"... Tsukuyo, you should go rest too!"
As soon as Kawaki said this, he noticed that both Hinowa and Tsukuyo, sitting on either side of him, turned their faces away slightly, their cheeks faintly flushed.
[Stop it! Please, don't make that face! I'm begging you! Kawaki internally screamed, first glancing at Tsukuyo and then at Hinowa. Please, stop looking at me like I'm not completely hopeless! Stop giving me that pitying look! Stop thinking, 'Even a guy like him can be dependable once he does that'! Stop it!]
"Well... since you've put it that way, I'll go along with you," Tsukuyo replied, her face still slightly red, occasionally sneaking glances at Kawaki. "After all... our relationship isn't the same as it used to be. I'll support whatever decision you make."
Hearing this, Hinowa's ears turned completely red. She leaned closer to Kawaki's ear and whispered loud enough for them to hear, "Did you... tell Tsukuyo about that? Is that why she said such things? Well, it makes sense. Now that I have a man, she doesn't need to protect me anymore. I'll leave it to you to take care of her. It's good this way; she can finally rest a bit..."
[This is a misunderstanding! She's completely misunderstood! But... at least nothing was exposed, so that's something.] Kawaki thought, then whispered, "Anyway... we've almost finished eating. You should head back to your room. I need to talk to you about something in a bit. Wait for me."
"Goodness..." Hinowa blushed, covering her face with her sleeve. "You're such an impatient man, already thinking about the main course right after dinner. But fine, I'll be ready. Even though my body still feels a bit weak..."
With that, Hinowa gave Kawaki a sultry look.
[Who are you calling an impatient man?! Kawaki yelled internally. And what do you mean 'a bit weak'? Who's the one with a weak body here? It's me, isn't it? Even though I don't remember, it's me who should be exhausted, right? I won't do it! I absolutely won't do it! I still care about my own body!]
"Well, I'll be off for now..." Hinowa said, casting another seductive glance at Kawaki. "Kawaki-san, could you help me to my wheelchair..."
"Uh... sure."
With a twitching smile, Kawaki got up and helped Hinowa into her wheelchair, rushing her back to her room at lightning speed...
Two minutes later, a breathless Kawaki returned.
Seeing him standing in the doorway, drenched in sweat, Tsukuyo blushed again and mumbled softly, "You're... really in a hurry, huh? Even if you want to be alone with me, isn't this a bit too... deliberate? Did you really have to send Hinowa away like that just because you wanted to be alone with me?"
[Did she misunderstand too?! Kawaki clenched his fists, raging internally. Damn it! How did things end up like this?! Even if I want to get angry, I can only be mad at myself! Because... it's all my fault!]
"Um... Tsukuyo," Kawaki said, forcing a smile. "You should... head back to your room too. I have something to talk to you about later."
Tsukuyo blushed even more and spat, "We just finished dinner, and you already... want to do that?"
[I'm getting pissed off! How can they both think I'm someone who only cares about that?] Kawaki fumed internally. Why does everyone think I'm just focused on that?!
"Fine... I'll wait for you," Tsukuyo stood up, turning her face away as if embarrassed to look at Kawaki. "I'll... get ready."
"Uh... okay." Kawaki gritted his teeth, barely managing a reply.
"But now that I think about it..." Tsukuyo suddenly noticed something, pointing at the leftovers on the table. "Did you really eat enough? You ate less than a tenth of what you usually do."
"Uh... I'm completely full! Actually, from now on, this is all I need to feel full!" Kawaki quickly patted his chest and added in his mind, [Besides, I still have about sixty more dinners to eat after this. If I eat like usual, I'll probably die... my stomach will burst, and I'll die...]
"Is it because it didn't taste good?" Tsukuyo asked, suddenly concerned. "I'm not very good at cooking, so I can only make hotpot. Is that why you ate so little?"
"No, no, it's not that!" Kawaki quickly denied it. "I'm just not that hungry! Okay, hurry back to your room; I have something to talk to you about!"
"Alright..." Tsukuyo nodded, then slowly made her way toward the door. As she passed Kawaki, she blushed and mumbled, "You're saving room for the main course, right? I understand. I'll... get ready."
