The kitchen at Asakusa Shrine was tiny.
Fujiwara Reya opened the shabby wooden door with its green paneling, and Kasahara Asuka stood in the doorway, curiously looking all around, taking in every little detail.
The walls were thin, the floorboards creaked under senpai's feet, and the west-facing window only let in sunlight during the late afternoon. The sink was perfectly clean, with no food scraps, and there was a shopping list taped to the refrigerator door with clear packing tape.
No matter how you looked at it, it was just an ordinary kitchen.
If you had to say there was something that hinted at the owner's personality, it would probably be the love of cleanliness and an organized, precise way of doing things.
"What do you want to eat?" Fujiwara Reya asked.
"Whatever senpai makes, Asuka will eat." Kasahara Asuka answered sweetly.
"Never seen anyone as shameless as you." Fujiwara Reya opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of orange juice, tossing it to her, "Sit here and drink, and don't go wandering around."
"Mm-hmm!"
Kasahara Asuka set her purse and hat on the small table by the kitchen door, then sat down to sip her orange juice.
On the table sat a wilted tulip in a pot, along with a pad of notepaper and a gel pen. On the notepaper, neat handwriting recorded daily expenses.
Huge, thick wooden beams crossed the ceiling overhead, and late spring sunlight poured in through the window.
"Hot pot sound good?" Fujiwara Reya asked, looking up.
"Yay!" Kasahara Asuka cheered, throwing her little fists in the air, "Hot pot is Asuka's favorite!"
"Eat, then get out of my sight." Fujiwara Reya grumbled, grabbing ingredients from the fridge and putting them next to the sink. He lazily started rinsing rice for the pot and washing vegetables for the plates.
Kasahara Asuka sipped her cold orange juice, looking into the kitchen at Fujiwara Reya's back.
His knife skills were impressive—precise and rhythmic. Anyone could tell he cooked for himself a lot.
"Want any help?" Kasahara Asuka called out.
"No, I'm used to cooking alone. You'd just throw off my rhythm." Fujiwara Reya rinsed some napa cabbage and enoki mushrooms, then turned his head to ask, "You'd better tell me what you're here for before we eat, you rude guest!"
"Came to help senpai with an exorcism." Kasahara Asuka replied casually, her lips curling up in a smile.
"How'd you find out?" Fujiwara Reya had barely asked when he remembered—her sister was one of the higher-ups in Division Nine.
"Heard from my sister," Kasahara Asuka replied, just as he expected, "Last time exorcising with senpai was so much fun, Asuka wants to do it again. You wouldn't say no, right?"
Looking at that playful, stunning little face, Fujiwara Reya held his knife and said flatly, "No. When I'm exorcising, I don't need someone dragging me down."
Kasahara Asuka held her orange juice bottle in both hands, tilting her head, giving Fujiwara Reya her best "Huh?" face, as if she honestly didn't get why he would think she was a burden.
*Come on, I'm a mid-level miko!*
*He's not even a low-ranking priest, and here I am not picking on that, and he has the nerve to call me dead weight?*
"Not bringing you," Fujiwara Reya said, turning back to the vegetables, "The job's already heavy as-is, and I'd have to protect you, too. Even if Division Nine ponied up a million yen, it'd still be a losing deal."
"...Money?" Kasahara Asuka's little brain caught up, and she giggled, "No problem, I'll pay double, how's that?"
As if he worried she'd change her mind, Fujiwara Reya agreed instantly, "Deal!"
*Score.*
*He had to bring her for the system's task anyway, but now he could cash in an extra two million yen? No way a broke guy like him could resist getting hyped.*
He was turned away when Kasahara Asuka laughed, but they both had the same satisfied grin—he'd gotten what he wanted, and so had she.
Each one thought they'd just pulled off a killer deal.
The broth in the pot bubbled and simmered, the scent of hot pot base filling the air.
The spread wasn't fancy—just a few veggies and mushrooms, plus a plate of beef and some chicken wings. Fujiwara Reya was starving. After he grabbed drinks and ice from the fridge, he couldn't wait, tossing a thin slice of beef into the pot.
As soon as it was cooked, Kasahara Asuka leaned over, mouth wide open, "Ah~"
For the sake of those two million yen, Fujiwara Reya put the first slice into her bowl.
"Senpai has to feed me!" Kasahara Asuka squeezed her little fists under her eyes, fake tears in her voice, "You're the first guy Asuka's ever shared a meal with, and you're ruining all my fantasies, you blockhead!"
Fujiwara Reya couldn't take her whiny act, so he grabbed another slice with the communal chopsticks.
