Arms full of groceries, Mafuyu Kirisu came home feeling conflicted.
"I'm back, Miharu—are you here?"
A pink-haired girl with a jaunty ponytail—almost a mirror of Mafuyu—ran out and smiled sweetly.
"I'm here. Welcome back, Onee-chan! You bought so much—leave it to me!"
Mafuyu nodded and handed the bags to her sister.
Just then Hayashi Maki walked in carrying a lunch box and greeted Miharu with a smile.
"Miharu-san, I'm here again."
"Oh, it's you! My sister's student—here for tutoring again?" Miharu's eyes sparkled, flicking between Hayashi Maki and Mafuyu. She'd been staying with her sister; hardly anyone ever visited—except this one handsome boy, Hayashi Maki. It made her wonder: was he really just her sister's student?
"Yup. A diligent student like me is Kirisu-sensei's favorite. So as not to let her down, she's going to tutor me all night," Hayashi Maki said smoothly, angling to stay over.
"All night? Really?" Miharu gaped. A man and a woman alone—teacher and student—was that normal?
"Pah! What nonsense. One hour, max—then you're out!" Mafuyu snapped, shooting him a withering glare. "Don't listen to him, Miharu. He's only here a little while—I'm not tutoring him all night."
She was a teacher. If she tutored all night, how was she supposed to teach class tomorrow?
Miharu puffed her cheeks. "Naughty, little Hayashi Maki-kun—lying the moment you open your mouth!"
"Er… the 'little-kun' part is unnecessary," Hayashi Maki muttered, then smiled. "But I was serious about the overnight tutorial. Sensei's just too shy to admit it."
"Cut it out. Say one more word and you're gone now!" Mafuyu huffed, shoving him toward the kitchen. "Weren't you going to show what you can do? Get to it—cook, then get out—mmph—"
Before she could finish, Hayashi Maki pinned her against the doorway and kissed her. Mafuyu's eyes flew wide; her heart nearly stopped. Panicking at the thought Miharu might see, she pounded his chest. He stole a taste, let her go, and grinned:
"Kick me out and I'll be heartbroken. And when I'm heartbroken, I tend to kiss the woman I like without thinking."
"Pervert! Scoundrel!" Mafuyu swore under her breath—but she didn't dare toss him out again. Flustered, she glanced around only to see Miharu approaching curiously.
"Your face is so red, sis—what's wrong?"
"N-nothing—just a bit warm. Miharu, go sit on the couch and watch TV. I'll cook tonight," Mafuyu blurted, shooing her out of the kitchen.
Miharu tilted her head but didn't press. Her sister's cooking—she was looking forward to it.
In the kitchen, arms crossed, Hayashi Maki watched Mafuyu's flushed cheeks with interest.
"Sensei's cooking? Lucky me. Please—begin your performance."
"Perform what—you're cooking!" she shot back, glaring in embarrassment.
Hayashi Maki chuckled. "What, weren't you boasting that Miharu would finally see your cooking? Why am I cooking then?"
"Hmph!" Mafuyu sniffed, totally unabashed. "You bought the ingredients; you cook. And you insisted on coming for 'tutoring'—you should contribute. Besides, you did say you'd cook—that's why I bought the groceries."
As she kept arguing, Hayashi Maki only opened his arms and smiled at her.
"What?" Mafuyu snapped, though her heart thumped—was he going to hug her again?
Hayashi Maki sighed. "If I'm cooking, I want you to eat my food—but at least put an apron on me."
Realization dawned; her face reddened. "Hmph—can't you do it yourself?"
Grumbling, she dutifully fetched an apron, stood before him, and gently tied it on. As she did, Hayashi Maki slipped an arm around her and brushed a kiss against her neck.
"Eek! What are you doing—do you want to die?"
She jumped back, hand over the kissed spot, glaring. Hayashi Maki chuckled.
"Sorry—Sensei's too cute. I couldn't help it."
"Shameless! Degenerate!" she muttered—though she wasn't truly angry; if anything, she was a little shy. She didn't even notice that she was getting used to his mischief.
Hayashi Maki puckered and opened his arms again.
"The apron's not tied right—you can't quit halfway. If you don't tie it properly, how can I cook?"
"…" And whose fault is that the apron wasn't tied? the pervert. Mafuyu cursed him silently, then strode back, cinched the strings quickly, and jumped out of range, wary. Hayashi Maki only smiled gently.
"Thanks for the apron, Sensei. Time to cook—watch closely."
He deftly prepped ingredients and set oil to heat. Soon, the kitchen filled with rich aromas. He even showed off a bit of pan-tossing; flames licked the wok, and Mafuyu clapped a hand over her mouth in awe.
"When oil catches fire, don't douse with water—just slap a lid on. Otherwise it's dangerous. Got that, Sensei?" he said as he cooked, tossing in kitchen tips.
Mafuyu turned aside and huffed. "Nag, nag. Just cook."
Seeing him look so pleased with himself made her bristle by reflex—maybe because he kept hugging her and stealing kisses without warning, leaving her feeling wronged.