It had been a truly wonderful dream—one of the best.
Even though his teenage body was brimming with energy, and his daily training routine was already enough for Eriri to sarcastically call him inhuman.
It still wasn't enough to calm down the restless body of Kyousuke at night.
After experiencing two rounds of that intoxicating excitement, even a cold shower couldn't cool his racing heart.
Lying in bed, aware that his room was surrounded by sweet-smelling, irresistible girls, he just couldn't settle down to sleep.
He was about to get up and go to the courtyard to practice swinging his sword ten thousand times when Sakura messaged him.
He opened it up to see a video of himself practicing dance steps during the day, accompanied by the background laughter of Sakura and Shouko.
Well, only Shouko's laughter was clear and delicate, muffled by her hand as she tried to hold it back.
Sakura, meanwhile, was laughing so hard it sounded like she was about to run out of breath.
He sent back a quick reply telling them to hurry up and get to bed, then closed his eyes.
The truth was, no matter how elegant he could make his deadly sword techniques, when it came to dancing, he looked absolutely ridiculous.
It once again proved his life motto: everyone has things they're bad at, so if you're going to be bad, own it. No point in torturing yourself.
As the heat in his chest finally cooled, he managed to drift off to sleep.
In his dreams, Mitsuha was the first to appear, wearing that red and white shrine maiden outfit he'd only seen in his fantasies.
All the things he couldn't do during the day, his hands moved freely in the dream, gliding over her soft, delicate skin…
Before he could take it further, Utaha-senpai showed up—dressed in a red-and-black lace lingerie set, complete with black stockings.
She walked towards him, one long, shapely leg at a time, her lips curved into a lazy, seductive smile.
His powerful brain went to work, rendering every detail in perfect, dreamlike clarity—down to the marks left on her shoulders by the lingerie straps.
The way her soft flesh overflowed just a little at the edge of her bra, and even the V-shaped line of her lower body's enticing silhouette…
The only thing missing was the tactile sensation, but the visuals were a perfect hundred out of a hundred.
In the dream, what he couldn't achieve in reality—sharing a bed with these girls—became real.
On his left, Mitsuha's wet, soft tongue gently licked his ear, her breath warm and humid, lips and teeth nipping playfully.
On his right, Utaha-senpai half-lay across him, her long legs in black stockings rubbing against his legs and stomach, her delicate hands endlessly teasing his chest…
There was even a costume change: Mitsuha's white top vanished in an instant, leaving only the scarlet skirt.
Just as he'd imagined.
Unlike in his past life, when he had to frantically look up guides in the final moments, this time around there was no confusion or awkwardness.
It was smooth—unbelievably so. Before he even realized it, he'd already woken up.
'Damn it…'
This was beyond embarrassing.
Feeling the sticky wetness in his boxers, Kyousuke silently cursed in the darkness, imagining a thousand Yamauchi Sakuras surrounding him.
One hand holding her stomach, the other pointing at him, howling with laughter.
He had no doubt—if Sakura found out, she'd first tease and mock him mercilessly, then reassure him that this was normal, and probably even give him a mini-lecture on sexual health.
She always seemed to have a weirdly thorough understanding of that stuff.
Of course, she'd probably end the whole thing by generously offering to help him work through these adolescent troubles.
Telling him not to be embarrassed and to come to her if he ever needed it.
What a nightmare.
That could never be allowed to happen.
With her personality, if she knew, she'd never let him live it down—she'd probably mention it every time they… did the deed, putting on this fake-innocent look and saying, "Oh wow, Kyousuke's all grown up now," completely killing the mood.
So why didn't he just get up and clean up right away, instead of lying there overthinking it?
Well, that dream had been so vivid that even awake, the sight of those white, curvy bodies still lingered in his mind, the lingering sensations making him want to savor it just a little longer.
When he woke up, every detail of the dream was still burned into his memory, in higher resolution than any 4K video—like he could watch it in 360 degrees.
But realizing that his little brother below was once again rearing up to fight, Kyousuke finally forced himself to get up.
The good soundproofing of his room was a blessing at that moment—after he finished cleaning up, there were no messages from Sakura or Naoka asking what he was up to.
He took a quick shower and tossed the soiled sheets and underwear into the bathroom laundry basket.
