"Yoshi! Maid Aina, step back! Master Kohei, please don't just stand there. What brings you here today?"
"Ugh..."
With steam rising from her head, Aina Yoshiwara—treated like a disposable prop—was pushed aside by Kiyoko Kamio to cool down next to Miyazawa Yuu.
Now it was the turn of the three "proper" maids! With their sweet looks and over-the-top service, any man would at least feel a sense of lingering fear, if not run away blushing!
"Uh, I want to play a game..."
"A game? Master Kohei is so cool~ Come, come, please sit here!"
"You must be thirsty after walking so far. Please enjoy this freshly opened, chilled Cola~"
Left with no room to resist, Kohei was quickly pulled to the computer. Not only were lumbar pillows and cushions provided, but there was even a feeding service from the maidens.
A normal person would have likely folded under the pressure and found an excuse to bolt, but a scumbag from the PaB club was clearly no normal person!
Sitting before the computer, Kohei thought seriously for two seconds. He raised his trembling hand... placed it on the mouse and keyboard, and skillfully entered his login password.
[Welcome back, Kohei-onii-chan! The Little Sister Maid Cafe has been waiting for you for a long time~]
"Aaah, as expected..."
The familiar startup sound of a Galgame reached his ears. Facing this, Miyazawa Yuu could only watch with dead-fish eyes. It wasn't just "as expected"—it was a foregone conclusion!
To be honest, the heads of the PaB scumbags were filled with sponges. Unless enough alcohol was added to cause a sudden IQ spike, they were the type where you could hear an echo if they shook their heads while sober.
By his estimation, during those few seconds Kohei was "thinking," he wasn't debating whether to stay or go. He was likely deciding which game would be best to play today!
"Ugh... even being dressed up like this had no effect!"
Shrinking back next to Yuu, Aina was almost crying from frustration. Her main motivation for enduring the shame of the maid outfit was the hope of driving Kohei away and regaining a peaceful sanctuary to contemplate life.
Now that Kiyoko's "terrible plan" seemed useless, how was this any different from "losing the bait along with the fish"?
"Hiss..."
Taking a sharp breath, Kiyoko Kamio watched the guy who could play an eroge with a straight face despite her standing right there. She maintained a smile while her eyes flashed frantically.
The general meaning was: [This target is tough. Increase the pressure!]
[OK!]
Receiving Kiyoko's distress signal, Keiko Suzuki immediately gave a thumbs up behind her back, indicating she would descend upon the battlefield like a hero!
"Master Kohei? Is the game fun?"
"Mm-hmm! This 'Imouto' is great. Even though she's flat-chested, her 'tsundere' attribute is strong. It's very satisfying to conquer her!"
"Oh~ is that so?"
Leaning forward toward the screen with one hand behind her back, Keiko Suzuki pretended not to care as she used her other hand to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. The movement of her arm brought about a "majestic wave."
"!!!"
Aina's heart stopped. Watching her best friend's maneuver from behind, her blood ran cold—
Wh-what is she doing?! Is having big boobs something to be that proud of? The 'flat plains' are the origin of life, and I don't go around showing them off every day!
Most importantly, if Kohei really got a taste of "the good stuff" and actually joined the "bigger is better" faction, what would she do?! If this wasn't a face-to-face NTR, what was it!
"Keiko!!!"
Launching herself forward, Aina grabbed her friend's waist and dragged her to a spot where Kohei couldn't see. She held Keiko's face, trying to hypnotize her with her frantically darting pupils.
"What are you doing!!!"
"Letting Kohei 'accidentally' see something good. That way, he'll surely refuse to come to this place that makes him 'sad' out of a sense of guilt. That's the logic!"
"I understand the logic, but..."
Releasing Keiko, Aina gave a broken smile, spreading her hands to display her "flat plains"—which, because she wasn't holding the loose fabric, showed absolutely no exciting undulations whatsoever.
"Understand?"
"Aina is such a hassle. Can't you grow a little more meat? At this rate, your kids will go hungry."
"I don't need a lecture from you!"
"Well, don't worry~ Although Kohei-kun seemed very interested when he came in..."
With a soft sigh, Keiko Suzuki pointed toward Kohei, who was still buried in his Galgame, completely unaffected. "It seems he's developed an immunity!"
"Of course he has. After all, the ranking in Kohei's heart right now is likely: Voice Actresses > Aina > Galgames/Anime > Other Women!"
Hitting the nail on the head, as one of the "New Big Three" of the PaB club, Miyazawa Yuu's understanding of Kohei was arguably deeper than that of Kohei's own parents.
In short, hoping to drive Kohei away solely through preferential treatment was utterly unrealistic!
It was like throwing meat buns at a dog—not only would they never come back, but you might even domesticate the dog so it follows you every day!
"Chotto matte!"
Flipping out a pair of glasses from somewhere, Kanako Iida squeezed between Yuu and Aina. She pushed up the frames, accompanied by a shing sound effect in the background.
"Since voice actresses rank higher than Aina, I have one final plan!"
"Kanako, what are you doing? Kaya-san isn't going to join in on our nonsense, right?"
"That's true..."
With a reassuring arc to her lips, Kanako Iida affectionately hugged Aina. As the latter turned beet-red in confusion, Kanako spoke solemnly: "However, to help my little Aina escape this sea of misery, what's the harm if I, your 'Onee-san,' make a little sacrifice?"
"Eh? There's really no need for that..."
"No! It is absolutely necessary! Because it's definitely going to be fun!"
The art style suddenly shifted, moving from a teen romance drama to a simplified Chibi-style. Kanako Iida didn't care what Aina said and went on the attack!
"Hey, Kohei-kun?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you want to come play at my house? My house is pretty big, and I'm also very interested in Galgames~"
"REALLY!!!"
The naive members of the PaB club had no concept of deception. Mentioning "Kayano," Kohei's eyes instantly sparkled with little stars—he looked exactly like he was about to be led away on a leash!
However, Kanako opening with such an "Ultimate" move confirmed a certain suspicion in Yuu's mind.
Turning toward Aina, he sighed with a look of feigned disappointment and "congratulated" her: "It looks like Kohei won't be coming back to bother you anymore. After all, he has Ms. Mizuki now~"
"That's true..."
Watching Kohei give a thumbs up with a face full of emotion, looking like he was about to agree to go play at Kanako's, Aina spoke the words, but she didn't feel quite right inside.
She had gone through so much trouble, even prostrating herself to ask for Yuu's help, and risked being mocked by her friends just to finally send Kohei away.
But seeing him abandon her so easily, she felt a hollow lack of foundation in her heart, as if life was only truly "fulfilling" when Kohei was there to bother her...
"Oh! Let's just take Kohei's games over there too! That way, Kohei can play whenever he wants, and he won't have to trouble Aina ever again!"
Revealing her true intent, Kanako Iida saw that Kohei had taken the bait and immediately suggested a total relocation to erase all traces of Kohei from Aina's place.
That way, Kohei would have no reason to bother Aina ever again. It was perfect, wasn't it!
"Wait, you can leave the stuff..."
Her heart felt like it had been stabbed. Hearing Kanako say that, Aina's mind went blank, and her body uncontrollably lunged toward Kiyoko, who was joining in to help pack things!
"Ah... actually, never mind!"
In mid-air, before the tears—shed for reasons unknown—could spill from her eyes, she saw Kohei tilt his head, pause for a moment, and sit back in his chair.
The voice acting of the Galgame, which he usually wanted to hide under his covers to listen to, sounded incredibly pleasant at this moment!
"Gwah! Aina, be careful~"
Steadily catching the huffy Aina in her arms, Kiyoko Kamio acted as if she had eyes in the back of her head, prepared for the surprise attack.
Aina was just too easy to read; her behavior patterns were like a low-level boss in a starter zone. As her best friend, Kiyoko could handle these small details easily.
"Sigh~ why?"
"...Who knows."
Though he appeared to be re-immersing himself in the endless cries of "Onii-chan," Kohei's hand on the mouse was trembling, and his face reflected in the screen was scrunched into a ball—
It hurts! My heart hurts so much I can't breathe!
A chance to play Galgames with "Kayano" was likely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. What kind of brain cramp was making him refuse!
But a gentleman's word is his bond; there was no turning back!
"Kohei..."
"Ho? To think he resisted Kaya's 'special offer'? Interesting!"
"Eek!"
The black aura wafting from Yuu's side made Aina cry out in surprise. She turned her neck—which sounded like it hadn't been oiled in years—to look at him. She saw Yuu wearing a terrifying expression that said: Man! You've piqued my interest!
"Yuu! Um..."
"It's fine, Aina. Since Kanako's method didn't work, I, Miyazawa Yuu, happen to know a little about the secrets of human nature!"
Kohei! Stay strong!!!