Cherry Blossom Viewing

Middle school graduation was behind us, and spring break had begun. The air had finally warmed, and the cherry blossoms overhead were in bloom. Today, I was out flower-viewing with the three women who had looked after me at the hospital.

"Let's set up here! Sensei!"

Wearing a long-sleeved blouse and a miniskirt, Akari-san picked out our spot, her red ponytail swaying as she bounced about.

"Fufu ♪ Akari-chan, you're so lively ♪"

Chiaki-sensei, watching over Akari-san with a gentle smile, sounded just as cheerful. She wore a sweater with bright pants and a jacket draped over them, the same grown-up finish she'd had at the hospital.

Shiori-san had paired a cut-and-sewn top with a long skirt, simple yet feminine and sweet.

"Shouya-san, thank you so much for inviting us today!"

Walking beside me, Shiori-san offered her thanks, but I was the one who ought to be grateful. This outing was also my way of thanking everyone who had taken such good care of me.

"No… if anything, thank you for coming when I invited you so suddenly. And for the bento, too…"

"Don't worry about it, Shouya-kun. All of us were looking forward to it. And all of us are good at cooking, so we wanted you to taste what we'd made ♪"

Chiaki-sensei's tone was more relaxed than at the hospital, and the way she addressed me had shifted from 'Shouya-san' to 'Shouya-kun.' Personally, I preferred it. It made me feel like we'd grown closer.

After we spread out the picnic sheet and weighed down the corners, we got ready to eat the bento.

"Shouya-san, which would you like first? I'll dish it out for you!"

Akari-san still doted on me attentively, even after my discharge. From my hospital stay I knew full well that letting her spoil me, rather than holding back, was what made her happiest.

"Then, I'll have an inarizushi."

"Yes! Here you go!"

Akari-san set an inarizushi onto a paper plate and handed it to me. The other two watched my mouth with tense expressions as I lifted it.

"Itadakimasu."

When my teeth sank through the fried tofu pouch, the broth burst across my tongue with a savory rush, and the rice inside crumbled softly apart. Broth, tofu, and rice came together at once, blending into a wonderfully unified bite.

"It's delicious!"

When I said that, all three of them let out a big sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness… to hear you say that…"

"Shiori-chan, you've been nervous all day, haven't you? Come on! Let's eat too!"

At Chiaki-sensei's prompt, the three of them started eating as well. As we ate, we chatted about how I was feeling and how school had been, back-and-forths that resembled a hospital checkup, and the meal carried on cheerfully.

"Shouya-san! This rolled omelet, I made it myself! Will you try it?"

Akari-san picked up a slice with her chopsticks and held it out for me to see. It had a touch of browning, but it looked neatly rolled.

"Yes! Itadakimasu."

"Okay! Then, open wide～"

Akari-san didn't bother with a plate; she brought it straight to my mouth. I accepted it without resistance. She'd fed me 'open wide～' style plenty in the hospital, so I was used to it by now.

"Sweet-savory and delicious!"

When I gave Akari-san my honest first impression, she laughed in delight.

"Shouya-san, please try mine too… though the flavor's the same as everyone else's."

"Shouya-kun, after that I'd like you to try mine."

Shiori-san and Chiaki-sensei each brought their own rolled omelet to my mouth. Since it was the first time Chiaki-sensei had fed me 'open wide～' style, both of our faces went a little red.

"Shouya-san and Chiaki-sensei, your faces are red～ ♡"

"Akari-chan, don't tease them. Sensei's been looking forward to feeding him 'open wide～' for ages ♡"

Teased by both Akari-san and Shiori-san, Chiaki-sensei went redder still and shrank in on herself. It made me happy to see this side of the usually grown-up Chiaki-sensei.

Once the bento was finished, they brought out cut fruit for dessert.

"Shouya-kun, you ate with such a healthy appetite… recovery is on track… I'd say."

