We decided to have lunch in the meadow.
To get a real picnic vibe, we spread out a large tatami mat and everyone took off their shoes to step up onto it.
It was serving as a substitute since we didn’t have any plastic sheeting with us.
We all sat down in a circle, arranging the lunch at the center.
Lined up inside the basket were—
“Sandwiches! Nice one, Shi-chan! This is the ultimate picnic!”
Meiko exclaimed joyfully.
“Mm. A desert island in another world picnic.”
“Hehe, I made a variety of things, so everyone help yourselves to whatever you like.”
I placed the drinks at the center as well.
Roa said she would prepare the hot drinks, like herbal tea.
The hot water was stored in our Inventory, so we used that.
The first item I picked was a veal cutlet sandwich.
Soft bread, crisp vegetables, sauce drizzled over a crispy batter, and thick, flavorful meat.
I put it in my Inventory right after making it, so the taste is exactly like eating it fresh off the stove.
With every bite, my brain screamed with delight, and I couldn’t help but groan in awe.
“Tastes amazing!”
“Hehe, thank you. I’m really glad you enjoyed it.”
Watching my reaction, Shion wore a face radiating pure happiness.
“Shi-chan is the best!”
The fruit sandwiches, utilizing sheep’s milk cream and fresh fruits, came in a wide variety that was a feast for the eyes.
Muyuko held different kinds of fruit sandwiches in each hand, bouncing around with excitement.
Seeing her, Shozu laughed, said “That looks great!” and started imitating her.
“It really is delicious.”
Fukaho sat seiza-style, bringing the food to her mouth with elegant, refined movements.
There were others too—bacon, vegetables, sheep’s milk cheese, egg salad—and if you included all the slight variations in combinations, it nearly reached ten varieties.
“Shion’s cooking has become an indispensable part of our lives, huh.”
Yume-kyou said this with a face that looked impressed yet slightly envious.
“Thank you. But the reason I was able to make so much is thanks to Roa-chan.”
“I’m honored.”
She bowed her head gracefully, placing drinks before each of them in turn.
It seemed she had used the ability to know what others desired, providing exactly what everyone was craving at that moment.
I recalled that back on Earth, I had enjoyed coffee milk and carbonated beverages.
Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Roa reacted with a slight twitch.
Yet, in the end, she continued serving without saying a word.
Once everyone had received their drinks, it was time for Roa to eat as well.
I respected her desire to be a maid, but since she was also part of our group, I wanted to ensure she ate properly.
“So-ku-n, try this next.”
The item Chiyu grabbed while saying that was an egg sandwich.
“Oh, isn’t that the Iyama family’s egg sandwich?”
It wasn’t just any ordinary egg sandwich.
It featured thick slices of sweet omelet, making it incredibly delicious.
“Yum yum. I guess I really do like these.”
“Mm. I have quite the pride in my egg dishes.”
Seia’s mother had a vast repertoire of egg dishes.
“Sōsuke-kun, I’d like you to eat some of this too.”
“Sōsuke. You’re not saying my childhood friend’s love-filled sandwich is just one, are you?”
Shion offered the sandwich with a smile while Seia held it out with her usual expressionless face, chanting “Ahun.”
With my mouth still full of bread crumbs, I accepted from both of them.
“Shion, you’ve become quite bold… But then again, Tsukino and Shion are a couple now, aren’t they…”
Genchū blushed, murmuring to herself.
“Ugh, ugh… Dokkai-san’s sandwich is delicious… Sensei, I don’t think I’ll be able to go back to convenience store sandwiches after returning to Earth.”
Professor Luminas ate the sandwich with a complicated expression.
After the meal.
“Hey, since everyone is gathered here, how about we play something?”
Sugibe was the one who proposed it.
“What are you gonna do?”
Momoko sounded interested.
“Hmm, tag? I feel like running, don’t you?”
Looking at the vast, open space, it’s easy to understand the urge to run.
“As for me, exercise is a bit much…”
“No problem. I’ll cast Basic Healing on me.”
Before Shion could politely decline, Chiya cut in.
“I don’t need it right now… but I do want to play volleyball.”
A typical opinion from Muenaka, fitting for a member of the volleyball club.
Hmm. It wouldn’t be exactly the same, but couldn’t she somehow create a volleyball? She’d have to check with Fukaho about it later.
“Assuming we eliminate the stamina disadvantage with your ‘Basic Healing’ or ‘Intermediate Healing,’ should we banish all other ability usage to ensure fairness?”
Surprisingly, Fukaho seemed quite eager to play Tag.
Or perhaps she was just concerned about the rules.
”…I guess I can join in, but let’s set a time limit. Like five or ten minutes.”
“I shall gladly keep your company, everyone.”
“Ah, um… should the teacher participate too?”
