Although Rinka was the youngest sister, it was still a bit difficult for Tachibana Yuuka to just watch them snuggling together on the sofa.
But causing a scene over it?
Asking little Rinka to get off her foolish brother...
She could throw a tantrum at her stupid brother because she was the eldest sister and could order him around as she pleased.
But doing that to little Rinka would make her seem petty and jealous, wouldn't it?
After all, little Rinka simply wished her stupid brother would be a bit closer to her, with no other bad intentions.
Realizing that she couldn't stop her siblings from naturally getting close, Tachibana Yuuka decisively joined in and had Sasaki rest his head on her lap.
Feeling his soft hair brushing against the sensitive skin of her thigh, hearing his compliments tickling her ears, and noticing the slight wetness on her belly… she shyly turned her gaze towards the TV and lightly tapped him:
"Idiot~"
"You're only realizing now how great I am?"
Breathing in the faint fragrance surrounding him, Sasaki chuckled and replied:
"Yuuka-nee has always been amazing."
"And me, and me, am I not good?" Straddling Sasaki's stomach, Okino Rinka leaned forward, seeking praise.
Rinka was the one who took the initiative to start a team fight and achieved great results, so she should be credited with the greatest credit.
Secretly giving her a thumbs up in his heart, Sasaki reached out and pinched her cheek, "Of course you're great. Little Rinka is the best."
With Yuuka-nee right beside him, he couldn't say anything too suggestive, so he simply winked at little Rinka, signaling that she did well.
"Hehe."
Receiving the praise, Okino Rinka bit her little tiger tooth and giggled.
She knew that now that Brother Fuyumi had gotten Otome-nee's approval, it was only a matter of time before more sisters-in-law would join.
Not to mention distant possibilities, even Sister Chifuyu, who was always with them, had a close relationship with him.
She would bring him up in almost every conversation.
If she wanted to secure a place in Brother Fuyumi's heart amidst the pressure from the others, simply playing wild wasn't a safe bet.
Because, if they wanted to, the others could easily do the same.
So, to make sure he always remembered how good she was, she needed a different strategy.
For example, becoming Brother Fuyumi's wingwoman… Yes, she started doing that last week.
Whether Brother Fuyumi was interested in the others or not, would a guy ever complain about having too many girls around him?
As long as she created opportunities and assisted him, he would remember her favor.
Then, even if Brother Fuyum's bed was filled with beauties, who else would have the same credit as her?
Moreover, with her help, those girls who had established a close relationship with him would also owe her a favor.
In this way, her position in this household would become unshakable.
Of course, she was just playing the role of a wingwoman, helping Brother Fuyumi by giving him a little push here and there.
As for playing the role of a spy to add more sisters-in-law for herself and cause trouble for Sister Otome and the others, Okino Rinka would never do such a thing.
Doing that would get her isolated by all the girls who like Fuyumi.
With a clear understanding of what can and cannot be done, Okino Rinka knew exactly where her boundaries lay.
Calculating in her mind, the little trickster felt dissatisfied that after only receiving a single compliment, there was nothing more forthcoming, so she twisted her waist in slight annoyance.
Since she had made great contributions, she naturally deserved rewards.
Just a simple, vague compliment wouldn't be enough to satisfy her.
?
Not understanding why she was teasing him right in front of Sister Yuuka, Sasaki gave her a puzzled look in return.
'A reward.'
Pressing her small hand against his chest, she lightly traced patterns on his chest with her delicate fingertips, making her intentions clear to Sasaki.
'Got it.'
Realizing what she was asking for was no big deal, Sasaki winked his left eye in agreement.
Receiving the expected response, Okino Rinka blinked her lively, mischievous eyes and smiled.
After that, the three of them didn't interact much further and simply watched the evening drama, with two sitting upright while one lay down, waiting for dinner.
Both Otome and Koharu were comparable to full-time housewives in their skills.
The speed at which they coordinated with each other while cooking far surpassed that of any single person.
So, shortly after Sasaki returned, before the sofa even had a chance to warm up, dinner was announced.
Since there were a lot of people today, the dishes were plentiful.
Even though everyone had different tastes, there were still two or three dishes at the table that each person would particularly enjoy.
It was evident that a lot of effort had been put into the meal.
The girls, wanting to commemorate the occasion, took pictures to post on social media…
Or maybe just to mark the event.
Sasaki didn't have the habit of taking pictures before eating, so when Sister Yuuka and Rinka were busy snapping photos, he instinctively leaned back to avoid appearing in the shots.
But this very action drew their attention.
Click—click—
They rolled their eyes at him, expressing their mild annoyance.
Once they were done taking photos, Sasaki clasped his hands together and said:
"Time to eat."
It was similar to how his parents in his previous life would call out, "Dinner's ready."
