(Normal chapters range from 15-40, this was 121 coins)
Unfortunately, in the end, Haruno still couldn't find the last book required by the system from that pile of garbage.
But there was no need to stay any longer anyway.
By the time the sky was just beginning to brighten, Asakura and the others returned to The Inn.
By the way, although given the rescue speed of the Japanese authorities and the efficiency of the police, it would probably take quite a while just for them to discover the abnormalities in the basement, to save trouble, Asakura still burned both the grotesque corpse and the snake corpse with [Candle], leaving only a useless magic circle to give the police a headache.
"…I want to die." Haruno mumbled, dejected, following behind Asakura and Ruri.
Asakura, who had originally been discussing with Ruri where the last book might be hidden, looked at her amusedly: "It was just rummaging through some trash, you don't have to look so miserable, right?"
"Yeah, it would have been better if there weren't rotting fish heads." Haruno looked at Asakura with eyes full of resentment: "Do you know how I felt in that moment when I touched something slimy, pulled it out to look, and it was a fish head that had turned into a puddle, and its eyeballs were staring straight at me?"
Asakura thought for a moment: "Hungry?"
"Angry!"
Haruno complained: "Although I know my status as a young lady doesn't hold much weight in front of you, Asakura-san, I'm still a girl, after all. Of course I'd feel terrible encountering something like that."
"Girl…"
Asakura studied Haruno for a moment, then said unsurely: "…child?"
"…" Haruno took a deep breath.
"Calm down, Haruno. You can't beat him."
She told herself this in her heart.
"Anyway, this incident is pretty much over—do you still want to continue looking for the 'last book' you mentioned in the building tomorrow, Asakura-san?" calmed-down Haruno asked Asakura.
"There's no need for that." Asakura shook his head: "My intuition tells me that the final piece of the puzzle isn't in this building."
"Intuition?" Haruno glanced at him askance, repeating the word, clearly doubting it.
"You could also call it 'sixth sense.' When this stuff develops to the extreme, it's 'precognition.' Theoretically, the stronger a person's magic power, the more accurate their intuition, so powerful mages will subconsciously act according to their inspiration when they have a 'whim.'" Asakura replied.
Haruno was silent for a moment, then asked in a frustrated tone: "Then what was I digging around in the trash heap for all that time?"
"…Uh, well, you were idle anyway?" Asakura said unsurely.
"Calm down Haruno, you really can't beat him."
The young lady's chest heaved with anger.
"Then what does Asakura-san plan to do next?" She asked nonchalantly: "Are you going to continue staying here in Osaka? Or go back to Gunma to play house with Hitori and the others? Or just go back to Chiba?"
"Takuma-senpai still needs to continue his Urban Legend Tour." Ruri said out of the blue: "This is the ultimate discipline of the strong, who never slack off and only further hone their skills."
"No, it's not that diligent. Anyway, I plan to take a rest for a while," Asakura replied.
Ruri puffed up her cheeks and looked at him, seemingly dissatisfied that Asakura had refuted her words without giving her any face.
This pufferfish-like appearance was also cute, but Asakura wasn't saying that just to annoy her.
Although he had intended to continue the Urban Legend Tour during the summer vacation, the situation had changed somewhat.
Honestly, after experiencing Itomori Town where people went missing, the tree spirit in Chiba Village, and the events here in Osaka, especially after replenishing some of his own magic power to the girls, Asakura's own magic power was now a bit stretched thin.
If he continued to run around the country on an Urban Legend Tour in his current state, he might capsize in the gutter at any time.
Considering that Hitori had been drained twice by him and was severely depleted, and it had only been a few days, she probably hadn't recovered much magic power, so the most convenient and quick way to replenish magic power was effectively banned for the time being.
Therefore, Asakura planned to rest for a while—since he had no way of producing magic power himself, he had to coordinate with the members of the Magic Club to replenish his missing magic power to some extent.
Besides that, there were also some things that needed to be confirmed.
"Ruri, do you want to go back to Chiba with me?" Asakura looked at Ruri.
After all, the young lady didn't have much magic power left, and what little remained was what Asakura had shared with her.
Ruri looked at Asakura with glistening eyes.
"No, wait a second." Haruno stepped between them, "Setting other things aside, do we really not need to worry about Godzilla?! Is it really okay to just let that thing roam in the ocean?"
"Yukinoshita-san." Ruri looked at her and answered with a serious tone.
"That is not Godzi—, but the [Great Beast]."
"No, at this point there's no need for censorship, right?! How much do you respect the lore! Toho is about to get raided because of this, you know?"
"…My mistake," Ruri was silent for a moment, then said: "Next time I should use a Rider-style or Sentai-style monster."
