He looked at Kisaragi Chiyo, who had once again been rubbed with his scent, with great satisfaction, secretly calculating how fast the scent would fade.
As expected, it has to be rubbed against every single day to make it stick.
Seeing this scene, Hara Kenji snapped back to reality instantly: "!"
"That's too much!" The Bernese Mountain Dog's tail thudded anxiously against the bedding, its large, round purple eyes wide, its brown, bean-like eyebrows furrowed with excitement.
The puppy pounced, forcing Kisaragi Chiyo's face into the Bernese Mountain Dog's fluffy chest; it was like being wrapped in a massive ball of cotton, making it almost impossible to breathe.
"Hara.." Kisaragi Chiyo struggled to push away the thick-bodied Bernese Mountain Dog, her face flushing red from the lack of oxygen as she gasped for mouthfuls of cold air.
"You've gotten heavy again." These words fell upon Hara Kenji like a bolt from the blue.
"How is that possible!" The Bernese Mountain Dog let out an excited "werwer" sound, his eyes widening even more. As he stood up, Kisaragi Chiyo could clearly feel the mattress sink.
"That is absolutely, definitely just your imagination!" the Bernese Mountain Dog let out a whimper.
To prove that Kisaragi Chiyo was wrong, he even jumped heavily off the bed and rushed straight toward the scale placed in the corner of the room, which Kisaragi Chiyo had specifically bought to record the growth rate of the pets in the house.
Humans might lie, but a scale is absolutely honest.
Hara Kenji looked at the number displayed on it in silence, deciding that he would take the scale apart in a moment to see if it was already broken.
"Exactly one hundred." Kisaragi Chiyo walked over wrapped in a coat, her eyes cast down toward the numbers on the scale, she reached out to pat the head of the dog, who had frozen in place.
"It's almost at the weight of an adult Bernese Mountain Dog." Matsuda Jinmi walked over with a cat-like gait to join the excitement.
I'm just in my growth phase.." The puppy's voice sounded a bit weak. He was supposed to be an Evil Spirit; how could his weight change after death? "You certainly are in a growth phase." Kisaragi Chiyo glanced at the puppy's melancholy figure and kindly suggested, "How about you quit all sweets starting now?
After hearing this suggestion, the Bernese Mountain Dog tilted its head and thought for half a second before making a choice.
I've decided," the Bernese Mountain Dog announced in a heavy tone. "If I eat even a single dessert from now on, I'll run an extra ten kilometers every day.
"At this rate, it will be absolutely impossible for my weight to keep increasing," Hara Kenji said with solemn certainty.
*
“So, what's the deal with this massive strawberry cake in front of you?” Matsuda Jinpei sat at the dining table, pointing a finger in disbelief at the complete six-inch cake in front of Hara Kenji.
"Is there a problem?" Hara Kenji blinked in confusion. He looked down at the sweet and delicious strawberries sprinkled with icing on the cream; whether in terms of aroma or appearance, they deserved a rating of over ninety.
This is a perfect strawberry cake!
".. Didn't you say just a few hours ago that you were going to watch your figure and cut out sweets?" Matsuda Jinpei wore a somewhat speechless expression. How did he not remember this guy Hara being so fond of sweets before?
“You remembered wrong, Little Jinpei,” Hara Kenji said, his eyes curving as a smile played upon his lips, the slight downturn at the corners of his eyes revealing his delight.
He slowly raised the fruit knife in his hand and brought it down, cutting the cake into three equal parts, one of which was pushed toward Matsuda Jinpei.
Thick, viscous red jam slid from the blade of the knife, dripping into the white plate, as Kisaragi Chiyo picked up a fork and was the first to dig in.
The softness of the cake sponge, the sweet freshness of the strawberries, the richness of the cream, all paired with the perfectly balanced, slightly tart jam, combined into a delicious symphony on the tip of the tongue—it was the kind of flavor that would make anyone exclaim their praise from the bottom of their heart after just one bite.
What I meant was that for every thing I ate, I'd run an extra ten kilometers.
So I ran twenty kilometers during my morning run today.
Matsuda Jinpei: ".."
Seeing Matsuda Jinpei fall silent, Hara Kenji didn't pay it any mind. He shrugged his shoulders and looked toward Kisaragi Chiyo with a smile.
As his gaze landed on a certain spot near her lips, he suddenly reached out, using his fingertip to gently brush against her lower lip. When he withdrew his hand, a smear of deep red jam remained on his fingertip.
