(A/N Notes: I got nothing to say here today)
A tense atmosphere filled the classroom, as everyone inside wore serious expressions, almost as if they were preparing for battle. Some kept tapping their heels on the floor as they felt the seconds pass. That feeling was shared by the teacher, who showed the same determination as the students.
And then... the school bell rang, signaling the end of the first day of high school, causing all the students to stand up almost at the same time, while the teacher turned to leave the classroom. Some students went to talk with their friends, others to discuss their plans with their cliques, and some simply took their leave.
Among the last ones was Takeru, who was the very first to skedaddle out of his classroom, then quickly make his way to the shoe racks before the corridors became too crowded for him to make a swift escape.
At the shoe racks, he nimbly changed into his outdoor shoes and was among the first students to leave the school grounds. He passed through the front gate without any issues and began making a beeline for his apartment. Things were going very smoothly, almost as if everything that had happened before had just been a string of bad luck for him...
That was until he arrived at his first pedestrian light.
"..."
"Tanaka-san!" "Tanaka-san" Hug his arms
"..."
<... ... ... Why am I always caught at the street crossing!?>
Takeru couldn't help but scream internally as he felt both of his arms being wrapped. Two soft presences pressed against them, causing him to blush as he looked with concerned eyes at his captors—who just so happened to be Yuriko and Haruka.
.
.
.
A few minutes ago
Much like Takeru's classroom, Yuriko's and Haruka's classroom was also filled with a tense atmosphere—if not even more so because of the two girls, who now recognized each other as rivals over who would reach Takeru first and monopolize him for the rest of the day.
Everyone was quiet, unable to say a single word as the two girls continued glaring at each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Amid the silence, however, a low buzz of whispers could be heard.
One of those whispers came from Yamada and Daichi, who appeared to be discussing something.
"You remember what we talked about during lunchtime, right, my guy?"
"Yeah, yeah, I remember."
"Then you better not bail out like a coward like earlier today. I really need to start saving some extra money for all the things that'll be released this year that I want to buy."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just let me concentrate."
And then the school bell rang, catching Daichi by surprise as he scrambled to speak to Yuriko.
"!? Y-Y-Yuri—"
"..." Clatter
"..." Clatter
But before he could say anything, both Yuriko and Haruka stood up from their seats at the exact same time and quickly left the classroom, walking side by side while staring straight ahead like predators focused on their prey.
"..."
"You really suck at talking to her."
"How can I say anything to Yuriko-sama when she was looking like that!?"
"Don't give me that excuse. I know you're into dominatrixes."
"Don't say that out loud in here!"
.
.
.
The two girls, who until now had been hyper-focused on capturing Takeru, both showed a peppy atmosphere around them now that they had him under their jurisdiction... until they realized that the other was also there. That realization immediately caused a metaphorical thunderclap to roar between Yuriko and Haruka as they looked at each other with contempt.
"Ara, Kurosawa-kanchou. What are you doing here? And why are you hugging Tanaka-san's arm?"
"I could ask you the same question, Nanami-kaichou. And for your information, I already have plans to visit Tanaka-san's house and spend time with him."
"Oh my, what a coincidence. I was planning on doing exactly that as well."
" "..." "
The two stared at each other in silence, Yuriko showing her usual friendly smile while Haruka maintained her inexpressive face, as they both repeated the exact same questions and answers to each other—ones that were mutually exclusive according to each of them.
" "...Can you let go of Tanaka-san's arm?" "
" "Huh???" "
"Kurosawa-kanchou, can't you see that I already have plans with Tanaka-san?"
"Nanami-kaichou, I believe I am the one who had plans with Tanaka-san before you."
They both tried to make the other leave at the same time, which only caused the two to start bickering again, just like what had happened during lunchtime. And just like then, Takeru was caught between the two, already showing an annoyed expression amid his blushing, as their arguing only reminded him more and more of his siblings' constant fights.
"...You two cut it out already! I never agreed to spend my after-school time with either of you!"