Chiaki-sensei kept worrying about my condition. When I asked, it turned out she'd planned today's menu with the nutrition balanced as well.

"Yes! It was so delicious I ended up eating a lot."

"Fufu ♪ I'm so happy ♪ that you ate so much ♪ All our morning prep was worth it ♪"

I had the feeling Shiori-san always took the most joy in watching me eat. She'd most likely been the one leading the bento prep.

"Shiori-senpai used to aim to become a maid for a while, so she's really good at housework!"

For some reason, Akari-san was bragging about Shiori-san as if it were about herself. I'd thought so back at the hospital too: Shiori-san really was beloved.

"But why nurse instead of maid?"

"I went for it because I'd get to be in contact with men, but reality wasn't so kind… so I aimed for nursing instead, which suited me better."

Shiori-san said it while looking down at her own body. It was true; even if she became a maid, there was no guarantee a man would hire her, and for someone as well-endowed as Shiori-san, the odds were even slimmer.

"I think if you'd been a maid, Shiori-san, I might have hired you."

I let the joke slip out, wanting to cheer Shiori-san up.

"Mou ♡ Shouya-san, really… ♡ If I'd known I'd meet someone like you, I would've absolutely become a maid and looked after you for the rest of my life!"

"Oh my, Shiori-chan, that sounded almost like a proposal ♪"

Teased by Chiaki-sensei, Shiori-san flushed as red as an apple in turn.

"Shouya-san! I want to look after you for the rest of my life too, you know!"

Refusing to lose to Shiori-san, Akari-san offered her own near-proposal as she fed me fruit.

"Fufu ♪ If we're going there, then I want to support Shouya-kun's health as your personal physician for the rest of my life ♪"

"U-um, I'm happy to hear how all of you feel… and I, well… I want to stay close to all of you forever too…"

After we'd shared our feelings, I spent a leisurely while with my head resting on each of their laps in turn. Akari-san's skirt was especially short, and her bare thigh against my face was starting to put me in a slightly indecent mood.

 

*

 

side: Protagonist

"Shouya-sama, did you enjoy the cherry-blossom viewing?"

After parting from everyone, I was on my way home in the car Mei-san drove.

"Yes, I had a great time… and thank you for driving me, Mei-san."

"No, please! This is my job!"

Mei-san insisted, all formal about it, but I felt bad using her like a chauffeur.

"Do Protection Officers not get any days off?"

"Basically, no. The time you're at home, Shouya-sama, is kind of our day off. And since there are two of us, please don't worry about it."

No days off… as an employer, I had to improve their benefits.

"B-but I really can't just leave it at that…"

"Hmm… then please have more skin-to-skin contact with us! And dates too!"

"Skin-to-skin contact… is it?"

Dates I understood, but what exactly did skin-to-skin contact mean? Still, since they were all beautiful and lovely, honestly, even indecent benefits would be fine by me.

"It's a simple thing! Like how we shook hands at the interview… or hugs, just like you do with your family!"

As Mei-san explained, her breathing grew steadily heavier.

"S-something like that, I could manage…"

"It's not 'that much'! If you shake my hand, Shouya-sama, all my tiredness blows away! And we're all happier when you rely on us, Shouya-sama… so please, do rely on us, okay?"

Mei-san had come up with a proposal that satisfied both my wish to 'do something about everyone's benefits' and the maids', the Protection Officers', and Reina-san's desire to 'be relied on, to have more contact' all at once.

She could come up with a proposal that satisfied all of us because she was always paying that much attention to those around her.

While I let Mei-san go on about the wonders of skin-to-skin contact with me, the car rocked gently along the rest of the way home.

Since the moment was here, I decided to try out this skin-to-skin… no, this "benefits" thing right away, and called out to Mei-san as I stepped down from the car.

"Mei-san, thank you for everything you do."

Along with my thanks, I dove into Mei-san's chest. She caught me firmly, then wrapped me up in a tight embrace.

