Next Target, 200PS!!
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After all, Hitori felt she wasn't pretty and lacked any real special talents.
Sure, she could play the guitar. But whenever strangers were around, she couldn't relax enough to produce a single decent melody.
Meanwhile, Kai was so outstanding. If people found out a guy like him had a girlfriend like her, it would definitely be a massive embarrassment for him.
"I'm not. Futari, don't spout nonsense, I..."
Knowing exactly what was going through her head, Kai didn't let Hitori finish. He casually wrapped an arm around her shoulder and smiled down at the little girl.
"So, Futari, do you think your sister and I make a good match?"
"..."
Hitori froze entirely. It was one thing when they were alone, but having so many eyes on her made her brain short-circuit.
"Ehh??" He was only teasing, but the gesture left Futari genuinely shocked.
"MOM! DAD!"
She spun around and bolted back down the hallway, yelling at the top of her lungs, "Sis actually tricked a guy into being her boyfriend!"
"FUTARI!" A blushing Hitori tried to stop her, but it was far too late.
"What??"
Naoki Gotoh, driven solely by paternal instinct, was the first to rush into the hallway. He glanced at Kai then at Hitori, and a deep, fatherly relief appeared on his face.
"Has the day finally come? It hurts to let her go, but seeing Hitori actually find a partner is just... wonderful!"
"DAD!"
"Alright, alright, that's enough."
Finally, under Hitori's mortified glare, Michiyo Gotoh stepped up with a warm smile to smooth things over.
"You must be Hitori's friends. Please, head upstairs and make yourselves comfortable. I'll bring some snacks up shortly!"
Clearly, Michiyo assumed it was just a playful joke and didn't take the boyfriend claim seriously. Still, seeing her highly antisocial daughter actually bring a boy home filled her with genuine joy.
——————————
As they headed upstairs, Kai felt his phone buzz in his pocket.
"You girls go ahead," he said calmly. "I need to use the restroom real quick."
The girls didn't think much of it and filed into Hitori's bedroom.
The room was quite spacious, yet it felt strangely barren, lacking much furniture or decoration.
"Wow, this room is kind of gloomy. Why don't you open the curtains?" Marin asked, looking curiously at the heavy drapes blocking out all the sunlight.
"S-Sorry! I just prefer dark places, so..."
Hitori's social anxiety was so severe she practically treated sunlight like a lethal weapon. Her favorite pastime was hiding inside her cramped closet, which gave her an inexplicable sense of security.
Seeing Hitori apologize so formally, Marin felt a bit awkward.
"No, it's fine! I was just asking. Don't be so stiff, we're all friends here."
They were the guests, yet Hitori—the host—was acting like the most out-of-place person in the room.
Yukino didn't know what to say. It seemed curing Hitori's crippling social anxiety was going to be a very long, arduous journey.
——————————
Meanwhile, inside the restroom.
Kai pulled out his phone. He had received a message and several photos from Eriri.
[The character drafts are done.]
[Tell me what you think.]
[If you only have praise, keep it to yourself.]
Classic Eriri. Even through a text message, her stubborn tsundere energy practically leaped off the screen.
Ignoring the text, Kai opened the attached images.
He had to admit, Eriri's technical drawing skills were top-tier.
However!
The longer he looked at them, the deeper his frown became.
——————————
"Hmph. He's probably so stunned by my masterpiece he doesn't know what to say!"
Back at the Sawamura villa.
Eriri had woken up not too long ago and immediately snapped photos of her late-night sketches to send to Kai. She noticed the house was empty, but her parents being out was a common occurrence, so she didn't mind.
She grabbed some snacks and waited for his reply.
Soon enough, her phone chimed.
[Don't worry, I won't praise you. Because there's no need.]
"Huh??"
Reading that response, Eriri's temper flared instantly. Her fingers flew across the screen.
[What is that supposed to mean??]
[Is there a problem with the drawings?]
[Or are you just nitpicking on purpose??]
She had stayed up all night pouring her heart into these sketches. If he couldn't give her a valid reason, she was going to explode.
Anticipating this exact reaction, Kai casually typed back:
[Are you drawing light novel illustrations, or are you drawing a doujinshi?]
[...]
That single question instantly extinguished Eriri's rising anger.
As a veteran doujin artist, her technical skills were flawless, but certain deeply ingrained habits were hard to break. The character drafts undeniably carried a heavy 'adult' vibe.
The heroines all looked far too alluring.
[Also, why are all the heroines flat? Are you using yourself as a reference? Read the manuscript again. My heroines are D-cups. All of them. Redraw it.]
[What do you know?? Flat is a unique charm! What's the point of big ones??]
It was glaringly obvious that Eriri harbored some deep-seated resentment regarding chest sizes.
Kai's reply was ruthless.
[If you can't do it, I'll find another illustrator.]
[...]
She immediately surrendered.
[I get it! I'll send the revisions later!]
After hitting send, Eriri locked her phone. She stood up and started shadowboxing in the middle of her room, throwing furious punches at the air as if Kai were standing right in front of her.
"JERK! JERK! JERK!"
