After taking Natsumi back to the Spirit apartnt, feeling a bit concerned about Yutsuki's condition, Shido told Yoshino and then returned ho.
"I'm back. Yutsuki, what's for dinner to—"
Entering the living room, Shido froze slightly.
"Hah... phew..."
He saw the brown haired girl lying on her side in the kotatsu, breathing softly and slowly.
"She really fell asleep."
Shido couldn't help but sigh helplessly. When he left earlier, seeing Yutsuki's sleepy-eyed look, he had a slight premonition. Obviously, coming back to see, the situation was exactly as he expected.
"Hey~ Yutsuki, wake up. The sun is almost setting, isn't it your turn to cook tonight?"
Crouching beside Yutsuki, gently shaking her shoulder, Shido called out softly near her ear.
"Mhm..."
Seemingly reacting to Shido's voice, Yutsuki frowned slightly, rolled over, changing her sleeping posture to lying on her back, strands of hair lightly held between her lips, and muttered softly in her sleep.
"Shido... I want to eat... soba noodles..."
"No, I wasn't asking what you want to eat. If you want to eat, get up and make it yourself."
Roasting her, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Shido couldn't help but sigh helplessly.
"Honestly, you look like you're sleeping so soundly, I kind of feel bad waking you up."
Gently touching Yutsuki's cheek with his finger, as if stroking smooth silk, Shido carefully brushed away Yutsuki's brown hair.
"..."
Seemingly enjoying Shido's touch, the sleeping Yutsuki revealed a peaceful smile. That blissful expression made Shido inexplicably associate her with a cat sleeping soundly in a blanket.
It was near evening, and the setting sun was slowly sinking behind the hills. The soft red light passed through the gaps between the houses, through the transparent window panes, and shone on Yutsuki, draping her in a layer of hazy gauze.
Like a famous painting. Shido couldn't help but think.
If he were a painter, he might not be able to resist picking up a brush right now to capture the scene before him on canvas.
"Hey, Yutsuki, if you stay in the kotatsu all day today and keep lying down, you're going to turn into a huge lazybones. I'll help you with dinner too, so get up quickly."
"Phew..."
Shido urged her by her side, but seemingly drowning in the magic of the kotatsu, Yutsuki continued to sleep comfortably and soundly.
Her fair cheeks were dyed with a hint of red by the setting sun, and her luminous lips shone with an alluring luster under the red light.
Shido felt his own cheeks slightly heat up, perhaps also because of the setting sun. The sound of his heartbeat echoed in his ears like a fierce drumbeat.
"...Hurry up and wake up, Yutsuki... or else..."
Giving a warning to the sleeping Yutsuki, Shido slowly leaned down.
"I'm going to... play a prank on your face..."
"Boy! Excuse the intrusion!"
"—!?"
Right at this mont, the voice coming from the door violently jerked Shido awake.
(What was I about to do?!)
In an instant, an intense feeling of sha and guilt surged in like a tidal wave, and Shido almost fled the living room.
"My, boy. Sorry, since the door was unlocked, I just ca right in."
Taking off her leather boots at the entryway, Nia greeted Shido, who was rushing over. But upon seeing his current expression, Nia froze for a mont and asked sowhat awkwardly.
"Don't tell ... did I really interrupt a good mont for you?"
"No... I am extrely grateful to you for appearing at the exact right mont."
After answering slowly, Shido exhaled, letting the emotions in his heart gradually calm down.
"So, what's up, Nia?"
"Well, you could say there's sothing, or you could say there's nothing. Oh—right, right!"
Answering Shido's question ambiguously. Suddenly, Nia seed to rember sothing and took out a stack of white envelopes from her pocket.
"Here, New Year's money,"
"Eh... this..."
Shido's expression was a bit surprised. Although he received New Year's money from his parents and relatives every New Year, he had never even thought about receiving it from a Spirit.
More precisely, he never thought he would receive New Year's money from a girl whose apparent age looked similar to his own.
"There's no need for this... Nia..."
"What do you an no need. This is a New Year's tradition, right? Don't let my appearance fool you, I am technically a working adult."
