Chapter 9 - Merenda

A surprise party?"

"Yes, Ageha­Oniisama. Oneesama's birthday is coming up soon, so I want to prepare a

celebration for her."

Ageha and Kureha both stood in the spacious kitchen of the Nikaidou manor. Kureha had

started a conversation right after the chef had finished cleaning the countertop. The maids

once tried to stop Ageha from doing that kind of work, but he insisted, saying that it was a

habit of his to keep his workspace spotless.

"Does it need to be a surprise, though?"

Keeping secrets from that imp isn't the easiest thing to do.

"We have never celebrated her birthday properly before. Either Otousama or Oneesama has

always been too busy to do so." The concerned sister's face clouded.

"What about yours?" asked Ageha before Kureha got to her point.

"Mine?"

"Didn't you say they were too busy to celebrate Kai's birthday? You weren't as occupied as

her, so I was wondering if you found the time to have parties."

"...I do not deserve that kind of attention. Spending their valuable time on someone like me is

unthinkable. I would not be able to forgive myself."

"Don't say that. A sister who would go so far as to plan a surprise party for that bossy brat is

already too nice in my books."

"But Otousama said that being nice was a weakness. He often told me that I am weak and

that the weak do not deserve recognition."

Ageha was not unfamiliar with that sentiment. He gave some thought to his reply before

responding.

"I don't disagree with the last part. Not everyone can be strong, and the weak being preyed

upon is natural. That's why so many seek strength, but… it comes at a price." He looked at

his right palm for a moment, then lowered it. "I don't know how it is for those born with it, but

obtaining strength requires many sacrifices. You can lose ideals, people you care about, or

even parts of yourself. I think that being able to pay that price is also a type of strength, so

maybe it's indeed innate."

Kureha listened closely to Ageha's words. She always looked eager whenever Ageha spoke

with her, even when he started becoming preachy. Ageha did not know if Kureha understood

what he said, given her youth, but he wanted to be earnest. To him, sugarcoating and

oversimplifying were akin to disrespect.

"However, strength comes in different forms. People can even be blind to their own. For

example, you are pretty strong from my perspective, Kureha­chan."

"Not at all! How can that be?"

"It's your kindness. Your father said it was weakness, but I disagree." He slightly shook his

head. "I don't know the details, but you grew up in the same house as Kai. That couldn't have

been easy."

Kureha subtly winced. Ageha noticed and made a sad smile.

"The first thing people cut away when they suffer is kindness," he said with conviction, his

eyes looking downward as if remembering something. "They dispose of their ability to care

about others in order to protect themselves. The fact that you still have it proves that you're

strong. Not many have such fortitude."

That said, culling compassion is also strength. Such polar sisters.

Kureha wore a complicated expression. She seemed to disagree, but Ageha did not want to

pry any further. He concluded his lesson with one more piece of advice.

"Be more confident. You've earned it."

In contrast to her earlier opposition, she locked eyes with him and nodded. It seemed she was

more susceptible to straight guidance rather than sophistry. She had a determined look,

accentuated by the rosy tinge on her cheeks. Ageha was captivated by her lovable expression

but caught himself before staring too long and dragged the conversation back on point.

"Anyway, so you want to throw a surprise party?"

"Oh, yes. I want to do something for her. She has been nice to me recently, so I wish to return

the favor."

Does that mean that she wasn't nice to you before?

"And you want me to help?"

"...I am sorry! I was being too arrogant! I should know my place!" Her volume fluctuated due to

her repeated bowing. She then hurriedly turned around and tried to escape.

Ageha quickly placed his hand on her head, but it was not the usual soft touch. He gripped

her head with enough force to stop her but not hurt her.

"Why are you running away!?"

"I am sorry! I am sorry! I have no right to ask Ageha­Oniisama for help!"

Where did all that determination from earlier go!?

Although Ageha did complain wordlessly, he knew confidence was not something easily

acquired or faked. She had been making such great progress in their short time together that

he decided not to worry about it. He turned her around using his hold on her head and then

roughly ruffled her silky locks.

"Kids shouldn't worry about such things! I'll help you, so stop trying to escape."

Kureha, who was unable to break free from his grasp, finally relaxed. Her cheeks looked

burned. Ageha could not tell if that was from the embarrassment of not being able to escape

or because of his offer of assistance.

"So what do you need?" asked Ageha, getting down to business.

