"I'm home!"
After opening the front door, she entered the living room without even having time to change, and the first thing she saw was the young man sitting upright on the sofa, drinking black tea.
"Welcome home."
Roland answered the lively girl softly, but even such an ordinary response was enough to bring a delighted look to Aoko Aozaki's face.
She hurried over to the spacious sofa and was just about to sit down when she noticed that the table was empty. Nor could she hear any cooking from the kitchen, separated from the living room by only a wall.
"About dinner tonight..."
"Ah... that. A few things happened, so I decided to order takeout today. I've already placed the order."
After Roland joined their shared household, whether out of pride or for some other reason, the Witch treated him the same as anyone else, at least on the surface. She had not demanded an exorbitant sum just because he was wealthy, instead charging him a normal amount of rent.
Even so, their lives had improved considerably compared with before. At least they no longer had to survive on instant noodles at the end of the month. What truly delighted them, however, was the responsibility Roland took on after moving in.
In this Western-style Mansion, there was already a rule that they took turns making dinner. Although the two girls were usually quite casual about it, Roland could hardly avoid doing his part while living with them.
Thus, their stomachs had been conquered before their hearts.
Neither the reclusive Alice Kuonji nor Aoko Aozaki was incapable of cooking, but perhaps because they found it troublesome, they mostly relied on convenience stores, only cooking when the mood struck them.
As for Roland, though it had not been his intention, he