"How much do you hate Bandai…" Haruno rubbed her temples.
"Because Konami doesn't film Tokusatsu." Ruri answered honestly.
"So that's what you hate the most…" Haruno retorted: "No, that's not the problem. Godzi… fine, what do you plan to do about that [Great Beast]? Is it really okay to just let it roam like that?"
"As long as it isn't caught by the authorities, it's fine." Asakura spoke up for Ruri: "And if it exists, at least next time we won't need to re-summon it; we'll only need to pay the portion of magic power required to maintain its existence and combat consumption."
However, considering that the Magic didn't have the ability of 'teleportation,' this move of summoning Godzilla would probably only be useful in coastal areas; the effect in inland areas would be much worse—by the time it arrived slowly, the battlefield might have already been cleaned up.
"I see." Explained by Asakura, Haruno had nothing to object to.
Actually, she had initially thought about whether to use the power of the Yukinoshita family to let her and Ruri take a helicopter out to sea to retrieve Godzilla, but thinking about it now, it was indeed too risky.
She didn't really care; after all, she had experienced many terrifying big scenes since the Human-Faced Sores, and regardless of other aspects, at least her courage had been trained. Even if she really had to do something like that, she felt she wouldn't be afraid enough to back down.
But that would ultimately be too risky; it would be troublesome if the Yukinoshita family were implicated because of it.
"Then the question returns, Ruri, are you coming back with me?" Asakura asked.
Ruri pondered for a long time, and finally shook her head, "Never mind."
She said: "After all, I accepted Yukinoshita-san's employment, so I must wait until the task is completed."
"Actually, Master Ruri, you don't need to worry about me." Haruno also advised from the side, smiling: "The matter here has concluded, and I won't be unlucky enough to have these supernatural events come one after another, right?"
Then Haruno saw Asakura and Ruri looking at her with a subtle gaze.
"S-shouldn't be taking turns, right? "
Now it was Haruno's turn to be sweating bullets.
One morning during summer vacation, Yanami was woken up by herself.
"Hey—get up—!"
"If you don't get up, today's gonna be a waste!"
"It's already nine-thirty!"
"Eh? Isn't it only seven? I haven't slept enough yet!"
Four voices rose and fell in the room.
In the center of the bed lay an Anna who wasn't fully awake yet, rolling over wrapped in the quilt and burying her face into the pillow.
Meanwhile, by the bedside, by the desk, on the windowsill, on the floor—
Stood three identical Yanami Annas, respectively.
One of them was even in a three-head-tall proportion, wearing loose pajamas, hugging a pillow and yawning.
It seems that during the night, she had unconsciously activated the Magic [Crowd] again.
"...So noisy."
Anna, as the original body, said gloomily: " Could you guys be a little quieter?"
"You're the one who split us off!"
"And now you're complaining about the noise!"
"That's too much!"
The other three Yanamis protested one after another.
"We want to sleep on the bed too!"
That must be her true inner voice.
In the end, Yanami (probably the original) sat up.
Her hair was messy, her eyes dazed. Although she had been quite energetic at the beginning of summer vacation, over this period, she felt like she was becoming increasingly decadent.
"Alright, alright... I'm up, I'm up."
She rubbed her eyes and got out of bed.
"Yay!"
"Now the bed is mine!"
"Sigh~"
"So what was the schedule for today again?"
Yanami looked at the other three selves and couldn't help but shake her head helplessly.
She yawned and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
Then, the stomachs of the four girls let out a rumbling sound, perfectly in sync.
"Breakfast time!"
"But Mom already called us for breakfast."
"How can we just give up a precious breakfast opportunity!"
So the four of them walked downstairs in a daze.
In the living room.
Yanami's mother was sitting on the sofa folding the family's clothes—she didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she always felt that her daughter's frequency of changing clothes seemed to have increased.
Hearing footsteps, she didn't even look up and teased: " Yo, I thought you were going to sleep until the afternoon, Anna. "
"How is that possible, Mom."
"It's still... "
Yanami's mother was just about to say that it was still somewhat maidenly, when she heard her daughter continue.
"If that happened, wouldn't I miss breakfast and lunch!"
"Is that the point... "
"Compared to that, Mom, is there any breakfast left?"
"There's somen in the fridge. "
Yanami let out a dry heave; apparently, even for her, she was reaching her limit with that ingredient.
"If you want to eat something, go get it from the fridge yourself."
Yanami's mother said crossly.
So Yanami quickly walked into the kitchen.
Target acquired.
"Milk... eggs... ham...
She began to scavenge frantically.
Discovered Toast!
Took two slices.
Discovered Sausage!
Took two links.
