The mood was thick with heat.
"No."
Shuya tried to push things further, but Saeko suddenly caught his wandering hand.
Shuya looked down at the girl in his arms and asked softly, "Really?"
"It's still too early…"
Saeko slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was hazy and a little lost, her breathing quick and shallow.
Their eyes locked. She looked almost dazed and instinctively turned away from his burning stare. "I… I want to shower first."
Even though he'd told her she smelled fine, the girl was still self-conscious about it.
"And after the shower?"
Shuya gently stroked her cheek, tucking a stray lock of dark-purple hair behind her ear. "Then what?"
"We'll talk about that… once I'm done."
Saeko lightly bit her lower lip, refusing to give a straight answer.
Then she pushed him out the door and shut it behind him.
Shuya stood outside the closed bedroom door, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and couldn't stop the grin spreading across his face.
He took a long, slow breath. The air still carried her faint, sweet scent.
She hadn't said yes outright, but that non-answer was already the best answer he could hope for.
His mind drifted for a second to Rei Miyamoto—the ash-brown-haired girl who'd bolted earlier. If she'd actually followed him home tonight, Saeko wouldn't have gotten this chance.
After all, he wasn't scummy enough to rush a girl's first time. He wanted it to be perfect for her.
But hey—one door closes, another opens.
Whistling a cheerful little tune, Shuya headed to the kitchen with a bounce in his step.
Extra dishes tonight!
He was definitely cooking at least two more.
You gotta fuel up if you're planning to go all night, right?
Meanwhile, inside the room, Saeko was deep in her own crisis.
Surprisingly, it wasn't about whether to give herself to Shuya. That decision had been made the second she signed the contract—no hesitation.
Her love was as pure and decisive as the blade she carried. Once she chose, she never looked back.
What had her completely stumped was… what the hell should she wear afterward?
The usually unflappable swordswoman was actually sweating over outfit choices.
Normally she only wore her Fujimi Academy uniform or kendo training gear. She'd never once imagined she'd be standing here agonizing over clothes—for a guy, no less.
Especially not after she'd discovered the violent, bloodthirsty urges buried deep in her bones.
But Shuya had walked straight into her world when she was most lost. He accepted every flaw without flinching.
So tonight she wanted to show him her absolute best. She wanted to give herself to him completely.
Saeko stared at the messy pile of clothes she'd dumped on the bed and felt a headache coming on.
After a long moment…
Her eyes finally settled on one outfit she'd never worn before.
This is the one.
In the kitchen…
Shuya's hands were a blur, moving so fast they left afterimages. His motions were smooth and effortless, like he was conducting an orchestra instead of cooking.
He wasn't sure if Saeko could handle Chinese-style food (though she'd probably praise it even if she couldn't), so he threw in a classic Japanese home dish too.
It wasn't hard for him.
Some time later…
Saeko stepped out of the bathroom in a bathrobe, and the delicious aroma hit her instantly.
She followed the smell to the kitchen and found Shuya hard at work.
"Shuya-kun… you can cook too?" Saeko asked, eyes wide with genuine surprise.
"This is nothing. I can do way more than this," Shuya answered without thinking.
Just as he turned, he felt something soft press firmly against his back.
Two large, plush mounds squeezed against him.
They weren't quite on Shizuka's ridiculous scale, but they were still way beyond what any girl their age should have.
More importantly, it was the fresh, youthful scent of a young woman in her prime—the kind no amount of money or beauty treatments could fake on older women.
Saeko draped her still-damp purple hair over one shoulder, leaned against his back, and brought her face close to his. "Is that nikujaga?"
"Yep."
Nikujaga and curry were basically the two most iconic Japanese home-cooked dishes.
He'd chosen nikujaga over curry because he didn't have the roux blocks ready in the fridge.
"Anything else you need to make?"
Saeko's warm breath brushed his ear as she spoke, sending little tingles across his skin.
"Nope, that's it."
"Then let me handle the rest. I know how to make nikujaga too."
She gently took the spoon from his hand. "You should go shower first."
"You sure?"
"Aren't you in a hurry?" Saeko teased, lightly tapping his chest with her finger. "Or are you scared I'll poison the food?"
Poison?
Yeah, right. Saeko would never do that—and even if she tried, what poison in this world could touch a Nen user?
Still, she'd just given him a reason he couldn't refuse.
Was he in a hurry? Hell yes.
Though Saeko clearly didn't understand men very well.
When a guy's motivated, he can shower and be out in under three minutes flat.
---
A little while later at the dinner table…
Maybe because both of them were anticipating what came next, the meal was unusually quiet.
"Um… Saeko-senpai, you full?" Shuya asked after barely eating a few bites, looking at her.
"Mhm."
Saeko stared at her mostly untouched bowl. The food tasted amazing, but her mind had been elsewhere the whole time.
"Then…"
"Okay!"
Before he could even finish, Saeko answered instantly.
The second the word left her mouth, she ducked her head, too embarrassed to meet his eyes.
The air between them crackled.
Shuya stood up, ready to take her hand and move to the next stage.
"Little Shuya, I'm home~!"
A cheerful voice shattered the entire mood. "I smell something amazing! What did you make today, Little Shuya? I'm starving! That Rika…"
Shizuka stopped mid-sentence the moment she saw Saeko sitting there in her bathrobe. Her eyes went wide. "Eh? Busujima-san? What are you doing at my house… wearing my bathrobe?"
"Uh… I-I'm full now. Going to rest in my room."
Saeko's face turned beet red. She looked like someone who'd just been caught cheating by the wife.
Watching Saeko practically flee the scene, Shuya opened his mouth but had nothing to say.
He slowly turned to Shizuka and gave her an extremely "kind" smile.
They had been this close… and then Shizuka just had to barge in and ruin everything.
How dare you cockblock me?!
Shizuka Marikawa! Tonight you're getting it!
"Um… Did I come back at a bad time?"
Even the airheaded blonde realized something was very wrong when she saw that terrifyingly sweet smile. She swallowed nervously.
"No," Shuya said slowly, emphasizing every word. "You came at just the right time."
He walked over, scooped her up, and tossed her over his shoulder. "Come with me."
"W-Wait! I'm really hungry! Can't I eat first? If I'm gonna die, at least let me die full!" Shizuka whined pitifully, patting her stomach.
"Don't worry," Shuya said as he carried her toward the bedroom. "Tonight I'll make sure you're completely stuffed and satisfied."
"Nooo~!"
Shizuka's dramatic wail echoed through the house as she lightly pounded on his back.
Even the two Snowball Beasts hiding in the corner jumped in fright.
But the second they realized the voice belonged to Shizuka, they quickly squeezed their eyes shut and pretended to be asleep.
They wanted zero part of whatever was about to happen.