" "!?" "
Surprised by Takeru's sudden outburst, both Yuriko and Haruka immediately stopped arguing. Instead, they switched to trying to convince Takeru that the other one should leave.
"B-But Tanaka-san, Kurosawa-kanchou is t-trying to—"
"T-Tanaka-san, I-I'm not the one at fault h-here, it's—"
"I don't want to hear your excuses!!! If you two don't stop fighting right now, I won't let either of you accompany me!!!"
" "!?... ... ... Fine..." "
Before they could finish their excuses, Takeru shut them down, causing the two to fall silent before reluctantly agreeing to his ultimatum. Thankfully for Takeru, the pedestrian light turned green right then, allowing them to cross the street.
...
Not long afterward, the three walked together, with Yuriko and Haruka each hugging one of Takeru's arms. Neither of them showed any sign of letting go.
"...H-Hm... So... when are you two going to let me go?"
"Until you take me to your place, Tanaka-san."
"Only when we arrive at your place, Tanaka-san."
"Rejected. You two will definitely try to do something embarrassing to me the moment either of you gets there—and then keep visiting me to do it again afterward."
" "!" "
"Get that 'How does he know!?' look off your faces! There's no way either of you wouldn't do that after what you two did to me before and during lunch break!"
" "..." "
"What did Kurosawa-kanchou do with you before the lunch break, Tanaka-san?"
"What did Nanami-kaichou do with you before lunch break, Tanaka-san?"
"That's none of your business!!!"
Takeru's blush grew even redder as he was forced to remember all the (unconscious) flirting the two had done with him before the entrance ceremony. All he could do now was shake his head from side to side in an attempt to dismiss those resurfacing memories.
"I-I won't take either of you to my place, b-but I'll at least accompany you two until we have to part ways... This is all that I'm willing to allow!"
" "..." "
At Takeru's rather pitiful offer, both Yuriko and Haruka showed expressions that made it clear this was far from what they wanted. Still, they decided to agree to the condition, sighing in unison.
And so, the three continued walking together... and walking... while the two girls kept clinging to Takeru.
Eventually, they reached a point where they were only a few minutes away from Takeru's place.
Which, of course... made Takeru start questioning the honesty of the two girls.
"Erm... aren't you two going to let go of me and make your way home?"
"Hm? But that's exactly what I'm doing, Tanaka-san. This is the route I always take to and from school."
"Me too. I've always used this route to go to school and back ever since I had to move into an apartment after my parents left on a business trip a few months ago."
"You two are definitely lying."
"Yes, you're definitely lying, Kurosawa-kanchou."
"No, you're the one lying, Nanami-kaichou."
"Oh yeah? Then why don't you tell me where you're currently living?"
"Only if you tell me where your place is, Nanami-kaichou."
"Very well. A fair trade."
"Erm, should I be hearing where you two live?"
" "...Yes, so that you can visit me during weekends." "
"Mumbling But I'm not the type to leave home during weekends, though..."
"In any case, Kurosawa-san, where do you live?"
"I'm currently living in the apartment building..."
When Haruka mentioned her home address, both Yuriko and Takeru made surprised faces. After all, she happened to live in the same building as them.
"Oh my, what a coincidence. I also live in that building, though my place is on the floor above."
"Bufuh?!"
"Hm? What's wrong, Tanaka-san?"
"I-It's nothing!"
"Really? Because to me, it sounds like we happen to live very close to you."
"T-There's no way t-that's true..."
With Yuriko getting very close to the truth, Takeru's eyes began to dart around as he did his best to avoid looking at either Yuriko or Haruka, which only made them grow more suspicious of his reactions.
And then... Yuriko remembered something.
"Hmm..."
"Tanaka-san, is your apartment the one numbered...?"
"!?"
Hearing Yuriko say his apartment number immediately caused Takeru to stop in his tracks as he began to sweat profusely, his face filled with worry.
