“Ah—wait…” Before she could say anything else, Etsuyuki had already hung up.
Lirina put her phone away and began tidying her things.
…I’ll be back by noon. That should be fine, right? she thought as she packed her books. Mm… I should leave Anya a note.
She tore a page from her notebook and wrote: “Anya, I’m heading out. I’ll be back by noon—don’t wander around.”
…This feels kind of weird. Ah, whatever.
Lirina gently opened the door, tiptoed over to the table in front of the sofa, and placed the note down.
Then she suddenly realized something—Wait, what if Anya wakes up hungry…?
Lirina walked to the fridge by the cooking counter and opened it.
Oh… there’s nothing except cooking ingredients…
Mm… mm… there’s a convenience store downstairs.
Gritting her teeth, she quietly slipped on her shoes, opened and closed the door softly—then ran off.
“You’re three minutes late, Rina-chan.”
When Lirina reached the bus stop, she saw Etsuyuki waiting from afar.
“Hah… hah… sorry, Etsuyuki-chan.” Lirina scratched her head awkwardly. “It was so sudden—I didn’t prepare anything.”
“It’s fine, the bus isn’t here yet.” Etsuyuki smiled. “Here—bread from the shop next to my house. Freshly baked this morning. It smells amazing.”
“Ah, thank you so much, Etsuyuki-chan!”
Lirina accepted the still-warm bag, opened it—and a rich, heavenly bakery aroma rushed out.
“Sniff—wow… it smells so good!” Her eyes sparkled.
“Hehe. Hurry and eat, the bus will be here soon.”
Lirina pushed the bread slightly out of the bag. The golden crust tempted her senses, and she couldn’t wait—she took a bite.
“Mm—so goooood…”
One bite turned into another. The perfect warmth released the flavor completely—it was irresistible.
And then—
She choked.
“Hey, even if I said hurry, don’t eat like that!” Etsuyuki laughed, pulling out a bottle of water and handing it over. “Good thing I brought this.”
Lirina took it, then noticed Etsuyuki was holding two more bags.
“Gulp…” She swallowed and sighed in relief. “Etsuyuki-chan, you still have two pieces of bread. Did you not eat? Why not have some?”
“No, I already ate. These are for Tamako-chan and…” Etsuyuki blushed slightly, “…and for Motoko-senpai.”
“Ohh.” Lirina nodded, continuing to eat. “This bakery is really good. I’ll definitely go buy some myself next time. Anyway, thank you again!”
“Hehe.” Etsuyuki scratched her head. “Motoko-senpai loves this bread too. But it’s too far for her, and her family doesn’t let her go out to buy snacks, so I brought extras.”
“I see… wait, why doesn’t her family let her go out?” Lirina asked.
“Ah—you didn’t know?” Etsuyuki looked surprised. “Motoko-senpai is a rich girl. Her father is the chairman of Ishikawa Electronics. All her meals are prepared by chefs, so of course they wouldn’t let her casually go out to buy bakery bread. She even complained to me about it.”
“Ah… I see…”
Lirina finished her bread and tossed the bag into a trash bin.
Now that she thought about it, she had seen the “Ishikawa” name everywhere—but she never imagined it was that Ishikawa.
“Haha, Etsuyuki-chan really knows a lot about Motoko-senpai,” Lirina said casually.
“W-what are you saying? I don’t especially pay attention to her or anything…!” Etsuyuki suddenly flustered, her face turning red as she nudged Lirina. “Anyway—the bus is here! Let’s get on!”
…
Lirina caught a faint, sweet scent. Not food—something else. Something… not of this world.
…Is this… the smell of love?
She looked at Etsuyuki, who was blushing as she dropped coins into the fare box.
So Etsuyuki-chan…
Lirina smiled faintly, taking out her coin purse.
Is this what a real succubus would do? Absorb that feeling… or draw it in?
…That sounds awful.
If Etsuyuki-chan suddenly stopped liking Motoko-senpai…
No… I don’t want to become that kind of powerful succubus.
At the very least, I won’t become one who steals others’ feelings.
She dropped her coins into the box.
“Wow…”
Standing before the traditional Japanese-style mansion, Lirina couldn’t help but gasp.
“Well, this is where Motoko-senpai and Tamako-chan live. It’s only my second time here too,” Etsuyuki said. “I was just as surprised the first time.”
“Mm…”
Lirina looked at the luxurious residence, even grander than the others in the villa district.
…Well, not as big as my house.
But she now understood how human economics worked—owning a place like this meant their family was extraordinary.
After all, their company name was everywhere.
The two approached the gate. A tall man in uniform stepped forward.
“Are you Miss Tamako’s friends—Miss Takenaka and Miss Haneda?”
They nodded. The man opened the gate.
…This feels like Kasa’s coworkers turned human…
Lirina chuckled at the odd thought.
The guard, noticing her smile, panicked internally.
Why is she smiling? Is she mocking me for being inexperienced?!
Stay serious! Yes!
—he told himself.
“Welcome, Takenaka-san, Haneda-san.”
Tamako opened the door and greeted them.
“Oh come on, we’re friends—no need to be so formal, Tamako-chan. Is your mom home today?” Etsuyuki said while taking off her shoes.
“No, it’s just a habit.” Tamako smiled. “Becoming as casual as you is quite difficult.”
“Alright, alright…” Etsuyuki handed over the bread. “Here—fresh from Hetai Bakery. One for you, one for Motoko-senpai.”
“Oh, thank you so much.” Tamako accepted it with a smile. “My sister is still asleep. Should I wake her?”
“Eh? Motoko-senpai… didn’t sleep well?” Lirina glanced at the time—it was already past nine.
“Not really.” Tamako led them inside. “She was finishing a novel manuscript last night. Apparently it was a critical part, so she had to complete a full chapter. She stayed up until three.”
“Wow…” Lirina pressed her lips together. “That’s not healthy…”
“I’ve told her the same thing, but she won’t listen.” Tamako sighed lightly, preparing tea.
“Um… you don’t have to trouble yourself…” Lirina began, but Tamako waved it off.
“It’s no trouble. This is proper hospitality—please, just sit and wait.”
“Mm…”
Lirina suddenly recalled how her mother would personally serve tea to guests…
…Wait, that’s not the same, is it? Those teas were… kind of strange…
Anyway, say something…
“Ahem… I still think Senpai should rest more. Staying up like that is bad for her health.”
“Well, that’s because you don’t understand,” Etsuyuki said. “A ‘critical moment’ in writing is really important! Otherwise, why call it that? If it’s that novel’s critical moment… then—”
She coughed. “That means it must already be updated! I need to check it right away!”
“Mm…”
Lirina and Tamako exchanged glances—then both burst into laughter.
~~~~~~~~
The Second-Year Group
Saya: “This must be a curse… there’s no way I’d fall into such a predicament otherwise…”
Kotonoha: “…Agreed. Solving these problems is harder than separating a couple holding hands.”
Kotoka: “So… you came to me because of this?”
Saya: “You have the best grades, after all.”
Kotonoha: (nods)
Kotoka: “Honestly… don’t bring this kind of trouble from first year into second year too…”
Kotonoha & Saya: ?
Kotoka: “Anyway, Motoko just called me. She wants me to come over and do homework. Since you’re here, come along. I’m definitely eating lunch there anyway… I’ll call and tell her you’re coming too… okay?”
Saya: “Kotonoha-chan, you didn’t forget how amazing her chef’s cooking is, right?”
Kotonoha: “Mm… I don’t mind. If Saya goes, I’ll go.”
Kotoka: “Honestly… this is just like first year all over again… well—”