Chapter 436

The rice bowl restaurant was practically empty due to the late hour.

Taking a seat at a corner table, I pointed at the cursive menu for Renka.

"What are you getting?"

"Oyakodon."

"Is that what you were craving?"

"Yeah."

"What should I get?"

"Unadon."

"I'm not really craving eel."

"Just get that."

"Why? Because you want eel too and plan to steal mine?"

"Yeah."

"That's selfish."

"Just order it."

"Alright."

Renka's face was slightly flushed.

I couldn't tell if she was embarrassed by her newfound timidity or if just looking at me was making her wet, but either way, it was a good change.

Chuckling inwardly as I watched her, I ordered the unadon and oyakodon just as she wanted.

Afterward, as I was pouring water into the cups, Renka's slender arm suddenly reached across the center of the table.

She smoothly slid her hand over the side-by-side cups.

Her tightly clenched fist slowly opened to reveal a square piece of chocolate.

She was obviously giving it to me, and the way she did it was incredibly cute.

Suppressing a sudden surge of desire, I handed her a full cup of water and asked.

"Chocolate? What's this for?"

"A palate cleanser."

"Why give it to me now? You should wait until after we eat."

"I give you something and you still make a fuss... So annoying... Don't eat it then."

Renka was ready to snap back to her old self the moment I cut her some slack... Unacceptable.

A slave needed to know how to fawn over her master.

Tap, tap.

I wordlessly tapped the table a couple of times, and Renka's hand, which was about to snatch the chocolate back, froze.

Glancing at me, she pushed the chocolate to the corner of the table. Then, shooting me another sullen look, she muttered.

"Doing all sorts of weird things..."

She said that, but I loved how perfectly she caught on to what I wanted.

Before long, our rice bowls arrived.

Scooping up some rice along with the chicken and scrambled egg from her oyakodon, Renka eyed my bowl and said, "Give me some eel."

"Sure."

I picked up a piece of eel with my chopsticks and placed it on her spoon. Renka pouted as if displeased, then brought the spoon to her mouth.

"Is it good?"

Instead of answering my gentle question, she snagged another piece of eel.

I let out a dry chuckle and asked.

"Why do you keep stealing my food?"

"Because it's good. Got a problem with that?"

"No."

"...You can eat mine too."

"You're really..."

"What. What...!"

How should I describe the way she jutted her chin out, trying to look tough...

She was like a puppy that had made a mistake but refused to admit it.

It felt like she had gone from a neurotic Chihuahua to a Pomeranian bristling at a stranger out of fear.

"Never mind. Eat up."

"I will."

Renka's chopsticks swept across my bowl once again.

Another piece of eel vanished. When she took a large chunk of the body this time, I stared at her in disbelief.

"If you're going to steal a piece of eel with every spoonful, why didn't you just order eel as a side dish?"

"I wouldn't be able to finish it. Besides, I gave you chocolate."

Wasn't trading eel for a thumbnail-sized piece of chocolate way too unfair?

But she was cute, so I let it slide.

"Alright."

Was she unhappy with my indifferent response?

Renka's delicate eyebrows twitched.

She had expected me to pick a fight, so she was a bit flustered that things weren't going as planned, right?

It was painfully obvious she had planned to bicker back and forth if I had taken the bait.

"Enjoy your meal."

At my follow-up remark, one corner of Renka's mouth twitched.

Seeing her seemingly annoyed expression almost made me burst out laughing, but I held it in.

The more patient I was, the more Renka would be reborn as a charming heroine.

After finishing our meal, I drove Renka back to her house.

Perhaps she was annoyed by the heavy silence in the car, void of any personal conversation, because the moment she got out, she glared at me with a deeply furrowed brow.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"...I don't know what you're trying to do."

"I feel like I'm the one who should be saying that right now."

"What...! What...! Why would you say that?"

The way she stubbornly insisted was so lovely.

"I don't want to argue. I apologize."

"You're seriously such an annoying type. You're doing this on purpose to give me an ulcer, aren't you?"

"I'm not. I'm sorry."

"Just die."

"Earlier you told me not to die."

"I changed my mind."

There was sincerity in Renka's words.

Not that she actually wanted me dead, but it meant she was showing how she felt like she was going crazy.

Forcing down the corners of my mouth that had been trying to curl up on their own for a while now, I spoke as if I were hurt.

"That hurts my feelings."

At that, a very slight hint of hesitation crossed Renka's eyes.

And what she said next made it impossible for me to hold back my laughter any longer.

"Then just half-die."

As I covered my mouth and faked a cough at her absurd nonsense, Renka formed a smile that looked cynical on the surface but clearly showed she was in a better mood.