"I want to prepare a feast for her and give her a birthday present."

"I can handle the feast. As for the present, what did you have in mind?"

"I do not know yet. This is my first time giving someone a present so I wanted to browse a bit

before choosing."

Ageha learned another facet of her past; Nothing in it seemed to be anything pleasant. Some

solitude was inevitable because she had lost her mother as a newborn, but her remaining

family probably made it worse. Despite also having grown up without a mother, Ageha still

had other people in his life during his youth. Ageha internally reaffirmed his assertion about

her strength.

"I don't know anything about the preferences of a teenage girl, much less a weird one like

her."

"I was not expecting you to."

Ageha felt a twinge of pain from the lack of expectation despite being aware that his

ignorance was completely normal. Knowing the tastes of little girls could get him placed in a

certain dubious category.

Kureha, oblivious of his inner conflict, continued, "I wanted to ask for your company so I can

go out to purchase a gift. It is scary to go by myself, and I… do not think that the people in the

mansion would want to accompany me."

"But you thought that I would?"

Kureha looked like she was about to cry, tears beginningto coalesce on her lashes.

"You'd be right," he said as he flashed a winning smile.

Playing with her like this could become addicting

"Thank you so much, Ageha­Oniisama!" Her eyes sparkled as she displayed her perfect white

teeth.

"I have a day off tomorrow, so can we go then?"

"I am always available."

"Got it. I guess we'll have to tell Kai about this trip. I'll try to catch her before I leave today."

"She is in the bath. We can ask her once she comes out. She should be about done by now."

"I see. Did you meet her before coming here?"

"No. It is common sense for a little sister to know where her Oneesama is at any time." She

beamed innocently.

No, it isn't. How is that even possible? I guess the older sister isn't the only weird one.

"Let's go wait for her then."

The pair left the kitchen and headed to the mansion baths. They discussed the plan for the

surprise party as they strolled through the long corridors. When they turned into the hallway

leading to the bath, they saw their target leisurely walking towards them.

"Oh, together as usual."

"O­O­O­O­Oneesama!!! Why are you walking around like that!?"

"What do you mean? I'm always like this. Bringing clothes to the bath is a pain."

"A­A­A­A­Ageha­Oniisama, don't look!!!"

"Wow, you actually made her drop formality," said Ageha.

"Ha! Praise me more!"

"You have perfect, white skin."

"What are you doing praising her like it is normal!? Please turn around!" said Kureha.

Kureha tried to turn the much larger man by rotating him by his waist. This proved to be too

difficult for her.

"Oneesama, please stop drying your hair and cover your body with that towel!"

"No way."

"...Why!?"

"Because I don't want to?"

Kaika pressed the fluffy brown bath towel on her damp hair, which sloped down her right

shoulder and shrouded the breast below it. The rest of her was in full view. Her almost

transparent complexion, untouched by the sun, was smooth like pouring milk and glistened

under the hallway lighting. With her cheeks, neck, and shoulders still flushed from the heat,

she appeared feverishly delicate despite her dominating aura. She emitted a different appeal

with her hair down, as if she had aged by a year or so. Her ribs were faintly visible on her

slender frame, which curved smoothly into her thighs. Littered with water droplets, her

sylphlike legs were breathtaking. Kaika was an ethereal nymphet epitomized.

"B­B­But..!"

"Relax. It's not like it's the first time he's seen me like this."

"!!!"

"Why do you look like you just ate a silkworm?"

"I'm not sure what you are thinking, but nothing strange happened, alright?" said the chef,

who was cool as a cucumber even after seeing his mistress in all her glory.

"...Really?"

"Yeah, I just bumped into her once while she was prancing around nude like this."

"I wasn't prancing! How rude. Can't I dress how I want in my own house?"

"I personally don't mind because you look like a child, but aren't you actually fifteen?"

"I know what you're trying to say, but my body looks much younger, so isn't it fine if I behave

correspondingly?"

I don't think twelve­year­olds parade around naked in front of men, either.

Kaika waved a hand as if to present herself. Ageha took the invitation and gave her another

look over. His eyes stopped at a certain spot.

"...Out of curiosity­"

"I shave."

"I see."

Kureha tilted her head at the conversation but broke out of her trance once she remembered

her mission. She gave up on Ageha and decided to work on her older sister instead.

"Oneesama, please let me­"

"Kureha."

