[Warning 15+]
Part Three"―Seriously, Your Vibe Hasn't Changed a Bit Since the Old Days!"Chapter 96The Girlfriend
The western sky over Tsukinose was starting to turn a deep shade of crimson. Over in the east, a few early-bird stars were already beginning to twinkle.
A breeze blowing down from the mountains ruffled Saki's light-colored hair, which was tied up in twin tails.
"Mmm, feels good."
Saki squinted against the breeze, enjoying the cool air and the sunlight that was way more chill now compared to earlier in the day as she walked down the narrow path between the fields.
Saki was decked out in her miko outfit. Even though it was a total eye-catcher, it was a pretty common sight around Tsukinose.
Being the only daughter of the shrine that handled all the countryside events like Festivals and Meetings, Saki often helped out. Seeing her running errands all over the place in her miko gear had basically become a local trademark of Tsukinose.
Even now, whenever Saki passed by villagers heading home from the paddy fields, they'd give her a wave and shout out a greeting.
"Oh, Saki-chan, headed somewhere? You look like you're in a killer mood... ...Did something happen with that Kirishima boy?"
"Wha—!? N-No, it's nothing like that! I'm just, eh, heading over to Old Man Gen's place."
"Haha, gotcha. Stay safe out there."
"Y-Yeah, sir~!"
Saki's face turned beet red in a split second, and she sped up to try and hide how flustered she was. Another gust of wind from the mountains ruffled her white sleeves and her red hakama skirt.
(Ugh, was it really that obvious on my face?)
With that thought, Saki clutched the sleeve where she'd tucked away her smartphone.
'Whenever you've got a sec, could you snap some pics of the sheep at Old Man Gen's place for me?'
That message popped up in the group chat from Hayato just a bit ago while Saki was in the middle of sweeping the shrine grounds.
A favor for Hayato―for Saki, that came before literally anything else. She'd ditched her bamboo broom right then and there and hauled tail over to the farm.
By the way, you could pretty much guess how Saki felt about everyone else just by looking at her reaction from earlier.
"Old Man Gen? Old Man Gen, you home~? ...Hmm, guess nobody's here?"
Saki called out, but got zero response.
Looking a bit stumped, Saki unlatched the front gate, headed inside, and peeked around the back. It wasn't exactly the most polite thing to do, but out in the sticks, nobody's gonna chew you out for letting yourself in if you're a local.
"Mmm, looks like Old Man Gen's out."
"Baaa~"
"Oh?"
"Baaa baaa~"
The Gen Residence was your typical Tsukinose farmhouse. The only thing that made it stand out was the sheep shed built right next to the main house.
The sheep roaming free around the yard spotted Saki and immediately started bleating all sweet and needy, rubbing their heads against her like they were begging for headpats. They were super friendly—totally normal for these guys.
"Whatever, you guys are what I'm here for, though. Mind if I snap a few pics?"
"Baaa baaa!"
"Hehe, I'll give you guys some good headpats if you behave for the camera~ Hey! Stop chewing on my hakama!"
After giving them all some rounds of pats, Saki grabbed some shots of the happy, bleating sheep with her phone and blasted them to the group chat.
◇◇◇
As the few lights in Tsukinose started flicking off and the crescent moon hung over the western mountains.
Saki, having just wrapped up her Kagura dance practice, was grumbling to herself while washing off the sweat in the shower.
"Ugh, Grandma is seriously too much~!"
Saki'd really put her heart into today's practice. Duh, obviously. Hayato was making a special trip this summer just to see her dance, so it was only natural she'd want to show him her absolute best.
But when Saki's Grandma—who's also her teacher—teased Saki with a huge grin, saying, "Your dance has really gotten some 'color' lately, I wonder who's on your mind?" it was no wonder she got all worked up.
"Alright, let's see if anyone hit me back~"
Saki, having washed away her annoyance along with the soap suds, headed back to her room with her long hair still damp.