Lying back on the bed, he stared at the dark ceiling, feeling a bit hollow.
What a waste.
From that thought, his mind started to wander, and everything that had happened during the day began replaying in his head.
Including a scene of Yukinoshita Yukino tripping into his arms—he silently cursed himself for being such a hopeless, clueless virgin.
'Sigh—my poor brother,' he thought.
Seeing that his dick still wasn't willing to calm down, he let out a heavy sigh, closed his eyes again, and pulled up that dream once more.
Drifting off to sleep with those images playing in his mind.
———————————————————————
April 11th, Thursday
At exactly six in the morning, Kyousuke's phone alarm buzzed to life.
His body woke up before his brain did, and he shut it off within a second.
Sitting up, he squinted at the time on his phone, blinking blearily for three seconds as his half-awake mind tried to remember why he was up so early.
He really didn't want to be awake—he was still sleep-deprived.
Dragging himself out of bed, he stumbled toward the bathroom like a sleepwalker, ready to take care of… certain biological needs.
The moment he opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of the pile of sheets and boxers he'd dumped there last night.
'Smack!'
He slapped his own face.
Right.
That's why he'd gotten up this early—to erase the evidence.
Living in a room surrounded by beautiful girls, and yet all the shots ended up in an innocent pair of boxers—anyone who saw that would cry tears of sympathy.
His muddled brain cleared in an instant.
After a quick bathroom trip, he rummaged in his closet for a pair of navy linen boxers and a T-shirt, then gathered up his dirty clothes and the incriminating sheets.
Just as he was about to open the door, he paused.
He set the pile down and gently twisted the doorknob, poking his head out to peek around.
He then crept down the hallway to the junction with the courtyard, peeking out into the living room.
Good.
As he'd suspected, six in the morning was way too early for any normal human to be up.
Satisfied, he grabbed his laundry and headed downstairs.
The laundry room in the Ruyi Dorm was next to Naoka's workshop, near the garage—also well soundproofed, so he could run the washing machine without disturbing anyone upstairs, even at midnight.
As for why he hadn't just taken care of it the night before? Well… he'd been too busy replaying the memories.
He dumped the clothes into the washing machine.
Even though there was a separate machine for underwear and lingerie, Kyousuke chose to hand wash it himself—a man's pride.
Feeling a bit relieved, Kyousuke left the laundry room, thinking about which sword technique to practice this morning as he walked toward the living room.
He opened the fridge, planning to grab his first sip of Coke for the day, when a soft, dreamy-sounding voice called from behind him:
"Kyousuke-kun?"
The small, sleepy voice sounded almost like a murmur from a dream.
Kyousuke turned around and saw Shouko standing on the reddish-brown open staircase, dressed in her soft pink cotton pajamas, rubbing her eyes as she looked at him.
Her chubby, adorable face was still drowsy, and her expression seemed to question whether she was seeing things.
"Kyousuke-kun!" Her tone brightened a little as Nishimiya Shouko confirmed that she wasn't imagining it.
Her large, sleepy eyes instantly lit up, and a delighted smile spread across her face.
She grabbed the handrail and quickly made her way down the stairs in her cozy slippers.
"Good morning, Kyousuke-kun~"
She hurried over to stand in front of him, her little face beaming with joy as she looked up at him.
"Morning, Shouko"
Kyousuke naturally reached out and placed his hand on her small head, gently ruffling her hair.
Shouko was like a cat—she had that same mix of docile charm and quiet stubbornness, and she loved being petted just the same.
On this topic, he was an expert! An expert in caring for Nishimiya Shouko.
Feeling the familiar warmth and weight of his hand on her head, Shouko lowered her head slightly, her eyes curving into soft, contented crescents as she smiled.
"Kyousuke-kun, how come—"
"Shouko, why are you up so early? Even if you're making breakfast, this is way too early, isn't it?" He cut her off gently.
If he told her he'd been doing laundry, Shouko would definitely offer to take over from there.
It made sense for a neat freak like him to do laundry early in the morning, but washing bed sheets might raise some suspicious questions.
"It's not that," Shouko said softly. "Last night, you messaged saying you'd make breakfast today, remember?"