“Of course, Rumi-chan! Since we’re at it, why don’t we make it a hug instead of a touch to switch out ‘It’?”
There were mixed opinions on Shoube’s proposal, but in the end, the proponents won out, and it was adopted.
There is plenty of time.
The initiator, Shoube, decided to be the “oni” (tagger). “Fwaha!
Let’s go!”
Shoube charged off with great enthusiasm, but…
“Wha— everyone is fast, isn’t it?”
Since Chiya was casting a healing spell on the group, no one was running out of stamina.
So, ultimately, pure speed determined the outcome, and Shoube was merely average.
“What do we do? It’s over in three minutes.”
Yumekai said this while showing me the timer screen on a tablet.
“Hmm— Oh right, Kuno!”
Startled by being called out of the blue, I still answered.
“What’s up? Sorry, but I can’t just deliberately get caught.”
“Eh? I kinda want to give you a hug, Kuno. Or maybe… am I not allowed?”
A man is weak when spoken to with those glistening, teary eyes.
“Ugh.”
“Opening detected~”
Taking advantage of my pause, Sojime came in for a frontal hug.
“Ta-da, squeeze~”
Her chest squished flat against my pecs as she hugged me tight.
Her body was incredibly soft and warm.
“That’s cheap, Runa!”
Shoushi voiced her displeasure.
“Hehe! Is that a ‘shinryou-enbou’ thing?”
A long-term plan, huh?
“Grr…
So I guess Sojime is the scheming character type,” I complained with blatant regret.
“Everyone can see that SouSuke is all pervy!”
“Ahahaha!”
At Shoushi’s tsukkomi, Sojime laughed until she held her stomach.
“Alright, next up I’m the oni.”
Or maybe just someone to hug.
It was embarrassing, but rules were rules. What a damn rule. Damned right.
Just as I was checking to see who was nearby.
“Huh?”
Chiiru had her arms wide open, looking at me.
Like she was just waiting for a hug.
“Hehe. Here you go, Sousuke-kun, catch me?”
Shion followed suit.
“Everyone’s cheating… Damn it, I’m joining in! Come here, Sōsuke!”
Miko spread her arms wide to welcome me, her face flushed red.
“Well… if you catch me, Sōsuke, that would make me happy.”
Fukaho tried to mimic the gesture, but perhaps out of shyness, she didn’t fully extend her arms.
“Here now, Master. Please capture your exclusive maid in those arms of yours.”
Loa spread her arms wide, utterly unbothered by any embarrassment.
The question had shifted from choosing who to tag as the ‘it’ person to selecting which lover I wanted to hug.
Cold sweat trickled down my body.
No matter who I chose, it was certain that I would upset the other four.
Trembling under a tension I had never experienced before, my whole body shook.
Choosing Chiyu, who regarded herself as the legitimate wife, seemed like the path to resolving things most smoothly.
But was jumping at such an obvious, safe option truly the right thing to do?
Perhaps there was a path I should choose, even if it meant being called a coward for it.
I crossed my arms and stayed put where I was.
Then, an alarm indicating time up rang out from the tablet Yume held.
After waiting for her to silence it, I looked around at the five of them and spoke.
“I couldn’t catch all of you at once. That’s why I didn’t move.”
It might look like I was being indecisive, but this wasn’t a result of being unable to choose; it was a deliberate choice.
I waited for several seconds with the feeling of a condemned criminal awaiting judgment.
”…Hmph. You’re starting to act like a proper harem master.”
“Hee hee, Sou-suke-kun is telling the truth. I truly love you all.”
“I-if that’s how it is, then I guess there’s nothing we can do about it, is there?”
“You are no less important to me… than any of the others…”
“Partiality in favor breeds discord. Truly, you are a master who understands.”
It seemed I had managed to avoid offending anyone.
「I mean, if that’s what you think, just don’t do the trial-and-error stuff then, right?」
Mumakai looked at the five of them with a dumbfounded face, muttering to herself.
“Serina doesn’t get it, does she? Girls need frequent reassurance that they’re loved, or else they get anxious.”
Shoube shrugged helplessly, looking resigned.
“You say things like you know what’s up, even though you’ve never had a boyfriend before, and I’ll have to deny that claim!”
“You don’t get to say that!”
It wouldn’t be wrong to say Shoube and Mumakai were actually pretty close friends.
“I wish… if I just worked up the courage… no, wait…”
Genchuu was murmuring something again in a tiny voice.
“Geez, my, it’s dazzling…! Th-this must be the power of youth…”
Sensei Luminas had his hand raised to shield his face from the glaring sunlight, as if protecting himself.
I thought Sensei was plenty young, though…
And so, with that kind of chatter, the break time ended.
I set off to persuade the remaining two.
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