A single frosty word made the young girl cower. Ageha knew little of their relationship and

decided not to interfere. It was Kaika's right to wear whatever she wanted, and he himself

cared little.

"That's right, we had some business with you," said Ageha in an attempt to change the topic.

"We? Interesting. Do you mind if we walk while talking? It's a little chilly."

Then wear some damn clothes.

"It won't take that long. Actually…"

Ageha told Kaika that Kureha wanted to go shop for clothes and had asked him to escort her.

He did not intend to ask for permission, thinking it unnecessary. He only wanted to inform

Kaika of their activities out of respect for her position as his employer and Kureha's sister.

So why did it end up like this?

He was walking behind three females in downtown Shinjuku while carrying several bags of

clothes. Ageha did not expect Kaika and inevitably her butler to tag along the moment he

mentioned the trip with Kureha. She was obviously coming along for entertainment rather than

any need for new garments.

"Ojousama, I still think this is not a good idea. We should return to the mansion."

Kureha jerked after hearing Saya's request. They had not yet bought Kaika's present due to

their preoccupation with clothes shopping.

"It'll be fine. We left the mansion in secret and even disguised ourselves," said Kaika.

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Saya pulled on her yellow one piece dress with a high neckline. Her toned shoulders and

back were exposed by the sleeveless and backless frock. Her exquisite curves were

showcased by the snugly fitting skirt, which reached midway down her thighs. Due to Saya's

formal bearing, the lack of fabric gave an elegant impression rather than a lascivious one.

Although her clothes were radically different, her face was the same as usual, unlike Kaika

who wore cute red spectacles.

"What are you talking about? It's a fantastic disguise! What do you think, Ageha?"

Ageha moved closer to the rest of his party and looked Saya up and down while walking

beside her.

"It's plenty. No one would recognize her."

Saya fell silent with a complicated expression.

"See? The clothes make the girl," said her mistress.

"I think it's the opposite in this case," said the young man without fluster.

"Making moves in front of everyone, how bold."

"It's an honest opinion, proven by how well she handles more masculine outfits."

"I think some credit should go to me for choosing both apparels."

"I find that hard to do considering the raw material you have to work with."

Saya's gait slowed ever so slightly. Ageha questioned if it really happened.

"Why is there such a difference in treatment between me and these two? You dole out

compliments to them like free tissues, but you don't recognize my merits at all. There must be

something wrong with your head."

"I don't want to hear that from the one who gave me a list of things to praise her for." Ageha

pulled out a sheet of paper and hung it in front of his employer. "Look at this, there are over

fifty items here. Who would even waste their time coming up with this? It's even handwritten!"

"It's not like it took me any time to write that. I know my gifts like the back of my hand. Good

practice for my handwriting, too. Some contacts prefer letters with a personal touch. Look at

number thirty­one. It says 'Calligraphy'. By the way, the original was too heavy to carry around

so that's the abridged version.

This is abridged!? ...Wait, too heavy!?

"Why is 'Calligraphy' even on here? You specifically said to recite these at the start of this

outing, so shouldn't it be limited to things like how you look?"

"I did start writing with that in mind, but my pen just wouldn't stop. It was like my muse had

been unleashed. It practically wrote itself."

"Don't talk about this self­praise catalog as if it were some great work of literature."

"But it is! You just don't have any taste. Everything there is true, too."

"How could I even know that? Half of these are things I've never seen you do."

"Then what about the things that you have seen?"

Several line items in the list lauded Kaika's current wardrobe. Ageha eyed Kaika's

appearance. The beige turtleneck revealed only her pearl white face and hands. Her wavy

mane, stuffed into her ashen beret, peeked out from the edges of the hat. Some of the more

rebellious strands rested on her red­rimmed glasses. Her plain black pants added a sensible

touch to the ensemble. Even when disguised as a bibliophile, her innate loveliness shone

through.

Well, they're accurate.

"Well, they're accurate," said Ageha.

It occurred to Ageha that he had never seen Kaika wear anything more than once. This only

confirmed his suspicion that she did not need more outfits.

"...Well that was a sudden change in attitude. You just wasted the seventeen comeback lines I

had prepared."

"Like I said, I'm just being honest. You don't have to force me to read a list. And what's with

that oddly exact number..?"

"Saya, is he always like this?"

"Yes, if memory serves me right."

Saya and Kureha were sparse with their words throughout the entire excursion. Saya did not

speak unless addressed, while Kureha just shyly kept to herself.

