"I… What's wrong with earning my keep through honest work? As for our relationship, there's some inevitability to it, but… for instance, if I quit your household, I wouldn't need your family's money."
Saki clenched her fists, her urgent explanation stumbling over itself.
"So, you're saying you don't mind, right?"
"As long as I'm not asked to do anything bizarre, I'm fine. Even if I were working nights at the Okura Hotel and you showed up, I wouldn't care," Saki said, blushing slightly as she stole a glance at him. "But you—having a female classmate working at your house, seen by others, are you okay with that?"
"I'm fine, obviously. Why else would I ask? What's up?"
"Nothing…"
Saki turned away, muttering to herself, I thought you were the one who minded, testing me…
"Also, tomorrow we'll hang out by the pool. Want to swim?"
"No, no…" Saki shook her head vigorously, then froze, whispering, "Is it… okay if I don't swim, Master Kagura?"
"Of course." Kagura beckoned her to sit beside him, pulling her into an embrace as they fell onto the bed. Sniffing her fragrant hair, he said, "Qiong won't swim either. You two can just bring us things."
"Understood… By the way, Master Kagura, where are your hands wandering?"
Feeling his touch, Saki's still-sensitive body reacted instantly.
"Caressing your exquisite breasts."
"You came three times not long ago, and you want more? Ugh… Fine."
Saki closed her eyes, thinking, My own doing…
They continued from after dinner until nearly eleven. Saki, exhausted, "passed out," while Kagura, refreshed by a cleaning spell on the bed and their bodies, leaned against the headboard, phone in hand.
Left hand on the phone, right stroking Saki's hair, he admired her serene sleeping face and still-prominent breasts, sighing, "Intimacy is life's great joy, but with it comes responsibility… Saki needs a Golden Apple too…"
Checking his phone, he saw a new LINE friend request.
The applicant, "Tsume," had a sunflower avatar, very middle-aged. The greeting read, I'm Hoko Tsume. Thank you for looking after Rumi. Clearly, it was Teacher Tsume. Kagura accepted without much thought. Given the late hour, he replied only with a dynamic panda "OK" emoji.
Tsume, seemingly glued to her phone, responded instantly with a smiley, then sent a QR code.
What's this…? Kagura asked before scanning.
Apologies for the expense, but I bought Rumi a phone and got her a SIM card this afternoon. This is her LINE QR code. Please add her, Teacher Sawamura, so you can discuss lessons or scheduling directly.
Tsume replied promptly.
Rumi had Kagura's number (from his business card), but, being under 18, couldn't add him via phone or ID due to age verification.
Kagura thanked her, scanned the code, and opened Rumi's profile. Like many bright, self-taught kids, she'd mastered the phone's functions on day one, outpacing adults. Changing wallpapers and avatars was child's play, as evident in what Kagura saw:
Avatar: A starry night sky.
Wallpaper: A 45-degree shot of her home piano.
Nickname: Seito Starry Galaxy. It evoked a yearning for freedom, distinct from typical childish elementary students. The piano wallpaper reflected her dedication, but the nickname, Seito (female student), was amusingly blunt. It fit perfectly—she was a cute girl, an elementary student, and his pupil—but it was almost too literal, as if her mom had insisted on it.
Yet, Kagura reconsidered. Rumi wasn't childish; she had personality. Seito might reference Osamu Dazai's short story of the same name. If she loved it, using it as a nickname was natural, even carrying a wry, self-deprecating charm.
Perhaps the name was a filter, weeding out shallow people who'd mock it, like those who'd scoff at A Brief History of Time with, "What? 'Pick up shit'? I don't pick shit in my spare time!"
Kagura added her, messaging, Good evening, Rumi. I'm Kagura. Nice nickname!
Rumi, still awake, quickly accepted and replied eagerly, You've read Dazai too?!
Kagura thought, Knew it, and responded, Read that one. Haven't tackled his longer works.
Music consumed most of his time, leaving little for reading, resulting in barely passing grades in literature.
Rumi sent ellipses, then, Good night. I'm sleepy, going to bed.
Kagura wished her good night, confirmed Megumi Kato and Utaha's addresses, and sent them to Nao, instructing timely pickups.
Tossing his phone aside to sleep, he grabbed it again, messaging Eriri, Sorry.
Eriri replied instantly, Sorry, my foot! Instead of apologizing, drink that tea! Good night!
