I'm a Kept Man for the Three Most Beautiful Girls in School - Chapter 18: A Three-Part Match

Chapter 18: A Three-Part Match

Ever since that sensational incident caused by Keage-san… no, Kokoa, my school life has changed even more.

Kokoa started running over to me after the fourth period, and her attachment to me was like that of a dog eagerly waiting for its feeding time (and she really seems to want to be my dog, no joke…).

Since Kokoa became attached to me, for some reason, other girls also started showing interest in me. Now, every break, I find myself surrounded by girls around my desk. Girls I had never talked to before are now approaching me, and honestly, I’m quite confused.

Tsu-chan, Chikage, and Sakura’s discontent grew day by day, and as a result, they began to shower me with as much affection as possible after school.

Well, time passed like that, and in late June, with the opening of the pool season approaching, the swimming club was about to start serious practice. But before that, something happened.

It was during lunch break.

The trigger was Kokoa’s sudden declaration:

“Kokoa will have Kyosaka-chan all to herself during summer vacation, so be prepared♡”

“”Huh?””

Of course, Chikage, Tsu-chan, and Sakura strongly opposed Kokoa’s declaration. But Kokoa was not willing to back down. It seemed like I had no choice in the matter, and the conversation continued to escalate――

A strange showdown is about to take place, with me as the prize.

The three school beauties vs. Team Keage.

The curtain is about to rise on this fierce battle.

Here are the details of the showdown:

Location: Gymnasium

1. 1. Arm Wrestling

1. 1. Rock-Paper-Scissors

1. 1. Table Tennis

Tsu-chan, Chikage, and Sakura will each face off against Kokoa, Sumizome-san, and Fujimori-san from the tennis club (a helper Kokoa called in), one-on-one.

“Don’t worry, Kei. We will definitely protect your summer vacation.”

Chikage’s confident voice echoed through the gym.

“Uh, okay…”

“The beach, festivals, we’ll fill your entire summer schedule with us. Let’s do lots of fun and enjoyable things together.”

(Enjoyable things… Isn’t it bad if Fujimori-san hears this?)

“Kyosaka-chan has to take me for walks, after all♡ Sorry, but you can enjoy yourselves without Kyosaka-chan♡.”

Kokoa, the only one in gym clothes, grinned with confidence.

Her thighs, exposed by her shorts, were a healthy tan, and her curvy waist and shapely hips were quite alluring. Everyone else was in their uniforms, so this felt a bit like cheating, but it was typical of Kokoa.

“Kokoa, what do you mean by ‘walks’?”

Fujimori-san asked Kokoa. 

I was also curious about the details, but I had mixed feelings about hearing it directly from Kokoa.

“Well, I’m Kyosaka-chan’s puppy, remember?♡ Without my master, I get bored♡”

“Puppy? Like, you mean with a collar or something?”

“Something like that♡ If Kyosaka-chan asked, I might even put on a tail♡”

A tail? I wish she’d stop saying things that could be misunderstood. It makes me seem like a pervert too. Fujimori-san seemed to understand in her own way with an “Ah, I see,” but it was far from what I intended.

I certainly am not ordering her around.

I certainly do not have such hobbies.

That aside, it felt like everyone here, except for me, was exuding a tense atmosphere. They seemed to be surrounded by an invisible aura, their eyes sharper than usual, making it hard to approach them.

I was completely left out.

As I stood there in a daze, Tsu-chan and Kokoa firmly clasped hands at the corner of the ping-pong table, their gazes locking. Sparks seemed to fly between them.

“You think you can challenge me for Okeihan? You’re a hundred years too early, Kokoa.”

“Tsukasa, you don’t understand just how much I love Kyosaka-chan.”

“Just so you know, Okeihan is completely in love with me.”

“Is that true, Kyosaka-chan?♡”

“Uh, well, I like Tsu-chan, but I wouldn’t say I’m completely in love.”

“Okeihan!?”

Tsu-chan’s face contorted in shock. Well, I do love her, but if I said it out loud, it would make Tsu-chan even more overconfident, and it would be annoying to be teased from that position of power.

So, the best choice here is to change the subject.

“Both of you, focus.”

“Boo, Okeihan, you’re so cold.”

“This is a serious match, right? You need to focus.”

“Tsukasa, you’re not even getting any attention from Kyosaka-chan. And yet, you act like the main wife? That’s hilarious.♡”

“What!? And you think you’re any better? Kyosaka-chan barely gives you the time of day!”