"I… I think it is one of his good qualities," said Kureha. Everyone was surprised by her

suddenly chiming in, but the conversation continued onward.

"Hmm… I guess that kind of unreserved speech would mesh well with you," said Kaika,

switching her view to her sister.

"Thanks, Kureha­chan. You're my only ally when these two Onee­sans bully me."

"I believe you are older than me, Shikimi­sama," said Saya after a cough.

"Not you too. I already have my hands full dealing with Kai's idiosyncrasies. Also, can you

stop calling me that? It's too formal."

"I cannot do that. Considering my position as a butler, I must abide by proper honorifics."

"Isn't the butler the highest position for a house employee?"

"You are not employed by the mansion but Kai­Ojousama herself. She also said that you are

to be treated as a guest outside of your culinary duties."

"Then at least call be by my first name. I prefer that over my last."

"...I still think that­"

"Do as he wishes. The manner of address should be left to the receiver, not the speaker.

They are the ones compelled to listen, after all," said Kaika.

"But..."

"And drop that for me as well for the duration of this trip. We're disguised, so we should play

our parts properly. I'm Kaya and she's Kureha, Saya Shikimi's younger sisters. And we're all

Ageha­Niisan's cousins." She seemed to be enjoying playing house sans parents.

"...Understood."

"Kureha Shikimi…" mumbled Kureha almost inaudibly.

"I don't remember having such a bossy relative," said Ageha.

"I'm sorry, Ageha­Niisan. Please don't be angry. From now on I will do as Niisan says," said

Kaika sweetly while grabbing onto Ageha's shirt hem with two fingers. She skillfully played the

timid bookworm.

"Please stop that. You're too good. It's disgusting."

"What do you mean disgusting!?"

"I have to agree."

"Even you, Saya!?"

"...I hate to say this­" Kureha bowed her head in hesitation.

"Then don't! What the hell is wrong with you people? My acting was perfect!"

"That's the problem. If anyone else saw that, they would be completely fooled. But for us who

know what you're really like, it causes nothing but goosebumps."

The other two nodded at Ageha's concise explanation. Thinking it required further description,

he continued, "A wolf in sheep's clothing doesn't even begin to describe it."

"A lion coaxing a fawn?" asked Saya as she cocked her head in thought.

"...I do not think Ageha­Oniisama is a fawn."

"Relatively speaking." Saya peeked at her mistress.

Kureha followed her gaze and said, "Ah...The scales have fallen from my eyes, Saionji­san,"

with a nod.

"That's a little rude to lions, though," said Ageha.

"Stop teaming up against me!" shouted the stomping fifteen year old.

The teasing trio laughed with differing intensities, proportional to age but due to personality.

Kaika looked miffed, but it was evidently an act. Ageha thought she probably enjoyed being

on the receiving end on occasion.

The four of them continued their shopping spree. Kaika led them to another boutique and

asked Saya to pick out some dresses for Kureha. The stoic woman and the shy young lady

formed a rather mute pair and went deeper into the store to browse. Ageha was mentally

exhausted from all of the shopping, something he rarely did. He felt lucky his limbs were

immune to the same problem. Kaika did not follow the two and instead took a seat beside

Ageha on the boyfriend bench typically found in female­oriented stores.

"Matsunaga."

Ageha's eyes widened at his employer's opening line. "...I'm impressed."

"I make it a point to be learned about those under my care."

"There's nothing to worry about."

"Is that why you didn't inform me before or even after?"

"That, and I prefer to keep personal and professional matters separate."

"There's no merit in doing that, especially when it comes to our partnership."

"What do you mean?"

"The deal was information and resources, right? That was never restricted to your service to

me. You can use it for your hobbies as well."

"That's very generous of you. It makes me doubt your motivation though. There's nothing

more suspicious than a good deal."

"Distrustful as ever. The offer isn't just for your benefit. My assistance should significantly

reduce the risk of you getting caught. Your capture would be problematic for me as your

employer."

"Our only relationship, as far as the world knows, is a chef and his client. I doubt there would

be any repercussions for you."

"You misunderstand. I simply don't want to lose a valuable resource."

"...I didn't think you would say that after Akiba."

"I look forward, never back." Kaika proudly grinned, her eyes closed.

