After dropping Miko off at her house, Ryuu turned his attention to another matter.
His home was a large, single-family house with plenty of empty rooms—so he let Oka Tooko stay there for the time being.
With that settled, he set off toward Yumiko Miura's place.
And just like the previous night, history repeated itself.
The comfort of the "Yumiko-brand pillow" was something Ryuu was happy to enjoy again.
However—
When morning came…
He found himself walking straight into a battlefield.
---
Since he hadn't taken any more leave, Ryuu headed to school with Yumiko.
Everything seemed normal…
Until—
At the school gates, Kasumigaoka Utaha was waiting.
She didn't approach them immediately.
Instead—
She simply glanced at Ryuu, then turned and walked toward the teaching building.
That alone—
Was enough to make the students explode with gossip.
It was already well-known that Kasumigaoka Utaha was the school's literary goddess, admired from afar by nearly everyone.
Yet just a few days ago, she had openly displayed relationship with ryuu.
And now—
The students couldn't help but notice how she had just walked away after seeing him with Yumiko.
The rumors practically started spreading on their own.
By the time Ryuu and Yumiko reached the classroom, the whispers had already spread throughout the school.
He sighed inwardly.
"…No wonder this school is full of cursed spirits. These students have way too much free time."
Sure enough—
It wasn't long before a classmate approached him.
"Oi, Natsukawa, I heard a crazy rumor—"
Ryuu, however, ignored him completely.
He was focused on something far more important—
His phone screen.
A new LINE notification had just popped up.
It was from—
Kasumigaoka Utaha.
---
[Kasumigaoka Utaha]: Hmph! Ryuu-kun, you've become quite ambitious.
Even through the text, Ryuu could practically hear the subtle annoyance in her voice.
He could already imagine her expression—
A smug yet dissatisfied look, arms crossed, eyes slightly narrowed.
Ryuu chuckled.
Then—
A second message arrived.
[Kasumigaoka Utaha]: Just yesterday, you made all those grand declarations… and today, you already have a new target?
Her words carried a sharp edge.
Yet—
Ryuu had already expected this reaction.
So—
He immediately took action.
---
[Ryuu]: Utaha, don't be mad. I'll just create a group chat.
---
Yes—
Instead of avoiding the situation—
He would own it.
Turn defense into offense.
Rather than letting conflicts brew behind the scenes—
He would force everyone to acknowledge each other.
After all—
A harem that constantly fought among themselves would be too much trouble.
So—
Ryuu created a new group chat.
And named it—
[Family Group Chat]
---
Then—
He added three people:
Kasumigaoka Utaha
Yumiko Miura
Miko Yotsuya
And sent the first message:
[Ryuu]: We're all family. If there's anything, just say it here.
---
For a moment—
There was silence.
Then—
The first reaction came from Miko.
[Miko]: ???
She froze, staring at her phone screen in disbelief.
Meanwhile—
Kasumigaoka Utaha immediately responded.
[Kasumigaoka Utaha]: Oh my, Ryuu-kun, you're really getting ahead of yourself.
Then—
Yumiko turned to glare at him in person.
Her sharp eyes carried a clear message—
"EXPLAIN. NOW."
She crossed her arms and spoke.
"You mean to tell me…"
She took a deep breath.
"…That while you were 'exorcising spirits' yesterday, you also held Yotsuya's hand?"
Her tone was calm—
Too calm.
Ryuu knew better than to lie.
So—
He gave a shrug.
"If you think about it, Yumiko, you already know what happened."
Yumiko clicked her tongue.
"Damn it. Hero saves the damsel again."
She had heard about Miko's situation the night before.
And as much as she wanted to be mad…
She understood.
After all—
Miko was a normal girl who had been through hell.
She needed protection.
Yumiko exhaled sharply.
"…Fine."
She let it go—for now.
But—
She wasn't done.
Her real enemy was—
Kasumigaoka Utaha.
---
Meanwhile—
Kasumigaoka Utaha was also glaring at her screen.
This group chat was unexpected—
And Ryuu casually throwing another girl into the mix was even more unexpected.
Her response was immediate.
[Kasumigaoka Utaha]: So, in just one day, you've already added another girl?
Yumiko immediately fired back.
[Yumiko]: Hah?! If we're talking about who's been around longer, I've known Ryuu since the start of school!
Kasumigaoka Utaha narrowed her eyes.
[Kasumigaoka Utaha]: Knowing someone means nothing. Being in a real relationship is what matters.
Then—
She smirked as she typed her next message.
[Kasumigaoka Utaha]: Besides, I was the one who took Ryuu from a boy… to a man.
---
Yumiko froze.
Then—
Her entire face turned red.
[Yumiko]: YOU SHAMELESS WOMAN!!!
---
Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled smugly as she typed her reply.
[Kasumigaoka Utaha]: Now, now, Yumiko-san, you should respect your seniors. After all, as the first, I'm the official head of this household.
---
[Yumiko]: LIKE HELL YOU ARE!!!
---
Meanwhile—
Ryuu put down his phone and sighed.
"…I knew this would happen."
Of course, his attempt at peace was immediately ignored.
But that was fine.
This much was expected.
Let them argue for a bit.
The more they fought now, the easier it would be later.
Meanwhile—
Miko, who had been quietly observing, simply sighed.
She muttered under her breath—
"Utaha-senpai and Yumiko-san… are really scary."
Then—
She did the only reasonable thing.
She muted the chat.
And went back to quietly spectating.
======
Support and read advance chapters on Patreon.com/Zexxxxy