I endured the humiliation and humiliation while being besieged by the ghost story elder sister.

Just as Nozomi was feeling a bit cold, Honoka finally finished drawing today's line art.

But she still refused to show Himo what the drawing looked like. Himo then stopped bothering Honoka and decided to go back to her room to play some games while she still had some free time before bedtime.

Before leaving, she couldn't help but cast a resentful glance at Fanxia, ​​who was sitting on the bed.

Although he had been holding back from saying anything, the thing that Sister Fanxia had done to him in the bathroom was still vivid in his mind.

Those icy jade hands gripped their soft ribs, while hot water flowed continuously from the showerhead, drenching the two of them.

This gave Himo a feeling of being caught between ice and fire, which was very torturous.

After Xi Ling left, Fan Xia, who had been sitting cross-legged on the soft bed, silently breathed a sigh of relief, her fair face instantly flushed.

"So... that's what Mio tastes like."

She subconsciously brought her smooth, jade-like hand to her nose and took a light sniff. The faint scent lingering on it fascinated her.

At this moment, Honoka also inexplicably understood why Arisa was so obsessed with doing that kind of thing with Nozomi.

Unaware that Honoka-nee already harbored the intention to continue bullying her, Nozomi had already changed into a loose and comfortable set of pajamas.

The boy sitting in front of the computer screen couldn't help but sneeze, seemingly because of what had just happened, which had made him catch a cold.

"Lately... I feel like Honoka is starting to look more and more like Arisa... I don't know if it's just my imagination."

He muttered to himself, no matter how dazzling the game interface was, the incident that happened in the bathroom kept flashing through his mind.

The next day.

Because she had stayed up late playing games, Ximiao got up, made breakfast for Fanxia, ​​and then went back to her room for a nap.

Just as it was getting close to noon, someone suddenly rang the doorbell. Not knowing who it was, Fanxia quickly got up from the sofa and ran to the entrance.

As soon as she opened the door, she saw that tall figure smiling at her, his wine-red eyes glaringly bright to her.

"Yo~ Good morning! Is Mio awake yet?"

Arisa appeared to be carrying a bag, but Honoka didn't seem to care. She simply asked in an annoyed tone.

"What are you doing here? Mio is still sleeping!"

"Oh, still sleeping? Looks like he stayed up a little late last night."

As she said this, she gave Fanxia a meaningful look, as if she were thinking about something strange, which made Fanxia roll her eyes at her.

Seeing that she couldn't send this wicked woman back, Fanxia simply made way for her, letting her take off her shoes at the entrance and follow her into the house with her things.

Even though the weather had turned cool, the air conditioning inside was still running at a high power, and even Arisa couldn't help but shiver.

She complained bluntly, "Why are you still keeping the air conditioning so cold? It's only around ten degrees Celsius outside, and it's colder inside than outside. Aren't you afraid Xiaoling will catch a cold?"

"..."

She was about to retort that it was perfectly normal for a snow woman to like colder places!

But when Fanxia heard that it could easily cause Xiling to catch a cold, she swallowed back what she was about to say.

She silently picked up the air conditioner remote and turned it up a little, to show that she really cared about Himo...

When Arisa realized that even after making such a commotion, Nozomi still hadn't come out of the room, it seemed that Honoka wasn't lying to her.

then.

While waiting for Xi Ling to get up, she sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, not acting like a guest at all.

"By the way, what's that bag you're carrying?"

Fanxia asked with some curiosity.

"You mean this? It was delivered by courier this morning. It seems to be a friend of my mother's. It's Wagyu beef that she specially sent, so I thought I'd bring some up for you."

Arisa glanced at the paper bag she had casually placed next to the sofa and said indifferently.

I waited for who knows how long.

Fanxia's little belly, which had just finished breakfast, started rumbling again. She was about to go to Ximiao's room to wake the boy up when...

The door opened by itself.

Wearing loose, casual pajamas, Hiyo walked out of the room while yawning.

Then, he saw that on the sofa, where only Fanxia should have been, there was a very tall girl sitting there.

"Arisa? What brings you here?"

He was taken aback for a moment, and then asked with some confusion.

"I've brought you some things. By the way, Mom asked me to ask you and Fanxia if you'd like to have dinner together tonight."

"Eh?"

This time, not only Nozomi, but even Honoka, who was sitting next to her, showed a surprised expression.

However, what Fanxia was really saying was that she had been sitting in the living room with Arisa for so long, and she had no idea about this at all.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but glare fiercely at the girl.

After learning why Arisa was there, Nozomi first brushed her teeth and washed her face to clean herself up before going to the living room and sitting on the sofa.

