I closed my eyes and concentrated.
“Hoo...”
As I exhaled, I could feel the hot air leaving my body.
“Ssshh...”
When I inhaled, the heat filled my lungs once more.
“I need to lower it even more.”
I had to bring the temperature down until the heat was completely imperceptible.
What I was doing now was practicing the control of my power while maintaining the [Incarnation of Kings] stance.
Because I was still inexperienced, my output tended to be binary—either zero or a hundred—so I was training to find a middle ground.
Sizzle!
The moment a bead of sweat appeared, the heat caused it to evaporate instantly.
At the very least, I had to reach a point where sweat wouldn’t vanish the moment it formed, otherwise, the people around me would be in danger.
Whoosh!
As I continued to focus on regulating the heat, I heard the door open.
“Eek! What? Why is it so hot in here?!”
A voice rang out, startled by the oppressive temperature of the room.
Recognizing the familiar voice, I released the [Incarnation of Kings] stance and turned around.
“Miku?”
“Darling~!”
The moment Miku saw me, she ignored the heat and threw her arms around me in a tight hug.
I gently pushed her back and asked, “What are you doing here?”
“Well, I came to see you, darling! And I have something to tell you!”
“Yeah, okay. But could you let go first? I’m a bit hot right now.”
“Hot...? Darling, you really are something~”
Is that really the kind of joke an idol should be making?
I stepped away from Miku, who was making suggestive jokes she absolutely should not have been making.
“Ah! Why are you moving away?”
“Please, let’s not have idols making jokes like that.”
“I only say them to you, though!”
Miku puffed out her cheeks, clearly displeased that I had backed off.
I let out a small snort and patted her head.
“So, what was it you wanted to say?”
“Ah! You’re coming to my performance today, right?”
“Oh, right. You had a show today? Of course I’m going.”
Today was indeed Miku’s performance day.
Every time she had a show, she always asked me to attend.
Apparently, my presence gave her a boost of energy.
It wasn’t a difficult request, so I usually went along with the others.
“Really~? You don’t even remember your girlfriend’s performance date?”
“No, no. Who’s your girlfriend? Don’t say things like that where other people can hear you.”
“Hehe~”
With a meaningful smile, Miku turned and left the room.
“...Maybe I should go get some water.”
I pondered the meaning of that smile for a moment, but unable to figure it out, I scratched the back of my head and followed her out.
Ah, and for the record.
[Hey! Hieta! You trained inside the Fraxinus again, didn’t you?! I told you to do it in an open area! You melted the floor!]
I got yelled at by the commander.
*****
After Miku’s performance ended, we moved to a different venue.
I sat back, sipping my drink and surveying the surroundings.
The evening glow spilled across the area, tinting the pool water a deep orange, while the cheerful voices of the group echoed around us.
It was a swimming pool equipped with a water slide, large enough for all of us to enjoy.
And we were the only ones there.
“Miku, are you really sure this is okay? Renting out such a luxurious pool and all.”
“Yes! I asked the staff to prepare a place for the after-party, and they suggested this spot.”
“I see.”
Is this the sheer wealth of a top Japanese idol?
I nodded, quietly admiring Miku’s financial power.
“By the way, there are a lot more people at this after-party than I expected.”
The group using the pool consisted of me, Miku, Shido, Tohka, the commander, the Fire Keeper, Yoshino, Kaguya, Yuzuru, Rinne, and Mana.
That made eleven people.
Or twelve, if you counted Yoshinon.
Regardless, seeing a pool that still felt spacious even with that many people made me admire Miku’s wealth all over again.
“Shido! Why don’t we swim together? The water’s a little warm, so it feels nice!”
Tohka, who was already in the water, called out to Shido, who was resting on a bench.
But Shido refused; whether he disliked swimming or was simply too lazy at the moment, I couldn't tell.
“Then Kotori should come! Surely the commander isn’t someone who can’t swim, right~?”
When Shido declined, Yoshinon decided to provoke the commander.
“That’s rude! Have you forgotten me swimming at Ocean Park?!”
The commander, taking the bait completely, ripped off the coat she was wearing and flung it straight at Shido before diving into the pool.
“Mmph!”
“Ahahaha!!!”
Seeing Shido get the wind knocked out of him by the flying coat, I burst out laughing.
Honestly, once the fabric clung to his face like that, there was no way I could stay silent.
“Haah~ Seriously, thanks, Miku. Today’s performance was great, and this is a lot of fun.”
Wiping away the tears from laughing, I thanked Miku.
“I’m glad! Everyone else looks like they’re having a blast, and hearing you say that makes me so happy, darling!”
Seeing Miku’s genuine happiness brought a smile to my face before I even realized it.
“Ah! I found a nobleman having fun with Miku! Everyone, all-out attack!”
Suddenly, the Fire Keeper’s voice rang out.
Immediately following her shout, a wave of water rushed toward me.
“Gah!”
Everything happened so quickly that I had no choice but to take the hit head-on.
“Oh my.”
Seeing me drenched, Miku covered her mouth with one hand, looking surprised.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
I protested to the Fire Keeper, Kaguya, and Yuzuru, who had suddenly decided to douse me.
They fired back without a shred of shame.
“Then who told you to leave us behind and go fool around with another girl?”
“And you were smiling while you did it! How detestable, Hieta!”
“Agreed. Both of them are correct!”
“Haaah...”
I pressed a hand to my forehead and let out a long groan.
How is this my fault?
I was just talking to Miku because I didn’t want to get in the water. I hadn’t done anything that should trigger jealousy from those three.
“Okay. I get it. You want me to play with you, right?”
I took off my coat, tossed it onto the chair, and stretched.
“Uh...”
“Oh my...”
“Hmm...”
When I revealed my swimsuit, the three of them instinctively covered their eyes with their hands, but I ignored them and dove into the water.
Splash!
“Just so you know, I have no mercy.”
I shoved my palm forward, pushing a wall of water toward them.
“Ultimate move! Sea-current body slam!”
“Kyaaa!”
The water I propelled turned into a massive wave that crashed over them.
As a result, the Fire Keeper, Kaguya, and Yuzuru were soaked through like drowned rats, and they retaliated by splashing me even harder.
“Take this!”
Watching from the sidelines, Miku soon joined in, switching sides to attack me as well.
“This looks fun! I want in too!”
Tohka joined the girls' side as well.
“Yoshino! Let’s join them too!”
“Y-Yes! I’m sorry, Hieta-san!”
Even Yoshino joined the fray.
“Isn’t this a little too unfair?!”
In an instant, the fight had shifted from three-on-one to six-on-one. I cried out in protest, but no matter what I said, the onslaught continued.
“Exactly! Who told you to flirt with one girl and then fool around with another?”
“This is all your own fault!”
“No! I never flirted with anyone!”
“Denial! That’s a lie!”
“Pwah! Wait! Wait, I’ve got water in my nose—gwahblubblubblub!”
“Kyaahaha! Hieta’s losing it!”
After ten minutes of what was essentially water torture, I finally managed to scramble out of the pool.
“Y-You’ve had it rough...”
Rinne had been watching from a distance beside Shido, and the moment I emerged, she handed me a towel.
I nodded at Rinne and reached out to take it, but then—
“Now he’s fooling around with Rinne too!”
“Pull him back in!”
“W-Wait, let me explain—guh!”
Before I could even touch the towel, Kaguya spotted me, and I was dragged back into the depths to suffer for another ten minutes.
“Y-You guys, stop! Hieta’s dying over there!”
The torment only ended because Shido finally stepped in to stop them.
Just as Shido said, I was completely exhausted.
I had been hit so hard that my body felt heavy with water, and I could barely stand.
“W-Was that a bit too much...?”
As Kaguya awkwardly scratched her head, I remained speechless.
In what world is tormenting someone six-on-one for twenty minutes not “too much”?
“Cough! Cough!”
I didn’t even have the strength to argue. I spat out the water that had filled my mouth and collapsed onto a nearby bench.
“Haah...”
I really feel like I’m going to die.
*****
By the time the after-party ended and we left the pool, night had fully fallen, and the moon was high in the sky.
“Uuugh...”
I was still completely worn out from the water torture.
“H-Hieta-san. I’m sorry...”
Yoshino apologized, holding my hand tightly. She had participated in the splashing, and she seemed to be feeling guilty.
I smiled as gently as I could to reassure her. “It’s fine. As long as Yoshino had fun, that’s enough.”
“...Lolicon?”
“Lolicon.”
“So you are a lolicon.”
“Disappointing. You’re a lolicon.”
“What does lolicon mean?”
Hey, isn’t that a little harsh for just saying something like that?
“No, what do you mean I’m a lolicon...?”
“You’re only ever nice to Yoshino, so if that’s not a lolicon, what is it?”
The commander’s words, spoken while she stood beside Shido, left me even more confused.
“No, what have I ever done to Yoshino?”
“Wow~ This is completely unconscious, huh~?”
“...Yoshinon, stop talking nonsense.”
What do you mean unconscious?
I felt like I was being torn apart over a single “it’s fine.”
“Anyway, as long as everyone else had fun, that’s what matters.”
“Wow~ So we’re just an afterthought?”
What am I even supposed to say to that?
“Are you all getting a little too much pleasure out of teasing darling?”
“Ah, did you notice?”
At Kaguya’s remark, I felt dizzy and pressed a hand to my forehead.
“You’re all being way too cruel...”
“But Hieta flirting with girls is definitely a problem.”
“I told you, I didn’t flirt with anyone!”
“Explanation. The girls who’ve fallen for Hieta so far are Yoshino, Sachi, Kaguya, me, Miku, and Mana too.”
“Eh? Me?!”
“Leaving the others aside, don’t drag Mana into this when she has nothing to do with it.”
Fine, the others could be chalked up to me acting for the sake of clearing their routes, and the Fire Keeper had flat-out decided she liked me, so I could let that slide. But Mana had nothing to do with this; I wanted her left out of it.
“W-Well! I don’t mind, so...”
At Mana’s somewhat disappointed response, I felt a chill of dread.
Why?
“Heeey~ Hieta. You got to Mana too?”
The reason for my dread was Shido, who was now looking at me with a sharp, piercing glare.
“No! I never did anything like that, I swear?!”
“Really?”
Seeing Shido like that for the first time, I nodded vigorously.
“Hehe. By the way, are you sure you really don’t need us to take you home?”
Miku asked with a worried expression.
I looked around and replied, “Yeah. There are too many people.”
“Don’t worry about it. If anything comes up, we can just use the Fraxinus.”
As the commander said, we had the Fraxinus as a backup, so Miku told me to go home comfortably and accepted my refusal.
“Then, see you later~”
With that, Miku departed.
“Cake...”
Before I knew it, the girls who had been teasing me were all staring at a cake shop.
They were pressed up against the window, staring so intently that it was almost adorable. I snorted, went into the shop to buy some cake, and returned.
“All right, I bought the cake, so let’s head home. Oh, and I’m only giving this to the people who behave on the train ride, okay?”
At my words, they all nodded with sparkling eyes.
“......Huh?”
As we boarded the train and I stared blankly out the window, I saw the night sky faintly ripple, like a wave passing through the air.
“...What was that?”
Just in case, I rubbed my eyes and looked again, but the ripple was gone.
I figured I must be exhausted and decided to ignore it, looking forward instead.
And there, I saw a blonde girl.
“Huh?”
“What is it? What’s wrong, Hiki?”
“N-No, it’s nothing.”
Then, when I blinked, the girl was gone too.
Am I really that tired?
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