[Absolute Only-Me King's Game] Something’s Off About the King's Game Started By My Childhood Friend Beauties With Me. A Story of Endlessly Fun Times with Girls Whose Personal Boundaries Keeps Going Off the Rails! - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The day after the utterly surreal king game.

My consciousness feels like it’s floating, as if yesterday’s events were a dream.

“Ha… Yesterday was intense.”

At this point in our third year, there’s less and less to do at the academy.

The four of us childhood friends have already secured designated school recommendations for university, so the rest of our academy life feels like a formality.

We’ve retired from our clubs, and after school, it’s either part-time jobs to earn pocket money or hanging out together like yesterday.

“Morning, Rei-kun.”

“Morning, Anna.”

“Did you sleep okay?”

“Yeah, I guess. Still kinda buzzing from the excitement.”

“Hehe, let’s do it again, okay?”

“Huh, again?”

“What, you don’t want to?”

“No, I’m totally down.”

“Good. I had so much fun yesterday. But, you know, my chest is only for bonus time, got it?”

“R-Right.”

Bonus time again, huh…?

My eyes can’t help but wander there.

“Fufu, I feel some intense stares~ Keep trying. I’ve got some new ideas planned.”

“That’s way too exciting.”

As we walk to the academy, chatting along the way, a girl with striking light brown hair catches my eye.

“Oh, Fuwari-chan, morning♪”

“Morning~ to both of you~ Yesterday was fun, right~? Let’s do it again~.”

Fuwari’s super pumped too. Those violent things that jiggle with every move are as ferocious as ever.

“Fufufu~ Your stares are intense~ Maybe next time you’ll get to touch mine~.”

“Then I’ve gotta go all out.”

“I didn’t say what, but I wonder what you want to touch~.”

Fuwari’s really teasing me today. After yesterday’s big hype, she must’ve let loose a lot.

We keep talking as we walk.

Turning a corner near the academy, a familiar face comes running up.

“Good morning~!”

“Oh, morning, Rin-chan. We were just talking about doing the king game again.”

“Huh?! A-Again?”

“What, you don’t want to?”

“N-No, it’s not that…”

“I’m gonna make it even more fun next time.”

“P-Please go easy on me.”

This is our daily life—walking to the academy, chatting with my childhood friends.

※◇◇◇※

“You lucky bastard, Reiji!”

“Wah, what the hell?! You scared me!”

As I enter the classroom, a loud voice from behind nearly makes me jump out of my skin.

“Don’t ‘what the hell’ me, jerk! You’re surrounded by our school’s top beauties, you harem punk! What light novel world did you reincarnate from?!”

“That’s a total false accusation. I’ve told you a million times, they’re just childhood friends, so we hang out.”

My classmate, regrettably one of my friends, grits his teeth in frustration.

This kind of exchange is pretty routine, so I’m used to it.

Like he said, I’m surrounded by an unreal number of gorgeous girls.

Being called a light novel reincarnator stings because I can’t fully deny it.

No, I’m normal, okay? Just a regular guy. My environment’s just stupidly lucky.

Being surrounded by beautiful girls isn’t all great. It attracts jealousy and harassment.

There was that time a group of delinquent guys who liked Anna cornered me and nearly beat me up.

On the other side of the classroom, Anna’s happily chatting with classmates.

She’s super sensitive to stares, so even a glance from me gets her attention right away.

“Hey, look, Kitagawa-san’s waving at you. You’re not dating her, right?”

I wave back at Anna, exasperated by the usual question.

“I told you, we’re not dating. Stop making me repeat myself.”

Who she dates is her choice, not mine to comment on…

But honestly, if Anna started dating some guy, I’d feel a bit lonely and upset.

I know it’s pure ego, but I can’t help thinking about it.

Deep down, I don’t want to ruin our current setup.

If one of them started dating me, it’d definitely change things with the others.

I love how all three get along with me, and I’m selfishly clinging to this balance.

I hate how shallow I am for not being able to just be happy for them, but all three are equally important to me…

No, pretty words won’t cut it. I don’t want to let any of them go.

“Man… Kitagawa-san, Amakura-san, and Sakurayoka-san are so cute. Is it true none of them have boyfriends? They say they reject every confession.”

Anna’s actually pretty closed-off, you know.

Not just her—Fuwari and Suzune, to varying degrees, are also guarded and keep people at a distance.

They don’t struggle in daily life because they wear masks. They come to my place because it’s one of the few places, besides home, where they can drop that facade.

“Hey, homeroom’s starting! Get to your seats!”

The teacher’s voice snaps me back, and I sit down. With my future already set, classes are boring as hell.

But I don’t want to tank my grades before graduation, so I take lessons seriously.

‘My chest is only for bonus time, got it?♡’

Anna’s chest was so soft… That’s what a girl feels like, huh?

That clingy texture, the heavy weight in my palms.

And that sweet, feminine scent.

It was all a primal, powerful experience. Just thinking about it makes my body heat up.

I’m getting hyped just imagining doing that again.

“Tsuchimine! Oi, Tsuchimine! Tsuchimine Reiji!”

“Huh?”

“What are you smirking about in the middle of class?”

“Oh, uh, was it on my face?”

The classroom erupts in laughter, and I’m mortified.

I glance at Anna, who’s desperately holding back laughter, covering her mouth.

She’s definitely gonna tease me later.

※◇◇◇※

“What were you thinking about during class~?”

“Probably yesterday, right?♪ Especially that part at the end~.”

“Reiji-kun, you’re such a perv. Your face was full-on lecherous.”

“It was force majeure…”

After school, while packing up, I’m bombarded by my childhood friends.

My daydreaming smirk caused a classroom uproar, and Anna laughed so hard she nearly cramped.

Fuwari, two seats away, saw my face clearly and was trembling, covering her mouth.

Suzune, in the seat in front, burst out laughing mid-lecture, getting chewed out by the teacher.

“Well, I’ve got work today, so…”

“Alright, see you tomorrow.”

“Bye-bye~.”

“Good luck at work~.”

Our childhood friend hangouts are frequent but not daily.

With academy life winding down and more free time, it feels wasteful to just loaf at home.

To live a fulfilling student life, you need some cash.

So, I work part-time two to four times a week. Family support limits how much I can earn, but a few tens of thousands of yen a month is enough for a modest, enriched life.

“Oh, Rei-kun.”

“What’s up?”

“You’re free the day after tomorrow, right? Can we all come over?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Reiji-kun, I’ll bring something. Any requests~?”

“Hmm, how about a strawberry tart? The cream cheese kind.”

“That’s a tough one~ Alright, I’ll do my best~.”

“Fuwari’s tarts are top-tier. I’m counting on you.”

Bidding farewell to the three, I hurry to my part-time job.

And two days later, in the evening, we’d play the king game again.

T/N: Regarding the Rin-chan nickname, this is more of japanese stuff, but Suzune’s Suzu, written as (鈴), can also be read as Rin, it’s an alternative reading to that name. But the name itself, combined with the ne (音), is read as Suzune.