“Everyone possesses a large amount of energy,” said Nano Two, “but…”
“You can’t extract their energy at this point, huh?” said Rentaro, sharing her disappointment.
The emotion displayed on Nano Two’s face was only slight, but it was still quite a bit more expressive than the usual Nano. “Furthermore, although your individual energies may be described as great, they still pale in comparison to the largest reactions that have been recorded here on many prior occasions.”
A thought suddenly occurred to Rentaro as he gazed at Nano Two’s downcast face. “By the way, what’s Nano’s energy source like?”
“The individual known as Eiai Nano is an extreme case. According to our observations, her emotions fluctuate far less than the average Earthling. Even our own race cannot compare. However, at its maximum value, it reaches the same high levels as the rest of you. She is a mystery even aliens cannot solve.”
It was hard to tell whether Nano Two was making some kind of alien joke.
So when does Nano’s heart experience a major fluctuation? mused Rentaro. Not to be full of himself, but…pretty much only one thing that came to mind.
“Can you observe Nano’s current emotional state in real time?”
“I can. When I first encountered Nano, she was her typical self, but ever since entering this space that you call ‘the roof,’ she has been experiencing fluctuations.”
Nano Two’s words backed up Rentaro’s theory.
“Okay, so…” He gently put his arms around Nano. “What if I do this?”
“Ah…”
A startled gasp. Had it come from Nano Two, or…?
Rentaro felt Nano’s heart pounding faster and faster. The sound of his own beating heart reached her in turn. Their heartbeats reinforced one another in an endless feedback loop. When Rentaro gently stroked Nano’s beautiful hair, her heart let out another powerful throb. Although her face remained expressionless, it steadily reddened—a testament, perhaps, to her body’s involuntary reaction.
And if that was the case, then it was unbelievably adorable. Unable to dam his emotions, he tightened his arms around her slightly, and Nano hesitantly embraced him in return. At this shy gesture, Rentaro found himself falling in love with her all over again. He adored absolutely every little thing about her.
“Inconceivable! The individuals known as Eiai Nano and Aijo Rentaro have just produced today’s highest energy count! But what kind of emotional activity is this? It does not exist in our culture! What even…?!”
“How does your culture understand tsundere and hangry, but not thi—mff!” Kusuri’s question had been cut short. This was a critical moment in the plot, so Shizuka had gently covered her mouth.
“This is the energy born from the touch of two people who love each other… Love Energy!” Rentaro’s voice boomed.
“Love Energy! Is this the power of romance?!” Nano Two’s eyes widened as if stricken with emotion.
Karane and Kurumi looked embarrassed at this straightforward declaration, though not altogether unsatisfied. Shizuka and Kusuri were, frankly, delighted to discover that the display had generated so much energy. At the same time, it was hard to blame them for blushing.
Hearing Rentaro’s words of love (even if they weren’t explicitly directed at them), the Hanazono women squealed, “I love you too!” Mei stood next to them with her usual serene expression, although her cheeks were slightly flushed.
“I will research the word ‘love’ in your human languages… Fascinating. It appears to be an emotion that heightens the desire for reproduction.”
“You’re not exactly wrong, but that’s one heck of a way to phrase it,” said Rentaro.
“Given that our species reproduces asexually, the concept is unfamiliar to us. Regardless, what an exceeding amount of pure energy! May I please extract some of this?! I will only take the parts that are flowing out of the body. There should be no impact on the people in question!”
As he gently pulled away from Nano’s body, Rentaro looked back over his shoulder at his other girlfriends. All of them, without exception, nodded back at him with zero hesitation, their faces scarlet.
“Take whatever you want! My—our—love has no limits!”
At Rentaro’s words, the girls clutched their chests again and swooned.
✦ ✦ ✦
Then, it was Hyper Hug Time.
“Rentaro-kun, you’re so strong… Ngh…”
He wrapped his arms tightly around Hakari’s curvaceous, womanly body. Her sweet, luscious scent filled his nostrils. Hakari hugged him back fiercely, arms locked so tight that they might never let him go. From up close, her lovely, beaming smile looked as if she’d been tickled. He tried very hard not to feel conscious of how her soft, full breasts were pressed up against him. He also pretended not see her inner thighs tensing up.
“Ugh, this is for the alien, got it?! It’s not like I want a hug or anything!” Karane said.
Despite her words, Karane showed absolutely zero resistance to being hugged. It was cute how, perhaps out of nervousness, her slender body stiffened up slightly. A fresh, soothing scent washed over him. When she went to gingerly hug him in return, all she really did was let her arms hover around him. This was simply how she expressed herself; she was never honest with her feelings. It certainly had nothing to do with how Rentaro’s spine would snap if she put her strength into the hug…probably.
‹A warrior’s embrace.›
In spite of her blustering words, Shizuka’s physique was so diminutive, one would fear accidentally breaking her if they used too much force. Rentaro placed his arms around her carefully. Her gentle fragrance blended with the soothing smell of a well-loved book. She put as much strength as she could muster into reciprocating the hug, but to Rentaro, it merely felt like a light pat. Her utterly adorable face, blushing yet determined, was pressed against his chest, her sighing breath tickling him ever so slightly.
“Time for a huggle, aye!”
Up next was Kusuri with her similarly petite frame. When she came running in for a hug, he sensed a mix of medicines and a child’s unique sweetness from her. It was heartwarming to see her wrap her arms around him so eagerly. When Rentaro returned the hug, however, she (rather adorably) turned bright red up to her ears. It affirmed to him that she possessed the romantic passions of a mature young woman. As a side note, he thought he saw her trembling, and he might have heard a gushing sound from her lower body, but it was best to pretend that was all his imagination.
“Mm…”
Kurumi avoided his gaze and said very little as he pulled her into an embrace. Amid all the food smells clinging to her, he detected the aroma of a young woman on the cusp of maturity. Although she did not hug him back tightly at first, he heard her mutter, “Hug… Hagukizuke…” As she repeated the name of this traditional Japanese pickle from the Kohoku region in the Shiga prefecture, the intensity of her embrace grew. Rentaro made a mental note to prepare this cuisine for her with the utmost haste once this chapter wrapped up.
“Rentaro-chan, let me hug you tight!”
Hahari seized him in an embrace with the same enthusiasm as Kusuri had in her eight-year-old form. However, Hahari’s body was very much that of an adult. In an apparent display of motherliness, she pulled Rentaro’s head to her considerable bust. A strong fragrance, reminiscent of Hakari’s, enveloped him. On the other hand, the maternal way in which Hahari gently stroked Rentaro’s head was an act of someone who’d brought new life into the world. She looked almost like a saintly mother from a painting—well, maybe not quite, thanks to the drool dripping from her mouth.
“Please excuse me.”
Mei straightened her back and stood at attention as Rentaro approached for a gentle hug. Underneath the clean, laundered smell of her maid uniform lay the definite scent of an adult woman. She refrained from squeezing him too hard—was it because of her tactfulness as a maid, or because of her shyness? The answer lay in her slightly flushed cheeks and the way she squirmed happily, like a dog wagging its tail.