In the following days, Chisato's life continued as usual.
At school, he spent lunch breaks with Hitori and Kazusa in the music room, passing the time together.
All three were rather introverted. Though Hitori and Kazusa weren't particularly close, they had grown more comfortable around each other compared to when they first met.
Chisato understood the vulnerabilities within Kazusa's heart.
When it came to people who genuinely cared about her, Kazusa found it hard to maintain her usual distant demeanor.
So, after a bit of encouragement from Chisato, Hitori gathered her courage and, for the first time, wholeheartedly extended kindness toward someone else.
Bringing drinks, sharing her lunch—these had become their daily routine.
Initially, Hitori was so nervous she nearly passed out, but over time, she started to understand Kazusa's personality better.
Now, even if Chisato wasn't around, Hitori could carefully strike up a few words with her.
In any case, things were moving in a positive direction, which was delightful to see.
The concern that Chisato had harbored—that Isshiki Iroha might show up in real life—hadn't materialized, letting him finally relax a bit.
It seemed the "Evil Path Simulator" updates had indeed fixed the issue of leaving residual memories for the conquerable heroines.
Chisato could now confidently continue using it to earn rewards and gain life experience.
It was Wednesday. After finishing his late-night part-time job, Chisato returned to his apartment and saw Eriri and Utaha leaning against the hallway railing.
The faint glow from their phones illuminated their delicate features. Frankly, seeing them there as he came up the stairs was a bit eerie.
Since the date on Sunday, their attitudes toward Chisato had softened, and they seemed more approachable.
This manifested in their frequent chats and in the food deliveries they timed perfectly to his home for the past two nights.
It gave Chisato a strange feeling of being pampered.
"Ah, Chisato," Eriri was the first to notice Chisato's arrival.
She pocketed her phone, ran over to him, and took Chisato's school bag with a warm, familiar smile.
"Welcome back."
The hallway's sensor lights flickered on, dim yet enough to showcase Eriri's natural beauty.
"I'm back…" Chisato responded instinctively, feeling like a husband returning to a wife waiting at home.
He glanced at Eriri's dazzling smile and then at Utaha, who, from a slight distance, gave a teasing wink.
Chisato had a hunch: the two of them hadn't shown up unannounced without some pre-arranged discussion or purpose.
"It's so late; is it alright for you two to be here? Your family won't mind?"
"No problem," Utaha replied. "We're keeping our phones on and going back on time."
"Still, tell me in advance next time. What if I get delayed?"
"Then we'd just come back another day," Eriri said sweetly. "No need to change your plans just for us."
Chisato appreciated Eriri's understanding words. Her maturity and grace seemed to shine through more as they became closer, making her all the more charming and irresistible.
Over the past couple of days, Chisato had even dreamt of spending blissful, honeymoon-like moments with them, which somehow felt strangely real.
"Come on in."
"Thank you, sorry for intruding."
Inside, his apartment was as small and stuffy as ever.
Only one person could stand in the entryway at a time, and each had to wait until the other had taken off their shoes and entered.
Inconvenient as it was, neither Utaha nor Eriri seemed the least bit bothered.
Once they were in, they neatly arranged their shoes.
The temperature was climbing by the day, and even the night breeze outside was hot and stifling. Inside, the air felt even more oppressive.
"Sorry, it's hot in here. Let me turn on the air conditioning."
Chisato tossed his jacket on the bed, closed the window, and drew the curtains—hiding the scattered, grubby coins on the windowsill from their sight.
Then, he grabbed the remote from the bedside and set the wall-mounted air conditioner to its lowest temperature.
"There's not much to offer you. I've only got iced tea—hope that's alright."
"That's perfect! We love iced tea," Eriri replied cheerfully, glancing over to see Utaha smiling in amusement.
"What's so funny?" Eriri instantly switched to a mock glare.
"Just…lovers in love. It's endearing," Utaha chuckled. "Not that I'm any different."
"Hmph."
Chisato handed each of them a glass of iced tea. His apartment didn't even have a coffee table, so they had to sit on his bed.
Utaha, especially at ease, slipped off her slippers and knelt on the bed, fanning her neck with her hand while occasionally tugging at her collar.
Chisato was sure she was doing it on purpose. Otherwise, why else would she catch his gaze and shoot him that playful look?
"Chisato, how's your lip? Still sore?"
"It's healing, don't worry about it."
Chisato sat cross-legged in front of them. It was late, and with their early start for school in the morning, he decided to cut to the chase.
"It's late. The two of you coming here together—there's definitely something you want to talk about, right?"
Utaha and Eriri exchanged glances, as if they'd anticipated his direct question. They nodded simultaneously, and after a brief pause, Utaha spoke.
"Yes, we did want to talk. But first, let me say that we don't mean any disrespect toward you, Chisato, nor do we harbor any ill intentions."
"From what we've observed, we simply want to suggest something that could improve your life. Please hear us out calmly, and even if you disagree, don't hold it against us. Is that alright?"
Seeing the serious, sincere expressions on their faces, Chisato was intrigued.
But he nodded, meeting their gazes.
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