"..."
Clad in an apron, Wakaba Mutsumi stood frozen in place, her eyes locked onto the icy beauty across from her: blue-haired, tear mole gracing the corner of one eye.
Both were typically stoic in expression. But the moment their gazes met, something shifted. A flicker of recognition, of surprise, passed over their faces.
Yamada Ryo struck by the domestic image of Wakaba Mutsumi who looked frankly like a housewife, furrowed her brows at the unexpected sight. Her amber eyes, flecked with curiosity, stared back into Mutsumi's.
"..."
Ryo, standing at the entrance, parted her lips slightly, still staring. Today, she had one goal: an ambush.
She planned to "drop by" under the pretense of mooching dinner at Kazami Haru's place. That's why she chose the evening, perfect for striking when least expected. Ryo had noticed something in Haru lately, a shift after band practice, like his threshold for resistance had risen. A rare chance.
Her style was either full stealth or all-out blitz. No hesitation, no warning. She'd storm in at dinner and take control before he could react.
But Wakaba Mutsumi, unexpected and dressed like a newlywed, had just thrown a wrench in the works.
Ryo had pegged Mutsumi as a harmless intel source. Quiet. Easy to read. But apparently, she had been plotting something major behind Ryo's back.
Showing up unannounced. Dressed like this. At his home.
A fatal miscalculation. Better bump her danger level to S.
"Mutsumi, who is it?"
From the living room, a curious voice called out. Togawa Sakiko peeked her blue-haired head out, confused by the silence at the door, then froze.
Who's that?
A stranger. An elegant blue-haired girl stood there, eye partially covered by a stylish cut. Her beauty was arresting, aura cold and refined. Despite the androgynous clothes, her figure was impossible to ignore.
The tear mole. The frozen grace. Togawa Sakiko stood, utterly stunned.
"..."
Mutsumi, stunned into silence. Sakiko, paralyzed at the sight. And Ryo, frozen at seeing not one, but two girls in Haru's house.
All three of them just stared at one another in bewildered silence.
"What the hell's going on out there?"
From the kitchen, Kazami Haru blinked. Why'd the front door fall silent all of a sudden?
Was someone soliciting?
Still confused, he stepped into the hallway, and saw the three girls locked in a wordless standoff.
Haru: ?
Seriously… what is this?
Did you guys plan this?
"Haru, what's going on?"
Ryo's golden eyes fixed on his face. Not understanding a thing, she went straight to the source.
I should be the one asking that, Haru thought as he turned, only to meet Sakiko's eyes too.
Her furrowed brow spoke volumes. He'd just said no one else was coming, and now a whole extra girl shows up, one who didn't seem unrelated.
"Ryo, why are you at my house all of a sudden?"
"I was just in the area. Skipped dinner, thought I'd drop by."
Haru straightened up slightly. If it were anyone else, he might doubt it. But this was Yamada Ryo bass demon. Sounded believable enough.
Normally, if he were alone, it wouldn't be a problem. But tonight's dinner was special, Sakiko had brought tons of ingredients and was hosting. Mutsumi, who both of them knew, was fine. But Sakiko didn't know Ryo.
"Haru, who is she?"
Just as Haru feared, Sakiko couldn't keep it in anymore. Something about this "Ryo" girl didn't sit right.
Showing up at a teenage boy's home at night to mooch dinner? What kind of girl did that without fear of becoming dessert herself?
Or maybe… that was the real plan?
"She's Ryo Yamada. Plays bass, backup vocalist, and composer in Kessoku band."
Sakiko's eyes widened.
She'd suspected this newcomer might be part of Haru's band. Now, confirmed, she recognized the threat. So this was the one lurking in the shadows.
A bassist, huh?
Was Ryo one of those bad girls?
Sakiko's mind swirled. Rock band bassists, they might as well come with a "smokes, drinks, devours men" label. Coming here for dinner? Yeah, right. She was here to push Haru over and...
No way! How can Haru form a decent band with someone like that?
Finally, after weighing everything, Sakiko spoke—
"Well, since Yamada-san is already here, why don't you join us for dinner?"
She'd killed off the "shy" version of herself, sure but that didn't mean she'd coldly shut someone out. Especially a friend of Haru's and a bandmate. Being rude would only make things awkward for him.
