106: Realization After the Fact

"Anything is fine," she said when he offered to get her a drink.

With such a vague request, Chisato walked through the supermarket drink aisle, picking up a large bottle of tea and a bottle of milk.

On his way home after paying, he called down his black-winged crow, which had been waiting on a nearby tree. As he fed it some pistachios, he reminded it to return home later tonight.

Once he got home, he tidied up a bit. After taking a shower and changing into fresh clothes, the doorbell rang.

She arrived faster than he had expected.

"Come in," he called.

Standing at the door, Utaha was momentarily speechless, watching as droplets of water slid down Chisato's damp hair, across his face, and disappeared down his neck.

The phrase "a feast for the eyes" didn't just apply to women.

"Thanks for having me."

She quickly regained her composure, her slightly damp eyes shifting to the side, not daring to look directly at him for too long.

"Here, put these on."

Chisato took out a pair of slippers from the shoe rack.

"Thank you... Ah, sorry."

Utaha hurriedly apologized as her foot brushed lightly against his hand.

Chisato placed the slippers in front of her, feeling the light touch of her foot against the back of his hand. He smiled, unfazed.

"No worries."

Unlike last time, when Utaha had worn her school uniform, today she wore a white dress with a light blue jacket.

As for her legs, she wore black stockings, semi-transparent, revealing glimpses of skin—a style that perfectly matched Chisato's preferences. 

She really knew what she was doing!

Catching Chisato's appreciative glances at her legs several times, Utaha felt secretly pleased. 

The five minutes she spent debating in front of her wardrobe before leaving the house had been well worth it.

Invited into Chisato's small apartment living room—or rather, the space that was called a living room—Utaha realized how tiny the apartment was. 

You could almost see everything just by standing at the entrance.

The layout of these small apartments was all quite similar. 

To the left of the entrance was the bathroom, which doubled as a washroom, and on the right was an impossibly tiny kitchen, with just one stovetop and a sink. 

The narrow hallway only allowed one person to walk through at a time, leading to the one area that served as a room, living space, and balcony—at least here, you wouldn't feel too cramped. 

The desk was placed by a window with a decent view of the night sky.

Still, despite that, Utaha couldn't help but feel a bit sad.

The last time she and Eriri had secretly followed him here, they hadn't actually gone inside. She hadn't realized Chisato's living conditions were so... harsh.

She glanced at the walls, yellowed by age, and could feel the uneven and hard tatami mats beneath her slippers. 

When they passed the bathroom earlier, she noticed the simple showerhead—there wasn't even a bathtub for soaking and relaxing.

Not to mention, since she arrived, she'd faintly heard the sound of a TV from the neighboring apartment.

Can he really rest properly in such a harsh environment?

"I haven't added much furniture, so there's no coffee table. Just sit on my bed."

"Okay."

Utaha gently adjusted her dress and sat at the edge of the bed, pressing her hands down to check its softness.

Thank goodness—the bed was at least still soft.

"I bought milk and tea. Which do you want?"

"I'll have the milk."

Chisato poured her a glass of milk and handed it to her, then sat down at the edge of the bed, keeping some distance between them.

"So, how does it feel, a high school boy's solo apartment?"

"It's much better than I expected. I don't see clothes thrown everywhere, and I haven't spotted any suspicious adult magazines. As for the trash can…"

Utaha laughed as she leaned over to check.

"Nice. No suspicious crumpled tissues either."

"What kind of image do you have of me?"

"Just joking."

Utaha glanced toward the kitchen, where meat and vegetables were laid out on the small counter.

"Are you planning to cook?"

"Yeah. Eating out every day gets expensive, so I thought I'd cook now, have breakfast tomorrow, and pack a bento for lunch."

"Am I bothering you by coming over so late?"

"Not at all."

"Even though you say that, I still feel a bit guilty. If I'd known, I wouldn't have been so selfish, coming over this late. As compensation, let me help you cook."

Without waiting for a response, Utaha took a small sip of milk and set the glass on the desk.

"I can handle it myself later."

"It's fine. I've got nothing else to do, and I just came over to talk. Cooking and chatting aren't mutually exclusive."

As they talked, Utaha took off her jacket, revealing her white dress. The fabric above her chest was minimal, with only two thin straps running over her shoulders.

Her soft pink shoulders were exposed, and as she stood up and walked toward the kitchen, her smooth, bare back was fully visible to Chisato.

"…"

Chisato couldn't help but suspect that Utaha's motives for visiting tonight weren't entirely innocent, but he had no proof.

Utaha naturally tied on an apron and began inspecting the ingredients they had bought, moving with such ease that she seemed like the lady of the house.

"Chicken, carrots, onions, and potatoes. So you're making curry?"

"It's late, so I figured I'd make something simple."

Chisato walked over, about to peel the potatoes, but Utaha stopped him with a hand.

"You don't need to help here. Go dry your hair so you don't catch a cold."

"I'm not that fragile."

Despite his grumbling, Chisato listened to Utaha and went into the washroom.

After the door closed and the sound of the hair dryer began, Utaha looked at the small, basic kitchen and sighed.

She realized she had been a bit careless and regretted not coming over sooner.

Although Chisato's habits, his behavior, and the overall feeling he gave her matched her dreams, reality was still slightly different.

There were many things about the real Chisato that she didn't yet know.

What had she been doing for the past week?

Still, it wasn't a complete waste of time. From now on, she would put aside her arrogance and get to know him sincerely.

With Utaha operating at full power, there was no way she could lose.

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