About half an hour later, Yuu returned to Masuzu's room.
She seemed to have been resting with her eyes closed ever since he left. But when she heard the door open, her long eyelashes fluttered slightly, then slowly lifted like butterfly wings.
"Thanks for your hard work. Do I get a kiss as a reward?"
"You want to give me your flu?" Yuu said, balancing a tray in one hand. He closed the door with his foot, hooked a chair from the desk with the other, and sat down beside her bed. "Can you sit up?"
"I can." Wanting to act spoiled was one thing, but Masuzu's pride wouldn't allow her to appear completely helpless. "Lying down feels better, it's just that my arms and legs don't quite obey me."
Yuu naturally understood what she meant and merely scoffed helplessly.
"I know. I'll feed you."
He glanced briefly and noticed his jacket had been tucked beneath the blanket—apparently now thoroughly infused with her scent.
No big deal. After all, there was the Renewal skill, practically a god-tier ability for affairs. Whether it was scent or lipstick marks, nothing would remain.
"This is the dream feeding scenario," Masuzu said in a flat monotone as she leaned against the headboard, yet anticipation sparkled in her eyes. "Then I leave it to you. Aaa—"
Yuu picked up the spoon and lifted the lid off the ceramic pot. An oddly fragrant aroma instantly spread through the room.
Was it just her imagination or not? Masuzu could almost see golden light drifting from the pot, swirling like warm air currents.
(...Did he add special effects?)
"Your cooking skills are always ridiculously overpowered," Masuzu commented casually, yet she couldn't stop herself from swallowing hard. Her breath quickened slightly.
Just from the smell, her lost appetite—previously gone as if starved—now surged back like someone injected with stimulants, desperately urging her to drink the porridge and devour every drop.
"This is a healthy porridge I made using the 'Rainbow Porridge' method... It's a shame there's no place nearby to buy Chinese herbal medicine. Otherwise, I'd make you an authentic medicinal Chinese porridge," Yuu said, sounding slightly regretful.
"Rainbow porridge?" Masuzu peered into the bowl. The porridge was pure white.
But where did that incredible aroma come from? Something so strong it made even someone who disliked eating like her salivate uncontrollably. Could plain-looking porridge really emit such a scent?
"It's just an imitation. Let's call this one… Chiffon Porridge, okay?" Yuu casually named his new creation as he scooped a spoonful.
As he brought it toward her mouth, he was met with a dissatisfied pout.
"First, why isn't it called 'Masuzu Porridge'? Are you interested in Yukinoshita Yukino now?"
"...How did she even get involved?" Yuu muttered dryly.
But Masuzu didn't care about his displeasure at all. Suddenly, she leaned forward, locking eyes with him, her gaze burning red.
"Second, why didn't you blow on it? Where's the blowing? You want me to eat this hot porridge so I die, so you can go find Yukinoshita Yukino? Blow, blow, blow, blow, blow, blow…"
"Alright, alright! Stop blowing at me!"
The scent of toothpaste wafted toward him, forcing Yuu to turn his head—this girl, even with a high fever, still had the energy to brush her teeth and wash her face. Was this what a girl's pride truly meant?
"I already cooled it with ice before bringing it here. It's perfectly warm—not too hot—so no need to blow. By the way… turns out Yukinoshita lives upstairs?"
Masuzu froze. Slowly, she lowered her head. Her face disappeared into the shadow of her silver hair as she murmured in a terrifying tone, "That's right… You're sitting in my room, yet the only one on your mind is her."
"A disloyal, unfaithful man like you must be punished by public rubbing to appease the people's outrage…"
Yuu wasn't sure if that was yandere talk or just the ranting of someone with serious mental issues.
"Open your mouth. Eat."
Completely ignoring her drama, Yuu simply held the spoon forward.
"PUI!"
Despite repeatedly swallowing, Masuzu turned her face away and tightly pursed her lips, sulking like a child.
"...Oh?"
The spoon hovered midair. A vein throbbed faintly on Yuu's forehead. Slowly, a polite smile appeared on his face.
"Other than my little sister, I've never tolerated anyone else's selfishness. Masuzu, do you want to be the first exception?"
"This is a battle of pride—it has nothing to do with selfishness," Masuzu replied coolly, keeping her face turned aside while suppressing sudden tremors inside.
Several seconds passed. Still no reply. Then, she felt the tray being set down on the bed.
(Did he put down the porridge and leave?)
This thought flashed through her mind, and Masuzu's heart clenched with pain. Regret and disappointment flooded in.
Unable to resist, she turned to look. The next moment, her eyes widened in shock.
"Ngh!"
Her pink lips—no longer hidden behind a mask—were captured. Unconsciously, she let out a soft, breathy gasp.
Yuu had leaned half his body onto the bed. His hot, rough lips precisely claimed hers, forcefully stealing her breath.
The temperature reading on the AC hadn't changed, but the room suddenly felt unbearably hot. Waves of heat surged between them, pulsing and colliding.
Masuzu thought Yuu was going to feed her mouth-to-mouth.
But unexpectedly, after forcibly kissing her for several seconds, Yuu calmly returned to his seat and casually scooped another spoonful from the bowl.
"Come on, time to eat your porridge."
"..."
Seeing her flushed face, wide eyes staring at him in dazed confusion, Yuu realized something and chuckled softly. "Did you think I was going to feed you from my mouth? That's way too unhygienic. Personally, I can't stand that kind of game."
Masuzu snapped back to reality. Instinctively, she covered her lips, then quickly lowered her hands. She sniffed dismissively. "I never said I wanted that. Anyway, why did you suddenly kiss me? Were you that eager to break me? Trying to reenact Avdol and Joseph's intimate collision scene?"
Yuu said nothing. He just smiled at her, held the spoon forward again, and let it hang in the air.
And so, Masuzu knew—if she kept being stubborn, she might receive treatment far worse than a forced kiss.
...Though she was slightly curious—no, actually very curious—about what exactly that "worse treatment" might be, to prevent things from escalating further, she obediently lowered her head. She tucked her hair behind her ear and slowly parted her soft, beautiful lips.
"Aam."
Like a little animal drinking water, she sucked up the white porridge with clumsy, messy motions.
Her silver hair swayed slightly. After cleaning the last grains clinging to the spoon and swallowing them, Masuzu finally opened her rosy lips. She pulled the spoon out, looked up at him with misty, glistening eyes. Her face flushed as she took a few shaky breaths.
Clear droplets clung to the spoon and the corner of her lips. Her pale red lips looked like the sweetest candy.
Even with Yuu's iron self-control, he barely resisted the urge to set down the ceramic pot and leave his mark right there.
"So... delicious."
Truly, it was just a satisfied expression after enjoying tasty food. Nothing inappropriate here!
"Of course my cooking is delicious. Can you finish the rest yourself?"
"Hmm…" Masuzu frowned, hesitating briefly. Then, she reached out and took the ceramic pot from his hand.
Being fed spoon by spoon wasn't just torturous—it risked spilling porridge onto the bed and around her mouth, which would need cleaning again.
It was a little disappointing, yes… but whose fault was it that his porridge tasted this good?
"Enjoy your meal…"
Muttering softly, Masuzu—with graceful yet swift movements—finished every last drop of porridge in the bowl.