#31: Three Girls, Loud and Lively

It was time to pick everyone up, so I brought in the laundry, cleared away the lunch dishes, and started getting ready to head out.

Kyouko chan continued to dump all the housework on me while she prepared herself with makeup and everything else.

I can’t say I don’t think it’s weird for a female teacher to make her student fold her underwear and do her laundry, but I’m a protagonist overflowing with hospitality, so for the sake of the heroines, this kind of thing is practically par for the course.

We took Kyouko chan’s car to pick everyone up, stopping first at Sakura san’s place, then at Megucchi’s house. I sat in the passenger seat and navigated the directions to both places.

When we arrived at Sakura san’s house, I got out of the car alone and pressed the doorbell.

Ding-dong ♪

The front door opened immediately, and Sakura san rushed out and threw her arms around me with enthusiasm.

She seemed to be in high spirits.

She must’ve been really looking forward to the sleepover today.

“Sorry for the wait, Sakura san. I’m here to pick you up.”

“Don’t worry about the distance—I’ve been waiting for you, Norio!”

As she said that, Sakura san rubbed her cheek against mine.

Suddenly, the car horn blared.

Beep-beep-beeeeeep!!!

When I looked over at the car, Kyouko chan had a displeased expression and silently thrust her chin forward in a gesture that said, “Get in. Now.”

“Geez, what a pain.”

“Let’s go, Norio!”

Holding hands, we walked to the car.

“Kyouko sensei, good afternoon. Thank you for having us today.”

“Ah, Sakura, happy to have you. But… do you two always act all lovey-dovey in public like that when you’re together?”

“Yep, sure do! ♪ Norio and I are always holding hands, right? Norio?”

“No way—that’s not like you at all! Sakura was way more uptight back in school! Everyone called you the demon student council president and everything!”

“What? What are you saying, sensei? Are you picking a fight with me right now? How does Norio think about this? What do you think?”

“Hey, hey, you two—stop it! Megucchi is waiting. Let’s get going already!”

Both of them had strong personalities, so I figured this would happen.

The golden rule for a harem protagonist is never to take sides with one or the other. So the only way to handle it is to silence them both by force.

So we arrived at Megucchi’s place.

I told Megucchi to get in the car first, then I went to my own house next door, changed clothes quickly, and got right back in the car.

When I did, they’d already started fighting again.

“Listen here! I’ve done plenty of deep, adult stuff! Mizumoto is totally charmed by my sex appeal!”

“Huh? Megucchi? We cuddle in bed every night and go smooch smooch, and we take baths together all the time! Her butt feels so good to squeeze, and Megucchi’s microbikini is totally my jam—I’m completely into it!”

“Wait a second, Megucchi. Did you just say you take baths together?”

“And what exactly is a microbikini? Isn’t your uniform a school swimsuit?”

“Don’t get cocky over a little bath time, brat! I took a school swimsuit teacher roleplay bath with Mizumoto just this morning and had a blast, let me tell you!”

Sigh.

What a pain.

“Whoa, hold up! A school swimsuit on a woman in her thirties? That’s way too risky! Think about your age! That’s seriously not okay!”

“But hey, Megucchi. Insulting a school swimsuit teacher roleplay—Kyouko chan might forgive you, but I won’t!”

“N-Norio! Am I the only one not taking baths with you?! Is it the school swimsuit? If I just wear a school swimsuit, will you take baths with me too?! Tell me, Norio!”

The Norio harem—already in crisis mode.

But this is exactly when I shine!

“My cute little kittens, fighting isn’t good, okay? I know you all want to be with me so badly it drives you crazy, but there’s only one of me, right? So how about we all get along? And don’t worry—I’ll pet each and every one of you good later.”

“W-Well, Megucchi doesn’t really want to fight anyway. If that’s what you’re saying… mumbles.”

“Y-Yeah, you’re right… If you’ll really pet us good later, then I won’t complain…”

“Haaahn ♡ Master, you’re the best ♡ Please give me loooots of rewards with Kyouko later, okay? ♪”

Fweh.

All three of them stopped fighting and felt better just from my words. Truly, I’m incredible.

The only thing I learned from seeing all three of them together is that all three are strong-willed and competitive. And Kyouko chan is by far the most childish about it.

Here she is, a teacher in her own school, getting worked up and competing with her students. What’s that about?

