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"Whoa! It smells like dango!"
Hotaru-gusa's cute little nose twitched, and she instantly let out a delighted cry.
After all, this was the first world Hotaru-gusa had ever come to.
And the very first thing she'd eaten here had been dango—handmade by Ebina Nana herself.
Because of that, Hotaru-gusa had an especially sharp and unforgettable memory of the scent of Nana's dango.
Hearing Hotaru-gusa's excited voice, Ebina Nana froze for a moment, then quickly jogged into the kitchen.
When she came back out, she was carrying a plate of green dumplings.
As soon as she reached Hotaru-gusa, a smile bloomed on her face.
"Miss Hotaru-gusa, are you talking about these?"
"Huh? So you made these dango yourself, Miss Nana?"
Hotaru-gusa stared at the dumplings in Nana's hands, clearly surprised.
At that moment, Asher spoke up from the side, sounding a little helpless.
"Nana, the first thing little Hotaru-gusa ever ate was the dango you made for me last time."
"This little one completely ruined my lunch that day. I couldn't even taste what I was eating."
"Haha… so that's what happened…"
Listening to Asher's complaint, Ebina Nana immediately understood.
At the same time, she felt genuinely honored knowing that the very first food Hotaru-gusa had eaten in this world was something she had made herself.
"I didn't expect Miss Hotaru-gusa to like my dango that much."
"I love them!" Hotaru-gusa replied without hesitation.
There were few things happier than having someone praise your cooking.
"Then how about this? I'll make dango for you every day from now on."
Ebina Nana gently rubbed Hotaru-gusa's little head as she spoke, her tone full of affection.
A girl as cute as Hotaru-gusa was like the little sister next door. Who wouldn't like her?
Nana certainly wasn't an exception.
And on top of that, she was Mr. Asher's little sister.
"Wah! Really?"
"That would be so—"
Hotaru-gusa let out a burst of excitement, but before she could finish, her voice abruptly stopped.
She carefully glanced at Asher.
Even though Hotaru-gusa was still young and thought like a child, she knew that bothering other people wasn't a good thing.
After struggling internally for a moment, she shook her head.
"Um… it's okay, Miss Nana."
"That would be too much trouble for you."
"It's really fine," Nana said with a smile. "Miss Hotaru-gusa is so adorable. If I can let you eat my dango every day, that would make me really happy too."
Then she looked up at Asher with hopeful eyes.
"Mr. Asher… is that okay?"
Watching the scene between the big one and the little one, Asher couldn't help but feel amused.
It was honestly the first time he'd seen someone insist on giving away food for free, while still asking for permission.
Still, out of courtesy, he spoke up.
"Let's not."
"That would be way too much trouble for you."
Hearing this, Ebina Nana immediately shook her head, so hard it was like a rattle drum.
"It's not a bother at all!"
"I think it's something that would make me really happy!"
"After all, Miss Hotaru-gusa is the first person who's ever liked my dango this much!"
That was what Nana said.
Of course, that was only part of the reason.
Yes, having someone like her cooking truly made her happy.
But more than that—
Nana felt that if she used this as an excuse, she'd have more chances to interact with Asher.
She knew that there probably wasn't much of a future between them.
Still, being able to help the boy she liked—
Even just watching him smile—was enough to make that happiness echo back into her own heart.
"…"
Looking at Nana's stubborn persistence, then at the longing clearly written in little Hotaru-gusa's eyes, Asher thought for a moment.
In the end, he decided to compromise.
"If you're really that set on it, then I'll accept."
"But we can't let you keep providing dango for free."
"If you ever need anything in the future, you can come to me."
"And if I offer you compensation, you're not allowed to refuse."
"Otherwise, we won't do this at all."
His conditions were perfectly reasonable.
Hearing that, Ebina Nana finally let out a sigh of relief.
As long as Asher agreed, she was willing to accept any conditions he named.
"Then it's settled," she said with a bright smile, nodding.
"Yay! Thank you, big brother!" Hotaru-gusa cheered happily, practically shouting "Big brother is the best!"
…
Not long after that, Ebina Nana brought out the lavish meal she'd prepared in advance and set it on the table.
