"Smack! Smack!"
With two slaps, the intense pain jolted Kasumigaoka awake. She lay stiffly on the couch, staring in disbelief at the sofa's backrest.
This is...
Feeling the pain from her buttocks, Kasumigaoka initially thought that Hoshimi had done something beastly to her while she slept.
But after a moment, she realized that wasn't the case—it seemed like her butt had simply been slapped twice? And those slaps were delivered with full force?
"Ugh~" Kasumigaoka sat up, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed. Her wine-red eyes held a mixture of 30% resentment, 30% anger, 30% shame, and a trace of frustration that he didn't do more.
"Oh~ you're awake now~" Hoshimi smiled cheerfully, sitting beside Kasumigaoka while casually placing a paper bag on the coffee table.
"Hmph!" Kasumigaoka let out a cold snort, her gaze filled with gloom as she stared at Hoshimi. "Beast! No, worse than a beast!"
"Hm?" Hoshimi, sensing a deeper meaning behind her words, laughed knowingly.
"Utaha, are you perhaps..." Hoshimi's eyes teasingly took in Kasumigaoka's half-open, half-revealing outfit.
"...!" Kasumigaoka crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze becoming even more resentful.
Could she even respond to that? Saying anything would not only make her seem unreserved but would also ruin her plan this time.
She had come to see Hoshimi, but she wasn't yet ready to completely surrender herself to him. She just wanted to tease him, to make him want her but not be able to eat her, to make him feel the burning agony of desire.
It was also a chance to get back at him for what he had done to her in the dreams before.
"Hmph~" Unable to reply, Kasumigaoka huffed softly and shifted the topic to the paper bag Hoshimi had brought back.
"What's in there? Food?" Kasumigaoka, who had only water in her stomach, vaguely caught the mouth-watering aroma.
"Oh, this…" Hoshimi leaned forward and pulled out the dinner he had brought for Kasumigaoka.
There was a foil-wrapped box of Spanish seafood paella, two exquisitely packaged desserts, and a bottle of still-warm sweet drink.
"Here, it's all for you." Hoshimi tore open the foil around the paella.
In an instant, the fragrant aroma exploded like a bomb.
Smelling the rich scent, Kasumigaoka, who hadn't eaten anything substantial all day, began to salivate, and her stomach sent urgent signals for food.
She licked her lips, set her legs down from the sofa, leaned forward, and stared intently at the seafood paella Hoshimi had brought.
In the dimly lit living room, the steaming paella appeared hazy and dreamlike in the cool glow from the TV screen, as if it had come straight out of the television.
"Here, a spoon." Hoshimi handed her a spoon from the paper bag.
"Thanks." Kasumigaoka took the spoon and whispered, "I'm digging in."
Without further courtesy or care for her ladylike image, she indulged in the feast Hoshimi had brought.
"Mmm~" After the first bite, Kasumigaoka's beautiful eyes widened slightly, and her delicate toes curled up involuntarily.
What was this? Could paella be this delicious? It was worlds apart from anything she had eaten before!
"Is it good?" Hoshimi asked with a smile, watching her reaction.
"Mmm, mmm, mmm~~~" Kasumigaoka nodded repeatedly as she continued eating.
Hoshimi chuckled, wrapping his arm around her waist, and whispered in her ear, "This is a meal prepared by a top-notch chef with star-level culinary skills, so of course, it tastes amazing."
Kasumigaoka gave him a thumbs up, showing her agreement.
At that moment, her mouth was too full to speak, so she could only respond to Hoshimi this way.
"Have you heard of Totsuki Academy?" Hoshimi smiled and continued, "The chef who made this meal is an outstanding graduate of Totsuki Academy. I heard that during her time there, she was a member of the 'Elite Ten,' and his rank was pretty high—second place, I think?"
"Huh?" Kasumigaoka exclaimed in surprise after swallowing her food. "That impressive?"
Totsuki Culinary Academy, commonly known as Totsuki Academy, was a prestigious culinary school in Japan. One could even say, without exaggeration, that it was the top culinary school in Japan.
Anyone with an interest in gourmet food would know about this academy.
Although she wasn't in the culinary world, she had come across Totsuki during her research for writing, so she was well aware of the prestige of a "Totsuki graduate."
Not to mention, being one of the 'Elite Ten'—students of that caliber were rare, and there were only a handful of them in each generation across all of Japan. They were a highly coveted and exclusive group.
Curiosity welled up in Kasumigaoka. She leaned over and hugged Hoshimi's arm, offering him a small reward before asking, "What's the chef's name? What's the name of his restaurant? Where is it located?"
Hoshimi's smile deepened as he pulled her into a tighter embrace and answered, "Her name is Kikuchi Sonoka, and the restaurant is called 'Shunkatei.' As for the location…"
He pulled a small card from his pocket and playfully tucked it into the cleavage of Kasumigaoka's dress.
"Ugh~" Kasumigaoka rolled her eyes at him and retrieved the card, now warm with her scent.
She glanced at it—it was indeed a business card for 'Shunkatei,' with the restaurant's address and reservation number printed on it.
"Utaha~" Hoshimi called her name with a hint of something more.
"Hmm?" Kasumigaoka, still holding the card, turned to meet his gaze, now colored with an unmistakable desire.
Her grip tightened as she immediately realized that Hoshimi was about to make a move.
Her legs subconsciously pressed together, her heart slightly anticipating what he might do next.
"Utaha, whenever you come to Chiba, you can go to this restaurant. Just mention my name, and no matter how busy they are, they'll take care of you," Hoshimi said, his eyes gleaming with intensity, no longer concealing his intent.
"..." Kasumigaoka pursed her lips, her gaze wandering as she asked, "And the price for that?"
"Hehe~" Hoshimi smiled gently, then suddenly leaned forward, burying his face in her ample chest. "The price is simple—whenever you come to Chiba, we'll bath together."
His voice, muffled by her chest, still made the word "bath" unmistakably clear.
Understanding the hidden meaning, Kasumigaoka ran her fingers through his hair and playfully scolded, "Hoshimi, you really don't want to lose out on anything, do you! Keep this up, and you might lose me... Umm~~"
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