Kaoru handed her the towel and took the shopping bags, only to notice her puffing her cheeks slightly.
"What's wrong?"
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
"...Thank you?"
"No, silly! When coming home, shouldn't you say that phrase?"
"You didn't say it either."
"Hehe, because I'm a little shy."
Ichinose Honami completely avoided his gaze, glancing elsewhere in embarrassment.
This wasn't her home, after all—she couldn't just casually say "I'm back" without permission.
So, she had to wait for Kaoru to take the initiative.
Moreover, she noticed an extra pair of indoor slippers by the entrance.
Whose were they?
If it were just someone who visited occasionally like her, Kaoru wouldn't need to keep a dedicated pair of slippers ready—unless that person stayed over often, maybe even showered here.
How sneaky.
She had never done that before.
Thump—
Kaoru suddenly tapped her forehead, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Welcome back, Honami," he said. "Would you like to eat first, or take a bath first?"
"Huh?" Ichinose covered her forehead, momentarily dazed, before suppressing a giggle and pretending to think seriously for a moment.
"Let me see… Is there no third option?"
"Pervert." Kaoru tapped her again.
Ichinose flushed, slightly annoyed. "I didn't even say what it was!"
"You asked for a third option, so of course I get to decide what it means."
"Uwah, so you're the pervert here!"
"If you could guess what I'd do, doesn't that make you the bigger pervert, Honami?"
"Guh…"
Watching her puffed-up cheeks, Kaoru chuckled before tilting her chin up and pressing a light kiss to her soft lips.
"Dinner isn't ready yet, and the bathwater isn't drawn," he murmured. "So the first two options are useless anyway. Besides, I just wanted to kiss you."
Ichinose covered her reddening face.
This guy always ambushed her like this.
"Go sit in the room for a bit," Kaoru said, carrying the shopping bags toward the kitchen.
"W-Wait, I should be the one cooking!" Ichinose hurriedly kicked off her shoes at the entrance.
She was wearing black tights—velvet, thin yet warm—and her small feet padded across the clean floor as she chased after him.
"In that case, let's work together." Kaoruk began unpacking the ingredients.
He could cook too—he often took care of the idols living in the dorm.
"But I'm not that skilled. I'll assist you instead."
Ichinose eyed him skeptically.
Did guys in this world really know how to cook?
Back in school, most of the boys in her class either had their mothers make bento for them or bought convenience store meals.
Even now, her classmates mostly ate in the cafeteria.
Soon, Kaoru shattered her stereotype.
"W-Wow, Kaoru, your knife skills are amazing! Can I take a picture?"
"Is this also miso soup?"
"It's delicious!"
"No way, how are you this good at this?"
"Do you cook alone often, Kaoru?"
Since there was only one apron, Kaoru tied it around her waist and handled smaller tasks beside her—never expecting her to react so excitedly.
"Ugh, this is frustrating. I was supposed to be taking care of you."
Watching Kaoru move so skillfully, Ichinose felt oddly dejected, as if she wasn't needed.
"Aren't you taking care of me right now?" Kaoru tilted his head. "If you hadn't brought ingredients, I probably would've just bought instant noodles from the convenience store."
"Hey hey hey, why are you eating that!" Ichinose Honami was stunned, then quickly became dejected.
"What I wanted was for Kaoru to do nothing and just sit beside me, waiting obediently for me to feed you."
"..." Kaoru fell silent.
Did she really not know what she was saying?
"At home, my little sister would sit in the living room doing homework while I cooked in the kitchen. Mom wouldn't come back until later, so I was always the one taking care of my sister," Ichinose said.
"Later I tried working part-time for a month or two, but it just didn't work out because I couldn't balance studying, work, and taking care of my sister."
"So now you want me to play the role of your little sister?" Kaoru guessed she must have seen something about her sister that suddenly made her nostalgic.
"That's different!" Ichinose became flustered. "Kaoru is my... my boyfriend after all. I was thinking I should properly show my feminine side."
"You've made me bento before, haven't you?" Kaoru recalled.
"Bento doesn't count! And before me, I heard you ate bento for a long time—it must have been from someone else!" Ichinose's mood inexplicably heightened as she stared intently at Kaoru.
