more private, and can even involve one's personal kinks.
"No way, Kazuki, you even know about that stuff?" Suou Amane hoped it wasn't true, but Kazuki had no reason to lie to them.
Kazami Kazuki looked at the cherry stem she had tied into a knot with her tongue in the palm of her hand, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly. She was very satisfied with the results of her practice. "It won't affect his impression of you. But more importantly, I'm hungry. Is dinner ready?"
The smell of burnt food wafted through the hall. Suou Amane shrieked and dashed back to the kitchen at a speed that would make Usain Bolt break a sweat. "My food!"
Now that the girls knew Jhin would be asking them out on dates one by one, they all silently returned to their rooms to prepare. Even the idiot, Michiru Matsushima, left the hall without a word, her arms crossed in deep thought.
Sakaki Yumiko could finally stop worrying that her date tomorrow would be trailed by a bunch of glaring third wheels.
She reached out and gently brushed back the slightly messy black hair by her ear. Her cool face softened considerably, and it felt like a joyful little deer was galloping in her heart as she imagined her private time with Jhin tomorrow.
Come to think of it, I don't think I have any clothes in my closet suitable for a date, do I?
The thought that flashed through her mind made Sakaki Yumiko jump up from the sofa. She rushed back to her second-floor bedroom with hurried steps and buried her head in her closet, rummaging for an outfit for tomorrow.
"This one... no, too plain."
"This one won't work either."
"Why is everything I own just loungewear!?"
It was only then that Sakaki Yumiko realized all the clothes she'd bought were suitable only for lounging around in her room. She had once scoffed when Suou Amane teased her that no man would ever like the clothes in her closet. Now, she was regretting it bitterly.
Why didn't I think to buy a few outfits for dates!
Just as Sakaki Yumiko was hesitating about whether to call Jhin and ask him to postpone the date for a few days, she inadvertently glanced at her bed and saw a set of clothes she had no memory of.
There was a card placed on top of it.
"This is a date outfit I prepared for you. —Kazami Kazuki."
Did she guess that Jhin would ask me out first? The thought couldn't help but cross Sakaki Yumiko's mind.
___
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