"Laughing like you're having fun..."

It felt like the tension in the air had finally dissolved.

Renka probably felt it too.

I should throw a little cold water on her here, then offer a carrot.

"Shall we hug one last time?"

"What? Last time?"

Renka's long eyelashes flew up as her eyes flared in anger.

It seemed she had misunderstood my meaning.

In truth, I had deliberately phrased it that way to stir up some affectionate feelings in her.

"I left out the word 'today.' Let's hug one last time for today."

A look of relief washed over Renka's face at those words.

Say what you will, she really did like me a lot.

"I don't want to."

"Never mind then. Go on inside."

I shrugged at Renka's coy rejection and was just about to get into my car.

The crunching sound of shoes against concrete rapidly approached from behind, and soon, I felt a slight pressure and a warm, cozy sensation wrap around my waist.

Renka had hugged me.

I hadn't expected her to do this at all, and the moment I turned my head, her hands swiftly slipped away from my waist.

Without a word, she scurried away on her long legs.

She slammed the Main Gate shut and fled, leaving behind a lingering sense of warmth in the space she had vacated.

"Hah..."

Letting out a breath mixed with half surprise and half joy, I scratched my cheek.

Giving me just a taste before running off—what was I supposed to do with these fluttering feelings of mine?

Still, it was highly commendable that she had approached me on her own to show affection.

Taking in the dark night breeze alone, I returned home, and a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

The thought that Renka was now the only one who hadn't seen my house.

After inviting her over, I wanted to gather all four heroines together.

Come to think of it, I hadn't asked her about the photo.

I should have subtly brought it up earlier when the mood was good...

Renka had been acting so adorable that I had completely forgotten about it while admiring her.

There was plenty of time anyway, and many opportunities to ask.

Thinking of it with a relaxed mind, I finished my shower and lay down on my mattress.

The breeze from the air conditioner was cold.

Times like this would be perfect for sleeping while tightly hugging Chinami, who had the warmest body among the heroines...

I really wanted to slowly drift off to sleep while feeling her soft skin.

Why had I gotten so sentimental today?

It was probably because Renka had done something that made my heart flutter.

And yet she hadn't sent a single text wishing me a good night... She totally lacked the mindset of a slave.

She probably thought she had won our battle of nerves today, right? She would soon realize what a huge miscalculation that was.

Igniting my competitive spirit, I closed my eyes, tossing and turning as I drifted in and out of a light sleep.

Even sleep was teasing me. Unbelievable.

The next day, I woke up and looked in the mirror to find my face swollen.

Not quite like a steamed bun, but enough to be noticeable.

I hadn't even eaten anything spicy, so why was it like this? The human body was truly a mystery.

Looking at my Cell Phone screen, I saw a message from Miyuki and checked the notification.

It was a text telling me to come over today and pick up some side dishes, since I had probably run out of them by now.

Just as she expected, my side dish containers were completely empty.

Was she psychic? It seemed she knew me better than Tetsuya did now.

Thinking about a piece of shit first thing in the morning ruined my mood.

Shaking my head to banish Tetsuya's idiotic face from my mind, I took a quick shower, pulled a hat down low over my eyes, and left the house.

I considered driving but decided to just walk instead.

The weather was pleasantly cool.

Good things always happened at times like this, so would today be any different?

Let's find out.

As I took leisurely steps toward Miyuki's house, I spotted a familiar silhouette over the hill.

A woman with light brown hair, wearing an innocent-looking dress, was carrying a large bundle in both hands.

It was Miyuki.

"Matsuda-kun!"

Having spotted me, she set the bundle down and waved her hand wildly.

The good thing that was going to happen today must have been running into Miyuki.

I jogged lightly over to her and asked with a puzzled expression.

"Were you on your way to my house?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why? Am I not allowed to?"

"No, it's just that you left a text telling me to come pick up the side dishes."

"You didn't reply, so I thought you were still sleeping and decided to bring them over myself."

"You're going out of your way just to suffer."

"You know I'm always like this. But where were you heading, Matsuda-kun?"

"To your house."

"My house? You usually drive."

"I just felt like walking today. I wouldn't have driven this way, so I would've passed right by you if I had taken the car."

"Right...? That's really lucky."

It wasn't luck, it was destiny.

Because both you and I had the same thought.

Swallowing those words, I took the bundle from Miyuki.

A clear sky, a gentle intermittent breeze...

It was the perfect weather for a picnic.

I should stop by my house just to change clothes and head right back out.

But did I clean up the traces of Chinami and Hiyori?

'''html