Ch 271. The Big Bad Wolf is Coming~~

As Kasumigaoka was speaking, she suddenly let out a soft "Umm~" and her face turned red. Embarrassed and annoyed, she pushed Hoshimi's head away.

"Hoshimi! You!" Kasumigaoka, with her hands covering her chest and eyes filled with indignation, glared at Hoshimi, who was licking his lips. She wanted to say something but didn't know what to say.

Having taken his advantage, Hoshimi felt like it was about time to stop. If he continued, something unexpected might happen—unexpected in more ways than one...

Leaning back against the sofa with a hand supporting his chin, Hoshimi smiled and asked, "Utaha, where are you sleeping tonight? With me, or in the guest room?"

"..." Kasumigaoka, seeing him change the topic, felt a surge of resentment.

That jerk—always the same trick! Stir things up and then run away. In the dream world, Hoshimi had bullied her with that exact trick numerous times.

But the key issue was the strange setting Hoshimi had imposed on her. Every time, she would fall for it, ending up having to fulfill his bizarre requests and beg for his 'blessing' with nothing but frustration and helplessness.

Now that they were in the real world, she had wanted to use the same trick on him, but she ended up being outwitted by Hoshimi.

Ugh~ It was partly her fault. If she hadn't spent so much time snuggling with Hoshimi during the day, how could that fire within him have stayed so steady?

"Utaha, your silence means you want to sleep in the same room as me, right~" Hoshimi teased with a smile, seeing that Kasumigaoka hadn't responded.

"Hmph~" Kasumigaoka, full of resentment, snapped back, "I'll sleep in the guest room!"

The closer she was to Hoshimi, the harder it became to control herself.

If she really shared a bed with him, Hoshimi would just have to plead a little, or if he were just a bit more forceful, then she would...

So absolutely not! At least not for now!

She had only taken three days off and had to go home tomorrow!

"Alright then, Utaha, eat your food, and I'll go get the room ready for you." Hoshimi stood up and headed upstairs.

As he left the living room, he casually switched on the light.

The incandescent light brightened up the dim living room, and Kasumigaoka, who had been in the dark for so long, squinted her eyes involuntarily.

She watched Hoshimi's retreating figure, angrily picking up her seafood rice and shoveling spoonfuls into her mouth.

She chewed with intensity, as if she was gnawing on someone's flesh...

...

Not long after, Hoshimi leaned against the upstairs railing and waved to Kasumigaoka in the living room.

"Utaha, come up when you're done. I've prepared the room for you; it's right next to mine."

"..." Kasumigaoka glanced up at Hoshimi and pointed at the packaging on the coffee table, raising her voice slightly, "Hoshimi, aren't you going to clean up this mess?"

"No need, just leave it. I'll clean it tomorrow when I have time." Hoshimi waved dismissively.

"..." Kasumigaoka shook her head, saying nothing. She silently packed all the trash—bags and wrappers—into the largest paper bag she could find.

After tidying up, she finally headed upstairs.

...

In the upstairs hallway, Hoshimi gave Kasumigaoka a thumbs-up and praised, "Nice! Utaha, you have great housewife potential~"

Kasumigaoka shot him a glare and poked his chest with her finger, saying, "Isn't that normal? Not everyone is like you, leaving trash until the next day to deal with. Oh, and by the way..."

Kasumigaoka suddenly remembered something. Narrowing her eyes, she asked, "Hoshimi, I'm curious—how do you manage to keep your place so clean with your lazy personality?"

"Oh, that..." Hoshimi responded nonchalantly, "I hire a housekeeper, of course. She comes every Sunday for a thorough cleaning. Once a week, so the place never really gets messy."

"A housekeeper..." Kasumigaoka silently took note of that, thinking it might come in handy in the future.

Then, she tilted her head slightly and looked at Hoshimi again. "By the way, Hoshimi, I forgot to ask earlier. Why is it that at 'Shunkatei,' all you have to do is mention your name, and they'll serve you no matter the situation? And what about Kikuchi Sonoko, that's a woman's name, right? Hoshimi, don't tell me you and this chef have something..."

Snap!

Hoshimi, still smiling, flicked Kasumigaoka's forehead.

"Hoshimi!" Kasumigaoka held her head, glaring at Hoshimi with full resentment.

"What are you thinking?" Hoshimi explained, "That chef has nothing to do with me personally. She knew my father—no, not the way you're thinking. It was a professional relationship, like sponsorship and investment. Got it?"

Seeing Kasumigaoka's skeptical expression, Hoshimi waved his hand. "Forget it, explaining this to you is too much of a hassle. Just look up 'Hoshimi Takuma' on your phone and you'll see."

"Huh? Hoshimi Takuma?! The stock god Hoshimi!" Kasumigaoka's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Hoshimi. "You're the son of Hoshimi Takuma?!"

Hoshimi nodded. "Yep, any problem with that?"

"..." Kasumigaoka was speechless.

She had a decent understanding of this "Stock God Hoshimi" who had made a name for himself on the internet.

It was similar to how she had learned about Totsuki Academy while doing research for her writing.

Hoshimi Takuma's prowess in the stock market needed no explanation. His name was a golden seal of approval, though tragically, he had died too young, passing away with his wife in a plane crash in his early forties.

Kasumigaoka hadn't expected that Hoshimi would be his son. It suddenly felt like a character straight out of a TV drama had appeared before her.

She eyed Hoshimi from head to toe, feeling her emotions shift in subtle ways.

What was this? A prime catch delivered right to her door? She never really cared much about Hoshimi's family background, but now that she knew, it was like hitting the jackpot...

Not that she was being materialistic, but... well... it just felt... complicated. Very complicated...

"Utaha, you seem to know about my father's reputation and legacy, right?" Hoshimi leaned against the hallway railing, looking casually at Kasumigaoka.

"Well... yes, I do..." Kasumigaoka nodded.

"Then this will be easier to explain. My father was a stock god. Besides his expertise in the stock market, he was also great at investing in people. He supported and invested in countless rising stars. Chef Kikuchi is just one of many cases."

"They were all helped by my father, and after his death, in order to repay his kindness, or to maintain a good reputation in their circles, they take good care of me as well."

"Oh, and by the way, Kikuchi's 'Shunkatei' was entirely funded by my father. So naturally, mentioning my name works wonders when dining there~"

"Enough about that. It's getting late, let's go rest."

With that, Hoshimi wrapped his arm around Kasumigaoka's waist and led her toward his bedroom.

Still in a daze from all the information, Kasumigaoka didn't realize what was happening and, without resistance, followed Hoshimi into his room.

===

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