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

Episode 66: The Story of How Moe Has Been Acting Strange Lately.

Lately, something has felt a little off.

I usually wake up around 5 a.m. It’s simply habit at this point; I don’t even think about it. I start every day by moving my body first.

Just the other day, the doctor at the hospital gave me the official stamp of approval that my recovery was going smoothly. It had already been over two weeks since the injury, and the pain was almost completely gone.

Still, even if that was the case, I couldn’t push myself too hard. Or rather, there were two girls around me who wouldn’t stay quiet if I tried. It was something I was deeply grateful for.

***

But lately… something really has been a little strange. The first time I felt that sense of discomfort was one particular morning.

There was clearly someone else’s warmth and lingering scent in the empty space of my futon. However, since everyone in the family used the same body soap and shampoo, I couldn’t pinpoint exactly who it belonged to.

Well, if it had turned out to be Masaya-san or Midori-san, that would have been an extremely bad situation. Not to mention, it was practically impossible. The list of suspects had already been narrowed down.

The next morning after I first noticed the oddity, I was finally woken by the sound of a door closing. At this hour? The soft click of the neighboring room’s door shutting echoed quietly. It was Moe’s room.

“……”

So, the culprit really was Moe after all. She even had a prior offense of ambushing me in the bath. I made up my mind. Tonight, I would pretend to be asleep and wait for the intruder to come in. If it really was Moe, getting caught sleeping together in the same bed at her house would cause an absolute uproar with Midori-san and the others.

That day passed as normally as any other. Just like always. I couldn’t let her catch on. I did some light exercise, went to the convenience store with Moe, did homework—everything followed the usual daily routine. Moe probably never imagined I was suspecting her. My acting was flawless. And so, night came once again.

It was 1 a.m. after I had gone to bed.

The culprit didn’t appear. I pretended to go to the toilet and pressed my ear against the door of Moe’s room, but I could faintly hear the sound of soft breathing and the rustle of someone turning over in their sleep. Feeling like I was doing something wrong, I quickly returned to my own room.

“The culprit isn’t Moe? No, it’s hard to imagine it being Midori-san or the others…”

I muttered to myself while turning the possibilities over in my mind, but the culprit never showed. I spent the time restlessly.

Finally, it was 2 a.m. For someone who wakes up early like me, that was already the limit…

I tried to stay awake by scrolling through news on my smartphone, but it was no use. A healthy person like me couldn’t handle staying up late. Before long, I drifted off into the world of dreams.

Well… if I feel that strange sensation again, I can just investigate it then…

That was what I thought in the moment before I lost consciousness.

***

What time was it now? It felt like several hours had passed since I had dozed off. That faint gap between sleep and sleep. A single fleeting doze.

Rustle.

I felt something out of place inside the towel blanket. It was faintly warm. The warmth of a living creature. Startled, I hurriedly pulled off my towel blanket.

“Nyaa.”

“……”

Curled up and sleeping beside me was the white cat, Milk. She narrowed her eyes at me with an annoyed expression, as if complaining with just her gaze.

“What the… So it was you.”

With a mixture of relief and a strange sense of disappointment, I once again set off into the world of dreams.

Wait… how did Milk even open the door…?

A question briefly flickered through my mind, but no amount of effort could win against drowsiness. I remembered nothing after that.

***

After everyone had fallen soundly asleep, the door to Ryuuji’s room opened softly.

“Nyaa.”

Milk, noticing the sound, slipped out from Ryuuji’s futon and walked toward the door. Watching this scene, Moe whispered under her breath.

“Thanks, Milk~”

With a bewitching smile, Moe gazed at Ryuuji.

“Fufu. Ryuuji-kun is so cute.”

Moving with footsteps so silent even a ninja would be impressed, she approached Ryuuji, gently lifted the towel blanket, and slipped into the tiny space beside him—barely enough for one person—curling her body up against his.

“You’re still so naive, Ryuuji-kun.”

Moe stayed like that for several hours, savoring the scent of the boy sleeping beside her until he woke.

***

As expected, something really has been a little strange lately. My personal belongings keep disappearing. But even when they vanish, they always come back soon after… brand new. What kind of magic trick is this?

