In truth, she knew more about her senior than most people did.
He was, in fact, a year younger than her—a boy in the grade below. That was about the extent of her knowledge.
Within the industry, this Mewen Hanaming was a mystery, rarely making public appearances.
Kasumigaoka Utaha had always wanted to meet this senior, to thank him in person for all his guidance.
"Sigh…"
She stroked a novel titled We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower That Day.
This was Senior Mewen Hanaming's very first published work.
He was truly an interesting person—every single work of his, no matter the medium, featured a male lead called Tatsuki. Even the protagonists of his manga all had the same image: a golden-eyed youth. According to rumors in the industry, it was some kind of personal cameo or design.
This kind of thing was practically unheard of—using the same name for every male lead. People wondered about the significance of it, Kasumigaoka Utaha included.
She really wanted to know what sort of person this senior—someone even younger than herself—truly was.
Clang!
"Huh?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha jolted. For some reason, the metal fencing behind her suddenly rattled.
She glanced over but saw nothing.
"Must've been the wind?"
Maybe so. She might have been a bit on edge.
"Mm—!"
The next moment, however, she felt a few warm droplets splash onto her face. She wiped them away with her hand.
"Is it raining?"
Looking up at the sky, though, she saw only clear sunshine—no clouds at all.
"How strange… Mmph! Blech, there's more?"
She'd just opened her mouth a bit, and more droplets splashed onto her lips. Quickly, Kasumigaoka Utaha jumped up. She couldn't let her precious book get wet. Glancing at the ground, she saw a puddle of water.
"Was that there before?"
She didn't recall, but to avoid any more splashes, she decided to leave the rooftop. Even as she descended, her mind wandered back to the elusive senior, Mewen Hanaming…
…
Once Kasumigaoka Utaha left,
Eriri—petite of frame—was leaning against the very section of fence Utaha had just occupied. Her legs were bent at the knees, held up by Tatsuki, hugging him like a koala.
"Pwah!"
They broke apart. Eriri's face was bright red. She clung to Tatsuki's ear, half biting, half scolding.
"Wow! Doing that just now? What if we'd been found out?!"
Tatsuki rested both hands on the soft flesh of her thighs, giving a light pat.
"Relax. My dominion over presence is foolproof. Not even satellites could pick us up."
A wry grin spread across his face.
"And as for you, was it just me, or did you find that pretty exciting?"
He'd done it on purpose. That girl just now—Kasumigaoka Utaha—he knew her. She was the author Kasumi Utako, with whom he'd exchanged messages online. She was one of the heroines from How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend, commonly known as a Saekano. Doing this right in front of another girl had indeed given him quite a rush. Tatsuki, at least, had felt thoroughly invigorated.
Eriri continued grumbling verbally, but her body responded otherwise.
"Ugh!"
She buried her face in his chest.
Tatsuki lightly nipped at her ear and whispered, "Wanna do this again next time?"
"Mmph… f-fine…"
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz. Evidently, Eriri liked a bit of thrill as well.
…
That day, the classroom had two people in deep thought. Even in the Supernatural Research Club, only Tatsuki and Yui did any talking. Eriri was busy with an art club meeting. The two silent types? Yukino and Megumi. No one knew what they were each thinking about…
…
After school, Tatsuki headed home with Yukino and Eriri. Yukino kept quiet the entire journey back, then wordlessly went upstairs to her own room.
"Ah—Tatsuki, Eriri, you're home."
The moment Tatsuki and Eriri stepped into his apartment, they spotted Sayuri's gently flushed face, accompanied by a soft, welcoming tone. For some reason, it gave Tatsuki the feeling of a wife greeting her husband's return. More importantly, the fact that Sayuri openly appeared this way showed she had accepted her current situation and wasn't avoiding him. That alone made him quite happy.
He gave her a light hug, and she didn't resist. So he leaned down for a kiss on her lips. Sayuri's eyes flicked once toward Eriri, but she boldly welcomed his kiss.
"Mom! Could you two not act so lovey-dovey right in front of me!"
Eriri puffed out her cheeks with a huff.
"Then why not join in, Eriri?" Tatsuki teased, licking his lips.
"Hmph! No way!"
Eriri turned away, all tsundere again.
Tatsuki knew exactly what that meant—he simply had to take the initiative. Reaching out with his other hand, he pulled Eriri close and kissed her deeply, turning her instantly docile.
Sayuri covered her mouth, laughing softly at the sight.
"Ah-Tatsuki, I've already cooked dinner. Go wash your hands and get ready to eat."
"No, I'm not in the mood for dinner yet."
"Huh?"
Sayuri barely had time to look puzzled before Tatsuki scooped her up and strode off toward the bedroom.
"You guys…not even going to take a shower first?" Eriri shouted after them. Seeing them ignore her, she stomped her foot and followed, slamming the bedroom door behind her…
…
Meanwhile, Yukino was still lost in thought. In truth, she didn't know how to face herself. It wasn't so much about facing Tatsuki—rather, she felt lost and baffled about her own feelings. Those complicated details that might have shattered her worldview didn't actually spark anger or disbelief; instead, they stirred up a confusing sourness. She simply couldn't process or perhaps didn't want to process it.
All she could do was focus on her job to numb herself. After all, she had promised to serve as a maid, so she might as well do it wholeheartedly.
Calming her mind, Yukino left her room, spotting Tamayo outside tending flowers. Tamayo gave her a kind nod, and Yukino responded likewise, though quietly. Then Tamayo went back inside, leaving Yukino to wonder, So that's an otherworldly person…
Having only recently moved here, she didn't know them well. Through observation, though, she could tell Tamayo was a gentle soul and quite the beauty—someone who definitely had some connection with Tatsuki.
Continuing downstairs, Yukino arrived at Tatsuki's door. She was about to ring the bell when she noticed the door wasn't fully closed.
"How careless…"
She frowned, lightly rapping the door. No answer. After waiting a bit, she gently pushed it open, stepped inside, and removed her shoes. She didn't see Tatsuki in the living room. She was just about to call out when she heard quick, rhythmic thumping noises from the bedroom.
Approaching, the sounds became all too clear…
Her mind instantly crashed. There was no doubt it involved Tatsuki.
"Th-this…"
Without realizing it, she stumbled backward, face glowing bright red, practically dripping with embarrassment. She could tell there were four people. That scene was undeniably happening right there. It was like a bomb going off in her brain.
Yukino couldn't stay calm—she had to get out.
She turned, staggering away, fleeing Tatsuki's apartment.
…
Late that night, Tatsuki woke up alone to finish the leftovers for dinner. The three ladies who had eaten earlier were definitely well satisfied. And yes, there were three: if you counted Kanae, who was physically intangible yet often caught up in lustful transformations, that made a total of four. Tatsuki had fed them all until they couldn't eat another bite.
"I think someone stopped by during the fun."
He'd used a dominion aura to keep out strangers, so it had to be someone from the building. But at that moment, he'd been riding the Eriri mount so zealously that he hadn't bothered to check.
He shook his head.
"It's no big deal—it's all family anyway…"
Suddenly, he realized, "Wait, there is someone who's not exactly family… Yukino? Could it be her?"
Tatsuki's smile turned wry. If Yukino had seen that, his image in her mind had probably been blown to bits. Still, he wasn't planning to change anything. Pleasure was pleasure, after all.
…
The following day, Yukino was clearly avoiding eye contact with him. That confirmed his suspicion—she must have walked in. Well, he had no regrets.
A few days went by, and though Yukino still tended to avoid his gaze, she managed to interact with him as usual. Slowly, she began adjusting to life in her new home and formally started her maid duties.
Every morning she prepared Tatsuki's breakfast. Dinner was usually handled by Sayuri—sometimes Tamayo, Kie, or others chipped in. Since Yukino, Tatsuki, and Eriri all got home from school together, it was simpler for Sayuri to cook extra for them.
From time to time, the Night Raid girls dropped by. Leone in particular, brimming with boisterous energy, often wore skimpy outfits and seemed to treat Tatsuki like a close buddy, always pressing herself against him. Tatsuki happily accepted such benefits, but Mine, that pink-haired supervisor, always interfered at critical moments. Secretly, Tatsuki decided that once he truly had Mine, he'd repay her consideration tenfold, thoroughly making use of those twin-tails.
Feeling she wasn't contributing enough, Yukino took on vacuuming, laundry, and other tasks, even offering legitimate massage services now and then. Tatsuki never demanded she do any of it—it was all her idea.
"It's just my way of repaying him for saving my life," she explained when asked.
During her maid work, Yukino inevitably ran into others visiting Tatsuki. Over time, she warmed up to the otherworlders, finding them not so different from normal people.
Sayuri, meanwhile, had become the darling of the entire apartment. Each of the women asked her for cooking lessons. Akame and Kurome bluntly declared that Najenda and the others' food didn't come close to a thousandth of Sayuri's. Though likely exaggerated, it made Sheele and the rest realize how lacking they were in culinary skills, so they all started learning from her.
Most nights, Sayuri ended up staying at Tatsuki's place with Eriri, rarely returning to her own home. The three openly enjoyed each other's company. Sayuri confided she loved her current life—having the man she adored plus so many new friends.
There was an awkward incident once when she and Tatsuki were making love in the living room, only for her new besties Tamayo and Kie to walk in. Tatsuki just pulled everyone into his claws, no big deal. Not only that, but their daughters—Eriri and Nezuko—ended up as good pals as well, in more than one sense.
As for Kanae, well, she got along with anyone who had ties to Tatsuki. She would pop up unexpectedly during conversations, helping to divert attention whenever needed.
The only slight disappointment: Eriri and Sayuri were open enough to share freely with each other, but poor Nezuko was too shy to join the mother-daughter play with Kie.
At school, Yui Yuigahama still hung out with Tatsuki, greeting him each day and dropping by the Supernatural Research Club as usual. Tatsuki wasn't sure what her decision would be and gave her all the time she needed. Sometimes he and Megumi got a bit intimate, though they hadn't gone all the way—just some teasing.
Meanwhile, the situation with Eriri had escalated to near-addiction. They had fun on the rooftop, in the classroom, the art club room, the Supernatural Research Club… even Sensei Shizuka's office desk and chair hadn't been spared. Thanks to Tatsuki's thorough control of presence, no one ever caught them. He wasn't idle otherwise, though—he shared the knowledge of the Six Powers and Haki with everyone, Yukino included. Strengthening them all was beneficial, especially for the Night Raid members, who had begun investigating citywide anomalies on his behalf.
All told, Tatsuki was free to be a hands-off boss while living a happy, fulfilling life. Sometimes he simply checked the chat group for everyone's daily chatter. Everything felt calm and joyous.
…
Finally, Saturday arrived.
Yukino was dressed in a black-and-white maid outfit Tatsuki had specially bought for her, dutifully mopping the floor. Sayuri helped out as well. On the sofa, a few people were watching TV—Eriri, Kie, Tamayo, Kanae, Nezuko, and so on were all gathered around Tatsuki, eyes glued to the screen. Yukino had mostly adapted to having so many women around him since moving in. Her mental stamina had grown greatly, though she still felt embarrassed whenever she inadvertently glimpsed some intense late-night scenes in the kitchen or bathroom. It was enough to burn the memory into her brain every time. Truly scandalous…
At a glance, Yukino didn't quite understand the pang in her chest as she watched them…