Parameter Supremacy: The Man Who Seizes a Harem Through Sheer Effort. - Chapter 54.

Episode 54: The Isshiki House.

Midori-san was giving me a tour of the Isshiki home.

“Here’s the bathroom. Just toss your laundry in there. Oh—and the bath towels are in this shelf.”

She opened the cabinet above the washing machine, explaining everything carefully, one item at a time.

“You can use the bath whenever you like. Ah, but be careful—the pink towels belong to Moe.”

It seemed all of Moe’s towels were unified in pink. That fastidious touch felt so perfectly like her—endearingly so.

Carrying my bag, we climbed to the second floor. Right at the top of the stairs, a wooden plaque reading “MOE” caught my eye on one of the doors. This had to be her room.

“This is Moe’s room. Enter without permission and she’ll get mad~”

Midori-san said it with a playful grin.

“Our bedroom is at the far end. And this is where you’ll be staying, Ryuuji-kun.”

She guided me to the room sandwiched between her and her husband’s bedroom and Moe’s. It had clearly been cleared out just for me. Aside from a desk and a shelf, the space was bare—but neatly folded futon bedding waited on the tatami.

“Sorry, there’s no bed. But feel free to use the desk and air conditioner as much as you want.”

Compared to the life I’d known until now, the room was impossibly clean and orderly.

“I’m the one who should apologize. Thank you for letting me use it.”

I bowed politely. Midori-san smiled warmly.

“Don’t worry about it. You’re a guest—make yourself completely at home.”

She deliberately used the word “guest.” I could feel the gentle consideration behind it, knowing how much I recoiled from anything resembling “family.”

I set my bag down and left the room. When we descended the stairs, Midori-san was already preparing to go out.

“Ah, Ryuuji-kun, are you feeling up to it? I’d like to stop by your place to pick up more of your things while I’m shopping. Will you come with me?”

“Sure.”

And so we set off again in Midori-san’s car, heading back to my apartment.

***

We parked in a nearby lot. I grabbed an empty sports bag and entered my room. Midori-san, who had come along, looked around with an unreadable expression.

“You cook for yourself?”

“Yeah. Whatever I can manage… though a lot of it’s just supermarket side dishes.”

“And money?”

“A teacher’s been helping me out, so I get by.”

“Helping… huh.”

Midori-san murmured the word with a touch of sadness, her gaze lingering on me.

I packed quickly: study materials, gym clothes, weight-training gear, underwear, towels. A few changes of casual clothes and loungewear. Essentials for the training camp that would start soon. The sports bag overflowed; I ended up using paper bags too. Still, to Midori-san it seemed pitifully little.

“That’s all…?”

She looked faintly forlorn again.

After finishing packing, I accompanied her on the grocery run.

At the supermarket, Midori-san moved with practiced efficiency, filling the cart with ingredients clearly meant for meals starting tomorrow—at the Isshiki table.

“With one more growing boy in the house, we’ll need bigger portions~”

She laughed happily as she said it. Feeling guilty about burdening them, I offered to at least cover food costs.

“I told you—learn to lean on adults a little. Besides, living expenses are being handled by the Sagara family.”

She said it firmly. Somehow, everything had already been arranged among the adults. Once again, I was forcefully reminded that I was still on the “protected child” side of the line.

By the time we finished shopping and returned to the Isshiki house, it was already after school hours. Moe would be getting home soon.

***

Wee-gacha. The electronic lock on the front door chimed.

“I’m home〜”

Moe’s sweet, slightly lisping voice echoed through the entryway. Shoes were removed, then the living-room door slid open. There she stood—in uniform.

“Welcome back.”

Midori-san greeted her; Moe replied with another cheerful “I’m home〜.” The moment she spotted me, her cheeks flushed pink and she hurried over.

“Ufufu, Sagara-kun. Congratulations on getting discharged〜”

Smiling brightly, she sat right beside me on the sofa. Close. Our hips were pressed fully together. I straightened my spine instinctively, body rigid. Midori-san watched with an “oh my, oh my” kind of amused smile as she poured tea and brought it over.

