"Tell me, what brings you here? What orders do you have for me?"
"I already told you, did you delete the video or not? I just wanted to confirm it again."
"Well? Ouch, my shoulder's feeling a little sore after saving you just now."
Tatsuya Sakuya pointed at his left shoulder.
"Is this amount of pressure okay?"
Kamuro Masumi clearly understood the hint and began massaging Tatsuya Sakuya's shoulder.
"Not bad, not bad. Ouch, why is my right shoulder sore too?"
"Does that feel better now?"
"How come my back feels tired too?"
"Glad to be of service."
"If they held a contest for the best massage skills among first-years, I'd definitely vote for you."
"As long as you like it. But what about the video?"
"Here, take a look. I deleted the video a long time ago."
Tatsuya Sakuya handed his phone to Kamuro Masumi.
Kamuro Masumi took the phone and repeatedly confirmed that the video had indeed been deleted. Then she said,
"May I give you one final massage?"
"Sure, sure."
Kamuro Masumi delivered simultaneous knifehand strikes to both sides of his waist.
"Ah! My kidneys!"
Tatsuya Sakuya let out a scream like a wild boar.
"Kamuro, what kind of grudge do you have against me? Was there really any need to hit that hard?"
Having finally avenged herself, Kamuro Masumi was in a cheerful mood.
"I merely gave you a taste of your own medicine, so you'd know the consequences of bullying girls."
"When did I ever bully you? You're repaying kindness with ingratitude. I clearly saved you just now, and yet you're taking revenge on me."
Tatsuya Sakuya held his waist with one hand, evidently still not recovered.
"To apologize, go cook two dishes for me. You even brought the ingredients yourself."
Upon hearing that, Kamuro Masumi raised her hand again, ready to strike.
"All right, since you brought your own ingredients, I'll cook personally later. Kamuro Masumi, you really are a fortunate woman."
"But before that, let me guess who sent you here."
Tatsuya Sakuya rested a finger against his chin, tilted his head slightly, and began to think.
"Sakayanagi Arisu. Sakayanagi sent you here, didn't she?"
Kamuro Masumi subconsciously touched her nose, then met Tatsuya Sakuya's gaze and turned her head away somewhat awkwardly.
"No, she didn't. I just..."
"People touch their noses unconsciously when they lie. Hahaha, how did Sakayanagi catch you again?"
Tatsuya Sakuya cut Kamuro Masumi off, sounding rather pleased with himself.
Kamuro Masumi: "..."
Tatsuya Sakuya: "What did Sakayanagi send you here for? Is something wrong?"
Kamuro Masumi: "Nothing."
Tatsuya Sakuya: "Nothing? Then why come all the way to an ordinary student like me?"
Kamuro Masumi: "You're not an ordinary student. Sakayanagi Arisu said so herself."
"Then let me guess. Did Sakayanagi Arisu send you to keep an eye on me?"
Tatsuya Sakuya voiced his guess.
Are you cheating?
Or did you never turn it off in the first place?
For the first time, Kamuro Masumi found someone standing right in front of her this terrifying. She openly admitted why she had come.
"Can you read minds? Yes, Sakayanagi Arisu asked me to visit you no less than once a week for one week. Visit, not monitor."
"I merely made a reasonable deduction based on the information already available."
Do you think I'd tell you I already knew?
Tatsuya Sakuya fell into thought.
What the hell am I thinking about?
I'm kind of hungry. I really want some tomato beef.
"I'm a little hungry. Can you cook?"
Tatsuya Sakuya asked Kamuro Masumi.
Kamuro Masumi: "Not really?"
"With that attitude, how are you going to get married someday?"
"Then I'll just find a boyfriend who can cook."
"That actually makes sense."
"Want to learn? I'll teach you."
Kamuro Masumi carried the shopping bag into the kitchen with Tatsuya Sakuya.
Tatsuya Sakuya took all the ingredients out of the shopping bag.
