Chapter 576: The Diligent and Studious Yukinoshita
After some time, Hachiman and Yukino had finished cleaning up.
Recalling what she had just done, the girl couldn't help but blush deeply.
Even though she had rinsed her mouth several times, she could still faintly sense that peculiar taste lingering in her mouth.
As for Hachiman, he felt completely refreshed and rejuvenated after relaxing.
Holding the girl in his arms, Hachiman kissed her tender cheek.
"Yukino, you're truly a genius. You pick things up so quickly."
"Don't you dare!"
Hearing this, Yukino's face turned red as she lightly punched his chest.
This jerk—making her do such a thing, and to top it off, even making her swallow it.
Seeing Yukino's shy expression, a smug grin appeared on Hachiman's face. However, he refrained from teasing her further and spoke with a chuckle.
"Alright, alright, don't be mad. I'll cook you something delicious tonight."
"You think you can placate me with just a meal?"
Hearing Hachiman coaxing her like a child, Yukino rolled her eyes at him.
Noticing her slightly tsundere demeanor, Hachiman's lips curled into a mischievous smile.
"Well then, Yukino, do you want it or not?"
"Of course I do, why wouldn't I?" Yukino huffed lightly.
"This is my compensation. I worked really hard just now, you know."
That wasn't wrong—after all, her jaw had gone sore earlier. Asking for a bit of compensation was only fair.
"Alright, I'll go make you some food now," Hachiman said as he gently let the girl out of his embrace and stood up.
It was just past five o'clock, the perfect time to prepare dinner.
As he was about to head to the kitchen, a thought struck him, and he turned back to look at Yukino, who was sitting on the couch. "By the way, do we still have ingredients at home? If not, I'll go buy some."
"There's still some left. What you decide to make is up to you," Yukino replied with a slight nod. She then opened her laptop and started answering questions posted by users on a cat-themed website.
Seeing this, Hachiman decided not to disturb her.
Heading into the kitchen, he checked the remaining ingredients. It didn't take him long to decide what to cook.
Once he had a plan, he got to work without delay.
Time passed, and dinner was ready in no time.
Placing the last dish on the dining table, Hachiman removed his apron and called out to Yukino, who was still in the living room.
"Dinner's ready, Yukino."
"I'm coming," she replied, taking off her glasses as she stood up from the couch and stretched.
After washing their hands, the two sat down together at the dining table.
To reward her, Hachiman had prepared some refined dishes using the available ingredients.
Black pepper steak, creamy stew, garlic shrimp, stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork…
"Itadakimasu—"
As was customary, after their meal-opening declaration, the two picked up their chopsticks one after the other.
"Here, Yukino, let me feed you," Hachiman said, scooping up a spoonful of creamy stew and bringing it to her lips.
Seeing Hachiman offering to feed her, Yukino felt a surge of happiness in her heart. However, as her eyes landed on the spoonful of milky white liquid, she couldn't help but twitch the corners of her mouth.
Why does this remind me of what I swallowed earlier…
Despite her internal grumbling, Yukino still accepted the spoon, letting the creamy stew into her mouth. After all, it was a gesture of Hachiman's affection.
A small streak of milky-white, viscous liquid trickled from the corner of Yukino's mouth.
Whether it was due to Hachiman's mischievous sense of humor or not, after feeding her one spoonful, he immediately followed up with another. This only made the white liquid at the corner of her mouth more noticeable.
Just as he was about to offer her a third spoonful, Yukino finally spoke up to stop him.
"Alright, stop feeding me already. I can eat by myself," Yukino said, extending her soft, pink tongue to clean the white soup from the corner of her mouth.
Since Yukino had declined, Hachiman didn't insist. He picked up his bowl and began eating his own dinner.
Outside, the sky gradually darkened, and lights began to illuminate homes one by one.
Surely, others at this moment were just like Hachiman and Yukino—enjoying dinner and savoring a simple, heartwarming time together.
...
"Tap, tap, tap, tap—"
The sound of rapid keyboard typing echoed continuously.
At this moment, Hachiman was seated in front of his computer, typing away—something he hadn't done in a while.
Thanks to his maxed-out [Writing] skill, he typed without pause, producing hundreds of words in mere minutes.
As time went on, his speed showed no signs of slowing. Instead, it only increased.
Hachiman was currently working on the final volume of Sword Art Online.
He planned to complete Sword Art Online this month and then launch a new series focusing on the Holy Grail War, setting the stage for the Fate/Grand Order game.
As for the game company side of things, Hachiman had already discussed it with Erina on his way back from Yukino's apartment yesterday.
Naturally, Erina hadn't refused and assured him that she would notify him immediately upon finding a suitable opportunity. Given the influence of the Nakiri family, news would likely come soon.
Finishing the last word, Hachiman stretched lazily, feeling quite satisfied.
Today, he had gone all out in writing.
With smooth ideas and exceptional typing speed, he managed to complete 100,000 words of the final volume in just over three hours.
He was, quite literally, a typing machine.
Glancing at the clock, he noticed it was already past 11 a.m., just about lunchtime.
After lunch, Hachiman left the house.
The previous evening, Yumiko had called to ask him to meet her today.
This was an invitation Hachiman wouldn't decline, so with anticipation in his heart, he headed to the agreed-upon location.
It was none other than the Angel Café owned by the mustached boss.
Pushing open the door, Hachiman was greeted by a lifeless voice.
"Welcome."
Recognizing the familiar tone, Hachiman glanced toward the source. Standing not far from the entrance was the petite figure of Gabriel, dressed in a staff uniform.
This sight made Hachiman raise an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Gabriel to still be working here.
"Good afternoon, Gab."
"Oh, it's just you, Hachiman," Gabriel replied after taking a good look at the visitor. Upon realizing who it was, her demeanor reverted to her usual lazy self.
"Find a seat yourself. I'm taking a break."
Without another word, the slothful angel turned and abandoned Hachiman, settling herself in the staff's resting area.
Watching his unreliable employee leave a customer unattended, the mustached boss walked over with an awkward smile. "I'm sorry, Hikigaya-kun. Gabriel-san, well, she…"
Before he could finish, Hachiman cut him off with a chuckle.
"It's fine. Gab and I are friends."
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Manager?"
Hearing this, the mustached café owner also smiled warmly.
"It has indeed been a while. What would you like today, Hikigaya-kun?"
"The usual—a cup of blended coffee."