Non-Human Girls Are Fighting Over Me ~ Do I Get to Refuse? “Nope!” “No Way!” “Not a Chance!” “Absolutely Not!” - Chapter 21: The Strongest Duo (1)

Chapter 21: The Strongest Duo (1)

—That week, Thursday night.

A sudden RINE from Mio-san.

Mio: I’m picking you up tomorrow evening. Be ready.

I replied “Okay,” but hadn’t told my family anything.

Nervously mentioning this, her response came instantly.

Mio: No worries. I told them it’s a club retreat.

I asked, “Can I just keep him?”

They laughed and said, “Go ahead, take him.”

So I said, “Thanks!”

(…Déjà vu. This feels like Towa’s stunt, doesn’t it? No, isn’t this escalating?)

Resisting seemed the most dangerous option. I sent a minimal “Okay.”

The next day, Friday evening.

Ding-dong.

Opening the door, Mio-san stood there, commanding.

“I’m here!! Let’s go.”

She grabbed my arm effortlessly and started walking.

We rode the train, arriving at a five-story apartment building in a residential area.

But something felt off. The mailbox was nearly empty, no signs of life.

“Top floor.”

She led me up.

The stairs and elevator were silent, almost like a ghost town.

“…Feels like no one lives here.”

I said cautiously, and Mio-san grinned mischievously.

“Yeah. No one else lives in this building. Actually, I own the whole thing.”

(She just dropped something terrifying so casually…)

After dropping my stuff, she said, “To the supermarket.”

Naturally, we held hands as we walked. Halfway, it shifted to an interlocking “lovers’ grip.”

“…”

My face burned. But she walked cheerfully, as if it were nothing.

“No time today, so something simple. What do you want tomorrow? I’ll cook.”

“Anything’s fine.”

“That’s the worst answer. Guys like certain dishes, right?”

I couldn’t help teasing.

“Eh~ Mio-san, can you actually cook? Got any stomach meds ready?”

“Oh, you bet I’ll wreck your stomach. —No, shut up! What’re you making me say?”

Our laughter and banter felt exactly like a live-in couple.

Just holding hands made it so fun, I hadn’t expected that.

But that moment didn’t last.

What awaited us next—was a storm.

※

—Back at the apartment.

Mio-san stopped abruptly, fixing me with a sharp stare.

“By the way… what did you do at her place?”

(…“Her” means Towa, right?)

Images of that night flooded back. Towa’s smile, her breath, her warmth.

After a moment’s hesitation, I dodged.

“Oh, uh… watched movies and stuff.”

But—my voice didn’t seem to reach her.

“…No way, all day… no, it can’t be…”

Mio-san clutched her head, eyes darting.

Her expression was clearly off.

“You didn’t… fall for her, did you…?”

Her face hardened.

“No way, no… no, that’s not it, right…?”

Muttering low, she gripped my shoulders tightly, leaning close.

Her gaze was haunting, like she was possessed.

“You… you love her now? Even with me here…

Why? How? Tell me, tell me, tell me… Say something! Speak!”

I couldn’t breathe. Her dilated pupils and feverish intensity froze my spine.

“Uh, I’m… sorry, Mio-san. What’s wrong? You’re scaring me.”

My voice snapped her back.

She trembled, eyes dropping.

“Oh… sorry. I lost it.”

Her voice was faint, tinged with dejection.

Then, tears spilled.

“But… but you know how I felt last weekend, thinking of you?

You don’t, do you… If you did, you’d look a little guilty.

You had fun with your pretty girlfriend, right? Not some jealous, nasty girl like me… right, right…”

“…Sorry. Please calm down.”

I tried to soothe her, but her face twisted.

“Ugh, ugh… ‘Sorry’? That just makes me feel worse.

Laugh and say, ‘She was just a fling!’ You coward… ugh…”

Her tear-streaked face spat a mix of curses and pleas.

Her raw pain stabbed me like a blade.

—Staying here was too dangerous. I turned to leave.

“Sorry… for upsetting you. I’ll go now. Excuse me.”

I grabbed the doorknob—then.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I won’t say it again, sorry… ugh, ugh…”

Heated arms wrapped around me from behind, trembling with tears.

Turning, I saw Mio-san, cheeks wet, forcing a desperate smile.

She pulled me close, kissing me as if clinging to something dear.

Her lips carried a searing mix of grief, jealousy, and love—capturing my heart in an instant.