Is it a problem to have a harem in a stranger heroine?

"It would be weird to believe you're pure."

On this side, Kato Megumi added ice to the girls' oolong tea according to Bai Ye's instructions, brought it to the table, and turned to look at the purple-haired girl who had been watching the fun.

"Hyoudou-san doesn't seem too surprised."

"Because when I came, Xiao hadn't finished making the cake yet, so he asked me to keep it a secret from everyone."

"Yeah." Kato Megumi lowered her eyelids, "Indeed, Hyodo-san came earlier than all of us today."

Michiru Hyodo's smile froze, and she inexplicably felt that there was something else behind Kato Megumi's words.

"It just happened to be me."

. . . . . .

The cake was served on the table. Ying Lili quickly came to the table and volunteered to take over the task of cutting the cake.

"I come!"

Bai Ye snapped his fingers and slapped, but Eriri dodged it nimbly.

"Didn't we agree that inspiration shouldn't be missed?"

"Inspiration has been sealed due to insufficient sugar. It needs to be recharged to unlock it."

"The way you're dodging doesn't look like you're low on sugar!"

Bai Ye was speechless at Eriri's serious yet rogue behavior. He sighed and put on a serious expression.

"If you don't finish your work on time, you might get into trouble later, Sawamura-kun."

“I know, I know~~!”

Bai Ye didn't know whether Eriri had taken it to heart, but what he had just said was not a joke. Eriri's work progress would play an important role in his struggle with Tomoya Aki.

"After afternoon tea, go paint!"

"Alright, alright~~"

Ying Lili gave the cake to Bai Ye first. She still remembered her upbringing as a young lady.

"Thank you for your hard work, Senior. I'll cut a big piece for you!"

"Why do I feel that your bribery is more of a motive..."

Shiyu saw the interaction between Bai Ye and Ying Lili, which made her a little upset.

Although she has not yet officially established a relationship with Bai Ye, she has already regarded her as her "future girlfriend."

She took a small piece of cake and put it into her mouth, saying casually:

"Shiro-kun seems to be taking good care of Sawamura-san."

"Taking care is taking care of you." Bai Ye's eyes were calm, as if he didn't notice the strangeness in Shi Yu's tone. "I feel like I'm more like your nanny. I won't work unless I coax you. I feel helpless too..."

Bai Ye also knew that although he now had more interactions and closer relationships with the girls, the relationships between them were still very ordinary. Not to mention mutual recognition, they even rarely chatted except for work. He had almost become a "transit station" for the girls to communicate.

"There is something I want to tell you all."

"What's going on?"

Kato Megumi and Hyodo Michiru's expressions were clear. They both knew what Bai Ye was going to say next, while Shiyu seemed to be thinking about something.

"Don't tell me yet, Xiaobai-kun. Let me guess... If everyone is present, we can rule out a confession."

white night"……"

Your inner thoughts are clear to you, Shiyu!

Shiyu smiled slightly, not paying attention to everyone's strange looks, and continued:

"You have to say it when everyone is present, or when you're eating cake, which will make you feel better. Are you planning to ask all of us out, but you're worried about being rejected?"

Bai Ye was shocked and thought that this Shiyu should not be underestimated.

"Kasumigaoka-san is amazing! Is this the analytical ability of a light novel writer?"

He had indeed been thinking about this scene for a long time. Just as Shiyu said, he would allow his "harem plan" to be frustrated, but he would not allow it to fail.

He pulled a scratched invitation from his pocket.

"Half a month from now, classmate Bingtang has a commercial performance at a barbecue restaurant. I happen to have a ticket for four people. Do you want to go together?"

There was so much information in Bai Ye's words that Shi Yu paused for a moment.

"Hyoudou-san...commercial performance...invitation tickets for four people...I have a feeling that Xiaobai-kun has something to do with this."

Before Bai Ye could speak, Michiru Hyodo spoke first.