Discovered Milk!
Poured a glass.
Finally, she used a frying pan to fry an egg.
Failed.
No choice, let's change it to tamagoyaki; it's fluffy and delicious too.
Failed.
No choice, let's change it to scrambled eggs; anyway, sandwiched in toast, you can't tell what it originally looked like.
Five minutes later.
Yanami walked out carrying a whole plate of breakfast.
"I'm going back to my room to eat."
"Don't spill it."
"Mm."
She disappeared at the staircase.
Yanami's mother continued folding clothes.
A dozen seconds later, from another direction.
Yanami (No. 2) walked out from the direction of the bathroom.
"Ah, so hungry, so hungry."
Yanami's mother looked up in confusion.
"Didn't you just go upstairs..."
Before she could finish, Yanami had already walked into the kitchen.
"There's still rice, eh."
She lifted the lid of the rice cooker—although it's not exactly a piece of obscure trivia, unlike in Tokyo where porridge or steamed buns are popular, Japanese people start eating rice in the morning.
Yanami (No. 2) served a big bowl.
She also scooped some leftovers for herself and heated them up.
"I'm going back to my room to eat."
"Walk slowly."
"Okay."
She also ran up the stairs, thump thump thump.
...Also?
Yanami's mother put down the girl's clothes in her hand, blinking in confusion.
"...?"
Didn't the one just now already eat?
Maybe she remembered wrong.
Yeah, well, it's Anna after all...
A minute later.
Yanami (Mark 3) swayed out from behind the living room.
Her hair was still wet.
"Phew—washed my face and I feel much more awake."
"... "
Yanami's mother stared at her.
Two seconds of silence.
"Are you hungry again?"
"Of course."
Mark 3 said matter-of-factly.
"I'm super hungry right after waking up."
After saying that, she walked straight into the kitchen boldly.
She opened the fridge, took out instant pasta and sauce, and started cooking.
The pot bubbled, and bubbles kept popping up just like the question marks over Yanami's mother's head.
Ten minutes later.
A big plate of tomato pasta was finished.
It was even topped with a cherry tomato as a salad.
"Best Match."
When placing the cherry tomato on the plate, the girl said triumphantly, as if she had completed an unparalleled work of art.
Then she left carrying a full plate of pasta.
Yanami's mother looked at that pile of food.
The corner of her mouth twitched slightly.
"...Anna, wait a second."
" What is it? "
Mark 3, with a fork in her mouth, asked.
Mom stared at her, her eyes complex.
"How... how many meals have you eaten... this morning?"
Mark 3 thought about it.
"The first one, I guess? "
She answered as a matter of course.
"...?"
"I just woke up."
Her mother was completely stunned.
First meal?
Then who was it that just carried away two servings of breakfast?
She opened her mouth.
She wanted to say something, then stopped.
Then she wanted to say it again, then stopped.
In the end, she only managed to squeeze out:
"... Anna, your appetite has been quite good lately."
"I-is that so?"
Mark 3 said with a dry laugh: "Probably because of puberty!"
Then she hugged the udon noodles and ran upstairs back to her room.
The living room returned to silence.
Yanami's mother slowly sat back in her chair, arms crossed, staring at the kitchen.
"... "
After a long while, she shook her head.
"Forget it, for Anna... the portion size doesn't seem that strange, it's just that she's been coming downstairs a bit too often."
She tried hard to recall.
Or rather, her daughter's appetite had indeed grown much larger recently.
But even though she could eat so much, she didn't seem to have gained much weight; one could only say her figure management was quite good.
But just as she thought that, a creaking sound—or rather, the sound of the floor upstairs groaning under the weight—came from above her head.
"... "
She looked up at the ceiling.
It didn't seem like her management was that good after all.
A dark shadow flashed by the kitchen doorway.
A mouse?
Yanami's mother rubbed her eyes.
She felt she probably hadn't slept well.
Otherwise, how could she have seen a three-head-tall daughter flash by holding a banana?
"I must be too tired..."
At this moment, the doorbell rang.
"Who is it?"
As Yanami's mother stood up and walked toward the entrance, she felt a subtle sense of relief that there was something to distract her, so she wouldn't have to worry about whether her sanity was still intact.
"My name is Asakura Takuma, I am a friend of Yanami."
A boy's voice came from outside the door.
It was actually a boy!
Yanami's mother was startled; after all, even when classmates came over to play in the past, they were mostly girls.
However, she wasn't some stubborn, old-fashioned parent, so she didn't have much objection to boys coming over to play—as long as they didn't end up directly in bed.
Yanami's mother opened the door and saw a boy standing outside.
