Chapter 498: Shocking Mrs. Hikigaya for a Hundred Years
Although the party had ended, the lively atmosphere in the living room showed no signs of diminishing.
Before long, the girls came downstairs from the second floor, each carrying a blanket.
After tidying up a bit, they prepared to set up their sleeping area in the living room.
The space in the living room was large enough that there was no worry about running out of room for everyone.
As they spread out their blankets, the girls naturally engaged in conversation.
Hisako: "Erina-sama, please wait a moment. I'll help you lay out your blanket."
Erina: "There's no need, Hisako. It's just laying out a blanket, I can handle it myself."
Hisako: "Um... Erina-sama, please don't lay it horizontally, everyone else is laying theirs vertically."
Erina: "Ah! Hisako, don't say that out loud!"
Yui: "Yukinon, let's sleep next to each other."
Yukino: "Sure, no problem."
Yumiko: "I want to sleep next to Yui too."
Yukino: "Hm?"
Yumiko: "What are you looking at? Is there a problem?"
Yui: "It's okay, it's okay. Yumiko, you can sleep on my right side."
"..."
As for Hachiman, he was sitting on the couch not far away. From his vantage point, he could see the girls kneeling on the floor as they spread out their blankets.
Since they were getting ready to sleep, the girls had already taken off their outer layers, leaving them in just their thin shirts. This meant that their shapely figures were on full display for Hachiman to see.
The slender waists, the well-formed hips, and the slightly rounded curves—all these sights were stimulating Hachiman's senses.
Girls are particularly sensitive to such things, so they naturally noticed Hachiman's gaze. Aside from a few who turned their heads to give him a playful glare, most of them just blushed slightly and remained silent.
Soon, all the blankets were laid out.
The bedding was arranged in two rows, with the pillows lined up next to each other.
"Phew... finally done," Iroha said, clapping her hands in satisfaction. But then she realized something.
"Where is Hachiman-senpai going to sleep?"
This question caused the girls to pause.
Right, they had been so focused on themselves that they hadn't thought about where Hachiman would sleep.
Seeing their looks, Hachiman shrugged and patted the couch beneath him. "How about I just sleep on the sofa?"
"No way! We said we were all going to sleep together, Onii-chan. You can't sleep on the sofa," Komachi quickly objected. If Hachiman slept on the sofa, all her efforts would have been in vain.
"Well, you decide where I should sleep then," Hachiman said, spreading his hands and tossing the problem back to them.
Hearing this, the girls exchanged glances and huddled together to hold a little meeting.
Before long, the meeting concluded.
The girls collectively decided that Komachi and Keika would sleep on either side of Hachiman. This way, it was fair to everyone, and it also helped keep Hachiman in check. After all, if he dared to make any inappropriate moves toward either of them, it would be as good as forfeiting his right to be called a decent person.
Soon, everyone slipped into their blankets.
Hachiman turned off the lights, plunging the living room into darkness. Only the faint light of the moon filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting silver streaks across the floor.
Lying on her stomach, Yui propped her cheeks up with her hands. Gazing at the starry sky outside, she smiled happily. "Mmm, this is so nice! So many of us sleeping together."
"Yeah, it really feels like a group sleepover," Ebina agreed, her clear features visible now that she had taken off her glasses.
"Alright, alright, it's late. Everyone should get some sleep," Hachiman suggested.
After tidying up, it was already past eleven, so it was indeed time to sleep. The little ones, Keika and Kokoro, were already fast asleep, and even Komachi was starting to nod off.
"Ah~~ Now that you mention it, I am getting a bit sleepy," Yui yawned after hearing Hachiman's words.
"Goodnight, everyone."
"Mm, goodnight."
With that, everyone exchanged goodnights, and the living room fell silent once more.
But even though he was lying down, Hachiman found himself unable to sleep. Given his current condition, he could go days without rest and still feel fine. Plus, this was the first time he was sleeping in the same room as so many girls.
Though they weren't sharing the same blanket, of course…
Maybe it was the quietness, but as Hachiman glanced around, he noticed the girls had closed their eyes, their breathing gradually becoming steady.
Just as Hachiman was about to close his eyes and try to sleep, a hand suddenly reached out from the darkness, slender fingers feeling their way into his blanket.
Hmm, what's this?
Soon enough, the hand seemed to find what it was searching for and gripped Hachiman's arm, holding his hand tightly.
Feeling the warmth of the soft, delicate hand in his own, Hachiman was curious. Judging by the direction it came from, the arm had reached over from above him.
