[Warning 15+]
Part Two~Save That Old Energy Only For Me, Seriously!~Chapter 71Playing It Off
"Oh, welcome home, Hayato."
"B-Big Bro!"
"I'm... ...home...?"
As soon as he stepped inside, Hayato knit his brows, feeling a weird vibe in the air.
Right there at the living room table was Haruki, helping Himeko with her studies. It was a pretty common sight lately.
But Haruki was acting a little different than usual.
With a gentle smile and Haruki's back straight as a board, she ran her eyes and fingers across the textbook—she looked exactly like she did when she was playing the "perfect student" at school. It was a total contrast to Himeko, who looked super uncomfortable, slouching her shoulders.
"Getting dinner ready? I'll help out too. What's on the menu today?"
"...Okara croquettes."
"Fried food? Is that okay for the calories?"
"I'm making them in the oven, the oil-free kind."
"Huh, I see."
Haruki stood up while adjusting the hem of her skirt with a weirdly bright smile and busied herself putting on an apron.
Every move Haruki made was graceful and elegant, the polar opposite of her usual laid-back self. That nagging feeling Hayato had quickly turned into straight-up confusion.
Apparently, Haruki was in a really great mood. Judging by the way she talked, it didn't seem like she was just putting on an act either.
"I'm gonna go wash my hands."
"O-Oh, sure."
Watching Haruki walk away, Hayato locked eyes with Himeko, who looked just as weirded out as he was.
"...What's up with Haruki?"
"Don't ask me! Did something happen with Haru-chan at school today, Big Bro?"
"No clue. I mean, Haruki did look like she was plotting something earlier."
"Ugh, I'm literally getting goosebumps!"
"Same here."
Hayato and Himeko both shuddered at the same time.
They had no idea what Haruki was playing at.
Haruki's behavior was just straight-up creepy to them.
"Hayato—?"
"Yeah, coming!"
Hayato shrugged off Himeko's judgmental "Fix this already, Big Bro" look and headed to the kitchen.
Haruki was waiting there, prep tools in hand, wearing a cool, calm smile. She had this dignified vibe that was totally out of character, and looking closely, she hadn't even kicked off her socks today.
Hayato was just as concerned about Haruki's sudden makeover as Himeko was.
"So, what's up? Did something happen?"
"Oh, so you can totally tell I'm acting different, huh?"
"Duh. Even Himeko's scratching her head over here."
"Are you curious?"
"Of course I am."
"But nope! It's still a secret, tee-hee."
With that, Haruki gave Hayato's nose a little boop with her index finger.
Instead of looking like Haruki was plotting something, she had the face of a heroine who'd just finished a quest, or a sage who'd finally reached enlightenment—she almost seemed to be looking down on Hayato a bit.
"...So annoying."
"Pfft."
Looks like Haruki wasn't gonna talk. She just brushed off Hayato's complaints with a cool, calm look.
Hayato knew Haruki well enough to know that when she's like this, she won't spill the beans.
More than being confused, Hayato was just plain irritated with Haruki, so he let out an "I give up" sigh and got to cooking.
◇◇◇
Today's menu was oven-baked okara croquettes.
Hayato put potatoes and pumpkin in a bowl of water, covered it with plastic wrap, and nuked it in the microwave to "boil" them.
While waiting for the veggies to cool down, Hayato sautéed minced onions, cabbage, okara, and ground chicken in a pan. He didn't forget to season it with some sake, mirin, and soy sauce.
After mixing it all together and shaping them, Hayato coated them in breadcrumbs that had been dry-roasted to a golden brown in another pan, then tossed them into the oven.
While they were baking, Hayato shredded some cabbage, made miso soup from the leftover veggies, and pulled out the eggplant pickles that were basically becoming a staple—and dinner was served.
"Finally, some fried food! Let's eat! Ow, hot! Big Bro, water!"
"Himeko, seriously...?"
