"If it's Sora-kun... it's okay..."
The girl's shy whisper reached his ears.
Not a confession.
But it was better than a confession.
Sora lowered his gaze to look at Angel-sama. Her pretty face was flushed crimson, even the tips of her ears turned into red agate. His gaze quietly softened, and he felt his heartbeat rapidly accelerating.
The feeling of his heart racing was incredibly distinct.
"Your back is exposed, be careful not to catch a cold."
Sora spoke softly, his right hand gently wrapping around Angel-sama, pulling her into his embrace.
"Mmm..."
Shiina Mahiru quietly pursed her beautiful lips, feeling slightly nervous.
But as her body was enveloped by the familiar warmth, smelling his familiar scent, and hearing the rapid, strong heartbeat of the boy beside her, Shiina Mahiru's heart quickly settled down. Her slight nervousness soon vanished like mist.
"I promise I won't bully you," Sora promised softly. "Once the magic purification is complete, I'll send Mahiru back."
"Thank you, Sora-kun..."
Shiina Mahiru thanked him shyly, her heartbeat also quietly accelerating.
Sharing a bed with a boy for the first time in her life, of course she would feel nervous and shy.
The room quietly fell silent.
Only the sound of each other's breathing and heartbeats was exceptionally clear.
Before long.
A rustling sound could be heard.
Shiina Mahiru temporarily couldn't see, but she could feel Sora reach out and carefully tuck the blanket around her back.
After tucking her in, Sora didn't bring his hand back under the covers. Instead, he placed it directly under his head as a pillow.
Feeling the reassuring warmth quietly slipping away, Shiina Mahiru bit her lower lip with her pearly white teeth, a flash of hesitation crossing her pretty face.
I want to get... a little closer... Just like in the dead of winter, humans will involuntarily draw near a fire to feel at peace.
If I get this close to Sora-kun, would it be too bold? But in the end, the fluttering in her heart overcame the girl's modesty.
I'm sorry, I really am a cowardly creature who can't survive without feeling the warmth of others... Shiina Mahiru lightly bit her lower lip. Like a newborn kitten, she inched her body closer bit by bit, quietly hiding in Sora's embrace.
It was precisely because she had tasted the loneliness of standing alone at the end of the world that she cherished the warmth of this moment all the more.
Sora naturally noticed Mahiru's little movements. He gently wrapped his arm around her, letting it serve as a pillow for Angel-sama's head.
Neither of them spoke, and the room remained deathly quiet, but the warmth passed between them spoke louder than a thousand words.
Shiina Mahiru's tense body quietly relaxed. The corners of her pink lips curled up gently, tracing a sweet arc, and then sleepiness washed over her.
The night passed without words.
The next day.
Shiina Mahiru groggily opened her eyes, only to realize that the sky outside the window was already bright.
"It's dawn... wait, Sora-kun?"
As her vision focused and she clearly saw the boy lying next to her, Shiina Mahiru quickly widened her eyes. The memories in her mind instantly became clear.
"This is Sora-kun's room... I teleported here last night, and then... and then I actually fell asleep in Sora-kun's arms?"
After figuring out the current situation, the temperature of Shiina Mahiru's face rose rapidly.
She wasn't worried that Sora would do something strange while she was asleep. Having spent so much time together, she knew Sora's character very well. She was just purely shy.
H-How embarrassing...It only takes a few minutes to purify the magic, yet I actually fell asleep... I usually take a long time to fall asleep...And... why didn't Sora-kun wake me up?Maybe he did call me, but I was sleeping too deeply and didn't hear him... The thoughts in her mind quietly stirred up waves, then quickly returned to calm.
So she fell asleep, so what.
It was just sharing a bed. If it was Sora-kun... she could completely accept it.
Shiina Mahiru quietly lifted her head and looked around.
She saw a ray of sunlight shining through a gap in the curtains, forming a beam of light in the air.
Sora-kun wakes up on time every day. He isn't awake yet, so it must still be very early... As her gaze fell on the sleeping boy's profile, Shiina Mahiru's heartbeat quietly accelerated.
I want a kiss... Once this thought sprouted, it grew quietly like vines in the spring breeze, impossible to cut off.
A-Anyway, Sora-kun isn't awake yet... Hesitating for two seconds, Shiina Mahiru, with a blushing pretty face, carefully leaned forward and secretly kissed Sora's cheek.
