“No matter how much you heard my voice, you should confirm who the opponent is before opening the door, right? What would you have done if it wasn’t me?”
“…Yes.”
“And even if you came out in a hurry, you should have dressed neatly. It’s a matter of courtesy, not just about being male or female.”
“I’m, I’m sorry.”
“And what kind of logic is it that you can’t sleep because you’re scared and nervous, so you stay up all night? You think if you half-sleep, the broadcast will be affected? The more I think about it, staying up and broadcasting is way more dangerous.”
“Th-that’s right.”
After organizing my clothes and room, I brought Suzuha in, and as expected, I was being bombarded with nagging.
Every single thing was my fault, so there was no room for excuses whatsoever.
If there’s one saving grace, it’s that I was at least talking with my head bowed in reflection.
Honestly, it was dizzying just hearing the voice coming from right in front of me, rather than through headphones like usual.
If I had to look her in the face, I probably would have felt sick immediately.
“If everything had been fine in the first place, we wouldn’t need to have this conversation, but Izumi, you’ve caused a lot of trouble, haven’t you? That’s why….”
But still, I couldn’t just keep taking it like this.
This house… is definitely my mom’s, but right now, since neither mom nor Yuyika is home, I’m the actual owner, aren’t I?
With the memories of my previous life, I have a mental age of 40.
There’s over a 15-year difference compared to Suzuha, who’s only 24.
It’s time to show the dignity of someone in their 40s.
“…Do you have something to say?”
Realizing she was pushing too hard, Suzuha finally showed a crack.
Hehe, is the counterattack about to begin?
“Um, um….”
As I slightly lifted my head to deliver the perfect counter…
“….”
There was Suzuha, with a gaze so cold it could freeze time itself.
“Th-this is, um, our house….”
“Hmm? What did you say?”
“…Ah, nothing.”
“Haah, really, if this happens again….”
Should I let it slide just this once? There’s a saying about the composure of the strong….
★
“So? You just woke up, so you haven’t had lunch yet, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
It only felt like about an hour had passed, but it seemed like an eternity while I endured Suzuha’s nagging.
From midway, it was almost the same story repeating, and I couldn’t even make a single excuse until the end.
I don’t think I’ve ever been scolded like this by mom…
“It’s 3:30, but you should eat something. I’m going to use the kitchen.”
“Yes, yes…? Huh?”
Before I could say anything to stop her, Suzuha was already getting up and heading toward the kitchen.
“U-um, Suzuha, is it okay if I make the food?”
“Huh? It’s partly my fault for making you eat late, so I’ll do it.”
I hurriedly followed her to the kitchen to try to stop her, but she responded with a smile as if it was nothing.
“But I… I can—”
“Hmm. You don’t trust my cooking skills, do you?”
“N-no, that’s not it!”
“Then just trust me once. I can cook well enough.”
Ugh. What kind of tremendous mommy power is this…
“Okay, then what should I make….”
“What do you think?”
“It’s, it’s delicious.”
The late lunch Suzuha prepared was golden fried rice, miso soup, and bacon bean sprouts.
As confident as she seemed in her cooking, everything Suzuha made was delicious.
The miso soup was, of course, clean, and the bacon bean sprouts had almost no greasiness at all.
And the biggest surprise was the golden fried rice.
Every time I made it, the eggs would clump together or the rice would get soggy, but Suzuha’s golden fried rice had no such issues and was perfectly golden with a fluffy texture.
The final obstacle in my quest to master golden fried rice turned out to be Suzuha…
“But what were you originally planning to eat?”
“Um, I was probably going to settle for instant noodles….”
When I’m alone for lunch, I usually just take the easy way out.
“…Really?”
“Yes, yes. Um, I usually eat like that for lunch.”
Suzuha suddenly started giving me a once-over after hearing my answer.
W-what, did I do something wrong?
“Is it something you were born with, or are you just young….”
“Yes?”
“Never mind.”
With that, Suzuha snorted and looked away.
That said, hearing Suzuha imply she looks youthful makes me feel odd.
Just a while ago, she was standing in the kitchen using a chair as a step because she was short.
I bet it would’ve looked cute to someone who didn’t know her.
“…Izumi. You’re thinking something weird again.”
“Uh? N-no, I’m not?! I-I was just amazed at how delicious the food is!”
Her pitch-black eyes, like the night sky, glared at me.
Her calm deep purple hair combined with her sharp impression was honestly a bit scary.
“Hmm.”
Speaking of which, how does Suzuha read my thoughts so well?
It’s a bit too much to handle…
★
“Ugh.”
Why did I come 30 minutes early?
Suzuha thought to herself with a big sigh.
To be honest, Suzuha was currently quite exhausted.
No wonder—it was the middle of summer and had been over an hour since she stood outside.
Had she known, she would have brought her car, she regretted silently.
Izumi’s house had plenty of space to park a car.
Her back was already damp with sweat, and she felt slightly faint, as if she had a mild heat stroke.
