"Senpai, if possible, please try not to breathe on my ear. It's... kind of sensitive." Mio tilted her head slightly, her face faintly flushed as she spoke to Haruno.
Being held by Haruno was actually quite comfortable, but since Haruno's chin was resting on her shoulder, every breath sent a warm current washing over her ear.
It was making her cooking technique fall apart.
Hearing this, Haruno finally noticed that not only was Mio's face red, but even her ears had turned pink. That delectable sight made even Haruno briefly lose herself.
But Haruno was still Haruno. She quickly snapped back to reality and released her arms from around Mio.
The girl who'd just been deliberately keeping her distance was now acting like nothing had happened at all. How strange.
Wait. Was there a possibility that she'd been baited? Maybe Mio had deliberately appeared to be keeping her distance, just to get Haruno to make a move on her.
But... what would be the point of that?
Even someone like Haruno couldn't figure it out at the moment.
Still, this made her even more interested in Mio.
Just then, Chihiro-sensei appeared at the kitchen entrance, looking utterly drained as she watched the two of them. "Mio, is dinner not ready yet? I'm starving."
"If I remember correctly, didn't you say you wanted to go on a diet, Chihiro-sensei? How about I make you a diet meal instead?"
Breathing in the tantalizing aroma wafting from the kitchen, Chihiro-sensei declared without hesitation, "Are you kidding me? With a figure like mine, who needs to diet?!"
That said, ever since Mio moved in next door, she'd been eating Mio's cooking every day, and her weight had somehow crept up by two kilograms. That was a fact not even stripping naked before stepping on the scale could change.
What really annoyed her was that her cousin clearly ate more than she did, barely exercised, and yet her weight hadn't budged at all. How was that fair?
"Got it, got it. It'll be ready soon. Please just bear with it a little longer~"
Without Haruno's embrace, Mio picked up the pace.
Before long, dish after exquisite dish was served at the table. Even Haruno had to admit that Mio's cooking skills were genuinely impressive. As her assistant, she'd sampled quite a few dishes along the way, and every single one was delicious.
If possible, she'd honestly love to have Mio come be her personal chef.
"Let's celebrate the official serialization of White Album!" Everyone gathered around the table and raised their glasses in a toast.
Of course, Mio and Mashiro, who weren't old enough to drink, could only have cola.
While eating, Mio looked at her now-empty Coca-Cola can and felt a twinge of regret. She wished she'd bought Pepsi instead. Then she could've poured the Pepsi into the Coke can, and that would've been... ahem!
Originally, Mio had assumed Haruno would leave after dinner.
But after she finished cleaning up, she found Haruno still sitting on the living room couch, drinking with the two alcoholic teachers, showing no signs of wanting to leave.
Noticing Mio's gaze, Haruno turned her head and gave her a faint smile.
The slightly tipsy Haruno had a delicate blush on her fair cheeks, and even her eyes seemed a bit hazy. Compared to her usual self, she'd lost a bit of her commanding presence and gained a touch of alluring softness.
Too bad [Do As You Please] was still active on her. Otherwise, Mio would've loved to get back at Haruno for earlier. Since Haruno liked getting close, Mio would just press herself right up against her—and it wasn't certain who'd end up losing in that exchange.
Pushing aside her wandering thoughts, Mio said a quick goodbye and headed back to her own place.
There were still over three hours until midnight. To avoid accidentally triggering [Do As You Please], Mio immediately became an emotionless writing machine the moment she got home.
Until the clock struck twelve.
Under Mio's tense watch, a semi-transparent card materialized before her eyes.
It was a card called [Genius Student], which improved learning efficiency. For the current Mio, it was actually somewhat helpful.
Really, as long as it wasn't from the punishment deck, anything was helpful.
Just as Mio was relaxing and wondering if she should go to bed, she realized that Mashiro hadn't come over to sleep with her tonight.
After a moment's hesitation, she got up and walked out, heading next door.
After ringing the doorbell, the door soon opened.
But it wasn't Mashiro who answered—it was Haruno.
Seeing Mio's surprised expression, Haruno could more or less guess what she was thinking. She smiled and explained, "I was planning to head back, but I accidentally drank too much. I'll have to stay here for the night. Is something the matter, kouhai?"
"I'm looking for Mashiro."
Without [Do As You Please] in effect, Mio felt much more natural around Haruno.
At least she didn't have to constantly monitor her own thoughts for anything problematic.
Walking into Chihiro-sensei's apartment, Mio made her way to Mashiro's room with practiced ease and casually opened the door.
The room was still brightly lit. Mashiro, seated at her computer, instinctively turned around at the sound of the door opening. When she saw it was Mio, a hint of surprise crossed her face. "Mio, why are you here?"
"There's someone missing from my bed. I can't really sleep."
"But... if I'm there, Mio won't sleep well," Mashiro said softly.
"Didn't I tell you this morning? Me not sleeping well has nothing to do with you. If you're not there, that's when I really can't sleep."
As she spoke, Mio plopped down on Mashiro's bed and continued, "It's decided. I'm sleeping here tonight. You should go to bed soon too."
"Really... you won't have trouble sleeping?" Mashiro stood by the bed, looking somewhat hesitant.
Mio smiled helplessly, then got up and walked over to Mashiro, pushing her right down onto the bed.
Lying on the bed, Mashiro looked up at Mio and said in her usual flat tone, "Mio, you're being too hasty. I can lie down on my own."
"Let's not say things that could be easily misunderstood right before bed. I really won't be able to sleep then."
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