I am that male friend in the harem story

Slurp! Slurp! Slurp! 

"Yuu, it's too hot! Change your ramen with mine!" 

Chika cried as her lips turned red due to the hot ramen she ordered. 

"..." Kaguya and Hayasaka. 

"Okay, then." 

While Ishigami was helpless, he decided to change his ramen with Chika's as he couldn't bear to see her in pain. 

"Thanks~!" 

"Don't kiss me. There is capsaicin in your mouth. If you kiss me, it will burn my cheek." 

"Oh, right. Ah, it hurts!" 

As Chika drank water to ease the spiciness in her mouth, Ishigami was calm as he ate Chika's ramen, which was so spicy, yet even so, strangely enough, he could accept this level of heat, which made him calm down and gave him courage. 

This pain from the spice was enjoyable, he thought, especially when it made him forget about the impending doom. 

"...are you okay, Ishigami?"

"Yeah, I am fine, Senpai." Ishigami looked at Kaguya, who had tied her hair into a ponytail, showing her slender, white nape that made her appearance slightly dirty and alluring as the part of her body that shouldn't be shown was clearly displayed with this hairstyle. 

Whether it was Chika or Hayasaka, the two also had their hairstyles in ponytails as they ate their ramen. 

Men probably don't have much to think about when they eat ramen, but it is different for women, especially with their long hair, which might be stained by the broth of the ramen as they slurp their noodles. 

Fortunately, whether it was Hayasaka or Chika, the two were prepared, and they kept their own scrunchie inside the bag. 

"You shouldn't order the spiciest one when you can't even finish it, Chika-san." Kaguya looked at Chika helplessly, who ate Ishigami's ramen without remorse. 

"I can't stop the adventurer blood in my body, Kaguya-san." 

"..." 3x

"Sorry." 

Still facing their silent stares, Chika could only admit defeat and apologized sincerely. 

"How is your ramen, Senpai?"

Watching Chika, who was about to cry pathetically, Ishigami decided to save his woman by asking Kaguya about the taste of her ramen. 

"It's okay." The taste was delicious, Kaguya thought, but with her personality, it was impossible for her to be honest with her feelings. "The taste is a bit too heavy, though." However, as she was used to Kyoto-style dishes and healthy dishes, she had to admit that the taste was quite heavy for her. 

"It's not your favorite then." 

"No, if I have to say, I like it." 

Yes, it was heavy, but... Kaguya felt that she would grow to love it. 

"That's good, then." Ishigami nodded, then looked at Hayasaka, whose face was slightly red from the heat. Despite choosing the lowest heat, her face was slightly reddened, moist from her sweat, which caused her blonde hair to stick to her smooth cheek. "Can you handle the heat, Senpai?" 

"Yeah, I am fine." Unlike Chika, Hayasaka was fine, and she could handle the heat of her lowest spicy ramen. 

Still—

"Are you fine, Ishigami?" 

"Yeah, I am fine." Ishigami wondered why Kaguya asked the same question. 

"No, I mean to let Hayasaka know that you have dated several lovers at the same time." Kaguya stared at the two and asked, "Can you trust her?" 

"....." Ishigami and Hayasaka. 

Did Kaguya suspect the relationship between the two? 

While Hayasaka had prepared herself, she felt nervous when her relationship with Ishigami was discovered. 'At least, please wait till everything is known...' She had been hiding something from Kaguya, and she hoped this secret would be known first before her secret relationship with Ishigami. 

Fortunately, Ishigami was as calm as ever. "Do you trust Hayasaka, Senpai?" 

"...I do, but what does it have to do with that?" 

Yet, Kaguya's words caused Hayasaka to lower her head slightly, but even so, she continued to eat her spicy ramen as the heat and spice made her numb and pain, which made her feel strangely comfortable, especially with the extreme guilt she felt toward her mistress. 

"You trust her, and that's why I trust her. That's enough, right?" 

"...just because I trust her? Is that a good reason for letting her know of your wrongdoing?" 

"The wrongdoing aside, I trust her because of that." 

Hayasaka was brought by Kaguya to listen to this conversation, and that reason was enough for Ishigami to reveal everything. 

Well, not everything, since he still needed to hide the fact that he did have sex with Hayasaka. 

Many times, even the two enjoyed each other, especially when Hayasaka wore a maid outfit for him, acting so meek and obedient like a shy yet docile cat. 

Still, his feat wasn't something that should be exposed proudly; instead, he only needed to keep it inside his heart as a secret. 

