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The night was deep.
A crescent moon hung high in the night sky, with stars twinkling.
Kitahara Makoto and Togawa Sakiko got off the train. The long street was lit only by cold streetlights, and there were almost no pedestrians.
"It's too late today, let's open earlier next time."
As Kitahara Makoto spoke, he reached out and took Togawa's soft hand.
Togawa Sakiko didn't refuse this time; instead, she quietly clasped his hand back and softly replied, "It is quite late."
Under the streetlights, their figures walked side by side, hand in hand.
"Any news from rotten old man?" Kitahara Makoto asked softly.
Togawa Sakiko tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with her other hand.
"I just messaged him yesterday, asking how he was doing. Rotten old man said he was doing well and told me not to worry."
Kitahara Makoto interlaced their fingers.
"When should we go visit rotten old man?"
"It's too hot these past few days," Togawa Sakiko pursed her beautiful lips. "Let's go after the temperature drops a bit."
Kitahara Makoto nodded gently.
"The concert is in early August, it's starting soon. Sakiko, will you have time then?"
"Of course I'll have time," Togawa Sakiko said nonchalantly.
"Kitahara-kun, if you're busy dating someone else then and forget, it's fine too."
Kitahara Makoto: "..."
She says it's fine, but if I really stood her up on the day of the concert, she'd definitely be super angry!
Girls, these creatures, really do love to say one thing and mean another.
"Kitahara-kun, why aren't you saying anything?"
Togawa Sakiko narrowed her eyes slightly and turned her head to look at him.
Kitahara Makoto said earnestly, "I was so captivated by Togawa-chan's beauty, I couldn't pull myself away and forgot to speak."
Togawa Sakiko's pretty face flushed slightly, and she huffed softly, "Kitahara-kun, you're so practiced, you must have said that to many girls already, right?"
"Absolutely not!" Kitahara Makoto raised his hand to swear. "If I've said it to anyone else, then may I never be able to kiss Togawa again."
"Ptooey!"
"..."
Chatting all the way, without realizing it, a house appeared before them.
"We're here." Togawa Sakiko stopped, took out a key from her bag, "This is my new home."
Togawa truly loves the piano. After she and rotten old man left Togawa, their life was financially tight, and they could only live in a dilapidated house.
Now, she could clearly choose a high-end apartment, but she still rented an ordinary detached house, mainly because she wanted to practice piano at home and worried about disturbing others in a multi-story apartment.
"See you tomorrow," Kitahara Makoto waved goodbye. "I'm heading back now."
Watching Kitahara Makoto turn and leave, Togawa Sakiko hesitated for two seconds, then softly called out, "Wait a moment."
Kitahara Makoto turned his head, looking curious.
"What's wrong, Sakiko?"
"It's too late tonight..." Togawa Sakiko's pretty face flushed slightly as she averted her gaze and said, "Kitahara-kun can stay the night."
Kitahara Makoto's eyes lit up, and he put his hands together, saying, "To so kindly take in a homeless person like me, Togawa, you truly are a god."
"Let's be clear, it's just for you to stay the night," Togawa Sakiko's pretty face hardened, laying down three rules. "Kitahara-kun, don't touch me, and don't even think about asking me to help with perverted things."
Kitahara Makoto retorted in a low voice, "What's perverted about that...?"
"Hmm?!"
Togawa Sakiko's delicate brows furrowed.
"Togawa-chan, please rest assured," Kitahara Makoto raised both hands and guaranteed, "I promise I won't force you to do anything strange."
Togawa Sakiko's gaze was wary.
"And no sweet talk either."
"..."
Togawa Sakiko wasn't worried about being forced.
If Kitahara Makoto were the type to take advantage of people by force, everyone would have already drawn a clear line with him, instead of falling deeper and deeper.
What she feared most was actually sweet talk... or rather, honeyed words.
That night, when she stayed at Kitahara Makoto's house, it was because she was deceived by sweet talk that she got dizzy and ended up helping with her hand...
Kitahara Makoto's expression was innocent.
"What kind of words count as sweet talk?"
Togawa Sakiko crossed her arms over her chest.
"You know yourself."
Kitahara Makoto pondered for two seconds.
"Does 'I like Sakiko' count as sweet talk?"
Togawa Sakiko: "..."
Seeing Togawa's pretty face flush slightly, Kitahara Makoto naturally chose to press his advantage.
"If not, then 'I like Togawa the most' shouldn't count either, right?"
"..."
Togawa Sakiko took a deep breath, then suddenly said, "I've changed my mind."
"What?" Kitahara Makoto was startled.
Togawa Sakiko lifted her chin.