"Ah~" Kasahara Asuka stopped fake-crying immediately.
He tossed the beef into her mouth.
"Mmm—" Kasahara Asuka chewed a couple times, letting out a soft, satisfied sigh from her lips.
"Can't deal with you..." Fujiwara Reya sighed, tearing open a pack of udon noodles. He dumped the noodles into the pot, boiled them a few minutes, then fished them out and started eating, slow and careful.
The noodles were springy and the broth smelled amazing. Honestly, it tasted better than any udon he'd ever had. *He didn't know why, but he couldn't help tearing open another pack to toss in.*
"Asuka wants some too!" Kasahara Asuka pushed her bowl over.
Fujiwara Reya split some noodles with her, sticking a couple chunks of tofu, soaked in broth, on top.
"Senpai needs to stay this gentle forever," Kasahara Asuka encouraged, scooping up the tofu—only to burn her mouth on the steaming broth inside.
"Ah~"
"So hot—"
She scrunched up her pretty little face, sticking out her red, soft tongue for a second.
Fujiwara Reya couldn't help laughing at how adorably clueless she looked.
The open window let in a gentle breeze, making the sun-yellowed curtains sway. You could still smell cherry blossoms in the air. Across from him sat a beautiful girl, her Prada handbag on the table, and for some reason, he felt unreasonably happy—maybe because it was his first time eating with a girl at home.
The iron pot's bubbles burbled, the steam swirling, the mood easy and warm.
They ate together, chatting about random stuff—the weather, the scenery, even their kinks.
*Yeah.*
*That last subject was obviously the bratty little kouhai who started it.*
After hot pot, Fujiwara Reya cleaned up, then went back to his room to start his weekend homework.
Kasahara Asuka followed right on his heels, of course.
The little room was cool and comfy, walls and floors all wood. Tons of paintings hung on the walls. The floor was piled with boxes of odds and ends; the bookshelf was stuffed, and a small speaker sat on top.
Messy, but clean.
Everything looked cheap at a glance, but the place just felt naturally comfortable.
*Asuka thought...*
*Maybe it was because senpai was handsome. That's why she felt this way.*
"Do you like art and music, senpai?" she asked, eyeing all the painting tools and instruments lying around.
"Wouldn't say I like them. Let's say, I do them to survive." Fujiwara Reya sat at his desk, back to her, flipping open his workbook, "When I'm not exorcising, I cram in part-time gigs—busking at bars, sketching portraits on the street, whatever pays."
Kasahara Asuka plopped down on a stack of books, smoothing her skirt, "That's such a waste of time. You really should put more effort into your Shinto arts practice. Physical skills have their limits, you know—no one's ever hit general rank on that alone."
"If I don't work, and you'll support me instead?" Fujiwara Reya quipped, looking back at her.
"Sure!"
Kasahara Asuka blurted it out without hesitation.
With the light coming from that angle, she looked dreamlike—brand-new white sneakers, long legs in white knee-high socks glowing under the soft light, the tips just turning a little yellow around her, as if she'd stepped out of an old photograph.
The whole vibe made Fujiwara Reya feel stupidly serene, like seeing an old friend again after forever.
*He even wanted to go over and hug her a little.*
*That warmth was nice. He didn't mind any of it.*
"Why are you staring at me so much?" Kasahara Asuka teased, her clear eyes glinting, full of mischief.
"I thought I just saw you tumbling down a hill with a teddy bear in spring," Fujiwara Reya shot back, dodging the question just like she did.
Kasahara Asuka tilted her head, giving him a girlfriend-next-door smile, "Senpai, you're so weird!"
"Not weird at all," Fujiwara Reya shook his head, "Just had a brain glitch for a second—probably got hypnotized by something."
"Senpai's just flattering me again." Kasahara Asuka said, cupping her cheeks, looking every bit the perfect girl.
"Enough with the nonsense!" Fujiwara Reya laughed, brushing it off, and looked away.
It was late spring. Outside, the Tokyo sky was a deep blue.
In this not-quite-ordinary spring, Fujiwara Reya propped his chin in one hand and gripped a gel pen with the other, zoning out like a sleepy cat. *Right now, inside, it really did feel like rolling around with a soft teddy bear on the grass.*
But in the next second, Kasahara Asuka's gaze slid past him to spot a black and a white pair of knee socks on the table, and her inner little demon kicked in, instantly tinting all that warm, dreamy air a cheeky yellow.
"Senpai—"
"Did you use both of Asuka's knee socks or not—"
"If you haven't, Asuka can help you try them on right now—"