A single bead of sweat rolled down Hakua’s forehead.
With a tearful glare, she cursed:
“You monster! Devil! Lewd maid!”
“Hehe〜 Being insulted by a beauty… feels like a reward〜”
Amid their childish squabble, Nanao pressed on:
“Then, Izumi-kun shall hug the king〜♡”
“STOP TARGETING ME!”
Her persistence was unmatched.
The “volunteer-based” king system proved chaotic. Sometimes, tradition exists for a reason.
Meina shrugged.
“Well, I guess we have no choice〜. Then let’s take the King’s Game seriously, shall we〜?”
“What kind of situation calls for a ‘serious’ King’s Game…?”
This time, they decided to properly use the numbered chopsticks for drawing lots.
“Alright then, let’s begin〜♪”
First, Nanao drew with giddy excitement.
Next, Izumi let out a sigh as he reluctantly drew his.
And finally—Hakua.
(I’ll become the King and protect Izumi-kun!)
If she became the King, she could issue wholesome commands. By staying the King, she could naturally shield him from Nanao and Meina’s… desires.
Now that the rules were set, this was the most legitimate strategy possible.
With that resolve, Hakua drew a chopstick.
And the result—
“…!”
Hakua clenched her fist.
The tip of the chopstick wasn’t marked with a number—it was painted bright red. Nanao and Meina sighed in disappointment.
That’s right—Hakua had triumphed over fate!
As Izumi’s older sister!
And as his future bride!
She had succeeded in protecting him from those meddlesome girls’ desires. This was a monumental achievement.
Like a great explorer conquering the world’s tallest mountains after a grueling climb.
Or like a revolutionary scientist whose years of hardship led to a discovery that changed the world.
Hakua’s victory was a feat no less grand than theirs—at least, in her mind!
(Yaaay〜! Now I can protect Izumi-kun from these shameless girls!)
“You’re the one dressed the most indecently here!”
Ignoring her own hypocrisy, Hakua puffed up with pride, ready to issue her command.
—And then.
A tiny shadow crept into her heart.
(Wait… Right now, I hold Izumi-kun’s fate in my hands…?)
The whisper of corruption—
the temptation that befalls all who seize power—had taken hold of Hakua.
Yes… a moment of weakness.
The memory of Nanao’s earlier advances flashed through her mind. What if… what if that had been me instead?
And then, Hakua’s cheeks flushed as she blurted out:
“I-Izumi-kun… hug the King… ♡”
“Hakua-neesan!?”
“Make it passionate, please… ♡”
“THE REQUEST JUST TURNED LEWD!?”
“This isn’t what the King’s Game is supposed to be!!”
But a King’s command is absolute—such is the law of the game. Not that it actually is, but under the weight of the others’ stares—specifically Nanao and Meina’s—Izumi faltered.
Peer pressure.
Izumi had always prided himself on reading the room, but in moments like this, it only made him hesitate.
(Am I really gonna… hug Hakua-neesan…?)
His gaze naturally drifted downward.
A very prominent valley greeted him.
(No way, that’s impossible!?)
Yeah…
If he were the type of guy to go “Alright, let’s do this〜!”, maybe everyone would’ve been happy. But sadly, he lacked that kind of boldness. Sometimes, making the right choice just ruins the fun…
“Uh… um… Hakua-neesan?”
“…………”
As for Hakua—
She was completely frozen.
In the heat of the moment, she’d blurted out “hug me!”, but now that she’d regained her senses, all she could think was “WHAT AM I SAYING!?”
(Wh-wh-wh-what do I do!?)
But she couldn’t take it back.
Because that’d be a waste! Sure, she’d messed up a little, but this was a golden opportunity to do something she’d never dare to normally.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
(But I’m too embarrassed for this〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜!!)
A stalemate.
And while those two were locked in tension—
Two shadows lurked in the periphery, taking advantage of their narrowed focus.
Of course, it was Nanao and Meina. The two exchanged a silent, knowing nod, their grins widening.
Then, like seasoned operatives, they slipped behind Izumi and Hakua. Nanao leaned close to Izumi’s ear and whispered:
“Izumi-kun, you’d better hurry〜. The President’s waiting, you know? ♡”
“Eeek!?”
In his heightened state, the sudden whisper made him jolt—raising his arms on reflex. At the same time, Meina gave Hakua’s back a little push.
And just like that, Hakua’s body launched into Izumi’s arms—like a perfectly executed football pass.
“〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜!!?”
“〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜!!?”
A historic moment.
Time itself seemed to freeze from the sheer impact of it.
Izumi was the first to snap out of it.
Flustered, he quickly pulled away and bowed repeatedly.
“S-sorry!!”
“…………”
But Hakua didn’t respond.
Worried, Izumi peeked at her face—
—She wasn’t breathing.
“Whaaa—!? Hakua-neesan!?”
“My, my〜. She must’ve fainted from the shock〜”
“This is not the time to be calm!!”
“She’ll be fine〜. Just leave her there, and she’ll come to eventually〜”
“Seriously…?”
Meina, showing zero concern for her master, casually moved on.
“Alright, now it’s my turn〜!”
“Since when was this a rotation!?”
“Oh my. Isn’t it natural for a young master to be surrounded by many women? I’d love to open a little tavern in Edo〜”
“What era’s common sense is that!?”
These days, you hardly even see period dramas like that anymore.
Meina spread her arms and gave Izumi puppy-dog eyes.
“Hmm?”
“Ugh…!”
Izumi hesitated.
It was easy to forget because of her usual antics, but Meina was just as much of a beauty as Nanao and Hakua. When someone like that says “Go ahead〜♪” so defenselessly, even a clean-cut guy like Izumi would balk.
Meina puffed her cheeks at his reluctance.
“You hugged the Student Council President, but not me〜?”
“Th-that’s because you guys pushed us—”
He glanced at Nanao.
She grinned and clenched her fists—clearly signaling “GO!”, but something felt off.
Why was she, usually so possessive, being so lenient with Meina…?
(…Ah, whatever!)
Letting momentum take over, he pulled Meina into a hug.
He tried to keep their bodies from touching too much, but—
(Huh?)
A strange sense of déjà vu hit him.
Like this had happened a long time ago…
“…………”
In Izumi’s arms—
Meina, normally so loud, was oddly quiet. She curled up slightly, holding her breath.
Her eyes narrowed, as if reminiscing.
“M-Meina?”
“…………”
When Izumi called her name, she finally spoke softly.
“Izumi-sama. I have a request.”
“Wh-what is it?”
“There’s something I’d like you to say to me.”
“N-now?”
Her unusually serious tone put him on edge.
This wasn’t like her—or at least, what little he knew of her after just a week. But for some reason, those words felt important.
Gulping nervously, Izumi waited.
Meina slowly uttered:
“Kon… it’s you…”
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
That was way beyond Izumi’s tolerance.
The brief solemnity shattered as he hastily pushed Meina away. She, meanwhile, looked very pleased with herself.
“Fufufu〜. Izumi-sama, how was my hug〜?”
“Your reactions are problematic…”
“If you ever feel lonely at night, you’re free to use me anytime〜”
“I’m not that desperate for human warmth!”
With their hug done, the group’s attention turned to the last one.
“Y-you’re not gonna ask for one too, Nanao… right?”
“Hmm〜…”
After a moment’s thought, Nanao smiled sweetly.
“I’d be too embarrassed in front of everyone, so maybe when we’re alone?”
“…!”
Izumi reacted strongly to that.
“Wh-what are you planning!?”
“Hehe. What’s got you so flustered, Izumi-kun?”
“Guh…!?”
He’d dug his own grave.
Nanao giggled and patted his shoulder.
“A hardworking young master deserves lots of rewards, don’t you think?”
“STOP TURNING INTO BLACK NANAO!?”
Meina picked up the chopsticks again.
“Now then, let’s go for round two〜!”
“Oooh〜!”
Even with one member down, the game pressed on.
After all—it was Saturday.
They had plenty of time!
And in the second round—
The one who became King was… Izumi.
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