Saki's smartphone, sitting by her pillow, was buzzing with a few notifications. She checked them immediately—and completely froze.
'Oh, looks like Murao-san sent them right away. Thanks, Murao-san.'
'Totally. I mean, you really do look like the sheep, right, Minamo-chan? ...Wait, did I do that right?'
'Yeah, it's fine, but... ...um, is it really okay for me to be part of this group chat?'
'Eh, why not? I gotta introduce you to Saki-chan later, though.'
In the chat, alongside the familiar icons of Hayato, †Haruki†, and Himeko, there was a stranger named Mitake right under the sheep photo Saki just sent. Saki was losing it.
(Wait, who is this... ...Whua—!?)
Then, Saki gasped at the next photo that popped up in the chat.
'I mean, okay, looking at the icons, I kinda get it, but don't you think both Big Bro and Haru-chan are being a little mean to her?'
'W-Well, about that... ...eh, my bad.'
'A-Ahahaha~. But hey, didn't I take a k*ller photo of Minamo-chan here?'
'Au...'
Minamo was a seriously cute girl. Minamo looked all flustered sandwiched between both Haruki and Himeko, and compared to those two, Minamo was tiny with that whole "cute little animal" vibe.
Still, Minamo's wavy hair was neatly braided and styled, giving her this elegant look that added a mysterious, sexy charm to her otherwise baby-faced appearance. Saki found herself gulping without even realizing it.
(She's drop-dead gorgeous and cute—but who the heck is she!?)
Despite being totally thrown off, Saki decided to sit herself down in a formal seiza position to keep an eye on the chat and figure out what the heck was going on.
'Anyway, Minamo-san, sorry about Haruki being so pushy today.'
'Oh, no, it's fine! Really! I'm the one who should be thanking you for dinner... ...um, that salt-and-green-onion chicken was delicious!'
'Haru-chan went way too hard and ended up covering the whole dinner in onions, though. Hey, is Haru-chan behaving over there? Not being a pain, right?'
'Hime-chan, what do you even think I am?!'
'Haruki, don't be a nuisance, okay? And don't go throwing pillows around!'
'Ugh, even Hayato is ganging up on me!'
'A-Ahahaha.'
'Man, Haru-chan gets to have a sleepover? That sounds like a blast, I'm jelly.'
Saki could more or less grasp the situation now, but she had no idea how it had even gotten to this point.
All Saki knew was that some random cute girl was getting all chummy with her bestie, her crush, and even her rival. On top of that, they'd apparently had dinner together today, and Haruki had even crashed there for a sleepover.
Feeling totally left out while everything moved forward without Saki made her so flustered that her hand slipped, and she ended up typing some gibberish into the chat: 'Kon'.
"Oh!"
A loud gasp escaped Saki's lips, but it was too late.
Everyone had already reacted to Saki's accidental message, and the chat was flying by.
'Oh, it's Murao-san, thank god. I thought you'd crashed for the night already. Sorry for the random drop-in, but there's someone I gotta introduce... ...or rather, Haruki just kinda invited her before I knew it.'
'Um, hi, I'm Mitake Minamo. Eh, Hayato-san really looks after me in the Gardening Club!'
'Even though we mostly just grow veggies in that "Gardening" Club. Oh, I help out sometimes too, y'know.'
'Wait, does that mean the veggies Big Bro brings home sometimes are...?'
'Yep, Hayato-san teaches me all the little details!'
Saki's mind was anything but chill. But since she'd been greeted so politely, there was no way she could just leave her hanging. With hands that were shaking just a bit, she desperately started typing out a response.
'Sorry about that mess earlier, I'm Murao Saki. Nice to meet you.'
'Totally, listen to this, Saki-chan. Big Bro is being so mean! He actually said the only reason he even met Minamo-san was 'cause she reminded him of that sheep at Old Man Gen's place!'
'I thought that was a little messed up when I heard it, too. I mean, I see the resemblance, but still.'
