Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 23 - Chapter 1

Episode 1: Badgirl Begins

Inside of the girl known as Kiriha was a struggle between two desires. There was a constant push and pull between wanting to be spoiled by the person she loved, and wanting to give him a hard time. Being as scrupulous as she was, however, she knew when and where to act on which desire. Mostly, her behavior depended on whether or not anyone else was around. Kiriha was a relatively private person. But at times like this when it was just the two of them, she used her feminine powers to their fullest and let herself rely on him.

“We won,” Kiriha said and smiled as she looked up at Koutarou.

Leaving the movie theater, the two of them were walking down the street with their arms linked. They were close enough and Kiriha was tall enough that she could feel his breath.

“Who did against what?”

“We did against the movie.”

“...I don’t get it.”

“You and I were in a fated relationship before the protagonist and the heroine.”

“Don’t be so competitive about strange things like that.”

“So you don’t deny it then?”

“...”

“I love you,” she said spiritedly.

She then brought her body even closer, as if hugging Koutarou’s arm. It was the gesture of a girl on the verge of womanhood, but there was also a childlike transparency about her.

Kii-chan really is inside of Kiriha-san...

It was that transparency that reminded Koutarou of a young girl he met long ago—and it was in those memories that Koutarou could also feel the fated relationship Kiriha spoke of.

“What’s the matter? You’re spacing out.”

Seeing Koutarou lost in thought, Kiriha’s smile faded into worry as she looked up at him again. She reached out and touched his cheek.

“I was just feeling a little nostalgic.”

Since it wasn’t anything worth hiding, Koutarou answered honestly. He then gently patted Kiriha on the head.

“...I see.”

Guessing what he really meant, Kiriha closed her eyes and let him do as he pleased. She now had what had eluded her in the past, and she was prepared to accept everything that came with it.

“But I am happy that plenty of time has passed.”

“What do you mean?” Koutarou gently whispered to Kiriha as if she were a young girl.

“Kii’s small body couldn’t fully embrace you...” With a little bit of momentum, Kiriha practically jumped on Koutarou as she threw her arms around him. “Like this!”

“H-Hey...”

Koutarou stumbled back a few steps as he caught Kiriha. She was expressing what she’d felt as a young girl with her now adult body. It was a rather effective means of attack on Koutarou, and it shook him up quite a bit.

As they approached Corona House, Kiriha very naturally let go of Koutarou. This was her normal routine. Kiriha didn’t want to be doted on by Koutarou in front of others, especially not the other residents of room 106. She didn’t think that she alone should be happy, and she still wanted to keep her sweet, nostalgic memories of being with Koutarou to herself. And so she just acted like her usual self when they came across someone they knew when they were a little closer to home.

“How was the movie, you two?”

Koutarou and Kiriha had run into Harumi on her way home from the hospital near the station. Although the hospital wasn’t too far from where she lived, she could spend time with her many friends if she visited room 106. And getting home from there was easy since she could instantly return home using the Blue Knight’s transfer gate. Over time, “going home” to Harumi grew to mean returning to room 106 first.

“I think it was a solemn, good story.”

“It was good. I can see why you liked it, Sakuraba-senpai.”

Koutarou and Kiriha had gone to see a movie today on Harumi’s recommendation. She had seen it in the theater with her classmates the other day and put in a good word to Koutarou and the others. But since it was a serious film and the others were busy, only Koutarou and Kiriha ended up going.

“I see. I’m glad you liked it.”

Harumi smiled. She was happy they’d enjoyed her suggestion. Seeing Harumi’s reaction, Koutarou grinned too.

“But Kiriha-san said her life was more eventful.”

As payback for Kiriha always teasing him, Koutarou brought up a personal part of their earlier conversation. It was intended to be an easy jab at Kiriha, but even then, she was one step ahead of him.

“What can I say? We spent such a passionate time together...”

Kiriha blushed a little and looked down at the ground shyly. Standing there holding her hands to her chest and sighing softly, she looked especially feminine. That is, aside from the dirty look she shot Koutarou out of the corner of her eye.

“Wh-Wh-Whaaat?!”

Based on the way Kiriha reacted, Harumi got the wrong idea about their “passionate time together.” Her face turned red all the way to her ears and she had to look away. This put Koutarou in an awkward position.

“Hey! Stop vindictively making stuff up!”

“I haven’t made anything up, you bad boy.”

Kiriha drew closer to Koutarou and stroked his chest with her finger. She was acting like a woman hurt by her lover’s words.

“You implied something completely different!”

It was true that Kiriha hadn’t actually lied about anything. She just intentionally presented what she said in a way that would invite misinterpretation. It was only natural that Harumi got the impression she meant something else entirely.

“Heeheehee...”