As Kaguya kept staring at Ishigami, Chika suddenly asked, "I have been curious, but you two must have a relationship, too, right? Kaguya-san, have you been seduced by Yuu?" 

Cough! 

Kaguya quickly lost her calm, and she almost spat out the ramen that she had just slurped. 

"Shinomiya-san!" 

Hayasaka quickly reacted by giving Kaguya tea, which Kaguya accepted and drank in one gulp. 

Gulp! 

However, Chika was surprised and asked, "Huh? Really? Have you had sex?" 

"Chika-san." Kaguya's expression quickly calmed down, then said, "I am different from you, okay? If I have a man, then he is only for me, and I won't share him with anyone. Only mine." 

"...." 3x

Those words... when they were expressed with such an expression and voice, made them feel a little frightened somehow. 

Still, with this reaction, Chika knew well that Ishigami and Kaguya must have an episode that she didn't know about, but this wasn't a place and a time to ask that, and she could ask Ishigami later. 

"Okay, let's eat~! Let's eat~! It won't be good if the noodles become soggy—" 

"..." 4x

It was too late; their ramen had become soggy as they talked too much, but... it was still delicious, they thought. 

Still, after their ramen, the four of them enjoyed their time without talking about Ishigami's messy relationship. Instead, they went to the cafe, where they got doughnuts and coffee. 

Then—

"You are going to learn a music instrument?" Kaguya looked at Ishigami strangely as they went to visit the nearby musical instrument store.

"Not only did he learn French from me, but he is also going to learn a musical instrument from me, too!" Chika was somehow proud of Ishigami. 

"...why are you acting like his mother?" Kaguya was speechless, then looked at Ishigami, who looked at the musical instrument in the store curiously with Hayasaka by his side. The two seemed to be a perfect fit somehow, but she shook her head and asked, "What will you buy, Ishigami?" 

"I am not sure." Ishigami looked at Chika and asked, "What's the easiest musical instrument to learn, Chika?" 

'Not even a "-senior" suffix?' Kaguya looked at Ishigami in surprise, realizing how insolent this junior was, but she also could see that Chika seemed to be excited to be called so rudely like that. 

'Is she a masochist?'

"There are many that are easy to learn." Chika stood next to Ishigami and said, "It's just what type of musical instrument you want to learn. Percussion, string, brass, woodwind, or keyboard. There are many types." 

"How about woodwind?" 

"Harmonica," Chika said simply. 

"..." 3x

"How about the cool one? Like a saxophone?" Hayasaka suddenly asked. 

"It's a medium level. If you are serious, then you should be able to learn it in a year or two." 

"So long!" Hayasaka was dumbfounded. 

"Don't underestimate a musical instrument!" Chika showed a fierce side, yet she was cute, Ishigami thought. 

"She is right." Kaguya nodded. "She was like being possessed by an evil spirit in the past." She still remembers when Chika was focused on learning piano, and at that time, Chika was possessed by an evil spirit, only playing piano, piano, and piano without stopping. 

"Kaguya-san!" Chika was quite embarrassed when her past was reminded, but it was also because of that she was famous in the circle of music. 

"Saxophone, then." 

"Eh? Really? Will you learn to play the Saxophone?" Chika was surprised, then glanced at Hayasaka, wondering whether the two had sex. 

"Yeah, it seems interesting." 

"Okay." Chika nodded and respected Ishigami's choice. 

So, Ishigami bought his first musical instrument, a saxophone. 

Still, with this, their outing ended, and it ended with a good ending, but—

"Ishigami." 

"Yes, Senpai." 

Ishigami was tense, but even so, he didn't evade Kaguya's eyes.

"Even now, I can't agree with your actions, but I know that you try to make them happy with your own methods. Still, it can't change the fact that you are a scumbag, though." 

"..." Ishigami. 

"So, I will watch you. Don't stray from your path." 

"I will." 

Kaguya stared at Ishigami for a moment, feeling a strong nostalgia between the two. 

Their memory, interaction, and touches.

Everything was just memorable for her, but she knew that she couldn't be like others who tolerated him, and she definitely couldn't accept sharing her man with others, so she had to choose someone else and suppress this feeling. 

"Then, I will leave first. Goodbye, Ishigami." 

"Goodbye, Senpai." 

Watching Kaguya leave, Ishigami watched her until he couldn't see her anymore. 

"As expected, you must have done something naughty with Kaguya-san, right!" 

"....." 

Ishigami looked at Chika, then kissed her, thinking that this girl was so silly. 

It was just—

"Huh? Nee-chan?" 

"...." 2x