She walked over to the water purifier, poured herself a glass of water, and took two small sips before continuing:
"It's about the sports festival—I've been assigned to the costume department, making outfits for Sakura and the others."
"But after school, I have lessons at the academy, and most of my other time is spent practicing dance. So I thought I'd start working on them early in the mornings."
Her voice was hushed, clearly so she wouldn't disturb anyone else who was still sleeping.
It was a habit she'd developed growing up. Back in Suimon City, she and Yuzuru shared a room, and even the smallest noise would wake her.
Their mother always worked late and slept lightly, so even a tiny sound could wake her from sleep that was never truly restful.
As for their grandmother, elderly people already slept lightly. In that environment, Shouko had learned to move and speak as quietly as possible.
Even after living in this dorm for so long, she hadn't managed to shake that habit—and she didn't really want to.
After all… Kyousuke-kun also hated being woken up when he was sleeping.
"I see. That sounds like a lot of work. How about asking everyone to help out? Actually, besides… well, we can ask Yukari to help! Or maybe get Naoka involved too. She could sponsor the costumes by printing her studio's logo on them…"
Kyousuke was about to say he didn't have anything else to do besides dance practice, but then he remembered—dancing itself was already a monumental task.
Yukari, with her refined, classical skills and talent for crafting, would be perfect to help.
She'd already shown her skills back in Itomori.
Shouko tilted her head slightly, listening to his muttered suggestions, her long eyelashes fluttering as she smiled. Her big eyes were bright with delight.
"Mhm~" She shook her head and spoke softly, her voice light as a kitten's tail brushing against your foot.
"This is fine for now. I'm not like Eriri—she loves to sleep so much~"
She turned her head a little to hide her face as she finished her sentence, and then let out a quiet, embarrassed giggle.
Quickly, she raised her hand to cover her mouth, still giggling softly.
"Haha, well, Eriri's still growing, you know—she needs her sleep."
Kyousuke laughed heartily.
He was the one who'd been scolding Eriri to sleep more instead of pulling all-nighters, so it was only fair that the once sleep-deprived otaku had turned into an unstoppable napper.
"How about you, Kyousuke-kun? Why are you up so early today?" Shouko asked softly.
When it came to sleeping, Kyousuke was even more devoted than Eriri.
Seeing him awake at dawn was a rare sight.
"Uh… hahaha. Didn't I say yesterday I'd make breakfast today? I wanted to try a dish that takes a bit of time, so I woke up early."
He forced a laugh to cover for himself, relieved that there was a dryer in the house—no one would see the sheets he'd hastily washed.
"I see. Then let me help too," Shouko said cheerfully, clapping her small hands together.
"Huh? Don't you have to work on the costumes?" he asked, surprised.
"That can wait a little~"
Shouko glanced up at the second floor, making sure all the bedroom doors were still shut.
It was such a rare chance to spend some quiet time alone with Kyousuke-kun—how could she waste it?
"Haha~"
Understanding her intention, Kyousuke chuckled and reached out to gently pinch Shouko's nose.
She squinted her eyes shut and laughed softly in return.
"Alright then, let's cook together."
As he stepped into the kitchen, he realized with a hint of surprise that even when he was close enough to feel the warmth and scent of Shouko's body while tying an apron around her waist, he felt no inappropriate urges.
He was genuinely relieved—Eriri's complaints were clearly an exaggeration.
How could he be some lecherous pervert who only thought of dirty things?
Shouko, meanwhile, felt her cheeks flush bright red as she felt his careful hands tying the apron around her.
She bit her lip shyly, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
The kitchen in Ruyi Dorm was twice the size of his old apartment's kitchen in Sendagi.
It even had a three-burner stove, but with the two of them working side by side, it felt cozy rather than crowded.
"Kyousuke-kun, this lettuce is so sweet!" Shouko said, tearing off a crisp leaf and feeding it to him.
"It really is. This market's produce is great. Let's buy from there more often," he replied.
"Shouko, try this cornbread and see how sweet it is."
And so, the morning turned into a gentle, shared cooking session—some might even call it a feeding game—unfolding in the warm light of the kitchen.
Even Momotarou, the dorm's dog, was woken up by the sounds of laughter and padded over, calling for a piece of carrot from his big brother.