"Yeah, isn't that ridiculous? I suspect I'm being targeted, but I don't have any proof." "Pfft,why would a delivery company target you? It must be a coincidence," Shiina Mahiru replied with a light laugh.
The two chatted and laughed as they walked towards Sakura Dormitory. That's right. Shiina Mahiru had asked him to wait for her after school because she was moving into Sakura Dormitory.
She had originally lived in a luxurious villa. But now that she was a high school student, she wanted to make some changes and had expressed her desire to live alone near the school. So, with a 'let's try it' attitude, she had contacted her cousin, Chihiro Chitose, whom she had known since she was little.
From childhood to adulthood, she had always been taken care of by her maid, Aunt Koyuki, but Aunt Koyuki also had her own family. She couldn't stay with Shiina Mahiru forever. What's more, even her parents didn't care about her. This led to Shiina Mahiru having quite a few complaints about that empty, lonely villa. What was the point of living alone in such a large house? That kind of loneliness, that feeling of not being valued, made a girl who had longed for her parents' affection since childhood feel like she was sitting on pins and needles, her stress growing day by day.
Asagi was actually very puzzled because Chihiro Chitose hadn't mentioned that her cousin, Shiina Mahiru, would be coming to live there. But thinking about how Chihiro-sensei was often drunk, he guessed this drunkard had probably forgotten about it. In short, Sakura Dormitory was welcoming another beautiful girl—the 'Angel,' Shiina Mahiru. Asagi was naturally delighted.
Soon, they arrived at the entrance of Sakura Dormitory. "Is this Sakura Dormitory?" "It looks very pretty."There were indeed cherry blossom trees planted around the building. "Meow~"Three small cats came over, rubbing against Asagi's pant legs affectionately. It was probably the effect of the 'Cat Pack' item, which could attract cats. By putting cats inside, he could even perfectly control their movements remotely. "Wow,such cute little cats! Can I hold them?" Shiina Mahiru clearly couldn't resist such cute creatures; her aqua-blue eyes sparkled. "Of course,here." He picked up a cat and handed it to the girl. Shiina Mahiru held the tabby cat, stroking its soft fur, and couldn't help but show a sweet smile. Held in her arms, the cat didn't resist but instead obediently let her pet it. The other two were still rubbing against Asagi's pant legs. Shiina Mahiru couldn't help but laugh."Asagi-kun, you're quite popular with small animals." Asagi waved his hand indifferently."After all, I'm their provider, their pooper-scooper. Cats are very smart; they know who feeds them." "Alright,let's go inside. Chihiro-sensei should be back by now."
Chihiro Chitose worked as a teacher at Suimei University of the Arts Affiliated High School, where she taught art. Asagi led Shiina Mahiru into the first-floor manager's office. As soon as he pushed open the door, a strong smell of alcohol wafted out, making both of them instinctively cover their noses. The floor was littered with crumpled empty beer cans, and a voluptuous woman with brown hair was lying sound asleep among the pile.
Asagi couldn't help but sigh, rubbing his forehead. "Chihiro-sensei, you're drunk again! If you keep this up, you'll really never find a partner!" "So noisy,you brat!" Chihiro Chitose heard the sound and mumbled discontentedly. She propped herself up, reached out, and wrapped her arm around Asagi's neck. "How dare you curse me, a beautiful girl who's forever 29! If I can't find a partner, I'll force you to marry me or Koharu!" ('Koharu' referred to Koharu Shirayama, a beautiful teacher who taught Japanese Literature at Suimei and was Chihiro's best friend and fellow perpetual blind-date failure.)
Being hugged by a beautiful woman should be a benefit, but Chihiro Chitose smelled strongly of sour beer, which made Asagi instinctively frown. "Chihiro-sensei, stop fooling around! Your cousin is here!" "My cousin?I don't care! Little Asagi, how dare you curse me? I'll punish you by making you... please me well in bed tonight!" At these words, Shiina Mahiru covered her small mouth in surprise. "Asagi-kun,is this the kind of relationship you have with my cousin?" "Of course not!Chihiro-sensei, sober up!" Asagi's face darkened. You drunk teacher, how dare you slander me in front of the Angel! Do you believe I'll actually do it?
