I paid off the debt for the most beautiful sisters in the school, and then they barged into my house where I live alone. “Please go back home; you don’t need to repay the favor.” “No way.” “We don’t want to~☆”

The following morning, I woke up to unfamiliar sounds.

Perhaps it’s best described as a human presence.

The sound of footsteps descending the stairs. The opening and closing of doors. The sound of running water. None of these existed in my daily life.

“That’s right… Kami-shiro is here…”

I recall the situation with my groggy, just-awakened mind. Even after one night, it’s still incomprehensible, but that’s how it turned out.

Yesterday was quite hectic.

If I tried to order takeout, Kami-shiro would refuse, and if I thought about taking a bath, she would repeatedly say, “Please go ahead first.”

In the end, when I told her there was only one set of bedding, she insisted on sleeping on the sofa, saying she had brought a blanket.

Eventually, I ordered two meals, ran a bath for her while I took a shower, and just tossed the futon onto the sofa.

“It’s like,” I say, sitting up and searching my mind for the right words to describe the situation, “a cheap home drama or something.”

No good. Only cheap words come to mind.

I get up, pass through the bathroom, and head to the living room. There, in the otherwise plain room, a bustling figure was moving around.

It’s Kami-shiro, in her school uniform, wearing an apron.

A pleasant smell was drifting around the room, so she must have been making breakfast.

“If I captured this scene on video, I could brag about it to the guys at school,” I muttered, though I had no intention of actually bragging.

Such a situation must not be known to anyone.

“Ah, good morning, Kaga-mi-kun. Thank you for everything yesterday.”

Kami-shiro, noticing me, turned around and greeted me.

She’s perfectly acting like a beautiful girl from the morning, so radiant that the morning sun seems to shine behind her. Apparently, this level of energy is normal for her in the morning. She’s quite spirited.

“You get up pretty early, don’t you, Kami-shiro-san?”

“It doesn’t seem that early…? We have school today, right? Considering the time it takes to get ready and eat breakfast, any later and I’d be late.”

“I don’t eat breakfast.”

At first, I did, but as I lived alone, I gradually stopped. Lately, my meal times and frequency depend on my mood.

“Is it your principle not to eat breakfast, Kaga-mi-kun?”

“Huh? No, it’s not a principle or anything, just a hassle.”

“Then I’ll prepare it for you. Please try it if you’d like.”

Saying this, Kami-shiro begins to set out plates.

Were there this many dishes in my house? I wondered for a moment.

I hate washing up, so I often eat directly from the pan, or mainly eat convenience store bento boxes.

Oh, speaking of buying things, I need to get bedding for Kami-shiro soon.

“Kami-shiro-san.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“…Ah, never mind. It’s nothing.”

“Is that so?”

I was about to say we should go shopping, but I stopped myself.

Considering yesterday’s enthusiasm, if I say I’m buying furniture and a bed for Kami-shiro, she’s likely to say, “I can’t possibly let you pay for that—!” She’ll probably have a hard time moving the things from her apartment by herself.

In that case, the best solution seems to be to prepare everything myself, just like yesterday. I’ll ask Ms. Higashi to pick out the essential living supplies for a girl.

I’ll also ask her to lend me a car, or rather, to pay for it and pick it up for me. After all, she’s partly to blame for this. I’ll have her do at least this much. I’ll contact her later and arrange to pick it up after school.

“Sorry, it’s really nothing. Can I eat now?”

“Ah, yes, of course.”

While thinking, she had finished setting the table. I looked at the food on the plates.

It’s a simple menu: rice balls, omelette, chilled tofu, miso soup, and pickles.

…Wait a minute?

“Weren’t there this many ingredients in my fridge?”

“There were eggs, rice, and a can of tuna. The rice balls have tuna in them. But I thought it would be too plain, so I went shopping a bit.”

So she woke up even earlier, went to the convenience store, and bought some extras.

Kami-shiro said she didn’t have much money. She used her last bit of cash on something like this. …I guess I’ll have to stop by the supermarket on the way home from school.

I can’t keep her meals poor, after all.

Feeling the reality of this unfamiliar daily life, I sigh and pop a piece of omelette into my mouth.

“Huh? This is delicious.”

Kami-shiro’s omelette is still warm and slightly sweet.

“――!”

My inadvertent voice makes Kami-shiro clench her little fist in joy.

So she reacts like this…

Of course, I know almost nothing about Kami-shiro.

It seems like life from now on will be full of surprises. As I indulge in this sentiment, a rumbling noise reaches my ears.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I, um, seem to get hungry quite easily.”

I was surprised again.

I never thought the day would come when I’d see Kami-shiro’s stomach growling and her blushing.

“Why don’t you sit down and eat already? Let’s eat.”

“Y-Yes.”

I face the slightly nervous Kami-shiro and eat breakfast. It was a strange morning meal.