Kaoru subtly averted his gaze.
To be fair, Horikita Suzune hadn't been making them for that long either.
"And also... Kaoru left school just for me, found my sister, and then..." Ichinose's voice gradually grew quieter.
Though she didn't know how Kaoru had managed to leave school, that didn't lessen how touched she was by his actions.
"Compared to that, it feels like I haven't done anything for Kaoru..."
She lowered her head slightly.
Kaoru glanced at the ingredients on the cutting board, then washed his hands and gently cupped her face with his still-cool fingers.
"Whoa, that's freezing!"
In an instant, Ichinose Honami startled and swatted his hand away, instinctively taking a small step back.
"I'll leave this to you. I'll go prepare some hot water."
Seizing the moment before she could react, Kaoru quickly slipped away.
Ichinose puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction, muttering something about him being a jerk, but still curled her lips into a smile as she rolled up her sleeves and resumed chopping.
By the time Kaoru had finished filling the tub with hot water, she was still busy in the kitchen.
He glanced outside—the sky was gradually darkening.
Come to think of it, he seemed to have forgotten the Christmas gifts for Sakura Airi and Yamamura Miki.
Should he make it up to them during New Year's?
No, that wouldn't work.
Who gives gifts for New Year's? And if he did, he'd have to give them to everyone to be fair.
Kaoru checked his phone.
Thanks to Karuizawa and Kushida's frequent visits, he now strictly required both of them to notify him in advance.
Good—neither of them planned to come over tonight.
Next were messages from Amikura Mako, Sakayanagi Arisu, Kamuro Masumi, and Sakura Airi.
He replied to each, though he found it a little strange that Airi had mustered the courage to message him.
It seemed to be a selfie—bolder than her usual posts, with a deliberate focus on her legs.
Kaoru wasn't sure how to interpret it, so he defaulted to standard responses like "You look great," "That hairstyle suits you," and "You're too cute—send more, please."
Before long, Ichinose finished cooking her specialty dish.
Kaoru took a couple of bites—it tasted slightly better than last time.
She must have been refining the recipe these past few days.
"It's delicious."
"Really?"
"If last time was a hundred points, this time it's a hundred percent delicious."
"Eh? Doesn't that mean it's just as good?"
"Because it's Honami's cooking. No matter what, it's always delicious."
"..."
By the end of his words, Ichinose's face was completely red, and she silently focused on eating.
Since she had cooked, Kaoru dutifully took care of the dishes.
"Tonight..." Her voice trailed off hesitantly, and even without turning around, he could picture her expression.
"No one's coming over, right?"
"Do you really think people stay over at my place every night?" Kaoru retorted, though guilt crept into his tone.
"Isn't that the case?" The girl's voice carried a hint of sharpness.
"The only one who stays over is Kei. The slippers you saw earlier are hers." He wasn't lying—though Kushida Kikyo and Horikita Suzune visited often, Karuizawa Kei was the only one who actually stayed the night.
Ever since they crossed that final line, Kei had grown increasingly clingy, frequently spending the night.
At first, she used the emergency stairwell, but eventually, she stopped pretending and just took the elevator down.
Once, she had proudly told him she'd nearly been caught—but cleverly rode the elevator to the first floor before sneaking back up to the second via the stairs.
"Staying over..." Ichinose murmured. "She wasn't upset? I took up your entire Christmas day for our date."
She assumed Kei had the evening slot, unaware that her date was actually scheduled for the next day.
"A little bit."
Although Karuizawa didn't say it out loud, Kaoru knew girls could get jealous over such things.
After all, Ichinose Honami had already made their relationship public, while she hadn't.
Ichinose remained silent for a while before speaking up, "Why don't you go on a date with her too, right in front of everyone?"
"Wouldn't that affect you?" Kaoru could already picture the scene—something many would find unacceptable, too shocking to comprehend.
"Aren't we in a normal relationship?" Ichinose said. "Besides, no one said you can only have one girlfriend. If I'm okay with it, what can others say?"
Kaoru was momentarily at a loss for words.
If it were just Karuizawa Kei, he might have considered the idea.
But he had too many partners, and neglecting their feelings could lead to an explosion.
