Morning.
When Shichen woke up, he once again breathed a sigh of relief.
For a guy, waking up without needing to change underwear is the best way to start the day.
Indeed, his self-control was on a whole other level. All those naïve, supposedly pure-hearted boys on the internet who brag "there's no way I'd remain indifferent if a girl was sleeping next to me" wouldn't stand a chance in a scenario like this. If Tohru acted as provocative with them as she was being now, they'd likely have gotten up in secret to change their underwear by now.
But as they say, "birds of a feather flock together." Because Shichen was a serious and composed guy, a "good girl" like Tohru naturally stuck close to him.
Just look—early in the morning, she still wasn't even bothering to cover up… Huh?
He noticed something amiss: Tohru was…let's say "glowing" too brightly first thing in the morning. Where she was hugging his arm, those round, full curves were practically gleaming with a translucent luster, making it hard for him to look away.
Where was her towel?
That huge towel she'd been wearing last night—where had it gone?!
Looking around, Shichen finally spotted it hanging precariously from the tip of Tohru's thick, green tail, ready to fall off at any moment.
How did he forget about that?
Towels were absolutely unreliable, especially for sleeping…
Oh well, at least it was already morning. Even if he was a bit on edge this early in the day, it was still relatively "safe time." He wasn't going to lose control.
So now… Shichen pondered for a second, then decided to just stay put for a while longer.
The sensation on his arm was far too comfortable; he was in no hurry to get up.
Life's about maintaining one's innocence and purity, sure—but sometimes it's also important to follow your own desires in moderation.
Anyway, it was still early.
After about half an hour, Tohru woke up. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Shichen staring at the ceiling.
"Shichen-dono?"
"Oh, you're awake." He turned his head and gave her a small smile.
Tohru blinked. She felt that something about him was off, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was, so she kept her doubts to herself.
"Good morning, Shichen-dono!"
"Mm, good morning." He reached out with his free hand to ruffle her hair. "It's getting late—we should get up."
"Okay!"
That one head-pat was enough to make Tohru forget all else. She perked up, released Shichen, and got out of bed in a single bound, dashing out of the room.
"I'll go make breakfast for you, Shichen-dono!"
Shichen kept a serious expression as he watched her retreating figure. After a moment, he finally got up to wash up.
A dragon girl really was something else. Her butt was so white it rivaled snow—nicely rounded—and that big, unusual tail somehow made it even more tempting.
He had a feeling that someday he'd want to hold onto that tail while "exercising," since it'd help him keep his balance. Then again, given Tohru's personality, she might prefer that he stay still while she did all the work…
But no big deal—Tohru was very obedient.
…
Their daily routine remained the same for several days, and soon it was Saturday.
That morning, as soon as the café opened—barely two minutes—Kasumigaoka Utaha arrived.
"Morning, Shichen-san," she greeted with a smile as soon as she walked in.
"You're early today."
"Yeah. I think I can finish my novel today."
"Great! I'm looking forward to it." Shichen smiled back.
"Mm." Kasumigaoka pressed her lips together, clearly excited.
Their usual casual greeting—but today was different because Tohru was there.
Glare.
Tohru furrowed her brow, glaring at Kasumigaoka with obvious displeasure. For some reason, she sensed danger.
When did Shichen-dono start hanging around such a "provocative" woman?
They seemed on rather good terms.
What had Tohru missed these past few days?
In truth, this was Tohru and Kasumigaoka's first real encounter. Until now, one had been busy in the kitchen practicing cooking, while the other was typing away in a quiet corner, so they'd never actually crossed paths.
Shichen realized this, too, and for some reason felt a bit uneasy.
Tohru was staring so openly that Kasumigaoka obviously noticed. She only now realized Tohru's presence—and she, too, looked surprised.
Seeing Tohru's face, Kasumigaoka couldn't help showing a bit of awe. Such an unbelievably delicate appearance, dazzling golden hair, dressed in a dragon maid outfit—on top of being taller than her, she had a much bigger chest.
It was a total blowout.
For the first time in her life, Kasumigaoka felt completely inferior to another female.
She suddenly remembered Shichen saying there was someone helping him run the café, so this girl must be the one. With Shichen's looks and presence, it was no wonder a girl this cute would stick to him. So why did she feel so off about it?
