Since it was time to eat, Hayashi Maki only "coached" Mashiro for a minute before letting her go.
He patted her head and spoke gently. "Okay, time's up for today. Let's go have dinner, Mashiro."
"Mm."
Mashiro's gaze was a little hazy as she looked at him; she nodded obediently and slipped her small hand into his warm palm. That pet-like awareness made Hayashi Maki half-amused, half-helpless—but he didn't pull away. Hand in hand, they went next door and sat down to enjoy the lavish dinner angel Mahiru had made.
"I'm digging in!"
Hands together for a quick thanks to the meal, and the three picked up their chopsticks.
"Mmm—so good! Mahiru, your cooking's as great as ever. Actually… I think it's even better than before!"
Hayashi Maki couldn't help giving her a thumbs-up.
"Heehee, I've been trying something lately. As long as you're happy."
Warmth spread through Mahiru's chest. Having someone important appreciate what she'd made by hand was pure joy. Hayashi Maki also knew how to give his girl emotional value—just a few words of praise, and angel Mahiru bloomed with a sweet smile. Why not? And besides, it was delicious—this praise was genuine.
Mashiro, however, only ate a little before stopping. She set down her bowl—half a serving of rice still inside—and stared straight at Hayashi Maki, practically making a "staaare—" sound.
"Mashiro, what is it? Why are you looking at me like that?" Hayashi Maki asked, puzzled.
Mashiro rubbed her tummy and said in her airheaded way, "I'm full."
Mahiru frowned, suddenly strict. "We don't waste food, Mashiro-nee. You barely ate anything. If you don't eat more now, you'll be hungry later."
Mashiro, queen of ill-timed lines, calmly replied, "I won't be hungry. Mahiru already filled my tummy."
"Huh? What kind of weird thing are you saying?"
Mahiru's face flushed; she shot to her feet. Hayashi Maki was already giving her a look. What's that supposed to mean—she filled her?
Mashiro blinked, then added the missing clause: "Filled with Baumkuchen."
"You could at least say the whole sentence! Honestly, Mashiro-nee—you say the most misleading things."
Mahiru was speechless. Thanks to Mashiro's phrasing, she'd almost gotten mistaken for some kind of pervy yuri girl.
Hayashi Maki sneaked a laugh and gave Mahiru a playful glance. Even more interesting now. Mashiro was so Mashiro—natural airhead, occasional bombshell lines, and even the ever-gentle Mahiru could get rattled.
Ignoring Mahiru's grumbling, Mashiro kept staring at them, then patted her belly again. "Mashiro can't eat any more."
Mahiru sighed. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have bought so many Baumkuchen. Don't tell me you finished them all?"
Mashiro's eyes darted away. "No. There's… one left."
Hayashi Maki exposed her gently. "One wrapper, right?"
That did it. Mahiru realized she'd been played. "Mashiro-nee—no more Baumkuchen before dinner from now on!"
"Eh? Why?" Mashiro flinched, brows knitting in disappointment. "Without Baumkuchen, Mashiro will die."
"Skipping dinner is what'll do you in. And come on—first you didn't know what money was, and now you've eaten a whole pack in one go? Living on pastries and skipping meals is how you get that too-slender figure."
With a last bit of chiding, Mahiru turned to Hayashi Maki. "No helping it. Maki-kun, finish the leftovers for Mashiro-nee. We can't waste food."
"No problem." Hayashi Maki upended Mashiro's bowl into his and polished it off in short order.
Mashiro's eyes widened, and a word Rita had used flashed through her mind: "indirect kiss," wasn't it?
After eating, Mahiru carried the dishes to the kitchen to wash up—flatly refusing any help and shooing Hayashi Maki out instead. He could go play. Playing with Mashiro was fine, too. For Mahiru, housework was her hobby; it made the home feel warm.
Pushed out of the kitchen, Hayashi Maki went to entertain himself. Mashiro returned to her manga; he wasn't about to disrupt her flow. He told Mahiru he was stepping out and left—to visit his other familiars. Feelings needed maintenance if they were to last. You couldn't just take someone's body and then ignore them.
His form dissolved into violet light. Mana-shifting via contract, he blinked straight to Yukinoshita Haruno.
Come to think of it, Yumiko's doubts about Hayama—and seeing his true face—were thanks to Haruno. Which made it so much easier for Hayashi Maki to slip into the opening and outshine Hayama.
When Hayashi Maki arrived, Haruno had her hair swept back with a headband, smooth forehead on display.
…
He appeared and hugged her from behind. "Haruno-nee, long time no see. How have you been?"
Boldly embraced, Haruno's cheeks warmed; she melted back into his chest. "I'm fine. Aside from family obligations, life's been pretty good."
She really did owe him—if not for him helping Yukino recover, she wouldn't have had the heart to get on with things.
"Oh? Did you miss me?" he whispered at her ear, breath warm, hand sliding onto her smooth thigh.
Haruno shot him a look. "Isn't that my line? How many girls have you made a move on lately, my philandering demon?"
"Ahem—let's not talk about others when we're together. Also… I missed you."
And he promptly kissed her, cutting off the rest. Haruno gave him a plaintive look. Crafty as ever—never giving her a chance to stir up a little melodrama. Still the same shameless rogue. But—he was her man.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss in earnest. He eased her down with him, fingers entwining, their breaths turning quick.
In the next room, Yukino covered her ears, lips pouting high. Since becoming that jerk's person, even though her mana seed hadn't hatched yet, not just her physique but her hearing had grown far keener than ordinary people's.