"Fufu, so I was right. Then I hope we'll get along very well, my dear neighbor, Tanaka-san."
"Eh? Y-You're the one w-who lives n-next door, N-Nanami-senpai?"
"Yup~. Now, shall we get to know each other better at your place?"
"H-How about a-another day?"
"Nope~."
Seeing Yuriko completely intent on getting inside his home, Takeru turned to look at Haruka in the hope that she would oppose Yuriko as she usually did. However, his hopes were quickly crushed when he saw that Haruka was equally eager to get inside his home—so much so that she was willing to agree with Yuriko for once.
"Tanaka-san, you'll let me get to know you better as well, right?"
"... ... ... Fine..."
And so he finally gave in and agreed to let the two visit his apartment.
.
.
.
After a few minutes, Yuriko and Haruka had both successfully managed to get inside Takeru's apartment. Right now, the two were sharing the sofa, each occupying one of the ends and leaving only one spot open between them.
At the same time, Takeru—who was holding a tray with a cup of tea for everyone—felt really hesitant to sit in such a dangerous position. However, he could also feel a great deal of pressure coming from the two girls, as if they were silently telling him to sit with them on the sofa.
Takeru briefly thought about just sitting on the floor by the coffee table. However, he could easily imagine that the moment he did that, Yuriko and Haruka would simply move to sit next to him. He was also a little afraid of what they might try to do to him under the guise of a "punishment," just as Haruka had done earlier.
So, having no other choice, Takeru sat down between Yuriko and Haruka. And just as he had expected, the two girls immediately hugged one of his arms and began snuggling up to him.
As always, that immediately caused Takeru to start blushing.
It took a few minutes before the two girls had their fill and loosened their hold slightly—just enough to take a sip of the tea that Takeru had brewed for them, though not enough to give him any chance to escape.
"Sips tea Hm? Oh my! This is quite exquisite tea, Tanaka-san."
"Sips tea Hm." Nods "I must agree with Nanami-kaichou. Your tea has quite an attractive taste, Tanaka-san."
"D-Don't think y-you two c-can win me o-over b-by praising m-me..."
" "..." " <
For a while, the three appeared to be getting along, as both Yuriko and Haruka focused on clinging to and cuddling with Takeru. In turn, Takeru seemed to be softening toward the two of them—almost to the point that it would have been very easy for them to coax him into doing something they wanted.
However, that calm atmosphere didn't last long.
The two girls soon began to feel more possessive toward Takeru, and hugging his arms while rubbing their cheeks against him was no longer enough for them.
"... ... ... Hup!"
"Ah?!"
"Eh?!"
Feeling annoyed that Haruka was getting in the way of her time with Takeru, Yuriko suddenly pulled him closer to her. The sudden movement surprised Haruka, causing her to lose her grip on Takeru's left arm.
But that wasn't the end of it.
Yuriko then wrapped both of her arms around Takeru and pulled him into a tight embrace, burying his face against her ample chest.
"Ah~ You're so cute, Tanaka-san. I just can't help wanting to keep hugging you."
"Oi! What do you think you're doing, Nanami-kaichou?"
"Huh? Isn't it obvious? I'm having my alone time with Tanaka-san. So could you please excuse yourself, Kurosawa-kanchou? You're bothering us."
After saying that, Yuriko lifted Takeru's head slightly so that she could give him a kiss on the cheek—just like the one she had given him right before leaving the small park at school. However, in doing so, she had to loosen her embrace, and Haruka didn't miss that opportunity.
"! Soryiaah!"
"Wha?!"
"Huh?!"
Just like that, Haruka yanked Takeru out of Yuriko's arms and began hugging him tightly in a similar manner.
"Nanami-kaichou, I believe that I am the one who should be having some alone time with Tanaka-san. And you're being a hindrance, so could you please go back home already?"
And much like Yuriko, as if to show that Takeru belonged to her, Haruka kissed him on the cheek as well.