"Mm.." Hara Kenji naturally extended the tip of his tongue to lick the jam off his finger, his movements and expression carrying an air of candid and dangerous sensuality.
The Evil Spirit wore a thoughtful expression, as if carefully savoring something.
The jam recommended by Chiyo-chan's editor tastes truly excellent." A smile appeared on Hara Kenji's pale and handsome face. "The cake baked according to the recipe actually succeeded on the first try.
But you should still give me plenty of praise.
Kisaragi Chiyo saw through that intention in his smile, which was even sweeter than the cake's cream.
"Hara." Kisaragi Chiyo put down her fork, tilted her head slightly toward Hara Kenji, beckoned him with a finger, signaling him to lean in.
Hara Kenji blinked slowly; although he was unclear as to the purpose of the gesture, he still obediently leaned his head forward when Kisaragi Chiyo signaled him to do so.
"Are you going to whisper something to me without letting Little Jinpei hear?" While speaking, Hara Kenji winked and made faces at Matsuda Jinpei, who was sitting on the other side. His expression and gestures were so childish that Matsuda Jinpei couldn't bear to look at him and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling.
They were long past the age where friends holding hands would feel jealous of other secrets. Matsuda Jinpei gave a displeased glare in return, only to receive a playful, triumphant wink from Hara Kenji in the next second.
So, what exactly was it that he couldn't hear?
Matsuda Jinpei's movements as he ate the cake were somewhat aggressive; he licked the cream from the corner of his lips, his gaze shifting imperceptibly toward Kisaragi Chiyo, who had her eyes lowered and was whispering something into Hara Kenji's ear.
The raven-haired young man looked focused, his thick eyelashes half-lidded, his misty gray irises revealed a gentle expression; occasionally, during his pauses, his rosy lips would involuntarily press together.
After staring intently for a while, Matsuda Jinpei withdrew his gaze and looked down at the cake on his plate, which had been made a bit of a mess. Red jam flowed out from the center of the cake sponge, mixing with the cream and strawberries like a crime scene.
While Matsuda Jinpei was lost in thought, he suddenly felt something lightly brush against his foot under the dining table, a sensation as soft and fleeting as the touch of a feather; the pressure was so light that Matsuda Jinpei thought it was merely his own illusion.
Not until he raised his head to look at Kisaragi Chiyo once more. The young woman's misty gray eyes shifted slightly, her long, willow-leaf eyes laced with laughter, tiny specks of light shimmered in the depths of her gaze, making Matsuda Jinpei feel utterly dazzled.
*
Is it really okay to do this?
Matsuda Jinpei pondered this question with a serious expression; he watched Hara Kenji, who was humming a song while washing dishes with a pool of bubbles produced by tentacles in the kitchen, then looked toward the upstairs with a conflicted gaze.
Was Kisaragi Chiyo's movement just now an hint at something to him? Or was it a warning? Or an invitation?
Matsuda Jinpei felt that his mood was very calm. He stood up composedly, his steady footsteps matching the thumping of his heart, walked silently to the door of the upstairs bedroom.
"Kisaragi?" Matsuda Jinpei knocked lightly three times on the door, calling out her name in a low voice. He quickly heard a muffled response from inside, as if it were coming through something.
"Come in," the other person said.
Matsuda Jinpei did not hesitate any longer, pushed open the door, walked inside; he was not a stranger to Kisaragi Chiyo's room, one could even say he was quite familiar with it.
After all, he and Hara Kenji slept here every night.
As expected, the young man was not sitting in his usual armchair reading, the wardrobe he used as a workspace was pitch black; discarded manuscript papers that hadn't yet been cleared away were crudely folded together and squeezed into the deepest corner of the wardrobe.
There was no one on the bed either. After lifting the quilt to check, Matsuda Jinpei calmly analyzed: it wasn't time for sleep yet, Kisaragi Chiyo rarely went to bed early.. If her usual spot was empty, then there was only one place left.
Matsuda Jinpei took a deep breath and turned around, looking toward the direction of the bathroom with a complex expression in his eyes.
And at that moment, the sound of the trickling water happened to stop.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you for the support, my little angels. Mwah!
Chapter 70
Matsuda Jinpei's gaze and attention drifted uncontrollably toward the direction of the bathroom. He wanted to force himself to look away and calm his restless heart, but his sense of hearing was exceptionally acute at this moment, leaving him feeling somewhat flustered.
