In order to figure out, or rather, to be more certain of the background of this Succubus named Erimin, Hikari decided that if he had time, he would go to the house of his classmate, Morita Takashi, to take a look.
Putting his thoughts aside for now, Hikari threw the dirty bedsheets into the washing machine, put on new bedsheets, and sat leaning against the head of the bed.
He casually took out two bottles of [Pure Love Brand Nutrition Express] and drank them down quickly with a glug-glug-glug!
The cold, refreshing liquid slid down his throat, carrying a faint sweet fragrance, rapidly dispelling the remaining fatigue and helping Hikari replenish his consumed mana and energy.
He closed his eyes and took a short nap for half an hour.
———
When he opened his eyes again, the exhaustion at the bottom of his eyes had completely faded, and he got out of bed full of energy once more.
He got up and packed his schoolbag, threw his change of clothes into the laundry basket, locked the door, and walked out of the apartment.
At this time, the morning light had already covered the streets, and the golden rays sprinkled down through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground.
He walked straight toward the direction of the Hoshizuki family, where Kaede and Suzu were.
In order to take care of his childhood friends who had just moved back, Hikari had promised them that, if he had nothing to do recently, he would accompany them to school every morning.
Just as he turned the familiar street corner, Hikari saw that the courtyard gate of Kaede and Suzu's house, a Japanese-style single-family home with a small courtyard, was wide open.
The thin morning mist had not yet completely dispersed, coating the wooden porch railings with a faint layer of moisture.
"Hikari-kun! Over here! Over here!"
A clear voice pierced the tranquility of the Tokyo morning, as Kaede, wearing a sailor uniform, dashed over with a, Thump! Thump! Thump!, carrying her schoolbag.
Her ear-length short hair gently swayed with her jogging motion, the tips still bearing some uncombed little stray hairs, her forehead dotted with a thin layer of sweat, her cheeks as flushed as a ripe apple, and her hands tightly clutching two steaming red bean buns.
"We're almost going to be late! It's all Suzu-chan's fault! She was dawdling while combing her hair, even slower than heating up a bento at a convenience store!"
As soon as Kaede's words fell, Suzu walked out of the courtyard with steady steps, holding their two bento bags.
Her shoulder-length short hair was combed neatly, sticking obediently to the sides of her cheeks, with the tips pinned in place by a simple black hairpin.
There was no expression at all on her plain, clean face, and her eyes were as pale as the flowing water of the Sumida River, forming a sharp contrast with the bouncing Kaede beside her.
Hearing Kaede's complaint, she merely gently lifted her eyelids, her voice without much fluctuation, like the sound of a vending machine spitting out coins, "It was you, Kaede, who stayed in bed until the last five minutes, and kept saying you couldn't find your underwear and panties. It took me seven minutes just to help you find your panties."
"In the end, after finding them, we realized they were soaking wet and couldn't be worn at all, and I had to go downstairs again to help you collect the dried underwear and panties, which delayed the time."
"Th-That was an accident!", Kaede's pretty face instantly flushed tomato red, and she retorted with a stiff neck, frantically brushing the stray hairs by her ears to try and hide her panic.
Suzu ignored her, raising her eyes to look at Hikari. She still had that expressionless look, but she also greeted him with a soft tone, "Good morning, Hikari-kun."
"Good morning," Hikari smiled and gave her a slight nod, then his gaze fell on the red bean buns in Kaede's hands, "Is this breakfast?"
"Un! Un! I bought them from that old shop at the corner of the street that's been open for over ten years!", Kaede offered one up like presenting a treasure, so hot that her fingertips kept bringing it toward her mouth.
"Hikari-kun, try it quickly! The red bean filling is very much, sweet and super delicious!"
Hikari took it, the warm sensation spreading from his palm, and he could still smell a faint wheat aroma mixed with the sweet scent of red beans.
Taking just one bite, the dense red bean paste poured out. The sweetness was just right, perfectly suppressing the lingering taste of the Nutrition Express in his mouth.
"Suzu, aren't you going to eat?", Kaede looked at Suzu, who had taken the other red bean bun from her hands but just held it without taking a bite, showing a puzzled expression.
"Eating things that are too hot will give you esophageal cancer," Suzu said in a calm tone.
"Uh... alright," Kaede had a helpless look on her face.
At this moment, Suzu suddenly raised her hand, placed the red bean bun wrapped in oil paper in front of Hikari, and asked softly, "Hikari-kun, it's a bit hot for me to hold. Could I trouble you to help me blow on it to cool it down?"
"Un... no problem," Seeing Suzu rarely show a pleading expression, Hikari took it from her hands.
And Kaede on the side widened her eyes, watching this scene with some surprise.
No way... she could even do that?
The two sisters, Kaede and Suzu, had chatted before. They had a very good relationship with Hikari when they were little, but haven't seen each other for several years, so there was inevitably some unfamiliarity between them after meeting again this time.
And both Kaede and Suzu wanted to return to that kind of close, intimate relationship with Hikari from before.
Especially Kaede, besides wanting to return to that childhood friend relationship, she even wanted to go a step further with Hikari.
If they could forge some relationship like the ones she entertained herself with in her nighttime fantasies, that would be even better.
But as for how to draw closer in their relationship with Hikari, the sisters planned to take it one step at a time, only agreeing to maintain a proactive and positive attitude.
However, Kaede hadn't expected that over a mere red bean bun, Suzu could use the excuse of it being too hot to hold to ask Hikari for help.
Seeing Hikari gently blowing Suzu's red bean bun to cool it down over there, Kaede felt slightly sour in her heart.
She turned her head, made eye contact with the 'very scheming' Suzu, and found that Suzu was also staring at her with a strange look.
There was no smugness in it, but rather a trace of encouragement.
"Thank you, Hikari-kun. Un... this red bean bun is indeed very sweet..."
Watching Suzu take the red bean bun back from Hikari's hands and gently chew it in her mouth, Kaede inexplicably felt that the red bean filling in her own mouth was a bit sour.
The three of them walked forward side by side. Just a few steps after finishing the red bean buns, they arrived in front of a zebra crossing at an intersection.
The traffic flow of the morning rush hour gradually increased. The rumble of JR line trains passing by came from afar, and office workers in suits and leather shoes hurried along with their briefcases, their footsteps exceptionally clear on the quiet streets.
Just as Kaede wanted to dash forward following the crowd, Suzu reached out and grabbed the cuff of her sailor uniform.
"Wait for the red light."
Seeing that the green light was already counting down the seconds, Kaede had to stand obediently in place.
Just as Kaede was waiting in place with some impatience, she suddenly saw Suzu lean close to her ear and say something that made her scalp tingle.