Moe’s gaze traced my face, the bruises and cuts on my body, the bandaged arm.

“Does it still hurt?”

Honestly, in this situation, tension drowned out any pain. But I couldn’t exactly say that.

“Yeah… my right arm and ribs still ache a bit. The rest isn’t so bad.”

I answered as calmly as possible, face blank. That must have been the wrong move, because

“It’s my fault…”

Moe lowered her eyes, visibly guilty. Meanwhile my own feelings were anything but pure. I steadied myself and replied.

“No. Like I said before, it’s not just your responsibility. And we already settled that, didn’t we?”

Moe looked up at me through her lashes.

“You’re right… But still—I’m going to take care of you, Sagara-kun. I’ll take proper responsibility!”

She declared it with surprising strength. Wait—had she even heard what I said? The weight of those words hit hard… though, truthfully, part of me found that heaviness strangely comforting.

“I see. If anything comes up, I’ll tell you properly.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah. Promise.”

Moe squeezed my hand tightly. And just like that, we made a new vow.

In the kitchen, Midori-san was sneakily nibbling on cookies, pretending not to notice a thing.

***

Evening.

Moe’s father came home. I stood to greet him. The door opened, revealing a kind-looking man in a suit.

“I’m imposing on you. My name is Sagara Ryuuji. I’ll be in your care for the next few weeks.”

I bowed deeply. The moment he saw me, he broke into a warm smile.

“You must be Ryuuji-kun. I’ve heard about you from Moe. You’re the one who saved my daughter’s life.”

He placed a hand on my shoulder.

“I’m Isshiki Masaya. Thank you for protecting my girl. You’re welcome here for as long as you need.”

I lifted my head. “Thank you very much.” The encounter I’d been most nervous about passed without incident. I let out a small breath.

“All right—shall we eat?”

Masaya-san raised the plastic bag in his hand, signaling to Midori-san that dinner was ready. Inside: sushi. Apparently chosen because it would be easy for me to eat one-handed.

***

Two sushi platters sat on the table, releasing a faint vinegary aroma. Tuna, salmon, shrimp, conger eel—the vibrant colors made me unconsciously sit up straighter. It had been since the day I was adopted by Sensei that I last ate proper sushi.

“Once again—congratulations on your discharge, Ryuuji-kun.”

Midori-san smiled gently as she poured juice into my glass.

“Take it easy and rest here for a while.”

“Thank you… I’ll be in your care.”

I bowed deeply again. Being a freeloader made it impossible not to feel tense.

I was struggling to manage chopsticks left-handed when

“You don’t have to be so nervous〜”

Moe smiled and placed a piece of otoro on my plate.

“Hey, that’s the best cut! Eat up, eat up.”

Masaya-san teased good-naturedly, beer glass in hand.

“Dad, stop it〜 You’re embarrassing me!”

Moe puffed out her cheeks and shot him a mock glare.

“Ryuuji-kun, just tell me what you like〜 I’ll get it for you.”

Moe was endlessly attentive. Watching her, Midori-san laughed softly.

“Fufu, Moe’s completely glued to Ryuuji-kun.”

Her gaze was warm.

“…Itadakimasu.”

To hide my embarrassment, I awkwardly reached with my left hand and cautiously brought the otoro to my mouth. The rich, melting fat spread across my tongue; my expression softened despite myself.

“…It’s delicious.”

“Right?”

Midori-san looked proud.

“This sushi place has an amazing reputation.”

Laughter from Moe, Midori-san, and Masaya-san filled the table. Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that I stood just slightly outside their warm circle. They were all being considerate—I knew that. The alienation was my own doing.

When I glanced over, Midori-san was quietly refilling my juice.

“You don’t have to force yourself.”

She spoke softly so Moe and Masaya-san wouldn’t hear.

“…Yes. Thank you.”

I bowed my head. A faint trace of relief had slipped into my voice. Midori-san’s gentle words were slowly unraveling the knot of tension inside me.

***

After dinner, Moe and I sat side by side on the sofa, talking. Midori-san and Masaya-san lingered at the table with coffee and beer, secretly watching us.