She was smiling awkwardly but politely, waving her hands, with a little cream on the corner of her mouth.

"Don't get me wrong, Kasumigaoka-san. It was indeed Xiao who helped me find a commercial performance, but this is a mutually beneficial transaction, not what everyone imagines."

What is it that everyone imagines it to be like?

Although she still didn't believe that the relationship between the two was as simple as what Hyodo Michi left in her message, Shiyu still expressed her opinion for the time being. It would be more reliable to ask Bai Ye about this matter alone than to explain it in front of everyone.

Eriri, on the other hand, noticed something else.

"Invitation ticket for 4 people, if there are only 4 people..."

PS: Report on reward progress: 39 (592/10000), 8 updates are owed, this is a normal update.

Thanks to [Wu Nai Feng Chui Yu.] for the two spicy strips.

Chapter 198: The Prelude to Revealing One's True Identity

Invitation voucher for 4 persons.

4 means quantity; people represent racial type; invitation card means an agreement issued by the host, similar to an invitation letter.

An invitation ticket for 4 people means an invitation letter from the host to invite 4 people.

Now the invitation ticket is in Bai Ye's hands, which means he has the power to choose who to invite from the host.

"Yes, it's a treat for four people. I got it from Mr. Yuanye, the owner of the barbecue restaurant. He has been doing business with me for a long time, so he reserved a table for me that day."

Bai Ye handed over the invitation ticket, and the next second, Ying Lili took it away with lightning speed.

She checked the invitation ticket again and again. The most eye-catching thing on it was the "4" written in black marker. Although the handwriting was sloppy, it was clearly visible.

Ying Lili pursed her lips and frowned slightly, as if she was hesitating about something.

After a few seconds, she raised her head and looked at Bai Ye with complicated eyes, as if seeking the truth, and as if seeking an answer that would reassure her.

"Senior, can only four people go?"

Bai Ye understood what Ying Lili meant, and also knew what his subsequent "nod" meant.

This is the first step to draw a clear line with Tomoya Aki.

Bai Ye has been planning how to make the girls slowly realize the reality that he is going to draw a clear line between himself and Tomoya Aki. This idea emerged in his mind the moment Shiyu told Tomoya Aki that he had torn up the third volume of "Love Metronome".

It was not until Mr. Harano's invitation to a commercial performance appeared, and Aki Tomoya's absence from club activities for several times, and the girls' participation in the club activities he organized today, that Bai Ye felt that he had found the right opportunity.

As for the fact that he asked Mr. Yuanye to write "4" as the number of guests, Bai Ye felt that there was no need to tell anyone.

Being open and honest is the self-affirmation of the arrogant, but Bai Ye does not need it.

He is a gentleman who follows the gentleman's code, the law and common sense, just to make his thoughts clear.

"Yes, including me, there are only four of us going. Hyodo-san is in charge of the performance, so there will be a place for her. Don't worry about her."

Although Bai Ye's words were not unquestionable, they were powerful and shattered the only remaining fantasy in Ying Lili's heart.

"Senior, if that's the case..."

Bai Ye interrupted Ying Lili, just as he always insisted: some things will be made clear when necessary.

Now, it's time to make some things clear.

"I want to go with everyone on this invitation ticket, so there's no room for Aki-san."

Eriri turned her gaze to Michiru Hyodo, who was Tomoya Aki's cousin, and she was curious about what she would think.

Michiru Hyodo was seen scratching her hair. Although she didn't avoid his gaze, she seemed a little embarrassed.

"Uh... this was Xiao's decision. He has the invitation tickets. My band only has four people, so there's no extra space."

Shi Yu understood what Bai Ye meant and had no objection to his approach. She herself was not a kind-hearted person who was open-minded about everything, and it was rare for her to find a secluded corner in the complicated world.

After completing "Flash Girl", she no longer wanted to have anything to do with Aki Tomoya.

