"I never would've thought... Chisato is actually an orphan." Kasumigaoka Utaha murmured, her expression dazed.
"Yes." Shichen nodded lightly.
He had just finished explaining Lycoris and DA to her, which, for someone who had always lived a peaceful, ordinary life, was truly world-shattering.
So the real world she used to live in was actually like this!
Underage female agents, resolving criminals and terrorists before incidents could even occur... The peaceful life they'd taken for granted was protected by these underage orphan girls.
"Chisato's still so optimistic and lively..."
"Yes, that's just how she is, but she really is remarkable." Shichen smiled, full of pride.
He admired people who face life with positivity—especially someone like Chisato who was still a young girl yet had been through so much.
That was also the main reason he initially took a liking to her.
"So that explains... why she's so open-minded." Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly said.
"Mm? What's open-minded?" Shichen asked, puzzled, glancing at her.
"You tell me?" Kasumigaoka Utaha darted a look at Tohru, who was enthusiastically cooking.
"..." Shichen immediately understood what she meant.
"That's your only reaction? Can't you be a bit empathetic?"
"I just have to treat Chisato the way I did before, right? I think she wouldn't want me to start worrying all the time on her behalf."
"That's true..."
"Hence, I'll show the attitude I'm supposed to have in this situation."
"Understood. You mean you're jealous, right?" Shichen teased, eyeing her.
"What...! Who's jealous!" Kasumigaoka Utaha immediately retorted.
"Didn't you just imply that?" Shichen leaned in closer, smiling as he locked eyes with her.
Kasumigaoka Utaha blushed in anger, then turned her head away, leaving him only the back of her head.
"When exactly did I say that? Stop jumping to conclusions."
"Hehe~" Shichen noticed the redness of her ears and let out a chuckle.
"Alright, alright, whatever you say it is."
"You jerk!" Kasumigaoka Utaha spun around, her fair face fully reddened. She clenched her fists as if ready to smack him.
Luckily, footsteps sounded outside at that moment, and soon after, Chisato and Inoue Takina walked in one after another.
"Chen-nii, Takina's room is already set up."
"Okay. Then have a seat and rest. Dinner's almost done... Takina... mind if I call you that?"
"No problem."
"Great, you probably haven't eaten dinner yet, right?"
"No."
"Perfect, we'll eat soon."
"Yes," Takina nodded.
Chisato took a seat beside Shichen, leaning her entire body against him. Initially she wanted to hold his arm, but he was carrying Kanna, leaving no space for her.
Even so, she noticed Kasumigaoka Utaha's somewhat strange appearance.
"Utaha, why's your face so red?"
"It's hot..." Kasumigaoka Utaha replied offhandedly, turning her head away.
"Well, the kitchen can get warm. Only Tohru isn't bothered by the heat, I guess."
"Takina," Shichen took the opportunity to introduce Tohru and the others to her, "That dragon maid is Tohru, the one in my arms is Kanna, and this is Kasumigaoka Utaha."
"Hello." Kanna waved her little hand from Shichen's arms, greeting in a soft voice.
"Tohru? Kanna? Those names..." Inoue Takina glanced back and forth at their horns and tails.
Indeed, Tohru and Kanna were showing their dragon horns and tails; they could hide them from people, but Shichen saw no need to.
Maybe folks would simply believe they were cosplaying. So long as they didn't fly around or cast magic, no one would suspect a thing.
"Hehe~ The names might sound a bit odd, but that's really what they're called. They're foreigners," Shichen explained, temporarily withholding their real identities.
"Foreigners, is that so? No wonder." Takina seemed to accept it, not too suspicious.
"We'll all be living together now, so you can relax around them. If you have questions, ask Chisato."
"Understood."
"Chisato, Tohru's almost done. Let's bring out the dishes and serve the rice."
"Should I help too?"
"Of course—everyone does their part."
"Got it." Inoue Takina still wore that calm expression as she nodded.
Her lack of expression or emotion might just be her nature. Shichen figured it was typical of a Lycoris, so he didn't mind at all.
"Kanna doesn't mind either. She just wants to eat soon."
Kasumigaoka Utaha, already knowing about Lycoris, also understood Takina's demeanor.
Takina was perfectly willing to help bring out dishes and serve food, acting as if she'd known them all along.
But during dinner, Inoue Takina clearly seemed out of place.
Shichen was busy feeding Kanna; Tohru and Chisato kept piling food into his bowl, Kasumigaoka Utaha turned a blind eye.
For a while, Takina stared, and finally couldn't help but ask Chisato, "Chisato-sen... Chisato, what's going on here?"
"Hm? We're giving food to Chen-nii, why?"
"I see Tohru is doing the same as you, right?"
"Yep! Any problem?"
"Aren't you two dating him?" Takina assumed.
"Not exactly yet~" Chisato said, unembarrassed.
"?" Takina looked at her, puzzled.
"But I am fairly competing with Tohru. You know what fair competition is?"
"Yes, I do... so then why doesn't Shichen-san choose?" Takina asked Shichen.
"Choose? Only children make choices," Shichen answered matter-of-factly.
This truly was no secret to the people here, including Kasumigaoka Utaha.
He had told her he wasn't an ordinary person precisely so she'd know the restrictions of normal society didn't apply to him.
Though Kasumigaoka Utaha hadn't given any explicit response, the fact she was still around him showed there was hope. He just needed her to gradually accept it.
Under ordinary circumstances this would be difficult, but he wasn't an ordinary person.
"...So basically two-timing?" Takina asked, uncertain.
"No, it's not two-timing." Shichen shook his head.
"No?"
"Two-timing means hiding another person's existence. But Tohru and Chisato both know about each other, so it's not that." Shichen explained.
"..."
Takina went quiet. Though she had never dated, she felt that this seemed strange.
"No need to overthink it, doesn't really involve you anyway. Let's just eat." Shichen offered.
"Alright." Takina nodded.
Indeed, whether he was two-timing or not was none of her concern. She was just here to train for a bit, then return to DA.
But she still couldn't help asking, "So that 'Utaha' over there also...?"
"Don't misunderstand," Kasumigaoka Utaha calmly interjected while picking up some food, "I just rent a room here. It's basically the same as your situation."
"Is that so?" Takina sounded dubious.
Had she not seen them earlier, along with Shichen and Kanna acting like a family, she might have believed it. But now she sensed it was just a typical example of how girls speak one thing but might mean another.
~~~
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