His attire was quite simple and plain, but he looked clean and refreshed. However, for some reason, his left hand was wrapped in bandages, he was wearing an eyepatch over his right eye, and his hair was gray, giving him a subtly chuunibyou vibe.
This made Yanami's mother subconsciously look outside her door.
But she didn't see any ghost-fire motorcycles or anything of the sort.
"Hello, are you Yanami's older sister?"
He handed over the gift box he was carrying: "A small gift, please accept it."
"Oh my, you are too polite. I'm not that young; I'm Anna's mother."
"Really! I couldn't tell at all! I see that you, ma'am, are still charming... ah, no, that's not right, you are youthful and beautiful!"
Asakura said sincerely.
"You didn't need to bring a gift just for coming over. "
Yanami's mother was about to decline Asakura's gift box, but Asakura shook his head.
"It's nothing expensive, just a rabbit dango gift box from Rabbit House."
"Oh, is that the famous Rabbit House? "
"You know it too, ma'am? "
"It's very famous on the internet; who doesn't use a phone these days?"
"Since that's the case, you shouldn't decline it even more, since it really isn't expensive."
Asakura smiled and handed the gift box over again.
In fact, while the original price of this item wasn't expensive, regular rabbit dango were already quite popular—as evidenced by the fact that Kitakita hadn't managed to eat a free rabbit dango even after working at Rabbit House for so long—and this kind of gift box was even more sought after, with online prices being hyped up to over 10,000 yen a box.
This shows that rabbit dango are still quite well-regarded.
"Asakura, you're here to see Anna, right? Wait a moment, I'll go up and call her."
Yanami's mother didn't decline this time and readily accepted the rabbit dango.
She could have led Asakura directly upstairs to ambush Yanami's room.
However, to save some face for her daughter—even if it was already futile at this point—Yanami's mother still hoped that the fact her daughter was a glutton wouldn't be noticed by others.
So she asked Asakura to sit in the living room for a while, while she went upstairs to Yanami's door and knocked.
"Anna, your friend is here."
"Waaaaah—!"
A huge, noisy commotion came from inside the room, which startled Yanami's mother.
She hurriedly opened the door and saw her daughter lying on the carpet in a quite comical posture, while a pile of food she had just brought down from downstairs was spread out on the low table in the center of the carpet.
This strange sight made Yanami's mother sigh, feeling exhausted.
What made her want to cover her forehead even more was that most of the food had already been eaten.
This child, if she gets married in the future, the biggest burden for the man won't be the dowry, but the food expenses, right?
"Who is it?"
Yanami rubbed her head and stood up from the carpet.
"Asakura Takuma, looks like a... hmm, slightly strange child. How is your relationship with him?"
Yanami's mother asked, sounding a bit gossipy.
"Is Asakura-kun here!"
Yanami immediately took off her pajamas and started rummaging through boxes and cabinets: "Mom, why didn't you say so earlier... where is that blue casual outfit I often wear?"
"It's being washed; I just hung it out to dry."
"Then the pink dress..."
"Still in the laundry basket."
"Then that black dress..."
"Dried yesterday, but it seems it hasn't dried completely, so I didn't take it in."
"Why is there nothing left to wear?!"
"Yeah, why is that?"
Yanami's mother rolled her eyes.
Ten minutes later, the blue-haired girl, wearing a white dress and looking much more innocent than she did at school, finally walked slowly down the stairs and greeted Asakura.
"Asakura-kun!"
"Yo, Yanami~"
Asakura also waved at her with a smile.
"How does Asakura-kun know my home address?"
The girl came over to the sofa beside him and sat down—the sofa sank deeply—and asked curiously.
"Didn't you fill out a club application form?"
Asakura answered.
"Was there a place to add a home address on the club application form?"
The girl tilted her head and recalled for a long time, but couldn't remember having any memory of that.
"No," Asakura said with a smile: "But the Student Council has it."
"..."
Then what was the point of mentioning the club application form? Was it just to waste about three lines of the readers' time?
"So, Asakura-kun, is there something you came here for?"
The girl asked curiously while reaching for an orange in the fruit bowl on the table.
"Mainly to see you."
Asakura answered.
"Eh?!"
Completely not expecting to be hit with such a direct strike, Yanami froze completely; she blushed and stared blankly at Asakura.
Then she ate a slice of orange.
Wow, so sour, but how come it's unexpectedly a bit sweet?
"What is it about our little Anna that you like, Asakura-kun?"
Yanami's mother, who had appeared beside them at some point, asked concernedly while serving tea to Asakura.
"Mainly because she looks good."
Asakura answered.
"You could have answered with a part that has more substance!"
Yanami almost spat out the orange.
"Hmm, that part is inherited from me."