Anyway, we managed to head out and arrived at Kyouko chan’s apartment. The three of them headed to Kyouko chan’s bedroom to change.

I stayed alone in the kitchen and started preparing dinner.

Tonight’s menu was cream stew—Megucchi’s favorite.

The stew itself is just made from store-bought roux, nothing fancy, but we add quail’s eggs to it. That’s the Mizumoto family style.

Megucchi has loved this egg-filled stew since she was little, and she used to come over to our place all the time to eat it and ask for seconds.

As I cooked while reminiscing about those memories, I could hear the three of them chattering and giggling from the bedroom. I was a bit worried at first about how they’d get along, but honestly, all three of them are good-hearted kittens at heart, so I’m sure they’ll do fine.

After a while, still humming as I cooked, the three of them emerged from the bedroom.

#32: Even If the Protagonist Is Gross, It’s the Harem Heroine’s Job to Love Him

Megucchi was wearing her usual fluffy room clothes.

A hoodie and shorts, her plump, full bare legs on display, radiating youthful energy. To me, they’re so familiar there’s no freshness to them, but she’s got that “THIS is Megucchi” vibe down perfectly.

Sakura san wore a loose, brown one-piece dress with knee-highs.

Nothing flashy, but calm and composed. Rather than cool, there’s a cozy feeling about it—fitting for how Sakura san’s demeanor and expressions have softened recently. She really carries it well.

Kyouko chan wore our school’s summer uniform with black tights.

A 29-year-old in school clothes—the disconnect is staggering.

With her natural aura of adult sensuality, she lacks that clean, fresh quality you’d expect from a student. In fact, her sexiness actually works against the JK appeal.

To be honest, it just looks like a joke.

But Kyouko chan stood there with her chest out and a smug look, which honestly irritated me a little.

I wanted to make a bunch of comments, but I’d just said “let’s all get along” a moment ago, so I swallowed my words.

“How’s it look, Mizumoto? I asked Tsuchida to lend it to me. Does it suit me? Could I still pass as a high schooler?”

“I asked the sensei to wear the uniform because she really wanted to. And, well, sensei’s head is just as messed up as Norio’s, so…”

I deliberately ignored Kyouko chan and directed my comment to Sakura san.

“Sakura san, this is the first time I’ve seen you wear something other than your uniform. You look calm and stylish, just like you.”

“R-Really? I’m not very fashionable, so… but it makes me happy that you said so, Norio.”

Sakura san walked over to me in the kitchen with little steps and naturally hugged me from behind. I gave her a light kiss on the lips and patted her head.

Sakura san’s face totally melted into a happy smile.

In stark contrast, Megucchi and Kyouko chan were staring daggers at me.

“You two come here too. Let me see what you changed into.”

When I called out to them, both of them ran over eagerly.

Both of them thrust their large chests forward toward me, as if asking, “Check us out!”

“Megucchi, I see you all the time anyway. But as always, you’re super cute.”

I said that and gave her a light kiss on the lips.

Megucchi’s mood improved, and she smiled contentedly.

Honestly, she’s the easiest one to win over.

“Kyouko chan’s quality compared to when you wore the bunny outfit is…”

“Is it not good? I think it’s cute.”

“Maybe it’s the hair?” Megucchi suggested, and Sakura san added, “Yeah, I think so. Having your hair down is prettier, but putting it up looks more like an actual high schooler.”

When Kyouko chan heard the critique about her hair, she went to the bedroom and came back with a scrunchie, tying her hair into a ponytail.

“Oh wow, the vibe really changed. You look a lot more like a model student now. Like you’d be a class rep. Not bad, Kyouko chan. You haven’t aged for nothing, huh?”

“Stop mentioning my age!”

She got mad, so I pulled her close and gave her a smack on those plump, sexy lips.

Then she covered my mouth as if to say, “I’m not letting you go!” and shoved her tongue into mine, so I grabbed her face with both hands and pulled her away.

“Geez, you’ve got no self-control. What a pain.”

When it’s just the two of us, I’d be totally into it, but with the other heroines watching, I’d appreciate a little restraint. She’s the only adult here, after all.

Once all three of them had calmed down, we started our discussion in the living room.

Sakura san took the lead in moderating.

I listened to their conversation while preparing drinks for everyone and continuing to work on dinner.

“Okay, so the thing is, I don’t just want to get along with Norio. I also want to get along with you two, which is why I wanted everyone to meet and talk things through today.”