"Phew..."
Angel-sama exhaled, inexplicably feeling a sense of guilty conscience, like a thief.
We aren't even dating, yet I'm doing this kind of thing... So this is what it feels like to be a thieving cat... Listening to her own rapid heartbeat, Shiina Mahiru suddenly noticed Sora's eyes move slightly, as if he was about to wake up. Flustered, she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
"Mahiru...?"
Sora's voice murmured softly.
Although it wasn't his usual waking time, he had a vague feeling. Had he just... been secretly kissed?
"..."
Shiina Mahiru kept her eyes closed, pretending to be asleep, and didn't make a sound.
Looking at Angel-sama, with her flushed pretty face and pretending to sleep, Sora leaned down.
Courtesy demands reciprocity, of course.
Their lips touched.
Shiina Mahiru's eyelashes fluttered in a panic. But since she was 'pretending to sleep', she could only let it happen.
A moment later. The girl's rapid breathing broke the silence.
Shiina Mahiru's pink lips parted slightly, her eyes moist. She shyly pushed against Sora's chest with her hands:
"I s-suddenly remembered something..."
Sora: "Going to the bathroom?"
Shiina Mahiru: "It's the clothes I washed yesterday, they are still in the washing machine... I didn't take them out to hang up last night, they definitely smell by now. Sora-kun, hurry up and send me back."
Sora: "..."
Still worrying about unhung laundry at a time like this. Stop letting your mind wander while we're kissing!
Since Mahiru was anxious to get back to hang her laundry, he naturally had to agree.
Sora grasped Mahiru's soft hand and teleported with her next door. He originally planned to stay and help, but was quickly shooed back by a shy Angel-sama.
Not long after breakfast, the doorbell rang.
Sora got up to open the door. A blonde loli wearing a red princess dress stood outside, hands on her hips, looking proud:
"Idiot Servant, I haven't had breakfast yet."
Sora looked over, speechless:
"So?"
Elf put her hands on her hips, like a proud little peacock, strutting in with an arrogant gait:
"So hurry up and prepare breakfast. As a Servant, preparing breakfast for the master is your duty."
Elf actually had a personality that feared loneliness, which was why she specially came over to freeload after waking up.
Before long, the doorbell rang again. Yanami, carrying a backpack, stood outside. They were going to study together. The distance between their houses wasn't far; otherwise, they wouldn't be childhood friends. It took less than ten minutes to walk.
"Sora, Elf, good morning~"
The gluttonous sea otter's voice was crisp and bright as always:
"I'm here."
Kuroneko didn't plan on coming over today; she was going to take care of her sisters at home. Plus, she had good grades and didn't need tutoring.
It was only after Elf and Yanami had both arrived that Shiina Mahiru finally 'arrived late'.
"Why did Mahiru take so long?"
Yamada Elf asked curiously.
Shiina Mahiru's gaze darted around, her pretty face flushing slightly:
"Umm... I overslept this morning."
This was a lie.
The truth was, she was too shy to come over early.
"Mahiru actually overslept?"
Yamada Elf was quite surprised.
"I remember Mahiru clearly wakes up on time every day."
Shiina Mahiru guiltily turned her pretty face away:
"Maybe I had insomnia last night."
As she spoke, Angel-sama silently apologized in her heart.
Sorry Elf, I lied again... Not only did she not have insomnia last night, but her sleep quality was super good.
When she was alone before, she would occasionally wake up in the middle of the night; her sleep quality was actually quite average. But yesterday, sharing a bed with Sora for the first time, she slept soundly until dawn...
Such a shameful thing, of course she was too embarrassed to tell everyone.
As they were talking, the doorbell rang again.
"I'll get it."
Shiina Mahiru quietly breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly turned towards the entryway.
The door opened, and a girl with straight bangs, wearing a white button-down shirt and a blue pleated skirt, stood elegantly outside. It was Tiara.
"Eh, Mahiru-san?"
Tiara was slightly taken aback.
"Tiara, good morning."
Shiina Mahiru's voice was gentle.
"Hurry and come in."
"Excuse me..."
Tiara nodded subconsciously and quickly stepped into the entryway. Then she saw Shiina Mahiru bend down, open the shoe cabinet, take out a pair of white women's slippers, and casually take Tiara's backpack:
"These are spare slippers prepared especially for guests. I washed them the day before yesterday, so you can wear them with peace of mind, Tiara."
