"I got hungry after coming home late and wanted to cook some noodles, but I realized I was out of soy sauce.
I could go buy some, but then I thought—Chisato-kun and I have a great relationship, so why not just borrow some from you?
I'll buy a new bottle tomorrow and return it. You don't mind, do you?"
Haruno knew how to act cute—and it was surprisingly effective.
Especially her eyes—when she smiled, they curved like crescent moons, radiating a cheerful and irresistible charm.
This was a small favor, hardly worth refusing.
"I think I have a few types of soy sauce."
"I'm not picky—seafood soy sauce or miso soy sauce is fine. Ah, but dark soy sauce for meat dishes wouldn't be ideal. It wouldn't go well with noodles."
She knows so much about soy sauce. Looks like she cooks pretty often.
"Please wait a moment, I'll get it for you."
Chisato had no intention of inviting Haruno inside.
It was just a bottle of soy sauce; it wouldn't take long to fetch.
Besides, at such a late hour, having a man and a woman alone together in a room—regardless of whether they had any inappropriate thoughts—could easily be misunderstood.
"Alright, I'll be counting on you then."
Haruno replied with a charming smile, obediently waiting at the doorway.
She was slightly surprised by how cautious he was.
Based on the information she had gathered about him from Yukino since childhood, along with her own observations, he had been involved with so many girls that he logically shouldn't be this reserved.
Yet here she was, knocking on his door late at night, only to be decisively shut out.
It was a bit of a blow to her confidence.
Was she too abrupt, making him put up his guard?
But when Haruno wanted something or had a pre planned course of action, no matter what obstacles arose, she would always find a way to use her clever mind to resolve the issue.
She had gone through the trouble of pretending to be asleep just to get her overly clingy, worry-prone sister to rest, and then secretly snuck out.
There was no way she would give up at the first hurdle.
Borrowing soy sauce was just an opening move. If this didn't work, she had backup plans.
Chisato returned quickly with the bottle of soy sauce in hand.
"This is the only type of seafood soy sauce I have that meets your criteria. See if it works for you."
Haruno reached out to take it, her face lighting up with joy.
"Thank you, this really helps a lot."
"You're welcome."
By normal logic, at this point, Haruno should turn and leave, while Chisato, having done his good deed, should shut the door and go to bed.
But clearly, Haruno had no intention of following conventional logic.
Without leaving any gaps in their conversation, she swiftly spoke again.
"Congratulations, Chisato-kun."
Chisato was puzzled by the sudden congratulations.
"Congratulations? For what?"
Haruno nodded.
"Yes. I happened to be at the Shibuya Music Festival today and saw your live performance. It was quite a spectacle.
If you keep up the level of performance you displayed on stage today, it's only a matter of time before you become someone truly remarkable."
Listening to her words, Chisato started to grasp why she had come knocking at such a late hour.
He humbly thanked her.
"I was just filling in for the lead singer, who was sick and had a sore throat. It was just a temporary stand-in, nothing significant."
"A temporary stand-in, huh… Have you heard of Pelé? In a stroke of fate, a teammate named Vasconcelos fractured his leg, and as a substitute, Pelé was sent onto the field.
From then on, he became a regular starter and began his legendary journey as the 'King of Football.'"
"Comparing me to a world-class football star? Haruno-san, you're overestimating me."
"This isn't an overestimation. It's an objective opinion from an audience member who heard you sing live."
Chisato didn't quite know how to continue the conversation.
He wasn't afraid of debating with others, but when someone bombarded him with non stop praise, he couldn't exactly just keep nodding along and accepting it all, could he?
Haruno seemed to realize this too. Her gaze toward him grew even softer as she straightforwardly revealed her true reason for coming.
"Honestly, borrowing soy sauce was just an excuse. What I really wanted was your autograph. Your singing has completely captivated me.
I especially love that song 'Gradually Drawn to You'…"
As she spoke, she cheerfully swayed her head and softly sang with her pleasant voice.
"Gradually drawn to you~♪"
"By your dazzling smile~"
"Breaking through the endless darkness~♫"
"Take my hand~"
"…Haruno-san!"
Chisato raised a hand to cover his face, stopping her.
Haruno sang beautifully, but for some reason, the scene before him filled him with an inexplicable sense of embarrassment. Even he couldn't quite explain why.
"Though I don't think my autograph has any real value, if you want it, I can give it to you right now."
"That would be great! But I came in such a hurry that I forgot to bring paper and a pen. Give me a moment, I'll go get them."
"No need, I have both here."
For the first time that night, Chisato did what Haruno had been hoping for—he stepped slightly aside from the doorway.
"Come inside and sit in the living room for a while. I'll go fetch them from my room."
"I'll take you up on that."
With a delighted expression, Haruno stepped inside.
Though she had already confirmed it earlier from outside, when she entered and stood in the entryway, she still lowered her head to check once more.
There were a few pairs of women's shoes on the shoe rack, but only one pair of men's shoes on the floor.
And given that he was willing to invite her in, it was highly likely that he was the only one home.
Still, she needed to be sure.
"Sorry for disturbing you so late. I'll keep my voice down so I don't wake anyone up."
"I'm the only one home right now, so there's no need to be so cautious. Just have a seat on the sofa for a bit; I'll be right back."
"Alright."
As she watched Chisato leave the living room, she took the opportunity to curiously survey the apartment.
It had a layout similar to Yukino's place, but the interior was decorated quite differently.
Yukino's apartment had a somewhat cold and distant feel. If not for the abundance of panda plushies scattered around, it would be hard to believe that a young woman lived there alone.
This place, however, was much warmer. From the framed photos on the walls to the faint, indescribable fragrance lingering in the air, the sense of coziness was apparent everywhere.
But what intrigued Haruno the most was the crow perched atop the standing air conditioner since she had stepped inside.
That unnaturally large crow had been staring at her intently from the moment she entered.
Feeling slightly uneasy under its gaze, Haruno maintained eye contact for a while before suddenly getting the idea to smile and wave at it as a test.
To her astonishment, the crow stood up, bobbed its head up and down, then lay back down.
It was… remarkably polite for a crow.
Uh—what?
Haruno's smile froze.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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