All the Heroines Who Showed Their Overwhelming Emotions on Me Have Mentally Broken Down and Gone Insane, so Now My Only Choice Is to Pamper Them Endlessly to Avoid Total Chaos — Sweets Work Best on Lovesick Heroines

Chapter 6: The Signs of Menhera

After taking the medicine, Raimu had fallen asleep with a calm expression on her face.

Later, when her mother came home, I exchanged greetings with her, and then it was time for me to take my leave from the Tendo household.

I was relieved to make it back home before the sun had fully set. After all, I couldn’t break my promise to my sister.

When I opened the door to our house, Kokoa was waiting for me in the hallway.

“Welcome home, big brother.”

“I’m home.”

“You came back properly.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Tears welled up in Kokoa’s eyes.

“Because I only have you to talk to, big brother…”

Yeah, yeah, I get it.

I stepped up into the entryway and stroked Kokoa’s head reassuringly.

“It’s okay.”

“If you disappeared, big brother, I might just die.”

Don’t say such alarming things…

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“You won’t lie about that?”

“I won’t.”

Kokoa’s cheeks softened with a gentle smile.

Looking satisfied, she turned around toward the living room.

“Then I’ll go make dinner for everyone. Big brother, the bath is already heated up for you.”

“Thanks.”

In that case, I would take her up on that and get in the bath.

I undressed and headed into the bathroom.

After washing my body, I sank into the tub.

As the hot water seeped deep into my core, I gazed vaguely at the temperature control monitor.

When I closed my eyes, the image that floated up behind my eyelids was Raimu’s form.

The collarbone peeking out from her pajama neckline.

Her cheeks flushed with fever.

The melting gaze she fixed on me.

“…!”

What the hell was I thinking?

I dunked my face into the water.

While blowing bubbles, I tried to wash away my impure thoughts.

“Pwah!”

I lifted my face, gasping for air.

At this rate, I was playing right into Raimu’s hands…

＊

After my bath, the family ate the dinner that Kokoa had made, and then I returned to my room on the second floor.

I dove onto my bed and checked my phone.

Sure enough, a flood of messages from Raimu had piled up.

Though the wording varied, every single one was an endless loop of “thank you” and “I love you.”

I just marked them all as read without replying. Otherwise, it would never end.

—Bzz bzz.

Just as I was going through Raimu’s messages, another one came in.

“Kaname”

“Can we talk for a sec?”

It was Iori. She contacted me maybe once a week at most, and it was usually something innocuous like “What are you up to?” or “Studying for tests?”

I wondered what it was this time.

I opened the chat screen and started typing “What is it?”

The instant I did, the next message arrived.

“Is it true you went to Raimu-chan’s house today?”

Huh. How did she know?

“Raimu-chan reported it to me, sounding so thrilled.”

“That Aotori took care of her.”

“That he held her hand.”

“That he was so kind to her.”

“I told you not to spoil her that much.”

“What did you do?”

“We’re high school students, you know.”

“You’re not doing anything weird, are you?”

Wait, hold on… the messages wouldn’t stop…

“You’ve always been like this, Kaname.”

“Why do you have to be so indiscriminately kind to everyone?”

“That’s called being a people-pleaser, you know?”

“Do you even realize that?”

“Do you know how worried I get?”

“Do you really understand what kind of girl Raimu-chan is?”

“I only became friends with her for your sake.”

“So I pretended to be her friend to get close.”

“To protect you.”

“And yet you go to her house on your own.”

“What are you thinking?”

“Do you want to get absorbed by her?”

The chat screen scrolled by at an unnatural speed.

“I’ve been watching the whole time.”

“You getting tossed around by Raimu-chan.”

“And how you’ve ended up isolated at school because of it.”

“But I never said anything.”

“Because I thought you’d figure it out on your own.”

“Because I believed in you.”

“But you don’t notice at all.”

“In fact, you’re being kind to Raimu-chan.”

“And even to the student council president.”

…Is this really Iori?

“Why?”

“Why not me?”

“I met you first.”

“I understand you better than anyone.”

“Why her, Raimu-chan?”

“Because she’s cute?”

“Because she’s beautiful?”

“Because you want to protect her?”

“I want you to protect me too.”

“I want you to be kind to me too.”

Ah, I see.

She was probably out with friends and made me the target of some silly prank…

“You’re reading this right now, aren’t you?”

“The read receipt is there, so you are.”

“Don’t ignore me.”

“Am I saying anything wrong?”

“I’m not, right?”

“I’m just stating the obvious, aren’t I?”

“We’re childhood friends.”

“We should be special, right?”

“So why are you going to another girl’s house?”

“And alone with her, no less.”

“Her mom wasn’t home, was she?”

“Raimu-chan said so.”

“That her mom thoughtfully stepped out.”

“That’s the lowest.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“You’re the worst, Kaname. Raimu-chan’s the worst too.”

“The absolute worst. Everyone’s the worst.”

[Incoming call from Iori]

“Hah…!”

A scream escaped me involuntarily.

I didn’t want to pick up. There was no way I could.

The call ended.

I barely had time to catch my breath before it rang again.

It ended, then rang. Ended, then rang. An endless hell of incoming calls.

[Missed call]

[Incoming call from Iori]

No matter how long I waited, the phone wouldn’t stop ringing.

I carefully opened Iori’s contact so I wouldn’t accidentally answer, and then I hit the block button.

Finally, it went quiet.

…Everyone loses it sometimes. You can’t tell someone’s true intentions without facing them directly, so I figured I’d talk it out properly at school next time.

―――――――――――――――――

[Raimu Tendo]

Dependency: ★★☆☆☆

Danger Level: ☆☆☆☆☆

Menhera: ☆☆☆☆☆

[Yami Ayakura]

Dependency: ★☆☆☆☆

Danger Level: ☆☆☆☆☆

Menhera: ☆☆☆☆☆

[Iori Ototsuka] (Fluctuating)

Dependency: ☆☆☆☆☆ → ★☆☆☆☆

Danger Level: ☆☆☆☆☆ → ★★☆☆☆

Menhera: ☆☆☆☆☆ → ★★☆☆☆

[Kokoa Aotori]

Dependency: ★★☆☆☆

Danger Level: ☆☆☆☆☆

Menhera: ★☆☆☆☆

This represents the protagonist’s current perception of each heroine from his perspective. I thought adding something like this at the end would make it more intuitive to read, so I’ve decided to include it going forward.

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Translator’s Note:
“Menhera” is a Japanese internet slang term, short for “mental hera” (a playful abbreviation of “mental health”), that describes someone—often stylized as a young woman—who exhibits signs of emotional or psychological instability, such as depression, anxiety, or obsessive behaviors. In anime, manga, and online subcultures, it’s frequently portrayed in a cute or exaggerated way, blending vulnerability with a kind of tragic allure, and it’s tied to a fashion style featuring pastel goth elements like cute accessories mixed with darker themes.