[Please, just skip those unnecessary preparations! Kawaki gritted his teeth. My body can't handle it! After sixty rounds yesterday, I might look fine on the outside, but I'm completely ruined inside! There's no way I can recover in less than two months!]
…
Inside Hinowa's room.
"Kawaki-san, are you saying we should date with marriage in mind?" Hinowa, dressed in her nightgown, sat up and looked at Kawaki, who was standing by the door. "Not get married right away?"
"Yeah, I think getting married right away is a bit rushed..." Kawaki turned his face away, scratching his head awkwardly. "And honestly, I don't remember much about what happened yesterday..."
"What?! Really?" Hinowa gasped, then turned away, covering her face as if she was about to cry. "You don't remember? But I remember everything... every promise you made while holding me..."
"It was... just a joke!" Kawaki quickly tried to explain, his face twitching. "Just a bit of fun! Couples joke around like that all the time, right? I do remember, actually!"
…
The scene shifted to Tsukuyo's room, where Kawaki had a similar conversation.
"So, you've decided that we're in a relationship..." Tsukuyo, sitting in the same position on her futon, blushed as she avoided Kawaki's gaze. "Then... I'll mentally prepare myself for it."
"Is that so?" Kawaki replied, his eye twitching. "Anyway... getting married right away feels too rushed. We should take things one step at a time. And honestly, you should observe me carefully. I'm not as perfect as I seem. There are a lot of issues with me that don't show on the surface..."
"I already found that out last night..." Tsukuyo turned her blushing face away. "I never expected that underneath your clothes, you'd be such a different person..."
"That's not what I meant..." Kawaki sighed. "And besides, isn't that the case for all men? They all look different with their clothes off, right?"
"No, you... seemed to particularly enjoy being aggressive."
"Uh..." Kawaki forced a smile, then quickly raised his hand to wave goodbye. "Well... I'll head back now."
"What? Aren't we staying together?" Tsukuyo asked, confused.
"Well... I have work tomorrow, and, you know, doing that might affect my performance," Kawaki quickly made up an excuse.
…
At midnight, Kawaki left the Hyakka dormitory with his head hanging low. He remained silent, expressionless until he reached his residence.
It's worth noting that along the way, Kawaki dealt with several troublesome customers who were harassing the courtesans. However, he didn't say a single word and seemed to be venting his frustration, hitting them particularly hard.
Clack... clack
Entering his room and closing the door behind him, Kawaki immediately collapsed to his knees, screaming internally, [They all agreed!! What the hell is going on?! Do they think I'm worth it? God, help me! My guilt is through the roof!]
Click, click...
Hearing a strange noise, Kawaki looked up and saw that the shrine in the corner, which had been facing him, had silently turned to face away.
[I wasn't even praying to you!! Kawaki raged internally. What kind of god are you?!]
"Kawaki-sama~ We've been waiting for you here all day~ After what you did last night, you just left us..." ×2
Kawaki slowly turned his head mechanically, only to see Outsuke and Kuzuha lying in the same futon, with a space between them meant for someone else.
The two of them patted the space between them, saying in unison, "We've been waiting for so long~ Kawaki-sama. Let's get started."
Kawaki said nothing. He stood up with his head still hung low and slowly walked toward them.
Seeing him approach, both of them grinned, revealing that their plan had succeeded.
But in the next moment...
"My brain hasn't deteriorated to the point where I don't know what I'm doing! And if either of you dares to tell anyone about this, I'll tear down Takamagahara and every shrine in it!!"
With that, Kawaki grabbed the two and the futon, rolled them up, and hurled them out the window with all his strength without hesitation.
After watching them disappear into the sky like shooting stars, Kawaki closed the window and dusted off his hands.
…
The next morning, at breakfast.
"Hey... Mom, Tsukuyo-nee," Seita asked, his face full of confusion as he looked at Hinowa and Tsukuyo sitting close on either side of Kawaki. "What's going on today? Why are you both sitting so close to Kawaki-nii?"
"Shut up!" Kawaki snapped, gritting his teeth. "Hurry up and get to your lessons!"