Yukino's earlier actions had been very bold, but that boldness only lasted for about two minutes. After that, she became unbearably shy again.
Of course, she also became clingier than ever.
Wiping his hands, Ichin turned around with a smile, pulled the freshly washed Yukino into his arms, and breathed in the faint rose scent of her shampoo lingering in her hair.
After quietly letting Yukino hold onto him for a while, Ichin said softly, "Alright, go rest in the living room for a bit. You can read a book or play with the cats—either is fine. I still need to finish cooking."
"I'll help," Yukino said.
The moment she finished speaking, Ichin extended a finger and gently pressed it against her forehead.
"No need. It's just a few dishes. Let me handle it today. You just relax and wait to eat, okay?"
As he spoke, he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.
Only then did Yukino stop insisting. She turned and left the kitchen, went back to her room to change clothes, then brought all of her cats over. Soon, she was happily lounging in the living room, petting the cats.
By five o'clock, Utaha finished up her work at the publishing house and was sent back by Machida Sonoko.
Seeing Machida Sonoko come in together with Utaha, Ichin smiled and asked, "Sonoko-neesan, how about staying to have dinner with us? We made quite a few dishes today."
Hearing that, Sonoko curiously walked over to the kitchen entrance to take a look. When she saw the array of ingredients laid out on the counter, she immediately nodded happily. "Sure! Then I'll be intruding!"
Ichin went back to cooking, while Sonoko followed Utaha into the house.
Seeing Yukino in the living room petting cats, Sonoko smiled and greeted her, "Good afternoon, Yukino!"
Yukino looked over and returned the smile. "Welcome, Sonoko-neesan."
As she spoke, she set the cat down.
"I'll go make some tea. Utaha, you can go change first."
Utaha nodded, had Sonoko sit for a bit, and headed to the bedroom.
Soon, Yukino brought out two cups of tea, and together with Utaha and Sonoko, they relaxed in the living room, watching TV and playing with the cats.
After taking a sip of tea, Yukino looked at Utaha and asked, "How's the new book coming along?"
Utaha lifted her chin proudly. "Top secret for now. I'll show you once I've finished the outline and written the contents of the first volume."
Sonoko also smiled and added, "That's right, that's right—don't rush it. Utaha has been carefully preparing this new book for a long time. She's written a bit already, but after our discussion today, we decided it still needs more revisions. The overall outline needs more work too. If we're talking about official publication, it'll probably take a while longer."
"Writing novels really is difficult," Yukino said with understanding, nodding as she spoke. At the same time, her anticipation for Utaha's new book grew even stronger.
After sitting for a while, Utaha stood up and headed to the kitchen.
Pushing the door open, she smiled and hugged Ichin from behind.
"Ichin, how's dinner coming along?"
Setting down the bowl mixed with sauce, Ichin turned his head to look at Utaha. "Don't worry, everything's going according to plan. The braised pork is already simmering, and the ribs are too. As for the fish and vegetables, I'll start those once Haruno-nee is almost back—then we can eat right when she arrives."
Three meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and one soup—more than enough for the five of them. And with four girls whose appetites weren't particularly big, everyone would definitely be well fed.
Looking at the counter filled with prepared ingredients, Utaha was also very happy. She tiptoed up and kissed Ichin on the cheek.
"Mua! That's your reward."
After the kiss, Utaha sniffed lightly at Ichin's scent and said thoughtfully, "Mm~~ this smells like the body wash from home, doesn't it? Ichin, you two weren't exactly behaving yourselves, were you?"
The corner of Ichin's mouth twitched. He hadn't expected that even after being busy in the kitchen for so long, Utaha could still pick up the scent.
Of course, he had no intention of hiding it and said directly, "Yeah. Yukino was the one who pounced first."
"Oh ho? Is that so?"
Utaha widened her eyes and looked at Ichin in disbelief, then poked his waist twice with her finger. "Still, Ichin, you'd better exercise some restraint, okay? Be careful you don't end up short on… duties over here!"
"Ahem—don't worry. I'll definitely complete the mission."
Gently pinching Utaha's cheek, Ichin said, "Alright, go out for now. Give Haruno-nee a call and ask when she's coming back."
"OK, I'll call her right away."
Holding Ichin's face, Utaha planted a firm kiss on his lips before finally running out of the kitchen.
After a while, she ran back in again.
"Ichin! Haruno-san will be back at five thirty!"
"That fast?"
Ichin turned around to look at Utaha. "She's getting off work early?"
Utaha nodded. "That's right. She said she pushed herself to finish all her work just so she could eat something good tonight. She'll get off soon and drive straight back."
"Tsk tsk, alright then. I'll start preparing the remaining dishes now."
Rolling up his sleeves, Ichin quickly heated the pan and also set the sea bass onto the steamer.
At 5:25—five minutes earlier than expected—Haruno made a lightning-fast return home, slamming the front door open with a bang.
"I'm back!"
After she came in, everyone realized she had even gone home to change into loungewear.
Wearing oven mitts and carrying out a large pot of Three-Treasure Tofu Soup, Ichin smiled and said, "Welcome back, Haruno-nee. Go wash your hands—we're about to eat!"
"Oh!!!"
After cheering, Haruno twitched her nose. "It smells amazing! I can already smell the braised pork!"
She dashed into the kitchen, washed her hands at top speed, then ran into the living room and plopped straight into a chair. Looking at the table filled with dishes that looked, smelled, and tasted amazing, her stomach immediately growled.
As Yukino handed her a bowl of rice, she asked curiously, "Sis, didn't you eat lunch? Or did you skip afternoon tea?"
"I ate—both lunch and afternoon tea," Haruno said, taking the bowl and chopsticks, a hint of fatigue on her face. "But work's been heavy, so I had to stay at one thousand percent focus the whole time. That burns a lot of energy and stamina, so I got hungry the moment I got back. Still, I didn't expect Sonoko to be here today too!"
Sonoko laughed. "Hehe, I drove Utaha back from the publishing house, so I decided to stay and mooch a meal."
Once everyone had their rice, Ichin sat down and said, "Alright, let's eat."
"I'm digging in!"
Haruno immediately picked up a piece of braised pork and put it into her mouth, her face filling with satisfaction.
"Mmm~~~ delicious! Oh right—how was the hot spring you went to yesterday? Take me along again sometime! How about next week? I have to go on a business trip in the next few days, and when I get back, it'll be perfect to take a break and relax!"
At the mention of yesterday's hot spring, Yukino almost choked on her rice. Thankfully, Utaha reacted quickly and spoke up, drawing Haruno's attention away.
"The hot spring was great—and the buffet too. Let's go together again next week. I kind of want to go play there again myself."
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