'Au...'
'Give me a break, will ya...'
The conversation kept revolving around this new cute girl who was a totally different vibe from Haruki or Himeko, and it made Saki's heart pound so hard it actually hurt.
Luckily, nothing in the chat had tripped her "girl-in-love sensor" yet, but the sheer anxiety was eating her alive.
'Wh-Whatever, don't worry about me. More importantly, Murao-san. I know I'm asking for permission after the fact, but is it cool if I invite Minamo-san to stay in the group? Both Haruki and Himeko were saying that if we count her as part of the "Old Man Gen's sheep" category, then she officially qualifies for the Tsukinose Group.'
'Oh, eh, yeah, I don't mind at all.'
Hayato, whose position was looking pretty weak thanks to all the teasing, ignored both Haruki and Himeko shouting stuff like 'Hey, Hayato's running away!' or 'You're being a total chicken, Big Bro!' as he forced the subject to change.
'So, Minamo-san, this here is Murao-san. She's a shrine maiden in Tsukinose and her dancing is seriously gorgeous and bad*ss. Plus, she's actually super sweet—a total sweetheart, for real.'
"Wha—!? Cough! Hack, hack!"
She's actually super sweet―Saki was so shocked by those words she started choking.
But Hayato wasn't done dropping bombs that kept Saki's head spinning.
'And unlike Haruki, who's basically a walking "looks-can-be-deceiving" scam, Murao-san's as calm and polite as she looks. Plus, unlike lazy-bones Himeko, Murao-san works her b*tt off helping at the shrine and is a real overachiever who's loved by everyone in the countryside.'
'Hayato! What do you mean, "looks-can-be-deceiving" scam!?'
'Big Bro, I'm not even that lazy! I'm totally normal, though!!'
'A-Ahahaha...'
Being showered with all those compliments made Saki realize her face wasn't the only thing burning—even the tips of her ears were flaming hot.
(A-Au...)
Inside Saki's chest, it was like a full-blown Festival had started way ahead of schedule. Can't even blame her.
On Saki's smartphone screen, Haruki and Himeko were busy raising heck, shouting stuff like 'Total favoritism!' and 'I'm not even that bad!', but then Hayato dropped a 'You girls should follow Murao-san's lead!' and Saki's brain just straight-up started boiling. But hey, Saki definitely wasn't mad about it.
Saki's heart was doing backflips, and she ended up rolling all over her bed clutching her pillow for no reason. She just wanted to soak in this vibe forever.
'Ahaha, I guess Saki-san really is such a brag-worthy girlfriend for you, Hayato-san.'
And then, time just stopped because of the bomb Minamo just dropped.
It was so out of left field that Saki's mind just went totally blank. She couldn't even process what those words meant right away.
(G-Girlfriend...? Me...? Big Bro's...?)
For like, the millionth time today, Saki was totally lost.
Judging by how long it was taking for the next message to pop up, it looked like time hadn't just glitched out for Saki.
The first one to snap back to reality was Hayato.
'Eh, look, Murao-san is just a friend of Himeko's—my little sis' friend. So, if people start thinking she's my girlfriend, it's just gonna cause her trouble—'
'I don't think it's trouble at all, and I don't find it uncomfortable either! Even at the Countryside Meetings, I'm used to people teasing my family like, "How 'bout taking that Kirishima boy as a son-in-law? Both of them are close in age and he's a hard worker, but since he's the eldest son, I guess having him join your family is a long shot, gahaha!". Besides, that whole "marrying into the bride's family" thing is way too old-school for this day and age, and I'm not really obsessed with keeping the family name, though. Oh, and Uncle Kanemiya from the neighborhood is dying to get Big Bro into the Fire Department, and everyone's been saying they want to eat spicy deep-fried tofu pork rolls at the banquet this time of year!'
That was officially the fastest Saki's fingers had ever moved in her entire life.
