After buying the books, Mai and Mori Shinra decided to drop them off at home first.
After all, carrying them around was tiring and inconvenient.
This time, they went to Mai's apartment.
In Mai's words, it was so Mori Shinra could get familiar with the place.
In the future, if he ever forgot his keys, he could come over and stay the night.
Mori Shinra replied that his door had a keypad, so even if he forgot his keys, he could enter the password to get in.
When Sakurajima Mai heard this, she fell into a long silence.
Technology really does change lives.
Mai's apartment was a little smaller than Mori Shinra's.
Although both were high-end apartments, there was still a difference between them.
"What's with that look?" Mai noticed Mori Shinra's disappointed gaze and asked, her tone a bit displeased.
"I thought Mai-san's place would be really messy."
"The internet says that some girls who live alone have rooms messier than a guy's. I was thinking I might get a chance to see Mai-san's br..."
Before he could finish, a soft, jade-like foot stepped on his instep and twisted forcefully.
It didn't hurt.
In fact, it was a little exciting.
But he had to put on an act.
Mori Shinra cooperated by showing a pained expression.
"You're overthinking it!"
Mai huffed.
She would never just leave her underwear lying around.
Besides, were there really girls who would just leave their underwear in the living room?
Generally speaking, shouldn't they be in the bathroom, or on the balcony...
"Wai... where are you going?"
"Just using the bathroom."
Mori Shinra said as he opened the bathroom door.
"Oh~~~"
Mai crossed the room in three steps, pulled Mori Shinra out of the bathroom, and then shut the door.
After a long while, she emerged with a red face, holding a pile of fabric wrapped in a bath towel.
"Surprisingly innocent," Mori Shinra commented.
"Shut up!" Mai glared fiercely at Mori Shinra.
But when such an expression appeared on Mai, it held no deterrent power whatsoever, only cuteness.
Mori Shinra thought for a moment and decided to use path dependency. "I'm sure a mature woman like Mai-san wouldn't mind her boyfriend, who is a year younger, seeing her underwear, right?"
"That line doesn't work on me anymore!"
Mai has changed. She will no longer be held captive by 'maturity'.
Then again, isn't this, in itself, a form of 'maturity'?
Blushing, Mai stuffed the underwear into the washing machine and set the wash-and-dry cycle.
She then walked out from the balcony.
"Let's go."
"You're kicking me out already?"
"Come grocery shopping with me, dummy!"
Oh, grocery shopping. That's a relief.
"Speaking of which, don't we seem like a newlywed couple?"
"How about you call me 'darling'?"
"Darling," Mori Shinra said without any burden, tossing the pressure directly onto Mai.
Seeing Mori Shinra's 'your turn' expression, Mai replied in a barely audible voice, "Dar... darling."
"Your voice is a little low."
"Darling, are you satisfied now!" Mai rolled her eyes beautifully.
Then, seeing Mori Shinra's happy expression, the corners of her mouth inexplicably turned up.
They went grocery shopping, cooked, and enjoyed dinner.
After everything was done.
Mai led Mori Shinra into her bedroom.
Of course, they weren't going to do anything un-broadcastable, but rather, to study.
Previously, Mai had offered to tutor Mori Shinra, but she ended up being tutored by him instead.
High school knowledge was child's play for Mori Shinra, who possessed the two god-tier learning skills, 'Photographic Memory' and 'Heaven Rewards the Diligent'.
With his current mastery of the relevant subjects, he was more than qualified to teach Mai.
Mai also trusted Mori Shinra completely.
"You don't doubt me at all?"
"What's there to doubt?"
"For example, that I'm just bluffing or something..."
"Are you bluffing?"
"No..."
Mai gave him a speechless look, as if to say, 'See? What's there to doubt?'
"Damn it. Now I can't use Mai-san's distrust to make a bet and win her first kiss."
"I heard that, you know."
"Shimatta. How did I say my true feelings out loud?"
Faced with Mori Shinra's clumsy acting, Mai rolled her workbook into a tube and lightly tapped him on the head as a warning.
"Ow, ow, ow..."
"I barely used any force, okay?"
"It hurts my heart."
Hearing this, Mai could only wear a helpless expression.
She then said, "Close your eyes."
Mori Shinra looked at Mai and blinked.
Could it be...
"The offer expires soon."
Hearing this, Mori Shinra immediately shut his eyes without a second thought.
He waited in high anticipation, even puckering his lips slightly.
Suddenly, a soft touch landed on his lips.
Was it the maiden's first kiss?
No, it was the maiden's slender, jade-like hand.
Realizing the goods were wrong, Mori Shinra immediately opened his eyes to demand an explanation.
His vision then went dark, followed by a warm, moist sensation on his forehead.
Okay... it wasn't the wrong goods, just delivered to the wrong address.
It was a fleeting touch.
Mai-san, who had returned to her original seat, tried hard to look calm and composed, but the red tips of her ears betrayed her.
Seeing Mori Shinra grinning like an idiot, Mai couldn't hold back and knocked on the small table in front of her.
She said, feigning sternness, "Study hard."
"Yes, Mai-sama!"
Mori Shinra straightened his back and replied immediately.
Because he had experience teaching Hikigaya Hachiman, Mori Shinra already had a plan in mind for how to teach Mai.
"Let's start with math."
Mai's math foundation was solid.
Although not at the very top, she was already excellent among her peers.
Given that Mai had said her grades were quite good, Mori Shinra was not surprised by this performance.
With a certain foundation, tutoring was relatively simple.
Mori Shinra had Mai do the problems first.
If she encountered one she couldn't solve, she would leave it blank, and he would explain them all later.
"Tuition fee. One kiss, please."
As expected, Mori Shinra's head was hit by the rolled-up workbook again.
Only this time, there was no 'medical fee'.
While Mai was concentrating on her problems, Mori Shinra was not idle either.
He opened the books he had just bought today and began studying as well.
The room soon fell quiet, with only the rustling of pens on paper and the turning of pages whispering in their ears.
Just like that, Mai and Mori Shinra's first date, simple yet not so simple, came to a close...