"Thank you, Mahiru..."
Tiara thanked her subconsciously. Once she realized the situation, she couldn't help but murmur to herself:
"It feels like Mahiru-san is the lady of the house..."
Yanami, who was walking over to say hello, happened to hear this, and the smile on her face froze instantly.
Lady of the house?Mahiru is just a thieving cat, she's not the lady of the house!I was clearly first, whether it was meeting Sora or coming to play at his house. I should be the lady of the house!
"Tiara, good morning."
Seeing her, Tiara quickly raised a hand in greeting.
"Good morning..."
Yanami coughed lightly twice and replied with a smile, though her smile ultimately wasn't as bright as before.
"Tiara, come over here and sit."
Yamada Elf waved happily.
"We were just waiting for you."
"Elf-sensei, good morning."
Tiara greeted politely but didn't immediately go over and sit down. Instead, she opened her schoolbag, took out a box of pastries, and handed it to Izumi Sora:
"Izumi-kun, these are cookies I made myself yesterday, please accept them."
First visit gift, Izumi Sora naturally wouldn't refuse.
"Thank you, Tiara."
Sora politely took the cookies and casually handed them to Mahiru.
"Tiara, go sit down first."
Shiina Mahiru naturally took the cookies.
"Would you like barley tea or fruit juice?"
"Either is fine."
"Then barley tea it is, please wait a moment."
"..."
After greetings were exchanged, Tiara hugged her schoolbag and walked over to sit next to Elf.
Not long after, she saw Mahiru bring over several glasses of chilled barley tea on a tray, making her feelings even more subtle.
If I remember correctly, Mahiru-san lives next door, right?She should be a guest just like me...But she's serving fruit and brewing tea... this is clearly what a lady of the house would do, right?
"The strangest thing is..."
Tiara quietly looked around.
"Why isn't everyone else surprised at all, as if this is how it should be?"
Sora picked up his teacup, took a sip of chilled barley tea, and then said:
"Time to start studying."
"Yes."
Tiara quickly sat up straight, putting aside her subtle feelings, and entered focus mode.
An hour later.
Thump. Elf slumped face-down on the table in frustration.
"I can't anymore, my head is full. I can't take in a single drop more... Let's play a game, everyone?"
Sora glanced over upon hearing this:
"Human limits aren't that weak."
"Idiot Sora, stop talking."
Elf secretly kicked him under the table, then propped her chin on her hands, her voice expectant.
"How about we play Old Maid? The loser gets a punishment."
"Agreed, agreed."
Yanami Anna raised her right hand, her eyes sparkling.
"Balancing work and rest improves efficiency. My head is already dizzy and swollen. Sora, hurry up and get the playing cards."
Sora spread his hands:
"I haven't played in so long, I forgot where the playing cards are."
"If I remember correctly, they should be in the drawer under the TV..."
At the critical moment, Shiina Mahiru stood up, speaking as she went to look for the playing cards.
"Found them."
Looking at Angel-sama holding the playing cards, Tiara subconsciously complained:
"Even Izumi-kun didn't know where the playing cards were, but Mahiru found them easily... As expected, she really is the lady of the house in charge of storage, right?"
Hearing this sentence, Yanami's pink cheeks subconsciously puffed up.
I could find the playing cards too!I just didn't remember them for a moment!Tiara is so mean, why is her head full of Mahiru!
"Tiara, let's play Old Maid together. The more people, the merrier."
Yamada Elf invited enthusiastically.
"I-I don't know how..."
Tiara quickly waved her hands.
"I've never played Old Maid, you guys play."
"Don't worry if you don't know how to play."
Sora said casually.
"The world is just a giant makeshift stage. The vast majority of people are ridiculously incompetent. So don't worry about lacking ability, because everyone is just bluffing, and no one calls each other out."
Shiina Mahiru's voice was gentle:
"I haven't played either, so this is a good chance to try it out."
"T-Then alright..."
Tiara had to agree.
A moment later.
Tiara and Mahiru were the only ones left at the card table.
Mahiru had two cards, Tiara had one card.
"My turn, draw a card."
Tiara took a deep breath, preparing to draw a card.
Fingers touching... Mahiru's expression changed, so easy to read.
Tiara:
"She really is cute..."
Sora:
"..."
Hey, hey, you aren't trying to steal my girl, are you! ---