Chapter 57. Just a Little Sip
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On the matter of Diablo's gender.
In Diablo I and II, Diablo was portrayed as terrifying, with a towering, muscular body.
Baal even had a famous line: "My brothers will not have died in vain."
From that perspective, one could say Diablo should be male.
But in Diablo III, since Diablo was transformed from Leah, he took on some feminine traits.
So players never really knew whether Diablo was male or female.
In Western mythology, demons and angels don't seem to have fixed genders—it depends on what they choose to be.
If Tyrael could turn into a woman, why couldn't Diablo exist as a woman too?
Kiyoshi Yuuma pondered Tsuda Nao's suggestion. From a certain point of view, it was actually feasible.
Hmm…
…
Just as Kiyoshi Yuuma was lost in thought, Tsuda Nao excitedly slapped his arm.
"Wow, almost there, almost there—wah~ cute!"
Though there was still some distance, through the glass in the distance they could already see the pandas inside, looking adorably clumsy.
Kiyoshi Yuuma couldn't help but wonder.
"Ah that one, that one is Huanhuan, that one is Tongtong, that one is Xingxing! Ah cute, completely cute!" Tsuda Nao was as excited as a child.
Kiyoshi Yuuma shot her a glance, puzzled: How on earth are you telling them apart?
To me, they all look the same.
…
That evening, after dinner, they went home as usual.
Only this time, Tsuda Nao drove. After pulling into the underground parking lot, the two shared a long kiss goodbye.
Unknowingly, these long kisses had already become a natural part of their routine.
But beyond that, things hadn't gone further.
…
December 28, 1990.
The company officially went on holiday.
Everyone was ready to celebrate the New Year.
New Year in Japan isn't quite the same as the Chinese Spring Festival.
Before the Meiji Restoration, Japan also celebrated the Chinese lunar New Year.
After adopting the Gregorian calendar, January was called Shin-nen (New Year), with the period until January 31st known as Shōgatsu (New Year's season).
January 1st was the start of the year.
December 31st, the day before, was Japan's New Year's Eve, called Ōmisoka.
…
Knock knock knock!
Early in the morning, Kiyoshi Yuuma was woken from his sleep by knocking at the door.
He dragged himself up.
Good thing mobile phones weren't yet common in this era, or he'd be annoyed to death by calls.
Opening the door, he saw two girls standing outside—
Mika Ishino and Ayase Akane.
"Happy New Year, President!" Ayase Akane bowed.
"Happy New Year, President!" Mika Ishino followed her example.
Today, both young beauties were wearing traditional Japanese kimonos, which made Kiyoshi Yuuma pause in surprise.
Mika Ishino wore a white kimono, its collar revealing her fair, slender neck like a pure white snowflake.
Ayase Akane, in a pink, floral-patterned kimono, looked lively and charming, like peach blossoms in full bloom on her face.
"But it's not New Year's yet, is it? It's still 1990 today."
Kiyoshi Yuuma glanced at his watch.
Ah, shit…
"Do you two even know what time it is?"
"It's six o'clock~" Ayase Akane replied cheerfully.
This idiot!
Kiyoshi Yuuma almost wanted to flick her on the forehead.
Catching the look in his eyes, Ayase instinctively took a step back.
Seeing her act like a startled kitten, Kiyoshi Yuuma felt both annoyed and amused.
"Why are you two here? Shouldn't you be home with your families for New Year?"
"Well…" Mika Ishino fumbled, blushing, unable to say much.
Instead, Ayase Akane spoke up bluntly: "President, your parents have already passed away, haven't they?"
Heh…
Kiyoshi Yuuma let out a dry laugh. Damn it, who greets someone on New Year by reminding them their parents are dead? Little HR, are you trying to get fired?
But she wasn't wrong.
Kiyoshi Yuuma was a textbook male protagonist template.
No parents, living alone. No cute little sister to run his bath at night, wash his clothes, or cook for him.
"Yeah, no parents. Thanks for reminding me," Kiyoshi Yuuma said through clenched teeth.
Hearing that, Mika Ishino's body trembled slightly. She quickly tugged at Ayase Akane's sleeve in panic.
"So," Ayase Akane said seriously, "We were worried about you spending New Year's all alone in such a big place like Tokyo. It would be pretty lonely. So we thought… why don't we spend it with you this year?"
"Eh?"
Hearing this, Kiyoshi Yuuma froze.
The anger he'd felt earlier vanished instantly, replaced by an unexpected warmth.
…
"Ayase-san, Ishino-san… thank you…" Kiyoshi Yuuma curled his lips, about to say: I'm fine on my own.
You don't understand the joys of being single.
Besides, if you two are here, Tsuda Nao won't be able to come over tonight.
But Ayase Akane acted faster.
"Yoshi! Then let's help the President clean the house first!"
She said this, kicked off her shoes, and darted inside.
"Yes!"
"Sorry to trouble you, and thank you for looking after us this past year," Mika Ishino bowed slightly to Kiyoshi Yuuma, then hurriedly took off her shoes to follow.
…
Huh?
These two really…
Didn't treat themselves like outsiders at all, huh?
Didn't even ask if I agreed.
…
The two girls, carrying big and small bags, entered Kiyoshi Yuuma's house as if they weren't outsiders at all.
For convenience while working, they rolled up their sleeves.
Kiyoshi Yuuma stood at the door, staring at the girls' pale arms, momentarily dazed.
Damn it, it's still the dead of winter in December.
Although Kiyoshi Yuuma wasn't particularly fond of people coming into his home—after all, it was a very private space—he thought to himself that he rarely had the time to do a thorough cleaning anyway.
Having this free housekeeping service didn't seem so bad after all.
A thorough New Year cleaning was considered essential in Japan.