“Huh? That’s just your perspective! I make my feelings clear to Kyosaka-chan every day! Ever heard of ‘persistence pays off’?”

“Okay, okay, both of you, calm down. Get into your set positions.”

As I tried to calm them down, Tsu-chan and Kokoa grudgingly followed my instructions.

The first match was arm wrestling. I was the referee.

I placed my hand on top of theirs, which were tightly clasped together. 

Once I removed my hand, the match would begin. It was a direct clash between Kokoa, an active and energetic sports girl, and Tsu-chan, a rare talent in the world of women’s karate (though she’s retired now).

Honestly, I couldn’t predict who would win.

“Hah!”

“Ugh!”

When Kokoa put strength into her right hand, Tsu-chan grimaced slightly and responded with her arm trembling.

The difference in strength was minimal; they were evenly matched. The contest continued to be balanced, like a sumo bout lasting over a minute, and the match became deadlocked.

“It’s literally a gorilla versus a gorilla.”

“Yeah, for Kokoa-chan to be on par with Tsukasa, that’s impressive.”

I could hear Sakura and Chikage having this conversation near the ping pong table. Sumizome-san and Fujimori-san were also watching the arm wrestling match.

“Hnnn! Take this!”

Tsu-chan put more strength into her already trembling arm. However, Kokoa, not wanting to lose, pushed back even harder.

Before long, with a loud bang, Tsu-chan struck a victorious pose.

The winner was Tsu-chan.

“Hah, hah… I won. See?”

“Ugh… You darn King Gorilla…”

“Don’t call me King Gorilla! But yeah, I got the first win!”

Kokoa looked truly frustrated, while Tsu-chan wore a victorious smile.

The first match ended with Tsu-chan’s victory. The second match, rock-paper-scissors, was between Chikage and Sumizome-san.

In the world of rock-paper-scissors, the key is to read your opponent’s hand. In shonen manga, it often comes down to dynamic vision and reflexes, but in reality, it’s all about making declarations like ‘I’ll throw this first’ to throw off your opponent.

“Sorry, but I’m confident in rock-paper-scissors.”

“Oh, Karasuma, you’re good at that too? I hate people who can do everything. But my win rate is pretty good too.”

“As long as you’re worried about win rates, you won’t beat me. Luck favors those who believe. In other words, confidence directly translates to strength in rock-paper-scissors.”

Confidence in rock-paper-scissors, huh?

Chikage seems pretty weak at it to me. Just the other day, we played with the rule ‘the loser has to do whatever the winner says,’ and I won easily. Thanks to that, I got to fulfill a lot of my boyish dreams.

Anyway, since Sumizome-san also seemed confident, let’s see how this goes.

“I’ll clean up Kokoa’s mess.”

“Go ahead, if you can.”

Both of them took their positions, full of determination. 

The rules were simple. The first to win three times in a row would be the winner. There were no tricky rules like in Osaka rock-paper-scissors where the loser is the winner.

“First is rock!”

Their voices overlapped, and both threw rock.

After several rounds of “it’s a tie” with neither side winning, on the fifth attempt, Chikage broke the tie by throwing scissors against Sumizome-san’s paper.

Chikage took the first win. Sumizome-san then made a comeback, and after a seemingly short yet intense battle, Sumizome-san emerged victorious.

Chikage, despite her efforts, was visibly frustrated, even through her mask.

“Ugh… How can someone throw paper five times in a row?”

“Karasuma, you can be pretty stubborn.”

“Hmph. I’m not stubborn.”

Chikage turned away, pouting at Sumizome-san’s remark.

I had a feeling it would end like this, so I decided not to say anything. Chikage can be quite emotional, and if provoked, she might sulk in an unexpected way.

Anyway, it’s now one-to-one. It’s turning out to be a pretty good match.

And now, the third match. The game was table tennis, and at this point, Kokoa’s strategic mind became apparent.

Fujimori-san, the helper Kokoa called in, was the ace of the tennis club. Despite the difference in the type of balls used, it was clear that Sakura, who didn’t belong to any sports club, was at a significant disadvantage.

With her cherry-brown long hair tied in a ponytail, Fujimori-san had the appearance of an athlete. On the other hand, Sakura looked every bit the literary girl.

Even so, seeing Sakura calmly holding her racket as usual, I had a feeling that the goddess of victory might smile upon her.

“Daigo-san, are you good at sports?”

“It doesn’t matter whether I’m good or not. Fighting for Kei-kun means there’s only winning or losing. So, I’ll win.”

“But I might win too, right?”

“I won’t lose to someone who just says ‘might.'”

“What do you mean?”

“It means you don’t understand the importance of this match. That’s why you can’t win against me.”

Sakura’s tone was as gentle as a breeze over a meadow, but there was a clear confidence in her voice.

The serve was Sakura’s.

Her red racket struck the ping-pong ball, sending it lightly over the net. When Fujimori-san calmly returned the ball, Sakura made a minimal movement with her racket and scored a smash right near the net.

“First point.”

The moment Sakura muttered that, Fujimori-san’s expression changed. It was as if she was saying she would now shift into serious mode, and she glared sharply at Sakura.

From then on, an intense back-and-forth ensued, with neither side giving an inch. The gym was filled with a tense atmosphere.

(Amazing…!)

This might be the first time I’ve seen Sakura compete with someone like this. The fierce rally was like a chaotic burst of colors in full bloom. I was so captivated by the see-saw battle that I forgot to breathe.

At this point, the tide turned. Sakura delivered a sharp smash as if swinging a short sword. The ping-pong ball hit Fujimori-san’s racket, spun wildly, and flew off in a completely unexpected direction.

“Experienced?”

“This is my first time.”

“Seriously?”

“Hitting balls at a batting center is the same. Once you get the hang of it, even someone who isn’t good at sports can hit a 140 km/h ball. You have good athletic ability, but no sense.”

“But I’m the ace of the tennis club… supposedly.”

“This is table tennis. It’s different from tennis.”

In the face of Sakura’s robot-like precision, Fujimori-san had no more tricks left.

In this game where the first to eleven points wins, Sakura secured victory with a score of eleven to eight.

“Way to go, Sakurako! You did it!”

Tsu-chan, overwhelmed with emotion, hugged Sakura. Sakura smiled slightly, a bit embarrassed, and pushed up her glasses with her finger.

“We won, Kokoa. We’ll have Okeihan all to ourselves this summer.”

“Ugh…”

Tsu-chan’s smug face must have really bothered her, as Kokoa let out a deeply frustrated groan.

“But it all depends on Kyosaka-chan’s feelings♡”

“Ha!?”

Kokoa’s defiant comeback made me feel a bit uneasy.

“I’ve already decided to be Kyosaka-chan’s slave.♡ Call me anytime you need to take care of your desires♡”

Huh? What?

“What!? Hey, what are you saying!?”

Tsu-chan, her face turning red, jumped at Kokoa’s bombshell statement.

Chikage and Sakura also had expressions that seemed to say, “What is this idiot talking about?”

Honestly, I thought I was fairly good at softening their feelings and conveying them diplomatically, but it seems they might be harboring much harsher thoughts. The twitching expressions on Chikage and Sakura’s faces made me think so.

“Kei. Say something to Kokoa too.”

“Uh, haha…”

Intimidated by Chikage, I forced a strained smile.

“Kei-kun, what would you do if Kokoa-chan invited you?”

Sakura, not hiding her anger, asked me directly with a slightly indignant tone.

“Um, well…”

“Okeihan!”

“Kei!”

“Kei-kun!”

Cornered by the three of them, I started to sweat nervously. Kokoa fidgeted, blushing, waiting intently for my answer.

“Sorry, Kokoa, but since we decided through the three-part match, my decision won’t change.”

“Yeah, yeah. Well said, Okeihan.”

“Kyosaka-chan… You really do hate me, don’t you?”

“Well, um… on days when I’m not free with the three of them…”

“”???””

Tsu-chan, Chikage, and Sakura frowned in confusion. I leaned in and whispered so only they could hear.

“Kokoa might go wild again… so I thought a little break might be necessary. But I’ll keep it respectful, of course.”

“Ah… yeah, that’s true.”

“Okeihan, you’ve gotten better at handling Kokoa.”

“If Kei-kun decided, then I have no complaints.”

The three of them backed down with a “well, if you must” kind of attitude.

“Yay! I’m always ready♡. If you come to my place, I can even wait for you completely naked♡.”

“Kei, no, that’s too much. Don’t make such explicit promises.”

“Yeah… Kokoa, let’s not do that.”

I answered with an awkward smile.

And with that, the lunch break came to an end. Although it was still a bit far off, I was looking forward to spending the summer vacation with everyone. The beach meant swimsuits, and summer festivals meant yukatas… yeah, I’m really excited.

With those happy thoughts, I returned to the classroom with everyone.