After inviting Asher and Hotaru-gusa to sit down, the three of them began dinner.
It had to be said—
Ebina Nana really had the makings of a great homemaker.
Her cooking was outstanding.
Even compared to Asher, she was clearly on another level.
Both Asher and Hotaru-gusa ate until they were completely satisfied.
Especially Hotaru-gusa, who already loved good food—
She ate so much her little belly was perfectly round.
Leaning back in her chair, eyes curved into happy crescents, she rubbed her swollen stomach and let out a contented sigh.
"Mmm… I'm so full."
"Miss Nana's cooking is amazing!"
"This is the most Hotaru-gusa has ever eaten!"
Asher also spoke up sincerely.
"Thanks for the meal."
"Hehe~"
Seeing the two of them acting almost exactly the same, Ebina Nana couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.
Truly worthy of being siblings, huh?
Even though Asher and Hotaru-gusa weren't related by blood—and one was human while the other was a shikigami—after spending so much time together, their habits and mannerisms had started to resemble each other.
"I'm glad you both liked it," Nana said warmly.
"Alright then, I'll go clean up the dishes."
"Mr. Asher, Miss Hotaru-gusa, just relax in the living room for a bit."
With that, she carried the dishes into the kitchen.
Not long after she finished washing up, Nana returned to the living room and joined Asher and Hotaru-gusa, who were resting.
The three of them started chatting casually.
In the not-so-large living room, bursts of laughter echoed from time to time.
Before they realized it, it was almost ten at night.
Asher stood up with Hotaru-gusa, politely said goodbye to Ebina Nana, and then headed home.
However, the moment they stepped through the door—
At Hotaru-gusa's surprised yelp, Asher picked her up, sat down on the sofa, lifted her diaper, and gave her bottom two sharp smacks.
"Waaah… big brother, why are you hitting me…?"
Feeling the stinging pain, Hotaru-gusa's little face instantly scrunched up in tears.
Asher looked at her pitiful expression without a shred of sympathy, instead glaring at her.
"Do you know what you did wrong?"
"Huh…? Big brother, are you talking about what happened earlier…?"
Hotaru-gusa immediately remembered what had happened at Miss Nana's place.
"What else would it be?"
"Hotaru-gusa, we can't just trouble other people whenever we want. Got it?"
"Mm… I know I was wrong…" Hotaru-gusa bit her lip, looking miserably guilty.
She didn't argue back.
After all, she knew she'd really been in the wrong.
Seeing how pitiful she looked, Asher finally nodded.
"Since you admitted your mistake sincerely, I'll let you off this time."
"But if there's a next time, it won't just be a spanking."
"O-Okay, big brother! I promise I'll never do it again!"
Seeing that Asher was letting her off, Hotaru-gusa quickly made a very serious promise.
The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.
Since it was Monday, Asher woke up early.
After washing up and preparing his lunch, he headed to school as usual.
As for Hotaru-gusa, she returned to the barrier.
About half an hour later, Asher arrived at his classroom.
When the girls saw him, their enthusiasm was as strong as ever, greeting him warmly.
Asher responded to each of them with a smile.
By the time he finally made it to his seat, he hadn't even had a chance to warm the chair—
When Akizuki Marina, who sat in front of him, turned around.
"Mr. Asher, do you know about the exam this Wednesday?"
"An exam?" Asher paused.
He immediately recalled what had happened with Teacher Hiratsuka in the underground parking lot last week.
"Akizuki-san, do you mean the midterms?"
"Mm-hm, that's right." Akizuki Marina nodded.
As she spoke, she suddenly took out a notebook and placed it on Asher's desk.
"These are my notes from every class since the start of the semester."
"I've written down a lot of important points."
"Mr. Asher, you can take a look."
"Try your best to get a good result on the exam."
As she said this, Asher couldn't help but feel surprised.
Sure, he and Akizuki Marina were fairly familiar with each other.
But offering this kind of help out of nowhere felt a bit too much.
"Miss Akizuki, this is…"
Seeing the confusion on his face, Akizuki Marina naturally understood what he was thinking.
She smiled calmly, rational and composed.
"Actually, Teacher Hiratsuka asked me to do this."
