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"Of course, no problem at all!"
The moment Mahiru Shiina agreed, Yamada Elf put her hands on her hips and lifted her chin proudly, looking delighted.
"Cooking's actually pretty tiring. Blake and I should cover more of the living expenses."
Hey, hey—don't just make decisions for other people. I haven't agreed yet, you know!
"Blake, what do you think?"
The blonde girl turned to look at him, using his "servant" nickname like she only did in private.
Blake thought it over for a few seconds, then finally nodded.
"…Then I'll be in your care, Shiina."
School, daily life, grinding skills, and occasionally taking on commissions with Black Cat… there just weren't enough hours in the day.
If the "angel" could handle the cooking, he could pour that saved time into game development. There was really no reason to refuse.
"Then it's settled." A faint smile curved Mahiru Shiina's soft pink lips, her voice gentle. "I'll go tidy up the kitchen first."
"I'm so jealous…"
Yanami lay sprawled over the table, looking pitiful.
"Why… why don't I live next door? I want to eat Angel-sama's cooking every day too."
Even though she stayed on guard around Mahiru, there was one thing she couldn't resist—good food.
"Shiina, I'll handle the dishes."
Blake quickly stood up to help.
Letting the angel take care of lunch already felt like too much. If he made her wash pots and dishes too, wouldn't he basically become useless?
"Blake, could you wash the grapes instead?" Mahiru glanced at him, gently pressing her lips together. "I just got the kitchen organized. If you wash dishes, it'll get messy again."
"What do you mean, messy?"
Curious, Blake walked into the kitchen—and instantly went speechless.
The bowls, utensils, and even the seasoning bottles were arranged with almost absurd precision, like soldiers lined up for inspection. Every label faced outward, everything sorted by size…
Yeah, this was definitely the work of someone with serious obsessive tendencies.
"I'm not obsessive." As if she'd read his mind, Mahiru spoke softly. "I just cleaned up while cooking."
No way you get things this neat just by "cleaning up"!
"I'll wash the fruit…"
Blake opened the shopping bag, took out the two bunches of grapes he'd bought earlier, and started rinsing them.
While washing, he quietly switched the positions of a couple seasoning bottles when Mahiru wasn't looking.
It didn't even take a minute.
Mahiru immediately noticed something was off and walked over, calmly putting everything back in its proper place.
And you say you're not obsessive?
You can't even tolerate things being out of order for a second.
…
After finishing the fruit, Blake returned to the living room and sat on the sofa, continuing his discussion with Sagiri about the game.
"It's fine if the monsters look a bit ugly, but the plant girls should be cute…"
"Next is the main plant types and their abilities…"
"Plants should be able to support each other too…"
He explained everything carefully, step by step.
For now, his plan was to make a basic version first to test the waters. Fusion versions or expanded modes would be way too much work—those could wait.
"Got it." Sagiri nodded seriously, her eyes bright, though her voice remained soft. "I'll go back to my room and start right away. I won't let you down, Blake."
She didn't really care why Blake suddenly wanted to make a game. Just working toward the same goal with him was enough.
"Sounds pretty fun." Yamada Elf chimed in excitedly. "I'm joining too."
Blake glanced at her. "What can you do?"
"Write the script." Yamada put her hands on her hips again, lifting her cute chin proudly. "I'm a super popular genius girl author, you know. If it's a game, it obviously needs a great story."
"Sorry, we don't need a script."
"Eh?"
"It's basically a tower defense game. There are only a few maps, and the monsters are just reskins, so the story isn't important."
"N-no way!" Yamada clasped her hands together in a hurry. "Just let me write something first. You can judge after you read it!"
Blake paused for a couple seconds. "…Alright, go ahead and try."
"Me, me!" Yanami raised her hand eagerly, eyes shining. "Blake, I want to help too."
As his childhood friend, she couldn't miss out on something this important.
"There is something you can help with," Blake said, not forgetting the gluttonous girl. "Your voice is really nice, so you can handle voice acting. Don't worry—there won't be many lines, so it won't interfere with your studies."
"Hehe~"
Yanami's face lit up instantly. She gave a crisp salute, her voice bright and cheerful.
"Mission accepted!"
Blake pressed his index finger to his temple.
"Lastly, about the game versions—we're planning to make two. One in the local language, and another in English. The English version might be tricky…"
"I can handle that."
A gentle, pleasant voice cut in. Mahiru stepped out of the kitchen.
"I used to study with a foreign teacher. I should be able to help."
…
After finishing the fruit, Mahiru was the first to excuse herself and quietly leave.
"I'm heading back too." Yamada Elf waved as she walked out. "Servant, look forward to my game script."
"Blake, I'm going to my room to draw plant girls…"
Sagiri ran upstairs with excited little footsteps.
Before long, only Blake and Yanami were left in the living room.
"Blake…" Yanami lay on the table, her tone slightly suspicious. "Aren't you getting a bit too close to Shiina?"
Blake shook his head. "Not really. We're classmates, but we only started talking these past couple of days."
"She seems easy to get along with, but she actually keeps everyone at a distance." Yanami couldn't help asking, "What exactly happened last night? Why were you helping her so late?"
Blake decided to tell the truth.
"Shiina… is actually like Elf. She's a magical girl."
He'd already asked Mahiru in the kitchen whether he could tell Yanami, and she said it was fine.
"Ehhh?!" Yanami's eyes widened. Then she suddenly thought of something. "The mysterious girl who can stop time?"
"That's right." Blake nodded. "Time stop is powerful, but the side effects are serious. It just so happens I can help."
"No wonder…"
Yanami immediately deflated.
Damn it!
Why do I only have a 'loser heroine diary'? I want to be a witch too, so I can get close to Blake!
Luckily, Yanami wasn't the type to dwell on things for long. She quickly pulled herself together and looked at him expectantly.
"Blake, there's something I need your help with."
Blake looked at her curiously. "What is it?"
Yanami raised a thumb, her tone firm and determined.
"I'm going to become a beautiful girl novelist!"
"....."