When Michiya Gōshin and Kurokawa Akane walked into the entryway carrying two full bags of groceries, MEM-cho's lively laughter drifted from the living room.
In the main hall, the idol Asakura Toru and MEM-cho were sitting together, watching funny videos on YouTube on a phone. Morimoto Kengo seemed to be tuning his guitar, his lowered eyes focused and serious. He wasn't a talkative person and had been quiet the whole time.
As for Kumano Nobuyuki, he was pacing back and forth between the kitchen and the living room like an excited large dog.
"The grocery shopping team is back!"
Upon seeing the pair carrying the bags, MEM-cho was the first to bounce over. She sniffed the air intently. "Wow! I smell beef! What are you planning to make, Michiya-sensei and Kurokawa-san?"
She leaned over the shopping bags, peeking inside. "There are a lot of ingredients here. Are you making a stew?"
Kurokawa Akane smiled and handed the groceries to MEM-cho. "Something like that. It's pretty cold today, so I think a stew will make everyone happy."
"Great, great! Then let's hurry and assign cooking duty."
MEM-cho looked over at the other two guys. "Kumano-san, Morimoto-san, can you cook?"
"Uh... I can fry an egg, and I can make instant noodles."
"What about you, Morimoto-san?"
Hearing this, Morimoto Kengo put down his guitar pick and added with a straight face, "I can chop vegetables."
"Hmm... Michiya-sensei and Kurokawa-san went grocery shopping today, so why don't Asakura-chan and I handle the cooking?" MEM-cho was a decent cook, as she had to take care of her mother and younger brother.
And judging by how she addressed Asakura Toru, it seemed the two of them had grown close quickly.
"I can help out."
Asakura Toru raised a small hand and walked straight over to the kitchen. Her pale aqua eyes still showed little emotional fluctuation.
"We have to cook for six people, after all. It'd be a bit tiring with just two, wouldn't it?"
Michiya Gōshin remembered Asakura Toru mentioning this morning that she had rehearsal this afternoon, so he added, "Why don't we just set a rule for cooking? We can have three people cook each time on a rotating basis. That way, we can save time and have an easier cycle."
"That works."
Kurokawa Akane agreed with the proposal. "In that case, let's have the three of us girls cook this time."
"Uh... so does that mean it's our turn for dinner, the three guys?"
Kumano Nobuyuki's face twitched. He quickly looked at Michiya Gōshin, who was standing nearby. "Michiya, can you cook?"
"Don't worry. It'll be edible, at least."
"That's good enough."
The young dancer let out a sigh of relief, then exchanged a look with Morimoto Kengo next to him. "Morimoto-bro, shall we be Michiya's assistants tonight?"
"Sure."
"Hey, you guys aren't planning on dumping all the work on me, are you?" Michiya Gōshin immediately retorted, annoyed.
"With great power comes great responsibility."
While the guys were chatting, the three girls beside them were quite surprised.
Though only one night had passed, the guys in front of them had suddenly become very familiar with each other. Not only had they dropped the honorifics, but the atmosphere between them was like that of old classmates.
"You all... seem to have gotten pretty close, huh?" MEM-cho asked curiously. "Did something happen last night that we girls don't know about?"
"Hehehe, we had a guys' night yesterday. It's just how guys get to know each other."
Kumano Nobuyuki shook his head with a grin. "Guys don't need a lot of words to build a good rapport."
"Hmph, we girls can become friends even faster."
Hearing him say that, MEM-cho thought of her two younger brothers and couldn't help but smile as she looked at Kurokawa Akane and Asakura Toru beside her.
"Alright, let's start cooking then. Boys, don't get in our way."
"Okay."
----------------------------------------
Leaving the kitchen to the girls, the three guys went to the main hall and sat down on the sofa.
Michiya Gōshin leaned against the arm of the sofa, his fingertips unconsciously fiddling with the tassels on the edge of a throw pillow. Kumano Nobuyuki sat cross-legged on the rug. He glanced toward the kitchen, leaned closer to Michiya Gōshin, and spoke in a hushed voice.
"Michiya, be honest, are you planning to pair up with Kurokawa-san?"
Morimoto Kengo was sitting on a single armchair. Although he didn't say anything, he looked up at the other two.
Michiya Gōshin gave a helpless smile. "Not at all. It's only been a day. Who pairs up this quickly?"
"It's only been one day here, but didn't you two co-star before? Your level of closeness is nothing simple."
Kumano Nobuyuki raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "If you're really going to pair up with Kurokawa-san, Morimoto-bro and I won't get in your way."
He nudged Morimoto Kengo with his elbow. "Right, Morimoto-bro?"
Morimoto Kengo nodded. "The way she looks at you is clearly different from how she looks at us."
"Hehehe, you can't deny it. I said it yesterday, even if you're charming, Michiya, I won't give up without a fight!" Kumano Nobuyuki said with a laugh. "If you and Kurokawa-san pair up, it'll just save us some time."
"Is that so?"
Michiya Gōshin arched an eyebrow slightly and asked with a smile, "Do you have a target already, then?"
"Uh..." The usually cheerful Kumano froze for a moment, his tone becoming shy.
"Could it be MEM-cho-san?" Morimoto Kengo suggested a name. "I've seen you two seem to have things to talk about."
"Really?"
Michiya Gōshin thought of the lively blonde girl and deliberately feigned a look of sudden realization. "Oh, you both have very outgoing personalities. You should get along well."
"That's not it."
Kumano Nobuyuki's face immediately flushed red, and he explained in a low voice, "MEM-cho's personality is too much. If we were a couple, it'd be better if our personalities complemented each other, don't you think?"
"Oh, I see."
Michiya Gōshin immediately exchanged a look with Morimoto Kengo, and both saw a flash of understanding in the other's eyes—it seemed the dance expert's crush was the quiet Asakura Toru.
"What about you, Morimoto-bro?"
Having learned one of the guys' preferences, Michiya Gōshin silently made a mental note and then turned to the band's ever-silent lead singer.
"Who are you leaning towards?"
"We've only known each other for a day. I haven't decided yet."
Morimoto Kengo thought about it seriously. He really hadn't settled on a romantic interest.
On the other hand, although the silver-haired lead singer didn't speak much, he had a habit of observing the group dynamics.
As the person with the most buzz before the show aired, Michiya Gōshin continued to attract a lot of attention after arriving at the villa.
Besides Kurokawa Akane, he felt that the other two girls also seemed to be keeping an eye, intentionally or not, on the blond guy.
That was why he wouldn't decide on a direction so quickly.
A brief silence fell over the living room. The three guys were lost in their own thoughts, each seeming to ponder something.
After a moment, the kitchen door was gently pushed open, and Asakura Toru walked out.
She had changed into an off-white knit sweater, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing slender wrists. Droplets of water from washing vegetables earlier hadn't been wiped dry yet and were sparkling under the warm light.
"Um, MEM-cho-san just put the soup base in the pot and wants one of the guys to come help taste-test it."
The short-haired girl looked at the three guys on the sofa. Just as everyone was processing her request, her gaze suddenly locked onto the leisurely-posed Michiya Gōshin.
"Michiya-sensei, would you like to give it a try?"
"..."
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