At eleven that night, after washing up, the four of them returned to their rooms to rest.
Lying on the large bed in the master bedroom of the new house, Utaha stared at the ceiling, a smile still lingering on her face even as it was time to sleep. She had been in an exceptionally good mood all day, and it hadn't faded in the slightest.
Holding Ichin close, she said softly,
"Ichin, I really love the new house."
Ichin smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, I love it too. We really did choose a great place. And not just us — Peppa and the others like it a lot too."
After finishing the unpacking and releasing them from their carriers, the six cats had initially been cautious in the unfamiliar environment. But after exploring for a while, they quickly grew fond of it. They spent nearly the entire day running through all three floors of the villa, visibly excited.
"That's true. With so much space, they can play more and be more energetic."
After a moment's thought, Utaha added,
"But Peppa and George probably only feel like moving around today. By tomorrow morning, they'll definitely go back to being lazy and refusing to budge."
Ichin thought about it — and she was probably right.
Ever since being adopted and growing up in a home where food was never scarce, Peppa and George had long realized they didn't need to hunt. Their two devoted humans always provided more than enough. So they had completely embraced the laid-back lifestyle — occasionally moving around or playing with toys, but spending most of their time lounging lazily.
Only when they were brought to the company or when it was time to visit Yukino's cats would they become more active and play.
Now that they were living together, Peppa had practically entered a blissful life of "wife and kids," becoming even more reluctant to move.
As for George — forever single, neutered long ago — he had long abandoned worldly desires and achieved a Zen-like calm.
The new cat toys Yukino had bought probably wouldn't see much use.
Shaking his head, Ichin said,
"We'll have to keep an eye on them and make sure they get enough exercise. Can't let them get lazy to death. Alright, it's late — time to sleep. I need to get up early to go grocery shopping tomorrow."
"Mm. Good night, Ichin."
"Good night, Utaha."
On their first night in the new house, none of them — not Ichin and Utaha, nor Yukino and Haruno — experienced any discomfort. They all slept soundly.
At seven in the morning, when the alarm rang, Ichin and Utaha got up right on time.
Yukino also rose at the same time — her usual schedule.
As for Haruno, expecting her to wake up that early on a weekend was unrealistic. She was left to continue sleeping.
After getting ready and changing into sportswear, Ichin and Yukino headed out for a morning run within the villa complex. Utaha, meanwhile, finished washing up and began preparing breakfast.
The environment in the villa neighborhood was excellent — even better for jogging than near their old apartment. Quite a few residents were out for morning runs as well.
After completing a simple lap, they returned home, showered, and joined Haruno — who had finally been dragged out of bed by Utaha — for breakfast.
After eating, Ichin sipped his coffee and looked at Haruno.
"Haruno-nee, you said yesterday you'd come grocery shopping with us. Still planning to?"
Haruno yawned and collapsed onto the sofa.
"Nope. Not going. I don't feel like I've slept enough. I'm lying down a bit longer."
Ichin glanced at Utaha and shrugged.
"Told you. Just looking at her this morning, I knew she wouldn't want to go. So Utaha, Yukino and I will handle the shopping. The house is in your hands. Aoba and the others said they'll arrive this morning. We've got quite a bit to buy, though — probably won't be back until after ten."
Utaha smiled and nodded.
"Got it. Take your time."
At that moment, Yukino came downstairs, already changed.
Today, she was wearing a short skirt with black stockings and had tied her hair into a single ponytail. She looked almost like she had returned to her high school days.
"Let's go."
Yukino nodded and followed Ichin out of the villa.
After seeing them off, Utaha returned to the living room and looked helplessly at Haruno, who was sprawled on the sofa.
"Haruno-san, lying down right after eating isn't good for you. Sit up."
"Okaaay~~~"
She responded, but made absolutely no move to get up.
Utaha gave up, poured herself a cup of coffee, and turned on the television.
At nine-thirty, the villa's doorbell rang.
Utaha went out and saw that it was Aoba and the others — all four of them — and Eriri as well. They had even brought their cats along.
Opening the front gate to let them in, Utaha smiled.
"You're pretty early."
Rin nodded.
"Nothing much to do after breakfast. Kō kept urging us to hurry over, so here we are. We saw the photos before, but in person… this place is amazing!"
Aoba's eyes sparkled.
"Yeah! It's huge! Even the front yard is big — and there's a backyard too, right?"
"Besides the built-in garage, you can also park in the front yard. The backyard's for relaxing and activities. Tonight's barbecue will be there. By the way, did you park in the complex's public lot?"
"Yep. We registered with the guard earlier, so no need to contact you. We parked and just happened to run into Eriri on the way over."
While they were chatting, Narumi and Momiji stood silently, wide-eyed as they took in the villa's interior.
Narumi nudged Momiji's shoulder and whispered in awe,
"It's even more impressive than in the photos. Momiji, do you think we could ever afford a house like this?"
Momiji thought for a moment and shook her head.
"Even if I could afford it, I wouldn't buy it. I'd rather spend the money on delicious food."
"…That's so you."
Inside the living room, Haruno lazily shifted on the sofa and waved at the newcomers.
"Hellooo~~ Good morning~~~"
"Morning."
After greeting her, Aoba laughed.
"Haruno, you're way too casual. Still in your pajamas?"
"It's the weekend. Relaxing is the whole point. And there aren't any other guys here, so it doesn't matter what I wear, right?"
Slowly sitting up and looking slightly more awake, Haruno said with a grin,
"Come on, Utaha and I will show you around the villa!"
---
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