Seeing Koutarou’s panic, Harumi realized that Kiriha was teasing Koutarou, and most likely her as well. She smiled, both relieved and embarrassed.

“Goodness, don’t surprise me like that, you two.”

“It’s because Koutarou was teasing me.”

Before Harumi knew it, Kiriha was back to normal and had let go of Koutarou. She changed so fast, anyone not used to it would have been taken aback.

“Are you saying it’s my fault?!”

“Heehee... Hahaha!”

Koutarou and Harumi had been dancing in Kiriha’s palm the entire time. It made Harumi realized the incredible difference between them.

“It’s your punishment for making light of my feelings.”

“I avoided doing just that!”

“Ah... How men wound women with their callous logic...”

“I’m the one who should be upset here!”

Harumi had realized the true nature of their relationship, but Kiriha was still running circles around Koutarou. So much so that Harumi herself was impressed.

Is this the poise of a grown woman? Or is this what you call a bad girl? Either way, she has something I don’t.

Harumi started to secretly admire Kiriha’s maturity... or perhaps it was wickedness.

After returning to room 106, Koutarou and the others spent some time peacefully drinking tea. When the clock struck six, Koutarou stood up.

“Guess it’s about time to take a bath.”

Kiriha usually started making dinner at six, before the other girls started returning home. Koutarou normally used the convenient timing to take his bath.

“Koutarou, do you want me to wash your back?”

“No thank you!”

Koutarou rather casually refused Kiriha’s offer and headed for the bathroom alone. Kiriha watched him go with a grin. But not Harumi. She was staring at Kiriha in amazement.

“Um, Kiriha-san...”

“Yes?”

“Well, I’ve been wondering, but... what would you have done if Satomi-kun had said yes?” Harumi asked hesitantly as she set her teacup down on the table.

What Kiriha had said was something very risky to say to a boy of age.

“Hmm... For starters, rejoice,” Kiriha answered with a small smile, putting her cup down as well.

Harumi’s eyes shot wide open.

“You would rejoice?”

“Yes, considering the kind of man Koutarou is. He wouldn’t agree to such a thing unless he was prepared to accept my everything.”

“I see... That would mean that Satomi-kun’s problems have been resolved.”

Harumi nodded. She understood what Kiriha meant. While Koutarou was very responsible, he tended to keep people at a distance. But if he were to get into the bath with someone else, that would mean that he’d stopped trying to maintain that distance.

“Nobody knows what it’s actually going to take to get him to come out of his shell, so I have to try what I can to help. Especially the methods that only I can use.”

“Now that you mention it, that might be true.”

Using feminine wiles was difficult for the other girls. It was something Shizuka and Ruth could only barely pull off. Kiriha practically monopolized the field. There was a chance that her method might break through the wall around Koutarou’s heart, so it was a good thing that she was trying.

“I suppose you have nothing to lose,” Harumi continued.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Kiriha smiled as she picked up her teacup again to take another sip. Her teasing Koutarou was for his sake as well as her own. In this case, she might get to fulfill her desire to join the person she loved in the bath and wash his back. Even if he said no, she was still getting him to think about it and experiencing his raw, emotional reactions. It was essentially a win-win for Kiriha, so there was no reason for her not to try.

“But it’s not going so well. Perhaps Koutarou is too serious... or perhaps I’m not using enough firepower... There has been some change in him, though.”

“Heehee, being strong-willed brings its own problems, doesn’t it?”

“That’s part of his appeal though, which makes it even more troublesome.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean”

Finally understanding Kiriha’s way of thinking, Harumi started to think she was right. Just teasing Koutarou for the sake of teasing might have been a problem, but behind it was deep love and good will. If anything, Harumi felt like she should be rooting for Kiriha.

“There’s something else I’d like to ask, Kiriha-san.”

“Hmm? What’s that?” Kiriha nodded and urged her on.

Harumi took a deep breath and said rather seriously, “...Can you teach me how to be a bad girl?”

“What?!”

Even the ever-calm Kiriha was surprised by Harumi’s sudden request. She could barely believe the words that had just come out of Harumi’s mouth. The only part that even remotely sounded like Harumi was “can you teach me.” The rest was a bolt out of the blue.

“Please, Kiriha-san! I want to be able to tease Satomi-kun like you do!”

Harumi stared at Kiriha earnestly. She was serious.

After looking Harumi up and down, Kiriha emphatically declared, “It’s not possible. Just give up.”

In Kiriha’s eyes, Harumi didn’t have any potential to be a bad girl. Even if people had a spectrum to their personalities, this was completely out of Harumi’s league. There wasn’t a single trace of a bad girl in her. She was the kind of girl that wore her good intentions on her sleeve. Newborn puppies can’t hunt down prey.

