Parameter Supremacy: The Man Who Seizes a Harem Through Sheer Effort. - Chapter 68.

Episode 68: Isshiki Moe – A Day with the Three of Us.

Isshiki Moe’s POV.

“Was today the day? When Ryuuji’s bandage comes off?”

Shii-chan, sipping her iced coffee across from me, asked.

It was only a few days until Ryuuji-kun’s stay at my house would finally end. Today, he was at the hospital for his final check-up. His recovery had been smooth, the stitches had already been removed, and all that remained was taking off the bandage.

That night, I had been so anxious, terrified that Ryuuji-kun might never open his eyes again. But in the end, he had recovered enough to return to his normal daily life in just one month.

The days had begun like a nightmare, yet the four weeks that followed felt like a dream. Now that the time had come for Ryuuji-kun to go back to his own home, I couldn’t help feeling a deep sense of loneliness. At the same time, it meant he was fully healed—so my heart was filled with complicated emotions.

“Yeah. After the hospital, he said he’s going out for dinner with Wakako-san for the first time in a while.”

“I see~ I was kinda hoping Sagara-cchi might join us today~”

“Hey, Matsuri, what exactly do you mean by that?”

“Ahaha, relax~ I’m not gonna steal him from you, Shiina-cchi~”

That’s right. Today, the three of us—me, Shii-chan, and Matsuri-chan—had come shopping. Summer break would end next week, but we had made a promise to go to the beach together with Ryuuji-kun one last time. We were here to buy swimsuits for that outing.

Right after we met up, the summer heat had already worn us out, so we decided to cool off first at a café attached to a shopping mall a bit farther from our usual spots. The reason we had gone out of our way was simple: none of us had the courage yet to return to the mall with that game center. I hadn’t said anything about it to the other two, but they had sensed it without a word. I was truly grateful for that.

“But it’s great, right? Sagara-cchi’s bandage is finally coming off. Are the scars on his face okay too?”

“Yeah. I don’t know about his body, but the scars on his face are barely noticeable anymore.”

I had spent the most time with him over the summer, but Shii-chan—who often came over to the house, joined club activities, and had recently started attending morning practice again—knew Ryuuji-kun’s condition well.

“Ehh~? So Shiina-cchi, you two still aren’t at the stage where you’ve seen each other’s bodies directly?”

Matsuri-chan, with her sharp talent for zeroing in on weak points, asked with a slightly mischievous tone. Shii-chan’s face instantly turned bright red.

“W-what are you talking about!? Our relationship is pure!”

Shii-chan denied it loudly, drawing curious glances from the other customers. Shii-chan… your volume…

“Ahaha, your face is super red, Shiina-cchi~ But I see, so things haven’t progressed that far yet?”

“…Well, I am a little curious, but Ryuuji’s arm was injured, and I didn’t want to put any burden on him… Plus, since he’s staying at Moe’s house, the mood just hasn’t been right for that yet…”

“Hmm~ But the bandage comes off today, right? And after that, Sagara-cchi is going back to his own house, yeah?”

“Yeah… That’s how it’ll be…”

I lowered my voice slightly. Thankfully, Matsuri-chan didn’t seem to notice.

“Then maybe after next week, the mood might finally change~”

Matsuri-chan grinned slyly. Shii-chan seemed to understand the implication and turned bright red again.

***

“So, what about you, Moe?”

“Huh?”

Shii-chan suddenly turned the question toward me. It was obvious she was asking what I planned to do about Ryuuji-kun. But “what” exactly? There wasn’t just one meaning, and I still hadn’t found clear answers for each of them.

Matsuri-chan was also watching me with a more serious expression. With both of my childhood friends now having feelings for the same person, I wondered what she must be feeling right now. All sorts of thoughts swirled in my head, and I found myself at a loss for words.

“Hey, Moe-cchi. How do you usually spend time with Sagara-cchi?”

Matsuri-chan’s question was easier to answer than Shii-chan’s.