And the person lying head-to-head with him should be—
Alice.
He looked up and met the girl's bright, water-like red eyes.
Alice had turned her body to lie on her stomach, stretching her right hand into Hachiman's blanket. Seeing him look over, she blinked and gave a mischievous smile, like a little fox who had just successfully stolen a chicken.
"Hmph, even if we're not sharing the same blanket, I can still hold your hand, Hachiman-kun. What can Erina do about that?" Alice's expression clearly conveyed her thoughts, and Hachiman couldn't help but smile wryly.
He turned over onto his stomach as well, matching her position.
Alice lay on her pillow, her silver hair cascading down and spreading around the pillow's edge. There was a hint of laziness in her expression, giving her an even more relaxed appearance.
Their hands intertwined completely now, fingers laced together. Alice giggled softly, the corners of her thin lips curving into a happy smile.
Suddenly, her eyes flickered, as if she had just thought of something.
Alice slowly lifted her upper body, using her free hand to pull down her collar, revealing a deep cleavage.
Hachiman's eyes widened slightly at the sight.
Was Alice really planning to…?
This wasn't the right time or place, especially with so many others around.
But it turned out Hachiman was overthinking it. After showing off her assets for a moment, Alice made no further moves. Instead, she withdrew her hand and let out a small yawn.
"Ah, I'm feeling a bit sleepy now. Goodnight, Hachiman-kun," she said lazily, a sly smile still playing on her lips. Then she turned over and lay back down, not saying another word.
Hachiman couldn't help but twitch his lips.
What was this? She teased him a bit and then just left him hanging?
Thankfully, his self-control was strong; otherwise, he might have fallen for her little game. But he made a mental note: he'd get her back later, maybe with that bunny girl outfit she owed him.
Watching Alice as she fell asleep, Hachiman decided to close his eyes as well.
With the room now silent, the only sounds left were the steady breathing of the girls around him. The night outside was calm, with no one on the streets. The moonlight continued to spill into the room, casting soft silver hues on everything.
The night passed without incident.
When Hachiman opened his eyes again, the sky outside was already lightening. Although he hadn't set an alarm, his well-practiced internal clock woke him up early as usual. Glancing at the wall clock, he saw it was just before 7 a.m.
Hachiman sat up and looked around at the sleeping girls. Most of them had managed to stay in their original positions, their sleeping postures relatively orderly.
But there were a few exceptions.
Erina, for instance, had somehow wrapped herself tightly in her blanket and rolled over into Hisako's sleeping area. Hisako, in turn, was holding Erina's blanket cocoon close, her face showing a touch of maternal care.
Seriously? What was with that maternal look? Hisako must be used to looking after Erina by now.
Yui's sleeping position wasn't much better. She had sprawled out in an awkward angle, with one of her pale feet sticking out from under the covers.
Yukino was lying on her side, her long black hair splayed across the pillow, her soft pink lips gently pursed in a way that tempted one to lean in for a kiss. However, Hachiman noticed a small wet spot on her pillow—she must have drooled in her sleep...
As for little Keika, who was sleeping next to Hachiman, it was clear she was a restless sleeper. At first, her head had been facing the same direction as his, but now she had completely flipped around, with her head down and feet up. To make matters worse, one of her tiny feet was pressing right into Komachi face.
Hachiman found the sight amusing.
He carefully turned Keika's body back around, then moved over to Yui and gently tucked her exposed foot back under the covers. Despite his careful movements, Yui seemed to sense something, mumbling incoherently before drifting back to sleep.
However, Yukino, who was lying next to Yui, opened her eyes.
Noticing she was awake, Hachiman gave her a gentle smile. "Good morning, Yukino."
Yukino, still a bit dazed from sleep, took a moment to fully wake up. As she became more aware, she felt the dampness near her mouth and spotted the small wet patch on her pillow.
Wait, did I really drool…?
Realizing this, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Seeing her reaction, Hachiman chose not to tease her. Instead, he smiled and asked, "Do you want to sleep a little longer? I can go ahead and start making breakfast."
Yukino, too flustered to speak, nodded instinctively.
Satisfied, Hachiman stood up, ready to head to the bathroom before starting breakfast.
But just as he was about to leave, he heard footsteps coming from the entryway. Moments later, a woman in her mid-thirties walked into the living room.
The sight of a dozen girls sprawled out on the floor left the woman utterly stunned. Her purse slipped from her hand, hitting the floor with a loud thud.
The noise startled the girls awake, and they groggily began to look around, only to hear Hachiman's surprised voice.
"Mom!"
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