Date a Live:This is not the date I wanted! Chapter 265 265: Winter, Hot Pot, Ideal

"Ugh..."

With a soft groan, Itsuka Shido opened his eyes.

"—An unfamiliar ceiling."

After involuntarily muttering this, Shido sat up from the bed and looked around. Without a doubt, this was his own room.

"Strange... what exactly was I..."

Seemingly not yet understanding the current situation, Shido shook his head groggily.

Looking up at the clock in the room, it was already past midnight. Shido's mory, apart from being choked unconscious by Yutsuki, only went up to the physical fitness test in the morning.

What on earth happened during this blank period? Shido's heart was filled with unease.

"Yutsuki... Tohka... Kotori... is everyone okay?"

Please don't let anything bad have happened.

Praying constantly in his heart, Shido threw off the covers, got out of bed, and walked out of the room still wearing his pajamas.

"Kotori... are you there?"

Walking down the dim hallway, Shido knocked lightly on the door of Kotori's room next door. After a long while, there was no response from inside.

"Not there...?"

Shido muttered softly. Looking out the window at the Spirit apartnt next door, he saw that not a single room in the opposite building had its lights on.

"Could they all be on the airship... Hm?"

Just as Shido was about to take out his phone to call everyone, a savory aroma wafting through the air caught his attention.

"Slls good."

Grumble—

While he was admiring the sll, his stomach let out an unhelpful, complaining rumble, making Shido feel a bit embarrassed.

"This sll... is it coming from the first floor?"

Following the aroma downstairs, Shido discovered that lively conversation was coming from the living room, where the lights were still on.

"Kuku. Behold, my treasured secret technique—Fallen Shadow Wind Catch."

"Deciphered. What a cheap secret technique, Kaguya. This piece of beef belongs to Yuzuru."

"Waah, why is it vegetables again!"

"Natsumi-chan, this piece of at is cooked perfectly. It's fat, tender, and juicy. It's delicious dipped in the sauce. Don't be shy, say ah~"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no—Don't co near , you cow tits! I won't fall for your tricks!!"

"Yoshino, Yoshino, rember to eat plenty of vegetables, not just at. That way, you'll grow up to be a bouncy, mature woman and make Shido-kun's heart throb~"

"Mhm... Yoshinon... nom... so warm... delicious..."

"Umu, umu—Yutsuki! Another bowl!"

"Don't rush, Tohka, there are plenty of ingredients left. There's no need to wolf it down like a starving ghost."

"But, nom—ish sho dewishus ah cyan't shtap!"

"...Wait until you swallow what's in your mouth before talking."

"Ah—Why did you steal my at? Tobiichi Origami."

"Just a coincidence. Food that hasn't left the pot is first co, first served. You can just eat the vegetables by the edge of the pot, Yatogami Tohka."

"Alright, alright, no fighting. I'm going to put more ingredients in. You two settle down for a bit."

"Yutsuki-nee, just one, just one is enough. Let have a Chupa Chups lollipop."

"No snacks during alti. Besides, what's so good about having a lollipop with hot pot anyway?"

"A lollipop during hot pot is a masterpiece!"

"Don't say it like a middle aged man drinking draft beer to relieve stress after work."

Walking to the entrance of the living room, Shido saw that various expensive ingredients were laid out on the dining table. In the center of the table, food in a large pot was being cooked in boiling broth, releasing a mouthwatering aroma.

And everyone was sitting around the table, enjoying the hot pot with relish.

This was not a rare scene. As always, everyone gathered at the sa table to eat, sotis bickering, sotis being noisy, with hardly a mont of peace.

Although he felt a bit helpless internally, at the sa ti, every ti he saw this scene, Itsuka Shido felt his heart fill up, very fulfilled.

"...Thank goodness."

His shoulders relaxed involuntarily, and a solid sense of relief welled up in his heart. It wasn't until this mont, seeing this scene, that Itsuka Shido felt grounded.

"Shido? You're awake!"

Seemingly noticing Shido's footsteps, Tohka turned her head.

"Are you okay? How are you feeling physically?"

"Mhm... I'm fine. What about you and everyone else, Tohka? Are you okay?"

Seeing the bandages wrapped around Tohka and the others, for so reason, Shido felt more guilt than concern.

"Umu! I've completely recovered."

Tohka nodded, bending her arm to strike a muscle-flexing pose. Then, she pulled Shido over to an empty seat at the table and had him sit down.

"Oh? My possession, to have finally awakened from the endless dream and catch this frantic feast, you truly are a lucky fellow."

"Agreent. It would be a loss in life to miss out on such high-grade at, Shido."

"Ahaha—"

Shido responded to the Yamai sisters with a bitter smile.

Honestly, Shido was still completely baffled by the current situation. After looking around at everyone in distress, Shido turned his gaze to the person most likely to explain things to him.

