Chapter 59: Deeply Moved, Qing Ling

She typed a few words, deleted them, typed again, and deleted once more. Lying on the bed, the little girl hugged her phone, unable to turn a thousand thoughts into anything but a single emoji. After sending it, she buried her head under the covers, leaving only her body exposed, letting out a helpless, soft whimper.

How was she supposed to tell Haruno this? Was she really going to say, “If I bring you breakfast and Seira sees us, we’ll both end up tossed in the trash bin together”?

Wait a minute—if she ended up in the same trash bin as Haruno, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. She could snuggle up against him and breathe in his scent to her heart’s content.

No, that wouldn’t do. She didn’t mind, but she couldn’t let Haruno’s scent be tainted.

Feeling suddenly irritable, she pulled her head out from under the covers and collapsed on the bed, dejected. The stuffy warmth beneath the blanket left Yurika Okazaki’s dark hair clinging to her forehead.

Now, she really, really wanted to smell Haruno’s scent. Especially after gym class—his scent felt like a stimulant, filling her with energy.

Her small lips parted, and her breath grew quick and shallow. Without realizing it, a soft blush spread across her cheeks.

If only Haruno were her boyfriend, she could hold him close and breathe him in every day. Then she could help him wash his dirty clothes, too. That was just what girlfriends did… even his underwear… She could help wash those as well, and then—

“Oh no!”

Yurika Okazaki, suddenly aware of her shameful thoughts, ducked her head back under the covers, as if they were Haruno’s discarded clothes, rolling around on the wide, soft bed.

By the time Haruno received her emoji, he was nearly at his front door. He glanced at the adorable “confused” face she’d sent and couldn’t help but smile.

She really was a cute little thing—if you overlooked that peculiar obsession.

She liked his scent? Haruno sniffed himself but didn’t detect anything unusual. How strange.

Yurika was such a wonderful girl—how did she end up with such an odd quirk?

He’d always thought of himself as the one with the weird hobbies. Who would have guessed he’d end up the object of someone else’s?

On the bright side, both Yurika Okazaki and Kaori Yasukawa were top-tier beauties.

He walked into the little courtyard of his rented house and looked up just in time to see his landlady heading into her room on the second floor. Her graceful figure was striking, the white tank top clinging to her like it was a size too small, and her shorts were so tight they seemed ready to burst. The way she swayed as she walked was practically a work of art.

Haruno made a quiet promise to himself: time to hit the gym, work on himself, and aim to become a heartthrob worthy of the likes of Takuya Kimura or Eddie Peng.

After watching Eri Momodani disappear inside, he stepped up and knocked on his own door. He’d barely rapped once, hand still raised for a second knock, when the door swung open.

As if she’d been waiting there for ages, a blonde beauty appeared before him.

Seira Kiryu stood with hands on her hips, chin tilted up, looking at Haruno with imperious confidence. If not for the smudge of black dust on her nose, he might have bought the act. He had no idea what she’d gotten up to.

The moment the door opened, Haruno caught a faint, burnt smell—something in there had been scorched.

“What were you doing at home?” he asked, eyeing the girl with suspicion.

She didn’t look exactly disheveled, but there was something odd about her. The black smudge on her face and the yellowish oil stains on her oversized white T-shirt told Haruno exactly what Seira had been up to.

But Seira’s face was the picture of confidence.

“I was in a good mood, so for once, I decided to cook. Today’s your lucky day, you know that? Idiot.” She kept her hands on her hips, speaking with pride.

“Lucky, huh?” Haruno’s gaze slid past her to the living room, where a big pink insulating dome sat on the coffee table, clearly covering a spread of dishes.

“Hey, what’s with that tone?” Seira bristled at his skepticism, feeling her dignity bruised.

She crossed her arms, her pretty brows furrowing, cheeks puffed with indignation. “Are you saying you don’t trust me?”

“No, no, nothing like that,” Haruno said quickly, bending down to squeeze her delicate shoulder in a show of goodwill. “I’m starving—let me see what you’ve made.”

Judging by all this, Haruno guessed that Seira must have rushed home right after school to experiment with dinner recipes.

A pampered young lady like her, who’d never so much as washed a dish, had spent the whole afternoon working on dinner just for him. He was honestly touched.

He remembered that first night, when Seira hadn’t even known how to mix sesame paste, and now, she wanted to cook for him. Warmth spread through his chest.

Since moving to Tokyo, the vast, bustling city had always made Haruno feel out of place, as if everything was just a fleeting illusion—even after acquiring the so-called “love assistant system.” Instead of grounding him, it had only heightened his sense of detachment, as if life were just a game, a series of achievements to unlock.

But now, coming home to find someone had cooked for him—so suddenly, so unexpectedly—he was genuinely moved. This was the first time a girl his age had ever made him a meal, and she’d done it without his even knowing.

Looking at the proud blonde beauty before him, Haruno felt a gentle warmth inside. He reached out and pinched her fair nose, then wiped the black soot from his fingers onto her soft, youthful cheek.

“Hmph! Idiot!” Seira’s face flushed, and she huffed before turning on her heel and stomping away.

Haruno watched her retreat, a smile playing at his lips. He swore to himself that no matter what she’d made, he would praise it to the skies.

After all, you couldn’t crush someone’s spirits on their very first attempt at cooking.

“Ta-da!”

Seira marched over to the coffee table and, beaming with pride, whipped off the lid to reveal the meal she’d prepared.

“Let’s see, let’s see—what delicious things did you make?” Haruno hurried over, genuinely excited.

The spread was impressive—three dishes and a soup, more than enough for two people to eat well.

But…

The moment Haruno saw the full array of dishes, his smile faltered. He began to regret the vow he’d just made.

Because what he saw was… well…