In the apartment building's waiting area, Ryo lay on the couch fast asleep.
Her striking looks and nonchalant behavior caught the attention of several passing residents, who turned to glance at her, whispering to their companions as they passed.
It wasn't every day you saw a young girl sleeping so defenselessly in public.
The moment Chisato recognized her, he let out a long sigh and pressed his hand to his forehead.
He suddenly felt an exhaustion that hadn't been there before.
After everything that had happened during the recent trip—those two unmentionable incidents—he couldn't help but feel a little headache whenever he saw Ryo now.
He had no idea how to deal with her.
Such a troublesome girl…
That was the first thought that came to mind.
But he couldn't just leave her there. Clearly, the reason she was here was to see him. He just didn't know how long she'd been waiting.
Chisato pulled out his phone to check, but there were no missed calls or messages from her. With a resigned sigh, he walked over.
As he gently nudged her shoulder, Ryo stirred in her sleep.
Her eyelids fluttered before slowly opening, revealing a dazed look as she stared blankly at Chisato, who had just pulled his hand back with a helpless expression.
She stayed in that groggy state for a few seconds, then her eyes widened in shock.
Her whole body trembled exaggeratedly, and she shrank into herself like she was being harassed, crossing her arms over her chest with a tearful expression, as if she might burst into tears at any second.
She's such a drama queen.
Chisato raised an eyebrow.
"…Relax. I didn't touch you there."
"Oh…"
She muttered softly, a tone impossible to read—was it regret? Disappointment?
Then she let out a quiet yawn, slowly sat up as if nothing had happened, and added,
"Actually… if it were you, President, I wouldn't mind."
She tilted her gaze downward at a 45-degree angle, hands clasped behind her back, wearing an expression of bashful shyness that was just the right amount of coy.
"You're not even fully awake yet, are you?"
Chisato stared at her blankly.
"Not responding, huh? Now I just look like a total idiot. You're even more boring than I imagined, President. Whatever… Welcome home."
"You are an idiot. And this definitely isn't the time or place to say something like that…"
Chisato had a whole mountain of retorts in his head, but he also knew that the apartment lobby wasn't exactly the best place to talk.
People were still coming and going, glancing curiously in their direction. It really did seem like spectators existed in every country.
Given the situation, it was best to wait until they were inside.
Chisato gave her a nod.
"Quit messing around. Come with me."
Ryo obediently replied, "Okay."
He turned around, swiped his keycard, and led her into the elevator.
As the elevator moved upward, Chisato glanced at her and casually asked,
"So, why were you sleeping on the couch in the lobby?"
Without even looking at him, Ryo responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world:
"Because the tiled floor is hard and cold. It's uncomfortable, easy to catch a cold, and not exactly classy. The couch doesn't have those issues."
"…"
Chisato pressed a hand to his forehead again and let out a long sigh.
His headache was definitely getting worse.
He took a deep breath and asked more directly,
"What I mean is—why are you here in the first place? Did something happen?"
"Oh, I wanted to talk to you about something work-related. My thoughts on my future with Kesshoku Band, and some ideas about my career path.
I figured I should talk them over with you properly."
So it was a work thing. That was fine.
"What time did you get here?"
"Around six-ish, I guess. I hadn't eaten yet when I came."
"I didn't ask if you'd eaten."
"But I am a little hungry."
Ryo sadly looked down and patted her stomach.
"If President doesn't do something about it, there's a high chance I'll be too malnourished to get out of bed tomorrow, and I might miss band activities we've already scheduled.
That would be a pretty serious issue."
"You'll get food! I'll make you something once we're inside! So just stop going off-topic and answer my questions properly!"
"…Okay."
Chisato took a deep breath to calm himself. He knew better than to let her derail the conversation.
"Why didn't you call me? If I hadn't come home tonight, were you planning to just wait on that couch all night?"
"No, not really. I figured I'd wait a little while, and if you didn't come back, I'd just go home.
But then I accidentally fell asleep, and when I woke up, you were already here. So for me, it didn't really feel like a long wait. I got a good nap out of it."
"…Well, that's just great, then."
Once they exited the elevator, Chisato unlocked the door to his apartment, returning for the first time in a week.
He handed a pair of slippers to Ryo and stepped into the living room.
"Have a seat. I'll see if there's anything you can eat."
"I don't need expensive teas or coffees—I'm not used to those."
"Relax. Even if I had that stuff, I'd save it for myself. No way I'd waste it on you."
He tossed his coat onto the couch and headed for the balcony first.
The food and water he'd left before the trip had been consumed at a normal rate—but there was no sign of The Darkwing.
The window was slightly ajar. It had probably flown out to play.
Chisato didn't worry much. That bird was smarter than most people he knew.
He turned and entered the kitchen.
Ryo, watching him leave the room, glanced around the apartment with boredom. Nothing really caught her eye.
Thinking back on the true reason she came, she quietly followed after him. As Chisato opened the fridge to look for something, she crept up behind him silently.
When she was just a step away and saw that he hadn't noticed her, she hesitated briefly—then leaned in close and gently blew a warm breath on the back of his neck.
The sudden sensation of warmth made Chisato jolt like he'd been shocked.
He clutched his neck and whipped around—only to see Ryo smiling mischievously, clearly pleased with herself.
"Hey, I swear—!"
But the rest of Chisato's words caught in his throat.
Because in that moment, the way Ryo was looking at him—with that soft, gentle smile—felt too familiar.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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