After dinner, Utaha sent out the proposal she had mentioned.
While Tomoya was attempting to begin his draft, Utaha had gone for a bath.
When she returned, she skimmed through the segment Tomoya had sent her.
Although it left an extremely poor impression and would clearly be painful to revise, it was still better than having to write it herself.
Having roughly gauged the difficulty level of this task, she sat idly in front of her computer for a while before moving to the vanity, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
She hadn't overworked herself this past week and had gotten proper rest.
Although she had been busy last night and today, it was still within normal bounds—no dark circles, complexion looked fine.
She had just bathed and washed her hair. Her whole body was clean.
Even though the nightgown had been bought in a hurry, it was a nice design, with good fabric and an appealing look.
Honestly, she didn't understand why Akira had just held her briefly last week and then left.
After all, she had at least shown acceptance, and her outfit at the time... could definitely be considered quite provocative.
For a carnivorous type of man, doing nothing would seem abnormal.
Yet after "helping her get used to physical contact," Akira had simply left.
The sudden absence of his embrace left her feeling oddly empty—and even made her question her own charm.
It felt as if Akira had lost interest in her—or at least most of it. Like he wasn't craving her anymore.
Although during dinner, Akira had emphasized, word by word, that she shouldn't devalue herself, that was in reference to her abilities—not her body.
She was happy to be respected and valued by Akira.
But that wasn't what he desired from her.
And as for the body he supposedly wanted—if he no longer craved it, didn't that mean it had lost value in this "satisfying" transaction?
Could it still be considered a sufficient repayment?
Thinking back to Akira's head shake last time, she had initially taken it to mean her repayment had exceeded what was owed—but now, she suddenly wasn't sure anymore.
Seeing that it was almost ten o'clock, she grabbed her phone and stepped out of her room.
Nanami usually went to bed early.
Since Akira had told her it was better to sleep early than to stay up late, around this time she would prepare a small snack and then head to bed.
Utaha went downstairs and saw that the kitchen light was on. She walked in.
Nanami was preparing her bedtime snack, and had just finished.
Since it wasn't during official maid duty hours—just "chef" hours—she wasn't wearing her maid uniform.
Seeing Utaha, she smiled and asked, "Are you already hungry? I figured you might not have eaten much at dinner, so I made a bit extra tonight."
Utaha was tempted by the freshly baked bread on the counter. She poked it gently to make sure it wasn't too hot, then popped it into her mouth.
Freshly baked bread was truly a fragrant delight. The moment she bit in, the warm, sweet aroma that spilled from within was an absolute joy.
Once the bread cooled, that enjoyment would completely disappear. It would still taste good, but never quite make up for what was lost.
Watching Utaha narrow her eyes in bliss, Nanami smiled and said, "Would you like a cup of black tea to go with it?"
Just as Utaha was about to nod, she suddenly remembered why she'd come. She quickly shook her head.
"No need. I just came down for a bite. I was lying in bed trying to sleep, but couldn't fall asleep no matter what. Do you have any good tips, Miss Aoyama?"
Nanami looked a little troubled. "Falling asleep quickly, huh… What about doing some light exercise? I've heard that helps a lot before bed."
Maybe so.
She'd find out soon enough.
Utaha licked her fingers and couldn't resist grabbing another piece of bread. "You've only heard? Not from experience?"
Nanami gave an embarrassed laugh.
"Ahaha, yeah… I seem to be one of those people who never have trouble sleeping. I fall asleep the moment my head hits the pillow."
"That's probably because you're so tired, Miss Aoyama. Is it still the same lately?"
"It's gotten a bit better recently, but I still fall asleep within a few minutes."
Good, then.
Utaha took another bite of the bread, savoring the warm aroma, and teased, "So, like a little piglet that sleeps fast and deep? That's kind of cute."
Nanami looked both amused and exasperated.
"I'm happy you think it's cute, but please don't compare me to a piglet! I mean, they are cute, but I don't just eat and sleep all day! And… I'm not that chubby, right?!"
Nice—she didn't deny sleeping deeply.
Utaha turned on the faucet, rinsed her fingers, dried them with a towel, and then suddenly reached out and hugged Nanami's waist from behind.
"Eh!? Miss Kasumigaoka!?"
"Mm, you're right—not chubby. And you're hard working too, Miss Aoyama. Calling you a piglet was my mistake. So what should I call you instead~?"
Still gripping the soft flesh at Nanami's waist, Utaha continued teasingly,
"I've got it—just like a baby who sleeps quickly and deeply. Even if someone's talking nearby, you wouldn't wake up. Ugh, makes me so jealous as someone who can't sleep."
Nanami looked like she was about to grab her in return, opening her arms threateningly.
"Miss Kasumigaoka! If you keep this up, I'm going to fight back!"
Still no denial about sleeping deeply.
Before Nanami could pounce, Utaha, having achieved her goal, withdrew her arms, grabbed one more bread roll, and turned to leave with a smile.
"Thanks for the delicious midnight snack. Good night, Miss Aoyama. May you have sweet dreams."
Nanami chased after her two steps and called from the kitchen doorway, "Miss Kasumigaoka, I actually have some herbal tea that helps with sleep…"
"No need. It's not really bedtime yet anyway. And after eating such delicious bread, I'm not sleepy anymore."
Saying this, Utaha climbed the stairs and immediately stopped at the bend on the second floor.
She sat on the top step, listening carefully, nibbling her bread in tiny bites as if savoring each one.
She didn't get up until she heard Nanami return to her room. Then she crept quietly downstairs again.
The bath had already been taken. If Nanami wasn't studying, she'd likely be heading to sleep soon.
It was already quite late, and her voice acting practice had finished earlier in the evening.
Standing at the bottom of the stairs next to Nanami's room, Utaha waited silently for a few minutes.
When she saw the light in the cat-door window disappear, she finally tiptoed back upstairs.
She went to her room, rinsed her mouth, cleaned away any possible crumbs, and checked herself in the mirror to make sure everything was in order.
Then, at last, she walked to the door of Akira's room and raised her hand.
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Is it time?
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