Just the fact that Harumi was being so polite and sincere about asking was a bad sign for her bad girl prospects. It was only natural for Kiriha to think it was impossible.

“Please! I know I’m not suited for it, but I want to be able to use my feminine appeal on Satomi-kun at least once!”

Harumi knew the truth. But she still wanted to try. She wanted to tease the boy she loved. Any girl would.

“Besides, it’s for Satomi-kun’s sake too!”

“Hmm...”

Like Kiriha had said, in order to move the heart of a boy who couldn’t fully accept others, a woman’s appeal might be necessary at times. If she did it now, Harumi’s desires could help Koutarou, but it wouldn’t make a difference once his problems were resolved. Now was the only time it would be for the best of both of them. Harumi was dead set on this.

With that much spirit, she might just pull it off...

While Kiriha’s initial reaction was that it would be an impossible feat, the fire in Harumi’s eyes started to make her think otherwise. After pondering things for a while, Kiriha nodded at Harumi.

“Okay, let’s give it a try.”

“Really?!”

“However, I can’t guarantee any results.”

“I know! That’s fine!”

“As long as you have that resolve, you should be fine. Let’s see what you can do.”

“I’m looking forward to working with you!”

And so Kiriha agreed to teaching Harumi how to be a bad girl in order to use her womanly appeal to her advantage. It would be a long, hard road. But Harumi believed she was hardworking enough to make it. Really, that was the kind of attitude that was going to make this whole thing more difficult, but Harumi was none the wiser.

In Kiriha’s eyes, Harumi had no hope as a bad girl. Absolutely none. She was virtually overflowing with benevolence and compassion. That and her gentle, clean-cut appearance were really working against her bad girl image. If anything, they had the opposite effect. It wouldn’t have been too difficult to mistake her for an affectionate mother or a holy woman. That was why Kiriha believed it was impossible to make a bad girl out of Harumi, both in mind and body. But just because it was impossible didn’t mean she would give up. Kiriha decided to start with Harumi’s appearance.

“Is this... a script and a costume?”

Harumi and Kiriha were now sitting across the tea table from one another. On top of the tea table were a book and a set of clothes. Kiriha had spent the past few days preparing for this session. This was the result.

“That’s right. It’s near impossible to actually change your character, so I thought I might have you act out a character instead. Your part is ‘Bad Girl Harumi.’”

Kiriha figured that even if she couldn’t convert Harumi into a bona fide bad girl, she could at least get her to act the part. Harumi had some experience acting, so this might be the easiest way to get her to study the role and put it to good use. Fortunately, Kiriha knew Koutarou well enough that she was able to include several believable scenarios in her script, right down to the questions he might ask.

Kiriha had come up with several plans ever since Harumi asked to become her apprentice. She was certain this one had the highest probability of working.

“I see... This certainly might make things easier for me.”

Harumi nodded as she flipped the pages of her script. She didn’t want to become a bad girl in the truest sense. She would go back to her usual self once she was satisfied. That’s why it was easier for her to accept a method that let her make a clear distinction between her and her act.

“If you can change the outside, you don’t have to change the inside..”

“But I think keeping up appearances is a bit backwards...”

Harumi was nervous. Even in acting, the ideal was to become one with your character. However, Kiriha’s proposal completely ignored that.

“Bad girls don’t show their true feelings to begin with, so there is nothing wrong with the methodology.”

“I suppose that’s fair.”

However, Harumi was quickly convinced by Kiriha. Bad girls hid their true feelings while leading men around by the nose. In other words, they were just keeping up appearances. In effect, Kiriha’s proposal would lead to Harumi becoming a bad girl in both mind and body.

Besides, Kiriha-san’s true feelings are love for Satomi-kun...

Kiriha leading Koutarou by the nose was an everyday occurrence, but Harumi knew how she really felt. Kiriha normally hid her true feelings around others, but Harumi caught a glimpse of them from time to time. Harumi felt the same way. And because Kiriha was so observant, Harumi didn’t overlook the possibility that Kiriha knew how she felt too. And because the bad girl Harumi wanted to become was Kiriha herself, she could accept what she said.

The outfit Kiriha had prepared was revealing and provocative. Completely contrary to Harumi’s usual image, it was black with flashy decorations like fur and embroidery. She even brought gold accessories to catch the eye and complement the outfit. It was a very fitting outfit for a bad girl.

“I-Isn’t this a little too extreme?!”

Harumi’s face was bright red. She was even squirming as she reluctantly pushed her arm through the sleeve. It was bad enough that she was uncomfortable even letting Kiriha see her in it.

“It’s on the conservative side.”

But Kiriha just shook her head. And she was right. The outfit was only extreme compared to how Harumi normally dressed—simple, serious, and neat.

“But even my underwear can be... Th-This just doesn’t feel right!”

