"Hee~ So this is where Hiro lives? Your house sure is big."

"Fufu, since this is your first time here let me, as an expert, show you around!"

"But Chiaka, you've never been inside either..."

"Tsk-- But I've left a package here once!"

"Yeah, used bento boxes, you didn't even clean them before returning."

"As I said, I'll show you around, Yuriko."

"Ah, um, yes..."

"Please open the door, Hiro."

"Yes, yes."

After I open the door both of them quickly enter and start giving their first impressions in unison.

"Big!"

"Old-fashioned!"

"Look, Chiaka, this is where you should say something positive and curry favor with me, no?"

She is not wrong, though. I never touched the design of the building since I started living here. I left it all as my grandpa left me. Not only that, but I don't find this traditional design to be ugly, and I didn't really see any benefit in a redesign either. It's a bit like those themed hotels for me.

"So, which room is yours?"

"Didn't you say you would show her around?"

"Don't mind it. There are more important things to think about right now!"

"Sigh... Whatever, come I'll show you guys everything."

Like that, I showed them around. Considering their reactions, I should at least put add a few decorations to my room. I normally carry everything around with me in my Item Box, so I didn't think about how plain both my houses looked, but when I invite women inside, at least they shouldn't be turned off from a lack of design in my room. The rest of the house is secondary. It's fine if the rest stays the same.

*        *        *

""Thank you for the food!""

"As expected, Hiro just makes the best food."

"Mm! It's always a treat, without exception."

"Thank you, but we did this together, so take some credit too."

Well, they didn't only chit-chat while I was cooking at least.

"We only prepared the ingredients though. I'm telling you. Your food is better than any restaurant I've eaten yet. Maybe you should open one once you graduate."

"Yeah, I would eat there every day!"

"You just say that because you want free food."

"Nonsense, obviously I would pay!"

"Obviously?"

"Yep! With kisses, that is."

"Waah--"

"Sigh... Yeah, it should have been obvious by now."

"What are we doing next?"

"Hm? You're not going home?"

"No need. This is my home now!"

"Umm, actually I need to go home soon..."

"When will you be going?"

"I called a taxi while you were cooking. And I think they already came while we were finishing eating. I don't want to leave them waiting any longer, so I'll leave the two of you alone. Bye~!"

After standing up Yuriko gives a deep nod with a determined face.

Chiaka for some reason returns her nod. Seems like they made a plan while I was busy.

Whether you have superhuman hearing or not, if they talk in the other room while I stand in front of the kitchen ventilation, I have no chance to hear them.

She then quickly leaves...

"Huh? Okay, sure..."

Really... What's with this sudden escape? I bet it is one of Chiaka's plans. Yuriko always gets swept up by her.

"We should do some sports to digest the food. You had a dojo-like training room in the back building, right? Let's go there."

"Uh, sure. Normally you should only take a walk for digestions though, you know?"

"Don't mind the details~ I'm going to show you why I am such a feared fighter!"

"Yeah, yeah. If you don't have anything to change into, I can lend you some stuff."

"Yes please!"

"Let's see... These should fit you. Here you go."

"Thanks! I'll go ahead and change, you wait here."

I'm glad, but it's weird that she doesn't even question the existence of those clothes. If it was me, I'd accuse me of being a creep right then. Maybe her mind is preoccupied.

I'll also get dressed while Chiaka is not here. Simple grayish training clothes will do. After making sure she isn't peaking, I use my Item Box to instantly change clothes. While I wouldn't mind being seen naked by her, it would probably be bad if she saw me use skills like this.

Actually... I've been thinking about showing her the otherworld right away. I still didn't fully decide when to do that. Initially, I wanted everyone to come at once. We've all been hanging around long enough for me to trust them, so that isn't a problem anymore at least.

Chiaka enters abruptly.

"Hiro, you can come now! Eh? You're already dressed up?"

"Yeah, I mean, I had everything here anyway."

"Uugh, I hurried for nothing..."

"Let's go, you wanted to have a training session, no?"

"Yes! I wanted to train a bit for Friday! I'll also use this chance to prove my prowess to you~"

"Sure, go ahead. You don't really have anything to prove to me though."

"No. You've been looking down on me during class, haven't you? Do you think I haven't noticed?"

"Yes, you're right. I look down on your physical capabilities, like everyone else. But unlike everyone else, I also look down on your mental capabilities. So yeah, I thought you wouldn't notice anything, no matter how obvious I made it."

"..."

It is one of the rare moments of Chiaka being the silent one. Her dumbfounded expression is super cute.

GodlessEmperor

Sorry, about not releasing a chapter last Friday. Things got a bit hectic here, so I didn't get to it before now. To be honest, I'm not sure if I can even handle 3 chapters a week right now. I thought I lowered it enough, but I'll probably just try and write as much as possible and release chapters inconsistently. Any type of schedule would probably just hinder me at the moment. Sorry about that... :(

On a side note, not doing anything 'hand-heavy' for a few days seems to have made my hand hurt way less, so that's something positive to speak about at least.

I've been feeling like my densely packed release schedule has been my only selling point, so I'll try to get things in order as fast as possible, so I can concentrate on writing again!