Chapter 19: Rainbow-Colored Eyes… Are Those Mystic Eyes?

Eye colors can be surprisingly unique. Even if they look black, there might be hints of brown mixed in. The same goes for everyone in the Rentarou family. Though, in their case, the colors are especially vibrant.

"Kurumi-san's eyes during meals are so beautiful… that blue-green shade, like emeralds…"

"I know… they sparkle so brightly…"

"I think so too!!"

Yeah… Kurumi-chan’s eyes are one of her best features. When she’s eating, they shine even brighter than usual—it’s really soothing to watch. Here, have some more? This sea cucumber bento was made with Hahari-san’s help. It was only possible because she kept it chilled on the way here. A bento box with a cooling function, huh…? This really opens up new possibilities for future lunches. Hahari-san, you’re a lifesaver…!

"Th-That’s not true… Nano-senpai and Shizuka-senpai’s eyes are way clearer…!!"

"[Hakari-san and Hahari-san’s eyes are like gemstones of the same color.]"

"I think so too!!"

"Kusuri’s green eyes have a calming effect."

"I think so too!!"

"You’re all right… Karane’s amber-like eyes are nice too…"

"True, Karane’s eyes have this fierce, predatory look to them!"

"I think so too!!"

"Are you complimenting her or what?! If we’re going there… Kawaru’s eyes are like clear jade, like a river…"

"I think so too!!"

People always say my eyes look like a river… Why? Even Rentarou said it. Do I really have something river-like about them? What even is "river-like"?

But lately, Rentarou’s just been acting like a "I think so too" bot… Actually, nobody’s mentioned his eyes yet. Hmm… I wonder what they look like…?

I take a proper look at Rentarou’s eyes, straight on. Sometimes they turn into ❤️ shapes, but normally, there’s nothing unusual about them. The color’s subdued, and staring into them feels… really calming. Like you can let your guard down.

"Kawaru…? Uh… you’re kinda…"

"Hold still… I’m gonna look a little longer…"

I could stare forever—hey, stop darting them around like that! If you look away, it’s harder to see—

"Y-You’re… too close…!"

"Too close too close too close!!"

"Our foreheads are touching…?"

…Now that they mention it. I do feel something against my forehead… I didn’t even notice. His eyes really are mesmerizing… Rentarou’s face is bright red, probably from having someone stare at him this closely—and from seeing my face up close too. Huh. …Let’s do this again sometime.

But… y’know, after looking at everyone’s eyes, I realized something.

"Kinda weird how many of us have green eyes, right?"

"Now that you mention it… My mother and I both…"

"Kusuri too!"

"Mine are green too, y’know…"

Hmm… At this point, aren’t they the majority? Mine are green too. So does that mean Rentarou… has a thing for green eyes? Well, he doesn’t seem that picky, so it’s probably just a coincidence.

"Speaking of eye colors… Meido’s eyes are so pretty too~!"

"Th-That’s absurd…"

"Nah… I’ve literally never seen ’em!! She’s always smiling!!"

The maid’s eyes, huh… Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen them. She’s rarely ever fully opens them—is this one of those "narrow-eyed character" tropes? Huh… Pretty stylish…!

"Come to think of it… I haven’t seen them either?"

"You live in the same house?!"

"How do you not see them when you’re living together?!"

Even Hahari hasn’t seen them… Wait, why hasn’t anyone seen them? Karane and Kurumi-chan’s reactions are way too valid. Even if she’s a maid, you’d normally catch a glimpse at some point when living together…

"[I wonder what color her eyes are…]"

"Can’t guess from her hair color… Some people match, like me or Rentarou, but others don’t."

"Without that clue, it’s impossible to predict…"

Yeah. What color are they…?

"Meido’s eyes… are rainbow-colored."

"What kinda backstory is that?!"

Rainbow-colored?! Who could’ve predicted that?! That’s way beyond normal color guesses…! But rainbow eyes, huh. I kinda wanna see ’em now…

"Ehh?! Stop smiling—I wanna see the rainbow eyes!"

"I’m kinda curious too…"

"N-No… A maid must always smile in her master’s presence…"

Fair enough… I guess that makes sense. Still, rainbow eyes… What do they even look like? Shame we can’t see ’em…

"Fine by me. I’d like to see them again too…"

"As you wish."

Wait, we’re actually getting to see them?! Hahari’s authority is insane. But damn, Meido-san—the instant Hahari gave the order, she switched modes. Like, zero hesitation. It’s like she was walking forward one second, then snap, she’s walking backward the next. That’s some instant obedience.

"Huh…? My facial muscles aren’t cooperating."

"How were you breathing with them shut this tight?!"

"You mean you weren’t trying to keep ’em closed?!"

Wait, seriously? Even Karane and Kurumi-chan had to react to that—actually, anyone would. Huh?! Her eyelids just won’t open? How tightly does she usually keep ’em shut?!

Meido-san tried prying them open by force, but even with a nightmare-inducing strained face, they wouldn’t budge. What kinda eyelid strength is that?! Wait—surgical removal?! You’d go that far?! Like Hahari said, she’s too loyal…!!

