https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9531ga/89/
Episode 6: Pocky Game
“Just hold on….!?”
A sharp shudder ran through the clubroom over Honoka’s surprising order. My body had frozen from the shock, but it regained a bit of warmth when I saw the mocking kissy face Honoka was making at me.
“Oh? Do you think you can refuse your king’s commands?”
“Tyrant!”
I retorted off reflex. Even though this is an order that could potentially disrupt the harmony of my yuri harem, Honoka was handing it out as enthusiastically as anything else she does. What is going through your head Honoka…..? Are you purposefully trying to cause trouble? Is there any way to avoid this hellish situation?
Come on! A kiss between two girls is so easy! Come on, come on, come on already!”
“You’re taking this too lightly….”
Well, that light-hearted attitude is what I like about her. It lets you be lovey-dovey with someone even during non-romantic situations. It’s the kind of yuri that yuri fans dream of—the kind you can expect to get from an all-girls school.
I glance towards Saki. She still had on her usual princess smile, but that good naturedness didn’t make it up to her eyes. She’s going to watch every move I make and word I say….I need to be careful to not act overly suspicious.
Ranko was also sitting there with her chin in her hand. It looked like she was thinking about something at the moment. She might be calm now, but there’s no telling what kind of bombshell she’ll cook up at this rate.
Yuzurin….has a very complicated look on her face. Maybe it’s an inner conflict between being a yuri fan and seeing a girl you like kiss someone?
…..I suppose there’s nothing for it.
I got up from my seat and circled around the table to where Honoka was sitting. She was giggling as she energetically jumped up to her feet to face me.
“So you finally made up your mind.”
“I guess it’s just something I’m going to have to get used to.”
“Hohohoh. A good mindset to hold.”
Honoka started talking in an elderly tone, acting as if she were some old sage trying to impart good advice. Unfortunately none of it matched up with her exultant attitude. She probably wasn’t really thinking anything specifically with all of this. She’s just flying by the first thought that crosses her mind.
“Then….”
I grabbed her wrist without allowing her any time to prepare and pushed her against the cold wall. I brought my face close to hers, bringing my lips near her ear,
“…..Let’s kiss.”
and I lingered there for a long moment.
“O-Ooooh! Bring it on!”
The suddenness of my attack made Honoka flustered, but she quickly returned to her usual high-spirited self.
Meanwhile the gallery watching us from the side was reacting in their own unique ways. Saki, “Grrr,” was clearly displeased and had begun growling quietly like a beast. It was the exact opposite reaction of Yuzurin, “This is…..good!” who was ecstatic after her yuri-loving self beat back any anxiousness she previously held. It doesn’t bother me at all because I totally get that feeling, but I would’ve really liked to see her jealousy get stirred up a bit more.
It tilted my slightly and focused my gaze on Honoka. She had clammed up, yet she still managed to force something of a smile even with her mouth half agape.
“What’s wrong? Your face is red.”
“N-N-N-N-No it’s not! Come on then if you’re going to come!”
Wow, what an unusual attitude to see from the serial sexual harassment girl. There’s something so unbelievably cute about her like this that it makes me want to just keep pushing.
“Then, close your eyes.”
“A-All right! Pucker up, a-and go for it?”
And it’s incredibly funny seeing her try so hard to act tough. Oops, if my smile gets too big, it’ll be impossible for me to kiss her.
Honoka closed her eyes. I heard Saki whisper, “No….” off to the side, but I didn’t pay her any mind. I came even closer to Honoka,
“Precious”
whispered one final thing into Honoka’s ear as I stretched out my back,
“Uwe?”
and pressed my lips against her forehead.
Honoka was befuddled. Saki had been inching towards us like she was going to get in the way, but she stopped and let out a relieved sigh. Ranko’s shoulders slumped down as well, as if all the tension that had been strung up through her had suddenly been released.
“H-Hehehe, I guess that counts….”
Honoka laughed off any confusion she felt, regaining her normal self. However she soon brought her lips close to my ear, and whispered
“But next time it’ll be my turn.”