Saki desperately wanted to shut down Hayato's denial, while also trying her hardest to sell herself. She was so frantic that by the end, she didn't even know what the heck she was saying anymore.
'Oh, eh, I see...'
'I wanna eat spicy deep-fried tofu pork rolls too! It's been forever! And tomato mapo tofu!'
'Himeko, you can't even stand raw tomatoes, but you're cool with that?'
'Oh, I kinda get that. I'm not a fan of raw tomatoes either, but I love tomato sauce and ketchup. So, I just simmer whatever I harvest until it's nice and thick.'
Who knows how long the chat had actually gone silent.
But starting with Himeko caring more about her stomach than any romance, the topic naturally drifted in that direction.
Saki was more than happy to just jump on that bandwagon and go with the flow.
'You're right, tomato curry is actually pretty refreshing this time of year, too―'
Saki just kept piling on the words, desperately trying to cover something up.
And Minamo, not really overthinking it, just shifted the conversation toward veggies and cooking.
(Phew, did I... ...did I actually manage to play it off~?)
Even though she was sighing in relief, Saki totally failed to notice that Haruki hadn't said a single word since then.
Author's Notes:
So, this happened when I hit up the home center.
Looks like that male Norwegian Forest Cat finally found his forever home.
I mean, can't even be mad—he's such a fluffball, so chill and adorable. I used to do some "air cat-sniffing" around him all the time. No wonder someone finally decided to take him home.
By the way, at my place, the vibe is shifting toward maybe getting a cat through a breeder's connection. Apparently, they’re a smart breed and get lonely easily, so we started talking about who'd be home and all that... ....wait, are my parents actually more hyped about this than I am?!
Anyway, moving on. At the home center, I actually caught a "gotcha day" happening right in front of me!
It was a Chihuahua, adopted by a mom with her daughter and the little bro—they looked about elementary school age.
Seeing the Chihuahua being held by the mom while the siblings timidly reached out with all kinds of cute faces... ...man, it just warmed my heart. I wonder if my cat, Nyaan, got welcomed home like that too? I'm just out here wishing them all the best.
Meow.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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The western sky over Tsukinose was starting to turn a deep shade of crimson. Over in the east, a few early-bird stars were already beginning to twinkle.
A breeze blowing down from the mountains ruffled Saki's light-colored hair, which was tied up in twin tails.
"Mmm, feels good."
Saki squinted against the breeze, enjoying the cool air and the sunlight that was way more chill now compared to earlier in the day as she walked down the narrow path between the fields.
Saki was decked out in her miko outfit. Even though it was a total eye-catcher, it was a pretty common sight around Tsukinose.
Being the only daughter of the shrine that handled all the countryside events like Festivals and Meetings, Saki often helped out. Seeing her running errands all over the place in her miko gear had basically become a local trademark of Tsukinose.
Even now, whenever Saki passed by villagers heading home from the paddy fields, they'd give her a wave and shout out a greeting.
"Oh, Saki-chan, headed somewhere? You look like you're in a killer mood... ...Did something happen with that Kirishima boy?"
"Wha—!? N-No, it's nothing like that! I'm just, eh, heading over to Old Man Gen's place."
"Haha, gotcha. Stay safe out there."
"Y-Yeah, sir~!"
Saki's face turned beet red in a split second, and she sped up to try and hide how flustered she was. Another gust of wind from the mountains ruffled her white sleeves and her red hakama skirt.
(Ugh, was it really that obvious on my face?)
With that thought, Saki clutched the sleeve where she'd tucked away her smartphone.
'Whenever you've got a sec, could you snap some pics of the sheep at Old Man Gen's place for me?'
That message popped up in the group chat from Hayato just a bit ago while Saki was in the middle of sweeping the shrine grounds.
A favor for Hayato―for Saki, that came before literally anything else. She'd ditched her bamboo broom right then and there and hauled tail over to the farm.
By the way, you could pretty much guess how Saki felt about everyone else just by looking at her reaction from earlier.