“So you already knew I’d be staying here, Isshiki?”

“Yeah. I was the one who asked first, after all〜”

Moe smiled, a little shy.

“I see. Does Shiina know?”

“Mm-hm. I told Shii-chan too. She was super jealous—it was adorable. Fufu.”

Moe laughed fondly. Knowing Shiina’s feelings, I felt a pang of guilt. Seeing my expression, Moe added,

“It’s okay. Shii-chan accepted it. And she said she’ll come over a lot too.”

I’d made Moe worry. Still, hearing about Shiina eased something in my chest. I’d message her later to check in.

“I was pretty shocked, though. Midori-san didn’t tell me anything when we left the hospital.”

I teased lightly, pretending to complain to Midori-san.

“Midori-san?”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“You’re calling Mom by her first name.”

“Eh?”

“You’re calling her by name…”

Moe stared at me with an impressively deadpan look.

“Look—if I call everyone ‘Isshiki,’ it gets confusing, right? So—”

Before I could finish my excuse, Moe cut in.

“That’s unfair.”

“Huh?”

“You call Mom by name, but me by my family name? Unfair.”

“I call Shiina by her first name too, and—”

Again, interrupted.

“What about Matsuri-chan?”

“…”

No comeback.

“Unfair.”

Her stare shifted from deadpan to something almost pleading. Moe looked straight into my eyes.

…Haa.

“Fine. Moe. Happy now?”

Hearing that, Moe’s face lit up with the brightest smile.

“Yes, Ryuuji-kun!”

She answered happily.

Wait… did I just… officially enter the Moe route?

***

Last night, the disrupted sleep schedule from the hospital combined with post-discharge exhaustion, and I ended up falling asleep right there on the living-room sofa. A body covered in wounds, and yet I’d passed out in a place like that.

I folded the towel blanket someone had draped over me and stretched carefully to avoid straining anything. Milk, the white cat who had been sleeping at my feet, twitched an ear and padded away. The clock showed just past six in the morning. Sweat from the night and skipping yesterday’s shower left my skin feeling sticky and unpleasant.

—Come to think of it… she said I could use the bath anytime…

Deciding on a shower, I quietly went upstairs to grab fresh clothes, wrapped my right arm in plastic, and secured it with a rubber band—an improvised way to keep the bandages dry.

While everyone was still asleep, I’d take a quick shower and be done. With that thought, I opened the bathroom door.

Click.

“Eh?”

There stood Midori-san—fresh from the shower, completely naked, towel in hand drying her hair. Our eyes met. For several frozen seconds, neither of us moved.

“…”

I froze solid.

Her hair, a slightly richer chestnut than Moe’s, was cut in a neat short style; droplets pattered down. Her face strongly resembled Moe’s—youthful, almost girlish—but carried the mature allure unique to a woman in her prime.

My gaze slid downward involuntarily… As expected of Moe’s mother. The full, generous breasts that had clearly been passed down were a size larger than Moe’s, still firm and youthful, their glistening tips drawing the eye. My line of sight drifted lower still. There lay an Amazonian jungle—thick, dark curls glistening with water droplets that traced slow, shining paths through the foliage. I forgot to breathe. Forgot to look away.

Seconds stretched like hours. An alarm screamed inside my skull.

“S-sorry!!”

I slammed the door shut on reflex, face burning crimson, and crouched on the spot.

From the other side came frantic rustling. Moments later the door opened again. Midori-san stood there wrapped in a bath towel, cheeks flushed scarlet, smiling apologetically.

“S-sorry… I forgot to lock it.”

“N-no! I should’ve checked first…!”

I bowed so deeply it was practically 120 degrees. Midori-san gave a wry laugh and exhaled softly.

“…Let’s keep this between us and not tell Masaya-kun, okay?”

She pressed a finger to her lips and winked.

All I could do was nod frantically.

The door closed. Silence returned. My face still felt like it was on fire. What a morning. Barely discharged and my heart was already in danger.

And so began my first full day at the Isshiki house.