Asuna Yuuki opened her eyes, her mind swimming through a fog of sleep. "An unfamiliar ceiling," she murmured to herself, the first coherent thought of the day. As she began to push herself up, she felt an unusual, soft weight on her chest.
"Ugh… Mom… Yui can't eat any more…"
It was Yui Yuigahama. The girl had buried her face against Asuna's chest, nuzzling into her like a sleepy child.
Asuna Yuuki flushed a deep pink, quickly pushing the other girl away. "I told you, I am not your mother!"
"Ugh…" Dislodged, Yui Yuigahama groggily opened her large, beautiful eyes. She rubbed them with the back of her hand, blinking blankly at the morning light. "Is it morning already? Good morning, Mom."
Asuna Yuuki: "..."
"Haha, sorry! I forgot you were Yuuki-san," Yui said, finally surfacing to full consciousness. "We seem to be… at Hozuki-kun's place now." She looked around the cozy, unfamiliar guest room. "It feels like a dream."
"Yeah," Asuna agreed softly, sitting up and hugging her knees. A faint, lingering thrill shivered through her. "It was… incredibly thrilling."
"I never imagined ghosts and curses truly existed in the world," Asuna continued, her voice a mix of awe and residual shock. "And Hozuki-kun… he's actually an exorcist? The moment he began to glow yesterday… he looked as magnificent as an angel descending from heaven."
"Right, right! He was super handsome!" Yui exclaimed, her own eyes sparkling with excitement. Then, in the next instant, her shoulders slumped dramatically. "Yukinon is just too cunning! How come she could throw those magic cards around so skillfully? I didn't even know about Hozuki-kun's powers. I only got a protective charm from him. I always thought of it as just a lucky keepsake from him, kept it close to my heart… I never imagined it was such a powerful talisman!"
Thinking of the clear, intimate trust between Hozuki Nozomi and Yukino Yukinoshita, Yui Yuigahama felt she had stumbled upon a significant truth.
"Me too. I feel like I've stepped into an unbelievable world," Asuna Yuuki murmured, her gaze distant. Hozuki Nozomi's hidden power had flung open a door to a realm of mystery they never knew existed, allowing them a glimpse of the world's shadowed, supernatural side.
"Speaking of which, Asuna~" Yui leaned in with a teasing glint in her eye. "Were you scared yesterday~?"
"It'd be a lie to say I wasn't! My legs were trembling!" Asuna admitted with a self-deprecating laugh.
"Hehe, mine too! But at least I held it together and didn't completely lose my cool." If she had been so terrified she'd lost control of her bladder, Yui felt she would never be able to show her face to anyone ever again.
The two girls chattered for a while longer before finally getting out of bed and preparing for the day. Upon meeting the others in the common area, they learned that Misaki Mei had already returned home.
Her mother, Kirika, had called for her. Kirika, Misaki Mei's adoptive mother, cared for her daughter with a fierce, almost possessive intensity. There was even a time when Misaki Mei had sneaked out to play with her sister, Fujioka Misaki, and Kirika, fearing she would be left behind, had grown angry and scolded her, forbidding further visits.
...…
"Good morning, Yukinon!"
"Good morning, Yuigahama-san."
After washing up, Yui encountered Yukino Yukinoshita in the hallway. She looked at Miss Yukinoshita's face and couldn't help but stare, momentarily stunned.
"Yukinon… why do I feel like your face is so rosy today? And… you seem even more beautiful?"
"Is that so?" Yukino Yukinoshita lightly touched her own cheek, her heart giving a traitorous little skip. Perhaps, she thought, it's being thoroughly 'nourished' that lends this kind of glow.
Last night, that incorrigible scoundrel, Hozuki Nozomi, had certainly not gone easy on her or Shiina Mahiru.
"Of course! Yukinon was already stunning, but now you're practically radiant! Tell me, what's your secret?" Yui pressed, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Yukino Yukinoshita quickly shook her head, a faint, practiced mask of composure falling into place. "What secrets could I possibly have? I was simply born this way."
Could she admit it was Hozuki Nozomi's doing? She absolutely could not divulge something so private.
"Ahh, I'm so jealous of you, Yukino," Yui said, her tone genuinely admiring rather than resentful. After all, she had her own advantages. Even if Yukino had… developed somewhat, her own chest was still the more magnificent.
Asuna Yuuki also came over to greet Yukino and the others. However, when Hozuki Nozomi emerged from his room shortly after, Asuna's expression turned subtly strange.
She seemed to catch a faint, lingering scent on him—a delicate, familiar fragrance that belonged to Yukino Yukinoshita and, unless she was mistaken, Shiina Mahiru as well.
But Hozuki Nozomi was supposedly the fiancé of the Yukinoshita family's young lady… Did that mean he also had something with the Second Young Lady?
And this Sakura Dormitory…
Hiss… Upon closer inspection, Asuna realized with dawning clarity. Every single resident here was an extraordinarily beautiful girl! Shiina Mahiru, Shiina Mashiro, Ogiwara Sayu, Frieren, Fern, Yuki Suo, Sakurajima Mai, Ayano Kimishima, Yusa Emi, Aoyama Nanami, Kamiigusa Misaki…
Not just high school girls, but even the mature Sengoku Chihiro-sensei lived here.
Hozuki Nozomi was the sole male occupant.
This realization made the recent, whispered rumors about Hozuki Nozomi being a "Succubus" snap into sharp, terrifying focus. Could it be… that the entire Sakura Dormitory was, in fact, his personal harem?
Asuna Yuuki felt she had uncovered a staggering secret.
During breakfast, Yui Yuigahama's eyes also held a trace of unspoken grievance. She, too, had noticed the composition of Sakura Dormitory's residents. Moreover, Fern's figure was so… ample! She felt utterly defeated in comparison!
Was it really acceptable for Hozuki Nozomi to live under the same roof with such a gathering of stunning girls? And his relationship with Mahiru and Sayu… Yui didn't dare think too deeply about it. She knew Miura Yumiko already had feelings for Hozuki Nozomi and they had even confirmed their relationship, yet she herself seemed to be making no progress.
Not only that, but Hozuki Nozomi's attitude towards Yukino Yukinoshita was distinctly different. She had noticed. There was definitely something significant between those two!
After finishing her breakfast, Frieren quietly retreated to her room, as had become her recent habit. She had developed a fascination with anime; the fantastical depictions of magic within them sparked her imagination.
One shouldn't underestimate Frieren's current power, but her understanding of certain nuanced magical principles was, ironically, not as comprehensive as her pupil Fern's.
For instance, she could perform certain complex spells but couldn't articulate the underlying theory, leaving her to repeatedly demonstrate them for Fern to observe and learn through mimicry. The two could often be found deep in discussion.
Aoyama Nanami, as usual, was responsible for getting Mashiro ready for school. Her gaze drifted over to Yui Yuigahama and Asuna Yuuki, and her mood grew subtly complicated. In her view, both Yui and Asuna were now potential additions to Hozuki Nozomi's ever-expanding circle of affection.
To be honest, Hozuki Nozomi was admirable in many ways, but she simply couldn't reconcile herself with his habit of simultaneously courting multiple girls. Could one person truly attend to the hearts and needs of so many? Wasn't that just… too greedy?