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 8: Senior and Little Sister

When I returned to the living room, Yami Ayakura sat on the sofa.

Was this her house or something…?

Kokoa walked toward the kitchen.

“What a nice house. It feels so relaxing.”

“Don’t make yourself at home without permission.”

“Don’t be so stiff. In the future, this will be my second home, after all.”

“It won’t.”

Kokoa returned from the kitchen and placed a glass of barley tea with ice in front of Yami Ayakura. She set it down with a deliberate, loud clunk.

“Here you go.”

As expected of my little sister. She never forgot to offer hospitality to a guest. Though her hostility was on full display, that was that.

“Thank you. Little sister.”

“I’m Kokoa.”

Before I could introduce her, my sister named herself.

“Kokoa, is it? I have a little sister too, you know.”

Huh. That was news to me.

“I hope we can get along.”

I wished she wouldn’t proceed with the assumption that they’d meet. I didn’t know about her sister, but my little sister was sensitive.

…Huh?

But wait. I just noticed now, but Kokoa was talking to the senior in a fairly normal way. Maybe because of the age difference.

Even with her hostility plain as day, this still counted as a form of communication.

It might even help with her school refusal. This was a good sign.

The ice clinked softly. Yami Ayakura took a dainty sip of the barley tea.

“Delicious.”

“It’s just regular barley tea.”

“Then perhaps it’s because Kokoa made it for me.”

Undeterred by my sister’s snark, Yami Ayakura wore a gentle smile.

Kokoa and I sat down too. Yami Ayakura occupied the short arm of the L-shaped sofa, while we lined up on the long arm.

Once more, I asked the senior.

“So, what’s your business on a day off?”

“Borrowing Tendo’s words might grate, but do you need a reason to visit someone you like?”

“Yes, you do.”

“You’re no fun. Well, I came today because there’s something I want to confirm.”

“Something to confirm?”

“Did nothing really happen with Tendo?”

“Of course not.”

Kokoa eyed me sideways from her spot next to me, observing.

Yami Ayakura leaned forward as she said.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Like kissing or anything.”

“I wouldn’t do that to a sick person. No, I wouldn’t do it even if she weren’t sick.”

I wasn’t the type to have that kind of resolve, anyway.

“Hugging or anything.”

“I didn’t.”

“Cuddling in bed or anything.”

“I didn’t.”

Yami Ayakura let out a relieved breath.

“I see. That’s a good attitude.”

What was so good about it, I had no idea.

“But you mustn’t let your guard down. Tendo’s obsession with you has been ramping up ever since she became a second-year.”

I agreed, but this was coming from the senior who’d held back a year just to stick to me.

“If you have the leisure to watch others, I’d appreciate it if you fixed your own behavior too.”

“We’ll need to devise proper countermeasures from now on, won’t we?”

She ignored me completely.

“Well, even without any strategies, the quickest way would be for you to give me and Tendo your answer.”

“I’ve been saying for the past six months that I’m not dating either of you.”

I figured I’d said it at least ten times.

“Couldn’t you decide soon whether you’ll date Tendo or me?”

She really didn’t get it…

People often misunderstood, but I wasn’t acting flirtatiously toward either of them. The reality was that I’d politely turned them both down, yet they kept pressing their affections on me relentlessly.

“Look, senior. Since we’re at it, let me say this clearly–”

I started to continue with, I have no intention of dating anyone, when.

–Ding-dong-ding-dong-ding-dong-ding-dong-ding-ding-ding-ding!

The intercom started ringing at a speed that made the senior’s earlier attempt look like nothing.

At this rate, only one person came to mind.

“Is that Tendo? What terrible timing.”

The senior seemed to think the same.

“Shall I handle it?”

“It’s fine. It’d probably just get more troublesome.”

I wanted no part of a battlefield. I’d brush her off lightly at the door and send Tendo home.

–Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!

“Ah, come on! Quit it already!”

What if she broke it? Between the senior and now this, why did these types always feel the need to hammer the intercom?

I hurried through the living room. To vent my irritation, I yanked the front door open roughly.

“Hello, Kaname.”

A blank smile and a voice like frozen steel.

Standing at the entrance was my childhood friend, Iori Ototsuka.

―――――――――――――――――

[Raimu Tendo]

Dependency: ★★☆☆☆

Danger Level: ☆☆☆☆☆

Menhera: ☆☆☆☆☆

[Yami Ayakura]

Dependency: ★☆☆☆☆

Danger Level: ★☆☆☆☆

Menhera: ☆☆☆☆☆

[Iori Ototsuka] (Change Detected)

Dependency: ★☆☆☆☆

Danger Level: ★★☆☆☆→★★★☆☆

Menhera: ★★☆☆☆

[Kokoa Aotori]

Dependency: ★★☆☆☆

Danger Level: ☆☆☆☆☆

Menhera: ★☆☆☆☆

—

Chapter 9: Yandere Hell’s Prologue

“Iori…”

She wore a round-collared blouse with a knee-length skirt. Despite the neat outfit, the oppressive aura was overwhelming.

