Sakura Apartment, Room 303.
Dining table.
Mukuro Hoshimiya slurped up a mouthful of knife-cut noodles, then picked up a steaming, fluffy fried egg and popped it into her mouth, her eyes sparkling.
"Delicious~"
"What kind of ramen is this? It's so good."
Watching Mukuro noisily devouring the noodles, Kisara felt a surge of anger rising from her tailbone straight to her brain.
'I specifically made these noodles for Shu-kun...'
'Damn it, I prepared this late-night snack especially after hearing Shu-kun was coming back, only for some shameless, unknown woman to help herself with the excuse of being hungry...'
'Heh heh heh...'
Kisara glared darkly at Mukuro, intermittently letting out cold laughs.
If Kisara's gaze could transform into a blade, Mukuro would have been sliced into pieces by now.
Unfortunately, that wasn't possible—nor could Kisara even voice her thoughts aloud.
The reason sat right beside Mukuro: Luo Shu.
Currently, Luo Shu was seated next to Mukuro, directly across from Kisara, holding a small bowl of knife-cut noodles.
Since only one portion had been prepared, Luo Shu had divided it into four. After Kisara politely declined, two portions went to Mukuro—who hadn't eaten proper food in a long time—one to Lacus, and one to himself.
"Your cooking skills keep improving, Kisara. You've almost perfectly replicated my favourite knife-cut noodles—about 80% there."
Luo Shu exhaled contentedly after quickly finishing his portion.
Perhaps due to his experience scrambling for meals in the school cafeteria, Luo Shu ate remarkably fast. He'd already finished his noodles long before Mukuro and Lacus, and now smiled at Kisara:
"You'll definitely make a wonderful wife in the future, won't you?"
Kisara's previously gloomy expression instantly softened like winter snow meeting spring, and she fidgeted as she retorted:
"W-what nonsense~ I just enjoy cooking, that's all."
This was a lie.
If not for the ingrained belief in her memories that "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach," Kisara—who didn't even need to eat—would never have bothered with culinary skills.
So rather than saying she enjoyed cooking, it was more accurate to say she enjoyed the person eating her food.
Kisara played with her fingers in her lap, gazing at Luo Shu with hopeful anticipation.
'That comment just now... was Shu-kun hinting at marriage, right? Saying I'd make a good wife in the future—that was basically a proposal, wasn't it? Absolutely, right?'
Slurp~
Slurp~~
The increasingly frequent noodle-slurping sounds dragged Kisara back to reality.
She turned her head to look at Mukuro Hoshimiya, who was expressionlessly slurping noodles with deliberate loudness, her smile gradually fading.
"Mukuro-chan, is the...noodle not to your liking?"
Kisara struggled to maintain her smile.
'Was one bowl of noodles not enough for you? You damn fatty with a few extra pounds on your chest!!'
"The noodles are delicious." Mukuro Hoshimiya was an honest girl: "But the person who made them is another matter."
'What do you mean by that? Are you suggesting I'm not good enough?'
Kisara's eyelid twitched violently as she stared at Mukuro Hoshimiya, her mouth corners spasming.
'You're just a socially awkward girl Luo Shu rescued from space. I haven't even accused you of exploiting his kindness by forcibly declaring yourself his little sister, and now you're implying I have ulterior motives? Who's the one with ulterior motives here?'
Kisara glared darkly at Mukuro Hoshimiya, but when Luo Shu looked up, her expression instantly transformed into a smile:
"Is Mukuro still hungry? Should I make some more for you?"
'Eat up and get lost already, damn big-chested woman!!'
"No!"
Mukuro Hoshimiya flatly rejected Kisara's offer, instead clinging to Luo Shu's arm:
"Big Brother, I'm sleepy."
As she spoke, Mukuro yawned, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.
Seeing Mukuro's territorial display, Kisara nearly ground her teeth to dust:
"Mukuro-chan is sleepy? Then let me take you to the guest room."
Standing up, Kisara moved to pull Mukuro away, but at that moment, Mukuro threw herself onto Luo Shu's shoulder, tugging at him:
"Mukuro wants to sleep with Big Brother~"
"What?" Kisara's eyes widened in immediate protest, but glancing at Luo Shu, she suppressed her anger:
"Be good, Mukuro. Luo Shu has his own things to do."
With that, Kisara approached and grabbed Mukuro's shoulder, attempting to pull her away.
"No!" Mukuro retorted without hesitation, even using her ample physique to cling stubbornly to Luo Shu.
The two engaged in a bizarre tug-of-war - Kisara pulling Mukuro, Mukuro pulling Luo Shu.
Fortunately, Luo Shu was strong enough not to be yanked off his feet by their antics.
Witnessing this scene, Luo Shu couldn't help but twitch:
"Hey, you two...this is your first meeting, right?"
One jealous woman and another jealous girl - they'd started fighting before he could even process their introduction.
Though he had to admit, watching two beauties fight over him felt pretty good.
If not for his position, he'd be cheering them on from the sidelines.
Fight! Fight harder!
Ahem, no, now's not the time for spectating.
Luo Shu quickly averted his gaze to Lacus, who was calmly observing the drama.
Though her expression gave nothing away, Luo Shu sensed she shared his spectator mentality.
He knew full well his persuasion skills were lacking - convincing Mukuro and Kisara to behave was beyond him.
If he forcibly suppressed both of them, the conflict would inevitably erupt again one day.
Therefore, Luo Shu needed a mediator to help resolve the tensions.
And Lacus, who had previously promised to handle this matter, was clearly the best candidate.
So, Luo Shu threw Lacus a suggestive look and even discreetly reached out to tug at her skirt.
If it were just the look, Lacus could have pretended not to notice, but once Luo Shu's hand started misbehaving, she could no longer just spectate.
With a regretful expression, she could only shoot Luo Shu a glance before saying:
"Could you give me some space alone with them?"
"Of course."
Luo Shu swiftly withdrew his hand from Mukuro Hoshimiya's grasp, stepping aside before standing up:
"I'll leave them to you."
With that, he fled back to his room without looking back, locking the door with a click, completely ignoring Kisara and Mukuro Hoshimiya's calls.
"Big Brother!"
"Shu-kun?!!"
Watching Luo Shu escape, Kisara and Mukuro Hoshimiya immediately turned their furious gazes towards Lacus, as if blaming her entirely.
Seeing this, Lacus merely smiled:
"If you keep making a fuss, Luo Shu will belong to me alone. Even so, do you still want to cause trouble?"
Instantly, Mukuro Hoshimiya and Kisara's eyes widened.
Stunned, they stared at Lacus, whose smile didn't reach her sharp eyes, before exchanging glances.
Seeing the same shock mirrored in each other, the two finally quieted down.
Satisfied, Lacus nodded:
"Good. It seems you're not foolish girls after all. In that case, there are some things I can explain to you."
"So, are you willing to listen?"
Hearing this, Mukuro Hoshimiya and Kisara hesitated before silently taking their seats.
Peeking through the door, Luo Shu understood—the situation was practically resolved.