2 weeks passed really smoothly. Kaito thought Chiaka is going to bring some discipline in his life, but soon he found out, she is no different than Miyuki.
It was 9:32 AM when Kaito woke up to a strange sound.
crunch... crunch… rustle.
He sat up, eyes barely open. "Huh…? Are there rats in the kitchen?"
Another loud crunch echoed from the living room.
He shuffled out of his room, hair still sticking up in weird directions. What he saw made him pause.
Chiaka was sitting in the middle of the sofa like a queen, surrounded by three empty chip bags and holding a large bowl of instant noodles like a sacred artifact. Her legs were stretched out across the coffee table, her black hair messy and falling over one shoulder, and she was wearing his oversized hoodie again.
The hoodie nearly reached her knees. Except… she wasn't wearing pants.
"What the hell are you doing?" Kaito asked, still blinking in confusion.
She looked up, mouth still full. "Hnng?"
"I said, what. Are. You. Doing?" He stepped closer and pointed at the mess. "It's not even 10 in the morning! You've already finished three bags of chips?! And what's with the noodles?!"
Chiaka chewed slowly, then swallowed like she was proud of herself. "Breakfast."
"Breakfast?! That's not breakfast! That's a disaster waiting to happen! You're gonna explode one day."
"Better to explode full and happy," she replied, slurping another bite.
Kaito stared. "You're a menace."
She pointed her chopsticks at him. "You should try living a little, Kaito. Just relax. Breathe in… and snack out~"
He facepalmed. "There's curry on the blanket."
"Yeah, I may have spilled some... But I flipped it over, so now it's on the bottom side. Genius, right?"
Kaito opened his mouth, then closed it. Then opened it again. "You flipped the blanket instead of cleaning it?!"
"It's called problem-solving, duh."
He stared at her for another five seconds.
Then turned around and muttered, "I'm going back to bed. This is a dream. A nightmare. I'll wake up soon."
One hour later
Kaito had cleaned up the living room (again), washed dishes (again), and was now finally preparing lunch.
He was chopping onions when Chiaka peeked into the kitchen, hugging the blanket around her like a cape.
"Smells goooood~ What're we eating?"
"Omelet rice."
"Oooooh~ my favorite! You're seriously husband material, you know?"
"Don't call me that. It's creepy."
"I'm serious! If I marry someone, I want him to cook just like this."
Kaito turned around slowly, knife still in hand. "Then go marry a chef."
"Hmm… but chefs are always busy. You're the perfect home-style husband."
"Stop talking like I belong on a product label."
"Hehe~ fine, fine. Want some help?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Are you going to be actual help or disaster help?"
"I'll be helpful-help!"
"…Alright. Peel these carrots. Just peel. No cutting, no slicing, just peel."
"You got it, boss!" she saluted dramatically.
Three minutes later
"Chiaka… why is there an entire peeled carrot inside the washing machine?"
"I… I thought it was the sink," she said quietly.
"THE SINK IS THREE FEET AWAY."
"I panicked! And I slipped! Also the carrot rolled out of my hand like an action movie!"
Kaito covered his face with both hands. "I don't even… what does that mean?!"
Chiaka put her hands together like she was praying. "Let's take a moment of silence for Mr. Carrot. May his journey be clean."
"GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN!"
Twenty minutes later
Lunch was finally served.
Chiaka sat down eagerly, already bouncing in her seat. "It looks soooo good! Like, restaurant level!"
Kaito took a sip of water. "Yeah, well, it's not like I had a gremlin interfering this time."
"Excuse you. I'm a goddess, not a gremlin."
"Goddesses don't toss vegetables into washing machines."
"Maybe I'm a new type of goddess."
"More like a boss-level enemy from a cleaning game."
Chiaka laughed and took her first bite. "Mmm~ Kaito, seriously, you're amazing at this."
He blinked. That sounded… oddly genuine.
"You really think so?" he asked, slightly embarrassed.
"Yup. I mean, I suck at everything, so having someone like you around makes life easy~"
"You're not supposed to be proud of that."
She leaned her cheek on her palm, smiling. "Well, I feel at home here already. So thanks."
Kaito paused.
For a second, there was no teasing in her voice. Just… warmth.
"…Yeah. Sure. Just don't turn the bathroom into a war zone."
"Too late."
"What?!"
"Kidding! …Maybe."
That evening
Kaito stepped out of the shower, towel over his head. He walked toward his room—and stopped.
Chiaka was lying flat on the floor in front of the fan again, wearing a crop top and tiny shorts. His gaming controller was in one hand, a can of soda in the other.
"Heyyyy~" she said without moving.
"What are you doing now?" he sighed.
"Cooling my soul," she replied dramatically. "The heat is draining my beauty."
"You say that while looking like a sloth."
"Excuse you. I'm a majestic summer spirit."
"You're literally lying in front of the fan with ice cubes down your shirt."
"…Strategic cooling."
Kaito walked past her, muttering, "Why is my life like this?"
Chiaka turned her head. "Because the universe gave you a gift, Kaito."
"Is that gift you?"
"Obviously."
"I want a refund."