"Besides, we're classmates, aren't we? Helping each other out is only natural."
Akizuki Marina's explanation was flawless.
It sounded warm and approachable, yet still kept a subtle sense of distance.
So much so that no one could really tell what she was thinking inside.
Hearing her say that, Asher simply smiled.
"I see."
"Either way, thanks a lot."
"Mhm, no need to thank me," Marina replied with a smile.
Just as Asher thought their conversation was coming to an end, Marina suddenly spoke up again.
"Oh, right."
"Asher, have you heard?"
"It seems like our class is getting another transfer student."
"?"
"Another transfer student?"
Asher froze for a moment.
"Yeah. I think it's kind of interesting," Marina said."After all, you're a transfer student too, Asher."
"And I heard this time it's a girl."
She covered her mouth and laughed softly.
As a model student and one of the top achievers in the class, Marina naturally received a bit of special treatment from the teachers.
So it wasn't strange that she knew more than the others.
"Really? Now I'm getting curious too," Asher said.
He was genuinely interested in this new transfer student.
Especially since it was a girl.
In anime-style worlds, transfer students were usually anything but ordinary.
"Then I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
After chatting a bit more, Marina turned back to her seat and used the remaining time before class to review her notes.
Asher didn't idle either.
He picked up the notebook Marina had handed him and started flipping through it.
Honestly, it was impressive.
No wonder Marina ranked near the top of the grade.
Her handwriting was neat and elegant, and the notes focused on key points.
They were even easier to understand than the textbook.
That said—
Asher only skimmed through them before setting the notebook down.
Even though he was studying at a Japanese school now, aside from a few subjects with strong local characteristics, most of the material wasn't much different from what he'd learned in his previous life.
There was no need for him to relearn it all.
…
Before long, the class bell rang.
The noisy classroom instantly fell silent.
After all, the first class on Monday belonged to Shizuka Hiratsuka, the great demon queen herself.
If she caught you messing around in class, the consequences were nothing short of brutal.
Amid the students sitting up straight in their seats, Hiratsuka Shizuka walked into the classroom at a steady pace, wearing her eternally unchanged white lab coat.
Once she reached the podium, she didn't start teaching right away.
Instead, she addressed the class.
"Alright, everyone. I've got an announcement."
"Our class will soon be welcoming another new student."
"When the time comes, make sure to give them a warm round of applause."
"And if anyone causes trouble, don't say I didn't warn you."
The moment her mix of threat and encouragement ended, the classroom erupted into chatter.
"Huh? Since when?"
"Another transfer student?"
"What's going on lately? Why are so many transfer students coming to our class?"
"…"
The students who hadn't known about it started discussing excitedly.
After a while, a pointed cough from Hiratsuka brought the room back to order.
The news was surprising, sure, but what everyone really cared about was what this new student looked like.
Seeing the class calm down, Hiratsuka nodded in satisfaction and turned her head toward the doorway.
"Alright, new student, you can come in now."
"Introduce yourself to everyone."
"Hello."
"My name is Adashino Benio. That's all."
…
Her voice was cool and brief, so short it barely qualified as an introduction.
After a split second of silence, the classroom exploded with enthusiastic applause and cheers.
Asher, meanwhile, was stunned.
The transfer student… was Adashino Benio?
So Tsuchimikado Arima had already started making moves?
There was no way Asher believed Benio's appearance here was just a coincidence.
Other than Arima's arrangements, he couldn't think of any explanation.
"Alright, Adashino, find an empty seat and sit down," Hiratsuka said after calming the class.
Benio didn't respond verbally.
Instead, her eyes swept across the classroom.
Every boy her gaze passed over straightened up instinctively, eyes full of anticipation.
But in the end, Benio made a choice that disappointed most of them.
Under everyone's shocked stares, she walked straight toward Asher.
And before Asher could even process what was happening—
Benio stopped in front of his desk and bowed deeply, a full ninety degrees.
Her voice rang out clearly.
"Long time no see, Mr. Asher."
Clack.
The classroom went dead silent.
So quiet you could hear a pin drop.
It wasn't until a student dropped a textbook onto the floor that everyone snapped back to reality.
What the hell… was going on here?!
"..."
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