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17/25
What Harutaki hadn’t expected at all was that tagging along behind Nogami, Chouko, and Minako while they shopped… actually didn’t require him to do much of anything.
Places like Shibuya PARCO were huge shopping complexes, and just about every store offered home delivery. As long as you didn’t mind paying the extra fee, you could buy clothes, leave your address, and have everything packed up and shipped home for you.
Which meant… as he watched the three girls chatting animatedly up ahead, he couldn’t help feeling like he’d somehow become the odd man out.
Wasn’t this supposed to be the start of his harem route?
Forget special treatment, he didn’t even get the honour of serving as “the boyfriend carrying everyone’s bags.” The only time they called for him was at checkout, where he’d pull out his credit card from the bag hanging across his chest and pay.
He didn’t even get the satisfaction of treating everyone as the big-spender wallet.
Fortunately, he still had his best bro with him.
Sitting on the couch in the waiting area of a clothing store with absolutely nothing to do, Harutaki glanced at Sae beside him and asked curiously:
“Hey Sae, aren’t you gonna go try on some clothes too?”
“If you wanna watch Izumi and the others change into cute outfits, just go watch. You really don’t need to drag me in as an excuse~”
Sae didn’t even look up from her phone as she killed the conversation in one blow.
“I just kinda wanted to see how cute you’d look in a skirt, Sae. It’s my lifelong dream.”
“So your entire life ends today?”
“A wise mage, er, monk once said, ‘Every second is the beginning of a new life.’”
“That actually sounds kinda deep… Which monk said that?”
Sae looked over at him, puzzled.
“Hoshikawa Monk.”
Harutaki pressed his palms together and bowed solemnly at her.
“You little—”
She held back a laugh and smacked his shoulder. Then, with the soft rustle of fabric, her long legs, hidden completely under loose sweatpants, crossed over each other as she shifted into an even more relaxed posture.
“You’re just scared, aren’t you? Scared Izumi or Chouko will ask you which of them looks prettier in their new outfit, or who suits some fashion piece better.”
You’re thinking THAT far ahead?!
He didn’t even try to hide his shock.
Of course, he knew that even if Sae herself didn’t mind, casually telling a girl she wasn’t feminine enough was definitely not a smart idea. Joking about it made the mood lighter, closed the distance, and kept him safely away from saying anything outright offensive.
“Hey! Harutaki, what kind of idiot do you take me for?!”
“...Uh, the sporty childhood friend in a romance drama who’s cheerful and hot-blooded, always comforting the heartbroken male lead, encouraging him to chase love… only for her to realize her own feelings too late, by which time he’s already run off into the sunset with someone else thanks to her support…”
“Uwaaah. That’s… super tragic. Isn’t that way too pitiful?”
Sae scooted closer until their shoulders touched, then hooked her arm around his neck and squeezed, baring her teeth in a dangerous grin.
“I might not be that girl, but I demand she gets a happy ending. Fix it. Now. If you don’t, I’ll mail a kitchen knife to your house and smash your window with a rock at midnight!”
“What kind of violent psycho otaku are you?! If you choke me out now, the sporty childhood friend arc ends here!”
While she strangled him, Harutaki felt the soft pressure of her chest against the back of his head. He made a token struggle, refusing “with all his strength.”
As expected of Sae, always willing to let her best bro enjoy the moment in the weirdest ways.
“Anyway, from then on, the sporty childhood friend who never gives up decides to fight for her own future happiness—”
“Oho? Now we’re talking!”
“...Since both the male and female leads know the guy only recovered thanks to her support, they completely let their guard down around her. During a little get-together one night, she gets the two of them drunk and climbs into his bed while he’s half-asleep… Ow ow ow, I can’t breathe—”
My neck is about to snap for real!!
“What kind of scheming homewrecker drama is that?!”
Sae shook his head hard enough to rattle his brain. Thankfully it was lunchtime and the mall was practically empty, or the two of them would definitely be chased out for causing a scene.
“T-Then later, as they spend more time together, the guy starts getting bored of his girlfriend and remembers the sporty girl who always stuck by his side. When the girlfriend is in her monthly inconvenient time, he can’t hold back and goes to her instead. The girl, who’s always liked him, gives in to his desperate begging and helps him out. Eventually, feelings blossom— Ow ow ow! Why are you choking me again?!”
“That guy’s just a straight-up scumbag!!”
She released him, giving him a shove, then fixed him with a stare, teasing? offended? both?
“Fine, then what if the girlfriend realizes she can’t satisfy him and asks the sporty girl to help so all three can be happy together?”
“Any guy who tells dirty jokes to girls who aren’t his girlfriend should probably jump off the platform at Shinjuku Station early, for everyone’s sake. And besides—” She huffed through her nose. “—there aren’t any guys that impressive. Don’t think I’m some clueless idiot.”
“You’re looking at one.”
“Pff—What, was that the second dirty joke? I get it, I get it~ The weaker a guy is, the more he likes to brag about how ‘amazing’ he is… Hahaha, not bad. Harutaki, that one actually made me laugh.”
“Damn it, someday I’ll show you how amazing I really am.”
He raised his arms and struck a classic bodybuilder pose.
Not gonna lie, he wasn’t skinny anymore, but he wasn’t buff enough to attract dudes either. He actually managed to squeeze out some pretty decent muscle.
“Sae’ll be waiting for you at home~”
“Huh? You inviting me over?”
“My dad’s a red-and-white belt judo master.”
Sae smiled sweetly.
Just as Harutaki opened his mouth to keep the conversation going, Nogami, who hadn’t found anything she liked, came over to tell them it was time to head to the next store.
On the way to the next brand, Sae, still walking in the back with Harutaki, tugged on his sleeve. Like she was sharing top-secret intel, she leaned over, hand cupped at her mouth, body tilted toward him.
It gave him this weird flutter, like whispering secret relationship stuff with a girlfriend while shopping.
From Sae, of all people…
He’d honestly assumed the girl who’d give him butterflies today would at least be Minako. The twist left him oddly amused.
“Hey, Harutaki…”
Sae whispered mysteriously.
“...If you wanna watch, just go watch. You don’t need to worry. Izumi won’t pull any ‘who looks better’ tricks while she’s with friends, and she’s not the type to embarrass you in public.”
“For real?”
In his memory, Nogami was anything but harmless. If she suddenly hit him with the classic “Who looks better?” death sentence, no matter what he answered, two people in this triangle of him, Nogami, and Shihou would walk away injured.
But using the formula “Sae = doesn’t lie,” it seemed… he really could go enjoy the beautiful-girl fashion show later?
“Please. Like Hinata Sae would lie to you.”
She muttered and drifted away from him, turning her head as if to examine the displays inside the storefronts.
……