The first thing to disappear was my undershirt. It was one of the several I had bought at the large discount store—perfect for summer with its cool, refreshing feel. I was sure I had put it in the laundry basket after my bath, but the next day, among the neatly folded laundry Midori-san had prepared, there was a brand-new undershirt with the tag cut off and not a single wrinkle.

“…Huh?”

Well, it was just an undershirt, and I had bought it fairly recently. Maybe modern washing machines were so advanced they could clean clothes to the point they looked brand new. Latest technology really is amazing.

Next to disappear were my underwear. Boxer briefs of the same material from the same large store. They were incredibly cool and breathable during summer. I had grown so attached to them that my body now rejected any other pair.

The boxer briefs folded inside my futon should have been navy blue. So what was this ocean-blue pair? I had no memory of ever buying underwear in this color. As usual—

“No matter how you look at it, these are brand new…”

They were pristine and unused, like fresh snow no one had stepped on yet. Had they faded from bleach? Or did bleach even make colors this clean? The questions were endless. Maybe Midori-san had simply replaced them for me. Feeling a little sorry for my discarded underwear, I didn’t bother investigating further.

And today, my toothbrush had vanished. Well, it had just been replaced with a new one, so there wasn’t really a problem. Still, it shouldn’t have been that long since I started using it… Perhaps the Isshiki household simply replaced things on this kind of routine schedule.

I moved to the living room and thanked Midori-san.

“Midori-san, thank you for the new toothbrush.”

Midori-san tilted her head with a puzzled look.

“Huh? Oh… you’re welcome?”

Her reply was somewhat vague.

Maybe I had just been overthinking things. Even though my belongings kept disappearing, they always came back brand new. Midori-san was probably just kindly replacing them out of goodwill. I really needed to show her more gratitude.

“Midori-san, let me help you.”

To return the favor, I decided to help with cooking. It had already been half the planned period since I started staying here as a guest. Soon, I would be going back to living alone. The slight loneliness I felt at that thought seemed like a sign of my own emotional growth.

***

“……”

Watching the exchange between Ryuuji and Midori, Moe broke into a cold sweat. She took a sip of barley tea to wet her throat, then quickly headed toward her room.

“Phew… that was close, that was close…”

“I really need to be a little more careful…”

Muttering to herself, she opened the bottom drawer of her study desk. From deep inside, hidden beneath an unused middle-school reference book, she pulled out a metal case and opened it.

Inside were carefully folded “trophies,” each sealed in plastic bags. She took out a spare bag and placed this morning’s trophy—the toothbrush she had taken from her pocket—inside.

With an entranced expression, Moe pulled out one of the sealed bags containing Ryuuji’s undershirt from her collection, slowly opened it, and savored the scent.

“Haa… haa… Ryuuji-kun♡”

This girl was beyond saving.

Unable to hold back any longer, Moe headed straight for her bed… The rest is left to the imagination. Midway through, the sound of Ryuuji’s footsteps heading toward her room made her panic and abruptly stop what she was doing. For the rest of that day, Moe spent her time in restless frustration.

***

Rip.

At night, while hanging on the living room doorknob, my T-shirt tore.

“Ah… this one’s done for…”

It had been a favorite once, but it had already been relegated to loungewear. Torn like this, there was no choice but to throw it away. I pulled the T-shirt off, leaving my upper body bare.

“Fweh!?”

Moe reflexively grabbed her smartphone and pointed the camera at me… The speed was far faster than even Shiina’s sword flash. Both Midori-san and Masaya-san looked shocked at the scene.

“Ah, um… this is…”

Moe’s voice grew weaker and weaker.

“I thought it would make a nice memento…”

“What kind of memento is that?”

I watched with a wry smile as her face turned bright red and she looked down.

“……”

“Midori-san, this T-shirt is ruined. Is it okay if I throw it in the trash?”

As I said that and tried to toss the shirt away, Moe snatched it from me with incredible speed. I gave her a sharp, disapproving look.

“Ahaha… It might be fixable, so I’ll hold onto it for now…”

With her face flushed crimson, Moe hurriedly retreated to her room.

Watching her go, Midori-san muttered softly.

“Blood really does tell…”