It was the weekend, and Akimoto Yoichi had been in a pretty good mood.
The old man and the others hadn't come home at all last night, and the quiet house had let Akimoto Yoichi get some much-needed rest.
As he'd agreed with Ayano and Maya, he was going to Suzuran Ayano's house today to cook.
Following the address Suzuran Ayano had sent him, Akimoto Yoichi set off to find her house.
Just as he was about to leave a narrow alley, a girl came bouncing hurriedly into view. Judging by her youthful cheeks, she was probably in middle school or elementary school.
Elementary school seemed unlikely, though, even if she was tiny and adorable.
She was probably a middle schooler with a petite, loli-like build.
He caught the iron pot she'd nearly dropped. Curry had splattered all over her clothes and hands, but Akimoto Yoichi wasn't too worried about that.
He was more worried about the young girl in front of him, who looked ready to scream at any moment.
"Are you okay? Can you carry your curry pot back now?" To keep the girl from getting too scared, Akimoto Yoichi tried to speak as gently as possible.
He was afraid she'd run off and leave him with the pot.
Then he'd have to carry someone else's iron pot—or even their lunch—to Ayano's house.
"Ah, y-yeah..." Only when she heard Akimoto Yoichi's voice did Fukayama Natsuki react.
He had bandages stuck to his face and body, looked scary, and was glaring at her. He was a blond, too.
But he didn't seem too angry, at least. She couldn't hear any anger in his voice.
Fukayama Natsuki was still very nervous after being startled, but she did her best to stay calm and reached out for the curry pot in the blond guy's hands.
"Ah!? It really is Akimoto-kun!?"
Suzuran Ayano's voice suddenly came from a window nearby.
Unfortunately, Fukayama Natsuki had already been on edge. Just as she took the curry pot, Ayano's shout made her jump, and her hands let go.
The pot dropped from Fukayama Natsuki's hands for the second time. This time, even Akimoto Yoichi couldn't catch it in time.
With a thud, curry splashed onto Akimoto Yoichi's pants and shoes.
Akimoto Yoichi was now completely covered in yellow from head to toe.
Fukayama Natsuki went dumb with shock. She'd already been scared, and now she'd caused another accident. Her eyes instantly reddened as she stood there, at a loss.
"I'm so sorry! Did I scare you, Natsuki-chan? Wait, I'll come down right now!"
Suzuran Ayano, leaning out the window, hadn't seen what Akimoto Yoichi and Fukayama Natsuki were doing. But she had seen the iron pot hit the ground and a whole pot of yellow stuff splatter all over Akimoto Yoichi.
Suzuran Ayano hurried downstairs and came outside in her loungewear and slippers.
As soon as she reached Akimoto Yoichi and Fukayama Natsuki, she hurried to comfort Natsuki, who looked ready to cry.
"It's okay, Natsuki-chan. Akimoto-kun is very gentle. He may look like a bad guy, but he's actually a good person."
That was, to some extent, a personal attack.
"R-really?" When Fukayama Natsuki saw Suzuran Ayano, she seemed to have found someone to rely on.
Still, her question was a little rude to Akimoto Yoichi.
Akimoto Yoichi had been personally attacked again.
"Pfft~ It's true! Hasn't Akimoto-kun been quiet this whole time? He sits next to me in class, and he knows Fukayama-kun, too. He may look scary, but he's actually a good person."
Akimoto Yoichi listened from the side, rubbing his nose. What did she mean, "a good person"?
He hadn't even done anything to the heroine, and he was already getting the "good guy" stamp?
But since Suzuran Ayano had said that, Fukayama Natsuki believed her a little. She sniffled and bowed to Akimoto Yoichi in apology.
"I'm really sorry for getting your clothes dirty. How should I make it up to you?"
Akimoto Yoichi glanced at her and said, "Just wash them clean."
"Washing them clean is enough?" Fukayama Natsuki breathed a sigh of relief.
She wouldn't have to pay him or buy him new clothes, which would save her a lot of money.
She was running low on allowance, after all, because she'd bought quite a few idol goods.
"See? Akimoto-kun isn't scary, is he? All right, Natsuki-chan, take your pot home. Leave Akimoto-kun's clothes to me. He came to see me, anyway."
Seeing Fukayama Natsuki's relieved expression, Suzuran Ayano smoothly picked up the conversation.
She handed Natsuki the empty iron pot, then led Akimoto Yoichi toward her house.
Akimoto Yoichi glanced at Fukayama Natsuki as she ran off and disappeared into the neighboring residence, then followed Ayano into the Suzuran Family home.
"I'm sorry, Akimoto-kun. I only wanted to learn a little cooking from you, and I never thought you'd have such bad luck."
After they entered the living room, Ayano brought over a towel and wiped at Akimoto Yoichi's clothes and pants, apologizing with a smile.
"But don't be angry with Natsuki, okay? She's been adorable since she was little."
"Now that she's grown up, she's a little clumsy, but she's still a good kid at heart."
"She was just startled by you, Akimoto-kun. From the looks of it, she was bringing me some curry."
The way Ayano spoke made it clear that she and Fukayama Natsuki were close.
Akimoto Yoichi shrugged helplessly and looked at Ayano, who was crouched in front of him, wiping his clothes. "Can't be helped. I look like this, and I'm a blond."
"You're not angry at Natsuki, then? That's good."
"No. She only spilled some curry on me. At least it wasn't straight out of the pot."
Besides, Fukayama Natsuki was a heroine, too.
He'd glared at Fukayama Natsuki earlier not because he was angry, but because he was curious.
What Akimoto Yoichi hadn't expected was that Fukayama Natsuki, who appeared in the special edition that cost extra, was now available for free. She'd become one of the heroines without him having to pay extra for the special edition.
And, of course, Fukayama Natsuki's stats were naturally excellent, given that she had the "(Pseudo) Incest" tag.
[Character: Fukayama Natsuki] [Height: 156] [Weight: 89] [Health: Normal] [Number of Kisses: 0] [Personality: Likes her older brother, curious, impatient, precocious brat] [Academic Evaluation: S] [Athletic Evaluation: A] [Likes: BL, tennis, extremely spicy food, green/brown] [Heroine Entry: First Bird Inscription—The first time is always memorable and unforgettable for a lifetime] [Effect: When the two spend time together, both their learning ability increases by 20%, and they will not forget what they learn]
It was worth noting that Fukayama Natsuki had an extremely strong learning ability.
Her personality seemed timid, like a little deer, but she was sharp.
If he got the chance, he'd use the curry incident to threaten her into helping him catch up on his middle school studies.
After all, he was a blond. He'd just said he forgave Natsuki, but the next second, he didn't feel like forgiving her anymore.
"All right, Akimoto-kun. Go wash up in the bathroom. I'll get you some of my father's clothes to change into. You smell so strongly of curry right now."
Suzuran Ayano's voice interrupted Akimoto Yoichi's thoughts.
"Oh, all right."
"The bathroom is at the end of the hallway over there."
"Got it."
Putting his thoughts aside for the moment, Akimoto Yoichi headed upstairs to the bathroom.
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