“It’s not like you’re showing it directly. Only flashes can be seen through the gaps in the clothing. That’s the kind of thing that tickles a man’s heart.”

“Even if it’s not directly, I’ll still die of embarrassment!”

“But you’ll reveal them in the end anyway, right? Just resolve yourself to it.”

“But not now! And even then it’ll just be normal underwear!”

Harumi was so strait-laced that she couldn’t possibly bring herself to go out in such an outfit. She felt as good as naked. What if the children saw her like this?

“You’ll just have to endure it.”

“I can’t!”

“That outfit will make up for the parts you can’t pull off. Or would you rather improve your technique?”

“I... I... I...”

Kiriha’s levelheadedness gradually brought Harumi back to her senses. Harumi was aware that her technique was lacking, and since she was the one asking her help, she couldn’t refuse. Eventually Harumi took a deep breath and stopped fidgeting.

“Hahh...”

“Did you calm down?”

“Yes, s-somehow...”

“Besides, getting used to it is part of the practice.”

“It might just kill me first.”

With her face still bright red, Harumi stared down at her outfit. She couldn’t help but feel self-conscious about letting Koutarou see her like this. That would be hard enough, but if Koutarou started to think she was some weird woman, she might have a heart attack on the spot. Harumi began losing her nerve again, thinking she may have been too rash.

“The die has already been cast. Steel yourself, Harumi.”

“O-Okay. I’ll do my best.”

Kiriha immediately moved to quash the timidity that was showing in Harumi’s expression. If she quit here, it would be all over. All of Kiriha’s preparations would be for nothing. Harumi knew Kiriha was doing this for her, and she didn’t want things to come to that. In the end, she pumped herself up again.

With Harumi’s outfit in order, Kiriha moved on to her first lesson. The most basic of the basics would be how she carried herself.

“...So standing straight up like normal won’t work.”

“Then what should I do?”

“First, push one of your shoulders forward.”

“So it looks like I’m leaning, right?”

“On top of that, don’t leave your hands together.”

“No?”

“We want something asymmetrical. It has the most visual impact.”

“This is pretty difficult...”

Harumi listened to Kiriha’s detailed instructions. As she did, her typical honor student posture became more feminine and confident.

“Like this?”

“Yes, something like that... but...”

Just adjusting her way of standing should be enough to give off some sex appeal. But Kiriha tilted her head in confusion. For some reason, she still didn’t see any in Harumi.

Her posture is much better... but why doesn’t it look like it?

Harumi had done everything that Kiriha had asked. She should be perfectly seductive now, but she still only gave off a friendly vibe. She was more likely to attract kindergartners than teenage boys.

“...All right, let me teach you some expressions.”

Kiriha gave up on her body for now and decided to move on to her face. The impression someone gave off didn’t just depend on their posture. She wouldn’t be able to give Harumi a proper assessment until they tried everything.

“Please do.”

“First, turn your face the same way as your body.”

“Since I’m leaning, I shouldn’t be looking straight forward, but in the same direction, right?”

“That’s right. A little bit of an angle helps you look the part.”

“I understand. Something like this?”

“That’s good. Now look down some...”

Kiriha gave instructions and Harumi adjusted herself accordingly. The instructions got more and more complicated, but Harumi didn’t complain. She simply listened and obeyed. A few minutes later, Kiriha had sculpted the ideal flirtatious glance.

“That should about do it.”

Snap!

When things were just right, Kiriha pulled out her cellphone and took a picture... which sent Harumi into a panic.

“P-Please don’t take any pictures!”

“If I don’t, you won’t know how you look, right? You can’t see the right angle in a mirror.”

“...Delete it later, okay?”

“I will. Trust me.”

“Okay...”

Kiriha always kept her promises. She would erase the picture after she was bored of looking at it. But first, she showed it to Harumi.

“This is how you look.”

“My... That is very different from usual.”

Harumi rarely took pictures of herself, but she did from time to time with her friends when they were out sightseeing. She looked a lot sexier now than she did in those pictures. She was satisfied with the difference.

But... the impact is still weak... Why?

In contrast, Kiriha tilted her head in confusion again. Harumi had the perfect sexy pose, but something still felt off.

“Karama, Korama, compare her image to mine using optic data.”

“Got it, ho!”

“Leave it to us, ho!”

“Oh no! The haniwas are here too?!”

“We are, ho!”

“We have been the whole time, ho!”

“Oh no, oh no, oh no!”

With the surprise appearance of the haniwas, Harumi’s bad girl vibe was gone in an instant. However, since the haniwas had been watching from the start, they used the footage they already had to compare her and Kiriha.

“Disregarding her size and figure, she is almost a perfect match to you, Ane-san! Ho!”