This was for his sake and also, a chance to test this Ryo Yamada.
…
Thankfully, Haru had prepped a feast. Even Ryo's surprise appearance wasn't a problem.
Not that she was any help in the kitchen. The former "wife" figure, Ryo was also a rich girl who'd never touched a spatula. Her culinary skill extended only to "eating."
As a sous-chef, she ranked below even the competent Sakiko.
Not that Haru intended to rely on anyone else for the cooking.
"Haha, chicken soup's up!"
As Haru brought the final dish to the table, the three girls gathered around were completely entranced.
Four dishes and a soup, Haru had made sure there was something for everyone. Savory dongpo pork, sweet mapo tofu, a refreshing cucumber salad. Everything steamed, sparkled, and sizzled with the kind of fragrance that brought instant surrender.
The dinner table became a battlefield and Haru had them all in the palm of his hand.
"Can we eat now, oh great Lord Kazami?"
Ryo-san, teary-eyed from holding back so long, clasped her hands in gratitude.
She had been tempted to sneak a bite the moment Kazami Haru brought out the other dishes, but unfortunately, sitting beside her was the ever-cold cucumber fairy herself, Wakaba Mutsumi, who intercepted every attempt like a food guardian.
Togawa Sakiko , too, had waited patiently, her stomach beginning to rumble audibly. But knowing how unladylike that would seem, she sat up perfectly straight despite her craving, holding onto every last ounce of self-control.
You'd think she'd rather starve than lift her chopsticks before Kazami gave the word.
"Why are you all staring at me? Eat already."
Haru chuckled, amused at the three girls locked on him with hungry eyes, and gave a small wave of his hand.
"I'm digging in!"
And of course, Ryo was the first to pounce, grabbing a piece of pork and stuffing it into her mouth. After just two chews, she froze.
The rich, tender flavor exploded in her mouth, filling it with savory bliss.
It was so good, her brain practically short-circuited.
"Delicious!"
Ryo had completely forgotten her so-called "plan" by now. At this point, all she wanted was to devour everything on the table.
Sakiko, initially determined to uphold her refined image in front of Haru, found her fingers trembling after the first bite. After surviving on cheap bentos and rice with bean sprouts for so long, she hadn't tasted food this good in forever.
Now, with Haru's cooking warming her from the inside out, her eyes misted over.
It was just… too good. She had no words.
"Mutsumi, what do you think?"
Seeing the blissful expressions on both Ryo and Sakiko's faces, Haru smiled and turned to the quiet girl on his right, Wakaba Mutsumi.
She had tasted the cucumber salad first, made from cucumbers she'd carefully grown herself. Seeing her cherished vegetables turned into this dish by Haru's hands stirred something in her usually placid gaze.
Her efforts… were truly appreciated by him.
Wakaba Mutsumi was like a forgotten cucumber tucked away in a quiet corner of the gardening club.
Nagasaki Soyo, whom she had once leaned on, only cared because of CRYCHIC. Her childhood friend Sakiko didn't have the energy to focus on Mutsumi's thoughts. Only Haru had been there from the start—talking to her, caring about how she felt.
Not because she was friends with Sakiko or Soyo. Not because her last name was Wakaba. Not because her mother was Mori Minami.
Simply, because she was Wakaba Mutsumi.
"It's delicious," she said softly, her golden eyes shimmering.
Even if she wasn't good at expressing her emotions, she tried, with all her heart, to convey her happiness and joy to Haru. A faint smile slowly bloomed on her normally serene face.
Even a girl who seemed like an emotionless doll could grow a heart, when shown enough kindness.
"Is that so? I'm glad to hear it."
Uh-oh, that was way too cute.
If it had just been him and Wakaba Mutsumi alone right now, no doubt Haru would have reached out and patted that wooden little head of hers.
…
Dinner wrapped up in barely half an hour.
Ryo-san now lounged on the couch, eyes dreamy as she stared at the ceiling, utterly content. She'd already scrapped her earlier "plan" midway through the meal and Togawa Sakiko , who had been planning to use this chance to test Yamada Ryo had completely forgotten her objective.
Both had been swallowed whole by the blissful vortex of delicious food, leaving them too happy and too full to bother saying anything.