"Old Man Gen? Old Man Gen, you home~? ...Hmm, guess nobody's here?"
Saki called out, but got zero response.
Looking a bit stumped, Saki unlatched the front gate, headed inside, and peeked around the back. It wasn't exactly the most polite thing to do, but out in the sticks, nobody's gonna chew you out for letting yourself in if you're a local.
"Mmm, looks like Old Man Gen's out."
"Baaa~"
"Oh?"
"Baaa baaa~"
The Gen Residence was your typical Tsukinose farmhouse. The only thing that made it stand out was the sheep shed built right next to the main house.
The sheep roaming free around the yard spotted Saki and immediately started bleating all sweet and needy, rubbing their heads against her like they were begging for headpats. They were super friendly—totally normal for these guys.
"Whatever, you guys are what I'm here for, though. Mind if I snap a few pics?"
"Baaa baaa!"
"Hehe, I'll give you guys some good headpats if you behave for the camera~ Hey! Stop chewing on my hakama!"
After giving them all some rounds of pats, Saki grabbed some shots of the happy, bleating sheep with her phone and blasted them to the group chat.
◇◇◇
As the few lights in Tsukinose started flicking off and the crescent moon hung over the western mountains.
Saki, having just wrapped up her Kagura dance practice, was grumbling to herself while washing off the sweat in the shower.
"Ugh, Grandma is seriously too much~!"
Saki'd really put her heart into today's practice. Duh, obviously. Hayato was making a special trip this summer just to see her dance, so it was only natural she'd want to show him her absolute best.
But when Saki's Grandma—who's also her teacher—teased Saki with a huge grin, saying, "Your dance has really gotten some 'color' lately, I wonder who's on your mind?" it was no wonder she got all worked up.
"Alright, let's see if anyone hit me back~"
Saki, having washed away her annoyance along with the soap suds, headed back to her room with her long hair still damp.
Saki's smartphone, sitting by her pillow, was buzzing with a few notifications. She checked them immediately—and completely froze.
'Oh, looks like Murao-san sent them right away. Thanks, Murao-san.'
'Totally. I mean, you really do look like the sheep, right, Minamo-chan? ...Wait, did I do that right?'
'Yeah, it's fine, but... ...um, is it really okay for me to be part of this group chat?'
'Eh, why not? I gotta introduce you to Saki-chan later, though.'
In the chat, alongside the familiar icons of Hayato, †Haruki†, and Himeko, there was a stranger named Mitake right under the sheep photo Saki just sent. Saki was losing it.
(Wait, who is this... ...Whua—!?)
Then, Saki gasped at the next photo that popped up in the chat.
'I mean, okay, looking at the icons, I kinda get it, but don't you think both Big Bro and Haru-chan are being a little mean to her?'
'W-Well, about that... ...eh, my bad.'
'A-Ahahaha~. But hey, didn't I take a k*ller photo of Minamo-chan here?'
'Au...'
Minamo was a seriously cute girl. Minamo looked all flustered sandwiched between both Haruki and Himeko, and compared to those two, Minamo was tiny with that whole "cute little animal" vibe.
Still, Minamo's wavy hair was neatly braided and styled, giving her this elegant look that added a mysterious, sexy charm to her otherwise baby-faced appearance. Saki found herself gulping without even realizing it.
(She's drop-dead gorgeous and cute—but who the heck is she!?)
Despite being totally thrown off, Saki decided to sit herself down in a formal seiza position to keep an eye on the chat and figure out what the heck was going on.
'Anyway, Minamo-san, sorry about Haruki being so pushy today.'
'Oh, no, it's fine! Really! I'm the one who should be thanking you for dinner... ...um, that salt-and-green-onion chicken was delicious!'
'Haru-chan went way too hard and ended up covering the whole dinner in onions, though. Hey, is Haru-chan behaving over there? Not being a pain, right?'
'Hime-chan, what do you even think I am?!'