Ageha accepted Kaika's reasoning and chose to consider the offer. There was no reason to

decide immediately, and he still had misgivings about revealing his morbid personal affairs to

anyone, much less his boss.

"I'll think about it."

"I guess that's enough for now.

A while later, Saya and Kureha returned with an attendant holding several pastel colored

dresses. Kureha was already wearing a similar one. It seemed like she intended to wear it for

the rest of the trip.

"Did you pick that, Saya?" asked Ageha.

"Yes, Ageha."

She's still playing along. How obedient. I guess that applies to me too.

"I'm sure Kureha would look great in anything, but I must say you have good fashion sense."

Kureha reddened at the customary praise. She gripped the pastel blue skirt of her one piece

dress. It had short sleeves and a white ribbon on the chest. The design increased the

innocent vibe that she naturally emitted.

"Thanks," said Saya.

"What's with this difference in treatment..?" said Kaika, her eyebrows crumpled together.

They purchased the items and left the store. After strolling for a while longer, Ageha noticed a

change in Kureha's behavior. She was probably worried because it was already getting late.

She had not yet had a chance to buy a present for her sister.

Ageha walked to her side and whispered, "I'll try to find a chance to lose those two so we can

buy the present, okay?"

Kureha's darkened expression lit up and she nodded twice in agreement. Ageha was

considering his options when he heard a familiar voice calling him.

"Ageha!"

He turned and saw Rin jogging to him while waving her right hand. He raised a hand in

response to her greeting.

I didn't think our family act would actually come in handy.

"What are you doing here? Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you had company."

It was an expected question because Rin knew that Ageha was not one to frequent Shinjuku

or any other shopping hub. This reminded Ageha how much Rin already knew about him. He

made a mental note to avoid handing out further information, lest she stumble into something

she could not unsee.

"I was just showing my cousins around the city. They came from Hokkaido and insisted on a

tour as soon as they got here."

"So that's why you took a day off. Kirishima­san wasn't pleased, you know. He called me

asking where you were. Matsunaga­san still hasn't called in despite being gone for days, and

now we're suddenly down another chef."

Ageha heard a faint gasp from Kureha beside him. He did not want her to know that he was

skipping work for this errand because she would feel responsible. He had called Sapore this

morning to inform them of his absence, but only spoke with Yama. He also did not go into

detail about his excuse.

"Hey, you're out here too."

"I work the sala. It's the cucina that's in crisis."

She was right. Sighing in defeat, Ageha retreated by starting introductions.

"Let me introduce you. This is Saya and her sisters, Kaya and Kureha."

"My name is Saya Shikimi. It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

"I am Kaya. It is a pleasure."

"...My name is Kureha… Nice to meet you."

The three ladies took turns introducing themselves with bows. Rin scanned them and

muttered, "Whoa…" before taking the pedestal. "I'm Rin Natsume. It's nice to meet all of you

too!"

"She's a server at Sapore, the restaurant where I work."

"You might have to change that to past tense soon," said Rin.

"Please keep the reason a secret from Kirishima­san. I'll come up with something more

convincing later."

"You can count on me! I'll just add this to your tab."

"I have a tab?"

"You didn't know? It's gotten pretty big lately. Maybe I should collect soon."

"I was just showing my cousins around the city. They came from Hokkaido and insisted on a

tour as soon as they got here."

"So that's why you took a day off. Kirishima­san wasn't pleased, you know. He called me

asking where you were. Matsunaga­san still hasn't called in despite being gone for days, and

now we're suddenly down another chef."

Ageha heard a faint gasp from Kureha beside him. He did not want her to know that he was

skipping work for this errand because she would feel responsible. He had called Sapore this

morning to inform them of his absence, but only spoke with Yama. He also did not go into

detail about his excuse.

"Hey, you're out here too."

"I work the sala. It's the cucina that's in crisis."

She was right. Sighing in defeat, Ageha retreated by starting introductions.

"Let me introduce you. This is Saya and her sisters, Kaya and Kureha."

"My name is Saya Shikimi. It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

"I am Kaya. It is a pleasure."

"...My name is Kureha… Nice to meet you."

The three ladies took turns introducing themselves with bows. Rin scanned them and

muttered, "Whoa…" before taking the pedestal. "I'm Rin Natsume. It's nice to meet all of you

too!"

"She's a server at Sapore, the restaurant where I work."

"You might have to change that to past tense soon," said Rin.

"Please keep the reason a secret from Kirishima­san. I'll come up with something more

convincing later."