“Let’s see… We eat meals together, go to the supermarket with Mom, or just walk to the nearby convenience store… When I think about it, we haven’t really done anything that special…”

Recalling the past few weeks, I realized that despite the huge event of living together with Ryuuji-kun, I hadn’t actually done very much. The thought made me feel like I had wasted a precious opportunity, so I groaned and buried my face on the table.

“Aaah, what a waste…”

Seeing me like that, the two of them smiled wryly.

“You didn’t go on any dates with Sagara-cchi?”

“No dates… It would have felt wrong toward Shii-chan. Oh, but the other day, we did homework together at the library~”

Just remembering it made my face soften. Well, technically I was the only one doing homework while Ryuuji-kun studied on his own… but I didn’t mention that part.

“I see. Did Ryuuji say anything about you?”

Not about Shii-chan—about me. Ever since she became Ryuuji-kun’s girlfriend, Shii-chan had been surprisingly proactive about trying to make me his “second girlfriend.”

“U-um… He said that if Shii-chan approves, and depending on how he feels at the time… he might consider it seriously…”

“Eh!? You confessed!?”

Matsuri-chan’s eyes widened in panic.

“No, no! It was just hypothetical…”

“I see. So it depends on me.”

It should have been a complicated topic, yet Shii-chan’s lips curved into a slightly wicked smile.

“Maybe I should give him a little push too…”

She casually dropped something shocking in a low voice.

“Shiina-cchi, are you really okay with that?”

“Me? Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve thought about it a lot.”

“Hmm~”

Matsuri-chan didn’t look entirely convinced.

“Can I ask you the same thing, Matsuri? How do you feel?”

“Eh!? Me!?”

Matsuri-chan looked surprised at having the question turned on her so suddenly. I had been curious about this too. During the summer festival, when Matsuri-chan was talking with Ryuuji-kun, she had seemed like her usual self, but there were moments when she looked like a girl with real feelings.

“U-uh… I’m fine…”

“Really? Does that mean you think Ryuuji isn’t good enough for you?”

Even though no one had said anything like that, Shii-chan suddenly gave off a scary aura. Matsuri-chan waved her hands frantically.

“N-no, that’s not it! You two already have a good thing going with Sagara-cchi, so there’s no room for me to step in!”

The tables had turned. Shii-chan pressed forward as if getting revenge.

“That’s not what I’m asking. I want to know how you feel, Matsuri. Do you like Ryuuji? Or dislike him?”

The question finally cut straight to the core. Matsuri-chan looked down, fidgeting shyly. …It was kind of cute.

“U-um… If it’s like or dislike, then I like him. He’s Shiina-cchi’s boyfriend and Moe-cchi’s savior, after all. That’s obvious.”

“But… if you ask whether I have romantic feelings for him… I don’t think so.”

“Plus, there’s something that’s been bothering me a little. Until I figure that out, I can’t think about anything more… probably?”

After her serious expression, Matsuri-chan suddenly switched to a playful one.

“Something bothering you?”

“Yeah. Sorry~ I can’t talk about it yet, but when the time comes… maybe I will?”

Her words were vague, but from her expression, both Shii-chan and I—her longtime childhood friends—could tell she was being serious.

“I see.”

“Yeah. That’s pretty much where I stand~”

“Matsuri.”

“What~? Shiina-cchi.”

“If anything happens, make sure you talk to us properly, okay?”

“Yeah. Don’t keep it all to yourself~”

“…Thanks.”

“Alright then, shall we go look at swimsuits?”

With Shii-chan’s single sentence, the heavy topic came to a close.

***

When we stepped off the elevator, we reached today’s main destination. Rows upon rows of colorful swimsuits filled the racks in front of me.

“Wow…! So many cute ones!”

Matsuri-chan was the first to raise her voice. Her ability to get excited in moments like this was truly impressive. As for me, I already felt a little intimidated. Bikinis, bikinis, and more bikinis lined the shelves. My cheeks grew hot without thinking.

“What kind are you looking for, Moe?”

A calm voice came from beside me. Shii-chan was calmly browsing the racks with a cool expression, holding up a pale navy one-piece swimsuit.

“Um… something cute, I guess? But nothing with too much exposure…”

“Fufu, that sounds like you.”