As always, Ryo-san wore her shamelessness like armor. Despite devouring nearly everything, she lay sprawled across the sofa as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
In contrast, Sakiko, whose pride was thinner than tissue paper, sat upright and proper on the couch, occasionally sneaking flushed glances toward Haru as he cleaned up in the kitchen.
Even if the food was amazing… maybe she had eaten a bit too much?
Only Wakaba Mutsumi silently approached Haru and asked calmly—
"Haru, can I look at your cucumber?"
Haru: ?
Sure, he knew full well that she meant it literally but still, that phrasing hit way too hard.
"Mutsumi?!"
Sakiko, who'd been half-reclined just a second ago, suddenly sat bolt upright.
Her eyes flew wide in disbelief, staring at Mutsumi. Her snow-pale face instantly flushed red, the color spreading all the way to her ears.
What the hell is my childhood friend saying?!
Shameless!
"They're by the door. If you don't mind, could you water them too?"
"Okay."
Expressionless as always, the cucumber fairy accepted the elephant-shaped watering can from Haru. Under Sakiko's baffled gaze, she made her way to the entrance and knelt beside the cucumber planter, studying it carefully.
She examined the cucumbers like a devoted botanist, occasionally nodding absently to herself with her usual blank stare.
So that's what she meant...
Watching this, it finally clicked for Sakiko.
She quickly raised a hand to hide her burning cheeks, pretending nothing had happened and flipping through her phone with exaggerated nonchalance.
Little did she know, someone had been watching.
"Togawa, what did you think she meant?"
Ryo-san smirked wickedly from the couch, her gaze gleaming with amusement.
"Nothing at all!"
That girl, she totally misunderstood it too!
Sakiko narrowed her eyes, studying every little move Ryo made. From the beginning, she hadn't shown any emotional "slip-ups," and her conversations with Haru had been pretty casual…
Could it be Sakiko was just overthinking everything? Maybe this girl really had come just for dinner?
Now that she thought about it, her view of bassists might've been a bit too stereotypical.
Meanwhile, Ryo, who looked dazed on the surface, was subtly watching Sakiko out of the corner of her eye.
From just a short time together, she'd already picked up on some key details. Togawa Sakiko, whose beauty could rival her own, clearly paid close attention to Haru's reactions and feelings.
That alone made her a threat.
Though Sakiko hadn't appeared in Ryo's "dreams," her full level of danger was unknown. Normally, that kind of uncertainty would raise Ryo's guard sky-high but for now...
Togawa Sakiko struck her as the type who'd die before confessing first.
In that case, no problem. Just another pretty-faced background character.
Still, even if Sakiko posed little threat, Ryo wasn't about to reveal her hand. Even harmless people could become obstacles if they caught wind of her intentions.
Not worth the risk.
"Ryo, by the way… how did you know where I live?"
Haru had finished cleaning and walked over, eyeing her curiously. He hadn't expected his "ex-wife" to show up out of nowhere.
More importantly, he had never told her his address. Ryo showing up unannounced meant she'd clearly known all along.
A mole, maybe?
"Ikuyo told me."
A lie.
Back when they first exchanged contacts, Ryo had quietly swiped his current address. She just hadn't expected that her carefully planned first strike would be interrupted by a surprise encounter with Wakaba Mutsumi and Togawa Sakiko, a dragon and a phoenix if there ever were one. The unexpected interference had forced her to abort… for now.
Sakiko quietly listened to their banter, ready to interject, when something caught her eye.
She slowly pulled a strand of golden hair from the couch cushion.
The moment her fingers closed around it, her expression changed.
Blonde hair?
"Sakiko, something wrong?"
Haru noticed her shift instantly. She looked like she'd just had her heart broken or worse.
He moved toward her, but before he could reach out, Sakiko returned to her usual composed self, offering him a soft smile and a quiet apology.
"No, nothing. Just lost in thought."
Really now?
Because you look like someone who just got hit by a buzzsaw.
Haru gave her a subtle, probing look. Something was off. But if she didn't want to talk, he wouldn't push, especially not with Ryo still here. He'd ask when they were alone.
Sakiko's amber eyes flickered as she tightened her grip on the golden strand, as if trying to crush it between her fingers.
Someone else had been here and judging by the hair… they were blonde.
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