“I agree. I don’t want to monopolize Mizumoto or anything. It’d be great if we could all get along,” Sakura san said.

“Same here. Megucchi and Sakura chan are already buddies, and I don’t dislike sensei or anything.”

“Thank you both. So here’s a request—or more like a suggestion. I want us to call each other more casually. Megucchi and I already call each other by our first names, so that’s fine. But with Kyouko sensei, it feels weird using her formal title all the time. It feels like she’s being left out somehow, so it doesn’t sit right with me.”

“As long as you’re careful about how you address me at school, I don’t mind what you call me otherwise,” Kyouko chan said.

“Then how about just Kyouko chan? Norio’s been calling you that all along, and if Sakura chan and Megucchi call you that too, it’ll feel more natural.”

“Good idea. I’d like you three to call me by my first name too. Or at least not use formal speech with me at times like these.”

“Got it.”

“Understood.”

“So next, what I wanted to confirm is—”

The discussion continued with Sakura san moderating, and there were more confirmations, talks, and bickering.

Though I’d call it bickering—it was more like childish showing off. Maybe they were intentionally using it to get closer.

Kyouko chan was the only adult, the only teacher, so there was naturally some distance. I think she was trying to prevent us from being too reserved or overly considerate by playfully fighting and trash-talking. In fact, Megucchi, who had been most resistant to Kyouko chan at first, was now happily demanding, “Kyouko chan, Kyouko chan! Make me cosplay in something too!” and they were getting along great.

And then Sakura san brought up the real topic of today: the sex problem.

See, if Kyouko chan and I did it, we’d risk violating the indecency statute. There’s also the issue of the teacher-student dynamic.

I’d known this from the start, so last week I told her as much, and we’ve been holding back. Instead, I’ve been letting her indulge her whims to keep her satisfied, but Kyouko chan is still a proper adult woman with normal sexual desires.

Well, “normal” isn’t really the right word—she’s a total pervert.

Anyway, it’s my thinking that Kyouko chan and I should hold back until I graduate high school. And she agreed with me on that.

But the question is: what about Megucchi and Sakura san?

Honestly, I want both of them to wait until after high school graduation too.

My real reason is that I don’t want to leave Kyouko chan behind.

This is my pride as a harem protagonist.

When I told them my thoughts honestly…

“Yeah, I’ll follow your lead. I’m not trying to sneak around or anything. It’s actually a little lonely being the only one who doesn’t do stuff with you… Like, I’m the only one who hasn’t taken a bath with you…”

“Megucchi’s okay with waiting too. I always said my first time would be with Norio, and I’m not interested in anyone else anyway. And it’s not like I’m desperate to do it.”

“Megucchi, Sakura… thank you. But once you graduate, we’re going all out! Maybe book a hotel for three whole days of uninhibited fun?! But wait… that means I’m going to be thirty and still a virgin?!”

“Well, people say if a guy stays a virgin until thirty, he becomes a wizard. Does it work that way for women too?” I asked.

“A witch, maybe? Anyway, Kyouko chan becoming a witch totally fits her image!”

“I have to say, Kyouko chan and Sakura san are beautiful, but the fact that you’ve never dated anyone until now… I guess even beauties have their own struggles. I mean, I’m not getting any girls either, probably because of my protagonist aura.”

“No, Norio—that’s not it. You’re just gross! You’re not intimidating; girls literally scatter when you show up!”

Heh.

Megucchi doesn’t get it.

There’s no way I’m gross. I’m a protagonist. What a pain.

“I mean, I know Norio is gross, but… I think that’s actually a good quality of yours.”

“Yeah, in my case, it was a direct hit for me. ‘Why is this non-handsome guy spouting such smooth lines with so much confidence?!’ It was such a shock the first time I met him.”

“Megucchi got used to your grossness early on, so she didn’t mind. So… wait, does that mean all three of us here actually love Norio because he’s gross?”

“I guess that’s what it means.”

“Hold on, wait a second! Since when do harem heroines call their protagonist gross?! That’s not in any harem story I’ve ever heard! Did you three think I was gross the whole time you were kissing me?! That’s a little hurtful, honestly! And I definitely don’t want to hear it from a woman in her thirties wearing a school uniform!”

The three heroines burst out laughing.

By teasing me, the kittens’ bonds grew deeper.

This is good.

Yes.

I’m Norio, the man who tries not to create any sins.