"Ah~"
A seductive whisper escaped.
The atmosphere suddenly became silent.
Yotsuba raised her hand to cover her mouth, her face instantly turning red, and even the tips of her hair seemed to be dyed with a faint shade of crimson.
'To make a sound like that in front of Kuromori-san. I want to die, I want to die, I want to die.'
Yotsuba fought the urge to flee and tried to act calm: "Kuromori-san, did you hear anything just now?"
'Of course I heard it. Do you think you can just pretend nothing happened?' Thought Haruto.
Seeing Yotsuba looking directly at him, Haruto closed his eyes and said, "Sorry, I was just thinking about something, so I didn't hear anything."
At this moment, maybe if he admitted it, something unexpected might happen.
It felt like playing a Galgame, where different choices lead to different developments. If lucky, you might even achieve a full completion!
But, on second thought, he dismissed the idea.
It wasn't about pretending to be distant or indifferent, nor did he dislike this airhead. It's just that the most important thing right now was studying, not anything else!
If they delayed any longer, it would get dark.
Would he still let this idiot stay here?
He didn't mind, but even Yotsuba couldn't choose to stay!
Haruto pulled back his hand and said calmly, "Let's continue."
❀❀❀
For the next two hours, Yotsuba was serious.
She became very aware of her improvement—her mind seemed sharper, and her memory stronger.
The formulas that she couldn't recall earlier, and the concepts that had once put her to sleep, were now easy to understand and memorize with Haruto's explanations.
It was as if she had suddenly become smarter. But Yotsuba knew she was actually terrible at studying.
She had been clumsy since childhood. So, this was all thanks to Haruto.
Yotsuba thought for a moment, stood up, and walked behind Haruto, placing her hands on his shoulders, and said in a charming voice, "Kuromori-san, you've worked hard today. Let me massage your shoulders. I used to massage Nino and the others' shoulders at home when I was still in school."
Haruto replied, "My shoulders don't hurt."
"Hmm~" Yotsuba puffed out her cheeks and said, "Kuromori-san, don't talk."
"I refuse."
Haruto turned to look at Yotsuba, and his eyes landed on her tightly pressed legs. Yotsuba instinctively covered the edge of her skirt and glared, embarrassed.
"Kuromori-san, don't look around!"
"I wasn't looking around." Haruto shifted his gaze and calmly said, "I want a lap pillow."
"Eh?"
"Instead of massaging my shoulders, give me a lap pillow."
"Kuromori-san, you're perverted."
"Forget it."
"NO!"
Seeing Haruto looking at her in surprise, Yotsuba's eyes darted nervously, she pouted, then sat down on her knees, blushing as she said, "Kuromori-san, come here."
Now, she was like a maid, fulfilling her Master's needs as part of her duty.
And after all the trouble she caused Haruto…
It was just a lap pillow.
It wasn't an unreasonable request, so it was fine.
Haruto hesitated for half a second and firmly said, "I'm coming."
It was just a casual suggestion at first, but since Yotsuba took it seriously, there was no turning back now. Haruto laid his head on Yotsuba's lap, and then felt…
It was nothing special, and frankly, a bit uncomfortable.
But that was just the physical sensation. Psychologically, it felt quite different.
Overall, it wasn't bad.
Haruto gently shifted. As expected, the stockings were custom-made.
"Kuromori-san, don't move!"
"Sorry, I'm just trying to find a comfortable position."
"Woo~"
Feeling his warm breath, Yotsuba couldn't hold back a small squeal, quickly grabbing his head and scolding, "Dummy, don't turn around!"
Haruto stopped moving.
Honestly, it was surprising that Yotsuba had agreed to give a lap pillow. If he pushed her any further, it wouldn't be right!
*KNOCK KNOCK*
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Shortly after, a sweet, clear voice came from outside: "Baka Nii-san, your cutest little sister is here, come out and greet her."
Haruto's expression darkened slightly.
At the same time, Yotsuba, who was startled by the voice, panicked.
'Why did Kuromori-san's sister have to show up at this moment? Even though I'm a guest in a guy's house, I'm dressed like a maid!'
'If she sees me, she'll definitely think I'm an immoral girl!'
"Kuromori-san, what... what should I do?" Yotsuba asked frantically. Realizing her situation, she immediately got up and ran into the bedroom.
At that moment, it was best to change clothes first.
Yotsuba leaned against the door and looked back with pleading eyes: "Kuromori-san, please, help me stall for a bit."
"Just a few minutes, a few minutes."
But in reality, not even a minute could be stalled!
Because Nanako had a key!
Just as Haruto thought this, the apartment door clicked open, and in the next moment, the door swung wide.
And Yotsuba disappeared into the room in an instant.
Sora didn't notice Yotsuba, but she saw Haruto sitting on the sofa.
"What? Nii-san is home!"
Nanako poked her head from behind Sora, and pouted, "Baka Nii-san, if you're home, respond when you hear someone! Otherwise, we'd think a burglar was inside!"
Ignoring Sora's disgruntled expression, Haruto put down his phone and said, "Nanako, someone's been trying to reach you on your phone."
"Eh?"
Nanako quickly pulled out her phone and found someone had indeed been trying to contact her.
She immediately checked the message, put her phone down, and then her eyes landed on a pair of shoes in the corner. Suddenly, it all clicked.
Her brother had finished his business.
He'd actually brought a girl home secretly—and got caught by Sora.
But for the sake of her allowance, whatever happens today, Nanako would make sure it stayed smooth!
As for the message, Nanako decisively chose to ignore it and was full of energy.