6 Main Heroines Who Absolutely Want to Monopolize Me - Volume 1 Chapter 4.1

Ex-Girlfriend, Childhood Friend, and Stepsister 1

“I think it is important for married couples to have a relationship in which they think ‘I feel most at home when I’m with you.’ “

In Nasu, a luxury resort area in Tochigi Prefecture.

About 15 minutes by limousine from Nasu Interchange, at the entrance of a log house, Juujo-san said so.

“I can understand that. For me too, I feel the most at ease when I’m with Shinichi or looking at Shinichi.”

“The kanji used for ‘looking at (見)’ gives me an uneasy feeling… To feel calm while engaging in criminal behavior like stalking, Shinagawa-san, there’s something wrong with you.”

“Criminal behavior?”

To the accurate quit from Osaki Sumire, Sakiho Shinagawa responded and tilted her head.

“A long time has passed since you broke up, but why this clingy, hopeless ex-girlfriend came all the way here to pester him?”

“I’m not being clingy. I’m just here for my own purpose. Can you stop treating me as your enemy just because I’m the only one in the world who has dated Hirakawa-kun? Okay, Stalker-san?”

“So what if I’m a stalker? Thanks to that, there’s not a single thing I don’t know about Shinichi.”

“Oh really? Then tell me, do you know what Hirakawa-kun ate for lunch on his first-ever date? Oh, of course, that date was with me.”

“Ugh, such a cheap provocation. Naturally, knowing something like that is common sense.”

While saying it was a cheap provocation, Sakiho Shinagawa wholeheartedly played along.

“By the way, which one does Osaki Sumire count as his first-ever date in life? If it’s about the school festival visit, it’s Tapioca Milk Tea from Class 1-3. If it’s about the first arcade date after you started dating, it’s a Cheeseburger Set with side menu of fries and drink is orange juice. How?”

As Osaki was bombarded with information, she was taken aback.

“T-That’s creepy…! How do you know everything…?”

“I don’t know everything, just about Shinichi.”

“Ugh… Hirakawa-kun, how can you interact normally with someone like her!?”

Osaki looked at me with an incredulous expression.

“But, Osaki Sumire, you acknowledged that both was the correct answer means you remember it, huh? Do you think both memories are important to you since you still remember it? Then, won’t you just admit that you’re a bit clingy?”

“Ah.”

Ah?

“It’s because I have a very good memory. I can’t forget things that happened once, no matter how trivial they may be. I guess being too smart is also troublesome.”

“Did you just say ‘Ah’?”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s puzzling. How can you keep talking about such irrelevant things for so long?”

As the two of them bickered (or pretended to?), my stepsister Maion raised her retort in an exasperated manner.

“We’re still in the middle of Juujo-san’s story. I mean, she has only said a few words so far. Yet, it’s puzzling how you can go on and on about such pointless topics. It doesn’t matter at all what Onīchan’s first date meal was.”

“Sorry…”

Both of them apologized for the undeniable truth.

It’s rare to see Maion so displeased.

“…By the way, this is an utterly irrelevant matter, but the first meal Onīchan ever made for me was ginger pork. Though I guess neither of you has ever eaten his homemade dishes. Well, for Maion, who has been living with Onīchan almost like a couple and eating his homemade dishes almost every day, it doesn’t matter much.”

” “H-Homemade…!” “

They were intrigued by the mention of homemade dishes.

“Sigh… Juujo-san, please continue your story. I understand that being in a relationship where you feel most at ease when together is crucial for a married couple. Is that what you’re trying to prove with this lodge stay?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m thinking.”

Since the conversation didn’t seem to be going anywhere, I steered it back, but Juujo-san nodded nonchalantly as if not bothered by having been sidelined for a while.

“In the Disneyland date, we declared the winner based on which of them could stimulate Shinichi-sama’s happy hormones the most. This time, during your stay here at Nasu’s log house, we’ll declare the winner based on who can make Shinichi-sama relax the most.”

“Relax this time, huh?”

It seemed like the opposite of the previous Disneyland date’s criterion, but it certainly could be something essential for a marital relationship.

“From now until 10 p.m., we’ll measure how relaxed Shinichi-sama is using his smartwatch. When a person is in a relaxed state, their parasympathetic nervous system becomes more active, heart rate decreases, blood pressure drops, and blood flow improves. We will measure that time and intensity with the smartwatch. And…”

Juujo-san paused as if to emphasize the importance of this point.

“During the time Shinichi-sama is relaxed, additional points will be awarded to the person who is in Shinichi-sama’s field of vision at that moment and contributes to his relaxation.”

“Not the person closest to me, but the one in my field of vision?”

It seems the criteria for awarding points are slightly different from the Disneyland time.

“Yes. Since everyone is staying under one roof, the physical distance hardly changes.”

“How do you determine if someone is ‘in his field of vision’?”

This time, Maion raised her hand.

“According to the development team, it’s almost synonymous with ‘the person your brain is thinking of.’ “

“So, does that mean even when looking at photos or videos, it counts as being in his field of vision?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

‘I see’, Sakiho nodded and said so.

“In summary, the person who can make Shinichi feel the most relaxed, for the longest and deepest duration while he’s in front of him, wins?”

“Yes. On the other hand, if someone is present when he’s feeling nervous, excited, or anxious, they will lose points, so be careful.”

“Using seduction or confinement would be counterproductive then…”

Osaki muttered something scary. Last time, Ria tried to do both…

“And for the one who wins the showdown, we have prepared an additional date. “

“Oh right! That’s what I was curious about.”

Sakiho clapped her hands as if she had been waiting for this, then tilted her head, ‘Huh?’

“Even if it’s called an ‘additional date,’ the winner is determined at 10 p.m., right? So, does that mean they will just go to bed after that?”

“You’re absolutely right. By the way, this lodge is a bit small, it’s a 3LDK. I’ll be staying at a nearby hotel, but we’re one room short.”

“3LDK means there are three bedrooms? Shinichi, me, Maion… Three people fit perfectly, don’t they?”

“‘Three people fit perfectly’? You’re intentionally excluding me…”

Osaki subtly pointed out Sakiho’s attempt to eliminate her.

Meanwhile, Maion sat beside them, counting on her fingers and organizing the current situation.

“Basically, there are three rooms. Onīchan, Sakiho-san, Sumire-san, and Maion make four people staying, so we are one room short. Hmm…could it be…?”

“Yes, that’s the idea.”

In response to Maion’s subtle question, Juujo-san nodded.

“The winner will stay in the same room as Shinichi-sama tonight.”

“Sharing a bed with Hirakawa-kun…!”

Once again, Osaki used such an old-fashioned word as [sharing a bed (同衾, dōkin)]… I quickly raised my hand in a panic.

“J-Juujo-san. Even if it’s the same room, it’s a twin room, right…?” (Two single beds.)

Even if it’s a twin room, the idea of being in the same room with someone is too stimulating for me, and I wanted to at least confirm.

“No, there’s only one bed in each room, and there are no extra sofas or futons.”

“Seriously…?”

“Seriously.”

“Hehehe, Shinichi’s arm pillow…”

“Hmm. Now that I think about it, Maion has never slept in the same bed as Onīchan.”

Sakiho drooled with a lustful look, and Maion slightly blushed while calculating something in her mind.

“I see, if only I can get him into the bath… No, but…”

Osaki muttered some ominous things in a serious tone.

“Hey, Osaki… Bath?”

“Ah.”

Ah?

“It’s just…I always bring my duck doll into the bath every day. Is that strange? It’s not strange, right?”

“Uh, well…”

Naturally, I had questions like, ‘At your age? With that character?’ in my mind, but I felt an overwhelming pressure that I shouldn’t further expand on this topic, so I closed my mouth for now.

“Alright, then we’re going to start now. I’ll visit you again in the evening.”