"You can count on me! I'll just add this to your tab."

"I have a tab?"

"You didn't know? It's gotten pretty big lately. Maybe I should collect soon."

She could have asked properly earlier. It seems a promise with my younger sister holds value

to her.

"I was wondering what all of you were doing in secret. To think it was for my birthday. I

completely forgot about it." Kaika obviously faked a wry smile, as if to conceal her

embarrassment. It was an act on top of an act.

She did not forget about her birthday. She could not. She had too strong of an emotion

associated with it for such a thing to be possible. It was a feeling completely opposite of what

would normally be expected for such a day.

"Ageha­Oniisama prepared a feast for you. I hope you like it!"

"Saya helped me come up with the menu. She said that you're accustomed to fine dining, so I

opted to make something more typical of a normal Japanese household. I say Japanese, but

half of it is actually western food. Well, it is what it is."

'Saya', huh. It seems playing house had an effect.

The table was filled with roasted chicken, spaghetti naporitan, potato salad, tonkatsu,

hamburg steak, and platters of colorful uramaki. Kaika had seen or read of them before but

had not tried them. They were dishes that would never appear on the Nikaidou menu. At the

head of the table, Kaika's usual seat, was a clumsily decorated strawberry shortcake.

Kureha was probably responsible for that.

"Kureha and Saya decorated the cake."

That was unexpected. I'll have to update my info about Saya's skill set. It's funny how quickly

Ageha abandoned them to preserve his image.

"Please take a seat," said Saya as she pulled out Kaika's chair. Kaika caught a faint "Thank

you," from her butler as she seated herself.

Saya knew how much Kaika loathed her birthday. They never celebrated it because Kaika,

trampling on her father's desire to celebrate his masterpiece annually, had expressly told him

that she did not want to.

"O­Oneesama."

"What is it?

"Before we begin, I want to give you a present. It is not much, so feel free to throw it away if

you do not like it, but I… I would be really happy if you keep… if you use it."

Kureha held out both her hands with her eyes squeezed shut. A small wrapped box rested

atop her palms. The birthday girl took the box, opened it, and glared at the contents.

What is this girl thinking..?

Inside were two blood­red, shell­shaped hair ties.

"Did you choose these?" asked Kaika, her voice exposing some frigidness.

"Yes! But Ageha­Oniisama also said that it was a good choice because the color matched

your current ribbon, and the shape matched your preferred nickname."

"...Thank you."

It was an awkward expression of gratitude and a rare failure in the facade. Even Kaika could

not maintain perfection in certain situations, this being an example.

Kaika despised her birthday because it was an indelible reminder of her inability to control her

fate. It was something that she never had the ability or chance to decide for herself. Receiving

a birthday gift that referenced her name, another sign of destiny toying with her, appalled her.

"Okay then, let's eat!" It was the chef who dispelled the odd atmosphere.

"Please wait! I also have a gift for Ageha­Oniisama."

"What?"

"It is for helping me prepare all of this and for choosing the gift with me."

"That was­"

"Please accept it!" She repeated her earlier action with a smaller box.

"Thanks, Kureha­chan." He took the box. "Can I open it?"

"O­Of course."

A silver ring embellished with engraved lines stood in the center of the opened ring case.

Ageha took it out and wore it on his left ring finger. Seeing this, Kureha blushed furiously, the

red even reaching her nape.

"Not bad. I don't really wear jewelry, but this will be the exception. Why a ring though?"

"It was Rin­san who suggested it. She said that it would add a bit of flair to­ Oh, please forget

what I said! Rin­san had nothing to do with it!"

That woman… Being a cameriera, she knew that chefs cannot wear rings in the cucina. She

failed to consider Kureha's personality when she asked her to keep it a secret, though.

"Got it. I didn't hear anything." He tousled Kureha's hair with his right hand.

How considerate. He wears the ring on his left hand because he does that with the other.

"Why does it feel like I'm not even the star of my own birthday party? I'm the main character

here..."

"Would that not be Ageha­sama if we factor in the male to female ratio?"

It was a comment that triggered another shootout of bickering, teasing, and loud nonsense.

Kaika sighed as she resigned herself to taking part in another farce. She took a bite of the

tonkatsu and unconsciously smiled. It was scrumptious. Excellent food always put dimples on

her face.

If everything were this simple…

Life wouldn't be worth living.