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Anime: I Want Harem-Chapter 23
Chapter 23 - 23
The seats near the corner could accommodate six people. Kitahara Sosuke sat near the aisle, directly opposite Tomoya Aki, with the quiet Kato Megumi sitting next to him.
Although he wanted to properly admire the blonde, tsundere, twin-tailed Eriri and the sexy, black-stockinged, long-legged Utaha, Sosuke didn't stare at anyone. That would be rude no matter how you looked at it. The group exchanged a few more polite but meaningless pleasantries.
During this time, a young waitress brought over hot drinks and food.
"What's this? Melon pan?" Sawamura Eriri Spencer asked, eyeing the bread in front of her, which looked a bit different from ordinary melon pan.
"Try it. This shop's is different from others, it's very delicious. And it uses special substitutes inside, so it's also low in calories," Sosuke explained gently, looking at the girl opposite him.
Pineapple buns were common and ordinary, but in the anime world, a lot of girls loved them.
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"Hmm... really!" Before the two next to her had moved, Eriri had already covered her mouth and exclaimed in delight, savoring the deliciousness. Even the two golden pigtails on her head swayed gently, reflecting her joy. Sosuke found himself wanting to grab them.
"This is so delicious, it seems even better than what my family's chef makes," Eriri continued, her praise making Sosuke smile. He didn't elaborate further.
He didn't mention that the secret-recipe melon pan was his own creation, a fact only Miss Sanae, who was peeking at them from outside, knew. This was an informal product, supplied only in small quantities to bread lovers.
Why was Sosuke good at making melon pan? Well, it was one of his "wives'" favorite foods. By the way, while "melon pan" was often translated as "pineapple bun," the two were actually different types of bread and should not be confused. Sosuke had only learned this distinction after learning how to bake bread, so he'd perfected both types to his taste.
He wasn't bragging to Kato Megumi ; Sosuke was genuinely good at cooking. During his chuunibyou phase, he'd indulged in unrealistic fantasies and practiced diligently for that reason. He'd even given up on hanging out at internet cafes with classmates for a while, and his relationships had grown distant.
Later, when he outgrew his chuunibyou phase, he felt embarrassed recalling those times.
As a side note, Sosuke was also skilled at making kinako (roasted soybean flour) bread, which was another one of his "wives'" favorite foods.
Maybe it was the food, but the two girls beside Tomoya Aki suddenly seemed to have a different view of Sosuke, who could discover such delicious food.
"If I were to score their favorability towards me out of 100 points, it's probably at the 10-point level of a passerby whose name they remember," Sosuke thought, not discouraged, with a faint smile on his face. Conquering hearts took time.
"I heard from Kato-senpai earlier that you guys want to make a game, right?" Sosuke asked, shifting the conversation. "To be honest, I don't think there's anything in that which requires my involvement."
He didn't continue with small talk or join the three girls in eating. Instead, he went straight to the point. With Tomoya Aki around, he was in a bad mood and didn't feel like enjoying the food, though he kept a smile on his face.
"How utterly hypocritical," Sosuke mused to himself, questioning Tomoya Aki opposite him. He didn't even bother to put any extra thought into this guy.
"Actually..." Tomoya Aki was about to ramble on with a bunch of irrelevant things to try and convince Sosuke to join his club. But Sosuke wasn't interested, and he had an inexplicable dislike for the guy.
Then, Miss Utaha, who had finished her food, quickly intervened.
"Kitahara-kun, the scene where you and Kato-san met on the slope during spring break gave Tomoya-kun inspiration," she explained smoothly. "So, Tomoya-kun wants to invite you to join our club as the model for the male and female protagonists of the game."
Kasumigaoka Utaha regained her composure, seemingly in control of the situation. She restarted her plan to use this junior to interfere with Tomoya Aki's intentions. Of course, it would be even better if these two decided not to join the club at all. Unlike the naive Eriri, she had a feeling that Kato Megumi wasn't as ordinary as she appeared.
"That's not it! The male protagonist isn't this guy!" Tomoya Aki stood up to refute Utaha's words loudly... but after a moment of hesitation, he didn't dare to say it.
In fact, the current Tomoya Aki, although more self-aware than his former self, still didn't think he liked Kato Megumi , this unremarkable girl from the three-dimensional world. His resistance to Sosuke, however, was instinctive.
Tomoya Aki, being a pure love type, hated the idea of NTR (netorare - cuckolding). Under Sosuke's calm gaze, he recalled the unfriendly look he'd received earlier and suddenly found himself unable to speak.
"It's just as Kasumigaoka-senpai said," he muttered finally, unable to come up with a better excuse. He also felt an instinct for survival. Though Sosuke appeared easygoing now, Tomoya believed that his earlier impression wasn't wrong.
Sosuke, unaware of Tomoya's inner thoughts, would have patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, You will definitely get your Green hat!"
At that moment, after hearing the upperclassman's words, Sosuke took a deep breath. Then, pretending not to know anything about their situation, he suddenly asked, "So, the game you want to make is... a galgame?"
"Kitahara-kun also knows about this kind of game?" Tomoya Aki asked, looking surprised. He hadn't mentioned the term "galgame" at all. Sosuke didn't seem like the type to play bishoujo games, and Tomoya found it hard to imagine this tall, sturdy guy sitting in his room playing a game about beautiful girls.
Sosuke's response was calm. "I'm somewhat familiar with it, though of course, I'm definitely not as knowledgeable as Aki-kun."
He was telling the truth. Tomoya Aki's otaku level was probably such that if there were a competition in Akihabara, he could definitely place in the top three. Sosuke's knowledge of this field was still lacking.
What he needed to do now was break the impression others had of him.
"Let's start by making this kid think he's on their side," Sosuke thought as he raised his cup and took a sip of black tea, placing it back on the table with a soft sound. Then, casually glancing at Eriri sitting opposite him, he plotted his next move.
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