She actually agreed to come over… Denji led the way, Pochita in his arms. Shoko hummed cheerfully behind him, but Denji couldn't share her lightheartedness.
He'd made the invitation, but he was the nervous wreck.
This wasn't good. Shoko liked him, they'd gone on a date, and now she was coming to his house. Surely a kiss was on the cards?
It had to be!
Denji's chest thrummed. He couldn't tell if it was his racing heart or Pochita kicking him.
Today's events felt surreal, like a dream.
Denji had three wishes.
First, to eat jam-covered bread with Pochita. Now, they'd had actual burgers, courtesy of Shoko!
Second, to get cozy with a girl. While not exactly cozy, Shoko had gone on a date with him and bought him clothes!
His final wish was to fall asleep in someone's arms.
Maybe that one will come true tonight… Denji glanced back at Shoko. She strolled behind him, hands clasped behind her back, and smiled when she caught his eye.
It's happening tonight! For sure!!!
Denji's mind reeled.
They say girls are soft and smell nice. Will I be surrounded by softness and fragrance tonight?!
Denji: Hell yeah!
[Target Denji's favorability increased. Current favorability: 7]
[Current target energy charge efficiency: 700%]
Shoko: Going according to plan!
"Not good," Shoko declared, standing before Denji's shack.
"I had low expectations, but this is beyond even those."
The small, square structure resembled a temporary construction shed. The walls looked flimsy; Shoko suspected she could punch a hole through them.
Insulation was clearly non-existent. It would be an oven in summer, a freezer in winter.
The interior was tiny, maybe six square meters at most. The limited space was crammed with tools, ladders, and scrap wood.
As for sleeping arrangements… the only bed-like object was a small, worn mat, barely big enough for Lihua.
"This is... something else." Shoko had seen poverty before, but even the refugees Lihua helped during the Honkai-verse plague had it better. They at least had blankets and more space.
Denji cringed. He'd only realized at his doorstep that his home wasn't fit for a girl, especially one who seemed so… put together.
Damn it, my dreams are crushed! I finally had a chance to cuddle…!
"Well, excuse me~" Shoko slipped off her muddy shoes and stepped inside barefoot.
The floor was clearly never cleaned. To avoid getting her feet dirty, she carefully stepped on relatively clean objects, like Denji's discarded clothes.
Finally reaching the only clean-ish spot, the mat, she sat down.
"Your place is smaller than I imagined, Denji. Doesn't quite suit someone as fabulous as me—but I guess it'll have to do. Please take care of me."
Denji stared at the uninvited guest, who had made herself comfortable on his bed. Is she crazy? She's fine with this dump?
And what's with the "take care of me"? Even I know that's something you say when you're planning to stay a while.
"Huh? Didn't I tell you?" Shoko tilted her head, feigning confusion. "I'm homeless. Thank you for taking me in."
"Homeless? You?" Denji stared at the impeccably dressed Shoko, who exuded an air of pampered luxury. How can she be homeless?!
"It's a long story. Let's just say I'm not very popular at home, so I got kicked out." Shoko casually pulled out some of Denji's treasured magazines from under his blanket and started browsing.
She wasn't lying. As a weak Desire Devil, she wasn't welcome in Hell. Getting killed by other Devils and ending up on Earth was a perfectly valid explanation.
"By the way, I spent all my money on you, so I'll be relying on you for living expenses from now on—these aren't magazines, they're lingerie catalogs!" She tossed Denji's prized possessions back under the blanket with a disappointed sigh.
Denji, finally snapping out of his hormone-induced daze, latched onto a key phrase. "What do you mean, 'living expenses'? Are you planning to live here?!"
"Where else would I go? You brought me here." Shoko gestured to the mat and a rickety shelf. "I'm taking the bed. Clean up that mess over there, and you can sleep there."
"This is my house. I get the bed—wait, don't just decide to live at someone else's place!"
"But I spent all my money on you…" Shoko looked at him with watery eyes. "You eagerly invited me over, and now that you know I'm broke, you're kicking me out? You're like a host who uses his girlfriend then dumps her like a rag!"
"That's not it at all!"
...
Shoko ended up staying at Denji's. It went something like this:
"No way! Absolutely not! I can't afford to feed another person—"
"I know you want to refuse, but what if I promised to cuddle you every night?"
"Deal!!!"