"Kitahara-kun is a boy anyway, so you don't need to worry about encountering danger. Therefore, you should still go home."
"I'm sorry, I was wrong, Sakiko-sama, please forgive me." Kitahara Makoto apologized directly. "I haven't seen Togawa-chan's new home yet, and I really want to visit it no matter what."
Togawa Sakiko's rosy lips curved slightly upwards, and she pushed the door open to enter the house.
"Don't forget the three rules we just set... Come in."
"..."
They walked into the genkan.
Togawa Sakiko covered her skirt with one hand, half-squatted, and took out a pair of men's sandals from the shoe cabinet.
"You can wear these slippers tonight."
Kitahara Makoto looked at her in surprise.
"If I'm not mistaken, Togawa lives alone, right?"
Togawa Sakiko's pretty face flushed slightly.
"I just happened to buy an extra pair of men's slippers when I went shopping at the supermarket a couple of days ago."
Despite the explanation, both of them knew the truth.
A single woman living alone, no matter how 'convenient,' wouldn't buy men's slippers.
Clearly, these were specifically bought for Kitahara Makoto.
"Thank you, Sakiko."
Kitahara Makoto thanked her softly, put on the slippers, and walked into the house.
The first impression of the house was clean and tidy; there weren't many things, making it seem a bit empty, and the most conspicuous item was the piano in the corner.
"What would Kitahara-kun like to drink?" Togawa Sakiko walked to the refrigerator and said softly, "There's barley tea, black tea, and sugar-free cola."
"A can of cola, I haven't had one in a long time."
"Okay."
Handing the cola to Kitahara Makoto, Togawa Sakiko softly said, "I'm going to take a bath first. Kitahara-kun, please sit down and rest for a while."
Kitahara Makoto raised his hand.
"In gratitude for Togawa-chan's kindness in taking me in, I'm willing to help scrub your back."
"Absolutely not needed!" Togawa Sakiko glared at him playfully. "I can wash myself."
"It's more comfortable when someone else scrubs your back."
"Don't even think about that!"
"..."
Given Togawa's personality, showering together was impossible, and she wasn't willing to give the reward of helping her scrub her back either.
Kitahara Makoto could only obediently sit outside, playing on his phone while listening to the sound of her showering.
No incidents occurred during this time.
Togawa Sakiko quickly finished her bath, handed Kitahara Makoto a clean towel, and then ushered him into the bathroom to shower.
By the time both of them had finished washing up and getting ready, it was already eleven o'clock at night.
"Hoo..." Togawa Sakiko raised her hand to cover her mouth, yawned, and tossed her clothes into the washing machine. "Let's go, let's rest upstairs. Kitahara-kun, you'll sleep in the guest room tonight."
Kitahara Makoto followed her up to the second floor.
"This is my room," Togawa Sakiko pointed to the room on the left side of the hallway. "Kitahara-kun's room is opposite."
Click.
The light turned on.
Kitahara Makoto walked into the room and found the guest room exceptionally simple—besides the wooden floor, there was nothing else.
"The futon is in the closet. Kitahara-kun, you can lay it out yourself," Togawa Sakiko said softly. "Good night."
"Wait a moment," Kitahara Makoto suddenly stopped her seriously.
"Eh?" Togawa Sakiko was startled. "What's wrong?"
Kitahara Makoto pointed with his hand.
"The window isn't closed. Who knows how many mosquitoes are in the room? I'll be sucked dry by mosquitoes if I sleep for a night, won't I?"
Togawa Sakiko looked over, her eyes narrowing, and only then did she realize the window was indeed not closed, feeling a little guilty.
"I must have forgotten to close it when I was airing out the room this morning... Even if the window isn't closed, it doesn't necessarily mean mosquitoes will fly in, right?"
As soon as she finished speaking.
The buzzing of mosquitoes started to fill the air around them.
Togawa Sakiko: "..."
"Togawa-chan, do you have mosquito coils?"
"No."
"How about mosquito repellent?"
"Didn't buy any."
"You don't have this, you don't have that; the mosquitoes definitely won't play fair tonight."
Kitahara Makoto sighed, his voice low, "Togawa-chan, hurry back. Just leave me here to be sucked dry by the mosquitoes."
Togawa Sakiko: "..."
Mosquitoes aren't like floods or beasts; they wouldn't suck a person dry!
Kitahara Makoto was deliberately feigning pity.
Togawa Sakiko also knew he was feigning pity, but she couldn't just stand by... After all, it was indeed her fault for forgetting to close the window, a responsibility she couldn't shirk.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Togawa Sakiko's pretty face flushed slightly, and she whispered:
"Kitahara-kun can come to my room..."
