Who was that woman?
Perhaps Chihaya Anon didn't have much of an impression of Umiri, but for Nagasaki Soyo, it was a completely different story. That black-haired girl she first met in RiNG had almost taken her place as MyGO's bassist.
Soyo had nearly missed her chance with Haru.
If that were all, Soyo might not have cared so much. But what she hadn't expected was that the next time they met, that woman, who seemed so cold and distant on the outside, would actually try to steal Haru from right beside her. That crossed a line Soyo could never accept.
To be blunt, Soyo was deeply dissatisfied right now.
Especially because her actions had been interrupted by the aggressive Shiina Taki. As Haru's one and only wife, being forced to watch her husband walk away with another woman was unbearable.
Was this just shameful? No, this was downright humiliating.
Soyo was certainly furious, but her anger was only directed at Umiri.
No matter how anxious or angry she felt, she could never be mad at Haru. After all, her husband's charm was just too overwhelming when it came to women. The fault clearly lay with that vixen who had seized the chance while the rightful wife was away, sneaking close and plotting something disgraceful.
"Huh? What woman?!"
Chihaya Anon blinked in stunned confusion, little fang showing as her face twisted into a look of disbelief. Her clueless expression was the very picture of someone totally in the dark.
"When I called Haru earlier today, he said he was really busy and didn't have time to deal with me. Then, I just 'happened' to be wandering the streets and very 'coincidentally' saw him walking with some strange girl."
"They looked pretty close. That definitely didn't seem like a normal friendship, right?"
Soyo wore a soft, neutral smile as she absently toyed with her delicate fingertips. Her words, faint and full of hidden meaning, wrapped around Haru's ears like the shackles of guilt, echoing from the abyss.
It felt as if saying one wrong word would bring down divine punishment from his girlfriend on the spot.
Going on a date with a girl who wasn't his 'girlfriend' while ignoring the real one?
That was not a crime to be forgiven so easily.
"Of course, I'm not saying I forbid Haru from dating other girls."
"After all, I know more and more girls will be around him, and eventually he'll pay less and less attention to me... I just felt so lonely, really, really lonely... Even if Haru doesn't say anything to me, it's fine, you know? You don't have to worry about what I think…"
Jealousy detonated.
Haru twitched at the corner of his mouth as he locked eyes with Soyo-san, whose smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
He hadn't even gotten the chance to explain what happened this afternoon before she had already taken the initiative, and the worst part was, he was absolutely in the wrong. Today, he had officially become a couple with Umiri.
If he only revealed that now, it would seem like he was being forced to say it because of Soyo's pressure.
"This really happened?!"
Anon's shocked gaze bounced between the two of them, a chill creeping down her spine as she began to sense a looming crisis.
What's going on? Why am I the only one who knows nothing?
"Haru! What's really going on here?"
"Ah… Don't tell me you hung up on me earlier because you were on a date with that girl I don't even know?!"
Her crystal-clear eyes were wide with disbelief, the corners slightly misty. The pink-haired girl leaned in so close that her soft head nearly brushed against Haru's cheek, her hurt emotions wafting out like mist, soaking into the air around them.
At first she might have been faking it, but now she was honestly starting to feel hurt.
Soyo, on the other hand, stayed calm and simply watched Anon from a short distance.
A faint smile flickered in her eyes. As expected, when it came to Haru, this pink-haired girl turned into a complete idiot. Just like she hoped, Anon was now the bullet she'd fired, aimed straight at her husband's defenses.
A little underhanded, perhaps, but it was all for her and Haru's future together.
"Haru, you'd better explain right now!"
"...Or maybe you don't need to explain anything?"
Even Anon and Soyo, who were usually at each other's throats, found common ground in this moment. After all, both of them were girlfriends, and they couldn't just sit by while some random seductress had her way.
With both of them pressing in from either side, Haru had no choice but to act.
"Don't get upset, I was planning to explain everything from the beginning."
Haru sighed and gently tapped the tip of Anon's cute nose with his finger, his touch and words soothing her panicked heart just a little.
He knew perfectly well that telling them he had started a relationship with Umiri today would send both jealous girls into a frenzy, but now that he saw Umiri as a truly important girlfriend, he couldn't hide it.
He wasn't going to let Umiri suffer just to keep the peace with the other two.
"First of all, the girl I was on a date with…"
It took him about five minutes to explain the whole situation.
Soyo, who had been keeping a straight face and pretending not to care, changed the moment she heard there was yet another 'vixen' around her husband. Her sly, satisfied expression vanished, replaced by a cold stillness like frost forming over hardened ice.
