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"Do I really need to change shoes?"
Blake sounded hesitant.
"You do. Slippers are mandatory." Mahiru Shiina rested a hand on her hip and shot him a mildly annoyed look. "The soles are dirty. If you don't change, you'll just track dirt everywhere after I finish mopping."
Blake: "…"
Having a girl help mop the floor or wipe down the table was one thing—but asking her to clean his shoes? Yeah, that was a hard no.
"I'll wash them myself."
He quickly switched into clean slippers, grabbed his shoes, and headed for the bathroom.
Watching him leave, the "angel" curled her soft pink lips into a faint smile before turning back to cleaning in earnest.
A little while later, Blake took his freshly washed shoes outside to dry, then decided to step out for a bit.
"You keep going. I'll head to the convenience store to grab some ingredients."
Mahiru looked up at him and gently reminded, "Be careful outside. Watch the traffic lights."
Hey, hey—he wasn't a three-year-old. He didn't need reminders to cross the street.
"…"
Not long after Blake left, a blue-haired girl skipped up to the door and happily rang the bell.
The door opened quickly.
"Blake, good morni—"
Anna Yanami raised her hand with a bright, cheerful smile.
"Eh… eh?!"
But the moment she saw who opened the door, her smile froze solid. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Mahiru?!"
(Meow meow meow, what's going on? This is Blake's place, right?)
(So why is Mahiru the one opening the door?)
(Did I… come to the wrong apartment?)
"Yanami, please come in." Mahiru spoke naturally as she stepped aside. "Blake went to the convenience store to buy ingredients. He'll be back in a bit."
"Wait—give me a second to process this…"
Yanami pressed a finger to her forehead, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, the "angel" was still there.
"Damn it… not a hallucination…"
Finally accepting reality, Yanami couldn't help but ask:
"Why are you at Blake's place, Mahiru?"
"It's a bit of a long story." Mahiru's expression remained calm, her voice as gentle as ever. "I moved in next door to Blake a couple of days ago. I just came by to pay a visit today."
"Eh? Eh?! EHH?!"
It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck Yanami right on the head.
The angel lived next door to Blake?!
No way!
Even I, his childhood friend, don't live next door!
"What a coincidence…" Yanami forced a smile, curiosity creeping into her voice. "But… why are you cleaning?"
Hair tied up, apron around her waist—if a stranger walked in, they'd think you were the lady of the house!
Mahiru's gaze stayed steady as she replied softly,
"Blake helped me last night. When I came over today, the place was a bit messy, so I cleaned up as a way of thanking him."
(This is bad. This is really, really bad…)
Alarm bells blared in Yanami's head.
"Crap… the angel has already taken my spot!"
"I'll help!" Yanami quickly raised her hand. "Cleaning alone is exhausting."
"It's already done," Mahiru replied gently. "Come in and sit… Here, change into slippers first. Blake just washed them, so they might still be a bit damp."
Watching Mahiru bend down to take slippers from the rack, Yanami's sense of danger only grew stronger.
Why does this feel like the hostess welcoming a guest?
Director, cut! I want a retake, please!
Unfortunately, reality wasn't a script. No matter how badly she wanted a redo, she was already inside. Backing out now wasn't an option. She could only bite her lip, change shoes, and step in.
An awkward silence settled in the room.
Thankfully, it didn't last long before Blake pushed the door open.
"I'm back."
"Welcome home, Blake."
Mahiru happened to be standing by the entrance and greeted him softly.
Yanami: "…"
She's just a guest, right? Then how can she say "welcome home" so naturally?!
"Blake, let me help carry those."
Yanami quickly stood and walked over.
"No need, I've got—"
Before he could finish, the shopping bag was already snatched from his hand.
"Please, leave it to me."
Blake: "…"
Mahiru lowered her gaze slightly and spoke up,
"Blake, the cleaning is finished. I'll head back now."
"Thanks for the help." Blake nodded politely. "Want to stay for lunch?"
"I—"
Before she could finish, a soft, sleepy voice drifted down from upstairs.
"Big bro, it's so noisy downstairs… eh?"
Seeing Mahiru and Yanami in the living room, the silver-haired loli froze, her eyes widening as her expression turned instantly hostile.
"It's that bad woman who steals Big bro!"
Back in the previous loop, whether it was the fairy, the gluttonous "Old Eight," or the other "bad women," all of them had lost in the end. No matter how hard they tried, none could defeat the angel before them.
"Sagiri, you're up?" Blake wasn't surprised to see his sister come downstairs again. "This is Mahiru. She moved in next door a few days ago."
Mahiru looked over and gave a gentle smile, greeting politely,
"Hello, I'm Shiina Mahiru. Nice to meet you."
Sagiri bit her lip and turned her head away, refusing to respond.
(He already ran into a terrifying 'bad woman' this quickly… what do I do, what do I do?!)
While she was panicking, Blake spoke again,
"Sagiri, are you busy? I've got something I'd like to ask you."
"Huh?" Sagiri blinked in confusion, looking up at him with her soft, curious voice. "Big bro actually needs my help?"
"Yep." Blake sat down on the sofa, clearly excited. "If I remember right, your drawing skills are pretty good, yeah?"
"Th-they're… okay…"
Sagiri felt a bit guilty, worried her identity as "Eromanga-sensei" had been exposed.
Blake pulled up his laptop and showed a proposal.
"I'm planning to make a small game called Plant Girls vs Monsters. Think you can help with the artwork?"
"Huh? You're making a game, Big bro?"
"Yeah. I suddenly got a great idea. It won't be that big—should be done in a month or two. If it goes well, we might even pay off our aunt's high-interest debt in one go…"
"Don't get ahead of yourself. Games don't just become popular that easily."
Sagiri said that as she sat down beside him.
Yanami, curiosity written all over her face, sat on his other side and leaned toward the screen.
"Sounds interesting. I want to help too."
Time passed quietly.
Blake enthusiastically explained the game's concepts and ideas, while from time to time, a gentle voice would drift into his ears—
"Blake, what are you planning to cook?"
"…"
"Got it, leave it to me."
"…"
"Go wash your hands. Dinner's ready."
"…"
Blake finally snapped back to reality and looked over at the apron-wearing "angel chef," his feelings incredibly complicated. Somehow, he felt like he'd turned into a useless bum.
"Wait… when did you even finish cooking?!"
"..."
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