ODL – Chapter 70 – It’s My Shampoo

“…H-Harem…!?” (Souma)

This word, as if a completely unfamiliar term that seemed to not even exist in this world, struck my ears. Even though it was a commonly used word, it didn’t register in my brain, probably because I never expected my current situation to be described with such a word.

“Well, isn’t that what it is? With Ette, Hiyorin, and… there’s one more, right? If this isn’t a harem, then what is?” (Miyabi)

Miyabi-chan, while listing down the members of Souma-kai cheerfully, directed her fang-like teeth at me.

…Well, perhaps they were indeed fangs. Predatory birds in the savanna steal the lives of herbivores, and right now, I feel threatened.

“Mi-Miyabi-chan… Could you step back for now…?” (Souma)

I did want to confirm the meaning of the word “harem” once again, but the view in front of me didn’t allow for that. I shifted the focus of my eyes away from Miyabi-chan, who was leaning forward and peering at me defenselessly.

…A large-sized sweatshirt, the neckline, a forward-leaning posture.

In the world of mahjong, it would have been a yakuman. It felt like paying 32,000 points might still be the cheaper option. That’s because from within the wide-open sweatshirt, an abyss was unilaterally peering at me, and if I were to look, I would be pulled into an abyss called the police station.

…But don’t you always see Shizuka’s underwear?

Unfortunately, I don’t consider the somewhat high-quality fabric that’s currently tossed on the floor to be “underwear”. If anything, It’s more like “flammable trash”. Furthermore, it’s a breeding ground for bacteria. If you leave it like that for several days, you’ll have a full-fledged Baikinman Castle¹ in no time.

I might be going a bit too far with that description, but please understand that without such thoughts, my sanity wouldn’t hold up.

Especially in a situation like this.

“…I can’t be fooled, you know?” (Miyabi)

“!?” (Souma)

For some reason, Miyabi-chan leaned in even closer. It felt like our faces were already at lover’s only distance. Startled by the sudden movement, I hastily jumped up from the sofa, tossing aside any sense of seniority or dignity.

Why do girls who have just taken a bath smell so good? Tell me which shampoo you use.

“Hey! Are you trying to run away!?” (Miyabi)

“Wait, wait, I’m not running away.” (Souma)

I used my hand to restrain Miyabi-chan, who looked like she was about to make a move. With how she is right now, she might even jump into my lap. I wonder if her having a brother makes her more comfortable with being around men. I don’t have a sister, so I can only imagine.

“I’m right here.” (?)

…Was that my imagination?

I felt like I heard Mafuyu-chan’s voice and looked around, but the only one here was Miyabi-chan, who was staring at me discontentedly from the sofa. That, in itself, was a problem.

“Miyabi-chan, let’s start by calming down.” (Souma)

“I am calm.” (Miyabi)

“Yeah, I see that, but…” (Souma)

Around this point, I was finally starting to prepare myself to digest Miyabi-chan’s words from earlier.

…Harem?

…Me?

No way!

…I understand that I’m in a situation where I can’t simply dismiss the claim. Certainly, it might appear to be a harem. If someone were to deny a harem while eating with three women every day, I’d probably cut ties with that person.

However…

“…Miyabi-chan, I’m definitely not in a harem.” (Souma)

In my case, it really isn’t a harem. Because, a harem is only a harem when there are red arrows pointing from the opposite sex, right?²

Mhmm.

That’s right.

Is there a red arrow pointing from Shizuka to me?

Is there a red arrow pointing from Hiyorin to me?

As for Mafuyu-chan, well, I can’t help but feel there might be a dashed line arrow of some sort…

But, all in all, Shizuka probably just thinks of me as a good neighbor who helps with household chores, and Hiyorin probably just sees me as a drinking buddy. Even with Mafuyu-chan, I still think she mostly sees me as her big brother.³ Since there are no arrows pointing in any direction, a harem is simply impossible.

“Because…!” (Souma)

Miyabi-chan interrupted me as I tried to explain.

“In that case, it doesn’t have to be a harem! So, Aoba-san, who do you like?” (Miyabi)

“Ugh…!?” (Souma)

After taking some distance from Miyabi-chan earlier, she was now completely in my field of view. I couldn’t help but hold my breath.

…It’s not just the fangs that make her seem like a predatory bird. Miyabi-chan was staring at me with sharp, carnivorous eyes as if she had spotted her prey.

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Thanks for reading!

Dense MCs are really something else. I am speechless.

As Murasame-chan once said, “This kind of denseness deserves divine punishment!”

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1. Baikinman is the main antagonist in the children show Anpanman. The main character, Anpanman, is a bread or something like that and Baikinman is from the “Germ Planet” and is the leader of the Viruses. His Japanese name means “Bacteria Man”. His ambition is to destroy Anpanman and spread bacteria all over Anpanman’s world. 
2. Does this line makes sense to you? No? That’s because it doesn’t make sense and I don’t think it is supposed to.
3. Ok… Shizuka and Hiyorin are one thing, but didn’t Mafuyu straight up said she liked him some time ago?