Chapter 386: Seito Returns, The Girls' Excitement!
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"Did you miss me?"
Seito looked down at the short girl in front of him with a playful smile.
"Mhm~" Kanade Tachibana reached out her arms and hugged him tightly. Having not seen Seito for so many days, she naturally missed him immensely.
Smooch~
Seito leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her small cheek, smiling gently. "Want to play cards~?"
"Okay~"
Midnight... Twelve o'clock.
Kaguya Shinomiya, Ai Hayasaka, Asuna, and Chika Fujiwara all woke up at the same time. Every single one of them had been startled awake by the sudden racket coming from the room next door. The intense, chaotic noise—which sounded like a full-blown house demolition—instantly made them wide awake!
"This... Seito is back?" Kaguya's face flushed a deep crimson.
To cause such a massive uproar, it could only mean that Seito had officially returned. A surge of excitement filled her heart; after all, it had been far too many days since she last saw him.
"Young Mistress, it has to be him," Ai Hayasaka stated with a completely blank expression, though her heart was secretly bursting with joy.
"Let's just go back to sleep. We can see him first thing tomorrow morning," Kaguya offered a soft smile and closed her eyes.
As if you can actually sleep right now, Hayasaka complained silently in her mind. She didn't believe for a second that her young mistress could easily drift off, but she didn't say it out loud, merely closing her eyes in silence.
Neither of them was actually sleeping. They were simply pretending. And they weren't the only ones; over in the next room, Asuna and Chika Fujiwara were doing the exact same thing.
Morning arrived.
Looking down at Kanade, who was currently curled up fast asleep in his embrace, the corners of Seito's mouth curled up into a slight smirk. He slipped out from under the blankets, dressed himself quietly, and left the room.
Stepping into the bathroom to wash his face, Seito let out a long, satisfied stretch.
Click~
Right then, the doors to the other two bedrooms pushed open. Kaguya and the other girls walked out into the hallway, their faces slightly red as their eyes instantly locked onto Seito.
"You're back!" Yuuki Asuna was the first to speak up.
"Yeah," Seito nodded. "I'm back to handle the final exams."
"Wait, as gods, don't we have the official option to just skip the testing cycle?" Chika Fujiwara blinked, asking reflexively.
"I am a faculty member," Seito offered a gentle smile.
Hearing his answer, Chika stuck her tongue out playfully. She had completely forgotten that Seito was officially a teacher at the academy; what a total oversight. Now that he was back, he was definitively going to act as a test proctor.
"Oh right, New Year's is coming up exceptionally early this time around. Should we start buying some holiday supplies ahead of time?" Kaguya asked,
remembering something important. Since Sakura Province was now under the direct administration of Esstern Country, they naturally followed the traditional New Year schedule.
The holiday line was moving very fast this term. It was roughly scheduled to arrive just a single week after final exams wrapped up.
"Is it really that fast?" Seito felt slightly dazed.
In previous years, he had always spent the holidays simply lounging around with the Sora and Shiro siblings. Now that their household had expanded to include so many people, he needed to properly map out a grand holiday plan.
"Of course!"
Although life over in Orario was incredibly fun, no one could ever refuse the deep, warm feeling of a traditional family reunion during the New Year! The classic festive spirit was a flavor that every citizen of Esstern Country fundamentally loved.
Recalling how the holiday atmosphere in his past life had slowly faded over time as the world modernized, Seito felt that transferring into this world was truly worth it!
Receiving his approval, a soft, beautiful smile finally broke across Kaguya's usually cold features.
Tap, tap~~
"Mmh~"
Kanade rubbed her eyes groggily as she walked out into the living room. Seeing her appearance, the other four girls couldn't help but cast looks of pure envy. However, no one said a word, because Kanade was someone who had already formally locked in her relationship with Seito, while the rest of them had yet to finalize theirs.
Seito walked over to the dining table and sat down, casually waving his right hand.
Zip, zip, zip~~
A spectacular mountain of fresh local breakfast snacks materialized across the table. "Come on, let's eat first."
Hearing his call, the girls moved over and took their seats around him. Scanning the familiar figures surrounding the table, Seito secretly stole a few quiet glances at Kaguya and her little secretary, Hayasaka.
He fully intended to cleanly claim both of these girls tonight! After all, everyone already harbored mutual feelings for each other, so there was zero reason to hold back.
"Is something wrong?" Kaguya noticed his gaze and turned her head to look at him.
"Nothing," Seito smiled gently. Kaguya felt a bit puzzled, but she didn't press for details.
After finishing their meal, the group quickly cleared the table, gathered their school bags, and walked out the front door together.
Click~~
The moment they stepped into the hallway, the doors to the neighboring apartment pushed open, and the Yukinoshita sisters walked out.
"Ah? Seito-chan~! You're finally back~!" Seeing his silhouette, Haruno Yukinoshita's eyes lit up with a brilliant light.
Although everyone had already seen the system notification about Seito's return last night, seeing him standing there in person still made them incredibly excited! With a bright, characteristically playful smile on her face, Haruno glided over to Seito's side and smoothly wrapped her arms around his elbow.
Beside her, little Yukino stared at Seito without saying a word. But if one looked closely at her face, they could faintly see a soft smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
"Yeah," Seito looked down at Haruno beside him, instinctively reaching out to gently pat her head.
"A head pat? Seito-chan~ you shouldn't just casually pat the head of a girl who is older than you, you know~" Haruno teased playfully, though she thoroughly enjoyed the warmth of his hand.
"Do you hate it?" Seito asked with a chuckle.
"Of course not!" Haruno answered instantly without a single shred of hesitation.
Why would she ever hate it? Having Seito treat her with such affection was something she could only celebrate; her heart was practically melting with joy. Her lively eyes spun for a brief moment before she leaned in close to Seito's ear, whispering softly, "Are you coming over to see me and little Yukino after school wraps up today?"
The moment the words hit his ear, Seito instantly decoded her exact underlying meaning. He immediately used a silent sound transmission to reply: "I can drop by right now!"
Haruno froze, asking reflexively, "Aren't you supposed to be heading to the academy for work?"
Seito was supposed to be on duty today. Was it really appropriate to drop everything right now?
"Don't worry, a single mirror clone can handle the faculty duties easily," Seito waved his hand flippantly.
Hearing his explanation, Haruno's excitement spiked to an all-time high. Without a second thought, she grabbed Seito's hand, dragged him straight back inside her apartment, and slammed the front door shut behind them.
The entire group standing in the hallway was completely dumbfounded. They had absolutely zero idea what had just occurred between the two of them.
Click~~
A few seconds later, the front door pushed open again, and Seito stepped out into the hallway completely alone.
"What exactly did you go inside the room to do with my older sister?" Yukino couldn't help but question, her eyes narrowed.
"Nothing much. Let's head to the academy first," Seito offered a perfectly innocent smile. He turned around and set off down the hall, taking the lead.
The rest of the girls felt deeply puzzled, but they didn't press the matter any further, quickly falling into step right behind him.
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Thank you for reading.