When Shichen finished washing up and returned to his room, he found Tohru still there—off the bed now, but holding his manager's uniform in her hands.
"What are you doing?" Shichen asked curiously.
"I'm washing your clothes, Shichen-dono."
"…Huh?"
He froze for a moment, then remembered how Tohru "washed" things. His expression changed. Stepping up to Tohru, he snatched the clothes away from her.
They were wet, but there was no trace of laundry detergent smell.
"Y-you… how did you wash them?" Shichen asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Of course, I used my saliva," Tohru said cheerfully, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"…"
As expected.
"Why would you use saliva? We have a washing machine!" he said, exasperated.
"But my saliva disinfects way better."
"Where am I supposed to be getting 'toxins' from?"
"Oh. That's true…" Tohru conceded, as if remembering that point.
"And don't you find stuffing clothes in your mouth kind of… gross?"
"It's fine. I don't mind, not when it's yours, Shichen-dono."
"That's not the issue!"
"Then what is it?"
"I mind!" Shichen declared.
"Eh?" Tohru's face fell as if the sky had collapsed. "R-really?"
"Yes, it's too dirty!" He was brutally honest.
"How could you…" Tohru seemed to wilt, sinking slowly to her knees.
"Don't you think it's disgusting to have clothes soaked in spit?" Shichen pressed.
"But it's my spit…"
"Saliva is saliva—anyone's spit is gross!"
"That's not true—Shichen-dono's spit wouldn't be gross at all!" Tohru shot back.
"…Not sure how to feel about that."
"I'm serious!"
"What if I spit on the ground, then?" Shichen said, giving her a sidelong look.
"I…" Tohru hesitated but stuck to her guns. "I'd still accept it!"
"I almost believed you." He rolled his eyes. "Look, just wash clothes normally, and cook normally, too. Don't do anything else that goes against basic human biology."
"I was only thinking of what's best for you," Tohru mumbled, pouting.
"That's not necessary. Just act like a regular human being. If you do anything weird again—let me think… oh, I know. We'll postpone that little 'arrangement' of ours by another month!"
"W-what?! No way!"
"You know what you need to do, right?" Shichen smiled mischievously.
"Ugh… fine." Tohru relented.
"Good." He ruffled her hair. "Hurry and get breakfast ready."
"Got it." Tohru got to her feet, heading to the door. Just as she was about to exit, she paused and looked back. "So, um… what about your clothes?"
"I'll wash them again myself."
"But they're already clean, no—"
"Enough. It's basically the same as if you'd licked them all over. I can't handle that."
"That's so mean, Shichen-dono!"
"If you keep complaining, I can be a lot meaner."
"It's my fault! Please forgive me!" Tohru bowed deeply, then made her way downstairs.
Shichen shook his head and took his uniform to the bathroom.
If Tohru ever literally licked his entire body, he'd have no objection—but just saliva-soaking was too much for his nerves. It was all about the context.
After re-washing his clothes, he headed downstairs to eat breakfast with Tohru. Luckily, that morning's meal was completely normal—and delicious.
Once they finished eating, the two went off to the shopping district to buy supplies.
Shichen didn't intend to do this regularly in the future; once Tohru was trained, he could relax more. But at the start, it was best to show her the ropes personally.
Having both of them out in the shopping district was like adding two beams of light to the place. They stood out in every way—appearance, atmosphere—and in this world, first impressions were everything.
Even with her dragon-maid getup, Tohru was seen as cute rather than odd. That meant plenty of discounts for them, courtesy of shopkeepers.
That's the benefit of looking young and attractive—everyone just warms up to you. Male or female, old or young, they all found Tohru charming. And those middle-aged shopkeepers who had kids of their own naturally felt even more welcoming. Some might've even thought about introducing her to their sons or daughters.
No one seemed to consider that Tohru and Shichen themselves might be a couple. Everyone was simply being a bit too friendly. Shichen decided if it stayed this easy, he wouldn't need to come shopping again.
