"Ehh?! How'd it get so late?!"
After finally finishing cleaning Maruzensky's bedroom and restoring it to something resembling a human habitation, Kagura glanced at her phone and was startled—it was almost eleven o'clock.
Returning to Tracen at this hour was clearly inappropriate; Fuji Kiseki would definitely stop her and ask a bunch of questions. Although she knew she could get away with it by acting cute, Kagura still didn't want to keep troubling Fuji Kiseki like this.
Maybe I should head back to the Symboli Household? Better message Speed-sama first…
As Kagura grabbed her phone, ready to send a message to Speed, Maruzensky realized it was indeed very late and quickly said:
"It's already nighttime, don't run around. Kagura-chan, why not just stay here tonight?"
"Hm? If I remember correctly, Maruzensky-senpai, you usually live alone, right? There's only one bed here; wouldn't it be inconvenient if I stayed?"
While cleaning earlier, Kagura had only found a single bed. She knew Maruzensky lived alone, so staying over would definitely mean squeezing in with her. Although she didn't want to wander around at night, she'd rather take a few extra steps herself than trouble someone else.
"No, no, it's fine! My bed's huge, and Kagura-chan, you're tiny—it definitely won't be a problem."
"I'm not really worried about that… Senpai, are you sure you're okay sleeping with someone else?"
"Nonsense! Why would I mind something like that? I was the one who asked you to come help. There's no way I'd let you walk home by yourself now!"
Maruzensky hurriedly shook her head, thrilled at the idea of Kagura staying over. How could she possibly object to squeezing in bed with Kagura?
Thus, the matter was settled. To help Kagura rest properly after her tiring day, Maruzensky even found some of her old clothes from before her honkaku and urged Kagura, who was exhausted from cleaning all day, to hurry and take a bath.
"I'm so tired…"
"If you're that tired, Kagura-chan, should onee-chan help you wash up?"
Possessed by who knows what demon, Maruzensky felt her brain short-circuit and blurted out something she had absolutely no intention of saying.
Wait—what the heck am I even thinking?!
Realizing what she'd just said, Maruzensky stared at Kagura, puzzled, completely unable to fathom how those words had passed through her mental filters.
"No need to trouble you with something like this~ I can handle a bath myself."
Kagura naturally didn't want to bother Maruzensky-san with such a simple task. She wasn't even limp from a massage session or anything, so she could definitely manage by herself.
"Alright~ Go ahead then~ Onee-chan already ran the bath for you. Remember to check the water temperature before getting in!"
Watching Kagura take her clothes and enter the bathroom, Maruzensky sighed quietly with relief, although she couldn't help but feel an inexplicable regret.
...
"Maruzensky-senpai… I'm starting to doubt these clothes were actually from before your honkaku…"
About half an hour later, close to eleven-thirty, Kagura emerged from the bathroom, wearing oversized pajamas that clearly didn't fit. The whole outfit drooped loosely on her small frame.
Obviously, pre-honkaku Maruzensky had completely crushed Kagura in terms of height and build, especially in the chest area. When Kagura tugged at the loose clothing, all she grasped was empty air, a chilly reminder of the garment's former owner's well-endowed physique. The underwear Maruzensky had provided was even worse, completely mismatched to Kagura's size.
This really is…
Kagura felt inexplicably attacked by this unintended AoE, even though Maruzensky surely hadn't meant anything by it.
"Ahahaha… Well, onee-chan was probably on the tall side before honkaku. It's alright, Kagura-chan—just toss your clothes in the washer, I'll hang them up later. If they're not dry by morning, I'll throw them in the dryer."
"Alright… Senpai, you should hurry up and take a bath too. Washing too late might give you a headache."
Though the clothes didn't fit at all, there was nothing else to wear, and Kagura definitely didn't want to sleep in her sweaty, dirty clothes after a whole day of cleaning. She had no choice but to endure it temporarily.
"Got it~"
After drying her hair, Kagura lay down on Maruzensky's bed, quickly sending messages to her roommate, dorm leader, and Rudolf to report her whereabouts—just to prevent them from worrying. After plugging in her phone to charge, she closed her eyes, falling asleep almost immediately from sheer exhaustion.
...
It was nearly midnight by the time Maruzensky stumbled sleepily from the bathroom, threw Kagura's clothes into the washer, and started the cycle.
Dead tired from the day's activities, Maruzensky also wanted nothing more than to sleep. But seeing Kagura curled up peacefully and completely defenseless in bed ignited another wave of intense heat within her, making her unconsciously swallow. However, she knew if she slept right away, Kagura would have no clothes to wear tomorrow morning. Without hanging the clothes now, even the dryer wouldn't finish them in time. So, Maruzensky forced herself to sit next to the washer and wait.
Did I seriously… just have those kinds of thoughts about someone who hasn't even gone through honkaku? How shameful…
Leaning against the washing machine, somewhat calmer now, Maruzensky reflected on the impulse that hit her earlier when she saw Kagura curled up innocently asleep on her bed. She wanted to slap herself. How could she, someone who always prided herself on being a respectable senpai and elder sister figure, have such disrespectful thoughts? Even if Kagura truly was incredibly beautiful, cute, gentle, and lovable…
"Aghh!! Snap out of it, Maruzensky!!"
Scolding herself under her breath, Maruzensky finally felt a bit clearer. She took out her phone and started scrolling videos to distract herself and kill time until the laundry finished.
After watching videos for a while, Maruzensky relaxed, relieved that today's impulses were probably just a weird fluke. Reassured, she continued scrolling, waiting almost another hour before finally hanging the laundry. Exhausted, she stumbled back into the bedroom, ready for sleep.
"…"
Seeing Kagura peacefully asleep on the bed, Maruzensky, who had thought herself calmed down, hesitated again.
That brat Rudolf's definitely done stuff like this plenty of times. What's there to worry about!
After hesitating briefly, Maruzensky steeled herself and climbed into bed, gently lying down next to Kagura. Immediately, a peaceful, comforting feeling enveloped her again, causing a wave of sleepiness to wash over her uncontrollably. Her mind was hazy, and a fleeting thought flickered through her consciousness, but she lacked the energy to grab hold of it.
Switching off the bedroom light, Maruzensky glanced at Kagura. With the city lights softly illuminating Kagura's tranquil sleeping face, Maruzensky, only half-awake, subconsciously leaned closer. In a daze, without really knowing what she was doing, she softly and gently planted a small kiss on Kagura's cheek:
"Good night…"
Immediately afterward, Maruzensky's consciousness drifted off into darkness.
---
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