“Eh?” I spun around after taking a second to register what she had just said, but the girl was already on her way back to her seat.
“Jeez, just what you’d expect from Saki-chaso’s prince. She’s even better than I thought she’d be. Good looks really get you far”
“That’s so unfair~! Do me too Yuri-chan!”
“No chance! That was the privilege of being king. If you’re feeling jealous, try becoming a king and earning it yourself!”
“Guh….you better remember this Hono-chan~”
Just like that, Honoka had gotten Saki riled up. Yet the two of them were carrying on with their usual light-hearted banter to the point where it got me thinking that someone had already acted as a mediator between them. Whatever the case, I’m happy to see that there wasn’t any friction there.
“So, I think that if we all pull out a chopstick at the same time, people are going to see who is which color, so wouldn’t it be better if we draw them one at a time to better hide them?”
I retook my seat and tried turning the direction of the conversation back to the game.
“Hey! That makes a lot of sense!”
“Well, it is true that it was pretty clear who had drawn what from the start….but that sounds interesting in itself.”
“But no….then you’d just be ordering whoever you want to do anything you want….”
At that point you wouldn’t even be able to call it a game. It’d devolve into a bloodbath more akin to a horror movie when everyone starts targeting me. Although, certain parts of that don’t sound so bad.
♠
With how Honoka had started things off, it was to be expected that every following order would stray from what would ordinarily be expected. But, maybe because of how intense that very first order was, the next bit of the King’s Game felt relatively light-hearted with its tiny bits of flirting, smooching, and thigh rubbing. Our colors should have been chosen completely at random, so I’m assuming it is just a prank by the Yuri Gods that I was the target of the girls’ sexual harassment every single time.
On the reverse side, Saki has been wanting to make me woo her this entire time, but lady luck has yet to bless her with that red chopstick. She’s still managing to keep on her smile, but it’s scary how bloodshot her eyes are becoming.
“It’s almost time for us to go home, so the next one will have to be the last.”
“Guh……well it was lots of fun, so I suppose it’s fine.”
“Yuri yuri….wonderful….”
Honoka sadly hung her head to the side as I announced that we would have to wrap things up. Yuzurin had fully enjoyed herself as a viewer and was blissfully smiling to herself. Being a yuri lover and a lesbian really is a win-win. It’s wonderful isn’t it?
“It will finally be my turn…..fufufu”
Saki is only getting scarier.
One by one, each player pulled out a chopstick that Honoka held out for them while being careful to hide their color with their hands. Perhaps because this was going to be the final game, an odd silence hung over the room.
I’m….not red.
I only ended up as king a single time today, and that turn ended with Saki and Ranko hugging each other for ten whole seconds. They never showed any signs of hating it, but more than anything, it created a wonderful picture with how beautiful they both are. Yuzuriha and I shared a thumbs up with each other, telepathically sharing how much we loved it. I’m so glad I have another yuri-loving lesbian to share these moments with.
Ranko’s head was turned down as if she were thinking about something, but once everyone had finished drawing, she raised it and looked around the room.
“I am the king. So then….”
She stopped there. It looked like she had already figured out what her order was going to be, so the pause was just to build up tension. It looked cool, but I think this was also her way of being considerate.
Finally Ranko let out a laugh, and
“Orange will play Pocky with Purple.”
What?
“Eh!?”
“So Yuriha’s first.”
I couldn’t keep my surprise in check….in my hand were a pair of disposable chopsticks with the tips colored in orange marker.
What a suggestion….the Pocky game is a lovey dovey game similar to playing chicken. Two people have to bite down on a long, then cookie called a Pocky stick, and both players have to eat the cookie without using their hands. Refusing to back down means the players will meet in the middle and share a kiss. It’s completely different from Honoka’s initial order. There’s no pulling a switcheroo when your lips are locked in place. I guess I should get close and then casually snap it in two when we get close….
But with Ranko being the king, I would’ve thought she would have chosen to play the game with me given the chance….