Yanami's mother said.
"You don't have to answer so quickly; if anything, you could be a bit more angry!"
Yanami retorted loudly.
"Sigh, but for a boy of this age, if he said he saw your wonderful inner self or soul or something, I would actually think he was very hypocritical."
Yanami's mother held her cheeks, troubled: "Because, Anna, you simply don't have such things."
"I do at least have a soul!" the girl protested loudly.
"You should try refuting the part about your substance instead," Asakura retorted.
In the end, a huffy Yanami pulled Asakura into her room, then shooed out her mother, who was still standing there with a beaming smile, watching the show.
"Alright, Asakura-kun, you can tell me what this is all about now," the girl asked, turning serious.
But when she noticed Asakura looking at the disastrous mess of dishes on her table, her pretty face flushed red again. "Don't look! You came too suddenly, I haven't even finished eating yet, so of course I didn't have time to clean up!"
From outside the door, Yanami's mother's voice called out, "I can help you clean up, you know~"
"You over there! Stop eavesdropping on your daughter and her classmate!"
Yanami was visibly even angrier now, practically puffing up with rage.
"Whoa there~" Asakura patted her head.
"What are you doing?" the girl eyed him sideways.
"Helping you calm down," Asakura said innocently.
"I'm not a horse!" the girl gritted her teeth.
"That's why I didn't pull out a carrot," Asakura shrugged.
"The effect might have been even better if you had!"
Another ten minutes passed.
"So, Asakura-kun, did you just come here to make fun of me?" Yanami asked Asakura crossly, munching on a carrot stick like a hamster.
"Of course not," Asakura waved his hand. "I've just encountered a lot of things recently, and my own nature might have undergone some changes, so I specifically came over to check on your situation."
"Eh?" Yanami looked at him blankly.
It seemed she hadn't expected Asakura's reason for coming here to be so serious.
"But even if you say that, I don't know how to answer you," she said, looking distressed.
"Then tell me how you spent your summer vacation, and I'll make a rough assessment."
"My summer vacation, huh..." Yanami fell into reminiscence.
Four versions of herself sat around the desk.
On the table lay a summer vacation planner covered in sticky notes.
"Today's goal is—" Anna A cleared her throat.
"Part-time job, studying, cleaning the room, catching up on new anime, doing summer homework, and writing a diary."
"That's so much—!"
"It's impossible to finish all that in one day!"
"That is the meaning of 'our' existence! Just like the Shadow Clone Technique, since we are all the original, we can quickly accumulate experience!"
Anna A wore a smug expression. "Now, let's divide the work!"
Anna B immediately raised her hand. "I'm in charge of eating!"
Anna C immediately blurted out, "I'm in charge of watching TV!"
Anna A nodded and added, "Then I guess I'll have to be in charge of sleeping. That leaves only the part-time job, studying, cleaning the room, doing homework, and writing the diary."
The chibi Anna was silent for two seconds.
"…Then do I die?"
In the end, they decided to do homework together.
"If everyone works hard together, we'll be done in no time!" Anna A said loudly.
"I feel like I saw this episode in Doraemon when I was a kid," Anna B muttered softly.
"I have an impression of it too," Anna C said. "Which episode was it again?"
"Wait, let me look it up…" Anna A took out her phone.
"…Um," the chibi Anna said weakly, "weren't we supposed to do homework?"
"At this point, wouldn't you feel unsatisfied if we didn't find that episode! Wouldn't it leave your mind unsettled!" Anna B said loudly.
"Eh eh?" the chibi Anna looked blank.
"If your mind is unsettled, how can your internal power advance!" Anna C immediately chimed in.
"That's just the weird stuff Asakura-kun said in the club room, I don't think 'we' need to take it that seriously…" the chibi Anna whispered.
"Everyone, listen to me!" Anna A took out her phone and showed the page to the other versions of herself. "We no longer… have a way back!"
Doraemon (1979–2005 version), Episode 1787.
"No, no, no, there's totally a way back! Just give up on finding that episode and start doing the homework seriously!" the chibi Anna couldn't help but retort.
"It's a big project," Anna B said.
"If we're all together, we'll definitely be able to find it!" Anna C also chimed in, like a companion character speaking about the bonds of friendship before a final battle.
"Didn't your goal change into something weird halfway through?! Just do the homework seriously!" the chibi Anna shouted.
☆ End of flashback.
"It was a very diligent and serious summer vacation," Yanami said, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes as if moved by herself.
"Is that so…" Asakura's eyes turned into dead fish eyes full of suspicion.
"Of course! I finished watching 1787 episodes of Doraemon!" the girl said proudly.
