As she spoke, Senjumaru Shutara lowered her head and muttered instinctively,
"This is your fault, so shouldn't you be the one making it up to me?"
Her words carried a hint of playful sulkiness, mixed with an unspoken expectation. Yet, even she wasn't entirely sure what she meant by them.
Maybe she just wanted Masatsuki Aozaki to comfort her. Or maybe… she just felt like acting spoiled.
Masatsuki, however, showed no intention of letting her go.
Instead, he held her close, keeping the distance between them almost nonexistent, and said,
"Relax. I always have them help out with cooking. Even if you mess things up like an idiot, Hyōrinmaru won't make a mistake."
His voice was gentle and patient.
"Ugh… You say that, but can't you at least try to be more reassuring!?"
"Well, if we're placing blame, maybe I should ask which half-baked chef thought it was a good idea to leave the kitchen just because I stepped out for a moment? You need to focus when you cook. Didn't I already teach you that?"
Masatsuki looked at her seriously, and for once, Senjumaru was at a complete loss for words. Awkwardly, she averted her gaze.
As someone who excelled at throwing tantrums, she had a natural talent for being unreasonable.
Whenever she couldn't come up with a good counterargument, she would simply shut down, as if someone had sewn her mouth shut.
Masatsuki, on the other hand, took this as a sign that her brain had momentarily crashed.
Not that he intended to push her into a corner.
Looking at her still caught in his arms, a mischievous smirk formed on his lips as he leaned in slightly.
"But it seems someone doesn't listen to their teacher and slacks off during lessons. And naughty students… should be punished."
Senjumaru shuddered at his words, her expression shifting to one of panic.
She tried to pull away, but Masatsuki held her firmly in place, making escape impossible.
Smirking, he leaned in close to her ear and whispered,
"Relax. It's just a little punishment."
With that, he blew a soft breath against her ear.
Her entire face flushed red in an instant.
"Y-You… what are you trying to do…?"
Her voice trembled slightly as she stared at him, flustered beyond belief.
She knew Masatsuki wouldn't actually force her into anything.
But faced with this dangerously teasing situation, she couldn't help but consider the worst possible outcome.
After all… she was beautiful. If Masatsuki suddenly lost control of himself, it would be understandable, wouldn't it?
That thought sent her heart racing.
Resigning herself to whatever might happen next, she squeezed her eyes shut.
Yet…
Nothing happened.
After a long moment of silence, she hesitantly opened her eyes again—only to find Masatsuki just standing there, watching her.
He hadn't moved an inch.
Completely caught off guard, she forgot to mask her reaction and blurted out,
"...What are you doing?"
Masatsuki chuckled at her confusion before finally releasing her and taking a step back.
With a faint smile, Masatsuki Aozaki asked softly,
"What do you want me to do?"
"N-Nothing!"
At his words, Senjumaru Shutara pouted, making no effort to hide her displeasure.
"Then just make me another set of clothes," Masatsuki said casually.
"What... just for that..."
It wasn't the request itself that annoyed her. She didn't mind making clothes for Masatsuki—if anything, she enjoyed it.
But this wasn't the response she had been hoping for.
Reality had turned out completely different from what she expected, to the point that even something she loved doing suddenly felt frustrating.
Still holding on to a sliver of hope, she asked in a quiet voice,
"But I've already made you clothes in every style. What exactly do you want this time?"
Hurry up and ask for something else, you little idiot! Maybe I'll consider granting your request if it's not too much trouble!
"Hmm... I haven't decided yet. I'll let you know later."
Masatsuki didn't seem to catch the hint at all and headed straight for the kitchen.
As soon as he stepped inside, he saw a woman with long, deep green hair dressed in a blue kimono. She had an icy, dignified presence.
His Hyōrinmaru.
With a small wave of his hand, the woman's figure turned transparent before vanishing completely—returning to Masatsuki's soul.
Senjumaru snapped out of her daze and quickly followed him into the kitchen, moving at a brisk pace.
Carefully, she took out the Western-style dessert she had painstakingly prepared.
After spending so much time studying, she had learned quite a bit about tiramisu—a dessert that symbolized love.
The thought made her suddenly feel a twinge of guilt for sneaking a taste earlier.
Ruining a junior's romantic moment by stealing their dessert… No matter how she looked at it, that wasn't something a respectable senior should do.
But now, as she handed over the cake, she felt something deeper stirring inside her—something far more complicated than mere guilt.
Masatsuki took a bite, savoring it before exclaiming,
"This is really good!"
He swallowed, a satisfied expression lingering on his face.
Senjumaru's eyes widened in disbelief.
"How is that possible!?"
She blinked rapidly.
Does he even know how bad my cooking is!?
Just yesterday, the same dessert had been inedible—how could it suddenly taste good today?
Masatsuki grinned and teased,
"If you don't believe me, try it yourself."
Then, with a playful smirk, he licked his lips, his expression so pleased that it made Senjumaru hesitate.
After a brief internal struggle, she finally took a small bite.
And then—
"Ugh… Cough! Cough! What is this!?"
Masatsuki rolled his eyes.
"I thought you would know," he said dryly.
"You call this food? No sane person would eat this!"
I fell for it.
Senjumaru glared at him, betrayed.
He made it look delicious just to trick me into eating it!?
This man is unbelievably shameless!
"You little brat!"
"You made this yourself, and you dare blame me? Looks like someone needs to be punished, Senjumaru."
Masatsuki slowly stood up, a mischievous grin spreading across his face as his gaze locked onto her.
A few teasing words weren't enough to get a reaction out of her—she was too used to them.
How had she managed to remain this hopeless in the kitchen for so long?
Still, he had to admit… she was pretty cute when she blushed.
If he could see this side of her more often, it wouldn't be a bad thing.
With that thought in mind, he decided to push her buttons a little further.
...
But just then, after a brief moment of hesitation, Senjumaru suddenly stepped forward.
She stood right in front of him, tilting her head up, her large, glistening eyes meeting his.
The elegant, sultry woman lifted herself onto her toes, her slender fingers resting lightly against his chest.
Then, her soft, rosy lips brushed against his.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake