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Chapter 29: Nightly hella The issue finally settled, and now Shiori-san and I are dating! Or at least, that’s what I thought. "Haru-kun! We’re not dating yet. I still haven’t approved it, right?" Shiori-san crossed her arms, giving me a smug grin. "But Shiori-san, I can’t sleep here!" "Oh? Then it’s okay if I reject you?" I smirked back, refusing to back down. "Oh? Then I’ll just ignore the fact that you cried earlier because you were so jealous of Yuna?" Her face turned bright red. "Wha—shut up!" Now I’m the one teasing Shiori-san. Is this what they call character development? She huffed and displayed a frustrated pout, making her look even cuter. "Haru-kun... I’ll date you, but it’s up to you whether you’ll sleep here or not." Damn it. She’s gaslighting me. "Fine, Shiori-san... as long as I won’t sleep beside you." "Okay," she said nonchalantly, tapping the bed beside her. "You can sleep here in my bed. I’ll sleep on that chair." I glanced at the chair. It looked hard and uncomfortable—more like a medieval torture device than a piece of furniture. "Shiori-san, I’ll sleep on the chair. You stay in your bed." "Haru-kun, I can’t possibly do that. Even if we’re dating, I’m still the adult here..." "But..." "No buts! Or else you’ll sleep here, beside me~" she teased with a sly grin. **Shiori’s POV** Damn it, Haru-kun! What’s the big deal about sleeping beside me? We’ve already done that a couple of times before! Wait... does that mean he’s thinking we might do something lewd? Given that we’re already in a relationship, that’s pretty normal. I’ve always been prepared if something like that happens—even before we weren’t in a relationship—but... This is bad. If I become too conscious of him, just him touching me might turn me on! I don’t want to be a child predator!! And he’s even wearing his uniform! Meanwhile, I’m still in my teacher’s uniform... This scenario is straight out of some weird romance manga. Those women with wild fetishes would probably jump on him by now. "Haru-kun, you’re 17, right?" "Ah, yeah. Why do you ask suddenly?" "No reason! When’s your birthday? I’ll buy you a present!" "Really? Uh, February 2." Hmm, more than a month away... I can endure that! I’ll just hold myself back until then. **Haru’s POV** "By the way, Shiori-san, did you already tell Mom that I’m sleeping here?" "Yeah, she already approved. I also told her that we’re dating now!" she replied with a sly grin. "Eh? Really? What did Mom say?" "Your mom said okay, but your aunt... she said no." Of course, Aunt Marika would disapprove. She’s always been overly protective of me. "By the way, Haru... what do you want for dinner?" "Anything will do." "Okay, I’ll start cooking. After we eat, let’s play SFO." Shiori-san went to the kitchen to start cooking. The scent of garlic and onions being sautéed in the pan enveloped the room, making my stomach growl. "Shiori-san, do you need help?" "No need, Haru-kun. Why don’t you take a bath first? I’ll prepare you a change of clothes." "Huh? You mean... I’ll wear some of your clothes?" "No!! Just forget it! Go home first and change!" she yelled, her face red as a tomato. I couldn’t help but laugh at her flustered expression. Of course, wearing her clothes would be embarrassing—not to mention they’d probably be oversized on me. I decided to head home to take a bath. Before I left, Shiori-san reminded me to take my time since she’d take a bath after cooking. **Shiori’s POV** This is bad, this is bad! I just invited him to take a bath! And I even said I’d take a bath too! He’ll probably think I’m eager to do it... Which I am, but I don’t want him to think I’m that lewd. Anyway, focus, Shiori! I need to distract myself. I quickly finished cooking the sautéed mushrooms and headed to the bathroom. I didn’t spend much time soaking in the tub. Afterward, I fixed my gaming setup and tidied up my room. The earlier drama and Haru-kun’s confession had made me forget how messy my apartment was. While cleaning, I noticed something on the table. Oh no. His phone? Should I just wait for him to come back? But what if he notices it’s missing and spends time searching for it? That’ll delay him even more! I grabbed my coat and hurried to the Mishizaki household. The chilly winter air bit at my skin as I ran, sending shivers down my spine. Ah, so cold! Winter’s really here. Ignoring the cold, I ran faster and finally arrived at their home. I knocked on the door. "Mom? It’s Shiori." The door opened, and Nishi-chan greeted me with a big smile. "Hello, onee-chan!" "Nishi-chan! Thanks for opening the door!" "Ara, hello, Shiori!" Haru’s mom called out from the living room, sitting with Aunt Marika. "Hi, Mom! Hi, Auntie," I said nervously. "Damn it! Don’t call me Aunt!" Marika snapped, as usual. They invited me to sit on the couch. "I thought Haru and you would stay at your apartment?" his mom asked. "Yes, but I realized he dropped his phone. I didn’t want him to stress out trying to find it," I explained, holding up the phone. "Ara, thanks, Shiori. Knowing my son, he’d probably freak out over losing it," she said with a smile. "No worries, Mom. Also, I wanted to tell you in person... I’m dating your son now," I added nervously. Nishi-chan squealed and hugged me tightly. "Yehey! Onee-chan is now my real onee-chan!" she cheered. "Congrats, Shiori! Take care of my son, okay?" his mom said warmly. "Violate my dear nephew, and I’ll call the police," Marika muttered, glaring at me. "I’ll wait for his legal age, Auntie. Don’t worry," I replied cheekily. Before anyone could respond, a familiar voice came from the hallway. "Oh, Shiori-san? Why are you here?" I turned around and froze. Standing there was Haru-kun, fresh from the bath... and topless! His hair was still damp, and the sight of him made my heart race. Why does he have to look so... alluring? This is bad. Real bad.