"It's nothing special. Nobody had a proper al from morning till night, plus it's very cold in winter. So although it's a bit late, everyone unanimously decided to have hot pot to reward ourselves."

Yutsuki shrugged and answered Shido's question.

"I see..."

Although Yutsuki's answer was very simple and clear, missing the mories of this period still left Shido in a fog.

"By the way, the total cost of the ingredients, including the at, is—this much."

"What—?!"

Hearing the number Yutsuki stated, Shido, who was in charge of the household finances, instantly turned pale and almost fell out of his chair.

"...Yutsuki, why did you buy such expensive at? We'll have to be very careful for the rest of this month."

To prevent everyone from noticing his abnormality, Shido lowered his voice.

"Ah—Don't worry about that. These were all bought with the money you made from street performing."

Yutsuki chuckled, waved her hand, and answered.

"Eh? Street performing?"

Hearing this unexpected answer, Shido's face was written with confusion.

(What exactly did I do during the ti I lost my mory?)

"By the way, Shido, why did you co out in pajamas? Didn't I put your clothes by the bed?"

Yutsuki tilted her head in confusion. Shido then realized he was sitting in the living room in his pajamas, instantly feeling a wave of embarrassnt.

"Ah... I didn't notice. Eh? Wait, who changed my pajamas for then?"

"I'm the one who carried you back, who else would it be?"

"—!?"

Yutsuki answered matter-of-factly. Then, noticing Shido's panicked expression, she instantly understood sothing, and a wicked smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

"Well, a boy in puberty would care about these things. Don't worry, I didn't take off your underwear. And honestly, I have zero interest in your naked body, Shido."

"Uh..."

The corners of Shido's mouth twitched slightly.

What exactly should he feel relieved about? Honestly, Shido had no idea. Right now, his heart was just brimming with an indescribably subtle sadness.

(As expected, in Yutsuki's eyes, I'm just purely family... Well, whatever.)

A bitter smile couldn't help but appear on his lips. For so reason, although Yutsuki's attitude made him a bit depressed, he wasn't as irritated as before. It was as if he had already received his answer.

"—Ouch!"

Suddenly, a chopstick flew with a whoosh and hit his forehead. Shido rubbed his forehead in pain, looked up, and saw his sister Kotori glaring at him with dissatisfaction from across the table.

"—Hmph! Looking at you with that disgusting, goofy grin. Are you secretly getting excited because Yutsuki-nee saw your naked body? You monkey in heat year round."

Having unknowingly developed a certain resistance to his sister's sharp tongue while in Commander mode, Shido sighed lightly and retorted, courting death.

"Kotori, you look very cute when you're jealous, you know."

—Ouch!

Instantly, another chopstick hit Shido's forehead.

"...You've just gotten better at talking back. Don't get carried away, Shido."

Kotori turned her head away, an obvious blush appearing on her cheeks.

"Ahem—I'm going to warn you just in case, Shido! Your body right now is no different from soone just recovering from a serious illness. It's fine since it's late today, but tomorrow you absolutely must go to the Fraxinus for a checkup, understood?"

"Mhm, understood."

Shido obediently nodded.

"Shido!"

Just then, Tohka, sitting beside him, suddenly leaned in with a very forceful posture, holding a bowl full of food.

"Say Ah~"

Before Shido could ask, Tohka offered a perfectly cooked slice of beef to Shido's lips.

"T-Tohka?"

"What's wrong, Shido? Aren't you going to eat? This piece of at is very delicious."

Seeing Shido's troubled look, Tohka tilted her head in confusion.

"Gulp—N-No, that's not the problem—"

Looking at the plump and juicy slice of at before him, Shido couldn't help but swallow his saliva. Slling the rich, enticing aroma emanating from it, Shido was certain that the mont he bit down, the sweet at juices would spray out and fill his entire mouth.

Honestly, for the starving Shido right now, this was an almost unfair level of temptation.

But, yielding to temptation now was absolutely out of the question!? Having repeated the sa tragedy countless tis, Shido knew that if he accepted Tohka's feeding now, everyone present would swarm him, taking turns doing feeding play on him in an endless loop. The result would be Shido being carried to the hospital because his stomach couldn't handle the pressure.

"Say... Tohka, listen to ... Huh?"

While thinking of a proper reason to persuade Tohka, Shido suddenly noticed that everyone had no reaction to Tohka's actions. Even Origami acted as if she hadn't heard Tohka and Shido's conversation, burying her head and eating the food in her bowl.

"Hey, what are you dawdling for, Shido? If you're a man, be decisive and eat it in one bite."

"Yutsuki?"

Turning to look at Yutsuki, she smiled, shrugged, and answered with a slightly urging tone.

