This 2 chapters are in honor of @yellowjacket65 who gave a moment of his/her time to drop a review.
Much Luv~
==========================
Even though she was aware that her tone and attitude could easily offend others—and that her own perfection alone was enough to incite jealousy and dislike—it was usually from people who had at least a somewhat mature view of the world and society.
But now, even a child who looked no older than ten seemed to dislike her?
This was quite a blow to Yukino, especially since the one who disliked her was such an unfairly adorable child.
The frustration in her heart was immense, and what stung the most was that this little girl even found her neighbor more trustworthy than her.
Completely unacceptable.
Seeing how desperate she was to get closer to this adorable creature, that guy actually suggested a rather shameless plan.
She was in the middle of preparing dinner, wasn't she? Then just make extra—enough for four people—and he could have this cute creature join her for a meal.
Of course, he'd be tagging along for the food too.
Thick-skinned, truly. But then again, it wasn't like he was freeloading—she could consider it as repayment for hosting him the previous night.
More importantly, he even pulled out something that shook her resolve as payment for dinner.
Those gloomy eyes that seemed to see through the world's darkness, claws sharp enough to tear through bamboo and beasts, fangs that glowed ominously under the light—Mr. Panda Pan. He was the payment for dinner.
Yukino remembered it clearly.
He came from one of the crane game machines at the dating hotspot LaLaPort TOKYO-BAY, popular among high schoolers in Chiba.
As for why she knew that so well?
Because she'd had her eye on those Mr. Panda Pans for days, planning to finally rescue them from their glass prison today.
But when she arrived, they were all gone. After asking around, she learned that a skilled player had taken them all.
This alone frustrated her to no end.
Now, the culprit who snatched all the Mr. Panda Pans was most likely that guy next door. After all, he brought out nearly ten of them, all identical to the ones from that machine.
Back to the part about preparing four portions—why four? Because that guy had brought along another person.
A beautiful girl with a somewhat sorrowful aura, like a fallen angel. This was a shock to Yukino, who had always been confident in her own looks.
She hated to admit it, but if it came down to appearance alone, this girl might just have the edge… mainly due to her chest.
This beautiful girl's name was Ikaros. According to that guy, she was a distant relative who had come to live with him.
Her way of speaking was a bit cringey—something about being a "mecha-girl"—but the way she called him Master made Yukino seriously doubt how true his explanation was.
The girl was undeniably cute, but she seemed rather airheaded.
Could it be he lured her here with some indecent trick and was playing out some sort of weird fetish game?
"Sigh~"
Yukino let out a sigh.
Maybe she was thinking this way because she already had such a low opinion of that guy.
Being observant and sharp, she could sense these things.
The "distant relative" story wasn't very convincing, but the way he looked at that girl—there was a gentle warmth in his eyes.
That wasn't romantic affection, but something closer to familial love, maybe even a desire to atone for something.
Even if she could understand it, that didn't stop her from being annoyed at his smug, show-off attitude. That adorable creature—so cat-like in cuteness—was just across the table.
She wondered how she was doing now...
"Meow~"
A soft, cute sound reached her ears. Something was brushing against her ankle—it was the adorable kitty.
"Meow~~~ Dinner's almost ready, okay? Just wait a little."
Now that she thought about it, what should she name this little cutie?
In the blink of an eye, the dining table that used to seat just her was now occupied by four people.
[What's this child's name?]
[Uh… I don't know.]
This was a silent exchange of glances between Yukino and Yazuki. The former had asked, the latter responded.
Yazuki did feel a bit embarrassed.
That little loli had already eaten up all the snacks he brought home. No matter how he tried to talk to her, she didn't respond or give any useful information.
She acted like a cat in a new environment, constantly on alert.
But her wariness was expressed differently toward Yukino and Yazuki.
Toward Yazuki, it was like a small creature being cautious of a larger one—afraid he might hurt her.
But toward Yukino, it was more like she deemed her as an untrustworthy existence, someone who might exploit her.
At the moment, after she'd finally agreed to try Yukino's cooking (only after Yazuki first acted as the poison tester), she seemed to relax her guard a bit.
After all, children were usually simple-minded and could easily sense genuine kindness.
She wasn't willing to speak yet, but Yazuki was beginning to pick up on a few things.
No doubt about it—she was still a child. Most likely a little princess type.
She was probably used to being fed by servants, judging by how clumsily she handled chopsticks and spoons.
Yazuki had to teach her how to use them. But this turned out to be a great opportunity; before he knew it, he was already patting her little head.
And then—
Yazuki felt an intense, icy glare piercing through him.
He ignored it. Wait, there was another much softer gaze… Looking over, he saw Ikaros staring at him, a little dazed, her expression seemingly tinged with envy.
So he gave her head a pat too.
Staaaaare—
Watching all of this, Yukino couldn't help but twitch at the corners of her mouth.
She had prepared this dinner with her own hands, but the guy made it seem like he was the one hosting this dinner party.
Perhaps sensing her subtle resentment, he made a small gesture with his eyes—prompting her to look at the loli who was eating adorably, clumsily smearing sauce all over her cute face.
This is your chance, his look seemed to say.
"Hmm?"
The silver-haired little loli made a sound that suggested she was a bit displeased, likely because Yukino was cautiously wiping the sauce from her face.
But she didn't resist. That alone made Yukino breathe a sigh of relief and feel a bit happy.
It was like approaching a wary stray cat—initially guarded, but finally willing to let you touch it once it sensed your affection.
Before they knew it, dinner had come to an end.
"Human, give me your hand."
That was directed at Yukino. When she reached out her hand, the impossibly adorable creature pulled out a small, pinky-sized crystal from her clothes and placed it in her palm.
"With this, we're even."
Leaving behind those words, the little one looked like she was about to leave.
"Where do you plan to go? You don't have anywhere to go, do you?"
Yazuki's question caused the little girl's expression to falter slightly. Her small body stiffened, and a faint air of loneliness seemed to surround her.
"That's not true!"
She denied it, but turned her head away and avoided eye contact. Her eyes wandered restlessly—it was obvious she'd been hit where it hurt.
The way she got flustered when someone hit the mark was just too cute.
"You fought with your parents, didn't you?"
He was sure of it.
As he leaned in, gazing directly at her, her eyes darted around even more intensely.
Most likely, something had happened that made her run away from home. Maybe her parents, in a moment of anger, had kicked her out.
Though that seemed unlikely. It was more probable that she stormed out on her own and got lost, eventually wandering into this place.
"Hmm?"
"Ugh~"
"Am I right?"
"Awoo! You're so annoying, just go die already!"
A soft, weak little fist lightly pounded on him—her attempt at expressing anger. But even that angry look of hers was ridiculously adorable.
Then, without thinking, Yazuki lifted her up high in the air.