At 5:40 PM, the sun dipped low in the sky, casting a transparent golden light that gradually took on a crimson hue.
Chiba, Hoshimi Residence.
Mrs. Arisugawa, who was seated on the sofa, could no longer maintain the smile on her face. With her eyes lowered, devoid of any emotion, she asked, "Mukami, how long have we been waiting?"
Standing nearby, the elderly butler, who was already feeling faint from hunger, slightly bowed and replied, "Madam, it's been nearly nine hours, just 20 minutes short."
"Is that so? It's been that long already..." Mrs. Arisugawa murmured.
She glanced at the old butler, whose complexion didn't look too good, and waved her hand, saying, "Mukami, have a seat and rest."
The old butler sighed quietly and replied with his head bowed, "Thank you, Madam, but my body is still strong, and I can endure."
If he sat down to rest now, it would be a disservice to his professional integrity as a butler. If the lady of the house could wait, how could he not endure? Back in his younger days, he could have stood for a full day and night without blinking.
But now, he could barely stand after just nine hours. Indeed, he was getting old...
Mrs. Arisugawa didn't insist when she saw that Mukami was unwilling to sit down.
After pondering for a moment, she said, "Mukami, please prepare dinner for me."
She had only had a simple breakfast at 8 AM, and by now, her hunger was at its peak. If she continued to wait on an empty stomach, she wouldn't have the energy to discipline Hoshimi, her disobedient child, later on.
Additionally, by having Mukami prepare dinner, it would also give him a chance to rest.
"As you command, Madam." The elderly butler, who had almost taken root in place, nodded and slowly moved his stiff legs out of the room.
At this point, the old butler had given up on silently praying for Master Kiyokawa.
There's no hope... he's as good as dead...
…
Tokyo, outside a certain cinema.
With the crowd pouring out, Hoshimi and Kasumigaoka strolled down the dusky street, their fingers intertwined.
"So, what did you think?" Kasumigaoka asked.
"As expected of one of the industry's top directors, truly talented," Hoshimi said, not holding back his praise.
He was being sincere. The new film from this renowned director was indeed excellent.
The visuals were so exquisite that each frame could be used as wallpaper, and combined with a delicate and heartwarming plot, it drew viewers in effortlessly.
At the beginning, when the plot hadn't fully developed, he still had the presence of mind to admire Kasumigaoka's legs with his hand.
However, as the plot thickened after half an hour, he completely forgot about that distraction.
Just from this alone, it was clear that this director's skills were truly top-notch, managing to suppress his natural "manly instincts."
"It's rare to hear you seriously compliment someone, Hoshimi..." Kasumigaoka's eyes curved into a smile, and a mysterious light flickered in her wine-red eyes.
"Hmm?" Hoshimi raised an eyebrow and looked at Kasumigaoka in confusion. "Utaha, what do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm so arrogant that I look down on others? I'm not like that. I remember I've complimented you quite a few times before."
Kasumigaoka gave Hoshimi a flirtatious side-eye, "Hoshimi, I think you should really reflect on whether your so-called compliments were genuine or just teasing."
Hoshimi pondered for a moment before nodding seriously, "Utaha, I'm sure that my compliments to you were genuine."
Kasumigaoka rolled her eyes and couldn't be bothered to argue further.
Compliments like "your voice is so seductive, it's perfect for reading adult novels"—how could that be considered sincere praise? It was clearly teasing.
Right, just thinking about it made her angry.
That scoundrel Hoshimi actually forced her to write adult novels in a dream, threatening her with a "tortoise shell binding" if she refused.
In the end, she had no choice but to abandon her literary pride and write 30,000 words of adult content.
And after finishing, that scoundrel Hoshimi even made her recite it passionately!
If she didn't comply, he'd make her wear a highly revealing nine-tailed fox cosplay and perform the Phut Hon shake thirty times!
That kind of intensely embarrassing dance, if done once from start to finish, would probably leave her shoulders and chest in agony; thirty times would be her death!
Moreover, the dance involved a lot of movement, and wearing that revealing nine-tailed fox cosplay would likely cause the outfit to come undone mid-dance.
Also, the nine-tailed fox's tails were heavy! Wearing them would be very cumbersome, making it likely that her dance moves wouldn't be up to par!
Based on her understanding of Hoshimi, if her moves weren't up to standard, this attempt wouldn't count! Who knew how many times she'd have to repeat it to meet the goal of 30 times?
In the end, after struggling with the decision, she chose to recite the adult content.
What happened afterward was a blur to her. She only remembered her mind going blank with shame, her body mechanically carrying out the task of recitation.
During the recitation, there was some kind of interference from Hoshimi that made her mind even blanker...
What was it that Hoshimi did?
Kasumigaoka tried hard to recall.
Soon, a blush spread from her earlobes to her fair face and slender neck.
"Hmm?" Seeing Kasumigaoka's reaction, Hoshimi's expression became slightly amused.
He gently squeezed Kasumigaoka's warm hand and asked with hidden meaning, "Utaha, did you remember something interesting?"
"..." Kasumigaoka turned her head, her mouth dry, without saying a word.
She did remember... a rather embarrassing incident.
"Utaha..." Hoshimi's expression grew more playful as he leaned closer to her blushing face and teased, "Utaha, could it be that you're daydreaming?"
"?!?" Kasumigaoka's breath caught, and in a fit of anger and embarrassment, she squeezed Hoshimi's hand with all her might.
"Ouch~ Utaha, easy, easy~" This wasn't a dream, so Hoshimi could actually feel the pain from Kasumigaoka's surprisingly strong grip.
It was really odd. Kasumigaoka and Yukinoshita both looked soft and delicate, but why did they have such strong grips?
Wait, maybe it wasn't their strength; perhaps his pain tolerance was just low?
"Hmph!" Kasumigaoka snorted coldly, loosened her grip, and abruptly changed the subject, asking, "Hoshimi, are you hungry?"
"I am, a bit," Hoshimi replied. After walking around all day, he was indeed a little hungry.
"What would you like to eat?"
"Something simple is fine. I don't have any particular cravings."
"How about that family restaurant across the street?" Kasumigaoka pointed to the family restaurant diagonally across the road and asked, "What do you think, Hoshimi?"
"Sounds good."
"Alright, let's go."
In just a few words, the two of them completely shifted the conversation to food.
Kasumigaoka didn't want to bring up the things that had happened in the dream, because she feared she might lose control and end up tying Hoshimi up at home to both take revenge and...
Hoshimi, on the other hand, was genuinely hungry and wanted to eat before continuing to tease Kasumigaoka.
…
Not long after, Hoshimi and Kasumigaoka walked into the family restaurant, still holding hands.
"Welcome... Kasumigaoka-senpai?"
The bespectacled waiter froze in place, stunned as he looked at Kasumigaoka and Hoshimi's interlocked fingers.
===
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