"Relax. This is a special exception. After all, Tohka's date was the only one interrupted midway, it's a bit too unfair."

"Hah... Then, thanks for the al."

Although sowhat confused, it seed he didn't have to worry about his stomach bursting. Shido sighed in relief, said "Ah," and ate the food Tohka offered.

"How is it?"

Tohka looked at Shido expectantly.

"Mhm, it's very delicious."

Although feeling a bit shy about being fed, seeing Tohka's cute and pitiful look, Shido still nodded and frankly spoke his thoughts.

"Is that so? That's great."

Hearing Shido's answer, a bright smile appeared on Tohka's face.

(As expected, Tohka's smiling face is the cutest.)

Shido couldn't help but think with gratification.

"Everyone, listen to ."

After slightly filling his stomach, Shido took a deep breath and stood up from his chair.

"This ti—although I don't rember what happened. But I faintly feel that I caused a trendous amount of trouble for everyone."

He clearly rembered doing sothing, but when trying to recall it carefully, he couldn't rember anything at all. This was Shido's only feeling.

However, he could still vaguely sense it. To return to this usual "mont," just how much danger did everyone brave, how much effort did they put in?

Countless emotions churned in his mouth. In the end, Shido bowed deeply to everyone.

"I am very sorry! And—thank you!"

Everyone exchanged glances. After a brief silence, they all laughed unanimously.

"Kuku—To think this is what you wanted to say now! You lack resolve, my possession! As long as the contract between you and the Child of the Typhoon exists, I will not allow you to escape on your own!"

"Affirmation. Shido, there is no need to be so polite with Yuzuru. This kind of thing is only natural."

"It's fine. I will accept any request from Shido. Therefore, going a step further is also welco."

"Darling is treating us too much like strangers. Compared to the effort Darling put into saving , this level is nothing."

"...As expected, you're an idiot, Shido. Whatever, just make sure this doesn't happen again next ti. Not to boast, but if it happens again... you'll definitely be dragged down by . Hehe—Hehehe..."

"My, my, given our relationship, saying such things is really insensitive, Shido-kun~ If you really want to express your gratitude, give the hardworking Yoshino-chan a passionate kiss~"

"U-Um... Yoshinon's words... you don't have to mind them... Just having Shido-san back... makes very happy..."

"Everyone..."

Shido's eyes instantly grew slightly damp.

"Well, that's how it is. Don't worry about it, Shido. Honestly, I'm the one who should be apologizing to you. By the way—"

Kotori shook her head with a bitter smile, then crossed her arms and asked in a casual tone,

"You just said you don't rember anything?"

"Mhm... honestly, my mory only goes up to PE class in the morning. I have a complete blank regarding what happened after that."

"..."

"U-Um. Although it's a bit weird to ask now—what did I do?"

Seeing the room suddenly fall into an eerie silence, Shido asked nervously.

"Denial. Nothing happened, continue eating, Shido."

"Kuku—The past dissipates like clouds and mist. The Yamai are not narrow-minded fools who cling to the past. Properly savor the delicacies I have bestowed upon you."

"Idiot Shido, here, have this."

The Yamai sisters and Natsumi suddenly picked out food from the hot pot and handed it into Shido's bowl. Shido looked down. They were ginger, garlic, and chili peppers, respectively.

"U-Um—"

A drop of sweat couldn't help but form on Shido's forehead.

"These are heaven-sent gifts to dispel impurities!"

"Affirmation. Garlic is good for the body."

"I can't handle chili peppers, so I'm giving them to you."

"...Thank you. I'm eating..."

(What exactly did I do...)

Although there were many things he wanted to retort, Shido faintly sensed that if he refused now, he would probably end up in a very miserable state. Obediently shutting his mouth, with the resolve that short-term pain is better than long-term suffering, he swallowed the ingredients in the bowl in one gulp.

"Yare yare, this is probably karma..."

Looking at Shido forcing a smile with a highly subtle expression, Yutsuki couldn't help but shake her head and sigh.

————————

"Then, I'll go wash the dishes."

"Ah, then I'll help too."

Seeing Yutsuki get up to clear the remains on the table, Shido also stood up to help.

But right at this mont, Tohka suddenly grabbed his arm, violently yanked Shido to the floor, and pinned him down from above. With a fierce aura, her beautiful athyst eyes stared intently at Shido.

"—Shido!"

"Y-Yes!"

Shido responded involuntarily.

"—Kiss !"

"...Eh?"

"I... heard from Kotori... to seal Spirit power, kissing is necessary... As expected, you've kissed everyone up until now, right?"

At Tohka's questioning, Shido was instantly left speechless.

"...I know I made an unreasonable request... I apologize to you... But, Shido keeping it a secret from all this ti is also wrong."

"...I'm sorry."