In the heavy atmosphere, I returned the greeting as if to brush it off.

“Uh, hello…”

“You blocked me, right?”

She dove straight into that…

I had planned to talk about it at school next time. I never imagined she would give up her day off to barge into my house.

“Well, yeah, but come on, getting that many ghost calls is just annoying…”

“I see. I’m annoying, huh? Then maybe I should just die.”

“Huh?”

What kind of extreme thought process was that?

“It’s fine. I was planning to die today anyway. There’s no point in a nuisance like me staying alive. Oxygen on Earth is finite, you know. If a bother like me dies, the world gets a little more eco-friendly, right?”

“Why are you jumping to such an outlandish topic…”

“I’m going to get hit by a car on the road over there, so at least forgive me this last nuisance–”

“W-Wait! Okay! I get it! I’ll unblock you! You’re not annoying at all!”

What the hell was with Iori? She seemed completely like a different person, or rather, she was totally one.

The vibe was so serious that she might actually do it, so I pulled out my phone from my pocket. I unblocked Iori and showed her the screen.

“See? I unblocked you!”

Then, the coldness vanished from Iori’s face as if it had been a lie.

“Really? I’m not annoying?”

“You’re not.”

“You haven’t come to hate me?”

“I haven’t.”

I didn’t hate her. I just found her scary.

“Good.”

Iori let out a relieved breath. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“Sorry. I’m really sorry. But when I heard you went to Raimu-chan’s house, my mind went completely blank…”

“Oh…”

“And then last night, I lost it… I sent you all those messages, called a ton of times… But you didn’t pick up, and the read receipts stopped coming through midway…”

“Let me make this clear, but nothing happened with Tendo. I just went to visit her because she was sick.”

As I said that, the tense air around Iori deflated.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“I was so worried about you. I couldn’t stop fretting that a bad woman like Raimu-chan might trick you…”

A bad woman? She was weird, sure, but was Tendo really a bad woman? Well, planting a tracker was straight-up bad, I guess.

“I’m not tricked.”

“Really?”

How many times had she asked “really?” in this short exchange? The barrage of questions was suffocating.

“Yeah, really.”

Iori relaxed her shoulders in relief, took a deep breath, and then said.

“I want to talk. Can I come in?”

This was bad. Yami Ayakura was in the living room. Letting Iori see that right now felt dangerously off.

“Uh, that’s a bit…”

“Why?”

“We have a guest.”

“Who?”

Her voice dropped suddenly low. She stepped forward and peered into the entrance. There sat Yami Ayakura’s heels.

Damn. I forgot to hide the evidence.

“Those shoes are women’s, right?”

“Uh…”

“Who?”

“A… senior.”

The sheer intimidation made the truth slip out. The atmosphere wasn’t one for lying.

“A senior? The student council president?”

“Well…”

“Why is she in your house?”

Please stop with the interrogation already… It’s scary…

On the verge of tears, I forced out the words.

“She just showed up at the house suddenly…”

“Excuse me.”

Huh?

She slipped past me and intruded into the entrance. Iori wordlessly slipped off her loafers.

“Hey! Iori!”

Before I could stop her, Iori advanced down the hallway. I hurried after her back as she quick-stepped toward the living room.

“Oh. You’re that girl, if I recall.”

Yami Ayakura, seated on the sofa, turned her eyes toward Iori. Kokoa stared at her in surprise too.

Ah. They were face-to-face now.

“Aotori’s–”

“Childhood friend. The most special one of all.”

Overlapping the senior’s words, Iori declared it emphatically. At that response, the senior narrowed her eyes unpleasantly.

Iori turned back to me.

“What’s going on? Why is the student council president here?”

“Former, that is.”

The senior corrected her, but Iori wasn’t listening.

She closed the distance one step at a time, then two, and grabbed my arm so hard her nails dug in.

“Kaname. Explain.”

“There’s nothing to explain. She came uninvited.”

“On a Sunday? A woman? To your house?”

Her wide-eyed face loomed up at me from below.

“It’s weird, right? Not normal at all, right? You said you were having a hard time with the student council president stalking you, so why did you let her into your house?”

“No, I didn’t let her in. She barged in on her own. Just like you did now.”

“Then why didn’t you kick her out? Being your nice guy self again?”

“…………”

She hit right where it hurt. At a loss for words, I saw Yami Ayakura stand up. She detached herself leisurely from the sofa and positioned herself beside us.

“Iori, was it? Why don’t you calm down a bit?”

“I am calm.”

“It doesn’t look that way at all.”

“It has nothing to do with you, student council president.”

“Anything involving Aotori concerns me greatly.”

