As Sasaki stepped under the eaves, the dripping rain was shut out.
After closing his umbrella and shaking off the water droplets, he turned and pressed the doorbell.
Ring ring.
Since they had agreed on a study session, all three were home, so he did not wait long.
After three to five seconds,
Hamasaki Reina's voice came from inside, gradually growing clearer.
"It must be Sasaki. I will get the door, so this round does not count. We will decide the winner in the next round."
"Coming."
Light footsteps approached.
Click.
Her shoulder-length blonde hair entered his view.
Before he could speak, Reina's clear green eyes brightened with joy.
Without hesitation, she reached out and pulled his arm.
"You came pretty fast, did you not? Come in, come in. We were just waiting for you."
As he stepped inside, Sasaki casually closed the door.
After placing his umbrella in the stand, he spoke with mock resentment.
"I could not be slow. Kurumizaka-san threatened me. If I broke the promise, I would have to swallow needles. It sounds terrifying."
While squatting down to place men's slippers on the entrance mat, Reina chuckled at his words."With her thin arms and legs, how could she make you swallow needles? It would be impressive if you did not pin her down instead."
Then she added curiously,
"But what were you busy with? Your little sister said you did not come home last night."
As he bent down to change his shoes, Sasaki replied casually, "Did Rinka not tell you? I had a car accident while saving someone some time ago and was hospitalised. Since I have mostly recovered, they invited me to dinner to thank me."
"And today we discussed some work matters."
Looking puzzled, Reina stayed squatting as she looked up at him.
"Your convenience store part-time job?"
"No, it is a small..."
As he slipped into the slippers and straightened up, his gaze naturally fell downward.
Perhaps because she was at home, and Reina's body and mood were very relaxed, the clothes she wore were quite casual.
On top, she was wearing a pure black cotton off-shoulder strap tank top.
Black itself makes one look slimmer, and it was a form-fitting off-shoulder style.
Added to her extremely well-developed assets and her squatting posture, from her slender, elegant neck all the way down to the snowy peaks of her massive melons, large areas of snow-white, creamy tit flesh were completely exposed to his eyes without any reservation.
Although the view of those huge melons was beautiful, what truly attracted his gaze was the long, triangular shadow of deep cleavage that suddenly appeared in the middle of that soft expanse.
This was the proof of abundance.
Corresponding to the beautiful upper body was what lay under her light-colored denim shorts.
Even when crouched, one could instantly see her shockingly long, fair, juicy thighs.
They were not overly slender to the point of worrying they might snap, nor overly plump to ruin the overall beauty.
The perfectly balanced slenderness and fitness looked like white jade deliberately carved and polished by a master craftsman, neither too thin nor too thick, pure and flawless.
Sasaki's resistance to eroticism was practically nonexistent, yet when it came to beauty, his self-control was at its peak.
So instead of looking away, he simply lifted his chin slightly and reminded her in an even tone,
"...Hamazaki-san, I saw it, you know~"
For a second, Reina froze.
Because she usually only spent time fooling around with other girls, she rarely paid attention to how she dressed in private.
It was only after Sasaki pointed it out that she lowered her head and realised how much of a "benefit" she had just given him.
However, even though a faint blush spread across her fair cheeks, her reaction was nothing like that of a shy, well-behaved girl.
Having grown up around bold gyaru personalities, embarrassment never translated into panic for her.
Instead, she looked at Sasaki's reaction with curiosity.
As she casually adjusted the loose strap on her shoulder, she stood up and, as if nothing had happened, draped her arm over Sasaki's shoulder.
"That's weird. Shouldn't you have secretly peeked without saying anything, then prayed in your heart that I wouldn't stand up so quickly? Why did you say it out loud? Be careful. I might not give you this kind of chance again."
Sasaki remained silent for a moment.
To be honest, one glance had already been enough.
Staring any longer would only make him look foolish, and Reina would definitely tease him for it.
Worse, if she told the other two, he would not be able to lift his head all afternoon.
Besides, after spending so much time together, he understood Reina's personality well.