"Oh! Isn't this Mahiru? Haha, well, you're here! Why didn't you call me?" Chihiro Chitose pretended nothing had happened, releasing Asagi's neck. "Perfect! This kid is the landlord. Mahiru, just let him arrange everything. Your cousin, I, still need to rest for a bit. We'll chat later, okay?" With that, she unceremoniously pushed the two out of the room.
Asagi and Shiina Mahiru exchanged glances, both a bit speechless. "Um,Asagi-kun, you and my cousin…" "It's nothing!We're just ordinary landlord and tenant!" he quickly explained. "Pfft,I didn't say you had any other relationship. By the way, where do I live?" Shiina Mahiru covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.
Asagi sighed helplessly. "Follow me." With Chihiro-sensei officially on strike, only he, the landlord, could handle this.
---
Asagi registered Shiina Mahiru and had her fill out a form. After that, he took her to see the available rooms. First, the first floor. Besides the manager's office where Chihiro Chitose lived, there were two other rooms and a shared kitchen. Shiina Mahiru looked at them and decisively shook her head; she didn't want to live on the first floor.
They went up to the second floor. "This room by the window is mine.Next door is a girl's room, Sayu Ogiwara's room." "There are a few other rooms on this floor.Room 205 in the corner is occupied by a shut-in, Ryunosuke Akasaka. He's a genius programmer and basically in charge of our internet here at Sakura Dormitory."
Shiina Mahiru noticed that besides Sayu Ogiwara's room, the room across from Asagi's and the one next to it were also nice. They were very airy, and opening the windows revealed the branches of the cherry blossom trees, with a fragrant floral scent wafting in. She even saw a cat curled up sleeping on a tree branch. It looked very cozy.
After showing her the second floor, they went up to the third floor. "There are also a few rooms up here.Room 301 is occupied by Misaki Kamiigusa-senpai, a genius animation producer. She's very easygoing and a wonderful person to get along with." "Room 305 is occupied by a playboy,Jin Mitaka-senpai. It's said he's dating 6 girlfriends simultaneously and parties every night. He hasn't been at Sakura Dormitory these past few days."
Hearing this, Shiina Mahiru's delicate brows furrowed. Dating six people at once, partying every night... how could Sakura Dormitory house such a person? She looked at Asagi in confusion. Asagi shrugged helplessly. "I know what you're thinking. Why does Sakura Dormitory accept such tenants? Actually, I've only recently inherited this place. These people moved in before that." "So,have you decided where you want to live?"
"Yes. I want to live in the room next to yours; the view seems nice," Shiina Mahiru immediately made her decision. She certainly didn't want to live on the same floor as a playboy. "Oh,next to me? Are you sure? Aren't you afraid I'll…" Facing his teasing words, Shiina Mahiru glanced pointedly at his crotch and said coolly: "I'm not some easily bullied girl.If you dare to attack me, I'll use physical means to make sure you can never use that thing again." Asagi's mouth twitched."That's truly frightening. But don't worry, I wouldn't casually lay a hand on a cute girl." "After all,my dream is to make the girl I like happy. Forcing someone certainly wouldn't lead to happiness, would it?" "Alright,Shiina, this room is yours from now on. Here's the key." Asagi said, quickly completing the registration and handing her a set of keys. "You go ahead and tidy up.Everyone will gather in the first-floor living room for dinner tonight. It's a tradition at Sakura Dormitory to welcome new residents with a get-together." "I understand,"Shiina Mahiru nodded with a smile. A get-together—that was quite new to her. "Then I won't disturb you."Asagi smoothly turned and left.
As soon as he returned to his room, he saw Sayu Ogiwara's resentful gaze. "What's wrong?Why are you pouting like that?" Sayu Ogiwara looked at him pitifully."Asagi-kun, who is that super beautiful girl? You two seem to be wearing the same school uniform." She actually wanted to ask if that girl was his girlfriend. "She's a new resident.Her name is Shiina Mahiru. She's Chihiro-sensei's cousin and also my classmate. That's about it." "I see…"Sayu Ogiwara breathed a sigh of relief, but soon her brows furrowed again.