Iori glared daggers at the senior.

“What kind of concern?”

“The kind where we’ve pledged our futures together.”

“Huh?”

Iori’s face twisted. I couldn’t help but raise my voice too.

“We haven’t pledged anything!”

“We must have.”

“Would you seriously stop spouting total nonsense!?”

Iori looked back and forth between me and the senior.

“You two seem awfully close…”

Her gaze clearly held agitation.

“You and the student council president, really…?”

“No, it’s not like that. Iori, you’ve been seriously off since yesterday. If you think about it normally, you can tell this is just the senior’s delusion, right?”

“But she’s in your house.”

“Yeah, but she just–”

“It’s my second home, after all, so of course I’m here.”

“Senior, please stop saying unnecessary things for real.”

I scolded her in a serious tone, but it might have been too late.

Iori’s complexion worsened by the second. Trembling words slipped from her lips.

“I’ve been watching you all this time, Kaname…”

“Iori?”

“We’ve been together since kindergarten!”

Whoa, that startled me.

She suddenly raised her voice. The shift in intensity was too extreme.

“We played in the sandbox together! We napped together! We even held hands!”

Did that happen…? Well, if Iori said so, it probably did, but I couldn’t vividly remember things from kindergarten.

Still, saying that honestly might get me killed for real in her current state. What should I do?

Without waiting for my reply, Iori pressed on.

“During lunch recess, when I fell and cried, you comforted me! You were so kind, saying, ‘Are you okay? Does it hurt?’ And in third grade, when I spilled my lunch, you were the only one who helped me clean up…!”

When it came to elementary school memories, they stuck a bit more. Those past events did exist as facts.

“And there were so many, so many memories just between us! Why isn’t it me…!?”

Come to think of it, she said something like that in the messages too. Why had it turned into this choose-me-or-not talk? We were just childhood friends.

“I even went to this high school because you were here! I’ve always, always liked you, Kaname! I loved you so much!”

“Huh…?”

“So I’m done holding back.”

That came truly out of nowhere.

No warning, no declaration.

And it happened in an instant.

Something warm touched my lips.

“Hehe… Ahaha…!”

Iori cupped her face with both hands and looked up at me with dilated pupils.

“I kissed him…! I kissed Kaname…! I did it, I went and did it…!”

She stamped her feet busily, as if to distract from her embarrassment.

“What do I do, what do I do, what do I do…!”

I, the senior, and Kokoa all froze in place, unable to move.

Amid that, Iori gazed up at me dreamily. Then, as if possessed by a spirit, her face turned dead serious. No light showed in the depths of her eyes.

“Once more.”

“Uh…, what…?”

“Once more.”

She wrapped her arm around my nape and pulled my face in without a hint of hesitation.

Our lips met in an instant. Harder, deeper than before.

A foreign sensation filled my mouth. I felt her tracing my gums. The sticky sound of saliva mixing traveled from inside me to my eardrums.

I had no idea how many seconds it lasted. A clear thread dangled between our parting lips.

“B-Bye, Kaname…! I’ll be waiting for your answer to my confession…!”

With her face flushed red from shame, Iori left those words and fled the living room.

I heard the front door close faintly, amid the ringing in my ears.

“――――――――”

Those of us left in the living room couldn’t move for a while. No one could process what had just happened. We all froze solid.

Kokoa was the first to stir, standing up from the sofa in silence.

“K-Kokoa…”

That snapped me out of it too, and I called out to her back. But Kokoa didn’t twitch as she climbed the stairs to the second floor.

“Ow.”

The next to move was Yami Ayakura.

“Nooooooo…!”

She collapsed to the floor and screamed. She pointed at me.

“W-What was that just now! Aotori…! With another woman besides me! And right in front of me…!”

The senior clutched her chest and started breathing laboriously.

“Hah, hah-hah-hah…!”

Shallow, short gasps. She was on the verge of hyperventilating. I placed a hand on her shoulder.

“S-Senior. Are you okay?”

“I feel sick… I’m gonna throw up…”

She pressed her hand to her mouth. Sweat beaded on her forehead.

“My Aotori… like this… I can’t take it anymore… I’m going home today…”

The senior rose unsteadily on wobbly legs. She braced herself against the wall and staggered out of the living room.

That must have been the day. The day my life changed drastically. The fragile peace I’d maintained up to the brink shattered all at once due to Iori’s intrusion.

Last year’s chaos had been mere prologue, it seemed.

From that day on, I had to twist my way of living.

–To avoid being confined.

–To avoid being killed.

–To avoid letting anyone die.

My high school life of continually feeding candy to those deranged girls had begun.

―――――――――――――――――

[Raimu Tendo]

Dependency: ★★☆☆☆

Danger Level: ☆☆☆☆☆

Menhera: ☆☆☆☆☆

[Yami Ayakura] (Change Detected)