"I'll dig in too. Yeah, it's delicious today as well, Hayato."
"O-Oh."
Haruki's attitude didn't change even during dinner.
The way Haruki handled her chopsticks so elegantly was beautiful, but it felt kind of out of place.
While looking a bit suspicious, Hayato brought up something else on his mind.
"By the way, the weekend is almost here. Have you girls decided what movie we're seeing?"
"...Oh."
A dumb-sounding noise escaped Himeko's mouth.
Going to the theater was a deal, but since that was the main goal, they hadn't actually picked a movie yet.
"Hmm, if I had to pick, maybe 'Nayuta no Toki'?"
"Is that the one from the commercials?"
"Yeah, the director and the lead actress, Takura Mao, are the same as the TV drama I'm watching right now, '10 Years of Loneliness.' That's why everyone's talking about it—"
"—"
Takura Mao—the moment she heard that name, Haruki's shoulders gave a tiny, sharp twitch.
It was over in a split second. Even Himeko didn't catch it. The only reason Hayato noticed the shift in her was because he'd been worried about how Haruki'd acted when they ran into that woman the other day.
"Eh, hey, Himeko—"
"—Yeah?"
It was obvious something was up. But it wasn't the kind of thing Hayato should force out into the open or make a big deal about.
So, just as Hayato was about to low-key steer the conversation somewhere else, Haruki suddenly chimed in with a dead-serious look, raising her hand.
"I want to go see the third Faith movie."
Whatever face Haruki was putting before was gone, replaced by a weirdly intense, prickly vibe.
Faith—it was a massive franchise based on an old-school 18+ PC game. Its unique world-building had hooked tons of people, and even now, it was still pumping out spin-offs, anime, manga, and games that shared the same universe. Hayato wasn't exactly an expert, but he'd checked out a few of the titles before.
Looking at Haruki's face right now, you could totally tell she was a hardcore fan.
"I don’t really have anything else I wanna watch anyway, so I'm cool with it."
"Is that an anime? I've only heard the name. Is it really okay to jump straight into the third movie?"
"Wait. Hime-chan, you don't know Faith...?"
"Is it good? I've been kind of interested for a while now, though—"
"...Oh?"
The second Haruki heard Himeko's comment, Haruki's eyes narrowed to slits like she couldn't believe what she was hearing, and she set her chopsticks down with a sharp clack.
Haruki flashed a sweet smile, but her eyes were dead serious, and since she was still in her "Classy Lady" mode, the vibe was weirdly intense.
"Hime-chan."
"Y-Yeah?"
"It is so, so good. It's incredibly intense and moving. Honestly, I feel like you're missing out on more than half your life by not watching it."
"H-Haru-chan?!"
Then Haruki suddenly slid over next to Himeko, and with total pro moves, she grabbed the Kirishimas' TV remote and pulled up a streaming service.
"Look, since the third movie is out, they're streaming the first and second movies too. There’s a TV series as well. Personally, I totally recommend the route from the second season. It's God-tier. The action scenes are sick, obviously, but the protagonist's way of life is so moving that there's no way you won't cry—I've cried over it so many times."
"O-Oh, I see. But hey, it's dinner time right now, okay? Let's just eat?"
"Mhm, mhm. I could totally scarf down three bowls of rice just by watching the second season's OP. It's like the perfect side dish."
"U-Um, Haru-chan...? B-Big Bro!"
"...Man, I think I put way too much salt in the pickles today—"
It was a straight-up gospel.
The typical otaku instinct to drag anyone who shows even a hint of interest deep into the "rabbit hole."
Himeko tried to calm down Haruki, who'd suddenly had her switch flipped, but Haruki wasn't listening to a word of it.
From experience, Hayato knew that once Haruki gets like this, there's no point in saying anything.
Besides, Hayato could tell Haruki was obviously forcing herself to be high-energy. It was all just to play it off.