With those words, they could finally start eating.
The phrase "Don't talk while chewing" means to avoid speaking while your mouth is full.
It doesn't mean you can't talk during the meal, so the girls kept chatting non-stop at the table.
Although Yuuka and Koharu were a few years older than the others, they all grew up together and were still young at heart, so there wasn't any generational gap or awkwardness.
However, the topics they discussed were things Sasaki couldn't understand, like cosmetics, lipstick shades, makeup removers, and foundation powders…
So he just focused on eating without joining the conversation.
But since he was the only male in the house, and everyone present liked him, they wouldn't let him just eat quietly.
After a while, Tachibana Yuuka who loved teasing him, finally spoke up.
Licking her moist lips, slightly reddened from the spice, she smiled and asked a question that any typical student would dread:
"You've been back at school for over a week now. Has the school organized any exams?"
As soon as she said that, Sakuragi Otome and Okino Rinka both turned their attention to him.
They knew that Wednesdays were when his class had their weekly tests.
However, neither of them had ever directly asked Sasaki about his exact grades.
Sakuragi Otome would usually just remind him to listen carefully in class and take good notes.
She was always cautious not to bring up the topic too bluntly, afraid it might discourage him.
But now that Yuuka-nee had brought up the very thing they were curious about, she naturally paid extra attention.
"We did have one."
Hearing her words, Sasaki's chopsticks paused in midair as he forced a stiff smile and replied reluctantly.
Then, lowering his eyelids, he spoke in a gloomy, defeated tone:
"It didn't go so well…"
Girls tend to be soft-hearted and can't bear to see someone they care about feeling down, especially when it comes to someone they like.
Seeing him looking so dejected now, the hearts of the girls around him tightened.
Tachibana Yuuka secretly regretted her earlier impulsive comment that stirred things up.
But she couldn't help it.
She just wanted to get his attention.
She didn't expect her words to have such a powerful impact.
She didn't press him further for details about his grades.
And although she wanted to comfort him, Yuuka wasn't good with words and couldn't think of anything comforting to say.
However, she didn't really need to be the one to offer comfort.
Her younger sister, Tachibana Koharu, was much better at comforting people than she was.
Sitting next to Sasaki, Koharu immediately pulled him into her embrace when she saw his gloomy expression and gently stroked his hair, softly soothing him.
"It's okay, Fuyumi has already tried his best. It's fine."
"..."
Feeling a bit embarrassed that she was late to respond, Sakuragi Otome, who was sitting on his other side, bit her lip and tightly held his hand.
To be honest, seeing her man being comforted in another woman's arms while she couldn't say anything about it left her with a mix of complicated emotions.
She couldn't quite describe how she felt, so she gently squeezed his hand, trying to convey her comfort in that way.
Compared to Sakuragi Otome's mild feeling of sourness, which was like having a touch of lemon water, Tachibana Yuuka, sitting opposite, felt like she had downed a bowl of pure vinegar.
She wasn't someone prone to jealousy, but she couldn't help feeling sour when Sasaki paid attention to other girls.
This also included seeing other girls do things for him that she hadn't done yet…
'I've never even hugged him like that…'
Thinking this, Tachibana Yuuka wanted to join in the comforting, but there was no space left…
Watching from the sidelines as her sisters took the lead, Okino Rinka, who sitting beside Yuuka, couldn't help but smile.
'Is Brother Fuyumi interested in them too?'
Glancing at Sakuragi Otome, who was helplessly watching the boy being held by Sister Koharu, the mischievous smile on Rinka's delicate face deepened.
'Otome-nee might be in trouble~'
She knew she was a latecomer, and Sister Otome had taken care of her since childhood, just like a real sister.
That's why she didn't intend to compete with Sakuragi Otome for the position of "main wife."
Since she had no intention of fighting for that spot and already had a place in the boy's heart, she felt completely at ease.
There was no need to climb up, nor did she worry about falling down.
So what she could do now was just sit back and watch the show.
Completely unaware that she was being used as entertainment by her younger sister, Tachibana Yuuka was both anxious and sour inside.
All she could think about was how to either be treated fairly or at least not be left out watching on the sidelines.
Grinding her back teeth in frustration, a light bulb went off in Yuuka's head, and she coughed to get everyone's attention before suggesting:
"Since his grades are poor, comforting him like this won't solve anything.
How about we tutor him?"
As expected, upon hearing this, Tachibana Koharu released her embrace around the foolish brother.
"Tutoring… but we don't have much time."
Koharu might be a bit slow, but she was not dumb.
They all had classes to attend during the day, and their nights were often consumed by endless pointless videos, reports, assignments, and other tedious tasks, so finding time to tutor Fuyumi wasn't easy.
.
.
.