A Case in Which My House Is a Gathering Place for Girls - Chapter 28: Sleepover: Order ~The Beginning of Disturbance~

Golden Week. It’s a great blessing to be able to rest for five days on Saturdays and Sundays, but as a high school boy living alone after moving from the countryside, it’s just too much free time for me.

In fact, after spending the first three days idly, it was dark before I knew it. At times like this, I realize that I wish I had joined club activities like Wada and Asakura. However, it was lively because someone came to see me at night.

“Wait, Sasazuki-san!? Why do you keep pushing bonbi on me?”

“Hahaha. Of course, it’s because I want to see the high school girls president go bankrupt.”

“It’s Kanna who first pushed bonbi on Mika, so it’s a reward. You could even say it’s payback, doubled!”

“If you say that, the only person who can shoot is the one who is ready to be shot, then─oh!? Bonbi has evolved into King! Jinpei-kun, please help me!”

Kanna shook my shoulder as she pointed at the TV screen. I silently apologized in my heart as I picked up the remote and rolled the dice.

And today is the fourth day of Golden Week. It’s already 22 o’clock in the evening.

I finished dinner with three people who came to my house as usual, and now I was enjoying the game Sasazuki brought.

By the way, what we were playing with is a famous title that increases your assets by rolling dice around the world, and it’s called a friendship break-up game or so they say.

“Why are you running away from me!? Did you forget the vow we exchanged to remain close forever!?”

“I don’t remember making such a proposal. Just stay away from me until King settles down.”

Kanna rolls the dice as her turn, shouting “Jinpei-kun’s meanie.” Ominous black dice appear on the screen, and they take away Kanna’s assets at an accelerated rate. Her fall from grace was so spectacular that Sasazuki and Asakura clutched their stomachs with laughter.

“Now it’s decided that Kanna will be eliminated. Is it a one-on-one battle with Mika?”

“I won’t lose. I’m the one who sleeps next to Itsuki.”

Sparks flew between Asakura and Sasazuki. Could they stop treating me like I wasn’t even here? And for the record, no matter who wins, I’m not letting anyone sleep next to me.

“Uh… I was supposed to have a sleepover with Jinpei-kun alone… how did this happen?”

Kanna shed tears by herself. I don’t remember allowing this sleepover in the first place, but it’s too late to say such a thing, or rather, I have to give up. There was nothing left to do but accept it.

“I wonder how this happened…”

I turned to the three suitcases on the bedside with a heavy sigh─pink, black, emerald green. What this means is that not only Kanna but also Asakura and Sasazuki were staying over at my place. My head hurts.

“Kanna brought this on herself.”

“Yes, the other day when I was eating, you said, “I’m looking forward to the next sleepover.” We didn’t say anything about it.”

Cough, Kanna coughed up imaginary blood.

The incident occurred on the first night of Golden Week.

At the time, Kanna was sulking because she had to leave for a business trip the next day, Asakura was exhausted from intense club practice, and Sasazuki had been lazing around my house since midday.

We were playing games together, just like now, when a completely relaxed Kanna let slip something about a sleepover.

The moment Asakura and Sasazuki heard it, their eyes flashed with a demonic gleam.

The way they cornered Kanna after that… Just remembering it sends shivers down my spine.

“It was surprising that you had made plans without telling us. I don’t think it’s a good idea to run away. Oh, it’s Itsuki’s turn.”

My turn is coming again in no time. The end of the game is just around the corner. The current rankings are Asakura, Sasazuki, I, and Kanna. The top three were neck and neck. If I wanted to snatch victory, I had to be the first to reach the designated goal.

“If Itsuki finishes, the top will be replaced, and soon after that, all the turns will be over. If that happens, I’ll go to a no-contest without a winner… Please work.”

“If I’m going down, I’m taking everyone with me! Then we’ll all lose! Jinpei-kun. Make a clean finish!”

“Is Itsuki a lucky man or an unlucky one? Which one is it?”

I push the button while being stimulated by three parties. If I win, I wish they’d just go home instead of dragging me into an extended match. That wasn’t going to happen, though. At the very least, I hoped they’d sleep properly without trying anything weird. The dice, which had been dumped wishing so, were the numbers that reached the finish line.

“I did it! That means we’re going into overtime!”

“…Ugh. One Short, you failed me.”

“That’s Itsuki for you. I figured this would happen.”

“Next time, let’s play a different game! How about Mario Kart or Smash Bros!”

As the three girls chattered excitedly, I set down my controller and stood up.

“？ Where are you going, Jinpei-kun?”

“The bath. If I don’t go in first, I’ll be in trouble waiting for my turn. There are four of us today anyway.”

This tiny apartment bathtub could fit at most two people. I had no idea if they were quick bathers or not, so I needed to get in while I had the chance.

Besides, even if I hadn’t done much, I still wanted to wash off the day’s sweat before sleeping.

More importantly, I needed to mentally prepare myself for the ordeal that was bound to follow.

Honestly, that was the real reason.

“Don’t worry about me and just keep playing. In the meantime, I’m going to take my time in the bathtub.”

“…I see. Take your time.”

Kanna returns her gaze to the TV screen with a smile on her face. Something felt off, but I shook off the feeling and grabbed my change of clothes before heading to the bathroom.

It wasn’t a long journey. My apartment was a tiny 1K layout, so the bath was just outside my room.

I started filling the tub, only to realize something unfortunate.

The walls were so thin that I could clearly hear the girls chatting and laughing.

“This… might be a problem. I should wear earplugs while they’re in the bath.”

Just as the abyss stares into you when you stare into it, if I could hear them, they could hear me.

That meant the time between getting out of the bath and actually falling asleep was going to be hell for a normal, healthy high school boy.

I really wished they’d give me a break.

After about twenty minutes of contemplation, the tub was finally full.

I forced myself to conclude that I’d just take a walk until they finished their baths, then stepped inside.

Dousing my head with a shower, I tried to cool down my overheated thoughts.

The gradual transition from cold water to warmth felt amazing.

“Ah… how did this happen? If things go on like this, I might not survive tonight in many ways.”

“…Do you mean you’ll be so happy that you feel like you’re dancing?”

“No, no. Not so happy that I’ll be dancing with joy, it’s more like, so overwhelmed that I’ll lose my sanity and become─huh?”

I suddenly heard a familiar voice and an unnecessarily difficult four-character idiom cut through the sound of the shower. I stopped the shower and looked back, saying to myself that it was impossible. I found Kanna standing there.