“It could be reasonably said that there is no visible difference between her pose and yours! Ho!”

“Hmm...”

Hearing the haniwas’ report, Kiriha began thinking. Harumi’s lack of feminine impact wasn’t because of her pose then.

“Haniwas, make sure you delete that data, okay?!”

“We’ll delete the recorded data, ho! We’ll protect your privacy, ho!”

“But we can’t erase our memories, ho! Sorry, ho!”

“I guess I can’t ask you to erase that...”

But as she looked at the flustered Harumi, she realized exactly what was missing.

“It’s her eyes...”

The problem was Harumi’s eyes. She seemed to lack the ability to convey strong emotions with them. Hers were naturally calm and gentle. That was why she always came off as friendly.

“Please don’t show anyone else your memories, okay?”

“It’s okay, ho! Only we can see it, ho!”

“But it’ll be archived during overhauls, ho!”

“It’s going to get duplicated?!”

“Harumi, could you look over here a minute.”

“Huh? Oh, yes!”

Harumi interrupted her discussion with the haniwas and turned towards Kiriha. Her big, tranquil eyes seemed to be asking, “What’s the matter?”

She was a failure as a bad girl.

“Could you glare at me?”

“Glare?”

“That’s right. It seems that you’re lacking in aggressiveness. Because of that, you lack impact, even if you’re dressed like a bad girl.”

“Aggressiveness...”

“You could call it provocativeness or prurience. You’re not being very tempting.”

A bad girl needed to grab their target’s attention just by standing there. But the passive Harumi didn’t have that kind of appeal. That showed in her eyes. They made her look kind and caring, like she wanted to help the people around her. She needed more provoking eyes, like Theia’s. It was because of that that she wasn’t giving the right impression.

“Um... Like this?”

Harumi glared at Kiriha as she was told. She furrowed her brow and narrowed her eyes in order to look more aggressive.

“Only the shape is right... Let’s see, try thinking of me as your enemy when you glare at me.”

“My enemy...”

That word took Harumi back... Back to over two thousand years ago when Alaia faced off against her enemy, Violbarum Maxfern. Thinking of enemies, he was the worst one she could think of.

“...”

Harumi tried telling herself that the person before her wasn’t Kiriha, but Maxfern—the man that had tried to kill Koutarou. Suddenly, the atmosphere around Harumi started to drastically change.

“Harumi, that’s a bit different...”

However, the results weren’t what Kiriha had expected. The dignified aura of a princess rose to the surface, which wasn’t quite the same as a woman’s charm. Harumi had clearly chosen the wrong person to think of.

“I don’t know who you were thinking of, but make it someone you’re more likely to forgive.”

“An enemy I can forgive...”

The evil magical girls were what came to mind next. In contrast to Maxfern, Crimson and Purple were enemies she could forgive. However, the dark outfits of the evil magical girls conjured memories of a totally different enemy...

“Wahahaha! Too bad for you, youngster! I’m going to make this cute girl my wife!”

He was an officer of the evil underground people that wore pitch black, thorny armor—Baron Demon. He was the enemy that Harumi could most easily forgive.

What would have happened if Harukazeman hadn’t shown up? I would have been taken away, and then in the church...

Harumi recalled the events of over a year ago and stared at Kiriha, imagining that she was Baron Demon.

“...”

“...Harumi, you’re far too forgiving with that enemy. Can’t you make it someone more normal?”

“I’m so sorry! I’ll pick a different enemy!”

Harumi hurriedly chased the thoughts of Baron Demon out of her mind and racked her brain for a better enemy.

Th-This is hard...

Kiriha put her hand on her head as she watched Harumi. At this rate, it was going to take years to teach her how to be a bad girl. As expected, Harumi just wasn’t cut out for it.

A month had passed since Kiriha first began teaching Harumi the ways of the bad girl. By now, while hollow, Harumi’s act was starting to shape up. There was something alluring to the way she moved, and she was getting better with the scripted questions and answers. And that was why Kiriha thought it was about time to get some hands-on training for her.

“Hands-on training?”

“That’s right. You’ll be getting some training in the field, so to speak.”

Kiriha was planning on having Harumi practice on Koutarou and point out any errors as she observed. Her acting was getting better with no one around, so it seemed like a good time to start with an audience. That said, Harumi didn’t want to train with a large number of people, so she figured she’d start with Koutarou.

“But is it really okay to start with Satomi-kun right away?”

“There’s nothing to worry about. If things start getting complicated, you can just confess that you’re training your bad girl act.”

“Can I really say that?!”

Harumi’s eyes opened wide in surprise. She was worried that Koutarou would laugh at her if she told him the truth.

“You just don’t have to tell him your motive.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Indeed. You want to hide your motive, not your acting, right? Besides, your motive is hard to imagine. You’ll be fine.”

