[TSSIM] Chapter 511: Girlfriends

"If you don't have really good eyesight, there's no way—Hmm? What's wrong?"

Homura stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the girls staring at him with strange looks.

"Why're you all looking at me like that?"

"...Why are you so good at tying a girl's hair?" Utaha asked with a weird expression.

"What?" Homura looked confused. "It's just a ponytail, right? Is that supposed to be some advanced skill or something? You take one look, and you get how to do it."

Utaha: "..."

"Well, you're not wrong... It's just that none of us have ever seen a guy tie a girl's hair before, so... y'know... we were kinda curious..." Eriri said, clearly implying something.

"Alright, I get it." Homura shrugged and started walking back to his room.

"Where's Homuhomu-senpai going?" Yui asked confusedly before popping another tea egg into her mouth.

"You're still eating?" Ui looked speechless.

How could her sister keep eating without stopping?

"Okay, I'm done... Ahh... I'm full..." Yui wiped her hands and patted her belly, looking completely satisfied.

Girls: "..."

Who else could get full just from eating snacks?

"Mou, I just can't deal with you, Onee-chan..." Ui sighed, helplessly wiping off the crumbs from Yui's mouth.

"Heehee..." Yui grinned and leaned her face closer.

Seeing this sweet scene, the girls couldn't help but feel both amused and touched.

Suddenly, Haru wobbled over, stopped in front of the girls, tilted her head at Ui, then jumped up onto her lap and curled up.

"Eh?" Ui was suddenly at a loss for what to do.

"Haru-chan approached someone on her own again!" Nayuta exclaimed in surprise.

"Haru-chan? Is that the cat's name?" Ui asked, confused, while gently petting Haru. "But why is she suddenly so close to me?"

Having come back, Homura laughed and responded.

 "I guess the little one sensed that you give off a vibe of being really good at taking care of people."

Ui: "..."

A vibe of being good at taking care of people?

Was that even a thing?

"Back then, I didn't even know how long I tried to get close to Haru..." Eriri said, sounding a little jealous.

"Can't help it." Homura gently patted Eriri's head. "Haru just naturally gets close to two types of people. Last time you saw her cozying up to someone, it was Nayu, right?"

"What do you mean?" Ritsu looked confused.

"Okay, here's the thing..." Elf immediately gave everyone a quick explanation.

As soon as Ritsu finished hearing Elf's explanation, she turned to look at Ui, her expression thoughtful.

"So, Ui's really so caring that even Haru-chan can't help but get close, huh?"

Hearing this, Ui's face turned bright red, but she didn't say anything.

It was only natural since what Ritsu said was the kind of compliment every girl loved to hear, after all.

At the same time, Ui found herself liking the cute cat in her arms even more.

"Yup, not everyone gets this kind of special treatment from Haru, y'know." Homura said with a slight smile.

"By the way, what were you doing just now, Homura-kun?" Utaha brought the topic back around.

"I went to get a comb." Homura raised his hand, showing what he was holding.

Seeing the comb, Eriri's heart was pounding, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation.

It couldn't be helped.

Having their hair combed by the boy they loved was every girl's dream, after all.

Meanwhile, a few others subconsciously touched their own hair, like Utaha, Mio, Mashiro, and Muramasa, who either had long, straight hair or short hair and didn't usually tie it up.

Aside from them, some also had straight hair but wore small accessories, like Sagiri and Nayuta, while others had wavy hair, like Elf.

Judging by the looks of things, the only ones who could enjoy Homura's hair-tying service were Eriri and Izumi.

Nanami also tied her hair in a ponytail, but she wasn't present because she was practicing voice acting with Megumi in another room.

Seeing that Homura had brought the comb, Eriri was waiting expectantly.

"Why'd you get a comb?" Eriri asked, her face immediately turned red.

"Seriously, can't you just be honest for once?" Homura laughed, then began to undo Eriri's twin tails.

Eriri sat there stiffly, waiting for what Homura would do next.

===

While Homura was helping Eriri with her hair, all the other girls watched with envy, wishing they could switch places with her right then and there.

Unfortunately, that was just wishful thinking.

Utaha and the others touched their own hair, exchanged glances, and seemed to come to some sort of decision.

Meanwhile, Ui fell silent, her face showing a shocked expression.

It couldn't be helped since this was her first time seeing a scene where many girls really wanted to be combed by a boy like this, and for a moment, she was completely absorbed in it.

"Anoo, is Eriri-senpai Minamiya-senpai's girlfriend?" Ui quietly asked Mio.

As Mio heard this question, she didn't quite know how to answer.

If she said yes, it wouldn't be wrong, but it made it sound like Eriri was the only one who was Homura's girlfriend. Not only would the other girls not like that, but even Mio herself didn't feel great about saying it.

However, if she said no, that would be even more ridiculous.

'Should I just say they all are his girlfriends?' Mio thought and couldn't help but glance at Ui. 'But... wouldn't that be too shocking for her?'

Thankfully, just as she was feeling really conflicted about how to answer, Homura came to her rescue.

"Of course she is, and they all are."

As Homura answered Ui's question, he even gestured to the other girls.

Ui: "???"

'Wait, is he talking to me?' Ui thought speechlessly.

How many times had she been left speechless today? What he said was just too shocking for her mind!

At this moment, while Ui was completely speechless, all the girls around Homura, who didn't hear her question, were confused.

What was Homura even talking about out of nowhere?

While continuing to fix Eriri's hair, Homura explained to the girls.

"Ui just asked Mio if Eriri is my girlfriend. I saw Mio having a hard time answering, so I answered for her."

"Uh... Sorry..." Ui said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

It was like getting caught gossiping behind someone's back, so it was inevitable for her to feel awkward.

"No need to apologize." Homura said with a smile and a shake of his head. "I mean, everyone knows about this already, so it's not a problem to tell you. And by the way, my hearing is pretty sharp, so it's useless even if you whisper."

Ui nodded shyly, and that moment was when Izumi and Sagiri finally connected the dots.

'Wait, if that's how he put it, does that mean he already considers me his girlfriend too?!'

Izumi and Sagiri, more or less, had this same thought.

Poof!

White steam practically rose from their little heads, and their faces turned bright red.

Ui, seeing the two's reactions, grew even more curious, wondering how things ended up like this.

Unable to hold back her curiosity, Ui asked them.

"So... what do you all think about this, Sagiri-senpai, Izumi-senpai?"

"Eh?" Sagiri was stunned, her shyness forgotten. "I'm not your 'senpai', and I'm his little sister!"

"I'm the same age as you!" Izumi snapped out of her daze and frantically waved her hands.

Ui instinctively looked at Izumi's chest, then glanced down at her own.

'Are you serious?'