...
Watching them walk off, Iori could already imagine the wreck Shiro would be in next time they met.
Satisfied, he nodded and turned back to Shiori. "So, where were we?"
.
"My brother said he wanted to switch rooms with me, but..."
Speaking of Iori's room, Shiori looked a little embarrassed.
Come to think of it, after all this time, now he remembers his own room?
What a hopeless big brother.
Ten Minutes Later
Iori and the others silently walked out of his room, which had successfully been turned into a storage room.
It had to be said—there seemed to be some kind of strange fate connecting Iori and storage rooms.
His room in college had been a converted storage space, and now his room at home had become a storage space again~
Chisa and the others couldn't help but become curious about what kind of room Iori would have when he started working.
Wait a minute!
Iori...
Is he really going to have a job?
…
Dinner time~
The seven of them gathered around again—it felt like they could summon the Dragon Balls!
Cough cough... wrong series.
Looking at the exquisite dinner laid out before them, they couldn't help but sigh with admiration.
"This looks great!"
"Tastes amazing too!"
"It's really delicious, Shiori."
"Thanks for the compliment~"
Even though she didn't make it herself, being praised still made her happy.
Iori, on the other hand, wasn't in the mood for admiration—he immediately entered full-on eating mode. As he stuffed food into his mouth, he kept eyeing Shiro, who appeared completely unharmed.
That's right!
Shiro looked exactly the same as when he had left earlier—there were no signs of any violent abuse.
This left Iori a little disappointed. He'd been hoping to snap a picture of Shiro with a swollen pig-face.
Seeing this, Aina furiously scribbled something down in her notebook...
But Iori soon realized something was off!
"Shiro, why aren't you eating? Is the food not to your liking?"
"Heh, foolish mortal—so long as Inui is by my side, I don't need to lift a finger!"
Shiro sat cross-legged like some ancient emperor waiting to be served, a smug expression on his face and no intention of picking up his chopsticks.
Inui rolled her eyes at him but didn't say anything. She silently picked up a piece of sashimi and a ball of rice and brought them to his mouth.
Ah~ Aahm!
Shiro took a big bite and started chewing while throwing a provoking glance at Iori and Kohei.
Snap!
Crack!
At that moment, both of their chopsticks snapped in half out of pure jealousy.
If it weren't for the fear of making Shiori mad, they would've reenacted the infamous "Cao Cao flips the rice bowl" scene right there to express their rage!
They were also dying to know what exactly had gone on in that room earlier.
Surely it wasn't what they were thinking...?
That would just be way too enviable!
And yet... that timing… seemed a little fast, didn't it?
Shiro was originally enjoying their jealous expressions—but wait… something felt off. Why did their gazes start to show pity?
Did Shiro really do something indecent in the room?
Of course not!
Not only was there no indecency—he didn't even get a single kiss.
He'd spent the entire time pinned to the floor getting pounded by Inui. She just made sure not to hit his face~
Inui was smart—if she had actually made him look like a pig, it might've ruined the mood when they went to bed later~
The reason she was feeding Shiro now was because he'd been beaten so badly earlier that he was temporarily unable to take care of himself…
Yup.
Too injured to function… yet still making time to taunt Iori and Kohei—now that's inspiring!
"This is good—way better than what I used to eat!"
Feeling the savory taste in his mouth, Shiro couldn't help but sigh in satisfaction. As expected, the first meal back home was always the best.
"Before? Didn't Iori grow up eating this stuff?"
Aina asked curiously. She had assumed this was just their usual family food.
"No way. We only got to eat surplus food that was near its expiration date."
"We got so sick of dry sashimi and plain food…"
The Kitahara siblings explained that because the inn was always so busy, they rarely had proper homemade meals.
"That's why this guy used to run to my house all the time."
"And you didn't come mooch food from us?"
Shiro and Iori bantered back and forth, reminded of their childhoods.
Since their homes were so close, the three kids would often run back and forth between houses, always eating wherever the food was better.
Yeah, usually they all ate at the Shiro house.
"I'm a little curious about what meals at Shiro's place were like."
Thinking of the tea plantation at Shiro's home, Chisa and the others couldn't help but picture… ochazuke (tea over rice).
Their gazes toward Shiro were suddenly filled with pity.
Ochazuke was fine once in a while—but every day?
"Don't look at him like that. His family actually eats way better than you'd think."
"It's Chinese food these days , though sometimes it's McRonald's."
Having spent a few days at the Shiro house, Inui explained the food situation. "I think they also eat Japanese food too."
Although, she hadn't had any yet...
According to Miss Keiko: 'You came all the way here—if you're still eating Japanese food, what's the point?'
Clearly, Keiko had forgotten she herself had just returned from China...
"Eh?!"
Everyone looked stunned. That was completely different from what they had imagined. Chinese food? Wasn't that a little too luxurious?
Slurp~
Shiro calmly took a sip of hot soup and explained, "Our family's tea house hires staff, so we're not that busy. Meals are made by a housekeeper."
"The menu depends on Mom's mood when she wakes up."
