"Being in a relationship is rotting your brain, Aoshi!" Takuma groans. "Three hours in and you still haven’t unlocked a single bonus scene! What happened to the careful, strategic Aoshi who always picked the best routes to unlock the hottest scenes?"
"Has it ever crossed your mind that maybe you’re the one with the problem, not him? Seriously — what kind of sane person would actually enjoy a ga like that?" Ayane scolds him.
"Hey, there’s nothing weird about this ga! You’re a gar too, and I don’t judge the stuff you play!" Takuma fires back.
"There’s a huge difference between playing FPS gas like I do and playing..." Ayane snatches the ga case out of Takuma’s hands, glaring at the cover in disgust. "’My little sisters don’t want to start middle school as virgins, so they asked to...’ Ugh, God, I feel sick just reading that title!"
"Co on, calm down. There’s no need to argue over sothing so stupid," Aoshi steps in, trying to defuse the tension. "Anyway, thanks for coming to keep company today. But I think I’d like to rest for a while now — it might not seem like it, but lying in bed all day is more exhausting than you’d think. Besides, I’m starting to get a bit of a headache."
"Yeah, I can imagine that garbage frying your brain cells."
With that, Ayane and Takuma gather their things and, after a quick goodbye, leave the apartnt.
And yet, resting isn’t the real reason Aoshi asked them to leave. Nor is the headache.
KNOCK KNOCK!
Barely five minutes after Ayane and Takuma leave, soone knocks on the door — Miori Yukinaga.
This ti, she’s wearing a modest floral dress, its skirt ending just above her knees, with only the faintest hint of cleavage. In her hands, she carries a wicker picnic basket.
"Good evening, Aoshi," she greets him with a bright, gentle smile. She steps into the apartnt as though she belongs there, moving with such effortless familiarity that, for a brief mont, Aoshi almost feels as if she lives there instead of Eliss.
Then she kneels down beside his futon.
"How are you feeling today, Miori? Everything okay?" Aoshi asks, his voice caught sowhere between caution and disbelief — he still can’t quite process the fact that she truly ca yesterday to apologize, and that she returned again today carrying sothing that slls sweet and delicious.
"Y-Yes, Aoshi... and you seem to be recovering quickly too," she murmurs shyly, her cheeks faintly flushed pink. "I-I don’t know why, but I’ve felt especially happy since this morning. Maybe because I knew I’d get to see you again tonight?"
Miori suddenly stops herself, quickly covering her mouth with one hand.
"Oh, sorry — you have a girlfriend now. I shouldn’t say things like that, but... the words just co out on their own, so please don’t pay any attention to them..."
She gently sets the picnic basket down on Aoshi’s stomach.
"I-I made them myself this afternoon, just for you. They say sweets are the best thing while recovering, so, um... I hope you like them..."
Miori slowly lifts the lid of the basket.
Dango, dorayaki, and a slice of strawberry shortcake. There’s also a thermos of tea, two teacups, and a fork for the cake.
M-Miori... she really made all of this with her own hands, just for ? But why...? Back when we were together, she never did things like this. I don’t understand...
Aoshi slowly pushes himself upright, resting his back against the low table.
"T-Thank you, Miori... they look really delicious," he murmurs with a faint smile.
Then, with slow, hesitant movents he cautiously extends his hand toward one of the dorayaki.
I-I guess accepting these sweets ans I’ve forgiven her for what she did... right?
Or maybe I already forgave her the mont I told her she could co here whenever Eliss isn’t around. I’m basically acting like one of those guys who invites his mistress over while his wife’s away...
Then again, it’s not like Eliss is really my girlfriend, just like Miori isn’t really my mistress — so I can’t exactly call it cheating... I think.
"These are amazing! Seriously — I’ve never had dorayaki this good in my entire life!"
He even talks with his mouth full? Gross... though of course they taste good — I had them made by the pastry chef at my house. Anything less would’ve been ridiculous.
"A-Aren’t you going to have any?" Aoshi asks, offering her the basket of sweets.
"I’d really love to share these with you, believe . Not to brag, but I think they turned out pretty well. Unfortunately, I can’t. I... I... damn it, I’m so embarrassed to admit this..." she murmurs, lowering her gaze sadly. "Renji forbade from eating sweets, fried food, or fast food so I wouldn’t gain weight and embarrass him. I think it’s been two years since I last had a dorayaki... honestly, I can’t even rember what they taste like anymore."
"T-That’s not fair! It’s not fair that that bastard keeps treating you like this! It’s not fair that you have to live in fear that that monster might hurt you! There has to be sothing you can do to get out of this situation!"
"I’m afraid there isn’t. I’ve tried everything, and there’s nothing I can do. Renji’s family is one of the most powerful in all of Tokyo, and my family’s business depends on them. In other words, I have no choice but to keep my head down and stay quiet if I don’t want to cause serious problems for my parents..."
Aoshi has no way of knowing that the only truthful part of Miori’s story is the fact that Renji’s family lives in Tokyo. His father is a factory worker, and his mother runs a small ran stand — a modest family with absolutely nothing in common with the powerful business dynasty Miori has just described.
"...but enough about . I didn’t co here to make you depressed or upset by talking about my life. Let’s talk about sothing happier instead, okay? Tell about you and Eliss — I’m dying to know! How did you two et and fall in love? And how are things between you now? You honestly seem like such an adorable couple — I really an that! Co on, I want every detail — I absolutely love romantic stories!"
Then she pours tea from the thermos into the small teacups and hands one of them to Aoshi.
"Well, um..."
Aoshi hesitates for a mont, lost in thought.
"Eliss and I t on the very sa night you — um, the night Renji forced you to leave . You could call it love at first sight... no, actually, even more than that — a real lightning strike. It was so sudden and overwhelming that she moved in with that very night, and just ten days later, after our first kiss, we officially beca a couple. Honestly, since then I haven’t really had a single reason to complain — she’s beautiful, kind, sweet, caring... I honestly don’t think it’s an exaggeration to call her the perfect girlfriend."
"I-I see... I’m really happy for you — I truly an that," Miori murmurs, forcing out a smile worthy of a movie star’s performance.
A deception layered upon another deception: she pretends to be lancholic while simultaneously pretending to hide that fake sadness behind a smile.
The performance is so convincing that it produces exactly the reaction she hoped for from Aoshi.
"W-What’s wrong, Miori? You say you’re happy for , but you really don’t look like it... Did sothing happen?"
"No, no, everything’s fine. Really. I’m just a little tired and worried — I haven’t heard from Renji since last night, and I’m scared he might be out causing one of his usual problems. Actually... I should probably go ho now," she says, slowly rising from her crouched position beside the futon.
"Goodnight, Aoshi. W-We... we’ll see each other tomorrow... if you’d like, of course..."
"O-Of course. I like talking to you too," Aoshi replies with the sa shyness, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks. "Goodnight, Miori."
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