Even if he reminded her directly, she would not get angry.
Whereas if he had secretly enjoyed the view, that would have made him seem genuinely perverted.
So instead of responding to her teasing, he calmly continued his explanation.
"My novel is about to be published. It's currently in the illustration stage, and the illustrator happens to be the older sister I once saved."
Reina raised a brow, dissatisfied with his lack of reaction.
"Oh? What a coincidence."
Though she sounded impressed, she did not withdraw her arm. Instead, she leaned closer, pressing deliberately against him, flattening the 'softness' beneath her black tank top.
"Did that older sister say something like, 'This humble woman has nothing to repay you with except to offer herself'? Haha."
This time, Sasaki's composure wavered.
Even though several layers of fabric separated them, the softness pressing against his arm was impossible to ignore.
His breathing hitched slightly as confusion flickered in his eyes.
Over the past few weeks, he had sensed this girl's interest in him.
Maybe because of what he said that day.
However, to remain this openly intimate even after knowing he had a lover made him question whether this was really a gyaru.
Still, as a "married man," he retained at least a fragment of awareness. Rather than taking advantage of the situation, he steadied his breathing and replied,
"She has a boyfriend. How could she say something like that?"
Oh? That's really a shame."
Although she had hoped to see him blush, his restrained reaction was interesting in its own way.
Nodding slightly, Reina finally withdrew her arm and gestured toward the living room.
"Come on. Ruri and the others are waiting."
Then, as they walked inside, she asked casually,
"By the way, what's the name of your novel? When it's released, I'll go support it."
"It's..."
Their conversation continued as they stepped into the living room.
Inside, Kurumizaka Ruri and Sasaki Yukina were sitting on the floor with controllers in hand, fully immersed in a racing game.
Even as Sasaki approached, they only glanced and smiled at him briefly, unwilling to pause their match.
"You're here, Sasaki-kun? Make yourself at home. There are snacks on the table. Oh, we're out of drinks. Reina, grab some from the fridge."
"Yes, yes~ My ladies."
After setting his bag down on the single sofa, Sasaki sat beside them and watched as they shouted competitively at the screen.
"Weren't we supposed to be studying together? How did this turn into a gaming session?"
Ruri glanced at him, amusement dancing in her bright eyes.
"Eh? With beautiful girls like us around, Sasaki-kun is still thinking about studying? I didn't know you had bookworm potential."
Leaning back against the sofa cushion, sniffing the pleasant scent wafting from the girl beside him, Sasaki looked at her strangely.
"The agreement was a study session. Of course I would ask."
Then, after a brief pause, he added,
"Compared to me, Kurumizaka-san has more bookworm potential. Even though you're a gyaru, your grades are surprisingly good."
When she invited him, she had mentioned it casually.
Later, he confirmed it himself.
This girl ranked fifteenth in their grade.
"Hmph, it's just an exam, easy as pie~"
As she spoke, she lifted her chin lightly, though her focus remained mostly on the screen.
"I just score well. That doesn't mean I enjoy studying. That's completely different from being a bookworm, so don't mix them up~"
Sasaki studied her expression and spoke.
"Different? Then what's on your mind, Kurumizaka-san?"
Hearing his words, the latter briefly checked that Yukina was still focused on the race and that Reina was in the dining area.
Then, as if making up her mind, she shifted closer.
While adjusting her position, her thigh brushed against Sasaki's leg. Instead of moving away, she leaned her head against his shoulder and lowered her voice so only he could hear.
"Ruri's mind is filled with nothing but Sasaki-kun~"
The intoxicating scent tickled his nostrils, soft, smooth strands of hair brushed his cheek, and the girl's soft, alluring voice stirred his heartstrings..
Even though he knew she was lying, when a beautiful girl rests her head on your shoulder and whispers sweet nothings to you, even a stone would crumble a bit and show some reaction.
Not to mention Sasaki, who had no resistance to such things to begin with.
His breathing, which had just returned to normal, became erratic again.
