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"Do you like how I look in an apron?" Mai Sakurajima asked, her attention focused on washing vegetables, seemingly unaffected by Badr's playful comment.
"I'd like it even more if you were only wearing the apron," Badr replied with a teasing grin.
"...??" Mai turned her head, giving Badr a look that said she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Stop saying foolish things," she scolded him.
Badr chuckled and opened the refrigerator nearby. Inside, he found a row of chilled drinks, each can featuring a familiar face on the packaging, Mai Sakurajima herself. It was a brand that Mai had endorsed in a commercial.
Badr blinked in surprise and pulled out a can, taking a sip.
"Do you like drinking that? We're about to have dinner," Mai remarked, glancing at him.
"I didn't particularly like it before, but knowing it's a brand you chose, it suddenly tastes pretty good," Badr said earnestly, making Mai smile slightly.
"They're just samples the brand sent us during the shoot," Mai explained, her smile widening. "We couldn't finish them all, so everyone took some home..."
"It doesn't matter. With my wife's face on the can, I have to drink it," Badr said, finishing the drink in one gulp.
"Then I guess I should endorse a lemon water brand next time," Mai said, her tone playfully serious, her smile unhidden.
"...Is it too late to change my mind?" Badr asked, half-jokingly.
"Too late," Mai replied with a smile, clearly pleased by Badr's affectionate words.
Outside the kitchen, Nodoka Toyohama, who had been pretending to watch TV, was actually eavesdropping on their conversation. She couldn't help but feel a bit envious.
"He's just someone who knows how to say sweet things... Why would my sister fall for someone like that?" Nodoka thought to herself, slightly annoyed.
Even after Badr and Mai finished cooking, Nodoka continued to sit there, sulking. Badr noticed her expression and calmly asked, "Is something bothering you? Maybe talking about it will cheer us up."
"...??" Nodoka was taken aback by his directness, biting into a piece of meat as if she were imagining it was Badr.
"I'm not angry," she muttered, swallowing the food and glaring at him. "I'm just thinking that Mai is at a critical point in her career, so you need to be careful not to cause any trouble."
"Nodoka, just focus on eating," Mai interjected. "Badr and I know what we're doing."
Nodoka didn't realize that Badr had always been protecting Mai, something Mai was very aware of. Badr saw no need to explain further, but Mai felt compelled to speak up for him, not wanting to seem irresponsible as his girlfriend.
"It's strange, though. You and Mai seem to have a good relationship, so why don't you just call her 'sister'?" Badr asked curiously.
His question caught both Mai and Nodoka off guard, leaving them momentarily speechless.
Seeing their reactions, Badr chuckled softly.
Considering the strained relationship between Mai and her mother, Badr couldn't help but think, "Your family is quite interesting..."
"Maybe you're right," Mai said, not finding any words to refute Badr's observation.
Badr didn't know much about the story between the two sisters, so he refrained from commenting further. Since there were other members of Mai's family around, Badr felt it was time to leave after helping clean up.
Mai stood up to see him off.
"Did your sister mention when she plans to leave?" Badr asked softly as they walked a short distance from the house.
"Not yet. She actually came to stay with me after a fight with her mother," Mai replied, helpless about her sister's situation.
Nodoka had always admired Mai, practically idolizing her, which had influenced her decision to pursue a career as an idol as well.
Badr furrowed his brow. Another mother-daughter quarrel... another idol in the making. It seemed like a repeat of Mai's own story. With someone as accomplished as Mai to look up to, the pressure on Nodoka must have been immense.
Mai was undoubtedly aware of this, and Badr didn't need to spell it out for her.
"Alright, I'll teleport from here," Badr said, stepping forward to embrace Mai, kissing her softly.
Mai blushed slightly but quickly wrapped her arms around him, returning the kiss with equal affection. Their love and longing flowed between them until Mai, a little out of breath, gently pulled away.
"I'll wait until you go inside before I leave," Badr said with a smile.
"No, I want to see you leave first," Mai replied, her smile sweet and heart-melting.
"Nodoka is still inside. You should go and talk to her," Badr suggested.
"You're right. I'll go now," Mai said, turning back toward the house. As she reached the door, she glanced back to see Badr still standing there, smiling gently at her.
She smiled back, her mood visibly lifted, before finally closing the door behind her.
Watching his girlfriend disappear inside, Badr stretched and felt the surge of power within him grow significantly. He had just harvested the "price" from their contract, resulting in another pleasing increase in his strength.
If only he could form a few more contracts of faith, that would be fantastic, Badr thought.
Unfortunately, the only other contractees he had were the five quintuplet sisters of the Nakano family, who were quite a handful.
After spending time with them, Badr had managed to build a decent relationship with the sisters, but they were still far from reaching the level of a contract of faith like Mai's.
With some time on his hands, Badr decided to pay the quintuplets a visit since it had been a few days.
Teleporting to the Nakano household, Badr immediately noticed the pleasant scent of shampoo and the sound of a hairdryer.
In the living room, a girl with long hair sat on the sofa, drying her hair. Her long locks danced in the air, and she was only wearing a bath towel.
Her bare shoulders and legs were exposed, and the towel seemed precariously close to slipping off with her every movement.
...Who was she?
In that instant, Badr quickly ran through the distinct traits of Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki in his mind.
But... he couldn't tell!
Aside from Ichika's distinctive short hair, Badr couldn't distinguish the other four sisters, especially when they changed clothes and hid their unique features.
"Who is it?" The girl asked, apparently hearing the sound of his arrival.
"That voice... Nino Nakano!" Badr recognized the familiar tone, identifying the fiery personality of the second Nakano sister.
"Is that Yotsuba? Can you grab my contact lenses? They're on the shelf over there," Nino called out in Badr's direction, not realizing who he was.
Badr then remembered that Nino was severely nearsighted. There's a saying about nearsighted people: once they take off their glasses, the world becomes a blur, and at twenty meters, everyone looks the same. Nino Nakano embodied this perfectly. Standing about ten meters away, she couldn't see clearly and mistook Badr for her sister, Yotsuba.
"Uh, Nino, it's me, Badr," Badr cleared his throat and gently reminded her.
"W-What!? Badr?!" Nino suddenly realized who was in the room. She immediately covered her chest in embarrassment. "What are you doing here?! I'm not dressed!"
"Look carefully, you're wrapped in a towel," Badr calmly responded, nearly causing Nino to choke on her words.
"A towel isn't proper clothing!" she retorted, flustered. "Turn around!"
With that, Nino began hurriedly ascending the stairs to the second floor.
"Hey, watch your step," Badr cautioned.
Before he could finish, Nino's foot slipped, and one of her slippers went flying.
Ah, the classic trope, slipping after a bath.
Badr moved instantly, reaching her side just in time to catch her before she could hit the stairs face-first. Her face was only inches away from the stairs.
With a swift motion, Badr turned her around and scooped her up, holding her securely in his arms.
"See? I told you to be careful," he said with a slight smile.
...
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