"I see, if things don't go well tomorrow, I can help you ask around the neighborhood," Haruka Yuzan said indifferently.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Haruka!" Reiko Onodera's heart leaped with joy. Having the landlord's help was, without doubt, a huge surprise.
Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction...
After dinner, Haruka Yuzan sprawled on the couch, with Roast Meat adopting the same posture beside him.
The cat's tail even conscientiously covered its more embarrassing parts.
The little guy was quite concerned about maintaining his privacy.
Reiko had intended to clean up the dishes, but Onodera insisted that Haruka stay lying down and not move. She took care of everything, playing the role of a housemaid.
If she agreed to something, she would definitely do it, especially since Mr. Haruka Yuzan had been so kind to her, waiving her rent, even though she was touched every day...
But what did all that really matter, after all?
Young, handsome, and wealthy, and she was already a mother; it wasn't a loss... the lady comforted herself in her thoughts.
One person and one cat lay sprawled on the couch in decay while Reiko Onodera busied herself in the kitchen alone.
After a good meal and drink, the soft lighting seemed almost hypnotic. Haruka Yuzan hadn't quite woken up from the afternoon nap, and before he knew it, he drifted back into sleep.
In his dreams, he was living the life of collecting rent in ease, surrounded by beautiful young women as tenants, who served him in all sorts of ways to pay their rent.
The beautiful dream came quietly, but it felt like his chest was being pressed down by something, making it hard to breathe. Perhaps... this was a side effect of smelling the fragrance of beautiful girls every day???
Possibly, since he had never tried this before, a happy quandary.
"Haruka? Mr. Haruka?"
In a daze, he seemed to hear someone calling his name. Haruka Yuzan slowly opened his eyes, the feeling of a weight on his chest still there, more real than in his dreams,
As he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Reiko Onodera's concerned face, tender and lustrous like she had just stepped out of the bathroom. The two were very close, and he could even smell her pleasant scent.
Seeing that Haruka had awakened, Onodera exhaled in relief, then wrapped the bath towel around her a bit tighter, which seemed a little small. Her delicate hands were constantly covering her chest, moving them slightly would reveal more than intended.
Though the only man present had already seen it.
Haruka Yuzan wordlessly lifted Roast Meat, who'd been snoozing comfortably on his chest.
The disturbed chubby cat was discontented, flailing its short legs in the air, like a little creature bearing grievances alive and well.
Why did it feel heavier? This cat just about suffocated Haruka, who had thought it was due to frequently inhaling the scent of beautiful girls.
Tossing the chubby cat onto the couch, he looked up at the lady opposite to him, his eyes inadvertently lighting up.
The pure white towel paired with her creamy skin, her full yet slender legs together, her pale neck, and eyes that seemed to ripple like autumn waters, her black hair still slightly damp... Yes, she had clearly just taken a bath.
The towel... did indeed seem a bit small. Pulling it up even a little revealed too much below, and pulling it down meant not even a small hand could conceal what was above.
Reiko Onodera also realized the issue, her face reddening as she bashfully turned her head away.
"Meow~"
Roast Meat, on the side, was about to step forward onto Haruka's lap with its pudgy short legs, but the boy shoved him away, even squishing his baozi-like face out of shape.
"Let's go back to the bedroom to sleep. Sleeping on the couch is very uncomfortable," explained Reiko Onodera, her reason for coming.
Just when she had finished tidying up the kitchen and was considering asking what time Haruka would get up the next day, so she could prepare breakfast,
she found that the big boy had fallen asleep on the sofa, with the fat cat Roast Meat also sprawled atop his chest, breathing evenly in deep slumber. The harmonious breathing of the man and cat,
made Reiko Onodera instinctively lighten her movements, tiptoeing upstairs to take a bath.
The bathroom was full of steam, and the beautiful woman stood before the full-length mirror, water cascading down her body, the reflection showing a mesmerizing face tinged with traces of fatigue, unsure of what the future held.
She slapped her cheeks, forcing herself not to get lost in wild thoughts, and after a bit of self-encouragement, she casually wrapped a towel around herself.
After stepping out of the bathroom, she looked downstairs and saw the man and cat still asleep. She thought for a moment and eventually decided to go down to wake up her landlord.
"I'm a bit tired from the day, mostly because Sister Reiko's cooking was too delicious, it's easy to doze off after a good meal."
Ignoring the resentful look in Roast Meat's eyes, Haruka Yuzan stood up and stretched, feeling some soreness in his lower back due to his sleeping position.
"Sister Reiko should hurry off to bed, it's already so late. You need to get up early tomorrow."
As he spoke, he uncomfortably shifted his shoulders.
Seeing this, Reiko Onodera narrowed her eyes, a hint of hesitation and bashfulness flashing through her attractive gaze?
"Mr. Haruka, does your back feel very uncomfortable?"
"Yes, a bit, it's probably due to the sleeping posture, feels a bit stiff."
Haruka Yuzan nodded.
"I, I know a bit of massage, if you'd like, I could help alleviate your discomfort."
Massage?
For some reason, upon hearing this word, Haruka Yuzan's mind couldn't help but wander to some not-so-pure material.
Dammit! Haruka Yuzan, you've changed!!! Where did the innocent and upright boy from before go???
"Alright, that'd be great."
Meanwhile, Roast Meat sat on the sofa with a small table, those bean eyes looking like he was feeling wronged, giving off an air of sulking.
But no one paid him any heed, the cat was no longer the center of attention, as Haruka Yuzan was already leading Reiko Onodera upstairs, past the plump feline.
"Meow~"
.......
Setting foot in a guy's bedroom for the first time, Reiko Onodera couldn't help but look around; it was unexpectedly clean, without the imagined clutter of papers and gaming cards or celebrity posters.
The bedroom was simple, the decor primarily in shades of gray and white, a minimalistic style that appeared uncomplicated yet fashionable,
A double bed looked very soft, with a bedside table next to it holding a small lamp, and there seemed to be a book on it, a bedtime read?
It appeared that the room's owner had good taste.
On the opposite wall hung an LCD screen, with a small coffee table beneath it housing game controllers and a Switch.
The window was half-open, allowing the night breeze to waft in, lifting a corner of the gray curtain, ensuring good air circulation in the room.