If she told him she was doing something like that, Koutarou would probably think she was going to be in another play. There was no way he’d guess that she just wanted to be able to floor the man she loved with her feminine wiles for once, or that she was really trying to find a way to break down the wall around his heart. As long as Harumi didn’t bring it up herself, he would never know.

“Anyway, I think you’ve learned all you can acting on your own. That said, practicing with boys you don’t know is―”

“I can’t do that! Absolutely not!”

Harumi rapidly shook her head. She wanted to tease Koutarou because she loved him. She was only doing it because she wanted to show Koutarou everything she had to offer as a woman. She wasn’t interested in doing that with a stranger. That’s why she absolutely couldn’t practice on other boys.

“That’s why you have no choice but to practice on Koutarou. At first you won’t do anything but observe, but from there you’ll gradually step it up to get a reaction. Bring out the acting you’ve learned in waves to keep him from catching on.”

“O-Okay. I’ll give it a try.”

Harumi gulped hard before making a serious face and nodding. She was far from confident, but it was true that nothing more would come from practicing alone. The time had come to get out there and fight. Harumi woke up her hibernating aggressiveness and steeled her resolve to give Koutarou a try.

Since she would do nothing but observe to start, things would be just like normal. Even so, she couldn’t help but feel nervous as she headed towards Koutarou with her bad girl routine. Her expression was stiff and her limbs moved awkwardly. She looked like an ungreased tin soldier.

“Huh, Sakuraba-senpai, do you have muscle pains?”

That was what Koutarou immediately assumed when he saw her enter the room so strangely. Hearing those words, Harumi trembled.

Muscle pains...? That’s right, that was one of the questions!

In the script that Kiriha had prepared for Harumi, there was an entry with muscle pains as a keyword. It was flagged as an important entry because it was an easy way to get in some physical contact.

“That’s right. Could you give me a massage, Satomi-kun?”

According to the script, she was supposed to flash some cleavage and provocatively look up at Koutarou when she answered. The goal was to get his mind to wander in a dirty direction even at a perfectly innocent suggestion.

This is... This is too much, Kiriha-san! I can’t do it all of a sudden!

However, Harumi couldn’t pull that off. She didn’t have the courage for that yet. Instead, just thinking about it made Harumi even more nervous and her expression became even stiffer.

“...Are you sure you’re okay, Sakuraba-senpai?”

Koutarou’s reaction went in the complete opposite direction of the script. Harumi was clearly behaving oddly, so he started to worry that it was something serious or that she might be under the weather because of her health. Koutarou swiftly stood up and approached Harumi.

“I-I’m fine― Eeek!”

But now Harumi was almost at her breaking point. Koutarou had walked over and put his big, manly hand on her forehead.

“It doesn’t seem like you have a fever.”

“I’m really fine!”

Harumi’s voice trembled. She was completely flustered at this point, but there was a plan for a situation like this. She was supposed to embrace Koutarou and whisper into his ear, “Of course I’m feverish... I love you.” But her desire for Koutarou not to worry about her was too strong. She just simply repeated that she was fine. The fact that she couldn’t follow the script only unnerved her even more. She was hopelessly in a downward spiral.

“Hold on.”

“Kyaah!”

Completely unaware of Harumi’s feelings, Koutarou didn’t hesitate to pick her up. He thought it would be best to get her lying down as quickly as possible.

Huh? Wait, I... Why is this happening?!

Harumi was extremely confused. She felt pressured since she was unable to do what she had wanted, but being held like this, she also felt like entrusting herself to Koutarou. There was no way she wouldn’t feel warm and happy, embraced by the body heat of the man she loved.

“Just stay here for a moment.”

“Satomi-kun, um...”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

Koutarou set Harumi down in a corner of the room and then headed towards the wardrobe where he got out his futon. He was going to lay her down on that.

“Ah, aaahh, aauuugh...”

However, Harumi completely misunderstood. She didn’t think Koutarou was getting out the futon so she could rest.

H-Huh?! Are we going to...?! Huuuh?! Th-This is going too fast, Satomi-kun! I’m still not mentally prepared, and we haven’t made any plans for the future, and, and, and...!

Harumi was imagining something much bolder. But because of that, she was unable to say anything meaningful.

But I feel like it would be very rude to say no... Besides, I’m sure this took a lot of courage for Satomi-kun, so maybe this is fine?!

When Koutarou picked her up again, she firmly made up her mind that this was it. She had no intention of resisting. Somewhere deep down, she knew that this day would come.

“Senpai, just rest here for a while, okay?”

“Huh...?”

Contrary to what Harumi thought would happen, Koutarou simply laid her down to rest in the futon and swiftly withdrew. It wasn’t what she had imagined at all.

“Satomi-kun, what is...?”

“You’ve been pushing yourself lately... so at least rest awhile until Clan and Ruth-san come back.”

“Could... this be...”

That was when Harumi finally understood. Koutarou had put out the futon for her because he was worried about her health. The bold things Harumi was thinking hadn’t even crossed his mind.

“Waaait, nooooo! I... I... I was imagining something totally different!”

“H-Huh? Sakuraba-senpai...?”

Ignoring the confused Koutarou, Harumi buried herself in the futon in an attempt to escape his gaze. She wanted to dig through the floor and bury herself in the ground. She honestly thought she would die of embarrassment if her eyes met Koutarou’s right now.

Observing the end results of the commotion, Kiriha’s shoulders slumped. Not even she had expected this outcome, and it left her a little dumbfounded.

“Impossible... How did it turn out like this? There should have been several chances to take advantage of him.”

If Kiriha had been in Harumi’s situation, she would have found an opportunity to tease him two, maybe four times. And she had taught Harumi how to make good use of those chances with her script.

“The big brother didn’t do anything, yet he was the one with Harumi-chan wrapped around his finger, ho!”

“How mysterious, ho! Ane-go’s education completely backfired, ho!”

Somehow Harumi had failed at every turn. It wasn’t that she didn’t have the opportunity—it was more like she self-destructed without even doing anything. It was an utter defeat that even the haniwas, who knew the least about human relations, could see.

“I guess... Harumi is just absolutely unfit for this...”

It was almost a relief, but it was at least now clear that Harumi was not cut out to be a bad girl. When faced with Koutarou, she couldn’t contain the good will overflowing from within her. She wanted to do nice things for him. She wanted him to be happy. Those feelings always surfaced, and betrayed themselves in the way she acted. When she tried to suppress them, it just made her extremely nervous. This was a problem that needed to be addressed before she could even consider becoming a bad girl.

“What do we do now, Ane-san? Ho!”

“I’d feel bad just giving up on her, ho!”

“We’ve learned that a frontal assault won’t work, so we’ll just have to use our last resort.”

“Our last resort, ho?”

“Do we have one of those, ho?”

“Yes, but it will require a big change in perception first.”

Even in a situation this grim, Kiriha still had one final plan. Being prepared with several solutions to a problem was her secret for success. The haniwas were worried, but she still looked full of confidence.

Before turning to the last resort, Kiriha decided to reeducate Harumi and try the hands-on training for a second time. Her plan would have to be carefully executed. But sadly, the results weren’t good, so it was decided that the last resort was their only chance. Harumi was far less suited to be a bad girl than Kiriha had even imagined. This was the last trick she had up her sleeve.

Upon hearing from Kiriha that she could act like normal around Koutarou again, Harumi felt truly relieved. Harumi herself knew that wasn’t cut out for being a bad girl. She also knew that acting meant a constant, concerted effort to attract Koutarou’s attention. While it might have been simple for Kiriha, it was a tall order for Harumi. And so when she learned that she could carry on with club activities like normal, a smile naturally appeared on Harumi’s face.

“Sakuraba-senpai, why are you smiling?”

Koutarou stopped moving his knitting needles and looked over at Harumi. Her smile intrigued him since nothing special had happened.

“Oh, it’s nothing... I was just thinking that you shouldn’t do things you’re not used to.”

Harumi stopped knitting as well and smiled even brighter. Since she didn’t need to act like a bad girl anymore, her reaction was unforced.

“Ah, I know what you mean.”

“Really, Satomi-kun?”

“I felt that way about knitting.”

Koutarou smiled as well and showed Harumi his knitting. While he might be able to knit now, it had been very hard when he started out.

“Now that you mention it, you did look rather stiff at first.”

“I put too much strength into it, so I’d get muscle pains in my arms or blisters on my fingers. It was hard work.”

“Heehee... You do tend to put too much force into it when you’re not used to it, don’t you?”

“Thinking back on it, I wonder what I was doing.”

They both smiled now. As they did, Harumi felt something similar about trying to become a bad girl.

“But Sakuraba-senpai, if it’s something you really want to do, you should stick with it even if you’re not used to it.”

“Huh?”

“Just like me and knitting.”

“You’re right... I’ll give it a try when the time comes.”

Knitting was necessary for Koutarou to sort out his feelings. He’d picked up something new and worked so hard on it because he truly wanted to, even when it was difficult. That’s why he believed that if Harumi found something she needed in her life too, she should keep it up.

Do I really want to become a bad girl...? Harumi asked herself.

As she did, she realized that her true desire wasn’t necessarily becoming a bad girl. She just wanted the casual happiness she was feeling now. She could tease Koutarou in her own way, and the same was true for breaking down the wall around his heart. There had to be a method out there that would suit her. She now realized that training so hard to be a bad girl wasn’t just a waste of time—it was a mistake.

“You’ll get the muscle pains first though.”

“Ah, yes, I’ll be ready for that.”

But in reality, Kiriha’s education of how to become a bad girl was showing results in an unexpected area.

 Muscle pains, huh? A bad girl would have something bold to say about that, but I could never...

The reeducation Kiriha had given Harumi hadn’t shown any direct results. That was true even now. However, it had brought about a small change in Harumi. Sensing that change, Koutarou felt a mysterious emotion.

Nothing’s changed, but Sakuraba-senpai has been making my heart race lately for some reason...

Harumi no longer had any intention of using the techniques she learned from Kiriha, but when certain situations or keywords popped up, she recalled her training. It made Harumi more conscious of her womanhood, and emphasized her feminine charm indirectly. Although, as she realized that, she was still a little embarrassed.

It certainly wasn’t anything she was doing on purpose, but Koutarou couldn’t help noticing. Sometimes he wasn’t sure how to respond when Harumi’s charm would practically surprise attack him. Ultimately, Kiriha’s lessons had worked in a roundabout way.

Wait, a bad girl... That’s right, there was something I had to say!

Her train of thought reminded Harumi of something important. There was actually something she wanted to ask Koutarou.

“By the way, Satomi-kun, there’s something I’d like to try, so can you please help me?”

“I don’t mind. What is it?”

Harumi was smiling and her cheeks were slightly flushed. There was a certain charm about her. Koutarou never had any intention of refusing, but when he looked at her now, he found himself unwittingly nodding his head.

“The truth is... I want to become a bad girl.”

“A bad girl? You do?!”

Koutarou dropped his knitting needles in surprise. Seeing his reaction, Harumi’s smile changed somewhat. She smiled now out of true, unadulterated happiness.

“Ahaha, the truth is that I want to learn how to act like a bad girl... so I was wondering if you could help me practice.”

“Acting? Ah, so that’s what you meant. I don’t mind helping at all.”

When hearing that Harumi wanted to learn how to act like a bad girl, he did indeed assume that she was talking about a play. Since they had practiced together during the previous plays, he didn’t have anything against helping her out.

“Let’s work hard together.”

“Thank you, Satomi-kun!”

Koutarou gladly accepted Harumi’s request. He was enthusiastic about turning her into a splendid bad girl, completely unaware that not even Kiriha had been able to do so.

After getting a report from Harumi over the phone, Kiriha let out a big sigh and put her cellphone down on the tea table. She then picked up the teacup next to it and took a sip. She had been anxiously awaiting that call in room 106 for a while, and now she finally felt a weight off her shoulders.

“How did it go, ho?”

“Did Harumi-chan pull it off, ho?”

“Koutarou promised to make Harumi a bad girl. It seems like it worked.”

Kiriha’s last resort was to have Koutarou work together with Harumi to turn her into a bad girl. Part of being a bad girl was asking for the impossible. And since making Harumi a bad girl was impossible, asking Koutarou to help her with it fit the bill. In other words, it was a circuitous way of getting Harumi to act like a bad girl.

“You’re a genius, Ane-san! Ho!”

“A real bad girl! Ho!”

“Jeez, I was a little worried there...”

But Kiriha was satisfied with the outcome. There were as many ways to act like a bad girl as there were girls in the world. Harumi just had her own way of doing it. Since Harumi had Koutarou wrapped around her finger by the end, it could be said that her bad girl transformation was a success. Although, it was still not clear if Harumi herself was aware of that.

“But Ane-san, why did you help Harumi-chan, ho?”

“Didn’t you want to be with the big brother—with Koutarou, ho? Are you sure you should’ve helped your rival, ho?”

The haniwas were confused by Kiriha’s actions. Helping a girl who loved the same boy didn’t exactly seem like a smart move. To the haniwas, it looked like she was shooting herself in the foot.

“There are things more important than connecting with Koutarou. Because of that, I need Harumi’s power. Even more than ever.”

Kiriha answered without any hesitation. Her eyes were filled with deep love and kindness that were equal to Harumi’s.

“You really love the big brother, ho! Nobody would normally go that far, ho!”

“Ane-go is good at pretending to be a bad girl, but she really isn’t suited for it either, ho!”

“That will be our secret.”

“Understood, ho!”

“Our lips are sealed, ho!”

Though she might not act like it, Kiriha could only truly live earnestly. The haniwas looked at their master and secretly made a certain decision.

“Ho, ho!”

“Ho, ho! Ho!”

That decision was to one day reveal everything to Koutarou. That was their slight revolt against their awkward master. Really, in other words, Korama and Karama learned from their bad girl master and were going to become bad haniwas.