So, in his head, Hayato just bowed to Himeko with a "Sorry for your loss" and a bitter smile.
"If you can, I totally recommend playing the original game! Preferably the 18+ version, not the all-ages console port! There's barely any lewd stuff anyway, and even if there is, that lewd stuff is exactly what—"
"I'm home... ...oh, Haruki-chan, I see you're here too..."
"—The lewd... ...um... ...l-le..."
"Hahaha..."
"..."
"..."
Right as Haruki was spamming the word "lewd," Hayato and Himeko's Dad, Kazuyoshi, announced he was back.
The timing couldn't have been worse.
In the middle of the "I have no idea what to do" vibe that filled the room, Haruki slumped back to her seat, looking super awkward, and let out a tiny, beet-red "Mya." Hayato just shook his head with a grimace, not saying a word.
Author's Notes:
So, this happened when I went to a nearby home center.
The Russian Blue girl still meows whenever she sees me, but since she does it while lounging on her side, she's starting to give off some serious "Big Sis" vibes.
But the real kicker is the Ragamuffin girl next to her. She's only two months old, and seeing her pounce on a tiny ball only to get played by it as it rolls around—ugh, my heart is literally melting right now...
Ragamuffin? Not a breed you hear about every day.
White fur base with gray accents on her forehead and paws—man, this is way too cute, I can't even. Her fur is long, fluffy, and super soft. I wonder if she’s gonna grow up to be pretty big?
I looked it up. Apparently, it’s a relatively new breed, just like the Toyger.
They’re big, clingy, and love sitting on their owner's lap—basically the "Teddy Bear" of the cat world.
Are you seriously trying to kill me with cuteness here?
I've always loved big cats like Norwegian Forest Cats or Maine Coons.
Long-haired breeds are my jam. I actually used to have a Himalayan at home.
In other words, she is a total ten out of ten for me!!
Meow!!!!
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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Donations are very much appreciated.
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"Oh, welcome home, Hayato."
"B-Big Bro!"
"I'm... ...home...?"
As soon as he stepped inside, Hayato knit his brows, feeling a weird vibe in the air.
Right there at the living room table was Haruki, helping Himeko with her studies. It was a pretty common sight lately.
But Haruki was acting a little different than usual.
With a gentle smile and Haruki's back straight as a board, she ran her eyes and fingers across the textbook—she looked exactly like she did when she was playing the "perfect student" at school. It was a total contrast to Himeko, who looked super uncomfortable, slouching her shoulders.
"Getting dinner ready? I'll help out too. What's on the menu today?"
"...Okara croquettes."
"Fried food? Is that okay for the calories?"
"I'm making them in the oven, the oil-free kind."
"Huh, I see."
Haruki stood up while adjusting the hem of her skirt with a weirdly bright smile and busied herself putting on an apron.
Every move Haruki made was graceful and elegant, the polar opposite of her usual laid-back self. That nagging feeling Hayato had quickly turned into straight-up confusion.
Apparently, Haruki was in a really great mood. Judging by the way she talked, it didn't seem like she was just putting on an act either.
"I'm gonna go wash my hands."
"O-Oh, sure."
Watching Haruki walk away, Hayato locked eyes with Himeko, who looked just as weirded out as he was.
"...What's up with Haruki?"
"Don't ask me! Did something happen with Haru-chan at school today, Big Bro?"
"No clue. I mean, Haruki did look like she was plotting something earlier."
"Ugh, I'm literally getting goosebumps!"
"Same here."
Hayato and Himeko both shuddered at the same time.
They had no idea what Haruki was playing at.
Haruki's behavior was just straight-up creepy to them.
"Hayato—?"
"Yeah, coming!"
Hayato shrugged off Himeko's judgmental "Fix this already, Big Bro" look and headed to the kitchen.
Haruki was waiting there, prep tools in hand, wearing a cool, calm smile. She had this dignified vibe that was totally out of character, and looking closely, she hadn't even kicked off her socks today.
