Chapter 14: Fem-Kazuma (7)

Did you know that the average human blinks about 15-20 times per minute? It's a subconscious action that helps keep our eyes moist and free from debris. However, today's events will challenge even the most seasoned blinkers as our protagonist, Shido, finds himself caught in a blink-worthy predicament. Shido stood frozen, his eyes widening like a deer caught in the headlights. Aqua, the goddess with the knack for turning any situation into a spectacle, blinked back at him, seemingly oblivious to her lack of divine modesty. "A-Aqua?" Shido stammered again, hoping that maybe this was some bizarre dream. Aqua, however, reacted in a way only she could know why. (And I thought it was weird why, in those harem-type series, the protagonist would always open the door on one of his harem changing their clothes,) Aqua muttered with a dramatic flair. (It's not like those poor girls didn't close the damn door... it's just a curse) The intense exchange of glances had lasted for over a whole minute already, broken only by the deep sigh of Aqua as she sank into the bathtub. "Just leave and close the door behind," she mumbled, her frustration evident in her voice. "Huh?" Shido blinked, still grappling with the absurdity of the situation. "I said leave!" Aqua raised her hand, splashing water in a gesture of dismissal. "Close the damn door and let me get some peace!" "W-wait..." Shido stumbled over his words, "You won't attack me when I turn my back to you, right?" "Huh?" Aqua looked genuinely perplexed. "Why would I do that?" "No, well... I mean..." Aqua rolled her eyes, "Brother, just leave" Shido nodded rapidly. "Right, right" Realizing he had overstayed his welcome, Shido hurriedly closed the door behind him, the sound of it echoing the awkwardness of the encounter. "..." ◇◇◇◇ "Uuuu... One more time, Origami." Sitting in the living room of the Itsuka residence with a video game controller in hand, Tohka shouted aloud enthusiastically. She was a young girl who possessed characteristically unique features, including long dark hair and crystalline pupils. Nevertheless, her regular face is often distorted and twisted nowadays due to profound regret. The reason was simple. On the monitor before Tohka's eyes, a fallen avatar and the characters {K.O.!} were glimmering intermittently. "The result is the same no matter how many times you try." The person who had replied was the girl sitting beside Tohka, Tobiichi Origami. At that moment, she was attentively staring at the screen with a relaxed expression that was the complete opposite of Tohka's demeanor. Overall score - five losses out of five battles. Originally, Tohka had only decided to swap places with the Yamai sisters after witnessing them play and thinking that it would be quite amusing to have a go. Yet ever since she started the game, Tohka had been repeatedly defeated and toyed with by Origami using her superb techniques over and over again, unable to seize even a single victory. Seeing the two of them compete with each other emulously in a rather one-sided battle, Kaguya spoke from behind their backs. "Kaka, worthy of thy standing indeed, Origami. Verily I must not brush aside my kin's sufferance. The time has arrived for this me to be your adversary." "Criticism. Kaguya cannot even win against Yuzuru." Sitting next to her twin sister, Yuzuru said so with an underweening puff. In response, Kaguya then yelled in an unsatisfied tone. "T-That means of subjugation is unacceptable! Not in the least elegant!" "Denial. A win is a win. Kaguya only requires observing herself being slaughtered until she becomes enraged with irritation." "U-Uguuu..." Kaguya bitterly groaned with remorse. In reality, even if it was the chess game in which she was a grandmaster, the times when she had the tables turned against her through a magnificent counterattack accounted for the vast majority. "E-Everyone... Please get along more..." "Games are supposed to be for having fun!" From behind the Yamai sisters, Yoshino's frail voice could be heard along with the ventriloquism of the rabbit puppet, Yoshinon, which Yoshino had mounted on her left hand. At the rear of the living room, Yoshino, Natsumi, Shirou, and Miku were watching the gaming group's intensifying showdown together while gracefully sipping black tea. "Right, relationships come first. Just like Shirou-chan and me!" "...There's nothing between us. Speaking of which, why are you getting closer to me little by little? It's creepy." "Eh? I'm not closing the distance or anything. If you had felt something like that, it must've been an illusion. In Shirou-chan's heart, my existence is becoming more and more significant!" "...Uh, that, anyway, can you remove your hand that's attached to my knee? Also, stop wriggling your fingers now and then." Miku and Shirou thus began the attack and defense war between them. Although she had gained awareness of the combat occurring on the other side, her own battle took precedence within her train of thought. Tohka shook her head and issued a declaration in a loud voice. "Alright, I won't stop until I vanquish you! Time for the tiebreaker, Ori—" However, Tohka's war cry halted midway. Her ears seemed to have detected some sort of sound, that would be made if someone made their way downstairs in a hurry. "—?" With Origami leading in front, everybody else gradually noticed the oddity and suspended their dialogues while pricking their ears up. "Is that rain?" Shirou was the first to speak up, breaking the sudden silence.