Chika swiftly stood up, clapped her hands, raised her chin proudly, and snorted. "Let's go to my room... Hey, why is your nose bleeding and your face is red!?"
Amamiya, wiping his nose, muttered, "Because it's hot."
"It was warm earlier, but it's cooled down now, hasn't it?"
Chika crossed her right arm over her chest and placed her left hand under her chin, entering her "detective mode." "I distinctly remember you weren't blushing just a moment ago. And now, suddenly, you're red... something's off."
Stop analyzing! If you keep going, this is going to end badly!
"Let's just head to your room," Amamiya said with a straight face. "The faster we finish this, the sooner I can go back and rest."
"Oh, right. Let's go."
With that, Chika led Amamiya upstairs. Both deliberately lightened their footsteps, and thankfully, nothing unexpected occurred as they reached the second floor safely.
"This is my room."
There were three doors on the right side of the hallway. Chika stopped at the middle one, where a panda-shaped sign hung on the door, reading, "Resting."
"The room on the left belongs to Moeha, my younger sister, and the one on the right is my big sister."
The Fujiwara family had three sisters: Moeha, the youngest, who was still in junior high school; Chika, the middle child; and their eldest sister, who was now in college and had already moved out.
"Come on in."
As she spoke, Chika pushed the door open. A cool breeze swept through the room. Hugging her arms around herself, she let out a soft cry, "It's so cool."
But the next moment, Chika abruptly paused, turning sharply to face Amamiya. Her large eyes widened even further, and her pale face quickly flushed red, as if tinted with rouge.
"Why are you blushing?" Amamiya asked in a flat tone.
"Amamiya-kun, didn't you just—"
Chika puffed her cheeks indignantly.
"I didn't see anything," Amamiya denied immediately.
Chika's cheeks swelled even more. She took a step back, covering her chest. "I haven't even finished speaking!"
"It's too small to notice…"
Amamiya stopped himself, thinking better of the comment. He could joke like that with the naive Chika, but doing so would certainly weigh on his conscience.
"The light's dim in here, I couldn't see clearly."
As he spoke, Amamiya averted his eyes, taking in the room's surroundings.
Bookshelves lined the walls, packed with volumes. Dolls adorned the bed, anime posters decorated the walls, and a yoga mat lay across the floor. A soft, sweet fragrance filled the air—this was unmistakably a girl's room.
There were several framed photos on the desk, featuring Chika and her sisters in various settings.
And then… a picture caught his attention—a photo of four people in swimsuits on a beach.
"That was taken last summer at the beach," Chika said, regaining her composure. She spoke casually, her earlier embarrassment already gone. "The woman in the middle is my mother, the one beside me is Moeha, and next to her is my older sister."
Amamiya stared at the serious, beautiful woman standing in the middle of the photo and thought the same thing over and over.
This doesn't make sense.
Her mother's chest is just as flat as Kaguya's, but all three daughters… have larger figures?
It's just unscientific!
"I can satisfy your curiosity now," Amamiya changed the subject quickly. "Look under your bed."
"Wait a second," Chika said, reaching for her phone. She made a video call, and after a brief pause, the call connected. On the other side of the screen appeared a pajama-clad young woman, blinking sleepily.
"Shinomiya-san?"
Amamiya glanced curiously at the phone in Chika's hand.
"Oh, earlier, when I was taking a bath, I was chatting with Kaguya-chan," Chika explained. "I told her I'd live-stream the entire adventure we're about to have."
Live-streaming while simply looking under a bed? Neither singing nor dancing was involved—what was the point?
"Kaguya-chan!" Shimizu suddenly appeared, waving enthusiastically at the phone screen. Unfortunately, Kaguya, on the other end, couldn't see her.
"Kaguya-chan, Big Sis is saying hello to you," Chika relayed with a smile. "She said she misses you, even though it's only been a day."
"It's only been one day..." Kaguya replied, sitting at her desk in pajamas, her face betraying a trace of exasperation. "Just hurry up and look under the bed. I'm going to sleep soon."
Kaguya, ever punctual, followed a strict 9 p.m. bedtime—a schedule even more disciplined than an elementary school student's.
"Amamiya-kun, hold the phone." Chika handed it to him. "You can live-stream for Kaguya-chan."
"What exactly is the point of this live-stream?" Amamiya muttered in protest as he accepted the phone.
"An adventure with the girls?"
"Your own bedroom doesn't qualify as an adventure."
"…"
Chika, far too familiar with her room and not particularly on edge since Amamiya was beside her, knelt beside the bed and lifted the hanging sheets, peeking underneath.
In the next instant—
"Ahhh!"
Her startled scream reverberated throughout the room.
Even Amamiya's eyebrow twitched at the sight.
He had braced himself for something sinister under the bed, like an evil spirit, but instead found himself face-to-face with an unsettling number of glowing eyes. Only someone completely unflappable could remain calm in that situation.
"You… saw me."
A cold, eerie voice echoed from beneath the bed, and suddenly, long strands of black hair spread out like a tide, rapidly covering the bed and snaking toward Chika, wrapping around her.
Without hesitation, Amamiya activated his 'Evil Spirit Repellent' aura.
An invisible barrier enveloped the room. The moment it came into contact with the long-haired apparition, sparks flew like gasoline on fire, igniting transparent flames.
This particular evil spirit, stronger than expected, didn't burn away instantly. Its hair transformed into tendrils, trying to ensnare Chika as it shrieked.
But Amamiya pulled her out of the way, narrowly avoiding the grasp of the creature.
Luckily, it only took a few more seconds before the evil spirit was consumed by the flames and dissipated.
"That was terrifying!" Chika gasped, clutching her chest, her eyes glistening with rare tears. "I thought it was just hiding under the bed, but it was watching us the entire time!"
"So, the moral of the story is: don't look under the bed unless you have a good reason," Amamiya remarked dryly as he returned the phone to Chika. "I'm going home."
Just as he spoke, there was a knock at the door.
"Are you okay, sister?"
A clear and pleasant voice called out from the other side.
"It's Moeha," Chika quickly whispered.
"I'm fine!"
"You're lying. I heard a scream just now." The doorknob began to turn as Moe persisted. "I'm coming in."
"Wait!" Chika bolted toward the door, grabbing the handle to prevent her younger sister from entering.
"What are you doing in there? Why won't you let me in?" Moe's voice was suspicious. "Is there a burglar inside?"
"Of course not!" Chika quickly retorted. "I'll open the door in a second, just wait."
As she spoke, she glanced over at Amamiya, her eyes suddenly lighting up with an idea.
"Amamiya-kun, I'll use the Sheep Transformation Technique!"
"…Turn into a sheep and hide under the bed!" she insisted.
After a brief hesitation, Amamiya nodded in agreement.
Yukino had already tested the Sheep Transformation Technique before, and part of him was curious about what it would feel like to transform into a sheep.
[A player has used the Sheep Transformation Technique on you. Do you wish to resist?]
The prompt appeared before Amamiya's eyes.
"No."
As he silently made his choice, his field of vision suddenly widened, and the pink-haired girl in front of him seemed to grow taller.
Wait a second, why are my clothes lying on the floor?
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[A-N: Today's Exclusive Event!
With the story updating so quickly, the review section is looking a bit empty. So I need your help to bring it to life—and of course, there's a reward!
For every 2 reviews, I'll release 1 extra chapter!
Ps: The daily chapter will be 2-3 chapters. Of course, there's a bonus chapter!
200 power stones = 2 chapters!
So 5 chapters update daily is possible if you leave one of your stones for this book!
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