Cleaning away the old to welcome the new was one of the most important steps: the house had to be spotless, not a speck of dust remaining.
When the windows shone clean and the floors reflected light, the task could be considered complete.
Fortunately, Kiyoshi Yuuma's place wasn't too large—just over 60 square meters—so cleaning was relatively easy.
Before long, the tatami mats gleamed with a polished shine.
"Eh? The President's house doesn't even have a condom," Ayase Akane remarked.
Kiyoshi Yuuma rolled his eyes and said, "Are you drinking so early in the morning?"
Next to her, Mika Ishino's face turned red as she listened.
"Also, President, you don't play 18+ games at all?" Ayase Akane asked, arranging and tidying his belongings, puzzled.
"I'm not that kind of person, okay?" Kiyoshi Yuuma sat on the tatami, drinking tea in peace.
The reason he felt at ease letting them in was simple: he truly had no so-called nightlife!
It's all Tsuda Nao's fault!
"Eh! Not even an adult magazine!" Ayase Akane exclaimed after tidying the bed and desk.
"President! You're not… a virgin, are you?"
"Pfft~" Kiyoshi Yuuma sprayed his tea out in a fit of laughter.
"No! President, could you at least respect other people's labor sometimes?" Ayase Akane shouted, quickly coming out of the bedroom to wipe the tea stains from the low table and tatami.
While she was bent over cleaning, Kiyoshi Yuuma had a strong urge to stand behind her and…
Kick the little HR's ass!
If it weren't for her, would I have sprayed my tea just now?!
Meanwhile, Mika Ishino opened the balcony door and started putting the cleaned clothes into the washing machine one by one.
After a while, she picked up a pair of triangular underwear to inspect under the sunlight.
Yes, in this era, the popular style wasn't boxer shorts, but briefs—for both men and women.
Just one glance made Mika Ishino's cheeks flush bright red.
"Wait. I can handle this myself," Kiyoshi Yuuma hurriedly stepped forward and snatched the item from her hands.
"Ah~ sorry."
Her face turned even redder.
…
"Yoshi! Not bad at all!"
After the cleaning was done, Kiyoshi Yuuma's home felt refreshed and renewed.
Even the indoor lighting seemed brighter.
Kiyoshi Yuuma wasn't naturally a messy person, but his busy work schedule meant he often couldn't clean every day.
Now, after a proper tidying, it was like a shabby beggar transformed into a beautiful woman—his home, too, became warm and pleasant.
"Mmm, not bad~" Kiyoshi Yuuma said, holding his tea and nodding appreciatively.
It seemed…
Having a woman in the house wasn't so bad?
At this moment, Ayase Akane was pulling a chair outside to hang a shimenawa (sacred straw rope) with Mika Ishino.
This rope was used for rituals, similar to a Chinese knot, with small decorations and a paper tag reading "Happy New Year."
The shimenawa is a sign of welcoming the Toshigami (New Year deity) and has an apotropaic meaning. It's treated as a barrier connecting the divine and human worlds, preventing "impurities" from entering.
It's usually hung with ornaments on the door, symbolizing the removal of misfortune from the past year and preventing bad luck in the new year.
"Mika-chan, can you reach it?" Ayase Akane asked, steadying the chair.
"Yes, no problem."
Mika Ishino stood on tiptoe and hung the shimenawa on the top of the doorframe, then smiled with satisfaction.
But when stepping down, she momentarily lost her balance, shouting, "Ah! Oh no!"
Before she could finish, she fell on top of Ayase Akane on the floor.
Kiyoshi Yuuma, standing in the room, covered his eyes in embarrassment.
…
After placing the kagami mochi (New Year rice cakes) at home:
"Alright, let's go to the supermarket to get some ingredients and cook dinner." Ayase Akane clapped her hands.
"Yes, let's go!" Mika Ishino agreed cheerfully.
Damn it, you two plan to stay here all day, huh?
Kiyoshi Yuuma wanted to chase them out, but thinking that they had just cleaned the house for him, sending them away would feel cruel.
Fine. Let's have them stay for one meal and leave afterward.
They bought a trolley full of fresh ingredients.
Soba noodles were a must.
Eating soba on New Year's Eve symbolized longevity in both China and Japan. The green onions in the seasoning carried a pun for hard work while also wishing happiness for the new year.
Fresh fish, shrimp, flour…
"Tempura tonight will be amazing," Ayase Akane said excitedly.
"Yes, yes!" Mika Ishino covered her mouth, laughing.
The two girls were inexplicably thrilled.
Kiyoshi Yuuma didn't think it was the naive excitement of first-time cooking girls.
Unlike Chinese girls, Japanese girls learned cooking from elementary school, and most dreamed of marrying in the future.
Even stars like Nakamori Akina expressed multiple times: "Rather than singing or being a celebrity, I hope to marry early and become a full-time housewife."
So cooking skills were essentially standard for every girl.
Wait…
At this moment, a sweet and mischievous face flashed through Kiyoshi Yuuma's mind.
Could Tsuda Nao also be good at cooking?
It was hard to imagine her in the kitchen.
…
Unknowingly, they had filled the shopping cart with ingredients.
At this time, Kiyoshi Yuuma noticed Ayase Akane standing in the alcohol section.
"Ah~ Oh no!"
He hurried over. "Ayase-san, you're not drinking tonight, right?"
Mika Ishino also pushed the cart closer.
"It's okay. On New Year's Eve, you should have a little drink; otherwise, it's missing something," Ayase Akane said.
"Yeah!" Mika Ishino nodded vigorously.
Damn it! Drinking is fine, but the problem is—
Neither of you actually drink well!
"It's fine, we'll just have a tiny sip," Ayase Akane said, making a cute gesture with her fingers.
Oh no!
Kiyoshi Yuuma felt completely defeated.