However, he tried his best not to show any abnormality, so as not to be teased by her, and also lowered his voice, saying. "Do you really expect me to believe that?"
"You don't believe me?"
Her lips curved mischievously.
"That's fine. Sasaki-kun can try harder and make Ruri's mind full of you... idiot."
As she spoke, seeing the slight stiffness in his reaction, the girl smiled in satisfaction.
Before she could make any move, Sasaki Yukina, sitting on the other side, noticed that her companion's score on the screen was no longer increasing.
"Oi, Ruri. Have you already accepted your defeat..."
Mid-sentence, she turned and saw Ruri's hand slowly inching toward Sasaki's thigh.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing? Cheating? We agreed... ahem. Reina, come here quickly. Someone isn't playing fair~"
"What?"
Reina returned with drinks in hand, confused.
Yukina exaggeratedly mouthed toward Ruri.
"Cheaters are behind you."
Clicking her tongue, Ruri dropped the controller.
Since she had been caught anyway, she openly hooked her arm around Sasaki's.
"Sasaki-kun wanted to study, right? The game is over. Let's start."
"What? I just got back."
Hamazaki Reina frowned as she set the drinks down.
"But Sasaki-kun wants to study now, right~"
With her own little intentions, Kurumizawa Ruri tightly hugged Sasaki's arm to her chest.
Her clothes were almost identical to Reina Hamasaki's, only the color of her tank top and shorts was different.
Now that her arm was firmly embraced by her, Sasaki could clearly feel those two blooming, warm mounds.
Hmm... to be honest, Kurumizawa Ruri was slightly smaller than Reina Hamasaki... but small is also cute, and Sasaki had no standards in this regard.
...Actually, 'small' was relative.
Compared to Hamasaki, Ruri Kurumizaka's 'warmth' was a bit smaller, but among ordinary girls, it was still quite impressive.
Calling it small would be a deliberate belittling of her.
Sasaki wouldn't bully anyone in this regard.
With Ruri acting so coquettishly, he naturally had to speak in her favor. "Yes..."
Before he could nod and speak, Reina Hamasaki, who had just put down the drinks and snacks, reached out and covered Sasaki's mouth. "'Yes' my ass. You want to study the moment I arrive? Ruri, move. Stop trying to bewitch Sasaki-kun."
Pulling back a little to avoid being ganged up on by the two of them, Kurumizawa Ruri said with a smile.
"Bewitch sounds too harsh. Sasaki-kun came for a study session. We can't just make him play games all day, can we?"
"..."
She was somewhat speechless, but if they started the study session like this, she would be at too much of a disadvantage.
Although they had agreed to study together, who would go first or last, or who would have longer or shorter time, hadn't been decided; it was all up to them to fight for it.
So...
"That's true, but there's still plenty of time. Playing a game to relax for a bit won't delay anything."
"You can't do that, we've already played..."
Ignoring Ruri's words, Reina Hamasaki pulled Sasaki closer, making him lean against her, and said. "Let's play a game. The person who comes in last has to fulfill the first-place winner's request."
Meeting Sasaki's gaze, the girl curved her lips, smiling softly.
"It can be any request, you know~"
"How about it, wanna play?"
For Sasaki, it made little difference whether they studied or played.
So, he nodded.
"I have no objections."
"Yukina and Ruri, do you guys wanna play?"
Kurumizawa Ruri, sitting next to Sasaki, turned her head and exchanged glances with Sasaki Yukina, somewhat unsure of Reina's intentions.
After all, among the three of them, Yukina was first in gaming skills, Ruri followed closely, and Reina Hamasaki was last.
But the suggestion Reina was making now was completely assisting them.
However, Reina's brain wasn't very bright to begin with...
The two girls didn't delve into it, after all, a free opportunity was not to be missed.
"Play! Reina, you have to keep your word~ Anyone who goes back on their word will have to push their butt..."
"Cough!".
Interrupting Yukina, who was about to blurt something out, Kurumizawa Ruri picked up her controller and lightly shook it:
"Then let's do it, one round to decide the winner
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