Kitahara Makoto's eyes lit up:
"Will it cause Sakiko trouble?"
Togawa Sakiko stiffened her pretty face:
"Of course it will cause trouble, so Kitahara-kun can choose not to come over."
Kitahara Makoto quickly clasped his hands together and said:
"Please, I must come over!"
"..."
The two arrived at Togawa Sakiko's master bedroom.
This room was much cozier; not only did it have a bed, a desk, a lamp, a pen holder, and a photo frame, but posters were also plastered on the walls, and many textbooks lay on the desk... The atmosphere of daily life suddenly became much richer.
Togawa Sakiko picked up the remote control, first turned on the air conditioner, then walked to the closet and pulled out a quilt:
"Kitahara-kun, you'll sleep on the floor tonight. I just mopped it this morning, I guarantee it's very clean."
Kitahara Makoto knew it wouldn't be easy to get his way, but he still wanted to try:
"The floor is too hard; I'll get insomnia and won't be able to sleep."
Togawa Sakiko crossed her arms:
"In the cave in the Otherworld, Kitahara-kun didn't get insomnia at all."
"That was then, this is now."
Kitahara Makoto said shamelessly, "In short, I want to sleep on the bed tonight."
"No problem."
Togawa Sakiko subtly raised her chin, "Kitahara-kun sleeps on the bed, I sleep on the floor. I won't get insomnia."
Kitahara Makoto raised his right hand:
"Actually, when I sleep, I have to hug a pillow, preferably a Sakiko brand pillow."
Togawa Sakiko was completely unmoved:
"If you can't sleep, then just stay up."
"..."
If the two of them slept in the same bed, Togawa Sakiko was certain she would be taken advantage of, so she absolutely could not give in.
"Alright, I'll sleep on the floor."
Kitahara Makoto gave up hope, "But before sleeping, I have one last request. Togawa-chan, please, you must agree to it."
Togawa Sakiko asked curiously:
"What is it?"
Kitahara Makoto said shamelessly:
"I want a goodnight kiss."
Togawa Sakiko's pretty face quickly flushed, and she couldn't help but glare at him:
"Sorry, there's absolutely no such thing."
Kitahara Makoto: "Then I'll use a redemption coupon..."
"Redemption refused."
Togawa Sakiko covered her chest with both hands, stating firmly, "A goodnight kiss or anything like that is beyond the redemption limit."
"Alright."
Kitahara Makoto settled for the next best thing, "From daytime until now, I haven't hugged Togawa yet. Can I use one redemption coupon for a three-minute hug?"
"..."
Togawa Sakiko wanted to refuse, but the words caught in her throat and she couldn't speak them.
The reason was simple.
Ever since that night in the RV, it had indeed been several days since they had hugged.
"I'll just hug you, I won't do anything else."
Seeing that Togawa didn't speak, Kitahara Makoto naturally knew it was an unspoken agreement. He stepped forward, opened his arms, and embraced Togawa-chan.
A quiet, orchid-like fragrance wafted into his nostrils.
Holding the soft, fragrant Togawa, Kitahara Makoto felt exceptionally peaceful.
The room fell silent.
Neither of them spoke.
However, the tranquility only lasted for a while before Kitahara Makoto began to stir, unable to resist lowering his head and tentatively trying to kiss Togawa.
Togawa Sakiko's eyelashes trembled. She wanted to refuse, but the words caught in her throat. The weak Sakiko took over again, and she couldn't say no.
The goodnight kiss was a success.
After kissing for more than ten minutes, Togawa Sakiko's head was already spinning, almost suffocating. Her entire body had gone soft, transforming from the strong Sakiko she was before into a melting cream Sakiko.
"Hoo... hoo..."
Togawa Sakiko's pretty face was burning, and her breathing was rapid. When she opened her eyes, she realized she had been laid flat on the bed at some point, and the buttons of her pajamas had been quietly unfastened without her knowing.
"Kitahara-kun, have you made up your mind?"
Togawa Sakiko covered her chest with one hand, clinging to the last shred of clarity in her mind, her eyes moist, like a lake after a spring rain.
"If we do that now, you must choose only me..."
Kitahara Makoto said seriously:
"I only want to repay your kindness today."
"Eh?"
Kitahara Makoto spoke as he leaned down to kiss her:
"Last time Togawa-chan helped me, so today it's my turn to help Sakiko."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
Togawa Sakiko's head was still in a hazy, chaotic state, and she couldn't figure out how he intended to repay her kindness now.
By the time Kitahara Makoto's advances went further, revealing his true intentions, it was already too late to refuse.
"W-wait, you can't... Ugh!"
With a cry, Togawa's slender swan-like neck arched high, and her mind instantly went blank.