“Is anyone home?!”
She pressed the doorbell over 50 times and called Miss Kainoh nearly 30 times.
The number of DMs sent was something she didn’t even want to remember.
At first, she thought Izumi was either taking a shower or tidying up since she had come 30 minutes early, but once 1:50 hit, she started excluding that possibility from her mind.
This was clearly a case of either dozing off or being out of the house.
But since Izumi wouldn’t head out, it was clear she was likely asleep, and Suzuha concluded.
“Kayanoh! You’re not deliberately ignoring me, right?!”
Clearing her throat as her voice became hoarse, Suzuha called Izumi again.
A moment later.
“…Is anyone there?!”
Finally, she received a response.
“St-stay calm!”
The sound of the front door bursting open was followed by Izumi appearing in her pajamas.
Seeing that, Suzuha was taken aback.
“…I-I thought that could happen,” she stammered.
“I, um….”
“Let’s just get inside quickly.”
Izumi’s pajamas looked a little too disheveled.
“I-I’m not sure what to do…”
The buttons on her pajama top were undone, exposing her cleavage and belly button with her underwear visible as well.
To make matters worse, her pajama bottoms were slightly down, revealing her panty along with her hips.
If seen from outside, she would likely be regarded as a pervert with exposure issues.
But Izumi didn’t seem to realize she was dressed like that at all.
“Can we hurry and go inside?!”
“K-Koga?!”
“Your clothes! Izumi, your CLOTHES!”
Finally making the point clear, Izumi looked down at herself and gasped!
“Hiiieeeek!”
With a shriek, she slammed the door shut so hard it almost bounced off its hinges.
“…Quickly fix yourself and open up again.”
“…Yes.”
At least it was fortunate there wasn’t anyone passing by.
Suzuha thought as she looked up at the sky.
It was a terribly hot day, perfect for a horror game.
★
“So what were you originally planning to eat?”
In response to that question, Izumi tilted her head slightly before answering.
Of course, her gaze didn’t meet Suzuha’s at all.
“Um, I was probably going to settle for instant noodles….”
“…Really?”
“Y-yes. Uh, for lunch, I usually eat like that.”
A lie.
The thought crossed Suzuha’s mind without her realizing it.
Can she maintain that perfect skin and physique eating instant noodles for lunch?
Suzuha looked up and down at Izumi with incredulity.
Her light brown hair glistened with a silky sheen that anyone could see.
Her skin was immaculate without a single blemish, and the body that had accidentally been revealed due to her earlier mishap held no imperfections.
She was a beautiful girl, even cuter than a doll.
But to hear that she doesn’t care about her diet?
Unless she manages it somehow, Suzuha knew very well that with Izumi’s personality, that wouldn’t happen.
She probably did nothing more than simple exercises.
“Is it something you were born with, or are you just young….”
“Yes?”
“Never mind.”
With that, Izumi scoffed and looked away.
That said, when it came to her youthfulness, Izumi had an odd effect on Suzuha.
If she hadn’t felt envious as a fellow woman, she would surely have been lying.
Yet, as an adult, she didn’t want to show such childish feelings, so Suzuha rolled her eyes and looked away.
“…”
As she momentarily averted her gaze, Izumi unexpectedly looked up at her with a pout.
Like a very obscure feeling.
Even if Suzuha couldn’t read other people’s thoughts, she somehow felt sure of it.
Right now, Izumi was thinking something pretty rude.
“…Izumi. You’re thinking something weird again.”
“Y-yes? N-no way?! I-I was just amazed at how delicious the food is!”
Izumi slightly glared at her, causing Suzuha to flinch and immediately look down.
The frightened Izumi looked just like a small rabbit.
“Hmm.”
She’s cute, so I’ll let it slide.
Suzuha thought and quietly smiled.
Of course, Izumi couldn’t see that smile.
★
“[The Dawn Does Not Break] Please help me. #KainohIzumi #KogaSuzuha #Star’s Flow”
“K-K-Kainoh~. Today, as I mentioned previously, I’ll be playing the horror game ‘The Dawn Does Not Break.’”
– Her voice is already shaking more than usual
– The title of the broadcast is just LOL
“Um, listen. After watching the game’s teaser, I was so scared that I asked my manager if I could take today off. I was outright refused and told not to say anything strange. Isn’t that too much?”
– Of course, right…
– Isn’t the issue a bit more with Mei-chan?
– But how about Suzuha-chan?
“Suzuha is, um, sitting on the bed behind me.”
– ?
– Are you together?
– An off-collab?!
…Ah, right.
Suzuha is just watching the gameplay on the broadcast, isn’t she?
Well, it wouldn’t matter if it got out that they were off-collaborating.
“Yeah. Since I’m the only one home right now, I thought it’d be scary alone, so I asked Suzuha to come.”
– Are you two already that close…?
= Lobster JP¥ 1,000: So what’s the progress?
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