Damn… She really was hiding something intense. Didn’t see that coming. At this rate, she might even join the family! …Nah, probably not. Even with 101 soulmates, odds are this close a match is rare.

"…Y’know, every time I see a ‘narrow-eyed’ character, I gotta ask: How do they see like that?"

"It should be obvious I can’t see like this."

"You can’t?!"

"How do you live without seeing?!"

Live without seeing?! What kinda life is that? …By sound and intuition? What is this, a blind martial arts master trope?! That’s cool as hell… Gotta ask her for tips later.

"[Eek!]"

It was sudden. Shizuka let out an adorable yelp. What’s up? Did something—nah, nothing happened. The moment everyone turned to look, Shizuka flushed in embarrassment. Then, Rentarou started fake-falling backward.

Huh? Pulling a clumsy stunt now? That’s my thing. Wait—no. This fall’s deliberate. And the timing… Shizuka? Oh. He’s pretending to be startled by her yell.

…Legendary, Rentarou. In 0.2 seconds, he decoded Shizuka’s plan—she wanted to startle Meido after hearing she navigates by sound. But for Rentarou to immediately play along…?!

Hm? Why didn’t I fake-fall if I figured it out too? Dumb question. If someone suddenly yelps right in front of you, of course I’d freak out! I already ate pavement.

"WAAAH—SCARED THE CRAP OUTTA ME!!"

"GYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!"

Owowowow. Smacked the back of my skull good… C’mon, anyone would freak out! Even if Shizuka’s adorable, a sudden scream would—…Huh. Nobody else reacted. Meido-san didn’t even blink. Wait… Is not flinching the norm here?!

Shizuka, flushed with embarrassment over her failed plan, gets headpats from Nano… while Kurumi-chan watches enviously… and Hahari-san arches her back, drooling at the sight. Okay, this is… not very motherly. Or is doting on juniors a mom trait? Ugh. The ❤️-shaped tongue and waterfall of drool ruin the vibe. Yeah, no—mom status revoked.

The family kept trying everything after that. Kusuri-senpai’s "skin-melting, agony-inducing splash potion" got vetoed. Nagisa’s "surprise box-cutter ambush" backfired spectacularly—

—because jabbing a blade (fake-out, but still) at Meido made Shizuka panic until Nano confessed it was staged… then she burst into tears. Yikes. Nano’s flustered apologies aren’t helping. No malice here, just good intentions gone horribly wrong. Rentarou’s damage control’ll fix it, but damn, what a mess.

And Meido-san? Immediately tried bidding farewell to Hahari, convinced she’d been fatally stabbed. Not loyalty—insanity. Karane nailed it: "Poetic, but deranged."

Next, Kurumi-chan offered Meido a steamed bun. Probably some hellspice trap, right? Nope. Meido ate it unfazed—while Kurumi-chan gaped like reality broke. Ohhh… Right. Kurumi’s eyes always fly open when she eats something delicious. Adorable. "Wait… normal people don’t do that?" Gotta bake her extra treats later.

Her stomach growled (bun uneaten), so when Kusuri-senpai tossed cookies, Kurumi-chan scampered after them like a puppy. Cuteness overload!!

Final Strategy: Meido’s Happiness. According to her, Hahari’s happiness = Meido’s happiness. Logical conclusion? Make Hahari happy. Hakari’s solution? "Make Karane and Hahari flirt." Why.

Somehow, this almost worked (disastrously well). Hakari barely stopped them before things escalated to "legally dubious." Karane was millimeters from kissing Hahari—again. Rumor says it happened during the "Kissing Zombie Incident" too. Coincidence? Doubt it.

Hahari, blue-balled and wailing, got sandwiched between Kusuri and Shizuka—a "Loli Burger (??)" that calmed her down. But now she’s staring at me. Not imagining it.

Ugh. Fine. One time only.

"Fwawawa~! Loli Triple-Decker!!"

"Triple...? Wouldn't it be a double with just one extra patty...?"

Since she looked so desperate, I let myself get sandwiched as the "burger filling"—though technically, it was Hahari-san squeezing me to death. But loli...? That doesn't sit right.

Sure, she's shorter than Kurumi-chan now, but 148cm... Wait, no, it's been dropping since I became a girl. Actually, I've been slowly shrinking lately. Haven't measured exactly, but I’ve probably lost nearly 10cm.

Why, though...?! If this were part of becoming a girl, other stuff should change too, right?! Why just height? That’s brutal... Oh god... Am I getting demoted from girl to loli status...?!

"Details don’t matter! C’mon, hug Hahari tighter!"

"[We must sandwich properly to achieve burger perfection.]"

"At this point, double, triple—whatever!!"

"Buddha! Jesus! This is salvation!!"

Result: Hahari-san looked blissed out... but Meido’s eyes still didn’t open.

Turns out... Triple wasn’t enough.We needed... thick-cut beef—...A.K.A. Rentarou.