Seemingly understanding what Shido was hesitating about, Nia sighed helplessly, took a step forward, and semi-forcefully stuffed an envelope of money into Shido's hand.
"Here. Happy New Year."
"Oh... thank you."
Seemingly not entirely accepting Nia's reasoning, Shido looked at the New Year's money in his hand and answered with a bit of conflict.
"Excellent. Well then, excuse ."
Without paying further attention to Shido, after calling out a greeting into the house, Nia took large strides towards the living room.
"Hoh..."
Looking at the sleeping Yutsuki in the kotatsu, Nia seed to have noticed sothing. She turned her head and gave Shido a aningful smile.
"Is it really okay, boy? If I really interrupted you, I can leave right now~"
"Not at all, please rest well!"
Shido said, sowhat abandoning himself to despair.
"Thanks."
Getting Shido's nod of approval, Nia didn't hold back, carelessly slipping right into the kotatsu.
"Ah~ Kotatsu are great. I use an air conditioner at ho, so I basically never get the chance to experience this kind of thing."
Nia let out a lazy sigh,
"As expected of the hotbed that breeds laziness."
"Apologize to all the kotatsu in the world."
Shido retorted speechlessly.
"Ehehe~"
Scratching her hair a bit embarrassedly, Nia glanced at Yutsuki beside her and couldn't help but lower her voice to ask curiously.
"By the way, boy, it's really surprising to see Biri-chan so relaxed. Is she usually like this?"
"No, it's only today that she suddenly beca like this."
Shido shook his head and explained Yutsuki's unusual behavior today to Nia.
"Oh, I see..."
Nia rested her chin on her hand, looked at Shido, then at Yutsuki, and nodded as if she understood sothing.
"Boy. From what I see, Biri-chan is probably that type of person."
Nia pushed her square-frad glasses up her nose and said mysteriously.
"That type?" A confused expression appeared on Shido's face.
"Mhm... how should I explain it specifically. Let's suppose this situation: Biri-chan lives in a girls' dormitory at school, and her roommates are a bunch of lazy and sloppy people who quickly make the room a total ss. What would Biri-chan do in this situation?"
"What would she do... clean it up, of course."
After thinking for a mont, Shido answered affirmatively. In his impression, Yutsuki would definitely not let her dorm remain filthy.
"—Bingo!" Snapping a silent finger ostentatiously, Nia continued, "Then what if Biri-chan's roommates are a group of people with very regular lifestyles who take the initiative to maintain the cleanliness of the dorm? What would Biri-chan do?"
Hearing this question, Shido couldn't help but feel a bit confused.
"What would she do... if the roommates take the initiative to clean, she'd leave it to them...?"
Saying this, Shido seed to understand sothing.
"That's exactly it."
Nia shrugged, looked at the sleeping Yutsuki, and said,
"Biri-chan is probably the kind of person who, if the people around her can't solve the problem at hand, will take the initiative to step up and figure out a solution. Conversely, if there are people around who can solve the problem, she'd highly likely be happy to yield her position, step aside, and slack off."
"You an..."
Shido looked at Nia sowhat nervously. Although he already had a rough answer in his heart, saying it out loud himself felt a bit arrogant.
"The current Biri-chan probably has the realization in her heart that 'It's okay even if I slack off'. That's why she's so relaxed."
Noticing Shido's expression, Nia winked with a wicked smile and dragged out the end of her sentence,
"Because there's the reliable~ Shido by my side."
"..."
After lowering his head in silence for a mont, Shido leaned on his knees and slowly stood up.
"Hey~ Boy, what are you going to do?"
"Prepare to cook. Since Yutsuki isn't getting up, I'll have to figure out a way to handle dinner myself."
"Before that, could you prepare sothing for to drink? I walked all the way from ho and I'm incredibly thirsty. If possible, could you also prepare so snacks for ?"
"Here, barley tea and rice crackers. If you want anything else, just let know."
"..."
Taking a flavorful bite of a rice cracker, Nia looked at Itsuka Shido, who had rolled up his sleeves and was walking towards the kitchen full of motivation, and couldn't help but want to laugh.
"Boy, you're really easy to read."
User Comments
0 comments from readers