At the Shiro house, whatever Keiko said was basically law.
What? There's also a father?
He pampers Keiko even more!
"..."
After hearing all that, everyone fell silent and slowly turned their eyes toward Iori.
Same second-generation rich kid—why was the gap so huge?
"It's different, okay? The Kamishiro family owns a huge tea plantation!"
It was common knowledge that the Shiro family didn't make their money from the tea house.
"I see… damn those evil landowners!"
Thinking of how Shiro got to eat McRonald's every day as a kid, Aina couldn't help but feel jealous. Poor country girl like her only got to eat in the city every once in a while.
Damn it—that's why she hated capitalism!
(???)
"Didn't you forget you have whole acres of watermelon fields at home? Watermelons are worth more than tea leaves."
Eh?
{{(°△°; "}}!
Aina froze mid-rant. Now that she thought about it... that was true.
Was she the capitalist all along?
Then why didn't she get to eat McRonald's as a kid?!
Wait a second—
This is a rural area too! Why is there a McRonald's here?!
Almost as if he could read her thoughts, Shiro muttered, "Our housekeeper used to work at McRonald's."
"..."
Got it. What she'd lacked as a child... was a housekeeper who had worked at McRonald's.
Who even hires housekeepers in the countryside?!
Unable to compete, Aina could only turn her bitterness into appetite and started shoveling food into her mouth!
"Well, even so, I'd still rather eat Shiori's cooking than anything from a housekeeper."
Shiro ate a spoonful of rice, as if savoring a distant memory. Because he'd left home so early, he hadn't gotten to enjoy it much.
"Then I'll make you a bento next time, Shiro-nii~"
Shiori said with a smile. She was quite happy that someone appreciated her cooking.
"If no one minds, I'll take care of the bentos for when we head back."
"Really, Shiori?!"
Kohei instantly lit up. He'd never gotten to try a Shiori-made bento!
He'd missed out last time at the dive shop!
"Eh? Is that okay?"
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?"
Chisa and the others felt a bit awkward. After all, they weren't as close to Shiori as Shiro was.
Technically, this was only their second meeting—and it was Inui's first time meeting her.
"Cooking's no trouble at all. Honestly, I'm kind of happy to do it."
"Happy?"
"Yes! After we've healed our tired minds and bodies at the inn, on the train ride home—
Chisa-nee picks up the rice balls I made with my own hands,
Imamura-senpai takes the Inuigoyaki I made,
Aina-nee eats the grilled fish I cooked,
Inui-nee sips the miso soup I prepared,
And shiro nii-sama stirs the natto I got ready for him.
My dear Nii-sama holds the passport I made for him with joy all over his face.
That would make me so happy~"
As Shiori finished speaking, tears instantly streamed down Kohei's face like rain, and even Chisa and the others were touched.
"What a wonderful child~"
In that tranquil, heartwarming moment, Shiro and Iori found themselves completely unable to relate, as if they were being left out.
"Wait... did you just forge my passport?"
"I hate natto…"
Inn Restaurant
BANG~
"Excuse me."
Just as Shiro was about to have a proper conversation with Shiori about natto, a familiar figure burst into the room.
Familiar blonde hair, a familiar dress!
Carina walked over, carrying drinks and wearing a deeply apologetic expression.
"I'm really sorry about earlier today. I wanted to offer you all some drinks as an apology…"
"No need…"
"You don't have to go that far…"
Chisa and Shiori quickly waved it off. Although what happened earlier was certainly troubling, it wasn't really this young lady's fault.
"Earlier today…"
Inui seemed confused. Judging by her face, she hadn't quite grasped what was going on.
"She's with those two perverts from earlier…"
Aina whispered an explanation.
Upon hearing that, Inui stared at Aina in disbelief.
She's actually friends with those perverts?!
Totally unbelievable!
"Well, it's not that weird. Don't we also have a few of those around us?"
Aina shrugged and shot a glance toward Shiro's trio.
"…"
Well then. Inui couldn't think of a single comeback. So anime setups like this actually do come from real life…
"Shiro, this is for you and your friends!"
PFFT!
As soon as Inui heard that familiar tone, she spat her tea all over the place.
Turning her head, she saw the blonde foreign girl warmly holding hands with the guy she liked!
What is happening?!
Why are she and Shiro acting so familiar?!
Completely unable to process what she was seeing, Inui pulled out her trusty wooden hammer again.
Meanwhile
Just as Shiro was about to accept Carina's goodwill, he suddenly felt a small hand on his shoulder.
Turning around, Inui was right there, smiling sweetly at him.
"…"
Shiro obediently put the cup he was holding back down. "I swear, I was gonna say no from the start. Do you believe me?"
"What do you think?"
"I believe myself!"
Shiro said it with such conviction that even Inui hesitated, wondering if she should still hit him.
Just then—
A phone suddenly popped up between them.
Displayed on the screen was a "close-up photo" Kohei had taken of Shiro and Carina!
From the angle, it looked like the two were just about to kiss.
(?!?)