Chapter 104 – Has Shinichi Sato Finally Opened Up?
“Downstairs…?!”
As if she had seen a ghost, Kazumi stared at the short message sent on her phone. Holding her phone tightly, she quickly walked to the window and peeked out with a strange expression. Then, she saw the familiar figure standing foolishly downstairs.
“Good evening!”
As if hearing the sound of the window opening upstairs, the blond young man standing in place raised his head. His gaze met the cold eyes of the young girl who had poked her head out from the window above. Her pale blue eyes, even in the night, emitted a faint glow, as if containing an entire sky, making one long for it.
Looking at the young man staring straight at her from below, Kazumi couldn’t muster any of the expressions she had brewed in her mind. She let out a long sigh and finally said to him below, as if resigned.
“You, you should come up first.”
Scratching his head helplessly, Kazumi closed the window and walked inside.
What kind of situation is this? Although she did invite the pup herself, this is too enthusiastic! It’s unbearable that he keeps coming to her house. It seems she’ll have to find a way to cool him down later, at least not like this every time.
But since he’s already here, Kazumi really couldn’t do anything to make him wait downstairs while she tidied up. She hadn’t even had time to wash the dishes, let alone do some preparations before going out. Even at the fastest pace, she felt it would take at least half an hour. So, she decided to just call the pup up to sit for a while.
Compared to the oblivious protagonist, Shinichi Sato froze in place, watching the girl who had disappeared from the window above. He couldn’t help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.
Recalling the teasing from his two seniors during their previous mission, Shinichi Sato’s heart began to beat uncontrollably. It had taken him a great deal of effort to explain that his girlfriend was not a minor, but he was still labeled a “lolicon” by them. After all, his appearance in battle mode was indeed a bit too rugged compared to the petite Kazumi.
Of course, these were not the most important things. Hayami Inoshimizu’s meaningful words echoed in his ears again, such as “grasp the opportunity well” and “you need to relax after a battle.” These made him feel a bit stirred at the time, but he just dismissed them as the teasing of elders.
Because for Shinichi Sato, the girl’s position in his heart was probably sacred and inviolable. He would quickly extinguish any such thoughts. As someone experiencing love for the first time, he was unwilling and unable to think of the girl who was most important in his heart from that perspective. All he wanted was to protect her well for a lifetime.
But!!!
The current situation really made the young man lean towards misunderstanding. He knew that the girl lived alone, and it was a weekend night full of ambiguous aura. His girlfriend, who had asked him out for a walk that evening, immediately called him to her solitary house. Even Shinichi Sato, with an emotional quotient close to zero, knew what would happen next.
“No, no, no, Kazumi definitely doesn’t think that way. What are you thinking about? She just doesn’t want me to be bitten by mosquitoes downstairs!!”
Seeing his own fantasies gradually heading in a bad direction, Shinichi Sato quickly pulled out his hands and slapped his cheeks twice, not allowing himself to defile the girl in his mind.
Kazumi definitely just cares about him. How could she possibly have such thoughts!!
Although they had been together for some time, the development of their relationship had definitely not reached that point. Knowing Kazumi as he did, she wouldn’t be such a frivolous girl.
With righteous indignation, Shinichi Sato’s movements were not hesitant in the slightest as he quickly ran towards the staircase ahead.
…
“Kiyomizu-san…”
Nervously, he opened the half-closed door in front of him, and the living room, filled with a cold aura, appeared before Shinichi Sato. The empty living room made the excited young man calm down a bit. He tiptoed inside.
Shinichi Sato had been to the girl’s house before. But perhaps it was because he was there to comfort his devastated little girlfriend at the time, so his attention was mostly on Kazumi, and he didn’t pay much attention to the surrounding environment. This time, he had the leisure to properly observe the surrounding decoration.
The walls were dilapidated, the furniture was old, and the curtains were dimly colored. Except for the green plant by the windowsill, there seemed to be no place in the entire room with any vitality. Everywhere was covered with a sense of twilight that made one lose enthusiasm.
[Kiyomizu-san… Kazumi, is this how she lives?]
A flash of pity crossed his eyes. Shinichi Sato looked around the environment and then recalled that the girl’s parents had passed away when she was very young. Growing up alone in such an environment, the heartache in his heart became even more unbearable, making him wish he could hold the girl in his arms right now.
On the shoe cabinet next to him, two pairs of small, standard shoes were placed alone. Besides that, there wasn’t even an extra pair of shoes. The shoe rack below was visibly dusty.
This situation made Shinichi Sato unsure of what to do. Without spare slippers, he felt it was too rude to step into someone else’s house with his dirty shoes.
“Well, why are you standing at the door? Come in and sit down for a while. It’s okay. It’s not very clean anyway, just come in with your shoes on. I’ll wash the dishes and tidy up, then we can leave.”
Hearing the sound, Kazumi came to help the young man out of his predicament. She was wearing a black pajama set and a brown apron loosely tied around her. With her sleeves rolled up, her hands held a washed bowl and plate, exuding a virtuous aura of a wife.
“Ah, okay.”
The girl’s attire and the aura she exuded made Shinichi Sato stare blankly for a while. He dazedly replied to Kazumi and then, like a robot, walked straight in, closing the door behind him.
“Okay, okay. It’s not too late yet, right? Wait for me in the living room. Do you want me to turn on the TV for you?”
Kazumi glanced at the suddenly abnormal pup beside her somewhat strangely. She freed one hand and wiped it on the apron she was wearing, then looked up at Shinichi Sato and asked.
“No, no, no. I’ll just sit for a while.”
Hearing Kazumi’s question, Shinichi Sato quickly came back to his senses, shaking his hands to refuse the girl’s kind offer.
“Then… okay. I’ll try to finish as quickly as possible.”
Glancing at Shinichi Sato again, Kazumi shook her head. Then, she turned and walked towards the kitchen, planning to finish her tasks quickly. It felt like he wasn’t very comfortable staying at her place for so long.
“Kiyomizu-san!!”
Before Kazumi could take two steps, a familiar young voice sounded behind her. Turning around with a question, she looked at Shinichi Sato, who had a serious expression on his face.
“Hmm? What is it?”
Seeming a little nervous, the young man scratched his cheek, not daring to look the girl directly in the eye. But he still stuttered out what was on his mind.
“Kiyomizu-san, you, you look great in that outfit right now!!”
