After I Started Living Alone, My Place Turned Into a Hangout Spot for Beautiful Girls

Chapter 31: A Hellish Situation?

Shizuru Mizutani seemed jealous that I had brought a girl other than Sakuya home.

For the time being, I explained that Chieri Sato was the one currently taking a shower and that we had become friends due to a few minor things before the exam.

Shizuru Mizutani, who had been blatantly displeased, nodded as if to say, “Well, if that’s the case, there’s no helping it.”

Then, Sakuya, who had quietly come to watch our exchange at some point, said with a wry smile.

“Why don’t you two just start dating already?”

It was as if she were saying that since she got jealous over me being friendly with another girl, there was no point in beating around the bush anymore.

Almost at the same time Sakuya said that, Chieri Sato finished her shower and returned to the living room where we were.

“Oh, why is Mizutani here?”

“She forgot her textbook at school and came to my house under the pretense of keeping an eye on me so I wouldn’t skip studying.”

“Since she likes Teruaki-kun, she made up an excuse to come see him.”

“Hmm, does it end up like that?”

“Mizutani is pretty sharp, isn’t she?”

“Sato is sharp too, showing up at Teruaki-kun’s house like this on a day off.”

What was this? It felt like sparks were flying between Shizuru Mizutani and Chieri Sato.

Actually, Chieri Sato really liked me—not just a little, but quite a lot, didn’t she?

Also, Shizuru Mizutani had said that depending on how things went with me in the future, she might end up liking me…

If I confessed right now, she seemed like she would accept for sure.

As things grew more confusing, Sakuya whispered to me.

“Don’t ever try to two-time, okay?”

There were two girls I could potentially date.

I thought I should consult Sakuya later… but then I remembered that no one had eaten lunch yet, so I suggested to everyone that we should at least have lunch first.

※

It was after we had finished eating lunch.

We started studying for the exam, but… after Shizuru Mizutani showed up, Chieri Sato’s aggressive approach was on another level.

She suggested we work on the same practice book and grade each other’s answers, or she said we should do the listening problems together and handed me one side of her earphones.

She closed the distance so much that I had to ask with a wry smile.

“Aren’t you a bit close?”

“Seeing Mizutani made me think I can’t afford to hold back.”

“…I-I see.”

Shizuru Mizutani, who had been watching my exchange with Chieri Sato, asked me with an indescribable expression.

“Hey, Teruaki-kun. Does Chieri-chan like you?”

“Well, that’s…”

Troubled, I looked toward Chieri Sato.

Then Chieri puffed out her brfeasts and declared to Shizuru Mizutani.

“As you can see. But, you know, we’ve only gotten close recently, so jumping straight in might be a bit much.”

Chieri Sato didn’t say it outright, but it seemed like she really did like me.

We had only recently started getting seriously friendly, so it was still too soon for a confession.

That was probably why she was taking it step by step.

“What about you, Teruaki-kun?”

Hey, don’t suddenly turn it on me like that.

I scratched my cheek and confessed how things really were.

“I just see her as a friend.”

“Since Teruaki-kun says that, it feels like it’s not quite there yet, so I’m gradually closing in.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Yes. Confessing out of the blue would probably have a low chance of success, and it’d just make things awkward.”

But having this conversation right in front of me was already making things awkward for me?

Feeling unbearably awkward, I forcefully changed the subject.

“Um, everyone, what are you planning to do once summer break starts?”

I asked about what would happen after the exams ended.

Chieri Sato was the first to speak up.

“I’m planning to go on a date with Teruaki-kun to eat cake. See, he’s letting me study at his house like this, so it would be rude not to do anything in return.”

In response to what sounded like a declaration of war refusing to hand me over to Shizuru Mizutani, Chieri Sato countered with an oddly enthusiastic air.

“I’m going to the pool with Teruaki-kun! I made him buy a new swimsuit the other day, after all. So of course we have to go out together.”

I had changed the subject because Shizuru Mizutani and Chieri Sato were getting all tense, but somehow they started sparking off each other again.

Sakuya, who had been watching that, whispered to me.

“…Your hot streak has arrived. Well, I’ll pick up your bones for you.”

Don’t say it like I’m getting a death flag or something with that “pick up your bones” line.

I quietly asked Sakuya.

“Chieri is a sure thing, but Shizuru seems to like me quite a bit too… What do you think, Sakuya?”

“She likes you, doesn’t she? Or rather, the moment she said something like ‘it all depends on you from now on!’ like she was waiting to be invited, she was already done for, wasn’t she? When you think about it, it would be weird for Shizuru to seriously go after you and then say something awful like ‘Ahaha, it might be impossible for us to have that kind of relationship after all~’.”

Now that she mentioned it, that was true.

After egging me on like that, I couldn’t imagine Shizuru being the type to betray me in such a cruel way…

In that case, I really needed to think seriously about Shizuru…

There was a lot I had to consider, but for now, it was exam studying.

I picked up the pen I had set aside and began solving the problems in the reference book.