She smiled gently and held the swimsuit up to her chest. Just doing that made her look like a model—it was unfair.

“How about this? Think it’d look good on me~?”

What Matsuri-chan was holding was a red bikini with extremely thin strings.

“Eh… Is that really okay?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine~ You gotta go bold in summer~!”

Matsuri-chan winked, and Shii-chan could only smile wryly.

“You say that every year, Matsuri.”

“Because there’s only one summer in your first year of high school~! Just like there was only one in our third year of middle school!”

While listening to their exchange out of the corner of my eye, I picked up a modest floral one-piece swimsuit. White fabric with small, pale pink flowers. Not too flashy, perfectly safe.

“…Yeah, this should be fine~”

I muttered to myself. It wouldn’t be embarrassing, and it still looked cute. But when I held it up to myself in the mirror, I suddenly wondered—what would Ryuuji-kun think if he saw me in this? The fact that I was even thinking such a thing felt silly, and I ended up smiling.

“What are you laughing about?”

“E-eh, n-nothing!”

I gave a strange denial in response to Shii-chan’s question.

After that, the three of us took turns in the fitting rooms. Behind the curtain, I could hear the rustle of fabric as Matsuri-chan changed.

“Hey, come take a look~!”

At Matsuri-chan’s voice, the curtain flew open dramatically. She stood there wearing the red bikini from earlier.

“How is it? Doesn’t it look mature?”

“I’d say it looks… a little erotic.”

“It suits you, but it’s going to attract way too many male gazes for no reason.”

Shii-chan smiled wryly. Matsuri-chan struck a confident pose with her hands on her hips.

“Right~? With this, I’ve already won at the beach this year!”

“…What exactly are you fighting against, Matsuri…”

***

I quietly closed the fitting room curtain and faced myself in the mirror. The white floral one-piece swimsuit. It wasn’t bad. But… it felt a little childish.

──Is this really okay?

Ryuuji-kun’s face suddenly appeared in my mind. Swimming together at the beach, laughing, having fun. If I was wearing this when that happened…

“…Maybe this isn’t quite right~”

Before I realized it, I had returned to the racks. What caught my eye was a pale aqua bikini. It had a small ribbon at the chest—simple, yet it gave off a pure and elegant feeling.

“This… might be cute.”

But the moment I picked it up, my heart started pounding. My chest was already quite large, so wearing a bikini always made me self-conscious about people’s eyes. This one would take real courage to try.

“Moe, are you going to try that on?”

When I turned around, Shii-chan was smiling at me.

“…Yeah. Just for a bit~”

“I think it’ll look good on you. I’m sure it will suit you perfectly.”

Her words gave me the push I needed.

I went back into the fitting room and changed quietly. The moment I looked in the mirror, my breath caught. It looked… more like a proper girl than I had expected. It was embarrassing, but I didn’t hate it. In this, I might actually be able to appeal to Ryuuji-kun a little.

“Moe-cchi~? How is it? Let us see~!”

Matsuri-chan’s voice called from outside the fitting room.

“N-no! It’s too embarrassing~!”

“Come on, just a little!”

“Uuu… Just for a second, okay?”

I opened the curtain just a crack. Both of them peeked in.

“Wow, Moe… You’re really going for it.”

“Moe-cchi! It looks amazing on you!”

I thought I saw a spark light up in Shii-chan’s eyes. Matsuri-chan was also smiling brightly and saying how well it suited me.

“I can’t lose either.”

“Ehehe. I want to appeal to Ryuuji-kun too, after all~”

Shii-chan suddenly looked flustered and hurried off to pick out her own swimsuit. Feeling my face grow hot, I quickly closed the curtain. But inside my chest, my heart was fluttering. The girl reflected in the mirror looked just a little more grown-up than usual. Maybe, standing beside Ryuuji-kun, I could actually hold my own a little.

“Then it’s decided~!”

“Yeah… I’ll go with this one.”

When I said that, Matsuri-chan smiled happily.

After finishing the checkout and stepping outside, I hugged the bag containing my new swimsuit tightly to my chest. Deep inside, my heart felt just a little ticklish.