"Will you also include Yoshino in your harem, Shido-kun~?" Yoshinon teased, her mischievous tone making the situation even worse.
"Y-Yoshinon!" Yoshino, completely flustered, quickly covered the puppet's mouth, desperately trying to stop it from spouting more nonsense. However, despite her protests, her eyes kept darting toward Shido while trying to gauge his reaction.
Meanwhile, the rest of the girls had various reactions.
Kotori looked at him like a scum, her crimson eyes filled with silent judgment. Then, in a monotone voice, she uttered a single word, not bothering to hide her disdain.
"Trash."
Tohka, on the other hand, was pouting at Shido before turning her head away with a sharp "Hmph!"
It was clear, she wouldn't forgive him easily unless he properly compensated her… with food.
Origami, meanwhile, remained entirely unfazed. She simply sipped her juice on the sofa, while maintaining her usual plain expression.
Shido could only smile wryly at their different reactions.
'Yoshinon really is a natural aggro holder…' he thought, feeling like he had just been thrown into a battlefield of emotions.
The only one truly enjoying the situation was Mana. Despite the chaos, she found the atmosphere here far more lively, far more warm, than what she was used to. But as that thought crossed her mind, her expression softened, and a faint, bittersweet smile appeared on her lips.
Shido noticed her expression and called out, his voice tinged with concern.
"What's wrong, Mana?" He could sense the swirl of complicated emotions radiating from her.
Mana shook her head and offered a small smile. "Mnn, it's nothing, Nii-sama. I just thought... this place feels so lively." Her words were casual, but Shido could still pick up a faint trace of envy beneath them. He considered pressing further but ultimately chose to respect her feelings. If she wanted to share, she would do so in her own time.
Just as he was about to say something else, Tohka's voice suddenly rang out.
Turning his head, Shido found her pouting as she aggressively tugged on Yoshinon's cheeks, stretching the puppet comically.
"Ow ow ow! T-Tohka-chan, mercy! I'm just a fragile bunny!" Yoshinon whined dramatically.
Shido let out a wry chuckle.
Yoshino, on the other hand, was panicking, her hands fidgeting as she looked around in distress. Not knowing what to do, her gaze landed on Shido, her big, watery eyes silently pleading for his help.
Shido felt his heart nearly melt. She's like a helpless little kitten… Yoshino was the very definition of a damsel in distress.
With a sigh, he walked over and gently spoke up.
"Stop it, Tohka. If you keep pulling, Yoshinon's going to end up permanently stretched."
Then, with a swift yet light movement, he gave Tohka a small hand chop on the head.
"Ow!" Tohka yelped, even though Shido had barely put any force into his chop.
Yoshinon dramatically gasped for air, as if she had just been freed from a life-threatening situation.
"I saw the light… I thought I was done for…" the puppet whimpered, earning a chuckle from Shido.
Meanwhile, Tohka puffed out her cheeks, looking up at him with a pitiful expression, as if he had just bullied her.
Shido sighed inwardly. 'This princess can be so troublesome sometimes...'
Seeing her sulking, his expression softened. With a small smile, he reached out and gently caressed her hair.
Feeling his warm touch, Tohka's face that was on the verge of crying change into the one that had a blissful expression.
"Mmm~" She let out a small, contented sound, leaning into his touch like a cat being spoiled. She even nuzzled against his palm, her previous grievances forgotten in an instant.
"What's going on here?"
A drowsy voice suddenly interrupted the moment.
Everyone turned toward the entrance of the living room and saw the owner of the voice, it was a woman who had a drowsy expression as if she didn't get any sleep for the past week.
"Oh, Reine, you're finally here." Kotori spoke up.
...
"I see, so you're Shin's biological sister?"
"Yes! My name is Takamiya Mana, Nii-sama's sister. Thank you for always taking care of Nii-sama." Mana said cheerfully, shaking Reine's hand with enthusiasm. However, as she shook Reine's hand, an inexplicable sense of familiarity washed over her. It was faint, yet undeniable, like a distant memory from long ago.
After summarizing the events that occurred Reine finally had the knowledge of what had happened just now.
She glanced at Mana who was revealing a smile while shaking her hand.
"Takamiya, huh?" Reine whispered softly, her voice so quiet that almost no one caught it.
Then, her gaze shifted toward Kotori, lingering on her for a moment. The intensity of Reine's stare made Kotori fidget uncomfortably.
"W-What?" Kotori stammered, feeling oddly unsettled. There was something about Reine's expression, it wasn't just unreadable, but slightly… irritating?
"...Nothing." Reine finally muttered before looking away, leaving Kotori with an unexpected sense of being left out.
"I'm Murasame Reine by the way, pleased to make to make your acquittance." She then returned back her attention to Mana to introduce herself, afraid that she might anger Kotori.
"..." Kotori