After spending very little money to buy an ordinary second-hand phone for Hina and exchanging contact information, Yusei finally said goodbye and left the apartment.
Today was still a holiday. He had originally planned to go find Asuna and Yui to play with Shiro and Kanna.
But looking at the time now, it was almost noon.
'They were probably already having lunch, right?'
Yusei decided not to go after all. He bought some pastries that Shiro and Kanna liked from a street vendor and headed home.
Soon after arriving home, the two little ones rushed into his arms.
Low-level workers don't get holidays, so technically, Yusei's father didn't have a holiday either.
Refusing the offer from Koken last time was a good decision, but the consequence was a more difficult life.
Fortunately, Yusei had earned quite a bit of money recently, which had improved the Kazami Family's standard of living considerably.
Kanna, like a little puppy, sniffed at the pastries in his hand. Yusei smiled, patted her head, and handed the pastries to her.
"Remember to wash your hands before eating."
But as soon as he said it, Yusei felt a bit silly.
Kanna was a dragon. She could eat anything raw without a second thought, so why would she care about washing her hands?
However, Kanna now seemed to genuinely see herself as a human girl. So, upon hearing Yusei's words, although she desperately wanted to eat the pastries immediately, she obediently went to wash her hands first.
Watching as Shiro was helplessly dragged along by Kanna to wash their hands, Yusei felt quite pleased, 'Shiro and Kanna get along very well.'
Just then, Kanako, who was preparing lunch, poked her head out from the kitchen, wearing an apron.
"Yusei, don't let them eat too many snacks. Lunch is almost ready."
"Okay. I understand."
"Oh, and your classmate is here. She's in your room right now."
"My classmate?"
Yusei was puzzled, but he acknowledged it and went to his room.
Opening the door, he saw a familiar figure.
Long, straight, smooth black hair. A full, curvaceous figure. Beautiful legs clad in black stockings. A skirt that barely covered the mysterious region, making one instinctively want to explore further.
The visitor was none other than Kasumigaoka Utaha.
She was currently looking curiously at the manuscript pages placed around Yusei's room. Hearing the sound, she turned around.
Seeing it was Yusei, a smile appeared on her beautiful face.
"Good afternoon, Yusei-kun."
"Utaha-senpai? What are you doing here?" Yusei asked instinctively.
Hearing his words, a trace of disappointment flashed across Utaha's face, but it was gone in an instant.
She casually sat down on Yusei's bed, her eyes glancing at the small bed nearby. Her tone was teasing, "I didn't expect you to share a room with your little sister. Siscon?"
Yusei felt a vein throb on his forehead, "Don't just give people nicknames that are easily misunderstood. It's just because my house is small and doesn't have any extra rooms."
He paused, then added with a straight face, "Besides, I like older women. Big sisters like you, Utaha-senpai."
"An older woman connoisseur? With a preference for black stockings... I see... So, I've pretty much gathered the necessary information about Yusei-kun's preferences. That's why you ended up with a girlfriend like Yuuki-san."
Yusei shrugged noncommittally. He started tidying up the manuscript pages on the desk.
As he organized them, he asked, "So, how did you get my home address? And why the sudden visit? Is something the matter?"
"I came to visit you with some fruit back when you were unconscious in SAO. Unfortunately, you weren't home at the time, and you'd been transferred to some hospital. I didn't know which one. As for whether something's the matter..."
At this point, a hint of melancholy appeared on Utaha's face, and her tone was regretful, "Can't I come see you without a reason?"
As she spoke, she ran her hand over her leg covered in black-stocking, slightly lifting the hem of her short skirt.
"Yuuki-san is nice, but she rarely wears stockings, does she?"
Yusei cleared his throat lightly and turned his back to Utaha, walking towards the balcony to hide his embarrassment.
"There's only the two of us in the room right now, Utaha-senpai. You shouldn't play with fire."
Seeing Yusei turn his back, a victorious smile appeared on Utaha's face.
Hearing his words, she nodded in apparent agreement.
"You're right about that. I was originally thinking of giving Yusei-kun a little 'benefit', but since you say so, I'll forget it."
Then, her tone became serious, completely different from before.
"Actually, there's a book signing for my novel next weekend. I'd like to ask you to come with me, Yusei-kun. After all, this novel is something we created together, it's our brainchild."
Yusei automatically ignored the latter part of her sentence and thought about his schedule for next weekend.
'I could finish my manga completely this week. I also had a date with Asuna planned for next week, but one day should be enough. That would indeed leave me with some free time.'
Thinking this, his expression turned playful, "I do have time next weekend. But do you really think, after you just teased me, that I'll still accompany you?"
Utaha rolled her eyes at Yusei.
"Yusei-kun, boys who are petty aren't popular with girls, you know."
Yusei looked at Utaha sitting on his bed. A mischievous idea suddenly popped into his head. He smiled slightly and walked over to her.
"This isn't pettiness. It's bluntness."
As he spoke, Yusei pressed Utaha down onto the bed, pinning her wrists with his hands.
To an outsider, it would look quite a bit like a forceful advance.
"You..." Utaha, looking up at Yusei above her, finally panicked. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye.
"H-Hurry up and let me go. S-Stop joking around."
"I told you before... there's only the two of us in this room. I told you not to play with fire."
"I... I was wrong." Although her words were usually sharp, when truly faced with this situation, Utaha was still just an innocent girl.
Yusei shook his head, "An apology isn't enough. I have to do something. Let's call it the 'benefit' you mentioned earlier. Tell me, what 'benefit' did you want to give me? It has to be one that satisfies me."
Utaha looked at Yusei with shame and indignation. But when she met his eyes, she found them completely clear, devoid of any lust.
At that moment, Utaha understood. The seemingly eager Yusei was actually just trying to scare her.
However... this current situation did evoke a strange feeling within her. There was nervousness and fear, but also a slight sense of anticipation and excitement.