Hayato was just as concerned about Haruki's sudden makeover as Himeko was.
"So, what's up? Did something happen?"
"Oh, so you can totally tell I'm acting different, huh?"
"Duh. Even Himeko's scratching her head over here."
"Are you curious?"
"Of course I am."
"But nope! It's still a secret, tee-hee."
With that, Haruki gave Hayato's nose a little boop with her index finger.
Instead of looking like Haruki was plotting something, she had the face of a heroine who'd just finished a quest, or a sage who'd finally reached enlightenment—she almost seemed to be looking down on Hayato a bit.
"...So annoying."
"Pfft."
Looks like Haruki wasn't gonna talk. She just brushed off Hayato's complaints with a cool, calm look.
Hayato knew Haruki well enough to know that when she's like this, she won't spill the beans.
More than being confused, Hayato was just plain irritated with Haruki, so he let out an "I give up" sigh and got to cooking.
◇◇◇
Today's menu was oven-baked okara croquettes.
Hayato put potatoes and pumpkin in a bowl of water, covered it with plastic wrap, and nuked it in the microwave to "boil" them.
While waiting for the veggies to cool down, Hayato sautéed minced onions, cabbage, okara, and ground chicken in a pan. He didn't forget to season it with some sake, mirin, and soy sauce.
After mixing it all together and shaping them, Hayato coated them in breadcrumbs that had been dry-roasted to a golden brown in another pan, then tossed them into the oven.
While they were baking, Hayato shredded some cabbage, made miso soup from the leftover veggies, and pulled out the eggplant pickles that were basically becoming a staple—and dinner was served.
"Finally, some fried food! Let's eat! Ow, hot! Big Bro, water!"
"Himeko, seriously...?"
"I'll dig in too. Yeah, it's delicious today as well, Hayato."
"O-Oh."
Haruki's attitude didn't change even during dinner.
The way Haruki handled her chopsticks so elegantly was beautiful, but it felt kind of out of place.
While looking a bit suspicious, Hayato brought up something else on his mind.
"By the way, the weekend is almost here. Have you girls decided what movie we're seeing?"
"...Oh."
A dumb-sounding noise escaped Himeko's mouth.
Going to the theater was a deal, but since that was the main goal, they hadn't actually picked a movie yet.
"Hmm, if I had to pick, maybe 'Nayuta no Toki'?"
"Is that the one from the commercials?"
"Yeah, the director and the lead actress, Takura Mao, are the same as the TV drama I'm watching right now, '10 Years of Loneliness.' That's why everyone's talking about it—"
"—"
Takura Mao—the moment she heard that name, Haruki's shoulders gave a tiny, sharp twitch.
It was over in a split second. Even Himeko didn't catch it. The only reason Hayato noticed the shift in her was because he'd been worried about how Haruki'd acted when they ran into that woman the other day.
"Eh, hey, Himeko—"
"—Yeah?"
It was obvious something was up. But it wasn't the kind of thing Hayato should force out into the open or make a big deal about.
So, just as Hayato was about to low-key steer the conversation somewhere else, Haruki suddenly chimed in with a dead-serious look, raising her hand.
"I want to go see the third Faith movie."
Whatever face Haruki was putting before was gone, replaced by a weirdly intense, prickly vibe.
Faith—it was a massive franchise based on an old-school 18+ PC game. Its unique world-building had hooked tons of people, and even now, it was still pumping out spin-offs, anime, manga, and games that shared the same universe. Hayato wasn't exactly an expert, but he'd checked out a few of the titles before.
Looking at Haruki's face right now, you could totally tell she was a hardcore fan.
"I don’t really have anything else I wanna watch anyway, so I'm cool with it."
"Is that an anime? I've only heard the name. Is it really okay to jump straight into the third movie?"
"Wait. Hime-chan, you don't know Faith...?"
"Is it good? I've been kind of interested for a while now, though—"
"...Oh?"