She'd only been delayed briefly by Taki, and in that short time, Haru's relationship with Umiri had already progressed this far?
Wasn't that a little too fast?
"I didn't explain things in advance, so of course the blame is mine."
"In any case, I need to apologize to you both."
After clearing up the misunderstanding, Haru bowed his head and sincerely apologized to both his girlfriends. Soyo, who had been planning to use the situation to pressure him into giving in, suddenly found herself at a loss. She frowned and sat silently beside him, unsure what to do.
What an idiot. Why did she soften up the moment he apologized?
She should've kept her cold facade and pretended to still be angry. That would have made everything else go much more smoothly.
"It's okay! I'm just happy Haru was willing to explain everything to me!"
Compared to the anxious and overthinking Soyo, Anon quickly bounced back. Since she had always been fine with the idea of a 'harem,' her sadness came more from feeling rejected than anything else. Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, her mood rose again like a roller coaster.
"Hehe, I knew Haru wouldn't just hang up on me for no reason!"
"But that cold and distant Umiri-shonen… I didn't expect her to fall for Haru so quickly. It's a little surprising, but I guess I understand how she feels~"
Since her beloved Haru cared so much about how she felt, Anon naturally wanted to respect others' feelings too. She was learning to yield, to see the bigger picture, and began to slowly accept this unfamiliar Umiri girl in her heart.
She didn't want to be the kind of girl who acted spoiled or unreasonable.
"...You're right. I was being a little irrational."
Soyo opened her mouth, but the words she'd been ready to hurl at her husband were swallowed down.
Her husband had sincerely admitted his mistake and explained everything that happened today. That idiotic pink-haired girl had already surrendered like a flag in the wind, and Soyo, with her soft heart, had lost the high ground.
Besides, if even Anon was willing to let it go, then Soyo acting upset would only make her seem petty and dramatic.
Seeing this, Haru let out a long sigh of relief and said carefully, "I really was at fault for not explaining earlier. From now on, I'll do my best to consider how you both feel. And if there's ever anything that upsets you, I hope you won't keep it bottled up. Please, tell me honestly."
"I won't dodge responsibility for this either. I should properly make it up to you both."
Make it up to them?
"Then I'm staying over at Haru's place tonight!"
The pink-haired rascal immediately raised her right hand, thrilled.
But before she could celebrate, a single finger flick landed squarely on her forehead. With no change in expression, Mr. Kazami coolly rejected her with a light snap of his finger and a flat voice.
"Of course not."
"Do you even realize how small my apartment is? How could I possibly fit three people overnight?"
Besides, even if it were physically possible to accommodate three, Haru wouldn't dare let the two of them stay the night.
Whether it was Anon or Soyo, both were classic examples of chaos incarnate. Honestly, it was lucky that they had run into each other at his doorstep this time. If only one of them had shown up asking to stay over, Haru didn't even want to imagine what would have become of his poor apartment by the end of the night.
Oblivious, Anon rubbed her forehead with watery eyes, while Haru turned his attention to the brown-haired girl beside him, who wore a calm, composed look.
"What do you think, Soyo-san?"
Soyo was the real issue here. Her explosions of jealousy were far more devastating than Anon's.
"…What could I even say now? Since you've already apologized so seriously, how could I keep acting childish? And it's not like I was actually mad at you from the beginning."
Soyo leaned lightly against Haru's chest, her expression softening as she returned to her usual gentle and obedient demeanor.
From the start, Soyo had never truly been angry at Haru. She was just annoyed by the rising number of romantic rivals, and had hoped to use this moment of 'interrogation' to gain some ground in the relationship, maybe even push for a meaningful step forward between them.
Unfortunately, that plan had been foiled by Anon. Now, all she could do was compromise.
She was a generous and understanding wife, after all, not like those shallow girls flocking around him.
Still, Soyo's mind drifted back to the true culprit who had sabotaged her plan. Her gaze flickered with something subtle as she casually played with a curled strand of hair near her temple. Then, in a tone as casual as idle chatter, she spoke slowly.
"Come to think of it, Haru… Are you hiding something else from me?"
Haru blinked, caught off guard by the question.
Wait, what else could he possibly be hiding?
His brain kicked into high gear. As far as he knew, he had already spilled everything worth mentioning today. There shouldn't be anything left unsaid. But if Soyo had brought this up out of the blue, maybe she knew something.
Maybe she had seen something.
Thinking back, Soyo must have witnessed him and Umiri on their date.
But if she had seen them, why hadn't she come over? That wasn't like her at all. She was the type to storm in without hesitation. Which meant maybe she had wanted to approach, but something had prevented her.
Recalling the presence of Shiina Taki trailing him earlier, Haru suddenly had a vague idea.
He hesitated for half a second, then cautiously asked, "Is it about Rikki?"
"…!"
Soyo's eyes widened, surprise flooding her face.
She had assumed Shiina Taki was lying when she'd interrupted her and claimed Haru had already confessed and been accepted. But Haru's sudden, correct guess made her wonder was Taki telling the truth?
Did Shiina Taki really contact Haru right after their encounter?
No, that didn't make sense either. Taki was as stubborn as her drumsticks. Since when did she act so fast?
"What's going on? What does this have to do with Rikki?"
Only Chihaya Anon remained in complete confusion, her brows furrowed. From start to finish, she felt like the odd one out.
Seeing Anon's clueless face made Soyo inexplicably irritated. She narrowed her eyes but didn't say what she was thinking. Instead, she just sighed and said, "Rikki already confirmed her relationship with Haru. You seriously didn't know?"
Haru: ???
Anon, seated to the left, and Haru himself, who was supposedly involved, both froze.
Anon recovered faster, but it was Haru who was most bewildered. He had absolutely no idea what Soyo was talking about.
What the hell? My CPU is about to catch fire.
Shiina Taki is suddenly my girlfriend? Somebody please explain.
Two new girlfriends in one day, Haru was starting to think this was some twisted plan orchestrated by Lord Safurin himself.
Still, it was clear from Soyo's expression that she wasn't joking. She genuinely believed he and Taki had officially become a couple. That meant she must have run into Taki and heard something directly from her.
As absurd as it sounded, Haru suspected Taki might have just… accepted his confession outright.
"Ehh?!"
Anon snapped her head toward Haru, clearly hoping he would confirm or deny it.
But what could he say? He really didn't know anything.
He wasn't sure if this was a smoke bomb thrown by Soyo to test him, or if Taki had secretly said something to her. Either way, now that he was already wobbling on this rickety suspension bridge, there was no choice but to keep moving forward.
"Soyo's right. I've confirmed my relationship with Taki."
"But, well, she's really shy about these things. She didn't want to let you two know."
Shy was right, even he hadn't known.
"Hmph! So that's how it is~"
"Rikki's always calling me a love-crazed idiot during practice, but look at her, hiding something like this the whole time~"
Anon arched one eyebrow, giving a couple of smug little hums. The self-satisfied grin on her face practically begged to be smacked.
"But Rikki's that same kind of awkward tsundere as Haru. I've already gotten used to it~"
At this point, it wasn't just annoying, it was practically a cultural landmark in Asakusa.
…
It was already late, but there was no way Haru was going to let the two of them stay over.
This wasn't like back then, with Uika, who was so timid and easy to handle that she brought a kind of peace of mind. As his official girlfriends, these two were capable of anything, especially once they had him alone. If things progressed… there was no way a simple kiss would be enough to keep things under control.
Before he realized it, they'd arrived at the base of Soyo's upscale high-rise. Her mood clearly wasn't great after a day of disrupted plans. To make things worse, she was the one being dropped off first, meaning she wouldn't even get the chance to be alone with Haru.
Damn that pink-haired menace. First chance I get, I'm kicking you out.
"Well then, my dear Mr. Kazami, I'll be heading home for the night?"
The graceful, refined student of Tsukinonomori Academy pressed her lips together with a coy smile, a soft charm radiating from her every gesture. Her delicate fingers rested beneath her chin, subtly hinting at what she wanted from Haru.
Those half-lidded blue eyes fixed on his face, clearly saying, "Don't think you can leave without giving me something."
"You know, Mrs. Kazami, you're really something else."
Haru cast a sideways glance toward Chihaya Anon, standing nearby, making his meaning very clear.
Anon was still right there watching. Did Soyo really have the nerve to do something right in front of her?
"Of course I do. What's so strange about a wife making a small request?"
Soyo chuckled softly, her tone layered with meaning. She didn't seem bothered by Anon's presence in the slightest.
All of her plans today had ended in disaster, first derailed by Shiina Taki, then interrupted by Chihaya Anon. Not once had she managed to properly recharge with her precious "Haru energy." If she went home like this… she'd be completely drained.
"Hey! I'm still here, you know!?"
Anon finally couldn't take it anymore and rushed over, glaring furiously at Soyo.
Everyone else only dared to sneak a little affection, why was Soyo the only one bold enough to snatch it openly?
"You're right. In that case, I'll drop it."
Soyo lowered her head in disappointment, her expression one of apparent resignation.
Anon had only just let her guard down when, suddenly, Soyo stood on tiptoe and kissed Haru.