Tokyo: Oreimo

Chapter 272 Cohabitation (Combined Chapter)

As the aroma of curry wafted from the kitchen, Ling Nai was squatting in front of an open cardboard box, hanging clothes one by one into the wardrobe.

She sniffed.

This flavor couldn't be replicated with instant curry. She put down the clothes hanger in her hand, followed the aroma to the kitchen door, and peeked inside.

The frying pan on the stove was steaming, and Ryosuke, with his back to her, was adding the last bit of salt to the pan. The used cutting board had been washed and was standing on the drain rack.

"When did you learn to cook?" Ling Nai blurted out.

Ryosuke turned off the stove without turning his head, "It always will."

"You're lying, you've never even stepped into the kitchen at home."

"That's because the kitchen at home was my mother's territory."

Ling Nai walked to the dining table with some skepticism. Two servings of curry rice were already laid out on the table. The rice was neatly arranged, the curry was just the right consistency, and the chicken thigh meat had a slightly browned skin, clearly indicating that it had been pan-fried before cooking.

She originally intended to come out and see the spectacle.

Based on her understanding of Ryosuke, although he was good at everything, he had never shown off his cooking skills.

She had already prepared her lines, such as "Let's go out to eat after all" or "At least you're not up to par."

Now all those lines are useless.

She pulled out a chair, sat down, and scooped a spoonful into her mouth.

Then it stopped.

".....tasty."

"what?"

"I said it's delicious!" She looked up, her eyes filled with indignation. "How come you're so skilled at cooking? Aren't you always rushing to finish your manuscripts? When did you learn that?"

"It's a secret." Ryosuke sat down opposite her and winked at her.

In my past life, I lived alone for a long time. In order to save money, I had long mastered the skills of cooking, let alone a dish like curry rice, which is not difficult to make.

Ling Nai took another bite, and it was indeed delicious, no less so than Mei Huizi's cooking.

.....

……

After the meal, the two went back to their respective rooms to pack their luggage.

Ling Nai didn't finish unpacking the last cardboard box until after 10 p.m.

After taking a shower, the girl changed into the Buffet pajamas and dried her hair in front of the mirror.

The water heater in the new bathroom works better than the one in my old home in Chiba, and the water pressure is also stronger.

"This feels so good."

She turned off the hairdryer, lay down on the bed with the new sheets, and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling.

She closed her eyes.

Then it opened again.

Can't sleep.

There was no movement from the next room either.

Ryosuke had probably finished showering by now, and the entire apartment was unusually quiet.

She rolled over, then rolled back over. The excitement of moving slowly settled in the darkness, replaced by a strange sense of emptiness.

Chiba lived in that room for three years. From the window, she could see the persimmon tree in her neighbor's yard, and in the summer, the cicadas would chirp loudly.

Outside the window is a quiet residential street, and the light from the streetlights seeps through the gaps in the curtains, drawing a thin, bright line on the floor.

She sat up and glanced at her phone.

12:30 a.m.

She put on her slippers, opened the door with practiced ease, and walked to the door of the next room.

The door wasn't locked.

.....

Ryosuke woke up the moment he turned the doorknob.

Without parents living under the same roof, the apartment was eerily quiet at night. The faint creaking of the floorboards in the hallway was amplified several times in the darkness.

He closed his eyes and heard the door being pushed open a crack.

Then came the sound of bare feet stepping on the wooden floor.

The blanket was lifted by one corner.

Her body, still smelling of shower gel, slipped inside, skillfully found his arm, rested her head on it, her forehead against his shoulder, and curled up into a small ball.

It's exactly the same as when I was at home.

When he was in Chiba, he could still make excuses for himself by saying he "didn't want to bother his parents."

But now it's Tokyo, and there are only the two of them in this apartment, without the natural threat of their parents or any external constraints.

If he continues to condone this, then starting tonight, this behavior will become the norm.

Given Ling Nai's personality, once a certain behavior is taken for granted as "permissible," she will constantly test where the next boundary lies.

He knew from the beginning that Ling Nai harbored feelings for him that went beyond those of siblings.

But she kept using procrastination, playing dumb, and saying things like "she's still young," "she's just dependent," and "she'll understand when she calms down" to avoid the issue.

Ultimately, I was just afraid of making a choice.

Saori was the lover he chose. A rational, mature partner who could work alongside him in his career, every moment with her was easy because he didn't have to bear any moral guilt.

But Ling Nai is different.

When facing Ling Nai, his feelings were chaotic, contradictory, and something he dared not open up, wrapped in the shell of "this is my sister".

He wasn't sure what it was.

But at the very least, we can't let her continue like this.

Ling Nai adjusted her position, buried her face in the crook of his neck, and her breathing became steady and long.

Then she slightly raised her head.

Ryosuke could feel her breath approaching, carrying the lingering citrus scent of shower gel, warmly brushing against his jawline.

She was probably wondering if he was awake, or what to do if he was awake, or maybe she wasn't thinking about anything at all, just following some kind of impulse that she couldn't control.

Her lips almost touched the corner of his mouth.

Ryosuke opened his eyes.

"Ling Nai."

His tone was calm, without blame or surprise, just like when he called her to eat breakfast during the day.

Ling Nai sprang up as if she had been electrocuted, her elbows braced against his chest, her blonde hair brushing against his cheek.

Ryosuke could see her pupils dilating rapidly in the darkness.

"I...I did that!"

Her mouth was open, but the sound was stuck in her throat.

She appeared in his room in the middle of the night, lay down next to him, with one hand on his chest and her face less than ten centimeters away from his.

How do you explain this?

"Can't sleep?" Ryosuke said it for her.

"Yes! I can't sleep! I'm not used to this new bed!" Ling Nai practically jumped off the step. "I'm not used to the new room, so I came to check if you were asleep!"

"Then, seeing that I was asleep, you just lay down?"

Ling Nai opened her mouth and then closed it again.

This guy is using her usual sentence structure to shut her up, and he's doing it flawlessly.

Her posture and the distance she was in just now couldn't be explained away by any excuse.

"I..." Her voice trailed off, "I just wanted to make sure you hadn't kicked off the covers..."

Ryosuke didn't speak, he just looked at her quietly.

This calm only made Ling Nai more flustered.

She began to wonder when he had woken up.

If I had been any faster and kissed him before he opened his eyes, what expression should I have on my face now?

wrong.

She suddenly realized.

She was just centimeters away from his face.

If she were discovered at this distance, even if Ryosuke were slow-witted, he couldn't possibly not guess what she was planning to do.

"What you just did...."

Before Ryosuke could even open his mouth, Ling covered it with her hand.

"Don't say it."

Her voice was muffled in her palm, tinged with embarrassment.

"I am... How could you be like this... I clearly..."

Her ears were so red they looked like they were about to bleed.

Then they started moving off the bed.

Ling Nai jumped off the bed without even turning her head back.