It wasn't that he disliked Tohru's company—just that he preferred being free to laze around as much as possible.
With Tohru's amazing strength, they loaded up on groceries—bag after bag was no problem for her. They'd need the supplies, after all. Judging by the previous day's customers, there was a good chance they'd bring more people back, and Shichen had a hunch things could get busy.
They returned to the shop and stored everything. Then Shichen opened for business.
Today was different from yesterday; barely two minutes after opening, a familiar face showed up. At this hour, it was just people wanting coffee, so it wasn't too hectic yet. Later, the lunch crowd would pile on the real workload.
Still, a busy shop was a good sign for any business. He needed the income if he wanted to refurbish his study and build a gaming room.
Among the customers, some enjoyed the café's ambiance, while others came specifically for Shichen or Tohru. Sorry to the male patrons—Tohru would be in the kitchen most of the day, so they wouldn't see her much. Female customers, on the other hand, were thrilled to be waited on by the handsome manager.
Shichen realized he might need to hire another person. That way, he could chill by the register as a true manager should.
In the afternoon, Kasumigaoka Utaha arrived.
"Hey, Shichen-san, I'm here," she greeted.
"Welcome! I saved your usual spot for you." He stepped away from the register, smiling as he guided her over.
"Thanks." Kasumigaoka gave a small smile, following him.
"I mean, what else would I do for my future biggest fan?"
"I'm not quite your 'fan' yet…" She gave him a playful look.
"You're pretty close, though?"
"You shouldn't rush me," she teased.
"Haha, okay."
Shichen led her to the same seat as the day before. The moment Kasumigaoka sat down, she pulled out her laptop and started typing. She'd been thinking about her story all through last night and at school today, and she just wanted to get it all down as quickly as possible. Her home no longer felt conducive to her writing—only this café gave her the perfect environment to let her creativity flow.
Shichen let her be, but soon returned with a plate of cookies and some juice. Then he left her to work.
By evening, she still hadn't finished. In fact, she wasn't even close—her mind was brimming with ideas, making her type non-stop.
Shichen didn't rush her. A good novel deserved to be read when it was truly complete.
Kasumigaoka, however, was the one who felt pressed—she wanted to finish soon and show it to her first reader. But she only had two days of the week behind her, and the weekend was still far off. As a model student, she couldn't just skip school to write.
When night fell, after Shichen had finished his bath, he returned to his room only to find Tohru absent. That gave him a little sense of relief… and a little regret.
But his regret didn't last long. Tohru soon walked into his room—wearing only a bath towel.
She had just finished bathing. Her cheeks were pink, her damp golden hair hung over her shoulders, and the towel around her chest was stretched tight by her curves. The whiteness of her neck and collarbones was enough to make him swallow hard.
"And… what exactly are you doing?" Shichen asked dryly.
"I had a bath, Shichen-dono," Tohru answered innocently.
"I can see that… but why are you in my room?"
"Because I'm going to sleep with you, obviously."
"Didn't we say yesterday would be the last time?"
"But that was yesterday, and I hadn't bathed. Now I have."
"…What difference does that make?" Shichen retorted.
"It makes all the difference." Tohru hopped over to him, clinging to his arm. "Didn't you call it a 'pre-bedtime ritual'? So last night doesn't count."
"That's some twisted logic."
"Shichen-dono, please? Let's just pretend last night didn't count." Tohru nuzzled his shoulder, pouting adorably, which was Shichen's biggest weakness.
"F-fine! But tonight really is the last night," he insisted.
"Sure, sure. Let's get in bed," she said, pulling him onto the bed. They lay down together, and she helpfully pulled the covers over both of them.
"Goodnight, Shichen-dono."
"…Goodnight."
Feeling that familiar softness against his arm, Shichen silently prayed he wouldn't have any strange dreams this time.