Chapter 570: The Desire

Chapter 570: The Desire

Thinking he had gone to such lengths, surely the door would open now?

Himekoji discovered he was still far too naive.

“Not tonight, Ji-Ji-kun.”

“Still not? Why?!”

Hearing that answer, Himekoji slumped against the door, wanting to die.

What did the Evil God-sama still want from him? What exactly?

Speak!

“Because I’m pregnant right now.”

Kasumigaoka stated something Himekoji already knew. Although he had heard it once from Yukinoshita, hearing it again still gave him unbelievably complicated feelings.

“Sorry…” The words slipped out instinctively. Realizing it, he quickly corrected himself, his face flushing as he emphasized with shame, “No, no! I should say thank you! I feel very lucky! That Senpai is pregnant with my child!”

There was silence behind the door for two seconds, followed by a clear, lovely “pfft” of laughter.

“Just Ji-Ji-kun thinks he gets to be the kid’s papa? How presumptuous!”

“But I already did it.”

Striking gold on the first try was still something Himekoji was proud of, so he couldn’t help puffing his chest out proudly just then.

Kasumigaoka seemed briefly choked by Himekoji’s riposte. A bit unwilling to concede, she just snorted and put on a brave front, “Whether you ultimately have the right, Ji-Ji-kun, is still up to my mood.”

“Yes!”

Himekoji snapped to attention, urging Evil God-sama to hurry up with her review.

Do I qualify or not? Please, give the word!

After what felt like ages, Kasumigaoka delivered her verdict: “Nope. Definitely not happening tonight.”

“…”

Himekoji seriously contemplated kicking the door down.

“Because we still can’t do it,” Kasumigaoka offered her reason for tonight’s denial.

But that reason was utterly depressing!

Because Kasumigaoka’s “can’t do it” state was going to last for many, many more months.

Ten months of bearing a child…

Was she not going to open the door for Himekoji at all until the baby was born?

Himekoji felt hard done by: “I didn’t say I wanted to do it!”

“You… don’t want to?” Evil God-sama pressed, her tone growing sharp and demanding.

“That… that’s not it either.” On instinct, Himekoji reached down to support his aching lower back, giving a fair assessment.

Even though he was young, he was no match for so many wives taking turns draining him dry.

“You! So Yukinoshita already wrung you dry!” Kasumigaoka delivered a soul-crushing blow.

Himekoji’s legs trembled at the root. He wanted to argue back, wanted to say—

No, not just Yukinoshita! If it was only Yukinoshita, I’d manage just fine. They teamed up to drain me dry!

Two fists couldn’t fight against four hands. Himekoji only wished he had a few more… limbs.

But he could only think things like that inside his head. Saying them out loud would just be asking for trouble.

Even though the System reset the world’s rules allowing the harem, having so many wives meant strife and jealousy were practically inevitable if things weren’t handled perfectly. One misstep, and the woodcutting knife hanging over his head might just fall…

Himekoji had to be careful. Maybe that was a sign of growth too?

Honestly, things were still good, though.

“You actually prefer small ones!” Kasumigaoka started attacking her rival from a biological angle.

That was Evil God-sama for you, aiming high without bothering with small details!

“No, I like them big!” Himekoji confessed honestly, hand over his conscience.

“So you like mine more than Yukinoshita’s?”

And so it began. The life-or-death question!

Himekoji worried Kasumigaoka was secretly recording him through the door.

But he couldn’t avoid answering. He braced himself and prayed Yukinoshita might forgive him.

“It’s not that I like Yukinoshita’s chest… I like Senpai’s chest more.”

In the end, well-endowed was far superior to flat-chested!

Though the owner of those small assets was Yukinoshita, and her name alone gave them significant bonus points… but still, it wasn’t enough.

As a man, he just couldn’t refuse the temptation to knead and squeeze! Sometimes he even wanted to bury himself entirely within! Something flat-chested could absolutely never provide.

“Senpai, you can open the door now, right?”

Having said that much, Himekoji felt he’d shown the utmost sincerity.

However—

“I told you, not tonight! It’s so late now. Putting on makeup, dressing up, then taking it all off again… what a bother.”

“Then skip the makeup!”

“And who was the jerk saying my dark circles looked awful earlier?”

“Sorry…” Himekoji really wanted to smack himself. “Then, if not tonight, when can I come?”

He couldn’t stand going back entirely empty-handed.

Kasumigaoka seemed to sigh softly: “Really, you don’t have to ask me about everything!”

“I understand!” Himekoji immediately raised his leg, poised to kick the door in.

Seeing this through the peephole, Kasumigaoka panicked and quickly shouted to stop him, “Not like that! I meant after tonight, decide for yourself! But tonight really is impossible!”

Right. Haste makes waste.

That much patience, Himekoji did have.

So, after some more affectionate back-and-forth through the door with Sensei Kasumi Utako, he reluctantly patted his behind and headed home.

Living with Yukinoshita for one month, Himekoji had somewhat neglected his home.

At first, he even passed his own door several times without going in. Later, he started splitting his time between home and Yukinoshita’s.

Now that Yukinoshita was gone, naturally he should spend more time with the other little madams at home.

…

When Himekoji got home, it was quiet. The lights in Rikka and Akiko’s rooms were already out. Those two usually went to sleep quite early.

Thinking he should turn in early too to rebuild his depleted stamina, Himekoji decided on a quick shower before hopping straight into bed.

He headed straight for the bathroom. As he approached the door, faint sounds came from inside.

Someone else?

“Uh, who’s in there?” It didn’t sound like someone washing.

“Akito?!”

It was Mashiro’s voice. She cracked open the door and jumped a little seeing it was Himekoji. For some reason, Mashiro looked very flustered and immediately hid both hands behind her back.

“Oh, Mashiro, have you finished? I want to take a bath.”

“Uh-huh, okay.”

Mashiro answered, her eyes guiltily avoiding Himekoji’s gaze as she looked away, then she suddenly lifted her leg and walked out with a strange crab-like movement, keeping her body always facing Himekoji as she moved sideways.

“… What in the world? She is weird.”

Himekoji followed Mashiro’s figure with his eyes, worriedly, and saw that she sneakily went to the balcony.

Their washing machine had no place to put it, so it was left on the balcony for now.

And Mashiro seemed to be heading straight for Mr. Washer!

Mashiro searched for a while and finally found a way to open the washing machine lid, then peeked inside.

Himekoji couldn’t hold off his curiosity and went to follow.

“What are you doing?” As he spoke, it seemed to startle Mashiro.

Mashiro’s small shoulders shook suddenly, and she turned around nervously, hiding her hands behind her back again.

Indeed, she was holding something secret!

But Himekoji vaguely saw it as Mashiro turned—what she was holding was clearly, clearly… actually underwear?!

When did this one buy that?

No way! Weren’t all Mashiro’s underwears bought by him?

But he absolutely never bought underwear like this one!

Never mind, it didn’t matter, no need to dwell on the small things; in any case, whatever Mashiro wore, it was only for others to see.

Himekoji quickly shook off the confusion and asked, “So, is that for washing?”

“Uh-huh,” Mashiro responded softly.

Himekoji reached out his hand to ask for it. “Then hand it over; I’ll wash it later.”

“No.”

Mashiro refused and pouted unhappily.

“Huh? Why not?”

“I’ll wash it myself.”

What impressive words!

But—

“You probably don’t know how to use the washing machine, right?”

“I know.”

Mashiro was plainly being stubborn, her cute little lips pouting high with dissatisfaction.

She felt she was being underestimated.

Yeah, she had no self-awareness at all.

“Alright, alright, don’t lie when it’ll be found out, and besides, that underwear should be washed by hand, judging by the material.”

“Hand-wash underwear?”

Mashiro clearly didn’t understand.

Himekoji nodded as he looked at her.

“Akito hand-washed my underwear?”

“Yes.”

Akiko, and also she who had the Evil Eye of the Wicked Lord, were good kids who washed their own underwears, so only Mashiro’s underwears were left for Himekoji to wash.

By the way, why was she acting like she just found this out?

“It’s a blow to discover you washed my underwear,” Mashiro sighed, glancing at the underwear in her hand.

Himekoji was speechless. “Your words are a blow to me, okay?! I’ve been quietly washing your underwears this whole time! Who do you think has been taking care of you so devotedly so far?”

Anyway, Himekoji reached out to demand her underwear again.

“Come on, give it over, give it over; letting you use the washing machine might turn this place into a foam mess that’s uncontrollable.”

By then, Mashiro would definitely just blink innocently, and the cleanup job would land on Himekoji.

“No.”

Mashiro shook her head, one hand tightly holding her underwear, the other hand pressing her skirt.

She seemed to misunderstand that Himekoji even wanted the underwear she was wearing…

Himekoji had to point at the one she held. “Just hand this one over.”

“No.” Mashiro was unexpectedly firm.

“Why not?”

“Because… I don’t want Akito to think I’m strange.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve thought that for a long time.”

“That’s cruel!”

“Now that we’re like this, stop fussing over small details. Plus, my liking for Mashiro includes everything about Mashiro too.”

“Huh?”

“Ah…”

Realizing what slipped out, Himekoji’s face burned; he felt like he was becoming smoother at this lately?

“Akito.”

“Yeah, what?”

“Saying it one more time, and I’ll give you the underwear.”

“What kind of embarrassing play is that? No!”

This was embarrassing enough already—repeating it?

“Wumu…” Mashiro puffed out her cheeks, silently complaining at him.

Himekoji swore on his manly pride!

“I said I won’t say it again!”

“But… isn’t Akito liking me?”

Mashiro tilted her head up slightly, her moist, glistening eyes gazing at Himekoji from below.

“That’s so unfair!”

Such over-the-top cuteness was enough to make Himekoji abandon his dignity and give in!

“Hmm, Akito dislikes me now.”

Mashiro drooped her little head, discouraged.

Dead, dead!

This was a whole chain of painful combos!

“Fine, fine, I got it! I like Mashiro, and that includes everything about Mashiro too! I like it all!”

“That night, you told me I was your most favorite.”

“Mashiro, enough of that already; don’t push it any further.”

“So it’s not your most favorite anymore?”

“Ah—seriously! You’re my most favorite, okay?!”

He blurted it out.

When Himekoji came to himself, he suddenly realized that his “most favorite” seemed totally cheap now.

Yukinoshita was his most favorite, Kasumigaoka was his most favorite, Mashiro was his most favorite…

Em, mmm…

Never mind!

This was how a happy, full harem life worked!

Was it wrong to call them all his most favorite?

“Great.”

Mashiro smiled; it was the contented smile of someone at peace.

Even though Himekoji had been forced through many super-embarrassing plays, just seeing that one smile made everything worthwhile.

But at that moment, their little scene was interrupted by a third person’s voice—

“Onii-chan, for love confessions, please watch the time and the person, will you?”

The voice of his Imouto came from behind; she hadn’t slept yet!

Akiko was holding pajamas for a change and seemed just about to bathe when she got drawn to the noise Himekoji and Mashiro were making on the balcony.

“Aki, Akiko?!”

With one more listener for the embarrassing lines, the shame doubled!

“Onii-chan, I think a girl who needs a love confession even more is standing right here.”

Akiko pouted as she complained.

She wanted one too.