By the way, they actually found that episode not long after they started watching, but by that time, the situation was already irreversible…
"Isn't your diligence being used in the wrong place?" Asakura rubbed his forehead.
"But even in Doraemon, the childhood friend lost in the end," Yanami muttered. "I can feel the malice of the world."
"Didn't Nobita win?" Asakura asked.
"I'm talking about Dekisugi," Yanami said. "That's the perfect childhood friend template!"
"Ah… that guy who is always made invisible in the theatrical versions because he's too perfect…"
"What on earth did Shizuka see in Nobita?"
"The courage to save the world, perhaps," Asakura said. "Alright, enough nonsense, hold out your hand."
"Like this?" Yanami opened her palm, and then was caught off guard when Asakura took her hand.
She let out a small exclamation, and in her fright, split into two.
"Magic power… no abnormalities, and the pseudo Magic shows no signs of going out of control… but because it's not orthodox magic power, I can't absorb it… Oh well, this is fine too."
Asakura muttered for a while, then let go of her hand and nodded at her. "Okay, no problem."
"Is that it?" Yanami felt inexplicably disappointed.
"I have to rush to the next place," Asakura stood up. "If anything strange happens, remember to contact me as soon as possible."
"…It feels subtly like you're a scumbag."
"Don't say silly things." Asakura knocked on her head, producing a pleasant sound.
After saying goodbye to Yanami (for some reason, Yanami's mother seemed very eager to have him stay for dinner), Asakura headed to his next destination.
"I didn't expect you to come here…" Nukumizu Kazuhiko looked at Asakura standing at the door with a strange expression. "Is something the matter?"
"I'm here to have Kaju replenish my Magic," Asakura replied.
Nukumizu Kazuhiko closed the door.
"Excuse me."
But Asakura simply inserted his foot into the door gap, easily preventing the other from closing it, and used the momentum to enter the house.
Although, it also had to do with the fact that Nukumizu Kazuhiko wasn't really trying that hard to refuse him.
"Who is Onii-chan... ugh."
Wearing an apron, Kaju walked out of the kitchen and saw Asakura smiling and greeting her.
"Um, Onii-chan, please watch the guest here while I go get some salt."
The girl said with a smile, though there wasn't much warmth in that smile.
"I'm not that much of an unwelcome guest, am I?"
Asakura sighed.
"Did something happen?"
Nukumizu Kazuhiko closed the door and asked Asakura.
"Yeah, there have been unexpectedly many messy things lately, and I accidentally spent too much magic power."
Asakura spread his hands innocently: "Just in case, I came to find Kaju to replenish a little. Really, just a little bit is fine~"
"E-even if you say that! Kaju, I won't do that kind of thing again!"
Kaju blushed and glared fiercely at Asakura.
As a result, Asakura and Nukumizu Kazuhiko both looked blank: "What thing?"
Now it was Kaju who felt a bit stuck.
Come to think of it, her brother wasn't at the Clubhouse at that time, and Asakura had passed out, so they really shouldn't know about that matter.
"It's nothing. Anyway, there's nothing for Kaju to do! Can't Asakura-senpai go find someone else in the Magic Club!"
Kaju said.
"For now, only Kaju is convenient."
Asakura counted on his fingers: "Asagumo herself is low on magic power, Yui is over in Gunma, and there's a group of treants near her, so the magic power to drive Napoleon is necessary. Ruri just went through a fierce battle, and even her current magic power was shared by me, and Yanami is a good-for-nothing... Looking at it this way, isn't that just you left, Kaju?"
"Ugh..."
Kaju's face was full of the expression 'I don't want to replenish'. She thought quickly and asked: "By the way, isn't there Chihaya! Anon should also be able to replenish magic for Asakura-senpai!"
"Yes, after you're done here, I'll go find her."
Asakura nodded: "That's why I said I only need a little bit here."
"..."
Kaju: Even though he agreed with what she said, why does she feel even more empty inside?
"How exactly do you replenish magic power?"
Nukumizu Kazuhiko asked.
"Usually, mucosal contact."
Asakura answered.
"... I'm not very good at saying crude things. Let me think about how to put it. In short, it's..." Nukumizu Kazuhiko thought for a moment and said: "Kissing, right?"
"That's not exactly polite either, is it?"
Asakura retorted.
"But letting Kaju do this kind of thing with just anyone... even if it's you, Asakura, it's still a bit..."
Nukumizu Kazuhiko also frowned.
"Of course there are other methods, such as separating fingers—preferably the middle finger—and then feeding blood. This is also a way to transfer magic power."
Asakura continued.
"I'll cut it!"
Kaju frowned and said sternly.
"Wait a second, Kaju, don't."