"Sh-Shouya-sama! For you to do this so quickly…"

A lovely scent of perfume drifted up from Mei-san's chest. She was so soft I wanted to stay clinging there forever.

"Shouya-sama… yes, this really is the best… my tiredness is just melting away…"

Mei-san whispered into my ear as if savoring her happiness. Her breath tickled in a way that felt strangely good… it was spring, but mornings and nights were still chilly, and yet pressed together like this, I didn't feel the cold at all.

"Oh? Taku-chan, what's the matter? Snuggled up against Mei-san like that… did something bad happen?"

When the car stopped and we still hadn't come inside, Mom came out to check on us.

"Ah, Mom… well…"

I told Mom everything we'd talked about in the car. If anyone would know about employee benefits, it'd be Mom; she was a CEO, after all.

As I spoke, Mei-san just kept shrinking and shrinking. To exaggerate a bit, it was sexual harassment.

"My, my ♪ Isn't that wonderful ♪ Taku-chan, you really do remember what Mom told you."

"What you told me?"

"Oh, you don't remember? Then it was your own idea ♪ Amazing!"

Mom got even more pleased, hugging me and praising me. But what had she told me?

"Taku-chan, choosing the maids and Protection Officers was hard on you, wasn't it? That's why we agreed you'd be all the more kind to the ones you picked, remember?"

Now that she mentioned it, we had. This really was the best benefit I could offer… no, the only benefit only I could offer. Of course, if 'benefits' came to include more indecent things, I'd be willing to oblige… I think.

"Mei-san made a good suggestion too ♪ Thank you for looking out for Taku-chan ♪"

"N-no… I was sure I'd be scolded, that it would count as harassment…"

"Not at all. With Taku-chan hugging you on his own like this, there's no way I'd be angry."

Mom spoke gently to put Mei-san at ease, then ushered us into the house.

"Haaah… Mei, you really asked Shouya-sama for that?"

"I-I didn't ask, exactly!"

Cornered by Satsuki-san, Mei-san's eyes darted around.

To anyone watching, there had clearly been a fervent request from Mei-san, but let's not mention it.

"Now now, Satsuki-san ♡ If Taku-chan's fine with it, then it's fine ♡"

Since the one with the most right to be angry, Mom, had let it go, Satsuki-san seemed to drop any further lecturing as well.

"Shouya-sama! Please, give me my benefits too!"

When Yui-san spread both arms wide and waited for me, I stepped right in as if drawn there.

That said, I was the taller one of us.

"Hanya～ ♡"

In my arms, Yui-san melted, the corners of her eyes drooping in bliss.

"Shouya-sama～ ♡ Me too ♡"

Next, Moka-san's huge breasts came pressing in, and my face was buried in her cleavage.

"Nfufu ♡ This is so soothing ♡"

Moka-san's tremendous enveloping was actually soothing me more than the other way around, but the benefits were supposed to be coming from me.

"Shouya-sama ♡ There are others waiting too, you know ♡"

Mei-san's gaze pointed to Miki-san, Satsuki-san, and Reina-san, who looked just a little envious.

"Satsuki-san, thank you for always protecting me."

"For your sake, Shouya-sama, I'm always at your side… ♡"

Satsuki-san hugged me quietly but firmly, her face flushing red. Her body was so trained and yet still soft, and she smelled wonderful.

"Miki-san, thank you always for the delicious meals and the cleaning."

"Y-yesh ♡ Your words are too kind for me… ♡"

Just like at the handshake, Miki-san went apple-red and hugged me gently. She agonized right up to the last second over whether to return the hug, but in the end she held on tight.

"Reina-san. Thank you for always supporting me."

"A-as your secretary, it's only natural!"

Stiffening up like a robot, Reina-san hugged me back.

After I'd given everyone their benefits, the Onee-chans started saying they wanted hugs too, and in the end I wound up hugging the whole household.