Then came a string of complaints from Fanxia.

"Mio~ I'm hungry."

"Let me rest for a while, I'm still a little sleepy..."

After saying that, he yawned again, his light golden hair looking messy and a bit dazed.

This prompted Arisa to reach out and rub his little head, wishing she could blanch it right there.

However, due to the presence of Honoka, Arisa kept this idea to herself, waiting for a better opportunity.

"So, how's the dinner idea for tonight going? You must be pretty free today~"

After regaining her senses, Arisa continued to ask questions.

Chapter Ninety-Four Taking the Blame

evening.

Having agreed to have dinner with Arisa, Nozomi, accompanied by Honoka, arrived at Arisa's place, which was downstairs from their apartment building.

In the spacious living room, several people sat around the kotatsu, their eyes fixed on the sukiyaki on the table, seemingly waiting for the Wagyu beef inside to be cooked through.

goo—

As the rich aroma wafted over, the stomachs of the group churned involuntarily, and they couldn't help but swallow.

"So... Aunt Ashi, why did you suddenly say you wanted to invite the two of us to dinner?"

If it continued to be so quiet, something felt off, so he broke the silence first and asked Ashi, who was sitting opposite him.

"This is a thank you gift for tutoring Arisa these past few days, Mio. You can't just take it for granted just because you're Arisa's boyfriend, can you?"

As she said this, she glanced at the somewhat guilty-looking Arisa beside her and explained it to Himo.

After all, what she saw the two of them doing in Arisa's room yesterday afternoon made Asami feel a little guilty towards Nozomi.

However, it was only a tiny bit, probably...

The evening news was still playing on TV, and the group of people sitting around the warm kotatsu couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort.

When the sukiyaki pot signaled that it was ready to be eaten, Nozomi, who was the only one with decent cooking skills present, naturally took on the role of temporary head chef. She picked up her chopsticks and divided the delicious pot of food equally into everyone's bowls.

Then, he picked up the Wagyu beef that was placed aside and put the slices of beef into the pot one by one, quietly waiting for the next meal.

"I have to say (chew chew chew)...this tastes better than what I eat outside (chew chew chew), or am I just imagining things?"

Having already emptied her bowl of meat, Fanxia put down her chopsticks, propped herself up with her small hand, and gave her evaluation.

"Indeed, it must be Mio's skill that's good~ But, to me, Mio's method is no different from that of other shops?"

After speaking, Arisa followed Honoka's example and looked at Nozomi, who hadn't even picked up her chopsticks yet, as if waiting for him to give an answer.

however.

"Alright! What are you two doing? Xi Miao hasn't even had a bite yet, are you two going to let her eat?"

Ashi said to the two of them in an annoyed tone, and then silently started eating the beef in her bowl, not forgetting to share some with Boros, who had turned back into a cat and could only watch longingly from the side.

No one knows how many rounds of meat they put in, but Ximiao felt her arms were getting sore.

They considered asking Aunt Ami for help along the way, but after trying it, they found that the taste was never as good as Nozomi's.

But what really gave Nozomi a headache was what was under the stove...

Perhaps because he was half full, he had the energy to play pranks on himself again. He could clearly feel a leathery, devilish tail constantly teasing his little feet.

Sometimes she tickled him, sometimes she tried to crawl into his trousers, and Mio knew right away that it was Arisa who did it.

But when he put down the chopsticks he was using to prepare the sukiyaki and glared fiercely at Arisa beside him, she looked at him with an innocent expression.

He seemed unaware of why he was glaring at him...

For a fleeting moment, Himo couldn't help but wonder if it was Aunt Ami sitting across from him who was teasing him.

However, this idea didn't stay in his mind for long before it was rejected by Himo.

After all, in his heart, Aunt Ashi was the only one who could control Arisa, and she usually seemed very proper, so it was impossible for her to do such a thing...

then.

Hio endured the strange sensation emanating from the kotatsu while fiddling with the Wagyu beef in the pot.

a long time.

The whole room was filled with the rich and delicious aroma of the sukiyaki. Even though they were all very satisfied with their meal, they still felt like they wanted more.

All you could hear was Azai peeling an orange while talking to Arisa and Mio.

"Alright~ Consider this big meal a gift for you two. Good luck on your final exams next week, and try your best to pay attention~ especially..."

Her gaze was fixed on Arisa beside her, making the girl look under immense pressure, and she quickly responded.

"Okay! I understand, I'll study hard for the exam!"

If I don't show my determination soon, who knows how long Asumi will keep nagging me.