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"Yanami?"
Hearing the noise, Blake stepped out of the kitchen—and immediately saw the blue-haired girl standing nervously at the door.
"Blake…"
Anna Yanami stepped into the entryway, glancing around uneasily.
"The door suddenly opened by itself just now. It really scared me."
"Servant, hurry up and thank me."
Yamada Elf stood there with her hands on her hips, chin lifted high, her face practically screaming praise me already.
Blake quietly looked away. No way was he going to respond to "thin air" and freak Yanami out.
"Probably just the wind. The door wasn't closed properly."
Yanami hugged her arms, muttering to herself.
"But… I didn't feel any wind at all…"
Blake smoothly changed the subject. "It's already dark. What brings you here all of a sudden?"
"Ah… I found this amazing dessert shop." Yanami quickly forgot about the weird incident, her face lighting up like midday sunshine. She raised the box in her hands with a bright, energetic smile. "Their strawberry daifuku is super good, so I wanted you to try some!"
That was a lie.
The daifuku was just an excuse. Her real goal was reconnaissance.
As for pulling out the photo and demanding to know why Blake had been secretly going on a date with another girl… yeah, no way she could do that.
If they were officially dating, sure, she'd have every right to question him. But right now, they were just childhood friends. If Blake wanted to hang out with other girls, she had no right to stop him…
Still, there was another possibility. Maybe it was all just a misunderstanding?
What if that girl was, say, a distant cousin?
She needed to confirm things first. A smart childhood friend doesn't jump straight to jealousy.
"Thanks, Yanami." Blake didn't suspect a thing. She'd done stuff like this plenty of times before. "Let's eat the daifuku later. I'll finish cooking first."
"But if we don't eat them now, they won't taste as good later…" Yanami slipped off her shoes and walked up to him, opening the box. "So how about I feed you?"
As she spoke, she tilted her face up slightly. Her sky-blue eyes shimmered like rippling water, her smile bright and dazzling. Refusing her felt like it would come with a huge sense of guilt.
But still…
"I'll pass." Blake steeled himself and shook his head. "I'll wash my hands and eat it myself."
With an invisible girl standing right next to them, there was no way he could let someone feed him.
"Alright then…"
Yanami didn't push it. She just smiled sweetly. "I'll wait for you on the sofa."
"Okay."
…
After washing his hands, Blake returned and sat beside Yanami.
"Blake, hurry and try one."
She opened the box, revealing four strawberry daifuku, looking just like a newlywed wife waiting eagerly for her husband's praise after cooking.
Blake picked one up and took a bite.
"It's really good."
"Is it really that tasty?" Yamada Elf sat nearby, eyes full of curiosity. "Don't eat them all. Save one for me later."
Blake kept a straight face, pretending he heard nothing, and continued chatting with Yanami.
"Have you eaten dinner yet?"
"Mm…"
Yanami instinctively covered her stomach. The ramen she'd eaten earlier still sat warmly inside.
"Nope!"
She shook her head decisively, clasping her hands in front of her chest. With big, watery eyes like a hungry little deer, she looked at him pitifully.
"I'm starving. If I don't eat, I won't even have the strength to walk home."
Blake replied casually, "Then stay and eat dinner here. Head back after."
"Ehehe~"
Mission accomplished.
Yanami's face lit up instantly, her smile as bright as the midday sun.
At the same time…
Upstairs, in a room on the second floor—
Sagiri set down her sketchbook and pricked up her ears, listening carefully to the sounds below.
"Big brother sounds like he's talking to someone… Did a guest come over?"
In the past, she would have stayed locked in her room the moment she heard that.
But things were different now. Having returned for a "second round," Sagiri had clearly grown a lot braver.
"Don't panic… I'll just sneak out and take a look…"
Clenching her small fists, she hyped herself up, quietly opened the door, and hid behind the corner of the second floor to peek downstairs.
In the living room—
"One daifuku is enough. We still have dinner later." Blake closed the box and stood up. "Watch some TV. I'll go cook."
"Wait—!"
Yanami quickly reached out to stop him.
"What is it?"
"There's a tiny bit of cream on your lips…"
As she spoke, she naturally pulled out a tissue, leaned closer, and reached over to wipe the cream from the corner of his mouth.
As the distance between them shrank, a soft, sweet fragrance drifted over. The creamy scent mixed with the fresh smell of shampoo, blending into a faintly sweet, uniquely girlish aroma. It smelled… really nice.
Blake instinctively leaned back.
"I'll do it myself…"
"Don't move. I'm almost done."
Of course, Yanami wasn't about to give up this chance.
"Huh? Where's the cream?" Yamada Elf frowned in confusion. "I don't see anything."
At the same time—
The silver-haired girl hiding upstairs puffed out her cheeks, glaring angrily.
"There it is… the gluttonous sea otter!"
…
"Ehehe, all clean."
Yanami straightened up, her smile bright and cheerful.
Blake paused for a moment, then said softly, "Thanks, Yanami."
"No problem." She lifted her right hand, lightly twirling a strand of blue hair by her ear. "Back in elementary school, you used to wipe my hands and mouth all the time. Consider this returning the favor."
You remember something that old that clearly?!
"It's hard cooking alone. I'll help."
Yanami stood up, full of energy, rolling up her sleeves.
As his childhood friend, she couldn't just sit around doing nothing. Cooking together in the kitchen was obviously the correct strategy.
Blake was about to respond when he suddenly caught sight of the blonde girl sneaking over to grab a daifuku. Seeing that the two were about to collide, he blurted out—
"Yanami, watch out!"
"Hm?"
Yanami tilted her head in confusion.
The next second—
As Yamada Elf reached for the daifuku, the air around her body suddenly distorted, like the flickering static of an old television. Then, out of nowhere, she appeared.
"Eh—?!"
Yanami's eyes widened in disbelief.
"G-g-g-g-ghost?!"
"....."