Her unreasonable response made Kagura smile. She wasn't truly mad. Setting an alarm for a lie-in, he snuggled Saki and slept.
At 10:30 AM, Kagura woke to a numb waist.
Saki was gone, but the bed curtains, left open last night, were now drawn tightly—likely her doing. Despite his Golden Apple immortality, fatigue lingered from their wild night. He sighed inwardly, Yesterday was too much…
"System, check-in."
His eyes, gummy as if glued with starch, blurred. Rubbing them, he twisted, summoning the system.
"Check-in successful."
Fatigue vanished, leaving him invigorated, as if he could run a marathon in his robe.
Exaggeration aside, he felt genuinely refreshed.
Springing up, he called, "Saki?"
No response.
Spotting the walkie-talkie on his nightstand, he used it, contacting Saki. She'd woken at night, slipped to her room, and was likely pretending "I just arrived" to Eriri and Qiong.
1:40 PM.
"Thirty-three degrees Celsius… Not too hot."
Shirtless at the pool's white, non-slip edge, Kagura shielded his eyes. His toned muscles drew furtive glances from maids at the rear windows.
He knew the system kept him cool.
The pool, cleaned yesterday and touched up this morning, held fresh midday water. His home's pool resembled two "fried eggs" joined together. The "egg" near the house, the shallow end, was slightly smaller than the deeper end—18 meters long, 8 meters at its widest, 6 at its narrowest—ample for five or six people.
Glancing back, three rear doors led from the ground floor: one near a shower and restroom, where clothes could be stored; another to the kitchen.
As the only man at today's meeting, Kagura was shooed to the pool by Eriri early.
"Sunshade's up… Cooler, drinks, ice cream, desserts… Cushioned loungers, floaties, yoga balls, laminated proposals… Ai's efficiency is unreal."
Wearing loose, knee-length dark green swim trunks—belt secured—Kagura flipped through the waterproof, laminated proposals on the folding wooden table under the sunshade. Each thickened drastically, bound with steel rings, pens swapped for highlighters. Ai had meticulously prepared enough for everyone, stacked neatly on the round, rotating table.
Pop! Kagura grabbed a non-alcoholic beer from the cooler, sipping comfortably. Soon, a white sedan parked in the front courtyard, where Saki waited.
As it stopped, Saki, in white silk gloves, opened the door with a click. "Miss Kato, Miss Kasumigaoka, on behalf of Master Kagura, I welcome you. Please, disembark."
Saki spoke formally, unruffled.
"Eh? You… I know you…?" Megumi Kato, about to take Saki's hand, froze.
"What's up, Kato?" Utaha, on the other side, glanced at the "maid."
A chronic classroom napper, Utaha didn't recognize Saki, a second-year from Class F at Sobu High.
"Kawasaki Saki…" Saki bowed, expressionless, hand on chest. "Second-year, Class F, Sobu High."
"Class F? Same as Kaguya-kun?" Utaha squeezed past Kato, eyeing her. "What do you do here?"
She recalled the rooftop bento Kagura shared, likely made by the chef for him, while he ate Saki's.
Saki wasn't strikingly beautiful—Utaha felt her own looks and figure matched or surpassed her, especially in face and skin tone.
Has this maid already… grown close to Kaguya-kun?
"Huh?" Saki frowned, tilting her head. "I'd like to ask you, Miss Kasumigaoka, who's 'Kaguya-kun'?"
"I think Senpai means your 'Master Kagura'… The pronunciation's similar," Kato said uncertainly from the corner.
"I see…" Saki relaxed, exhaling. "Yes, on rest days, I work as a maid here."
"Eh? Did you owe Sawamura-kun three million yen too?" Kato recalled their first date, when Kagura paid Yumiko Miura three million to thank her for helping them, joking, "I'm not worth three million." He'd teased, "You could work as a maid at my house."
Seeing a classmate actually working as a maid, Kato connected the dots.
"Three million? Too?" Saki grew more confused, and Utaha asked Kato, "Did you sell yourself as the heroine for three million?"
"No… I…" Kato tried to clarify it was a joke, but Utaha cut her off.
"Three million for a heroine? With Kaguya-kun's wealth, it'd be thirty million—no, three billion!"
"With that deficit before our Galgame even starts, is that okay?" Kato quipped.
The misunderstanding cleared, Saki led them to the ground-floor living room.