He was supposed to be her first reader—so what was this gorgeous girl doing here?
…Wait, there's no direct conflict, right?
Kasumigaoka quickly reminded herself.
The two girls stared each other down a bit too long, so Shichen seized the chance to introduce them.
"Let me introduce you two properly. Tohru, this is one of our regular customers: Kasumigaoka Utaha. She's a light novel author I really like. Kasumigaoka, this is the person helping me run the café: Tohru, from overseas."
"Hello," Kasumigaoka said, extending her hand. But Tohru immediately hugged Shichen instead.
"I'm Shichen-dono's exclusive maid!"
"I see," Kasumigaoka replied with a slight nod, revealing no particular response.
"Mind your manners, she's trying to shake your hand." Shichen flicked Tohru's forehead in mild exasperation.
So early in the day, and she was already getting jealous. This could be a problem…
"Oww…" Tohru loosened her grip on Shichen, rubbing her forehead as she reached out her other hand for a quick handshake with Kasumigaoka—no actual conflict there, just a brief touch before letting go.
"I'll just get back to my writing," Kasumigaoka said to Shichen, making her way to her usual seat.
"I'll bring you juice and cookies," he replied.
"Make the juice iced," she added without turning around.
"You got it."
"Grr…" Tohru was still eyeing Kasumigaoka with suspicion, grinding her teeth.
"What are you doing?" Shichen couldn't help laughing.
Jealous Tohru was almost too cute.
"Shichen-dono…" Tohru looked at him, teary-eyed.
"What's wrong now?"
"You're not going to abandon me for the new and exciting, are you?"
"As if!"
"Really?"
"…I'm not sure what you're misunderstanding, but it's just a normal relationship. There's nothing going on between me and Kasumigaoka."
"But she feels so dangerous…"
"Heh. Don't you trust me? I wouldn't give up such an adorable dragon maid." Grinning, he cupped her face in his hands and gave her cheeks a gentle squeeze.
"Really?"
"I'm not lying to you."
"Okay then." Tohru's smile lit up instantly.
"You shouldn't sell yourself short."
"I'm just scared someone else might swoop in first."
"Swoop in first how?"
"You know—Shichen-dono needs to hurry up and 'devour' me—mmph!"
Tohru didn't get to finish before Shichen clapped a hand over her mouth, scolding her sharply.
"Here I am worrying about your feelings, while your brain's stuck on that sort of thing. Get back to the kitchen!"
"Eh? You're chasing me off so you can snuggle up with that other woman—"
"…If you don't go to the kitchen now, you can forget about sleeping in my bed anymore."
"Eep! I'm going!" Tohru panicked, immediately obeying and dashing into the kitchen.
Shichen shook his head at her retreating figure. Having such a cute girl obsessing over claiming his virtue day in and day out… Was that a good thing or a great thing?
He glanced over toward Kasumigaoka. She hastily turned her head away, pretending to stare intently at her laptop screen. She'd clearly been watching them a moment ago.
Which was…probably a good sign? Maybe it showed she cared.
Feeling rather pleased, Shichen prepared Kasumigaoka's juice and cookies, then brought them over to her.
She was staring at her laptop so intently, it looked legit—except her hands weren't even moving. He saw right through her.
"Here's your juice," he said, sitting down across from her.
"Thanks." She sipped the chilled juice, letting the coolness calm the questions swirling in her mind.
Setting the cup down, she picked up two cookies, chewing them while fixing her eyes on the laptop screen, trying to focus—but to no avail.
No point hiding. She cut straight to the issue: "Shichen-san, what's your relationship with that girl?"
"Huh? Like I said, we run this place together," he answered calmly.
"But didn't she say she's your personal maid?"
"And you believe it? She just loves maid culture… Don't forget, I'm a hardcore otaku, and so is she."
"…You really think I'll buy that?" Kasumigaoka retorted, arching an eyebrow.
"Fine. She likes me," Shichen admitted.
"I figured." Kasumigaoka nodded. "But you haven't agreed to go out with her? She's gorgeous."
"Not yet."
"'Not yet?'"
"It's not the right time."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Why?" Shichen teased. "Why do you care?"
"…"