"Wash the tomatoes first. I'll boil some water."
Tatsuya Sakuya handed her the tomatoes and explained a few things she needed to do.
"After washing them, score an X into the tops of the tomatoes with a knife, then cut them into small pieces."
Before long, they had finished the basic prep work.
"Now you can put the sliced beef into the pot. Once it changes color, take it out immediately, or it'll overcook."
Tatsuya Sakuya patiently instructed her.
Kamuro Masumi carefully lowered the sliced beef into the pot. After all, it was her first time.
Her first time cooking.
"All right, take it out now. The beef has changed color."
Tatsuya Sakuya kept his eyes on the beef in the pot. He did not want Kamuro Masumi's first attempt at cooking to end in failure, so he continued guiding her patiently.
"Leave the rest to me. Just watch from the side."
"Okay, scoop out the water in the pot, then dry the pot clean."
"Otherwise, the oil will splatter later."
"Heat the pan, add oil, then toss in the minced scallions, ginger, and garlic."
"Add the chopped tomatoes, then keep pressing and stir-frying them over medium-low heat."
"Then add a spoonful of sugar to balance out the tomatoes' acidity."
Before long, Kamuro Masumi brought a mouthwatering dish of tomato beef to the table.
"Try it. You deserve one-third of the credit for this dish."
Tatsuya Sakuya picked up a slice of beef and placed it in Kamuro Masumi's bowl.
"How does it taste?"
"It smells wonderful. Tender and juicy, it practically melts in your mouth."
Kamuro Masumi ate mouthful after mouthful of rice.
Ten minutes later.
The tomato beef on the table had been completely wiped out.
Kamuro Masumi set down her bowl and chopsticks in satisfaction, secretly touching her slightly rounded stomach.
Realizing how improper she looked, she immediately pulled out a tissue, wiped her mouth, and put on a cold expression again.
"Ahem... Since you worked so hard cooking, I'll take the trash downstairs and throw it out."
"Sure. There's also a bag of kitchen waste in the kitchen. Take it with you."
Tatsuya Sakuya picked up the tied garbage bags and left Room 217 with Kamuro Masumi, taking the elevator downstairs.
Outside the dormitory building, the night breeze drifted by.
Under a streetlamp only a few steps away, Tatsuya Sakuya spotted a familiar figure: Karuizawa Kei.
Karuizawa Kei wore a loose, soft-looking loungewear jacket and slippers. In her arms, she held a bag of chips and a carton of milk she had just bought from the convenience store.
At that moment.
Her gaze was fixed firmly on Tatsuya Sakuya.
The air completely froze at that instant.
Kamuro Masumi also noticed the strange look in her eyes. She immediately gave a dry cough, lowered her head, and stepped two paces aside.
"Um... I'll be going first."
After saying that.
Kamuro Masumi disappeared into the depths of the nighttime corridor without looking back.
Tatsuya Sakuya slowly walked up to her, looked at the blonde girl before him, and said somewhat awkwardly,
"Karuizawa, what a coincidence."
She took a small step forward, crossed her arms, and raised her chin, trying to put on the authority of a "gyaru leader," though her voice carried an unmistakable hint of jealousy.
"What's going on with you two?"
The more Karuizawa Kei spoke, the angrier she became.
"Don't forget, you're my... my 'rental boyfriend' right now. I haven't announced it publicly yet, but you should at least show some respect for your employer."
"We just had a simple meal. Right now, we're probably maybe just friends."
Tatsuya Sakuya had already unilaterally decided that Kamuro Masumi was his friend.
"What do you mean, just a simple meal? I haven't even eaten food you made yet!"
"Next time, for sure."
"Th-That's more like it..."
Karuizawa Kei's voice was as soft as a mosquito's as she muttered quietly,
"Since you said something I can accept... I'll forgive you this time."
"Next time, I want to eat a meal you cooked yourself. No, two meals."
"Did you hear me?"
Before you continue