[182] The Person Most Likely to Accept a Harem

Chapter 182: The Person Most Likely to Accept a Harem

"Rita, why are you still here?"

Mashiro, who had seemingly made amends with Rita the day before, now sat expressionless, staring at the ever-smiling blonde. She was even actively trying to kick her out.

"Oh my, Mashiro, didn't you want me to stay a few more days yesterday? Why are you suddenly rushing me out today?"

Mashiro grew even more irritated at Rita's attitude. "Rita, leave. Now."

"No way~ My visa hasn't expired yet, and I still want to spend more time with darling~ You feel the same, right, darling?"

Rita clung onto Shunsuke's arm, her soft pink tongue slowly tracing the corner of her lips.

"Leave."

Now that Shunsuke had his pants on, he spoke with full confidence, pushing Rita away and shooting her a fierce glare.

Normally, Mashiro wouldn't wake up so easily. But today, the problem was that he had been extra careful not to disturb her, while Rita had been deliberately trying to wake her up.

And then—BBQ.

The moment Mashiro woke up and saw Rita snatching her breakfast dessert, she went full Spartan mode, instantly reinstating Rita as her sworn enemy.

"Darling, you're so unfair~"

Undeterred, Rita clung to him once again. The lips that Shunsuke had tasted just last night brushed close to his ear as she whispered, "If you move in with me tonight, I promise it'll be even more exciting~"

For a moment, Shunsuke was tempted.

—Mashiro's stubbornness wasn't sustainable in the long run. If he used Rita as a stepping stone to gradually ease her into accepting a one emperor, two empresses arrangement, he could gain experience first… then slowly bring the others into the fold…

A mental storm of ideas swirled in Shunsuke's mind.

Shunsuke had always been aware of the thorny path he had chosen.

For now, while the numbers were still small, he could barely maintain a fragile balance. But sooner or later, he would have to face unavoidable clashes like the one between Mashiro and Rita. And it could get even worse—because, unlike Mashiro and Rita, the other girls didn't share any deep bonds.

That's why starting with the easier ones and gaining experience in advance was crucial.

—Among the girls who liked him, who would be the most open to this kind of arrangement…?

At that moment, Shunsuke abandoned all moral conscience and began analyzing the situation with the mindset of a 100% scumbag.

"Shunsuke, time for school."

"Oh—oh."

Mashiro, having only eaten half of her Baumkuchen, put it down and grabbed Shunsuke's other arm, dragging him away and snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Then darling~ I'll be waiting for you at home, just like a devoted wife~"

Rita let go of his arm, deliberately dropping a line that made Mashiro's face darken even further.

"Rita… bad person… so annoying."

Lacking the vocabulary to fully express her emotions, Mashiro could only voice her frustration in the simplest terms.

Watching this unfold, Rita's smile grew wider, a wave of satisfaction washing over her.

—Mashiro, how many floors can you carry a sack of rice up?

Shunsuke pinched Rita's cheek. "A little teasing is fine, but don't bully Mashiro too much, alright?"

Rita just smiled in response, saying nothing.

...

"Shunsuke, why have you been staring at Futaba all day?"

During the break, Azusagawa Sakuta leaned against Shunsuke's desk, covering his mouth as he whispered.

"...Was it that obvious?"

Shunsuke instinctively mirrored his gesture, covering his own mouth as he responded.

As for the reason… was he supposed to say it was because he thought Rio Futaba might be the most accepting of his harem plans?

Kunimi Yuuma also leaned in, similarly covering his mouth. "Super obvious."

"Did Futaba notice?"

"Girls are super sensitive to being watched—especially Futaba. Look, she won't even turn her head toward you now." Sakuta patted Shunsuke's shoulder. "Seriously, though, what's up with you?"

Shunsuke played dumb. "What do you mean?"

Sakuta and Kunimi exchanged glances before Sakuta spoke up again. "I have this friend…"

"Hold it right there. Do you even have any friends besides the three of us?"

Sakuta made a displeased face. "Three is already a lot."

"Ahem, actually, I have a friend," Kunimi cleared his throat and took over. "She's fallen for a guy who—uh—has a lot of girls interested in him. A bit of a scum—cough, I mean, a complicated guy. And she wants to know what to do about it."

"...The fact that you supposedly have such a close female friend—I'm telling Saki about this later."

Kunimi immediately pleaded for mercy. "Please, spare me!"

—For clarification, this Saki wasn't some random nameless Saki, but Kawasaki Saki, Kunimi's girlfriend and the de facto leader of the normie clique in the neighboring class.

The reason they referred to her by name wasn't because they were particularly close, but because Sakuta, who was always on her bad side, had started calling her that to mess with her. Naturally, Shunsuke picked up the habit.

"So? What do you think, Shunsuke?" Sakuta asked.

Shunsuke fell into deep thought.

Among the four of them, they were all close. If he really made a move on Futaba, he wouldn't be able to lie his way out of it.

But saying it outright also felt… off.

Then again, with their level of friendship, his silence already spoke volumes.

"As friends, maybe this isn't our business. But as good friends..." Sakuta grinned brightly and raised his fist. "If you make Futaba cry, I will punch you."

"Count me in. Sakuta, you can't take him alone."

Kunimi Yuuma flexed his biceps.

Shunsuke shot him a glare. "Why are you guys acting like me getting beaten up is a given?"

"Because this guy says there's no way you're still a virgin and that you're definitely a seasoned pro by now." Sakuta patted Kunimi's shoulder.

"Oi!"

"...So Fujii-kun is actually that aggressive?"

At that moment, the voice of Kato Megumi, who sat in front of Shunsuke, suddenly chimed in.

"Kato!"

"When did you get here?!"

"I've been here from the start. I never left my seat since the break began."

Shunsuke sighed, looking at the two idiots in front of him. "So your original plan was to have a private guy talk, and that's why you were slandering me?"

They glanced at Megumi, who appeared outwardly calm, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.

As the bell rang for class, Shunsuke took out his phone and sent a message to Yui.

After careful deliberation, he had narrowed down his options for the most likely to accept a harem to two names—Futaba Rio and Yuigahama Yui.

And at the top of that list—Futaba Rio.

No matter how Shunsuke tried to justify it, having a harem ultimately meant making the girls compromise.

So the ones most likely to accept it… were the ones who endured the most.

Simply put—nice people are the easiest to take advantage of.

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