Night fell. Jhin was woken from the warm bed, surrounded by a faint fragrance, by his grumbling stomach.
Yumiko lay naked on her side next to him, his left arm clamped between her snowy white, smooth breasts, almost tempting him to choose to remain lying in this gentle embrace.
However, how could a foodie possibly fall asleep on an empty stomach? Even the company of a sleeping beauty couldn't quell the protests his stomach was constantly transmitting to his brain nerves.
In order not to wake the soundly sleeping Yumiko, Jhin had no choice but to summon his Substitute to stop time, then change his clothes and leave the maiden's bedroom.
Ever since shifting most of his focus to Mihama Academy, Jhin's bedroom fridge had basically held no food, becoming a mere decoration. Ingredients were all kept in the kitchen refrigerator. After another round of appliance upgrades, the kitchen fridge had been replaced with the largest capacity model on the market.
Even with the people in the dorm cooking every day, they only needed to shop for ingredients about every two weeks. However, aside from Jhin, Suou Amane, and Kato Megumi, the others rarely cooked. Thus, this high-capacity fridge had thoroughly degenerated into the girls' snack vault, stuffed with various snacks brought back from shopping trips that required refrigeration or freezing.
Occasionally, one could see Irisu Makina standing in front of the fridge loudly complaining about who ate her pudding again. If it was Kazami Kazuki, she could only aggrievedly seek Jhin out to act spoiled. Who told her to be Jhin's sister? She couldn't afford to offend her; she absolutely couldn't.
Jhin could only pay his sister's debts, feeding Irisu Makina full with milk. At first, when this happened two or three times, he treated it as an accident. But later, this situation evolved into some strange tacit understanding between Irisu Makina and Kazami Kazuki, happening once or twice every week. Only then did Jhin realize these two were teaming up to scam him.
Although, it wasn't exactly a loss for him.
"It seems the day to shop for ingredients is coming up. I wonder if there are any leftover snacks in the fridge. If there are, I'll just eat Makina's pudding. It'll save her and Kazuki from always playing that combo move."
Jhin muttered as he walked into the kitchen. He opened the fridge, and sure enough, it was empty. To prevent waste, the vegetables and snacks inside would be consumed by the girls before every shopping day arrived.
"This is a fridge that would make even a mouse weep. Maybe I should just go out and buy some instant noodles..." Jhin scratched his hair. He really didn't want to go out, and he was so hungry he didn't want to move at all. If he ordered takeout... by the time it was delivered to Mihama Academy, Jhin feared he could have walked back and forth between the school and the convenience store twice.
Jhin never imagined that he would actually have a day where he worried about not having anything to eat.
Rich, able to cook, but no ingredients.
A single golden ahoge extended in from outside the kitchen. Michiru Matsushima saw Jhin standing in a daze before the fridge and asked him, "Jhin, you're still not asleep at this hour?"
"Michiru? You haven't slept either?"
"I'm having a little trouble sleeping."
"I'm hungry and was preparing to make something to eat, but I found the fridge empty."
Michiru Matsushima looked at the last chocolate bar wrapper in her hand that she had just finished, biting her lip awkwardly. "Sorry, I just finished the last snack..."
"It's fine. Do you want to go out and buy something together? I happen to not want to go alone."
"Sure, I'll go put on a jacket. Wait for me." Michiru Matsushima turned and tiptoed back to her bedroom.
[The plan seems very successful.]
[That's natural. This is the best opportunity; we absolutely cannot fail!]
[Don't worry, I've already rehearsed it in my brain countless times.]
Michiru Matsushima put on a blue jacket, changed her shoes, and walked out of the dorm's main entrance. Jhin was waiting for her outside.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Let's go."
"Mm."
The weather was gradually stepping into autumn. The night wind, which originally just felt cool, now made one want to cover their collar. Michiru Matsushima subconsciously breathed into her palms and rubbed her hands together.
"Are your hands cold?"
"N-Not cold. It's just that when the wind blows, I do it subconsciously."
Without a second word, Jhin stuffed Michiru Matsushima's small hand into his own pocket, looking at her with a smile. "Not cold like this, right?"
"I-I said I wasn't cold! Who... who let you take the initiative to do this?" Michiru Matsushima turned her head away with a flushed face. Her hand didn't withdraw from his pocket; instead, it reached further inside.
"Yes, yes, yes, it was all my own initiative. I wonder if Miss Michiru can forgive me?"
"You, you, you! I said you can't use that title."
"Why? Even Sachi can call you that."
"With Sachi, it's because no matter what I tell her, she insists on calling me that and won't listen to anything else, so I allowed it." Michiru Matsushima also regretted letting Komine Sachi call her 'Young Miss' back then. It had resulted in something like a dark history now, with her always calling it out on the most inappropriate occasions.
Michiru Matsushima attempted to use a fierce glare to make Jhin stop using that title. "You definitely want to tease me, that's why you're calling me that! If you say it again, don't blame me for being impolite."
"Okay, okay, I won't call you that. The convenience store is here. Let's buy things first; I'm starving to death."
"Hmph, that's more like it."
Jhin bought some instant noodles, ham sausages, and cola. Michiru Matsushima followed behind him empty-handed.
"Michiru, aren't you buying anything?"
"I'm not hungry."
So she just wanted to specifically be alone with me for a while.
Jhin rubbed the top of Michiru Matsushima's head, which she dodged in annoyance.
"Why did you touch my head all of a sudden?"
"Nothing. Are you really not hungry? The instant noodles I bought are enough for two people."
"I-If there's extra, then I'll help you eat a little."
Rushing back to the dorm at top speed, Jhin boiled water, tossed the instant noodles into the pot, added the seasoning packets, and threw in the ham sausages. Before long, the aroma of instant noodles filled the kitchen.
Michiru Matsushima only asked for a tiny bit of noodles. She ate them one by one while watching Jhin. By the time he satisfiedly drank the last drop of soup, the noodles in her hand were also finished.
"Are you going to sleep now that you've eaten?"
"You're suddenly caring about me so much; I'm really flattered."
"Hah? How could I be caring about you..." Michiru Matsushima gave a light hmph, closed her eyes, and turned her head away, speaking stubbornly, "Don't get carried away. Any... anyway, hurry up and go to sleep, idiot."
[Hey! Why did you actually tell him to go to sleep?!]
[This is called playing hard to get.]
[Can't you just follow the plan?]
"Then I'll go sleep now."
"Wait!" Seeing Jhin actually get up to go to sleep, Michiru Matsushima realized she had overplayed her hand. She hurriedly called out to him, "I still have mangoes in my room. Do you want to eat?"
"There's fruit too? That works. My mouth is a bit dry after eating instant noodles anyway."
Jhin followed Michiru Matsushima into the bedroom. Before he could ask her where the canned mangoes were, Michiru Matsushima turned off the bedroom light. Immediately, a fragrant breeze accompanied by the sound of clothes falling threw itself into his arms.
So, it really was mangoes...
____
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