'Haruki, don't be a nuisance, okay? And don't go throwing pillows around!'
'Ugh, even Hayato is ganging up on me!'
'A-Ahahaha.'
'Man, Haru-chan gets to have a sleepover? That sounds like a blast, I'm jelly.'
Saki could more or less grasp the situation now, but she had no idea how it had even gotten to this point.
All Saki knew was that some random cute girl was getting all chummy with her bestie, her crush, and even her rival. On top of that, they'd apparently had dinner together today, and Haruki had even crashed there for a sleepover.
Feeling totally left out while everything moved forward without Saki made her so flustered that her hand slipped, and she ended up typing some gibberish into the chat: 'Kon'.
"Oh!"
A loud gasp escaped Saki's lips, but it was too late.
Everyone had already reacted to Saki's accidental message, and the chat was flying by.
'Oh, it's Murao-san, thank god. I thought you'd crashed for the night already. Sorry for the random drop-in, but there's someone I gotta introduce... ...or rather, Haruki just kinda invited her before I knew it.'
'Um, hi, I'm Mitake Minamo. Eh, Hayato-san really looks after me in the Gardening Club!'
'Even though we mostly just grow veggies in that "Gardening" Club. Oh, I help out sometimes too, y'know.'
'Wait, does that mean the veggies Big Bro brings home sometimes are...?'
'Yep, Hayato-san teaches me all the little details!'
Saki's mind was anything but chill. But since she'd been greeted so politely, there was no way she could just leave her hanging. With hands that were shaking just a bit, she desperately started typing out a response.
'Sorry about that mess earlier, I'm Murao Saki. Nice to meet you.'
'Totally, listen to this, Saki-chan. Big Bro is being so mean! He actually said the only reason he even met Minamo-san was 'cause she reminded him of that sheep at Old Man Gen's place!'
'I thought that was a little messed up when I heard it, too. I mean, I see the resemblance, but still.'
'Au...'
'Give me a break, will ya...'
The conversation kept revolving around this new cute girl who was a totally different vibe from Haruki or Himeko, and it made Saki's heart pound so hard it actually hurt.
Luckily, nothing in the chat had tripped her "girl-in-love sensor" yet, but the sheer anxiety was eating her alive.
'Wh-Whatever, don't worry about me. More importantly, Murao-san. I know I'm asking for permission after the fact, but is it cool if I invite Minamo-san to stay in the group? Both Haruki and Himeko were saying that if we count her as part of the "Old Man Gen's sheep" category, then she officially qualifies for the Tsukinose Group.'
'Oh, eh, yeah, I don't mind at all.'
Hayato, whose position was looking pretty weak thanks to all the teasing, ignored both Haruki and Himeko shouting stuff like 'Hey, Hayato's running away!' or 'You're being a total chicken, Big Bro!' as he forced the subject to change.
'So, Minamo-san, this here is Murao-san. She's a shrine maiden in Tsukinose and her dancing is seriously gorgeous and bad*ss. Plus, she's actually super sweet—a total sweetheart, for real.'
"Wha—!? Cough! Hack, hack!"
She's actually super sweet―Saki was so shocked by those words she started choking.
But Hayato wasn't done dropping bombs that kept Saki's head spinning.
'And unlike Haruki, who's basically a walking "looks-can-be-deceiving" scam, Murao-san's as calm and polite as she looks. Plus, unlike lazy-bones Himeko, Murao-san works her b*tt off helping at the shrine and is a real overachiever who's loved by everyone in the countryside.'
'Hayato! What do you mean, "looks-can-be-deceiving" scam!?'
'Big Bro, I'm not even that lazy! I'm totally normal, though!!'
'A-Ahahaha...'
Being showered with all those compliments made Saki realize her face wasn't the only thing burning—even the tips of her ears were flaming hot.
(A-Au...)
Inside Saki's chest, it was like a full-blown Festival had started way ahead of schedule. Can't even blame her.