"So... in exchange... kiss eight tis, and I'll forgive you."

"Eh? Wait, Tohka—"

"...—Hic!"

Hic?

Shido finally noticed that Tohka's cheeks were unnaturally red, her eyes were sowhat hazy, and the hiccup she let out carried the sll of alcohol.

"Ah—The beer I bought on a whim. It seems Tohka drank it thinking it was juice."

Clearing away the empty cans on the table, Yutsuki couldn't help but sigh with a sweatdrop.

"Why did you buy such a thing, Yutsuki!?"

"Oops~... A bad habit from the past. How should I put it, when eating hot pot, you always have to deal with all sorts of toasts."

Yutsuki scratched her cheek, answering sowhat awkwardly.

"Everyone here is a minor!"

"Hey~ Kiss, kiss , Shido."

"Wait, wait a minute, Tohka!"

Looking at the alluring cherry lips getting closer and closer, Shido's heart instantly beat wildly. Taking advantage of his remaining reason, he pressed Tohka's shoulders and pushed her away.

"Shido—do you hate kissing ?"

Tears of grievance flowed from Tohka's eyes.

"No, it's just that—"

"Onii-chan—"

Right at this mont, Kotori's coquettish shout ca from behind. The pet na he usually enjoyed now sent a chill down Shido's spine.

"Don't tell —"

Turning his neck slowly like a rusty machine, Shido saw that not just Kotori, but everyone else was also walking towards him, looking just as drunk as Tohka.

"Kissing only Tohka is too unfair... Onii-chan is mine, I absolutely won't give him to anyone else!"

"Darling~ Let join in on such fun things too~"

"—Shido and... Tohka! Even though you are my possession and familiar! Don't ignore and get intimate by yourselves!"

"Dissatisfaction. Even though Yuzuru also wanted to kiss Shido."

"Shido-san... um... I... also... want to be alone with you..."

"Hey! Idiot Shido, such a cute angel like Yoshino is making a request, just agree to it quickly you bastard~"

Comparing the empty juice can and beer can on the table, Yutsuki couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

"Even though they look similar because they're from the sa manufacturer, the alcohol content isn't even that high. Everyone's alcohol tolerance is surprisingly low... Will they be okay with business entertaining in the future?"

"Is this the ti to be marveling at that?!"

Shido couldn't help but shout his retort.

"Shido."

"O-Origami—why are you taking off your clothes?"

"I'm drunk. I won't rember anything that happens next after I sober up, so you don't have to take responsibility. Shido, spray the seeds of your desire all over to your heart's content."

"You are absolutely not drunk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Shido..."

"Onii-chan..."

"Idiot Shido..."

"Shido-san..."

"Darling..."

Unknowingly backed into the corner of the living room, Shido, with nowhere to run, could only watch as the Spirits staggered towards him—honestly, it felt like a doomsday zombie movie.

"Y-Yutsuki! Don't just watch as if it doesn't concern you. Co save ."

"Hmm... Should I save you, I wonder."

Yutsuki fell into deep thought. If an outsider ca looking for trouble, she definitely wouldn't sit idly by. But in Yutsuki's eyes, this was just family ssing around with each other. Honestly, whatever happened was fine.

"Shido, you said you forgot what happened earlier. Is that true?"

"Eh? It's true... Wait a minute! I rember! I rember everything!"

Seeing Yutsuki turning to leave, Shido hurriedly changed his tune.

"Is that so? Then tell , when you were on a date with , how did I answer your last question?"

"That's..."

A large amount of sweat broke out on Shido's forehead.

The stakes were high. Although he had absolutely no impression of it, Shido still pushed his brain to the limit, desperately trying to figure out the correct answer.

What was the question? This was the first thing that needed to be clarified. Recalling his experiences over the past few days, there was only one question he could possibly ask Yutsuki.

(It should be this... If it's true, then I was really brave when I lost my mory.)

Without the luxury of thinking it over again, Shido could only grit his teeth, treat a dead horse as a living one (take a desperate gamble), and use this question as a premise to continue his line of thought.

(If that's the case... then Yutsuki's answer should be...)

"...You are my important family... sothing like that?"

Swallowing nervously, Shido answered with trepidation.

Hearing Shido's answer, a very radiant smile appeared on Yutsuki's face.

(Thank goodness... got it right.)

Shido couldn't help but sigh in relief.

"...Shido, for a boy, being loved by many cute won... Should be considered a pretty wonderful ideal, right."

"Eh? Well... I guess so."

Not quite understanding the intention behind Yutsuki's sudden question, Shido answered vaguely. To this, Yutsuki nodded in strong agreent.

"Then—just drown in your ideal."(TL:archer ref let's goooo)

"Eh?! Wait Yu—"

Under Shido's stunned gaze, Yutsuki closed the room door with a smile.