Twenty minutes later.
Togawa had become a dehydrated fish, literally dehydrated. She hid completely under the quilt like an ostrich, not daring to show her head.
"Togawa-chan, are you satisfied with today's repayment?"
Kitahara Makoto looked down at her.
"...Get out!"
A muffled voice came from under the quilt; Togawa Sakiko absolutely refused to be seen.
"Repayment naturally must be thorough."
Kitahara Makoto reached out and scooped Togawa directly into his arms, "Let's go, you've sweated a lot. Let's go downstairs and take a shower."
After washing up.
Kitahara Makoto originally intended to go upstairs to rest, but Togawa Sakiko reached out to stop him, her pretty face flushed, saying:
"You go brush your teeth!"
"I just rinsed my mouth..."
"No, you must brush your teeth!"
"..."
There was nothing he could do. Kitahara Makoto could only obediently brush his teeth and wash his face under Togawa's supervision.
After washing up, the two returned upstairs.
The bed was unusable now, and it was almost midnight. Togawa stubbornly tried to go to the next room to rest, but Kitahara Makoto hugged her tightly, and the two slept embracing each other on the floor.
The night passed without incident.
The next day.
As soon as Kitahara Makoto woke up, he was kicked out of the house by Togawa.
Ten o'clock in the morning.
The coffee shop on the corner.
"Kitahara-kun, I'm here~"
Before the person arrived, the clear and bright voice of a girl rang out first.
Kitahara Makoto turned his head and saw a pink-haired girl walking quickly towards him.
It was Anon.
It was summer vacation now, so there was no need to wear school uniforms. Chihaya Anon had clearly dressed up carefully. She wore a white sun hat, her hair by her ears was tied into small braids, she wore a fluffy skirt, and carried a cute-style small backpack diagonally. As she walked, her skirt fluttered, and she looked around with a radiant expression.
As expected of a popular person at the top of the school food chain, her fashion sense could beat Bocchi-chan by miles!
"Hey, good morning."
Chihaya Anon clasped her hands behind her back and lightly hopped in front of Kitahara Makoto.
"Good morning."
Kitahara Makoto showed a thoughtful expression, "I feel like Anon has changed a lot from before."
"Eh?"
Chihaya Anon blinked, looking down to examine herself, "It's only been a few days since we last met... What's changed?"
Kitahara Makoto said earnestly:
"You've become even cuter."
"Hmph ~"
Chihaya Anon let out a soft snort, but her pink lips couldn't help but curve upwards. She covered her chest with both hands and took half a step back, her voice clear as she said:
"Are you saying cheesy pick-up lines as soon as we meet, trying to raise my favorability?"
"Sorry, because Kitahara-kun is too deliberate, it feels really bad, so no."
"But, seeing as you complimented me, my favorability can increase just a tiny bit."
I only complimented you once, and your tail is already in the sky!
"It's too hot outside, let's go into the coffee shop first."
Kitahara Makoto said with a straight face, "Ayane-nee will have to wait a bit longer."
Chihaya Anon followed him. The two entered the coffee shop and found an empty corner to sit down.
"Kitahara-kun, have you gotten a bit fairer?"
Chihaya Anon widened her eyes, looking him up and down.
"Yes, I've gotten a bit fairer."
Kitahara Makoto nodded, "Eden Fruit not only keeps one youthful, but it also beautifies and nourishes the skin. Not only does the skin whiten, but acne also disappears."
"I want to eat!"
Chihaya Anon's eyes sparkled, filled with real envy.
The saying, "One fair skin hides a hundred flaws," is actually quite true; all girls want their skin to be fairer.
Kitahara Makoto said softly, "You and Tomori have an agreement, so tonight we'll go to the Otherworld."
"Let's wait until the female lead's matter is settled," Chihaya Anon said, though tempted, she wasn't impulsive. "Also, there's Karin-chan's invitation. We'll go to the Otherworld after we're done with all this."
After a brief conversation, Ms. Shiraishi gracefully arrived.
Kitahara Makoto introduced their identities to each other, and naturally, the interview process followed.
It was unclear what Ms. Shiraishi's interview standards were, but in short, after a brief chat, Anon's role as the second female lead was confirmed.
"According to the script, the short film will involve a lot of music. I wonder how Anon-san's guitar skills are?" Ms. Shiraishi asked.
"Uh…" Anon's smile froze. Although she had bought a guitar before, her skill level was really mediocre; she hadn't diligently practiced. But with the arrow on the string, she had no choice but to let it fly. She took a deep breath and said, "No problem, please believe me!"
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones=1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr | 16 novels being updated, I can't read all comments