67.志乃原の一人暮らし事情 - I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me

With the keychain adorned with a snow leopard dangling, he unlocked the door to his home. After removing his shoes in the modest entryway, he started to move further into the room. A voice from behind stopped him. "Senpai, you should put your shoes neatly." "Oh, sorry." He turned around and aligned his shoes properly toward the room. It's the bare minimum of courtesy to tidy up your shoes at someone else's place, but when it comes to your own home, it's easy to slack off. "Well done!" "I mean, it's really nothing to get praised for." He responded with a wry smile to Shinohara, who grinned at him. If he didn't align them, Shinohara would do it in his stead. This junior of his would usually handle the chores he neglected, so he felt obliged to at least manage the simple tasks himself. Even if she insisted, "I enjoy doing it!" ...Though it's a different story when he's feeling sleepy. "Senpai, hurry up!" "I'm going, I'm going." While being lightly pushed in the back, he entered the room. Entering his personal space with the same energy as Shinohara proved rather challenging. "It's still early evening; let's do something fun!" "You should've suggested that outside. There're plenty of places to go, you know." "I mean, let's do something that can only be done at home! You're so slow on the uptake, Senpai!" "Isn't that a bit harsh out of nowhere!?" "Not at all. C'mon, we'll cook together, Senpai." Shinohara hooked her outerwear on a hanger and rolled up her sleeves. Confused by the sudden invitation, he acknowledged the extra time they had and decided to join her. Peeking into the refrigerator, he noticed the ingredients Shinohara had stocked up on. "What are we making now?" At his question, Shinohara's lips curled into a smile. "Let’s have a night in with some ginger pork!" "Aren't you underage?" "At home, there's no need for age verification!" Shinohara protested with a pout. "That's not the issue. It's the law, you know, the law." In reality, there are countless students who indulge in alcohol during their first or second year of university. He understood it was a tradition handed down from previous generations. Still, his reluctance to allow Shinohara to drink at his place stemmed from a different reason altogether. "...W-why are you staring all of a sudden?" Shinohara's slight shy glance away was undeniably cute. If she were to attend a mixer, the guys would undoubtedly aim for Shinohara and subsequently face a crushing defeat. Having a drink alone with Shinohara would be quite a challenge for him. Even he sometimes struggled to restrain his impulses. Alcohol is a substance that weakens the barriers of reason humans build up. Acting on desires is a facet of human nature, and occasionally, things may even turn out better if one abandons reason. But not now. Allowing such a breach would mean betraying trust. As the elder, he couldn’t let that happen. "I’m not drinking." "…Fine." Shinohara’s face displayed her full dissatisfaction at this answer. Seeing her discontent, he added a few words while opening the refrigerator. "I'll drink with you as much as you like once you turn twenty." Technically, it meant he wouldn’t have a reason to refuse her anymore. Her birthday wasn't until next year, giving him some time. It was a matter delayed. "That's so far off... but I guess I'll bear it." "Haha, good on you." "Even if this doesn't really merit any praise..." Shinohara mirrored his exact earlier response and added: "Then at least could you pat my head?" "Eh..." "Wh-why do you act like it's a hassle!? Any other guy would jump at the chance, I'm sure! Absolutely sure!" "You don’t usually ask those guys to do that, right?" "That's true, but that's not the point!" He frowned, and Shinohara dove onto the bed and kicked her feet in the air. Thanks to Shinohara religiously keeping his room clean, not a speck of dust flew up. The room remained in pristine condition unless left unoccupied for several days. On the housekeeping front, he genuinely appreciated her efforts. Even though they'd only known each other for a few months, Shinohara continued to frequent his home unfailingly. By the time Shinohara celebrated her next birthday, he wondered how their relationship would have evolved. Though they've only spent a few months together, the time spent was substantial, and their bond seemed more profound compared to others. With anyone else, such concentrated interaction could lead to significant changes. Take Reina, for example, his ex-girlfriend. Their relationship didn't require much time to transform drastically. But lately, he thought any major shift in his ties with Shinohara seemed unlikely. Human relations can be fluid, and there's no certainty in anything. But it was a sentiment he felt since the first time Shinohara stayed over. More accurately, it came up during a conversation about differentiating between trust and delving into more personal talks. Since then, he hadn’t shared anything profound with Shinohara. Likewise, Shinohara hadn’t with him. They walked side by side along the boundary they mutually respected, without crossing it, bound by trust that neither would overstep. Unless they wished to redefine their relationship— "Unexpected Attack!" "Whoa!?" A pillow hit him square in the face, causing him to make a foolish sound. He felt the pillow drop onto his instep. "Hey, Senpai, can I stay over again sometime?" "How can you just ask that so casually after what happened? How does your thought process even work?" "Aww, don't be mysterious, Senpai~" "Don’t twist it into something convenient! I won’t let that go unanswered. Don't think you'll wake up once you fall asleep." "Senpai's broken..." "Why are you backing off!?" He nudged the pillow off his foot and headed toward the kitchen. Handling that junior could lead to complete exhaustion. "So, it's decided that I'll be staying over next time." Shinohara, sticking close beside him, beamed with apparent delight. "Why do you seem so happy about it?" "Well, isn't it obvious? It's been a while." Though he was about to mention how she'd stayed over countless times, he realized she usually stayed around lunchtime. Given that, it seemed she actually sought his explicit agreement this time. If he had shown reluctance, Shinohara would have pouted as usual. But then she'd skillfully act as though the refusal never happened later on. This time, his lack of refusal had her overjoyed. It was a simple matter, yet something in it embarrassed him immensely. He tried to cover it by opening the shelf on the wall. It should have contained cooking utensils, but none were in sight. "The cooking stuff is down here." Shinohara opened a lower cabinet, revealing an array of cooking tools. Some items were unfamiliar to him, causing his eyes to widen in surprise. "They're hard to reach up there, so I moved them to the lower cabinet," she explained. "I appreciate that, but it looks like there's more stuff." "I added things I thought would be nice to have for cooking. That was quite a while ago, though," Shinohara responded with a slightly exasperated smile. "It's very clear that you don't use the kitchen much when you're alone, Senpai." "I can't help it. Convenience store meals just taste better than anything I make myself." Though it's generally advised not to eat convenience store bento every day, with Shinohara often visiting and occasionally preparing meals in advance, things were different. Lately, he prided himself on being much healthier than he used to be. "It's just too much hassle, isn't it?" "I can't deny that," he admitted. Hearing his answer, Shinohara pursed her lips in slight annoyance. His immediate response might have been better replaced with honest gratitude. "What would a lazy Senpai like you want in the kitchen?" "I thought we'd make ginger pork together. I'm not drinking but join me, will you?" Feeling embarrassed to express his gratitude directly here, he bluntly invited Shinohara. He glanced over to check if that managed to lift her spirits, and their eyes briefly met. "You're not very straightforward, are you?" "Shut up." "Hehe, okay," she responded with a smile, continuing to adeptly lay out cooking utensils and ingredients on the counter. Perhaps due to the time they've spent together, Shinohara has gotten better at picking up on his true intentions. Whether it was that he had a transparent personality or that Shinohara was perceptive, it was likely a bit of both, he sighed. Accepting both was irritating, so he kept those thoughts to himself. ──Still, it wasn't unpleasant. Relishing for a moment the comfort of being understood, he then opened the freezer to help with the meal preparation. The pork he pulled out was conveniently due to expire that day. Exciting news! The release of volume 3 is confirmed, and as we wrap up work on it, updates will resume! The story in the web version has taken quite a different direction, but please enjoy it as it is!