"You seem a bit hesitant. Worried about someone?" Ichinose hummed teasingly. "Is there someone who doesn't know about your harem tendencies?"
That "someone" naturally referred to his other partners, like Tachibana Akane and Airi Sakura, who were still in the dark.
Kaoru felt slightly awkward, and Ichinose Honami, seeing his silence, knew she had guessed right.
"Can I meet Karuizawa-san?"
"Anytime."
"Mm, I mean the three of us—in your room, just talking."
She deliberately emphasized her words, making sure he heard her clearly.
"So, giving me a taste of having both arms full in advance?" Kaoru rubbed his chin.
"Not a bad idea. Honestly, I've been wanting you two to meet."
Though he didn't voice his thoughts, Ichinose could guess a little.
Her face flushed as she glared at his back.
"What are you imagining? Karuizawa-san and I won't indulge your wild fantasies."
Two at once? That was too shameless.
Even if she didn't mind getting intimate with Kaoru, this scenario pushed the limits of her maidenly sensibilities.
"Didn't you say we'd just talk?"
"Yes! Talking only!"
"That sounds boring."
"F-fine, I'll allow some kissing. Happy now?"
"What about touching?"
"Hey, hey, hey! Is this how you usually treat Karuizawa-san?"
"I like how Honami feels."
"Guh…"
There was no helping it.
If he insisted, Ichinose Honami knew she wouldn't refuse him.
She could only accept this humiliating compromise.
"By the way, are you staying tonight?" Kaoru emerged from the kitchen.
She had been lingering, even taking off her coat, leaving only her cardigan and undershirt, paired with a pleated skirt.
Her legs were pressed together, clearly showing no intention of leaving.
As if suddenly exposed, Ichinose's face burned red, her eyes filled with flustered panic.
No matter how hard she tried to suppress her shame and nervousness, she could only stammer under his gaze.
"I-is that not okay?"
"It's not that, but I don't have spare clothes for you here."
"I... I brought some."
She actually had another bag with her. Ichinose Honami was too embarrassed to pull out her pajamas, but she had come prepared tonight.
Kaoru gave her a strange look before suddenly smiling.
"I don't mind, but you better not regret it."
Ichinose understood what he meant and couldn't help but blush as she nodded, whispering softly.
"I-I've heard that living together can strengthen a couple's bond... I mentioned it to Mako... I'll be staying with you for the next few days..."
Kaoru was taken aback—it wasn't just about staying the night, but several days?
This was bad.
If that were the case, the others would definitely have strong opinions about it.
"Would this bother you?" Ichinose peeked at his reaction, her heart pounding.
Since she had offered to take care of him, staying for several days would naturally count as proper care, right?
Kaoru exhaled, calming down slightly.
Judging by the girl's expression, she genuinely seemed to believe this—but that very realization made him aware that her possessiveness hadn't diminished in the slightest.
Perhaps because of their Christmas date, she had grown even more eager to monopolize Mitoma Kaoru.
She just hadn't noticed it herself—or perhaps she thought she had suppressed her possessive urges.
"No, not at all." Kaoru didn't reject the request.
Maybe this could also be an opportunity for her to meet the others.
"Hehe, then I'm relieved!" Ichinose seemed delighted.
"The hot water probably hasn't cooled yet. You should go take a bath first so you don't catch a cold."
Ichinose nodded reflexively before suddenly realizing something and staring at Kaoru in surprise, leaving him baffled.
"Is there something on my face?"
"N-no, nothing!"
Of course, the girl couldn't say it out loud—she had expected him to take the chance to do something mischievous, but his serious demeanor instead left her feeling strangely unaccustomed.
Suggesting they bathe together or something like that was completely out of the question now.
Ichinose steadied her emotions and was about to head to the bathroom when she suddenly remembered something and froze.
Wait—staying over, bathing together?
Hadn't he mentioned earlier that Karuizawa had stayed here before?
That meant the two of them had likely bathed together, right?
No, no, no—they might have even gone much further than that!
He wasn't a coward, and a lecher like him would never let a delicate girl like her slip away!
In an instant, Ichinose wavered.
Was she actually the most lagging-behind girlfriend?
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