Nukumizu Kazuhiko hurriedly stopped his sister's self-harm: "Isn't there any other better way?"
"Of course there is."
Asakura nodded.
"What?"
Nukumizu Kazuhiko asked hurriedly.
"Didn't I say, just a little is fine, so there's no need for mucosal contact. Just holding hands... although it will be a bit slower, it should be the simplest and safest method, it's just a bit slow."
"You don't have to emphasize 'slow' twice!"
Nukumizu Kazuhiko: "We'll choose this one!"
"Then should we start now?"
Asakura spread his hands.
"Since it has come to this," Kaju didn't protest her brother's decision; she just waved the soup ladle in her hand: "Let's eat first. Asakura-senpai, please join us."
"Eh, can I too?"
Asakura was a bit surprised.
"You're overreacting, would we really kick you out..."
Nukumizu Kazuhiko retorted.
"After all, it would be too rude to exclude a senior, and it's just preparing one more portion, it's not particularly troublesome."
Kaju also said softly.
"Then I won't be polite."
Asakura hadn't had a proper meal at someone else's house in a long time—of course, he didn't envy it much, after all, after the House-elves' cooking skills were adjusted for taste, they were truly too overpowered, so much so that after obtaining the House-elf, he almost never had thoughts like 'missing mom's cooking.'
The wooden dining table was wiped clean, its surface glowing with a soft light. The light-colored placemats were laid out neatly, without wrinkles or extra decorations, leaving only faint patterns, looking stable and grounded.
The first thing served was a bowl of white rice.
The grains were plump and slightly translucent; it was clearly not old rice. The moment the lid was opened, steam rose slowly, spreading a warm fragrance in the air. A gentle shake of the bowl's edge caused the heat to disperse along the rim, like an invisible mist.
Beside it was a bowl of miso soup.
The soup was warm and light in color, with tofu cubes floating on the surface and seaweed spread out, quietly soaking in the soup.
Occasionally, small chopped green onions were dotted in between, making the whole bowl of soup look even gentler.
The taste couldn't be called stunning—after all, with miso as the main ingredient, the taste of the soup was entirely predictable. But even so, because the dashi was perfect, drinking it made one feel the chef's heart, to the point where it wouldn't be an exaggeration for someone to say, 'Please make miso soup for me for the rest of my life.'
Next was grilled mackerel.
The fish skin was grilled to a slight charred brown, glowing with a faint sheen of oil, and the fish meat revealed delicate textures from the edges.
A small amount of sauce seeped out onto the plate, mixing with the oil, emitting a gentle, savory aroma.
A plate of tamagoyaki was placed in the center of the table.
The layered egg rolls were cut neatly, the cross-section showing soft textures, with colors gradually transitioning from light to dark.
The surface was smooth and delicate, retaining the warmth from just coming out of the pan.
The Nukumizu family's tamagoyaki was sweet, with a very clean and refreshing taste. If you ate it carefully, you could even feel the bits of vegetables mixed inside the egg layer. It looked simple and plain, but it was actually unexpectedly delicious.
Pickled radishes were in a small dish.
The pale yellow radish slices were cut to a uniform thickness, stacked neatly, their surfaces slightly glowing, emitting a refreshing sweet and sour scent.
On the other side was a serving of spinach salad.
The dark green leaves were arranged neatly, dotted with a little white sesame, the color calm, yet exuding a fresh aura.
There was also a small dish of stewed potatoes.
The potato chunks were stewed until soft, the edges rounded, the surface coated with light-colored sauce, lying quietly in the bowl, appearing exceptionally gentle.
After all the dishes were set out in order, the dining table became full and balanced.
The colors of white, yellow, green, brown, and light brown intertwined, without flashy contrasts, yet making one feel comfortable at a glance—by the way, if Asakura cooked it himself, most of the dishes would be brown. Although they were delicious, they naturally didn't look as pleasing to the eye as Kaju's craftsmanship.
Steam rose slowly.
The aromas blended with each other.
The sweetness of the rice, the warmth of the miso, the savory aroma of the fish, the softness of the eggs, and the freshness of the pickles slowly mixed in the air.
No deliberate styling.
No complicated decorations.
Every dish stayed quietly in its own place, as if it had long been accustomed to this arrangement.
The dining table didn't speak.
But with the simplest appearance, it quietly filled the whole room with "warmth."
"This is how our family is."
Seeing Asakura staring non-stop at the food she made, Kaju sighed and said: "If you're not used to it, I'm sorry in advance."
After all, to prevent magic power runaway, Kaju would go to the Clubhouse for two days every month, so naturally, she knew that Asakura had the superpower of 'being able to conjure whatever he wanted to eat, and it would taste quite good.'