No, wait. The look Ranko is giving me…..it’s those of a hunter burning with intelligence. I get it. If Ranko had included herself in the two, the chances of me getting picked are cut in half. Could it be that she is testing me….?
As I was trying to figure out what her plan was, Ranko opened her mouth again. “Also….”
“The first person to break away or give up has to say the name of the person they like.”
“No way! It’s unfair to add more rules like that!”
“Oh? You say that like it would be bad if we heard your answer…..”
“T-That’s not…..”
I stepped on another landmine…..!
“Uuuu—! That’s like admitting that there’s someone you like!”
“So that’s how it is….”
“Nuh uh”—there’s no way I can say that at this point! The girls I like are sitting right in front of me, all four of them! If I said I didn’t like anyone right now, I’d hurt my relationship with all of them! I’ve ended up in the middle of a dang minefield!
“Purple is….?”
Saki slowly raised her hand. She was befuddled yet happy. But I’m not going to just give up…..
“Saki….it’s okay for you to turn this down. It’s just a game, and if you’re feeling embarrassed because of the punishment game…..”
“I-I’m not feeling embarrassed at all! I’ll play!”
Saki cutely held out her clenched fists in a show of strength and motivation. Well, I figured she’d say that. Saki’s finally managed to capture me in her net. Those bloodshot eyes are now shining with joy. So why are they even scarier than they were before? But also so dang cute.
One end of the Pocky Honoka had prepared for us was placed on my lips with the other on Saki’s. We slowly began munching, our eyes focused on the other so as to not miss a single thing.
It might’ve been a mistake to leave the table between us. When we began the game, the other girls watched with bated breath. As the distance between Saki and I grew shorter, we both had to lean on the table to stabilize ourselves, and eventually we had to sit right on top in front of each other. Saki’s face was as serious as mine must have been, and she was surprisingly unyielding.
One crisp bite at a time….I was so focused on eating that I didn’t have any time to savor the taste. I breathed deep and took a second to steal a glance away from Saki’s face. There I saw Yuzuriha munching away on her own Pocky like a cute little squirrel, crunching and munching away. Her cuteness was out of sync from how serious she looked, and I had to fight desperately to keep my mouth from twisting into a smile. I couldn’t afford to put any pressure on my lips right now.
Soon, the distance between us was so close that I could feel her seductive breath leaking through the gap between her teeth. In that moment, Saki stopped her chewing and closed her eyes.
D-Dont tell me….
Is she trying to tell me to go ahead…..!?
No, that tracks…. If she’s the princess, and I’m the prince, then it’s only natural that I be the one to lean in and kiss her.
With everyone around watching, I gulped loudly and took one last bite…..
Except when I tried,
*BANG!*
The whole table shook after a hard impact, and I had to throw out my hand to keep me from falling over.
“Ah”
“Ahn…..”
And as a result, the leftover Pocky Saki and I had been holding fell out of our mouths. We were facing each other with nothing but a centimeter of empty space between us.
“Sorry, I was rearranging my legs and accidentally hit the table.”
Ranko offered a nonchalant apology. Seeing her cool and calm expression, I couldn’t tell if it was actually an accident or intentional sabotage, but I felt relieved and grateful to her nonetheless.
If things had continued like that, I would have ended up sharing a kiss right in front of everyone….
If things had actually gotten to that point, I might’ve had the bloodbath I am so desperate to avoid on my hands. Whether or not I share a kiss with each of my beautiful girls should be an act done when we are alone together. Otherwise it won’t feel special. I need to avoid doing something like that in front of others until my harem plan is complete.
The tension in my mind melted away with relief, and a sigh escaped from me as I sat on my thoughts for a moment. Whatever the case, today was another day full of fun yuri-yuri moments. It was a little more stressful than I would’ve liked, but fun nonetheless.
It was only Saki who ended up looking at Ranko disapprovingly. The girl herself was purposefully avoiding Saki’s gaze while talking about something with Honoka. The cold war between these two has probably only grown more intense.
Experimental Translations 