"Smells so good."
At 6:00 PM, Shiraishi Shin started cooking hot pot at home. He had already put in some ingredients that take longer to cook, and the aroma could be smelled even before the lid was lifted.
He immediately got up and went out, turned left, walked two steps to the door next door, entered the password, and walked in just as if he were entering his own home, speaking at the same time.
"Mahiru, you can come over to my place for hot pot now."
"Okay, coming."
Shiina Mahiru didn't need to prepare anything. After coming out of her room and seeing her boyfriend, she stepped forward and skillfully hugged his arm, revealing a sweet smile as she said,
"Let's go."
Feeling the softness against his arm, Shiina Mahiru looked somewhat petite in front of Shiraishi Shin, but she was small in stature yet well-endowed.
Although it was only a few steps away, couples in the heat of love are just this clingy. It wasn't until they arrived at Shiraishi Shin's home that Shiina Mahiru let go.
"Wow, so many ingredients?"
Shiina Mahiru exclaimed as she looked at the table full of ingredients, including various meats and vegetables.
Shiraishi Shin said,
"Naturally. When eating hot pot, you have to eat to your heart's content to really enjoy it. Come, sit down."
"I can't eat that much. Eating too much will make me gain weight."
Shiina Mahiru cared a lot about her weight and figure; or rather, all girls who care about their appearance strictly control their appetite.
No one dislikes delicious food, but overeating leads to weight gain, which causes one's figure and face shape to lose their appeal. This is something many women are unwilling to accept, especially those who are already beauties; they are even less willing to accept becoming ugly.
"It's okay, just eat as much as you can. I'll take care of the rest."
Shiraishi Shin didn't force Shiina Mahiru to eat more. He knew how much girls cared about their figures, but he didn't need to worry about it. If he ate too much tonight, he could just wake up earlier tomorrow and exercise more, converting the calories into muscle that would give him strength.
Half an hour later, Shiina Mahiru put down her chopsticks. She hadn't eaten much during that time.
"Mahiru, are you sure you won't eat a bit more? Won't you be hungry tonight?"
She shook her head and said,
"No, this is enough. Besides, I've eaten quite a lot of meat this time, so it's not good to eat any more. Shin-nii, you should eat more; fighting Monsters and exercising are very energy-consuming."
"Alright."
Shiraishi Shin didn't say anything more and continued eating.
Shiina Mahiru sat opposite him, resting her chin in her hands, her gaze fixed intently on him as he devoured the food, a happy smile hanging on her face.
"Shin-nii, do you remember the first time we met?"
"The first time?"
Shiraishi Shin chewed the food in his mouth, swallowed, and said,
"The first time we met was when we became neighbors, right? And then we met again at school."
But his answer was rejected by Shiina Mahiru.
She shook her head and said,
"Our first time wasn't when we became neighbors; it was actually earlier than that."
"Earlier?"
Shiraishi Shin couldn't recall. He really didn't know when he had seen Shiina Mahiru before that, so he guessed randomly,
"Was it some time we met on the street?"
"No."
"Then I don't know. Mahiru, stop keeping me in suspense. Tell me quickly."
Shiina Mahiru knew Shiraishi Shin didn't remember, so she told him,
"Actually, it was when we were seven, during a Summer Camp activity in the summer. That's when we met."
"Seven years old, Summer Camp?"
Shiraishi Shin really had no impression of this. Eleven years had passed, and even with the time and place, his memory was a blur.
To him, it was just a very ordinary Summer Camp activity; unless something major had happened, it wouldn't have left a deep impression.
He looked at Shiina Mahiru awkwardly and said,
"Sorry, I don't remember. Can you tell me about it?"
"It's okay, it's normal that you don't remember. Perhaps to Shin-nii, it left no impression because you only did a trivial thing, but for me, it was something that healed my entire life."
She then softly recounted the events from eleven years ago.
She hadn't mentioned it before because she felt that saying it would inevitably sound a bit like playing the victim, but things were different now—the two were boyfriend and girlfriend, and sharing it could deepen their relationship.
"I didn't expect us to have such a past."
Shiraishi Shin sighed.
To him, it was indeed a small matter not worth dwelling on. While it had left a deep impression on Shiina Mahiru, it shouldn't have been worth remembering for eleven years, right?
After all, it wasn't a life-saving favor; she was just lost and had fallen, and he had only led her back.
But for such a small, non-event, Shiina Mahiru had remembered it for a full eleven years, and even after such a long time, she had recognized him the moment she saw him.
This left him feeling a mix of complex emotions.
He reached out and took Shiina Mahiru's hand without saying a word, but this also showed his attitude: holding her hand tightly, never letting go.
After finishing the hot pot, Shiina Mahiru helped Shiraishi Shin clean his ears.
The two were sitting on the sofa, and he lay on his side on Shiina Mahiru's black-stockinged thighs, letting her gently clean his ears with an ear pick.
This is life, this is enjoyment.
"Mahiru."
"Hmm?"
"How about you stay at my place tonight and not go back?"
"..."
Shiina Mahiru's movements visibly paused, her face turned visibly red, and her body temperature gradually rose.
She knew that this issue was unavoidable in the course of dating, but she hadn't expected it to come so soon.
Seeing that Shiina Mahiru didn't speak, Shiraishi Shin turned over, facing up to look at Shiina Mahiru, and said,
"It's okay, don't have any psychological burden. I was a bit impatient; I can wait as long as it takes."
Seeing that her silence had caused a misunderstanding, Shiina Mahiru quickly shook her head and said,
"No... it's not that. I'm not unwilling, I'm just a bit nervous. Since I've decided that I'll follow you for the rest of my life, it's the same whether it's early or late."
"Mahiru."
Shiraishi Shin reached out and caressed her fair, tender face, then turned to look at the clock hanging on the wall—it was almost 10:00.
He immediately got up and said,
"In that case, shall we take a shower first?"
"Hmm~"
Shiina Mahiru shyly lowered her head, and Shiraishi Shin laughed upon seeing this.
That night, Shiraishi Shin completely shed the title of virgin, evolving from a boy toward a man, while Shiina Mahiru similarly transformed from a young girl to a young woman, from a bud to a bloom.
The two practiced the Kun technique together until one in the morning before finishing, because Shiraishi Shin was a strong and vigorous man; a mere one or two times couldn't stop him.
The next morning, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, Shiraishi Shin turned to look at Shiina Mahiru, who was curled up under the covers.
He gently kissed her forehead before putting on his clothes, preparing to go out.
"Shin-nii, where are you going?"
At this moment, Shiina Mahiru woke up, sitting up in a daze and rubbing her eyes.
Looking at Shiina Mahiru, who was revealing her charms, Shiraishi Shin said,
"I'm going for a morning workout and will be back in about an hour. Mahiru, hurry back under the covers and sleep a bit more; don't catch a cold."
Hearing this, Shiina Mahiru pulled the blanket up to cover her chest and said,
"Ha-woo~, then I'll continue sleeping for a while."
She had been too tired last night and had gone to sleep late, so she was indeed still very sleepy.
Besides, it was still early. She yawned and lay back down to continue sleeping.