"It's okay, actually I quite like this kind of simple and plain home-cooked food."
Asakura smiled.
Saying this, he sat in the guest's seat, picked up the rice bowl, picked up a piece of grilled mackerel and put it in his mouth, shoveled two mouthfuls of rice, and shouted: "Delicious!"
Then he picked up a piece of tamagoyaki, stuffed it into his mouth, and said again: "Delicious!"
Next was the stewed potatoes, "Delicious!"
Spinach salad, "Delicious!"
"Enough, you don't have to say it every bite!"
Kaju's little face turned red, and she couldn't help but protest: "It feels like you're mocking Kaju instead!"
"Absolutely not, delicious things are just delicious."
Asakura answered solemnly: "At least when it comes to food, I won't lie!"
"Actually, I also think the food Kaju makes is delicious. Thank you, thank you always."
Nukumizu Kazuhiko also said to his sister with a smile.
Of course, apart from sincere gratitude, his sister was usually too mature, and this kind of flustered appearance was rare, so he couldn't help but want to tease her along with Asakura.
"Honestly, Onii-chan is saying such things too."
Kaju's expression looked even shyer, and she could only eat rice in big mouthfuls to cover it up.
Nukumizu Kazuhiko smiled slightly.
Why does it feel like, if Asakura became his brother-in-law, it wouldn't be an unacceptable thing.
No, wait, he is Kaju's brother.
If Asakura wants to marry Kaju, he must first defeat... cough, fighting and killing is too unromantic. He should defeat him with wisdom first!
Wait, Asakura seems to be the top of the grade?
Then let's change it to defeating him in the appreciation of tap water.
Asakura, don't blame me for being despicable...
The Nukumizu family usually only cooked two go of rice for two people. This time, because Asakura was there, to prevent running out of rice, Kaju specially cooked five go. As a result, it was all eaten—of course, aside from Asakura eating happily, because his eating manner was too appetizing, the Nukumizu siblings also ate a bit more than usual.
Nukumizu Kazuhiko even felt that he subtly understood the mentality of those who watch food streamers while eating.
After the meal, for some unknown reason, Nukumizu Kazuhiko, feeling a subtle sense of guilt, took over the dishwashing work.
While Asakura and Kaju came to the living room.
He sat on the sofa facing Kaju, with less than half a meter of distance between them.
It was too close.
So close that even the sound of breathing could be heard clearly.
The girl's heart was pounding.
Although what they did last time was bolder, this time it was in her own home, in front of her own brother—so this is what being siblings is all about!
The air was filled with the faint scent of shampoo, mixed with the slight, stifling heat unique to summer vacation, making one feel inexplicably restless.
Air conditioner, what are you doing, air conditioner! Kaju tried to distract herself.
But she failed, obviously. Asakura's presence was too strong, to the point where she couldn't even manage to ignore the person in front of her and lose herself in her own world.
Neither of them spoke.
They just looked at each other quietly.
Kaju looked away first, then quickly peeked back, as if hesitating about something.
Her hands were resting on her knees, her fingertips curling gently and then slowly relaxing.
"...Um."
She spoke softly.
"What's wrong?"
Asakura asked.
"As I thought, it's still..."
The girl muttered, but before she could finish, Asakura had already reached out.
"It's too late to regret it now."
His movements were light, yet carried an undeniable firmness.
If he added a "hehe" to his words, he would sound just like a villain.
No, even without the onomatopoeia, it already had that vibe.
When his fingers touched Kaju's fingertips, the girl's body stiffened noticeably.
The sensation was clearer than she had imagined.
The temperature, the slight tremor, and the unnatural pause.
By comparison, Asakura seemed much more experienced.
"I, I just..."
Kaju didn't finish her sentence.
Asakura simply followed her subconscious movement and raised his hand.
From their fingertips touching to their hands slowly pressing together.
Their fingers interlaced bit by bit.
Finally, naturally—
Their fingers locked together.
"..."
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Kaju lowered her head, her earlobes turning quietly red, but she didn't let go.
Instead, she held on even tighter.
"...Is this, okay?"
Her voice was so soft it was almost swallowed by the light.
Asakura looked at her slightly trembling eyelashes, his heartbeat suddenly losing its rhythm.
What's going on? He had clearly always thought of her as a little sister.
Damn it, this cursed sweetness.
"No, it's good."
He said.
Though his voice sounded a bit lower than usual.
Their hands were clasped together, resting between them.
The warmth of their palms was constantly being transmitted.
Neither of them spoke again.
It was just that the temperature in the room seemed to have escaped the control of the air conditioner and had risen quite a bit.
Time passed quietly.