Faint sounds, the rustling of clothes against skin, steam clinging to the half-obscured glass door of the bathroom, warm light glowing from within.. all of it caused him to involuntarily begin sketching out the scene inside the bathroom in his mind.
..
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Kisaragi Chiyo walked out of the bathroom after getting dressed, a dry, soft white towel draped over her head, with her hair pushed back casually from her forehead, revealing cheeks flushed red from the heat of the hot bath.
“Matsuda..”
Kisaragi Chiyo stopped in her tracks, the hand he used to dry his hair paused. With a hesitant expression, she looked toward Matsuda Jinpei, whose eyes were wandering everywhere, looking left and right, refusing to look at her.
A light chuckle escaped from between his lips, like a shard of glass falling through the air, letting out a tiny echo in the space shared by only the two of them that made the other person's heart tremble uncontrollably.
"What are you so nervous about?" Kisaragi Chiyo asked with a smile.
He casually tossed the towel from his head onto a chair nearby and approached Matsuda Jinpei with unhurried steps.
Five steps.. three steps.. one step..
Matsuda Jinpei calculated the distance between the two of them in his mind, he suddenly felt awkward, not knowing where to put his hands or feet, much like a student waiting for a teacher to call on them during a Q&A session in class.
Even if he could vaguely guess an answer, he couldn't help but repeatedly ponder it in his mind with hesitation and conflict before receiving a clear response.
“!”
Matsuda Jinpei's eyes, which had been trying their hardest to maintain a facade of calm, suddenly froze, his cyan pupils slowly widening. His body went stiff, allowing the scorching fingertips to touch his exposed skin.
His nose caught the scent of damp moisture, as a warm and unique breath drew closer to him.
Matsuda Jinpei lowered his eyes, subconsciously pursing his lips, while the fingers hanging naturally at his sides twitched involuntarily.
With warm and soft fingers, she first lightly touched her own ear, as if stroking a cat, her two fingers kneading the base of his ear, before slowly and carefully caressing his cheek and eyes.
“Matsuda Jinpei.” Kisaragi Chiyo called out again; she was now so close to him that they could feel each other's breath.
Warm breath brushed against the skin by her ear as Kisaragi Chiyo wrapped her arms around Matsuda Jinpei's shoulders, signaling him to lower his head slightly.
Lips pressed against his ear, their faces brushed together, like a pair of swans with intertwined necks.
“Are you curious about what I told Hara earlier?” The young man's voice, intentionally lowered but still unable to hide the amusement within, fell against her ear. Almost the very instant Kisaragi Chiyo drew near, Matsuda Jinpei reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist.
“..”
Matsuda Jinpei fell silent for a few seconds. Even without deliberately looking at the expression on her face, Matsuda could imagine that Kisaragi Chiyo must currently possess the expression of a fisherman who had just hooked the most delicious bait. It was that cunning yet somewhat triumphant look one gets when simply casting the line and calmly waiting for a big fish to bite.
However, if that were the case, Kisaragi Chiyo would indeed seem rather cute.
Matsuda Jinpei swallowed hard, his voice carrying an imperceptible raspiness. He lowered his head in perfect harmony, bringing the distance between them even closer.
“What.. did you two say?”
"You want to know?" Kisaragi Chiyo teased mischievously, seemingly unaware that in their current position, Matsuda Jinpei's gaze could follow the curve of her beautiful, fair neck all the way down without any obstruction.
Through the slightly loose collar of her pajamas, the view inside could be seen.
Matsuda Jinpei naturally remembered that place; he remembered the sound of the heart racing there, how his lips had once pressed against that skin, nearly causing the owner of that body to let out an uncontrollable tremor with every mark he left behind.
It was like a string that was clearly taut, yet was being forced to vibrate and make a sound.
*
“I want to know.” Matsuda Jinpei breathed greedily, taking in the scent emanating from the other person, his eyes fixed on the pale blue veins beneath the thin layer of skin on her neck. The fusion of red, white, blue on her skin looked so fragile and soft that it practically worked up his appetite.
"I told Hara.." Kisaragi Chiyo turned her head slightly, her warm breath and a soft touch brushing past Matsuda Jinpei's cheek.
If I were to actively seduce you, would you accept the temptation and come to find me?
"Your lips are bitter; is that the taste of blood?