"Sawamura-san, I know you'd feel a little uncomfortable if Aki Tomo didn't participate. But weren't you happy today? Let's just pretend that next time it's a club activity and Aki Tomo doesn't have time to participate, right?"

"this......"

Seeing Kasumigaoka Utaha supporting her chin with one hand and looking unconcerned, Eriri knew that her heart was completely focused on Bai Ye.

and......

Eriri felt that she was not too disgusted with the fact that Akito Tomoya could not participate in the barbecue, but was more uncomfortable with the sudden absence of familiar faces around her.

At this time, Kato Megumi spoke in a calm tone.

"Is this all you have to say, Senior?"

Eriri seemed to have found the stairs to get off the stage and asked hurriedly:

"Anything else? I always feel like Senior has a lot of secrets to share."

"There is indeed one more thing." Bai Ye smiled slightly, "But think about it, let's wait until the day of the commercial performance to tell it. What happened today is enough to surprise everyone."

. . . . . .

The lights are on, and night falls.

After dinner, Eriri, Kato Megumi, and Hyodo Michiru left first, leaving Shiwa alone to work as the chief engineer of the bleaching project as agreed yesterday.

They had cream cake in the afternoon and fried chicken in the evening, so there were a lot of things that needed to be cleaned. Bai Ye naturally wouldn't be so unromantic as to let Shi Yu take responsibility for everything. He rolled up his sleeves and stuck to her side.

Shiyu picked up some water droplets with her slender fingers and flicked them onto Bai Ye's face.

The cool water droplets instantly regained Bai Ye's attention. He wiped his face, creating some foam, and pretended to threaten fiercely:

"Shiyu, what do you want to do? If you don't explain clearly, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Shiyu is not the type to sit and wait for death, so she took the initiative and put some foam on the tip of Bai Ye's nose.

"I've noticed that you're quite duplicitous, Xiaobai-kun."

"Why are you saying one thing and thinking another?" Bai Ye put some foam on her nose without saying anything. "I mean what I say. Do you want to try again? Next time it'll be on your face."

Shiyu nudged his shoulder to wipe off the foam on her nose.

"Yesterday you said we couldn't eat raw, cold, or greasy food, but today you made cream cake and fried chicken nuggets. Isn't that just one thing and one thing?"

Bai Ye glanced sideways and deliberately muttered in a voice that she could just hear:

"I just did it, I didn't force you to eat it. It's none of my business if you get fat..."

"Huh?!" Shiyu gave him a terrifying look.

"I mean it feels so good when I cuddle!"

Shiyu gave him a look that said "you're smart", then her expression changed and she looked like she was talking seriously.

"I'm a little confused by what Mr. Xiaobai did this afternoon."

Bai Ye looked at her and motioned for her to continue.

"I understand that you want to draw a line between you and Aki Tomoya, but isn't today the best opportunity to make it clear?"

"Sawamura-kun's attitude is ambiguous. Wouldn't it be better if you could just make excuses and explain it clearly on the day of the commercial performance?"

"It's not just Sawamura-san, the same goes for Hyodo-san. When the commercial performance is successfully concluded, she will definitely be grateful. That will be the best time."

Bai Ye nodded, but then shook his head, the smile on his face looking particularly helpless.

He knew that what Shiyu said made sense, but the other party's method was centered on the peace of the club, while his goal was to use the "Gourmet Handbook" to establish a club and realize his harem plan.

"I feel like today is pretty good too. It's better to make some things clear as soon as possible to avoid more trouble later. Um... I also feel like you, Shiyu, seem to know a lot of things."

"That's because you're so obvious, Xiaobai-kun, it's almost written on your face."

Shiyu shook her finger and said confidently:

"Why did you help Hyodou-san find commercial performances? The purpose should be to let her produce the music for 'Flash Girls', but you bypassed Aki Tomoya, which means you want to take on Hyodou-san's favor alone. Especially since you invited her here today, and even Aki Tomoya didn't know."