"Who does he think he is?? 'Find another illustrator'—like I care!"
But despite her venting, once her temper cooled, Eriri obediently sat back down at her desk and picked up her stylus.
"I refuse to let him look down on me. Just wait. I'll draw something that makes your eyes pop out."
Having her work criticized only fueled her competitive drive. She was determined to create the perfect illustration just to prove him wrong.
——————————
Back at the Gotoh residence.
After finishing his texts, Kai stepped out of the restroom.
Just as he approached the bedroom door, he heard Hitori's panicked voice.
"U-Um, please don't misunderstand what happened downstairs. Kai-kun and I are just friends. We're definitely not dating."
She didn't want Kai to feel embarrassed by having someone like her labeled as his girlfriend.
Hearing this, Marin raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile playing on her lips. It seemed her future "co-op games" wouldn't just be limited to Megumi.
Megumi, meanwhile, sat quietly with her usual blank expression.
Yukino sighed softly. "I know. Kai has always been rather tactless. Don't let his teasing bother you, Hitori."
In Yukino's eyes, Kai had only acted that way to help ease the awkward tension between Hitori and her family. Yet, her tone sounded remarkably defensive, as if she were naturally stepping up to protect her boyfriend's reputation.
"I... I don't mind," Hitori mumbled, scratching her head.
Yukino's serious explanation made Hitori feel strangely uneasy. Something about the dynamic felt off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.
Suddenly—
"I didn't realize I left such a terrible impression on you, Yukino. How disappointing."
Kai opened the door and strolled into the room.
All eyes turned to him. Getting caught talking behind his back made Yukino slightly flustered, but she maintained her composure.
"Did you honestly believe you left a good impression?"
Her slight tsundere front was actually quite charming.
Kai feigned a look of deep heartbreak and leaned toward Hitori. "So cruel. It seems only sweet little Bocchi-chan can heal my wounded heart."
"Eek!"
Seeing him lean in, Hitori panicked, terrified the others might figure out their true relationship. Yet, she didn't want to push him away either.
Before he could actually rest his head on her, a hand reached out and firmly pulled his collar. Yukino dragged him over to her side.
"Stop causing trouble for Hitori."
"Sigh. I suppose I'll just have to lean on you then, Yukino."
Never one to miss an opportunity, he smoothly shifted his weight and leaned against Yukino's shoulder.
"YOU!!"
By the time Yukino processed what happened, she already felt his weight against her. Feeling his body heat pressing into her, the room suddenly felt much warmer.
"Y-You leave me no choice. Just for a minute, understand?"
She turned her head away stiffly, refusing to look at him or anyone else in the room.
"Oh, how bold! Can I take a picture?" Marin immediately whipped out her phone, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she prepared to document the moment.
"No!" Unable to handle the teasing, Yukino quickly shut it down.
"Fine." Marin lowered her phone, looking slightly disappointed, but she didn't push it. Instead, she just sat back, radiating the energy of a highly satisfied shipper.
"..."
Watching Marin's reaction, Megumi felt a profound sense of bewilderment.
'Are you seriously not the slightest bit jealous?' Even Megumi didn't know how to categorize Marin's chaotic mindset anymore. However, regardless of Marin's lack of jealousy, Megumi found her own emotions remaining perfectly steady.
She had seen it far too often. She was numb to it.
She had witnessed Kai and Yui Yuigahama acting affectionate in the classroom countless times. This was par for the course. There was zero reason to feel jealous over something so routine.
"Excuse me!"
A knock sounded at the door.
Yukino hastily shoved Kai away. A second later, Michiyo Gotoh stepped into the room carrying a tray of snacks.
"I just baked some sweets. I hope you like them!"
"Thank you for having us!" the group replied politely.
"It's no trouble at all! If you run out, I can always bake more!"
Looking at the room full of teenagers, Michiyo smiled warmly.
How long had it been? She couldn't even remember when her eldest daughter started isolating herself, refusing to socialize and pushing everyone away. She had genuinely feared Hitori would spend the rest of her life entirely alone.
But things had turned around. Her daughter finally had friends.
While she didn't know them well, Michiyo could tell they were good kids. Hitori actually had a decent eye for people.
"Futari! Don't bother your sister's friends!"
Spotting her youngest daughter hovering around the group, Michiyo quickly scolded her.
"It's fine, it's fine!"
Futari, who had somehow managed to wedge herself right next to Kai, waved her hand dismissively.
"See? My brother-in-law doesn't mind at all! Right?"
"FUTARI!"
Hearing her little sister address Kai as 'brother-in-law' again, Hitori's face burned red.
"What's wrong? Do you not like Kai-nii?" Futari tilted her head, looking at her older sister with wide, innocent eyes.
"..."
How was she supposed to answer that?
Say she liked him? With a room full of people listening, she could never admit it out loud. But say she didn't like him? The words physically wouldn't leave her throat.
"I... I'm just worried you're going to bother Kai-kun!" She finally managed to stammer out an excuse.
Futari ignored her and looked up at Kai with an angelic expression.
"Brother-in-law, am I bothering you??"
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