The second Haruki heard Himeko's comment, Haruki's eyes narrowed to slits like she couldn't believe what she was hearing, and she set her chopsticks down with a sharp clack.
Haruki flashed a sweet smile, but her eyes were dead serious, and since she was still in her "Classy Lady" mode, the vibe was weirdly intense.
"Hime-chan."
"Y-Yeah?"
"It is so, so good. It's incredibly intense and moving. Honestly, I feel like you're missing out on more than half your life by not watching it."
"H-Haru-chan?!"
Then Haruki suddenly slid over next to Himeko, and with total pro moves, she grabbed the Kirishimas' TV remote and pulled up a streaming service.
"Look, since the third movie is out, they're streaming the first and second movies too. There’s a TV series as well. Personally, I totally recommend the route from the second season. It's God-tier. The action scenes are sick, obviously, but the protagonist's way of life is so moving that there's no way you won't cry—I've cried over it so many times."
"O-Oh, I see. But hey, it's dinner time right now, okay? Let's just eat?"
"Mhm, mhm. I could totally scarf down three bowls of rice just by watching the second season's OP. It's like the perfect side dish."
"U-Um, Haru-chan...? B-Big Bro!"
"...Man, I think I put way too much salt in the pickles today—"
It was a straight-up gospel.
The typical otaku instinct to drag anyone who shows even a hint of interest deep into the "rabbit hole."
Himeko tried to calm down Haruki, who'd suddenly had her switch flipped, but Haruki wasn't listening to a word of it.
From experience, Hayato knew that once Haruki gets like this, there's no point in saying anything.
Besides, Hayato could tell Haruki was obviously forcing herself to be high-energy. It was all just to play it off.
So, in his head, Hayato just bowed to Himeko with a "Sorry for your loss" and a bitter smile.
"If you can, I totally recommend playing the original game! Preferably the 18+ version, not the all-ages console port! There's barely any lewd stuff anyway, and even if there is, that lewd stuff is exactly what—"
"I'm home... ...oh, Haruki-chan, I see you're here too..."
"—The lewd... ...um... ...l-le..."
"Hahaha..."
"..."
"..."
Right as Haruki was spamming the word "lewd," Hayato and Himeko's Dad, Kazuyoshi, announced he was back.
The timing couldn't have been worse.
In the middle of the "I have no idea what to do" vibe that filled the room, Haruki slumped back to her seat, looking super awkward, and let out a tiny, beet-red "Mya." Hayato just shook his head with a grimace, not saying a word.
Author's Notes:
So, this happened when I went to a nearby home center.
The Russian Blue girl still meows whenever she sees me, but since she does it while lounging on her side, she's starting to give off some serious "Big Sis" vibes.
But the real kicker is the Ragamuffin girl next to her. She's only two months old, and seeing her pounce on a tiny ball only to get played by it as it rolls around—ugh, my heart is literally melting right now...
Ragamuffin? Not a breed you hear about every day.
White fur base with gray accents on her forehead and paws—man, this is way too cute, I can't even. Her fur is long, fluffy, and super soft. I wonder if she’s gonna grow up to be pretty big?
I looked it up. Apparently, it’s a relatively new breed, just like the Toyger.
They’re big, clingy, and love sitting on their owner's lap—basically the "Teddy Bear" of the cat world.
Are you seriously trying to kill me with cuteness here?
I've always loved big cats like Norwegian Forest Cats or Maine Coons.
Long-haired breeds are my jam. I actually used to have a Himalayan at home.
In other words, she is a total ten out of ten for me!!
Meow!!!!
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
If you like our work, please consider supporting us on Ko-fi. 🙏
Support Us: https://ko-fi.com/ninjacross
Donations are very much appreciated.
Your donations really support us to finish this novel from here until the end, so please consider to support us.
Follow Our Official WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaRa6nHCsU9OAB0U370F
Read in other languages: