Lounging on the sofa, Hayashi Maki suddenly felt a tickle on his neck.
A familiar fragrance drifted over.
He opened his eyes on instinct and saw Shiina Mahiru standing playfully behind the sofa, brushing his neck with the tips of her golden hair.
Raising a brow, Hayashi Maki grabbed her slender waist and lifted her straight into his arms.
"Mahiru, daring to tease me—you'll be punished."
He set his palm to her waist and started tickling.
"Ah—don't… haha, I'm sorry!"
Mahiru begged for mercy, trembling with laughter, cheeks flushed pink.
Hayashi Maki didn't overdo it; after teasing her a few times, he hugged her close again and gently stroked her golden hair.
Mahiru lay on his chest with a sweet smile. Poking his chest with a finger, she asked curiously, "Maki-kun, how was the offline meetup today?"
"Was that 'Ako-wife' of yours actually a stinky old dude IRL?"
Hayashi Maki kissed her on the lips before answering slowly.
"Sadly, not a stinky old dude—she's a very cute girl, just… a little special."
"And besides Ako, the other two 'men' in the guild turned out to be girls as well. One of them is even the student council president."
"Oh, I see. Maki-kun, you really have great luck—join a random game guild and you run into a bunch of pretty girls IRL."
Mahiru muttered, then glanced up at him again.
"So what's 'special' about this Ako?"
Hayashi Maki didn't hide it.
"Ako has a reality–net confusion syndrome—she can't tell the difference between real life and the game."
"No idea what kind of shock she took before, but she treats things from the MMO as real. We'd just met and she was already calling me 'husband' and clinging to my arm; there wasn't a shred of pretending about it. She genuinely considers the in-game marriage between our characters to be a real marriage to me."
Mahiru's eyes widened slightly. She hadn't expected a girl like that. But thinking of her own past, of Asada Shino's and of Nagi's, she didn't judge. Every family has its hard chapters; there are probably even stranger things happening out there.
She slipped her white arms around his neck and smiled.
"Isn't that a good thing? You didn't have to do anything—just play a game with her—and you got a cute wife out of it. Be honest: being smothered by such a cute girl felt nice, didn't it?"
Hugging her soft body tighter, Hayashi Maki kissed her cheek again before answering.
"It did. Getting pounced on by a cute girl the first time we meet—of course I was happy."
"But what I want more is for her to come back to reality, to find the courage to face the real world. Ako's situation isn't good—it's a serious net addiction to the point she can't tell reality from the net."
"President Goshoin and Schwi-chan both want to help her through it; I can't fall behind."
"President Goshoin? And Schwi-chan?" Mahiru tilted her head, waiting for his explanation.
"They were the other two at the meetup—both very pretty and very kind girls."
Mahiru nodded in understanding and rested her cheek lightly against his chest.
"Maki-kun really is gentle. I'll support you. If you have time, bring Ako-san by for a visit."
"Uh, Ako's a little jealous, you know—are you sure you want me bringing her home to spar with you?"
"Spar? There's no such thing at home. Besides, don't you trust me?" Mahiru laughed and winked.
Then she leaned to his ear and teased, "I had lunch with Yukino today—and I had her prepare a maid outfit. Do you want to see?"
Hayashi Maki's eyes went wide; he swallowed unconsciously.
True enough—even Yukino-chan had been won over by Mahiru with ease. A mere Ako wouldn't be a problem.
Mahiru & Yukino in maid outfits? He really wanted to see that.
Seeing the light in his eyes, Mahiru's lips curved. With a hint of shyness, she whispered at his ear, "If you spoil me tonight, I'll bring Yukino along. Otherwise, don't even think about it."
Hayashi Maki's breathing quickened; he scooped her up and headed for the bedroom—
—but Mahiru pushed at him, making him set her down.
"I still have to cook. What's the rush?"
After an eye-roll, she tied on an apron and headed for the kitchen.
Hayashi Maki shrugged helplessly and went back to his room. While he had a minute, it was time to pester—er, contact—his familiars.
First, Yukino-chan. After Mahiru's temptation, he was honestly a bit excited.
Demon Lord: "Yukino-chan, what are you doing?"
Yukinoshita Yukino: "Taking a bath."
Demon Lord: "Can I come join you?"
Yukino: "No. Behave yourself!"
Demon Lord: "I heard Yukino-chan prepared a maid outfit?"
Yukino: "Yes. But you can't see it."
Demon Lord: "And if I insist?"
Yukino: "Still no."
Blushing, the Second Heiress submerged herself in the tub, idly playing with the bubbles. She still hadn't gotten over last time's embarrassment. And this bad man wanted to tease her again? No way.
When a few minutes passed with no reply, she frowned.
Did he get mad?
Just then there was a knock at the door.
"Yukino-chan, can I come in?"
"Ah! H-how did you get here?"
She squeaked, face burning hotter.
"Because I missed you. You hardly ever come to me, so I can only be the one to come."
As he spoke, Hayashi Maki was already opening the door and strolling in with a grin.
She shot him a fierce glare.
"I didn't agree to let you in."
Hayashi Maki smirked, crouched, and kissed her soft lips.
"Mm—y-you… you jerk~"
After a token punch to his chest, she closed her eyes and let him kiss her. They knew each other well by now—and she certainly wasn't going to refuse.