On Saki's smartphone screen, Haruki and Himeko were busy raising heck, shouting stuff like 'Total favoritism!' and 'I'm not even that bad!', but then Hayato dropped a 'You girls should follow Murao-san's lead!' and Saki's brain just straight-up started boiling. But hey, Saki definitely wasn't mad about it.
Saki's heart was doing backflips, and she ended up rolling all over her bed clutching her pillow for no reason. She just wanted to soak in this vibe forever.
'Ahaha, I guess Saki-san really is such a brag-worthy girlfriend for you, Hayato-san.'
And then, time just stopped because of the bomb Minamo just dropped.
It was so out of left field that Saki's mind just went totally blank. She couldn't even process what those words meant right away.
(G-Girlfriend...? Me...? Big Bro's...?)
For like, the millionth time today, Saki was totally lost.
Judging by how long it was taking for the next message to pop up, it looked like time hadn't just glitched out for Saki.
The first one to snap back to reality was Hayato.
'Eh, look, Murao-san is just a friend of Himeko's—my little sis' friend. So, if people start thinking she's my girlfriend, it's just gonna cause her trouble—'
'I don't think it's trouble at all, and I don't find it uncomfortable either! Even at the Countryside Meetings, I'm used to people teasing my family like, "How 'bout taking that Kirishima boy as a son-in-law? Both of them are close in age and he's a hard worker, but since he's the eldest son, I guess having him join your family is a long shot, gahaha!". Besides, that whole "marrying into the bride's family" thing is way too old-school for this day and age, and I'm not really obsessed with keeping the family name, though. Oh, and Uncle Kanemiya from the neighborhood is dying to get Big Bro into the Fire Department, and everyone's been saying they want to eat spicy deep-fried tofu pork rolls at the banquet this time of year!'
That was officially the fastest Saki's fingers had ever moved in her entire life.
Saki desperately wanted to shut down Hayato's denial, while also trying her hardest to sell herself. She was so frantic that by the end, she didn't even know what the heck she was saying anymore.
'Oh, eh, I see...'
'I wanna eat spicy deep-fried tofu pork rolls too! It's been forever! And tomato mapo tofu!'
'Himeko, you can't even stand raw tomatoes, but you're cool with that?'
'Oh, I kinda get that. I'm not a fan of raw tomatoes either, but I love tomato sauce and ketchup. So, I just simmer whatever I harvest until it's nice and thick.'
Who knows how long the chat had actually gone silent.
But starting with Himeko caring more about her stomach than any romance, the topic naturally drifted in that direction.
Saki was more than happy to just jump on that bandwagon and go with the flow.
'You're right, tomato curry is actually pretty refreshing this time of year, too―'
Saki just kept piling on the words, desperately trying to cover something up.
And Minamo, not really overthinking it, just shifted the conversation toward veggies and cooking.
(Phew, did I... ...did I actually manage to play it off~?)
Even though she was sighing in relief, Saki totally failed to notice that Haruki hadn't said a single word since then.
Author's Notes:
So, this happened when I hit up the home center.
Looks like that male Norwegian Forest Cat finally found his forever home.
I mean, can't even be mad—he's such a fluffball, so chill and adorable. I used to do some "air cat-sniffing" around him all the time. No wonder someone finally decided to take him home.
By the way, at my place, the vibe is shifting toward maybe getting a cat through a breeder's connection. Apparently, they’re a smart breed and get lonely easily, so we started talking about who'd be home and all that... ....wait, are my parents actually more hyped about this than I am?!
Anyway, moving on. At the home center, I actually caught a "gotcha day" happening right in front of me!
It was a Chihuahua, adopted by a mom with her daughter and the little bro—they looked about elementary school age.
Seeing the Chihuahua being held by the mom while the siblings timidly reached out with all kinds of cute faces... ...man, it just warmed my heart. I wonder if my cat, Nyaan, got welcomed home like that too? I'm just out here wishing them all the best.
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.
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Read in other languages: