"Hel-hel-hel… helper?"
Not only Bocchi was stunned, even Kita and Nijika nearby were dumbfounded upon hearing Ryou's straightforward words, their eyes wide open, shocked by her bluntness.
'For such a sensitive topic… shouldn't it at least be phrased a bit more tactfully?'
'This is way too fastball to the face, isn't it, hey!'
"Alright, then let me put it another way," Ryou cleared her throat and said seriously, "Bocchi-chan, would you be interested… in having more teammates for the relay race?"
Good news: it was indeed more tactful.
Bad news: only a little more tactful.
Nijika couldn't help but cover her face, 'This kind of utterly ridiculous request, no normal girl would ever agree to, right?'
'Even if Bocchi-chan is easygoing, she'd definitely get mad… wait, why are you hesitating? And what's with that tempted expression on your face?'
Ryou's assessment of people was, in a way, spot-on.
Gotou Hitori did indeed have a personality that was easily satisfied, and, lacked strong possessiveness.
Before she officially started dating Senpai, her biggest wish was to become Senpai's pet. If he patted her head a few times occasionally, that would be enough to make her happy for a whole day.
If it were another girl who heard Ryou's proposal, she'd probably get angry, ["I thought we were friends and you want to sleep with my boyfriend?"]
Cutting off a bull-headed best friend wouldn't be surprising at all.
But Bocchi wouldn't think that way at all.
Firstly, because she wasn't greedy, and never had the idea of monopolizing her Kaito-sama. No matter how many girlfriends Kaito-sama had, as long as she still had a place, that was enough.
Secondly, because she was influenced by a certain Miura.
The power of example is infinite.
As an unquestionable forerunner, Miura Yumiko had displayed generosity and the spirit of sharing, like a shooting star flashing across the night sky, leaving a deep mark in little Bocchi's heart.
Although she didn't go so far as to develop any strange fetishes… when it came to this sort of thing, she was indeed more open-minded.
Moreover, Ryou's proposal provided Gotou Hitori with a new way of thinking.
She didn't want to be separated from everyone in the Kessoku Band, so, 'As long as we all became one family, we can stay together forever, right?'
"Bu-but…", After thinking for a long time, the conflicted Bocchi still weakly said, "I still want… to ask Miura-san's opinion…"
After all, she was only able to date Kaito thanks to the Yumiko's help.
Even though that sounds pretty useless. Little Bocchi really treated Miura as a benefactor-like figure, having completely lost the dignity of a certain Kaito in the band.
Though maybe that dignity never existed in the first place?
After simply recounting the process of how she started dating Kaito with extra emphasis on Miura-san's involvement, Gotou Hitori finally murmured, "S-so that's what h appened…"
'Ah, this!', Gremlin Ryou tilted her head, slightly surprised.
Due to their time together in Hoori Town, she'd gotten along decently with Yumiko, and they were kind of friends.
She had thought Bocchi was the one who took the lead, but didn't expect… it was actually with someone else's help?
But that also seemed reasonable. After all, with Bocchi's personality, without anyone helping, she didn't seem like someone who could muster up the courage to go on the offensive.
Boyfriend-kun also didn't seem like the type to actively pursue girls. If neither side initiated anything, then the role of the third party who broke the ice became crucial.
It's just… Ryou really hadn't expected—
'That Miura-san would have such a unique preference?'
Though she, like Yumiko, had plans for "sharing a boyfriend," people have different constitutions.
The reason Yumiko might act like that was not only because she couldn't handle it alone, but also because it satisfied her XP system.
Whereas Ryou just wanted everyone in the band to find happiness. "Sharing" was just a means to that end, not the purpose itself. She didn't have any fetish like that inherently.
'However…', The blue-haired girl pinched her chin, 'This actually isn't a bad thing?'
At least, now that she knew a new player wanted to join the game, there likely wouldn't be much resistance from Yumiko.
'The only remaining issue is boyfriend-kun.'
However, for Ryou, that wasn't a problem at all. If there's one thing she's not short on, it's ideas. This is the confidence a dozen youth-training handbooks gave her.
'Victory is already decided.'
'The [Paradise Plan] will once again be great.'
———
The three-hour work shift passed by in a flash.
Seeing that it was finally time to clock out, temporary ticket-checker Kaito didn't delay too long. After saying goodbye to Nijika and the others, he left with the little social anxiety girl.
Speaking of which, this was his first time walking Hitori home after they started dating.
He didn't do anything strange during the walk. Just held hands, hugged her briefly under a streetlamp, and gave the socially anxious girl a kiss on the cheek.
All small and restrained gestures. But they still made the girl show a satisfied expression, like a pink, fluffy hamster.
So cute it made you want to squish her.
After bidding farewell to the clingy little social-anxious girl, the time was just about ten in the evening.
Since the train ride earlier took nearly two hours, and to save time on the return trip, Kaito didn't take the train again. He didn't want to keep the two younger sisters at home waiting.
———
[Three Minutes Later]
"I'm home," After changing shoes at the entrance, he walked into the living room like usual.
—And was instantly tackled by a green headbutt.
"Welcome home! Onii-chan!"
Mortis looked up with her big sparkling eyes, like a cat or dog welcoming its owner home. It wouldn't be strange if she stuck out her tongue and licked his face next.
Seeing that face exactly identical to Mutsumi's, whenever Kaito was met with such enthusiastic actions, he couldn't help but mentally substitute her as Mutsumi. It gave him a strange sense of contrast.
Though, it's not that he disliked it. Thinking this, he casually patted little Mortis's head, making the girl show a satisfied expression like a purring cat.
"…Onii-chan, welcome home," Mutsumi, now wearing pajamas, followed right behind. Compared to Mortis, her personality was more reserved. Though she was also happy to see her brother, she only revealed a faint smile.
"Did I keep you waiting long?", Kaito didn't neglect the well-behaved Mutsumi. He stepped forward and smoothed out her slightly messy hair, "Sorry, I came home a little late today."
"I don't mind," Mutsumi gently shook her head, hesitated a little, then still asked, "Onii-chan, did you go on a date?"
Kaito nodded slightly and didn't deny it.
"What's a date?", Mortis curiously interjected. She hadn't been born for long, and was indeed lacking in basic knowledge.
Kaito didn't think too much and, with the mindset of a responsible father educating his daughter, explained, "It's when people who are close make plans to meet up and do things that help build intimacy, that's called a date."
"Then…", Mortis blinked her sparkling big eyes, filled with innocence, "Can I go on a date with Onii-chan too? I want to get close to Onii-chan!"
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