Kato had visited once with Hachiman, but waiting weren't Kagura or Ai—only Eriri and Qiong.
Eriri had Qiong serve tea. After sipping, Kato and Utaha, exchanging glances, asked simultaneously, "Um… Sawamura Eriri-san, where's Sawamura-kun/Kaguya-kun?"
"Sent him to the pool. Want him watching you change?" Eriri signaled Qiong, set down her cup, and headed to the changing-shower area. "This way. Changing now's fine, right?"
"Uh…" Kato hesitated, but Utaha, unfazed, followed, tossing her chest-length hair. "Straight to swimsuits might overwhelm Kaguya-kun. Maybe let him adjust first? He's a teenage boy, after all…"
Despite her words, Utaha needed adjusting. This was her first time wearing a swimsuit for a specific guy (school swim classes or family beach trips didn't count). She recalled jokingly asking Kagura to touch her leg on the rooftop—and he did…
—Swimsuits for special play? But his sister's here… Probably not.
"Up to you. Ask Qiong or Kawasaki for the changing room. I'm going to change. Bye~" Eriri waved, pouting smugly, striding off.
Utaha paused, and Kato tilted her head. "Kasumigaoka-senpai?"
"…" Utaha, wicker bag on her right shoulder, clenched her fist, muttering, "That childish figure, so arrogant. Just because she's his sister, she can flaunt swimsuits? Ugh, infuriating!"
A dark aura seemed to lift her waist-length black hair, like a dark-haired witch casting an evil spell.
"Uh… Maybe we skip swimsuits, Senpai? Sawamura-kun said it's optional…" Kato twirled her hair, eyeing Qiong and Saki.
Both wore maid outfits, recently updated for summer: short sleeves, knee-length skirts, shorter aprons, and Mary Jane heels with knee-high stockings. Qiong wore white thigh-highs (to avoid matching Saki's black ones).
Kato wondered, They're not changing?
"Qiong and I are just maids, serving, not swimming," Qiong said simply, dispelling Kato's doubts.
"Phew—" Utaha lowered her fist, exhaling, turning to Kato with resolve. Kato asked tentatively, "So, Senpai, we go as is?"
"No, I, Kasumigaoka Utaha, won't let that pint-sized Sawamura Eriri look down on me! A swimsuit? Hmph!" Utaha stormed to the changing room.
Kato, left behind, murmured, "Calling her a pint-size in front of her maids… Isn't that a bit…"
In the changing room, Eriri hadn't left. Eight cubicles—four left, four right—had frosted glass from chest to hips. For Eriri's height, it reached her neck.
Seeing Utaha, Eriri ducked, only her blonde head visible.
"Oh, Sawamura Eriri-san. Thought you'd changed and gone," Utaha thought, Overestimated you… You're shy too.
Caught, Eriri stood, puffing her cheeks, feigning nonchalance from the nearest cubicle. "I… I was waiting for you, worried you'd be shy. Be grateful!"
"Really?" Utaha glanced down, smirking, entering a cubicle, hanging her bag, and undressing. "I assumed you were too shy to face your brother in a swimsuit, waiting for us. My mistake~ Thanks for waiting, Sawamura Eriri-san."
"Grr…" Eriri, her cowardice exposed, shrank, silent.
Through the glass, Utaha saw Eriri's red bikini, likely tie-style.
Perfect—Utaha's own bikini was minimal, and she'd feel awkward if the others were conservative.
"Eriri…" Eriri muttered.
"Hm? You mutter your own name, Sawamura Eriri-san?" Utaha unfastened her skirt, sliding it off her rounded hips.
"I mean—" Eriri raised her voice, annoyed, "'Sawamura Eriri' is too long and clunky. Call me Eriri."
"I see, Eriri-san." Utaha flipped her hand playfully, winking. "Add 'Senpai' when addressing me."
"No way, Kasumigaoka Utaha!!"
"Oh? You want your first name used for convenience but call me by my full name? Nice double standard, Kawamura-san~"
"Not a double standard! And it's not Kawamura!! Call me Sawamura!!"
"Fine. Since you won't call me Senpai, I'll stick with Kawamura-san."
"Kasumigaoka Utaha…!!!" Eriri flailed in her cubicle.
She lacked the courage to leave, never having worn a swimsuit before outsiders, even women.
Utaha stripped naked, applying nipple pasties and a sanitary pad wing in her bikini bottom to prevent camel toe. Normally, the padding sufficed, but for her first swimsuit display before a specific guy, she took no chances.
After Kagura's call, she'd trimmed her pubic hair to avoid stray strands.
Then, Kato entered.
"Eek…!" Kato, startled by their stares, covered her chest nervously. She'd thought they were at the pool, not here, with Utaha nearly naked (visible through the glass).
"What's the squeal, Kato-san? We're all girls," Eriri said, head peeking out, squinting.
"I thought you were both in the pool…"
Kato lowered her hand, blinking.
"Oh, Kato-san! Thought you bailed. Come, strip naked!" Utaha said, tying her bikini, adjusting the bottom's edges with a snap, checking for issues—clear.
"Senpai's words sound like harassment…" Kato chose the cubicle opposite Utaha, stowing her white tote, unbuttoning her shirt.
"You're the second heroine, right? Heroines strip boldly, act daringly~" Utaha teased.
"Eriri-san, you're changed, right?"
"So what??"
"Then head to the pool. Your staring feels… odd."
"I'm staring, so what? Can't look? Won't lose flesh!"
"Even among girls, your gaze and words feel pervy, Eriri-san."
"Kato-san, rest assured, my keen eye for the erotic is just my doujin artist's professionalism!"
"That's not reassuring…" Kato muttered, stripping naked.
Before high school, Kato underwent full-body hair removal, completed by her first year, eliminating all unwanted hair, including pubic. Utaha had too, but kept her pubic hair, preferring not to look too bare.
Kato used nipple pasties but skipped extra padding below, slipping into her swimsuit.
"Oh, call me Eriri. 'Sawamura Eriri-san' is too long," Eriri waved generously.
"Okay, Eriri."
"At least add '-san'…"
"Alright, Eriri-san~"
"I'll call you Megumi~" Eriri grinned.
"No '-san' for me? Fine," Kato sighed, adjusting her swimsuit, twirling her hair. "Now what? We can't wait here for the first heroine…"
"Oh, who's that? J-Class's Hayasaka Ai… or someone else?" Utaha, prompted by Kato, remembered the first heroine.
"It's her. She messaged she'll be late. Let's go. Dawdling's pointless," Eriri grabbed her bag, pushing open her glass partition.
"Worthy of the first heroine, making us extras wait. Such flair," Utaha said pointedly, following, grabbing her bag.
"If she doesn't wear a swimsuit, won't we look awkward?"
"No worries, Kato-san. Four-to-one, she's the odd one. If we're not embarrassed, she is," Utaha reassured.
"Makes sense…"
"Go…" Eriri gripped the doorknob, legs trembling, face red, turning back. "I… I'll go second. Who's first?"
Utaha and Kato's eyes shifted to "→_→," saying in unison, "Kawamura-san/Eriri-san, isn't this your house…?"
Both thought, So you're a coward too…
"I said it's not Kawamura—!!!" Eriri's roar reached Kagura, dozing by the pool.
He jolted up from the lounger, a laminated proposal covering his face falling with a thud. Picking it up, he dusted it, abandoning tissue wipes.
Hearing light, mingled footsteps, he turned, eyes lighting up—three times over.
His blood-related sister, Eriri, who'd briefly pleasured him yesterday, wore a red tie-style bikini. Her barely B-cup breasts meant minimal side-boob despite scant fabric, revealing her chest clearly but, sadly, no cleavage. Black bow ties at her neck, back, and waist, plus black ribbons for her twintails, added charm.
The bikini bottom had cutouts, covering only essentials, all low-rise like the others'.
If flat chests were a charm point, Eriri was flawless, with slender legs rivaling Qiong's and the fairest skin among them.
To her left, Utaha, a year older, exuded senior confidence, her expression the most natural. Unlike Eriri, who seemed ready to shield her chest, or the visibly shy Kato, Utaha was all "look all you want."
Her purple-and-black-tied bikini matched Eriri's in coverage but differed starkly, cradling two heavy melons, her cleavage deep, breasts round and glossy. Her waist was similar to Eriri's, but her bottoms were even skimpier.
More cutouts exposed her lower abdomen and thigh joints, the front barely covering her pubic mound.
Her full breasts swayed with each step, captivating.
Kato, behind Eriri's right, focused on the pool's rippling water, glancing at Kagura only briefly. Her right hand weakly covered her chest, nearly matching Utaha's. Kato's that big? Her cleavage, less pronounced, was still notable.
Her bikini's wide, ribbon-like ties under her breasts resembled gift bows. The black-and-white striped, cleavage-enhancing bikini lacked cutouts, paired with a beach wrap skirt, semi-hiding her bottoms and legs, hinting at panties.
Her shyness was evident.
"You're gawking like a creep, jerk brother! Polite people look briefly, then away!" Eriri crossed her arms over her flat chest.
"Oh, Kawamura-san, I didn't say to stop Kaguya-kun from looking. Don't drag me into it. And do you need to cover? There's nothing to hide~" Utaha teased, tossing her left hair, striking a chest-thrusting pose.
"What'd you say, Kasumigaoka Utaha?!"
"I'm embarrassed dressed like this…" Kato bit her lip, glancing at Kagura.
—Sawamura-kun's body under clothes is impressive…
A system prompt sounded.
"Greetings, Lord Kagura. A bounty is issued. Choose one or skip:
A: Compliment their swimsuits.
B: Ignore their swimsuits.
C: Strip their swimsuits."
"C, seriously? I'm no lustful fiend. I'll take A," Kagura decided, returning to reality.
"When I saw you three, time froze, so I stared," Kagura said shamelessly, taking Kato and Utaha's hands. "Megumi, Utaha-senpai, Eriri, your swimsuits suit you perfectly. This view, exclusive to me, is pure bliss."
He released their hands.
Eriri, unheld, kept her arms crossed, glaring, only lowering them after he let go, muttering curses he didn't catch.
The system announced, "Thank you for completing the bounty. You've gained: [Nutritious Semen] and a 5% female sensitivity enhancement potion."
Nutritious Semen…? I can guess what that is, Kagura smirked in the system's void.
"As you surmised, your semen now has high, comprehensive nutritional value. A liter daily meets an adult woman's energy needs, with skin-beautifying and fat-burning effects. Even with heavy food and semen intake, no weight gain occurs, nor unhealthy thinness from semen-only diets."
"A… liter's a lot…?"
Kagura doubted his ears.
"Your semen can be absorbed via the uterus, vaginal mucosa, intestines, skin, or stomach digestion."
"I thought the uterus couldn't absorb semen…"
"With the system's aid, it can."
"Got it," Kagura nearly ended the session but remembered, "I turned off [Versatile Semen], right?"
"Yes, it's off."
"Can I re-enable just the odor-elimination?"
After disabling it, sex with Saki in a closed room made the semen's pungent smell overwhelming…
"Half-effect? Understood, possible."
"Just odor elimination. End service."
Back in reality, he faced the three swimsuit-clad beauties, having just praised them.
"Classic Kaguya-kun, sweet-talker," Utaha covered her lips with the hand he'd held, a flush on her cheeks.
"Um…" Kato, shy, thanked him softly, shifting topics, pointing to the shallow end. "How deep is it…?"
"One-point-two meters, so you're safe, Megumi~" Kagura pointed to the entry steps, avoiding "you can't swim," preserving her dignity.
"Um… Can't go in yet," Kato touched her sun-warmed shoulder.
"One-point-two's fine, right?"
"No, idiot brother!" Eriri punched his chest lightly, stopping short, baring her teeth. "Sunscreen first!"
"Oh? Come under the shade," Kagura ushered them from the sun, scratching his head. "Thought you'd applied it in the changing room."
All three thought, We're not that close…
Utaha and Eriri had some rapport (online), but Kato was new to Utaha and barely knew Eriri. Kagura was their closest connection.
They chose cushioned loungers, pulling waterproof, sweat-resistant sunscreen from their bags, applying it to arms and legs.
Kato focused diligently, Utaha sneaked glances at her, and Eriri's eyes kept drifting to Kagura.
Finishing first—due to less skin—Eriri tugged his pant leg. "Hm?"
"Hm??" Kagura tilted his head.
"You…" Eriri hissed through gritted teeth, hand by her lips, "Say something!"
"Say what?"
"Ugh, forget it!" Eriri, exasperated, patted his shoulder. "Kagura-bro, help me with sunscreen on my back."
"…"
Kagura wanted to, but yesterday's awkwardness made "skin contact" daunting. He feared an erection.
In swim trunks, that'd be mortifying.