"Miss Sayaka, please show some restraint."
Sakiko Togawa tried her best to remain calm, but the redness on her cheeks was hard to hide.
"The relationship between Master and me is just a normal employment relationship. There is absolutely nothing improper between us!"
"There isn't now, and there never will be!"
How could she possibly like Kamijou Mutsuki, a scumbag entangled with who knows how many girls?
That was absolutely impossible!
If that day ever came, she'd eat the cucumbers Wakaba Mutsumi planted—soil and all!
"So in other words, you're just an ordinary maid, right?"
Miki Sayaka didn't pay much attention to Sakiko's denial—if anything, that was even better.
"And that was the attitude of a maid just now?"
"..."
This time, Sakiko fell silent.
"Let's go eat,"
In the end, it was Mutsumi who spoke up and helped ease the situation.
"Otherwise, the food will get cold."
And so, while the dishes were still warm, the group finished dinner.
"Oh right, Mutsuki."
Sayaka suddenly remembered something, ran downstairs, and came back carrying a small suitcase along with several CDs.
"These are all your favorite violin pieces. I brought them all for you!"
Sayaka proudly stuffed the CDs into Kamijou Mutsuki's hands as if presenting a treasure.
"And this…"
In fact, even before Sayaka opened the suitcase, Kamijou Mutsuki already knew what was inside.
It was the violin he had loved the most before the car accident.
"I asked Sister Ruri to get it for me."
"Even though because of the accident before, Mutsuki…"
Sayaka didn't continue, because that would clearly be reopening Kamijou Mutsuki's wounds.
"But I believe Mutsuki will definitely become the best violinist!"
"..."
Nice attempt at comforting. Please don't try again next time.
It turned out that Sayaka's "losing-heroine stereotype" wasn't without reason.
When Kamijou Mutsuki had just woken up and was still lying in the hospital bed, Sayaka had also come every day to play violin music for him.
Her swordsmanship with words was even better than Mutsumi's.
Fortunately, after recovering the memories of his previous life, Kamijou Mutsuki didn't care much about this sort of thing.
If it had been his former self, even if he wouldn't lose his temper as easily as Sakiko-sensei, he would probably still have felt quite uncomfortable.
Even Wakaba Mutsumi and Sakiko-sensei standing nearby couldn't help but show slightly subtle expressions when they saw Miki Sayaka's behavior.
"Mm, Sayaka said it very well. I'm really touched~"
Kamijou Mutsuki patted the girl's head, showing an awkward yet somewhat caring smile.
"Don't talk to me in that tone like you're coaxing a child!"
Sayaka puffed her cheeks slightly, looking somewhat dissatisfied.
"Sayaka, come to think of it, we haven't seen each other for quite a while, right?"
Pulling his hand back, Kamijou Mutsuki suddenly said.
"How about we rest together tonight and have a good chat?"
"Eh? Tonight… together?"
Hearing this, Sayaka's cheeks instantly turned red.
What did he mean by that?
He couldn't mean what she was thinking, right?
They had only just confirmed their relationship—wasn't that way too fast?
"After all, we can't treat Sayaka like a child~"
Seeing the girl's reaction, Kamijou Mutsuki knew she had probably misunderstood.
But he had no intention of explaining and instead teased her like this.
"I-It's still too early!"
And sure enough, the girl ran away shyly.
"At least we should wait until…"
The rest of her words came out almost as a whisper, barely audible.
And so, after being rejected by Sayaka, it seemed that Kamijou Mutsuki would have no choice but to sleep alone tonight… right?
"Mutsumi, what do you think about this piece I wrote?"
After finishing the lyrics and sheet music on the computer, Kamijou Mutsuki spun around in his chair. He wasn't surprised by Mutsumi's appearance and smiled as he asked her.
"A piece?"
It was Wakaba Mutsumi, standing behind him, who looked surprised instead.
She leaned closer, originally thinking it was a new song for the anime, but…
"This song…"
After reading the lyrics, Mutsumi instantly fell silent.
"Good grief… what is he trying to do?"
"This is a song I wrote for Mutsumi. Do you like it?"
Kamijou Mutsuki didn't seem surprised by Wakaba Mutsumi's reaction at all.
"..."
No matter what it was, as long as it was something Kamijou Mutsuki gave her, she would probably like it.
But this song was really a bit…
"I'm just giving this song to you. Whether you sing it or not is up to you."
Seeing that Mutsumi seemed hesitant and conflicted, Kamijou Mutsuki said this.
All he could do was offer the choice—the final decision still belonged to Mutsumi herself.
"…I'll sing it!"
The lyrics were clearly quite outrageous, and yet somehow…
They felt like they were speaking her true feelings.
Mutsumi, caught between the two of them and suffering from both sides—especially today…
Did she really have no resentment at all in her heart?
She didn't know.
But if Kamijou Mutsuki believed this was the right thing to do, then she would do it.
After finishing the discussion about the song, Mutsumi directly hugged Kamijou Mutsuki again.
"Today… might not be a good idea, right?"
It had to be said that even without actually eating it, the taste of cucumbers was still quite delicious.
Sakiko-sensei was one thing, but Miki Sayaka being nearby would really be a bit impolite.
"I just want to hold Mutsuki."
A faint blush appeared on Mutsumi's face.
How exactly did Mutsuki see her?
In the end, she still got her wish and obtained the "Mutsuki-brand body pillow."
However, when she thought about Sayaka next door, Mutsumi still felt a little guilty.
After all, although they had only met today, Sayaka—the big sister—had actually treated her quite well.
As Kamijou Mutsuki's childhood friend, she hadn't shown hostility or made things difficult for Mutsumi, the one who came later.
Yet in the matter between Nagasaki Soyo and Sakiko Togawa, the one who was actually hurt the most was her.
She needed to replenish enough "Mutsuki energy" to heal the wounds in her heart.
As for Sayaka…
Kamijou Mutsuki had already invited her earlier.
She was only hugging him and not doing anything else, so it didn't count as jumping the queue!
However, even so, Mutsumi still couldn't completely convince herself.
I'm sorry, Sayaka… this will be the last time!
Thinking this, Mutsumi hugged Kamijou Mutsuki and closed her eyes.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Sayaka lay on the bed, the blush on her face still refusing to fade.
Mutsuki… isn't he a little too impatient?
She actually hadn't intended to refuse.
But it was just too early and too sudden—she simply hadn't had time to prepare herself mentally.
Still, didn't this also mean that she was quite attractive to Kamijou Mutsuki?
Thinking of this, Sayaka felt a little shy, but even more happy and proud.
Lady Sayaka is still pretty charming after all!
However, today's experience had truly been unexpected.
To think she had started dating Mutsuki so easily… it really felt like a dream.
The only regret was that her boyfriend was a bit of a playboy—besides her, he even had a fiancée.
Although her childhood friend had shown signs of being like this since they were young, now that the day had actually come, her feelings were still a bit complicated.
Oh well.
Mutsumi was quite cute anyway, and she didn't dislike her.
She had finally gotten together with the person she had liked since childhood—she should be happy about it!
Taking out her phone, she prepared to share this joy with her friends.
Who should she tell first?
For some reason, the first person who came to her mind was a certain young lady with the same emerald-green long hair as Mutsumi.
"Let's tell Hitomi first. She'll definitely be happy for me!"
....................