"Alright, don't worry. It's time to prepare a welcome party for the new resident," Asagi said, steering the conversation away from the awkwardness. "No problem,leave it to me! I'll conquer her stomach!" Sayu Ogiwara immediately perked up. She held her head high, put on an apron, and got busy in the kitchen.
Having just finished washing dishes and sobering up a bit, Chihiro Chitose couldn't stop smiling; she would have delicious late-night snacks again tonight. Asagi came downstairs and rolled his eyes at her. "Isn't this the eternally 29-year-old beautiful girl,Chihiro-sensei? Have you woken up?"
Chihiro Chitose snorted, hooking his neck with her arm. "You brat, taking advantage and still acting innocent. What, you look down on me, your teacher?" "How could I?"Asagi smiled, then naturally put his arm around her slender waist and picked her up. "Chihiro-sensei, what you said about going to bed earlier... does it still count?"
Chihiro Chitose's head buzzed. Her pretty face flushed crimson. "You stinky brat, you actually teased me! Sure enough, after getting Sayu, you've started to turn bad, just like that brat Jin!" Asagi smiled and put her down."It seems you were the one who teased me first and almost made Shiina misunderstand."
Chihiro Chitose pretended to be calm, adjusted her skirt, and sat down. "Don't give me that. You're the pervert here!" Saying that, she beckoned him with her finger playfully. "What, interested in Mahiru? My cousin isn't easy to chase, you know. But I do know some things about her. Want to know? Buy me beer, and I'll tell you!"
Asagi waved his hand in disdain. "You've been drinking all afternoon, and you still want more? In a few days, I'm holding a big clean-up and hygiene inspection. If your room still smells of sour beer, I'll make you, Chihiro-sensei, responsible for Sakura Dormitory's hygiene for a month!"
Chihiro Chitose, who always wanted to be a lazy bum, widened her eyes. "That's too cruel! Brat, do you still want information about my cousin?" "I don't care.It's not like I don't have a girlfriend." He had Sayu, and he wasn't desperately craving other girls. Alright, fine, I am. But I can't be too hasty. He couldn't let Chihiro Chitose see just how interested he was.
Chihiro Chitose looked at his indifferent expression, her face full of dejection. "What's wrong with me having a drink? You brat, when you reach my age, you'll know that life is best with just one more can of beer!" "Sorry,I don't think I'll ever experience the feeling that life is just about beer," Asagi said, sitting down as well and carefully observing the mature woman in front of him. "I don't understand, Chihiro-sensei. You're clearly very beautiful. Why did your blind dates fail?"
Chihiro Chitose's cheeks flushed, and she couldn't help but glare at him. "Who knows what you men are thinking! Seriously, is it that hard to find a successful, mature man?" Asagi's mouth twitched."No wonder you failed. I'm telling you, Chihiro-sensei, there are so many corporate slaves now. The truly successful ones are generally already married." "And if you don't change this habit of loving beer,promising guys will stay even further away from you, right? Shirayama-sensei at least knows how to act cute, but you always look like you've given up. Who would marry a drunkard and bring her home as a wife?"
Asagi continued talking to himself. Chihiro Chitose was already clutching her chest, tears welling up in her eyes. Asagi scratched his cheek. Did I go too far? Chihiro Chitose managed to calm her anger,then suddenly pounced on him, sitting on his lap. "You stinky brat, how could you talk about me like that… Woohoo, am I really that bad?" "I don't care!It must be your fault that I can't find a partner! You have to take responsibility and marry me!" "Oh,come to think of it, you brat aren't bad-looking. Much handsomer than Jin Mitaka." "You have a house,I have a car, we're a perfect match!"
Asagi was speechless. Have some shame, won't you? I'm just a high school student! And is it really okay for you to force me to be your husband like this?
---
Asagi thought about it and, in the end, didn't bring up the age issue. This was the anime world, after all. Actually, being a bit older wasn't a big problem. Chihiro Chitose was still very beautiful, with a good figure and a mature, intellectual charm. Of course, her current behavior of pouncing on him and sitting on his lap was no different from a pouting little girl. She was the eternally 29-year-old beautiful girl, after all.
Chihiro Chitose was still talking animatedly. "How about it, brat? Marrying me is a bargain for you. From now on, my car will be your car, and your house will be my house. Let's just lie flat together!" "Chihiro-sensei!"Sayu Ogiwara's voice rang out from behind. The eternally 29-year-old beautiful girl's body stiffened. She pretended as if nothing had happened, quickly getting off Asagi's lap. "Ahem,Sayu-chan, this boy has a good… resilience. You'll be… fortunate in the future." Sayu Ogiwara puffed out her cheeks and couldn't help but roll her eyes. "I was just reminding you two that dinner is ready!Seriously, even if you're going to do something, at least go back to your room! Is this what adult play is like?"
Asagi and Chihiro Chitose both blushed a little. Awkward. Too awkward. Ah, wait, why am I awkward? I'm the victim here! Asagi immediately regained his composure; being thick-skinned was a useful skill.
When Shiina Mahiru came over, she saw her cousin, Chihiro Chitose, sitting properly at the table. "Oh,Mahiru, you're here! Come sit down. Sayu-chan's cooking is really good!" "Hello,I'm Sayu Ogiwara. I live in room 201. Nice to meet you." "Ah,hello. I'm Shiina Mahiru. I'll be in room 203. Nice to meet you." "Quick,sit down and eat!" "Wait for me!"Misaki Kamiigusa appeared at just the right moment and swiftly sat down next to Shiina Mahiru. "Oh, is this the newcomer? So cute! Hey, hey, I'm Misaki Kamiigusa. It's perfectly fine to call me Misaki-senpai!"
The dinner party atmosphere was very harmonious, at least Shiina Mahiru felt it was great. Just as Asagi had said, the people at Sakura Dormitory were all very easygoing. This made Shiina Mahiru feel a special warmth, different from that empty home.
Of course, Jin Mitaka took a call and said he wouldn't be back due to something, but he still expressed his welcome to her. As for Ryunosuke Akasaka, he was indeed a recluse, only communicating through his devices, using his AI maid to relay messages. Throughout the entire time, Shiina Mahiru never saw him in person. Well, it didn't matter anyway.
She noticed that Asagi was very popular here. Sayu Ogiwara's gaze was constantly on him. Misaki-senpai would also occasionally blush slightly, secretly glancing his way. Her cousin, Chihiro Chitose… well, she started drinking again. And she drunkenly dragged Asagi, saying if her blind dates failed again, he would have to marry her.
Asagi packed a portion of food and sent it to Ryunosuke Akasaka's door before returning to join the dinner. Listening to Chihiro Chitose say he had to marry her, he felt a bit exasperated. Actually, I'm willing. But it would be to marry all the girls I like. Well, this kind of plot development could only appear in light novels, right? With the Game of Life System as his backup, he decided he could try for the happiest life possible. Otherwise, he would have reincarnated for nothing.
Asagi carried the drunken Chihiro Chitose back to the dorm manager's room and then carried Misaki Kamiigusa, who was clinging to Sayu Ogiwara, to her room. His gaze then fell on Shiina Mahiru. "No,I haven't had any alcohol. You don't need to carry me," the girl quickly refused. Asagi rolled his eyes at her."What are you thinking? I just wanted to say it's time to clean up. Sayu cooked today, so let her rest." Shiina Mahiru smiled and nodded.That was only right.
The two quickly started cleaning up. The sheer number of beer cans on the floor left Asagi speechless. "Chihiro-sensei can really drink a lot." "She probably has too many worries.Everyone has their own troubles," Shiina Mahiru sighed, organizing as she spoke. Asagi remained silent.