Japanese culture highly values privacy, especially personal spaces like bedrooms. Inviting someone—especially of the opposite sex—into one's room wasn't a common thing. It was a sign of great trust.
As soon as Naoki stepped in through the portal that closed by itself behind him, the first thing he felt was an almost extreme change in atmosphere.
The dry and cold air of Mato was instantly replaced by comfortable warmth. The lighting in this room was dim, using warm white decorative lamps that gave a calm and intimate impression.
(This is... a bedroom? Why did Tenka bring me here?)
Naoki knew they were at the Sixth Unit Anti-Demon Corps headquarters, but he didn't expect Tenka would bypass the living room and directly bring him to the girl's most private place.
"Sit wherever you like. Want tea or coffee?" Tenka asked casually.
There wasn't the slightest awkwardness or embarrassment in her voice, even though she had just brought a strange man into her bedroom.
Naoki chose to sit on the edge of the bed that felt very soft. Hearing the offer, he answered briefly, "Got soda?"
"Hum~ so Naoki-kun is the type of person who doesn't choose the given options, huh? Directly asking for something outside the choices. Interesting~" Tenka didn't hide her interest in the man before her. "Wait here for a bit. If I remember correctly, Sahara-chin just refilled the supply stock in the kitchen."
After saying that, Tenka turned and left the room for the kitchen, leaving the door slightly open.
"That girl..." Naoki muttered while shaking his head, feeling amazed and slightly worried. "She's leaving a man she just met alone in her room. This behavior is very careless, even dangerous."
However, a moment later, he realized the error in his thinking pattern.
"No, my thinking pattern is what's wrong. In a matriarchal era like this, where women are physically and socially far more dominant, there probably isn't a man who dares or is capable of doing improper things secretly in a woman's room, especially a unit commander of the Anti-Demon Corps whose power is immeasurable."
This realization, though logical, actually made him feel even more uncomfortable with this inverted world.
While waiting for the room's owner to return, Naoki decided to observe his surroundings to dispel his boredom.
The center of this room wasn't a work desk, but a large bed that looked very comfortable with many stacked pillows. The sheets were purple satin that gleamed luxuriously under the dim lights, complete with a fur blanket that looked very expensive.
In the corner of the room, there was a large vanity table filled with rows of skincare products, high-end perfumes from the real world, and various accessories. A large full-length mirror stood beside it, reflecting Naoki's image which still looked disheveled.
"By the way, this is my first time entering a woman's room. Turns out anime wasn't completely lying. Women's rooms can indeed be very fragrant."
The room was filled with a gentle scent of flowers or calming aromatherapy, very contrasting with the smell of Mato's barren earth still clinging to his nose.
"Tsk. It seems Tenka isn't different from most women when it comes to room tidiness." Naoki clicked his tongue when seeing some casual clothes casually draped over a chair and some piled at the edge of the bed.
"Whatever. Rather than just sitting waiting and feeling awkward, better to do something."
With the impulse of his old habit of liking tidiness, Naoki picked up the scattered clothes. With skilled hand movements, he began folding them one by one very neatly on the bed.
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Ten minutes passed quietly before the bedroom door opened and Tenka returned.
She carried a small tray containing two tall empty glasses, a bowl of potato chips, and a cold bottle of cola whose surface was dewy.
"I'm back~" Her green eyes caught an unexpected sight. "Oh my~ what are you doing, Naoki-kun?"
"You're asking something that's clearly visible? Can't you see me folding clothes." Naoki answered without looking away. His hands moved with precision, smoothing the fabric folds carefully.
Tenka placed the tray on a small table near the bed, then smoothly sat beside Naoki, observing him with her head tilted as if watching an interesting performance.
"I know that too~ I mean, why are you folding my clothes? You're a guest here."
"No particular reason." Naoki answered, placing the neatly folded clothes aside. "Just can't stand seeing scattered clothes. It's annoying."
"Fufu~" Tenka laughed softly. Then, suddenly, she changed the topic nimbly. "Ne~ Naoki-kun~ can you cook?"
"..."
Naoki's movements stopped for a moment. His mind worked quickly. He knew the reason behind this question. After all, he had spoiler knowledge about this world, including the fact that Izumo Tenka was one of the fans' top favorite characters, and he knew Tenka's personal preferences.
Simply put, Tenka was known to like men who were diligent, could handle household matters, could cook, and could be relied upon in domestic affairs—all qualities possessed by the protagonist, Wakura Yuuki, which were formed because of his experience managing household affairs since childhood.
Coincidentally, Naoki also met the ideal man criteria. Even with additional advantages: his face was more handsome and his body features were more defined than Yuuki's.
And most importantly, Yuuki's uniqueness in Tenka's eyes later would stem from external power given by the Seventh Unit commander, Uzen Kyouka, through her Peach Blessing—«Eternal Chain»
On the other hand, Naoki's uniqueness didn't come from someone else's gift. It was truly his own. He was the only man in the world who successfully awakened a Peach Blessing from within himself!
His "rarity" and "specialness" value was objectively far higher than Yuuki's.
Clearly, if Tenka were told to choose between Naoki and Yuuki at this point in time—where she hadn't even met Yuuki yet—undoubtedly she would be more interested in the first option.
"Of course I can cook. That's a basic skill that everyone must master if they want to live independently. After all, homemade food is usually healthier and more controlled than always buying outside."
As Naoki predicted, as soon as that answer slipped out, Tenka gave a smile so captivating, the kind of smile capable of melting even a Reincarnator's defenses. Her green eyes appeared warmly sparkling.
"Ah, I see. Hmmm~ Naoki-kun will surely be a good husband someday." Tenka praised with a tone that sounded sincere yet teasing.
"Ugh..." Naoki groaned inwardly, his face slightly grimacing. Those words hit him like a sledgehammer of inverted world reality. "Even though that's meant as a compliment... I don't feel happy hearing it at all."
In his old world, men praising women as "good wives" based on domestic skills was commonplace, but in this matriarchal world, that position was reversed and felt very strange to his ego.
"Thank you for your hard work~" Tenka said cheerfully, as if not realizing or deliberately ignoring Naoki's discomfort.
She casually took the pile of clothes that had been neatly folded by Naoki, including several pieces of underwear. Tenka showed no embarrassment at all; she just accepted them with a satisfied nod and stored them in the wardrobe in the corner of the room.
"Haaah..."
Naoki sighed deeply, staring at the cola bottle on the tray. This conversation increasingly confirmed how different this world was, and how his position—though now possessing unique power—still had to negotiate with the established social structure.
And in the midst of it all, there was Izumo Tenka, who seemed increasingly interested in him, a development that brought opportunities as well as new complexities.