| The Love of Three hearts | Arc — Solving Problems The Hard Way | Volume 1 |
Chapter 9 — "The Arrival of Disaster"
Takumi was still in Souta's room, and honestly… he was questioning every life choice that led him here. The room looked like a tornado, a blender, and a small apocalypse had all combined for a group project.
Empty cup noodles were scattered across the floor like some kind of noodle battlefield. Pillows had abandoned the bed and were now on the floor, sulking. An empty soda can acted as some kind of sad stool, while a half-eaten bag of chips created crunchy obstacles at every step.
A gigantic novel titled "Love Someone" glared at him in blood-red letters, daring him to even breathe. Manga volumes were strewn across the floor, some stacked precariously like a Jenga tower about to murder him. And in the far corner… something purple wiggled. Slowly. Menacingly. Like it had its own agenda.
Takumi froze, his face losing all color.
Takumi: "This… is not a room! EWW! WHAT IS THAT CREATURE!? PLEASE—DON'T EAT ME!"
He bolted toward the door, tripping over a stray noodle and nearly becoming one with the floor, before pausing mid-step.
Hana was crouched next to Souta, who looked barely alive, feeding him cookies with the gentle precision of a nurse handling a rare endangered species. His eyelids twitched occasionally, but nothing else happened.
Kaede was aggressively punching the air near Souta, trying to "wake him up" with the force of a professional boxer.
Meanwhile, Himari was scribbling furiously in her notebook:
> Study + Study = Boring
Boring + Boring = Study
Study + Boring = Takumi
Takumi's soul slowly started leaving his body in despair.
Then—PING PONG!
The doorbell rang like an air raid siren.
Kaede: "AH!? I'M GONNA PUNCH THEM TOO!"
She stomped toward the door, ready to throw down with anyone daring to ring it.
Himari grabbed her wrist like a superhero restraining a reckless sidekick.
Himari: "I'LL SEE! I HAVE A LUCKY HAND! THIS WILL BE AMAZING!"
Hana, still munching cookies and blushing like she was starring in a romantic anime, looked on.
Himari flung the door open. A tug on her skirt startled her.
Hina: "WAAAH!!! I'M HINA! AREN'T MY BROTHERS IN THERE!?"
Takumi froze completely, as if someone had shoved him into a freezer and left him there for eternity. Even Souta twitched slightly, as if sensing imminent doom.
Himari: "OH!? HINA!?"
She squealed, scooping Hina up like she was a prized action figure.
Kaede: "Takumi… your sister looks better than you."
Hina: "TAKUMI! SOUTA!!! ARE YOU BOTH OKAY WITH YOUR GIRLFRIENDS?!"
The room went completely silent. Souta remained unmoving, dead in this dimension.
Kaede: "WHA—WHAT!?"
She punched Takumi, who slammed into the wall like a human sticker.
Takumi: "I—I didn't do anything!"
Meanwhile, Hana, cheeks burning red, shoved another handful of cookies into Souta's mouth. He gulped them down unconsciously. His eyes opened for three seconds, staring at Hana with such intensity that the air between them practically evaporated. Then… he collapsed back into unconsciousness.
Hina peeked at Hana, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
Hina: "Are you… my brother's girlfriend?"
Hana froze. A cookie dangled in her hand, which she awkwardly stuffed into Hina's mouth, her face turning a shade of crimson that even sunsets would envy.
Hana: "Don't say that suddenly!"
Kaede: "THIS KID IS TOO DIRECT!"
Takumi: "HINA! THEY'RE MY STUDENTS!"
Hina's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
Hina: "You're shouting at me…"
Kaede: punch!
Kaede: "Stop being rude to your sister!"
Himari: "YOU'RE VERY RUDE, TAKUMI!"
Hana continued munching her cookies with alarming focus, wiping Hina's "fake tears" away with a tissue like a seasoned caretaker.
Hina: "I'll cook something for all of you… my new special recipe!"
She puffed out her chest proudly while dabbing her nonexistent tears.
Takumi collapsed onto the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling. He questioned everything about his life choices.
Meanwhile, Souta twitched slightly, as if even he knew the room had reached a level of chaos beyond comprehension. Cookies still dangled in his mouth like some absurd offering to the gods of mess and madness.
Hana: munch munch "Here… eat more… it helps with evolution."
Takumi internally screamed so hard he briefly considered a new career as a wall ornament.
Himari ran around taking mental notes, as if this chaos could someday be published in a scientific journal titled:
> "How to Survive Your Brother's House: A Case Study in Cookies, Chaos, and Purple Creatures."
Takumi curled into a ball on the floor, muttering incoherently:
Takumi: "I… I need therapy. Or a new life. Or maybe both."
Meanwhile, Kaede was already scanning the room for further violations of common sense, shaking her fists like a professional puncher, while Hana continued feeding Souta cookies as though this was a sacred ritual.
Souta, as usual, barely reacted. One twitch, one gulp… and then nothing. Takumi felt his soul slowly, reluctantly resign to the fact that he was living in absolute madness.
Takumi: "This… this is personal hell. And I'm the main character."
Himari clutched her notebook dramatically.
Himari: "Takumi, you should write this down! It's history in the making!"
Takumi: "NO… NO ONE WILL BELIEVE THIS!"
And so began yet another day in the Haruya household—a perfect storm of cookies, chaos, and a suspicious purple creature that seemed to enjoy the absurdity of the human race.