That immediately irritated Yuriko as she watched her Takeru being "stolen" by Haruka. She quickly tried to snatch him back. But to her annoyance, thanks to Haruka's judo training, Haruka reacted in time and tightened her embrace.
As a result, Takeru's head ended up buried between the "mountains" that were Yuriko's and Haruka's chests, while the two began bickering yet again.
However, instead of becoming merely embarrassed as he usually did in such situations, he was now both embarrassed and angry. The longer the two kept him sandwiched between them while continuing to argue, the more his embarrassment and anger grew—until he finally had enough.
"NHAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
" "?!... Ah!" "
With a sudden burst of strength fueled by embarrassment and anger, Takeru managed to forcibly free himself from Yuriko and Haruka's embraces, much to their surprise.
He then looked at the two girls with a bright red face from embarrassment and a very irritated expression from his anger. That alone was enough to make them realize that they had gone too far, but for some reason they also looked quite eager to see what he would to do them.
And so...
Door slams shut
The two were kicked out of his apartment for the time being, leaving both Yuriko and Haruka dumbfounded at the fact that Takeru had just done that, and nothing more.
" "... ... ... This is your fault. Huuuuuh?!" "
And then they both started blaming the other for their current predicament.
"My fault? This is clearly your fault, Kurosawa-kanchou! If you had just stepped away and let me have Tanaka-san all to myself, I would definitely still be hugging him right now—and even sleeping with him to deepen our friendship!"
"No, this is your fault, Nanami-kaichou! If you hadn't continued to disturb us, I would definitely be taking a bath with him and having dinner with him while feeding him, so that we could grow closer as friends!"
For about a minute or so, Yuriko and Haruka continued arguing, this time blaming each other for preventing them from doing everything they wanted with Takeru. By this point, the two were too desperate to realize that some of the things they wanted to do... were a far cry from what friends normally did.
But that wasn't all.
" "Nagging loudly" "
"IF YOU TWO HAVE TIME TO ARGUE, THEN JUST GO HOME ALREADY, OR ELSE I WON'T TALK TO EITHER OF YOU TOMORROW!!!"
" "?!" "
Takeru surprised them once again as he suddenly opened the front door and shouted at them with his still red and angry face, before slamming the door shut a second time—leaving Yuriko and Haruka speechless once again.
"... ... ... This isn't over, Kurosawa-kanchou."
"... ... ... Yes, this isn't over, Nanami-kaichou."
And with that, the two finally decided to go home, as neither of them wanted to be ignored by Takeru for an entire day tomorrow.
As for him...
"... ... ... Deep breath in ... ... ... Haaaaaaa... ... ... Today wasn't supposed to be this tiring... I feel like I'm back in my first year of junior high school..."
As he said that, Takeru began remembering his very annoying friends. A scene immediately appeared in his mind—the moment in his classroom when they had introduced themselves to him in an overly flashy manner. Eventually, they had managed to drag him into their little group of weirdos.
"... ... ... Am I really going to be forced to repeat my junior high school days?... Haaaaaaaa..."
Feeling himself becoming even more depressed, Takeru decided to cool his head with a quick bath and then take a nap.
But as soon as he laid down on his bed, he found himself unable to close his eyes. Instead, he just stared at the ceiling for a while before slowly pulling a pillow over his face and locking it in place with his arms.
"Muffled screaming"
Takeru's body contorted as he shouted from sheer embarrassment. After all, he was now finally processing everything that had just happened without anger clouding his other emotions.
And all he could do now was scream in shame—not only because he had been kissed on the cheeks twice by two beautiful girls, Yuriko and Haruka, but also because he had heard all the things they wanted to do with him, which he correctly recognized as nothing more than blatant flirting.
"Muffled screaming"
Although Takeru was spot-on in his assessment of Yuriko's and Haruka's strange behavior and excessive attachment to him, his personal experience with good-looking people made him dismiss that possibility.
So all he could do was keep suffering while trying to figure out why two beautiful girls he had just met were already so attached to him—to the point of openly flirting with him unconsciously.